Bookmaker's Corner: Orlando Magic NBA Championship Odds
by Richard Gardner | Bodog Sportsbook Manager - 5/11/2010
The Orlando Magic is on a mission. Overshadowed by the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers all year long, the Magic has won all eight of its playoff games to advance to the NBA Eastern Conference final.
Orlando entered its fourth and deciding game with the Atlanta Hawks (another blowout) with 21/10 odds to win the 2010 NBA Championship, the same odds as the Cavaliers and only slightly longer than the Lakers (2/1).
Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis have all stepped up in the postseason and it has bettors believing the Magic can not only get back to the Finals, it can win them.
The Magic is a true team that shares the basketball, each player making the next one better. It might sound corny, but it’s true and it’s working.
Most fans know Orlando as Howard’s team, and that’s not untrue, but it’s not the whole story either. Remember that Howard’s found himself in foul trouble a number of times this postseason and the Magic hasn’t missed a beat.
“We’re most definitely a better team than last year just because of the fact we’ve got a great bench,” Lewis said. “We have one of the best benches in the NBA. And our main goal is to win a championship, and I think we can.
“We have guys on the bench that can start on any team. Any given night anybody can go out there and score for us and win a game for us.”
You might even argue the Magic’s 21/10 odds to win it all offer value compared to the Cavs at 21/10. Which team do you think we need more people to bet on to get equal action on both sides? Orlando is a very good team, but it’s not a public team like Cleveland’s become in the LeBron James era. Let’s just say we’ll be paying out some serious dough if the Cavs win it all this season.
The big caveat for Magic backers is the competition that Orlando’s faced so far in the playoffs. Charlotte, which the Magic swept in the first round, and Atlanta have a long way to go before they’re contenders. Whichever team Orlando plays in the conference finals – be it Cleveland or Boston – it will be a steep jump up in quality of opponent.
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