Not even an ugly loss in this spring’s NBA Finals could keep the Miami Heat off the top of the early odds to win the 2015 NBA championship at the sportsbooks.
NBA Futures Odds: Miami Heat remain top betting choice, pending LeBron decision
Miami was routed in the NBA Finals but oddsmakers made them favorites to win it all in 2015. See the latest NBA futures from Odds Shark.
Andy Lyons
The Heat lasted just five games against Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs in this month’s NBA Finals, but they’re the 7/2 favorites on the early odds to win the 2015 NBA championship.
That line, of course, assumes that the Heat will return in their current form next season - or at the very least still have LeBron James in their uniform. Should the Heat conduct an unlikely roster shakeup in the months ahead, as this article at Gamblingsites.net suggests, or if James decides to leave, those odds would drop.
The Spurs opened in a tie with the Oklahoma City Thunder for second place on the 2015 NBA championship odds at 6/1 after wrapping up their title, but a week later they’re at 5/1 on those NBA futures while the Thunder are now a step behind them at 13/2.
San Antonio and Oklahoma City met in the Western Conference Finals this spring, with the Spurs claiming that series in six games.
The Chicago Bulls fell in five games to the Washington Wizards in the opening round of this spring’s NBA playoffs without Derrick Rose available, but the star point guard is reportedly now ready to return to action.
That has the Bulls listed up at 9/1 on the odds to win the 2015 NBA championship right now, putting them ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers (10/1), Houston Rockets (14/1), and Indiana Pacers (14/1). The Pacers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals this past season but lost in six games to the Heat.
Kobe Bryant has also stated that he’s ready to return to the hardwood, which has the Los Angeles Lakers up at 22/1 on the 2015 NBA futures despite their 27-55 record last season. The Cleveland Cavaliers, who own the first overall pick in this month’s entry draft once again, are at 25/1 on that odds list along with the Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Dallas Mavericks gave the Spurs their biggest challenge in this spring’s playoffs, extending them to seven games before bowing out in the opening round. Dallas, Washington, and Brooklyn are all at 33/1 on the odds to win the 2015 NBA championship, while the New York Knicks are at 40/1 and the Boston Celtics are at 50/1 in the bottom half of that odds list.
