Lakers, Cavs Lead NBA Season Odds

The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers head into the new season as title favorites, but any of eight teams could challenge for the championship if the betting odds are to be believed.

The Lakers, who are currently paying 9/4 for the championship at William Hill, will be a fearsome prospect for opponents this season after signing renowned but volatile small forward Ron Artest to the team that beat the Orlando Magic in five games for last year's NBA title.

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The Magic and two other Eastern rivals - the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics - will resume their fierce rivalry from last year to try and keep up with the Lakers. Lebron James' Cavs, who won an NBA-best 66 games in the regular season last year before being upset by the Magic in the Conference finals, are the second favorite for this year's championship, at 10/3. The seventeen-time champion Celtics are 9/2, while the Magic are 10/1.

But as any NBA fan knows, the West has the most depth and that is expected to continue this season as it boasts the next four contenders in the William Hill betting odds.

San Antonio, 12/1, Denver, 14/1, Portland, 20/1, and Utah 20/1 are all expected to make the Lakers work hard for a shot at the title.

Ladbrokes is offering specials on where certain teams will finish within their divisions, with the most interesting odds concerning the teams in the competitive Northwest Division, home to Denver, Portland and Utah. Denver are 6/5, Portland 6/4, and Utah 3/1 to take out the division, but bets can be placed on each team's exact finishing positions, meaning punters can place all three teams in the order they think they will finish.

The NBA season tips off on Tuesday.