Basketball Betting: Heat Emerge as NBA Title Favorite

After coming up with the free agent trifecta, the Miami Heat have been installed as a +180 favorite to capture the 2010-11 NBA championship. With the signings of LeBron James from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chris Bosh from the Toronto Raptors to join Dwyane Wade on the club's roster, Miami has assembled one of the most dynamic star trios in the history of the league. With Wade leading the way, the Heat won its only previous championship in the 2005-06 campaign. Defending champions are still in the mix The two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers are the next choice at +300. With head coach Phil Jackson (11 NBA titles) on board for his final season, LA is likely to win its fourth straight Western Conference title. The Orlando Magic (+800) are expected to be Miami's biggest threat in the East. Orlando has been to the NBA's "Final Four" in each of the last two seasons. The defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics (+1000) are expected to be in the title mix again this year. The club was able to resign free agents Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to keep its key parts in place. In the West, the up and coming Oklahoma City Thunder are the next choice behind the Lakers at +1200. Led by NBA scoring champ Kevin Durant, the young Thunder are expected to make some more strides after reaching the postseason a year ago.The Dallas Mavericks (+1500) will try to challenge Los Angeles again in the West with its veteran roster. The Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets and Portland Trailblazers are the next contenders at odds of +2000. While Chicago lost out on a bid to land James in free agency, the team was still able to land a big addition this offseason. The Bulls signed forward Carlos Boozer away from the Utah Jazz. After reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2009, the Nuggets regressed last season. Denver star forward Carmello Anthony will be entering free agency at the end of the 2010-11 season. Like Oklahoma City, Portland is a young and talented squad. The Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs round out the list of the most viable contenders at +2500 each. Houston star center Yao Ming is set to return to the lineup after missing all of last season. With James no longer on board in Cleveland, the Cavaliers (+10000) are now one of the biggest long shots to win the title.