With the NBA season just a few weeks away, Las Vegas oddsmakers have made the Miami Heat the favorites to with the NBA championship. With the Heat (2-1) leading the charge, the next few teams in line for an NBA crown are the Los Angeles Lakers (9-2), Chicago Bulls, and Oklahoma City Thunder (both 5-1). Interestingly enough, the 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks are on the outside looking in despite only having to worry about bringing Tyson Chandler back into the mix and getting a healthy Caron Butler.

How the heck does that happen?

Apparently, the oddsmakers are looking more at how the public will likely wager their money than on assessing who is the odds on favorite. They expect more money to be thrown at the Lakers and Heat than any other team. While that’s likely, its interesting to see the Mavericks not even being considered. With better odds for gamblers, it makes sense to throw some change on them to repeat. But its difficult to see anything this early considering that free agency hasn’t started and many teams may be scrambling to upgrade their team in this abbreviated 66-game season. The Miami Heat will likely go after another major piece (presumably a big man) while other teams will look to bolster their roster in order to remain competitive. The Lakers are 9-2 favorites but have a plethora of issues to figure out, including how Mike Brown will do replacing Phil Jackson on a team that appears to be more vulnerable than in years past. The Thunder and Bulls are both dark horses as their youth makes them both appealing. It’s a matter of whether they can keep pace with an elite team when getting deep into the NBA Playoffs.

But the real question is whether or not LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh can snag an NBA title in their second year together. The oddsmakers say yes, do you agree?

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