2007-08 NBA Western Conference Odds

With the start of the NBA betting season, just a day away, it’s time to take a look at the candidates to win the 2007-08 western conference championship.

This article will separate the pretenders from the contenders and those teams that have no realistic chance at all. With that said, let’s get started, the regular season tip-off is just around the corner.

San Antonio Spurs +200
The Defending champs are the league favorites to win the championship again this season – and with good reason. San Antonio’s ‘Big Three’ of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili is out of this world. Did I forget to mention this team still has excellent veteran players like Michael Finley, Bruce Bowen, Brent Barry and Fabricio Oberto who realize exactly what it takes to win an NBA title? Barring injury, pencil the Spurs in for the western conference finals.

The Suns could be the league’s defending champs had they not gotten a bum deal from the officials who ejected Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw for one game in the western conference finals against San Antonio. Still, the Suns will be one of the best teams in basketball this season with Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion.

I’m going to get me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, better known as a ‘choke sandwich’ where I come from. Let’s see, the Dirk Nowitzki-led Mavs were up 2-0 on the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals two seasons ago before collapsing like a house of cards on their way to four consecutive losses, Last season, the Mavs topped their ‘choke artist’ act by bowing out in the first round to the Golden State Warriors despite winning a league-high 67 games. Talk about a team in need of a leader and the Mavs are it.

Don’t underestimate the Denver Nuggets who will have superstar Allen Iverson on board for an entire season and should be a more cohesive team because of it.

The Jazz reached the western conference finals last season and may have an even better chance to succeed this season with another year of experience under their belts – and two all-star players - in point guard Deron Williams and power forward Carlos Boozer. Oh did I fail to mention the Jazz have a head coach in Jerry Sloan who could out-coach almost any head coach on the planet?

I would have put the Rockets in the ‘Pretenders’ category except I think the hiring of veteran head coach Rick Adelman will prove to be a big bonus for the Rockets. I don’t necessarily think it’s going to be enough to help the Rockets actually win the west this season, but this team clearly has big-time potential. Now all Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming need to do is win a first round playoff series.

While the Warriors will run and gun some teams to death again this season, they are not, repeat, not, legitimate contenders to win the western conference title this season.

The Lakers may or may not be a postseason participant, but one thing is for sure, they’re not winning the western conference – even with Kobe Bryant on the roster.

No Elton Brand means no western conference title, not that the Clippers would have won it anyway. Still, Los Angeles could sneak into the postseason.

All I’m going to say is that it should be very interesting to see if former NBA star Reggie Theus can get the rest of the Kings to play defense the way do-it-all forward Ron Artest does - most likely not.

I like the direction the Hornets are heading in, it’s just that this team is still at least three years away from really contending.

Minnesota Timberwolves +7500
Check back with the Timberwolves in three years, they could rule the western conference by that time – or not.

The Grizzlies have the makings of a postseason team this year, but it will be at least two seasons more before new head coach Mark Iavaroni gets this team on the fast track to success.

I’ll lump the Sonics in with the Portland Trailblazers, Memphis Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks as three of the best young teams to watch in the next 3-5-year span.

Give head coach Nate McMillan three to five years and the Blazers could be a title contender.

And the winner is… The only reason I’m not picking the San Antonio Spurs to win the western conference this season is the fact that they have yet to win back-to-back NBA titles in the Tim Duncan era. The fact of the matter is that the Spurs are far and away more experienced – and composed – in the postseason – than the majority of their western conference opponents.

However, I am going to go with the Phoenix Suns to win the west this season, led by Steve Nash and a fully healthy Amare Stoudemire. While I am still skeptical about the Suns’ lack of defense, I think they can still win the west with an entirely healthy team.

Expect the Spurs, Jazz, Nuggets and Rockets to contend for the other spot in the western conference finals opposite the Suns.

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2007-08 NBA Odds To Win Western Conference