The Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat have yet to play a single game in the 2012-13 NBA season, but they are already considered the favorites for the 2013 championship. The Lakers entered the off-season with 12-1 odds of winning the championship, and once they acquired Steve Nash their odds rose to 6-1. However, as the Los Angeles Times reports, now that the Lakers have Dwight Howard to go alongside Nash, they share 9-4 odds with the Miami Heat.
The Lakers have the most talented team in the NBA on paper, and there is no mystery as to why people are putting money on this team. Howard and Nash will be joining future Hall of Fame players like Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, an extremely formidable squad.
This avalanche of wagers on the Lakers turned them into co-favorites to win the title this season, matching the same 9-4 odds as Miami and topping the Thunder’s 4-1 odds, according to the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino.
The Thunder will be one of the Lakers’ biggest hurdles heading into the season and those two teams will likely meet in the Western Conference Finals. If the Lakers and Thunder do in make it that far, it will be a series for the ages; the ultimate battle between the young stars versus proven veterans.
Then there is the Miami Heat, the defending NBA champions and a team the Lakers may end up facing in the 2013 NBA Finals. The number of superstars on the floor for this possible NBA Finals will be truly amazing and a dream for every basketball fan. In terms of talent both teams can get to the final stage of the NBA Playoffs, now it’s just a matter of training and preparing for the upcoming season.
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In case you missed it – Lakers Locker Room Talk chats about Lakers/Clippers and the battle for L.A.
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