With Christmas approaching, that means it's time to pay serious attention to the NBA. On Christmas Day, the NBA has a whopping 5 matchups that should be able to help with those awkward moments when the in-laws give you another batch of fruitcake this holiday season. So, let's see where all of the NBA teams stack up during the holidays with a special edition of What Are The Odds for all 30 teams, only at RSS.
Worst Team Ever - NJ Nets (2-26) - Even Money
-The Nets, at 2-26, have a legit shot to set basketball history... not of the good kind either. At this win rate, they're on course to reach 6 wins on the season which would shatter the record of the '72-'73 76ers and 9 wins. Chase history New Jersey, you won't get LBJ, but a chance at John Wall and becoming the NBA's Lions isn't bad consolation.
Winning the lottery, and thereby tanking the season...
T'Wolves (5-24) - 3/1
Golden State (7-20) - 8/1
76ers (7-21) - 25/1
-The T'Wolves are insanely bad, but thanks to the Nets they won't be able to tank and get the best chance to win the lottery. They should cement the 2nd worst record in the league though. Similarly, Golden State is awful this year and looking to the future. In signing AI, the Sixers are going to look to sneak into the Eastern conference playoffs. They have a much more talented roster than the early years of Iverson, but the team can't win. The Sixers are only 4.5 games out of the playoffs, but there are way too many teams to pass along the way.
Aren't these teams supposed to be better... odds of getting back to the top 8
Washington (9-17) - 3/2
Detroit (11-17) - 4/1
Chicago (10-17) - 15/1
New Orleans (12-14) - 11/1
-These teams have all been disappointments thus far for whatever reason (coaching changes, injuries, bad luck, Vinny Del Negro), and have some work to do to get back in the playoff hunt. In a horrid East, Washington and Detroit have too much talent to not rebound moving into the new year. In fact, I'm flummoxed by Washington's poor start, maybe Yard Yoder and Agent Dagger can help me out. Once Hamilton and Prince return Detroit will make a run as well. Chicago is in a lot of trouble after blowing that 35 point lead to Sacramento and Vinny's time is running out. New Orleans is slowly coming round, but face a tall order to reach the playoffs in a stacked Western Conference.
These teams can seriously make the playoffs? Eastern Playoff Odds
Milwaukee (12-14) - 4/5
Toronto (13-17) - 4/1
Charlotte (11-16) - 7/1
New York (11-17) - 12/1
Indiana (9-18) - 30/1
-This shows you just how bad the Eastern Conference is this year. Milwaukee, at 2 games below .500 are sitting at 6th in the East. Brandon Jennings has cooled off a bit after taking the league by storm, but with Michael Redd slowly coming back they are favorites to make it from this group. Toronto and New York score a lot, but give up even more. Toronto's chances are better to sneak in though with Bosh and Turkoglu. Charlotte and Indiana don't have the talent of teams like Detroit and Washington, so their stay in the playoff chase might not last into the Spring.
Surprisingly good Western teams that are hoping to get into the playoffs... or the East
OKC (13-14) - 7/2
Sacramento (13-14) - 8/1
LA Clippers (12-16) - 17/2
Memphis (13-15) - 22/1
-These young teams have all been pleasant surprises this season and would be firmly in playoff positioning if they were in the Eastern conference. They all sit 3-4 games out of playoff positioning and will find it very hard to pass Utah or heaven forbid San Antonio and sneak in. The best chance would seem to fall to the Thunder with their uber-talented roster (Durant, Green, Westbrook, etc). Sacramento is a nice story, especially with RoY candidate Tyreke Evans, and they could be boosted by the return of Kevin Martin. The Clips are in a similar situation awaiting Blake Griiffin. Memphis is being led by Zach Randolph (19 ppg, 11 rpg), that's all you need to know about their playoff chances.
Good teams but not great... odds of reaching 50 wins
Portland (18-12) Need a 32-20 finish - 4/3
Houston (17-11) Need a 33-21 finish - 3/1
Utah (16-12) Need a 34-20 finish - 13/2
Miami (13-12) Need a 37-20 finish - 40/1
-Portland's about where they were last season, it's a shame that the glassman got injured again when he was slowly finding his place in the league. Houston's record is one of the most surprising in the NBA, do you really think it's a good idea for Tracy McGrady to come back, or Yao Ming for that matter? With Brooks, Landry, and Ariza running the show maybe the Rockets should just put them out to pasture and move on. Utah and Miami don't really fit into another category, so this is where they fall. They are the epitome of good teams that will suffer a first round exit in the playoffs.
Odds of winning the East
Boston (22-5) - 3/1
Cleveland (21-8) - 5/1
Orlando (21-7) - 11/2
Atlanta (20-7) - 15/1
-In the East, it's the Top 4 and then 11 mediocre teams. So much for that Eastern resurgence. Boston has been the best team in the NBA throughout the first third of the season. Surprise, they have the best D in the NBA. If they stay healthy and get homecourt, they'll be very tough to beat ala 2008. Cleveland has been unimpressive throughout 2009, but with LBJ and Shaq they'll be a playoff force. I can't see VC replacing Hedo's unique offensive output in the playoffs, nor the young Hawks making it all the way to the end unless they somehow get the East's top seed, which is unlikely.
Odds of winning the West
LA Lakers (23-4) - 3/5
Denver (19-9) - 8/1
San Antonio (15-10) - 10/1
Dallas (20-9) - 12/1
Phoenix (18-10) - 20/1
-The Lakers, again, are the runaway favorites in the West. Denver behind the NBA's leading scorer Melo appears to be their #1 contender. Although, we saw how that series turned out last year. San Antonio is going through the motions this regular season and RJ hasn't exactly played great. Plus, when Keith Bogans is your starting 2 guard, there's issues. Somewhere along the way Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili will find their stride. Surprisingly, Dallas and Phoenix have had resurgent years in 2009, but I can't see either Nash or Nowitzki making a charge through the playoffs and getting by the Lakers. Again, the West is the vastly superior conference, but the race at the top isn't close.
We'll be back with our #5 Story of the Decade which focuses on the changing face of the NBA. We'll chronicle everything from the search for Jordan's heir to the world failures and image problem to the Kobe trial to Kobe's redemption, the Redeem Team, the emergence of LeBron, and everything in between.
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