In honour of the nba being back

I’d like to put this out there before the regular season officially gets under way 

the lakers to win the championship at +1300ish odds depending on your book

Already got 5k on it at +1400 odds for a 75k return and just getting started.

why? Asides from being a Lebron fanboy, this team is much improved from last years iteration of the lakers and improved in underperforming areas from last year, namely 3 point shooting and overall depth. Another year under Darvin Ham will only help as well. This team should continue to be an excellent defensive team and might even improve in that regard. Great depth means less load on the shoulders of the great Lebron and AD. Remember, kawhi load managed his way to an nba finals trophy that year in Toronto. Lebron has been worn down in recent years due to overuse and having to put the team on his back to contend. Not anymore. Quite literally a healthy Lebron and Ad haven’t lost a playoff series together…

year 1 won the chip

year 2 ad hurts his groin against phx and lakers bow out (fun fact… lakers were up 2-1 on PHX… that same PHX team was up 2-0 on the bucks in the finals before choking and losing… had the lakers advanced to the finals me thinks they would’ve won)

year 3 didn’t make playoffs due to injuries really and poor roster construction 

year 4 lost in the west finals to Denver 4-0 yes. But that was literally the closest 4-0 sweep I can recall. If not for some absurd shot making and 4th q heroics from Jamal Murray the lakers likely would’ve beat them and that’s with a visibly hindered and injured Lebron (torn foot tendon) Denver of course went on and won the Larry o Brien

so you be the judge. Are we really going to bet against these guys? Are we going to predict injuries for Lebron and AD? Of course not that would be foolish. This roster is the deepest and the best roster in the nba and it’s been proven time and time again you need a deep team to win the nba championship. I like the way the lakers pivoted from a big 3 to a big 2 and phenomenal “others” as Shaq calls them. 

Importantly the competition has also taken a step back. Denver lost 2 key pieces Jeff green and Bruce Brown. The GSW probably got worse with their trade and are too small anyways. Memphis are the ultimate pretenders and just lost Steven Adams for the year. JJJ will get into foul trouble and miss half the game trying to guard AD. PHX lacks depth and lacks defense, not worried about them at all. The clippers might’ve missed their window and proved to have a flawed roster with no real PG to facilitate their offense. Over in the East the Celtics and the Bucks emerge as the main challengers for the trophy. The Celtics are likewise too little and traded away a lot of their grit for KP and Jrue holiday. Not sure they’ve gotten better and brown and Tatum aren’t in that tier of top players and consistently choke in the playoffs anyways. The bucks well they are interesting on paper. I do believe that Giannis is flawed as a player (free throws and shooting) and I’m not sure they have enough to beat the lakers. 

TL;DR

Lakers got a lot better the competition got worse and Lebron and AD haven’t lost a playoff series while both were healthy 

+1300 is a ridiculous price for a team that opened as +400ish a couple of seasons ago with Westbrook and a flawed roster around them… they are better and deeper and hungrier and better prepared and were getting 3x the odds from the Westbrook years… 

Well thought out write up. You make great points.  Good luck on your bets this season. I wouldn't mind seeing The King leave on top.