NBA Power Rankings – Cavs, Lakers Lead Field Into Postseason
As the basketball betting favorites to win the NBA title this year, Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers get the honor of leading our postseason NBA Power Rankings as we prepare for the second season to start on Saturday.
1. (1) Cleveland Cavaliers (66-16): They just missed tying the record for home wins, but they pushed Philadelphia to overtime with their scrubs.Yeah, Cavs odds say they’ll romp through the Eastern Conference.
2. (2) Los Angeles Lakers (65-17): Andrew Bynum is getting back into game shape rather quickly, and that spells nothing but trouble for the rest of the West. Also, watch Kobe go off when Lebron gets the MVP award.
3. (3) Orlando Magic (59-23): The Magic beat Memphis (by three) and Charlotte at home, then lost to the Knicks at home, and at New Jersey and Milwaukee. Orlando better get focused in a hurry.
4. (8) San Antonio Spurs (54-28): The Spurs have a four-game winning streak heading into the playoffs, and with Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich running the show, this team is always in the NBA betting playoff picture.
5. (5) Boston Celtics (62-20): They should be able to get by Chicago easily enough, but the possibility of not having Kevin Garnett for the entire playoffs must be terrifying for Boston fans.
6. (4) Denver Nuggets (54-28): Losses on the road to the Lakers and Trail Blazers are worrying, especially the Portland loss, where they were throttled by 28 in the season finale.
7. (6) Portland Trailblazers (54-28): The Trailblazers’ six-game winning streak is the longest heading into the playoffs, but they’ll need to prove they can win on the road, starting in Houston.
8. (9) Atlanta Hawks (47-35): Atlanta has six players averaging double figures in points…that sort of balance could cause some basketball betting noise.
9. (6) Houston Rockets (53-29): Like their first-round opponents, the Rockets have to prove they can win away from home. Yao Ming needs to dominate for Houston to have a chance.
10. (10) New Orleans Hornets (49-33): The Hornets just don’t have the depth to be a legitimate sportsbook favorite this year. However, Chris Paul continues to cement his spot as the league’s best point guard.
11. (12) Miami Heat (43-39): Dwayne Wade can’t very well win a series by himself….can he?
12. (14) Dallas Mavericks (50-32): The Mavs won seven of their last 10, and went from missing the playoffs to the sixth seed. Their momentum gives them a shot at toppling the Spurs.
13. (13) Chicago Bulls (41-41): That this team went .500 with a rookie coach, a rookie point guard and a disorganized roster is a credit to this organization. They should steal at least one game from the Celtics.
14. (11) Utah Jazz (48-34): The Jazz looked awful down the stretch, and allowing 125 to the Lakers, their first-round opponents, in the season finale can’t be good for confidence.
15. (16) Philadelphia 76ers (41-41): This is the perfect first-round matchup for the Magic, as the 76ers slumped badly at the end of the season, and Dwight Howard should have a field day.
16. (15) Detroit Pistons (39-43): A thrashing at the hands of the Cavaliers is the appropriate ending to what has been a terribly disappointing season in the Motor City.
The first eight should all advance to the second round, at least, and online betting players should pay special attention to the Portland-Houston and Denver-New Orleans series. Still, the Cavaliers and Lakers are the cream of the basketball betting crop.
