The NBA playoffs begin this weekend and the odds are out for the teams that have made it to the 2nd season. Below I have the Vegas odds for each team in the Western Conference, along with a few notes about each team as well. Odds are courtesy of Sportsbook.ag.
The Golden State Warriors come in at -110 to win the West and +220 to win the NBA Title. The warriors have really been the best team in the NBA all year and they come in with a record of 67-15 overall, which includes marks of 39-2 at home, 28-13 on the road and 42-10 vs the West. The Warriors had nothing to play for down the stretch, yet they won their last 4 games in a row and this team did not lose more than 2 games in a row all year. The Warriors finished 1st in scoring this year (110.0 ppg) and 15th in points allowed (99.9 ppg).
The San Antonio Spurs are next at +220 to win the Western Conference and +400 to win the whole damn thing. The Spurs had a chance on the final day of the season to grab the 2nd seed in the West, but they ran up against a more motivated New Orleans squad and then ended up dropping to 6th in the West. Probably doesn't matter to the Spurs as they feel they can win from any seed. The Spurs went 55-27 overall, which includes marks of 33-8 at home, 22-19 on the road and 32-20 vs the West. San Antonio finished 7th in the league in scoring (103.2 ppg) and 3rd in points allowed (97.0 ppg).
The Los Angeles Clippers come in at +900 to win the West and +1800 to win the NBA Title. The Clippers come in as the #3 seed in the West after they went 56-26 overall, which includes 30-11 at home, 26-15 on the road and 37-15 vs the West. The Clippers are a very dangerous team heading to the playoffs, as they have won 14 of their last 15 games of the regular season. Do not sleep on this team at all, but they are playing an equally hot team in round one as they will be taking on the Spurs. The Clipps finished 2nd in the league in scoring (106.7 ppg) and 16th in points allowed (100.1. ppg).
The Houston Rockets are next at +1200 to win the West and +2500 to win it all. Houston had a very solid year and ended up winning the Southwest Division on the last day of the season. This is a team that is dealing with injuries, but this is still a dangerous team that could be a very tough out in the playoffs. The Rockets went 56-26 on the year, which includes 30-11 at home, 26-15 on the road and 33-19 vs the West. Houston finished 6th in the league in scoring (103.9 ppg) and 17th in points allowed (100.5 ppg).
The Memphis Grizzlies are next at +1500 to win the West and +3000 to win the NBA Title. Memphis had a very solid year and finished in 2nd place in the Southwest Division with a 55-27 record. The Grizzlies also had records of 31-10 at home, 24-17 on the road and 35-17 vs the West. The Grizzlies did finish with a nice home win over the Pacers, but still this is a team that is hobbling in the playoffs and could e the victim of and early round upset at the hands of Portland. Memphis finished 20th in the league in scoring (98.3 ppg) and 2nd in points allowed (95.1 ppg).
The Dallas Mavericks are +3000 to win the West and +5500 to with the Title. The Mavs have not really played well down the stretch and seem to be the team that everyone wants to play in the first round. For the year Dallas went 50-32 overall, which includes marks of 27-14 at home 23-18 on the road and 29-23 vs the Western Conference. Dallas did win 4 of their last 5 games of the season, but 4 of those games were vs non-playoff teams. Dallas finished 3rd in the league in scoring (105.2) and 25th in points allowed (102.3 ppg).
The Portland Trailblazers are next and they come in at +4000 to win the West and +7500 to win the whole thing. The Trailblazers did win the Northwest division with a 51-31 record overall, that includes marks of 32-9 at home, 19-22 on the road and 31-21 vs the Western Conference. Portland did not finish the year strong as they come in having lost their last 4 games, but luckily for them they do draw a hobbled Memphis squad in the first round. The Trailblazers finished 9th in the league in scoring (102.8 ppg) and 12th in points allowed (98.6 ppg).
The New Orleans Pelicans are next and they come in at +7500 to win the West and +15000 to win the whole thing. The Pelicans made it to the playoffs on the last day of the season when they beat the San Antonio Spurs at home. Their reward is to face the best team in the league in Golden State. New Orleans went 45-37 overall this year, including 28-13 at home, 17-24 on the road and 29-23 vs the West. The Pelicans finished 16th in the league in scoring (99.4 ppg) and 11th in points allowed (98.6 ppg).
As far as the series' go I will be looking at Golden State to have an easy time with the Pelicans, but the other matchups should all not be so easy. I do expect the Spurs to outlast the Clippers in what just may be the best series of the 1st round. I look for Houston to take care of Dallas in 6 and Portland should pull the upset of a hobbled memphis squad in their opening round matchup.
In the end it should be the Warriors beating the Spurs in an exciting 7 game Western Conference Finals for the for the right to go to the NBA Title.
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NBA Playoffs: Western Conference 1st Round Preview
Steve Fezzik & Teddy Covers from Pregame.com break down each of the 4 1st round matchups on the Western Conference side of the NBA playoffs.