NBA - Potter's Preseason Thoughts

There were no surprises at the Olympics as the USA men's team avenged their loss in Athens with a convincing gold medal performance in Beijing. The US had too much polish and as soon as they showed their burning desire to win gold, the $1.25 that was on offer early on was simply a donation from the bookmaking fraternity.

Now the show is over and we can concentrate on what all the real basketball players care about, the NBA season. It was an intriguing finals series last year with the Boston Celtics ending a long drought to take the series from the LA Lakers. The bookies cannot see any reason why there will be much change this year with both sides being clear cut equal favourites. Sportsbet.com.au has both sides at an inviting $4.50 to win the title. I think the good thing about these bets is that you would expect at least one, if not both of them, to firm up dramatically if they get of to a good start to the season.

The Celtics may struggle with the extra expectation that comes with being the World Champs but that is what these champions get paid to deal with. They were simply fantastic last year, are well coached, have huge support and will be good again this year. The only problem is that it is hard to see them really improving.

The Lakers on the other hand are capable of improvement and with Kobe Bryant at the helm they are my tip to take it out this year. They will keep getting better and better and I believe they will have an easier time come finals this season as I think many of the competitive teams in the West are coming to the end of their reign.

If you would like a little bit of value try the New Orleans Hornets that were inspirational last year and have a young team that should continue to improve. They are also at a very tasty $11.00 to win the title.

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