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Los Angeles Lakers Odds to Win the 2008 NBA Finals
Prior to the season, we didn't even
know how long Kobe Bryant would remain in a Lakers
uniform. Now, he is one of the front-running MVP
candidates and has the Lakers in a position to win a
championship. Find out if Jimmy Boyd like's Tinsel
Town's chances as he looks at the 2008 Los Angeles
Lakers odds to win the NBA Finals.
Bet the Los Angeles Lakers at 3/1 odds to win the NBA
Finals at BodogLife.com
Why they'll win it all:
What did Kobe have when the Lakers won three consecutive
NBA championships? Shaquille O'Neal. Now, Kobe has
another capable inside scoring threat in Pau Gasol. This
has turned out to be the best trade of any contending
team and it will be the reason the Lakers raise another
championship banner to the rafters if they do indeed get
the job done. Offensively, the Lakers are a handful.
Besides Kobe Bryant being unguardable, Lamar Odom also
causes terrible matchup problems for teams. He has the
size of a big man with the skills of a guard. If you
guard him with a small, he'll take them down inside. If
you try to guard him with a big, he'll force them to
defend him away from the basket. Pau Gasol has been
sensational while playing with a much more talented
team. He gives the Lakers a true inside threat to
finally take some pressure off of Kobe. The Lakers are
fourth in the league in scoring at 108.5 ppg, third in
field goal percentage (47.6%), and fifth in three-point
field goal percentage (37.8 %). Another area the Lakers
have been dominant is on the glass. They are the number
one ranked defensive rebounding team in the NBA. The
Lakers should also get Andrew Bynum back for the
playoffs to give them added depth and another dominant
interior presence.
Why they won't:
I'm not sure the Lakers are good enough defensively to
win it all. They rank 20th in the league, allowing 101.8
ppg and lack a defender that can shut down an opponents
best player. Kobe is the closes thing LA has to a
lockdown defender and when he has to play that hard on
defense, it has been known to affect his offense. While
the Lakers' record is very good with Gasol in the
lineup, we must not forget that the playoffs are a bird
of another feather and Kobe has not had much playoff
success without Shaq. Gasol is good, but is he dominant
enough to lead the Lakers to the promise land? We must
remember that Gasol has very little playoff experience
and with this kind of pressure, he could crack. Teams
that aren't as good defensively often struggle on the
road in the postseason and it doesn't look like the
Lakers are going to win the West to ensure home court
throughout. Once again, defense will be the reason the
Lakers don't get the job done.
Take a look at our
Lakers Jazz
Series Predictions.
Other odds to Win the 2008
NBA Finals:
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