Whose East Is it Anyway?

With all that’s been stirred up in Miami with the signing of LeBron James and Chris Bosh to complement D-Wade in the Sunshine State, many fans and self-proclaimed experts alike are already crowning the Heat preseason to win an NBA Championship.

Realistically, the Lakers over in the West are looking tough but also vulnerable. A bruised, batted and aged Boston Celtics not only took them to seven games but were also three bad calls away from winning the title.

So if James, Wade and Bosh were to face off against Bryant, Gasol and Bynum, that series has a greater potential for one-sidedness than Garnett, Pierce and Allen.

But hold on to your money. Don’t start gambling yet. This isn’t slots online. This is the NBA.

One, it’s never a foregone conclusion that any favorite will make it to the Finals. Two, the West is getting younger and more talented while LA seems to be resting on its laurels. And three, LeBron and company are in for a rude awakening if they think the East will be bowled over.

With a really impressive Orlando Magic team, a determined Atlanta Hawks team and a stronger, healthier Boston Celtics squad with a score to settle, and the Chicago Bulls picking up Boozer, the NBA Eastern Conference is probably the best right now that it’s ever been.

Miami certainly has its work cut out if the squad is expecting to get through to the Finals. Even still, most odds makers are giving the Heat a startup of around 8:5 to make the dance, and around 2:1 to roll over the East (exact numbers vary depending on handicapper).

For teams like Orlando, 9:1 seems to be about the norm. It would appear that no one has enough confidence in Howard’s ability to produce offense or Carter’s ability to find the fountain of youth before the season starts.

The Boston Celtics aren’t getting much love either. Heavy a Shaq and a one-year-smarter Rondo, not to mention Pierce, Allen and Garnett all returning, they’re still hovering around 12:1 – far removed from favorites but still in the hunt.

However, this is only the preseason gambling side of it. Odds will adjust as the season wears on, and it’s far less risky to play online black jack game at this juncture than to bet on an NBA winner.

But thinking the Heat are the automatic shoo-ins is just a little comical. Maybe they’ll turn out to be the best team in NBA history. Who knows? And that’s the point – nobody knows. They’ve yet to play a game, while the rest of the East is only getting stronger.

Regardless of what happens, it should definitely be an entertaining season.