The All Star break is nearly upon us, and the action on the hardwood couldn’t be any hotter. Here at Bankroll Sports, we are taking a close look at the NBA Finals odds once again and making some of the top NBA picks for the 2012 NBA Championship.

Now that they are starting to open up some breathing room in the Southeast Division, we have no choice but to like what the Miami Heat (Current 2012 NBA Finals Odds: 1.70 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook) are offering. The Atlanta Hawks are playing without Al Horford, and it still seems like a matter of time until the Orlando Magic trade Dwight Howard, which will really leave the Heat with all of the stars in this division. They have survived Dwyane Wade’s injuries, and LeBron James is playing arguably the best basketball of his career. Sure, many are going to point out just how bad the Heat looked at times against the lowly Milwaukee Bucks, a team that should have no business hanging around with them, but the boys from South Beach are still just toying around with the rest of the league at this point, and there clearly isn’t a team out there that is going to slow them down until perhaps the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Heat weren’t the first team in the league to reach 20 wins, though. The Chicago Bulls did it in the East, while the Oklahoma City Thunder (Odds To Win the NBA Finals: 5.00 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook) were the first in the West to reach that coveted mark. The rest of the Western Conference is starting to fall apart just a bit, especially with the Los Angeles Clippers losing Chauncey Billups for the season with an Achilles injury. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant both feel like they could go off for 30+ points every single night, and the rest of the team surrounding them is tremendous as well. Kendrick Perkins is really teaching this team how to be tough and win as a unit on both sides of the court, and that is going to bode well in the postseason. Oklahoma City has spent the last two years learning how to be one of the best teams in the league. Now, it is the top dog and should be considered one of the biggest threats in the league to win the whole enchilada this year.

Click Here for the Best Sports Betting System in the World!

Aside from these first two teams that we mentioned though, we really don’t see any of the favorites that are worth backing. That being said, we are going to go a bit off the board right now and take teams that might surprise you. We think that the Portland Trail Blazers (2012 NBA Championship Odds: 33 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook) have a tremendous unit. Sure, they are playing in a stacked division that includes Oklahoma City, but in a short playoff series, they have the outstanding edge of one of the best home court advantages in the game. Portland’s Rose Garden is one of the toughest venues to go into. LaMarcus Aldridge is rounding into one of the best players in the game, and being able to slot in Jamal Crawford in place of the retired Brandon Roy has been a great addition as well. The Blazers have the pieces to make a big splash if they want to before the trade deadline, but the pieces that are here at rock solid. Portland has to learn to win on the road just a bit more though, but if that happens, watch out. We might have a great price here at 33 to 1 on the Blazers.

We are still a bit puzzled as to why the Indiana Pacers (2012 NBA Finals Odds: 50 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook) are getting such little respect. Indiana has done a great job this year racking up 17 wins, including one against the Bulls, who are supposed to be the cream of the crop in the Central Division. The Pacers have nothing to worry about in terms of the playoffs, as the East has just so much garbage in it that getting into the second season is a formality. David West’s numbers might make him look like he is slacking this year, but he is bringing a lot to this very talented team, one that has a lot more on it than his former New Orleans Hornets seemingly have had in years. Indiana has been dominating at home as well, save for two losses to Orlando. This might finally be the year that the rest of the NBA wakes up and realizes just how great of a player Danny Granger really is.

List Of Past NBA Finals Champions
2011 NBA Champions: Dallas Mavericks
2010 NBA Champions: Los Angeles Lakers
2009 NBA Champions: Los Angeles Lakers
2008 NBA Champions: Boston Celtics
2007 NBA Champions: San Antonio Spurs
2006 NBA Champions: Miami Heat
2005 NBA Champions: San Antonio Spurs
2004 NBA Champions: Detroit Pistons
2003 NBA Champions: San Antonio Spurs
2002 NBA Champions: Los Angeles Lakers
2001 NBA Champions: Los Angeles Lakers
2000 NBA Champions: Los Angeles Lakers

The lack of respect for the Houston Rockets (Odds To Win The 2012 NBA Finals: 100 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook) just doesn’t seem right. Remember that it wasn’t all that long ago that many thought that the trade bringing Kevin Martin to the Lone Star State was the one that would put this team over the top. Now, the pieces to the puzzle are clearly in place as they should be, and Martin, Luis Scola, and Kyle Lowry are doing a great job in a very quiet manner. The Southwest Division could be had this year, as we know that the Dallas Mavericks aren’t as good as they have been in years past, and the San Antonio Spurs still seem like they are playing over their head to us. The Rockets are likely a playoff team this year, and if that turns out to be the case, getting 100 to 1 odds on them to win the NBA Championship is borderline insane.

Up To Date 2012 NBA Finals Odds @ SportBet Sportsbook (as of 2/9/12):
(Get a FREE 100% Deposit Bonus at SportBet.com When Using This Link)
Miami Heat 1.70 to 1
Oklahoma City Thunder 5 to 1
Chicago Bulls 5.50 to 1
Los Angeles Lakers 10 to 1
Los Angeles Clippers 14 to 1
Dallas Mavericks 16 to 1
San Antonio Spurs 29 to 1
Boston Celtics 33 to 1
Portland Trail Blazers 33 to 1
Denver Nuggets 40 to 1
Orlando Magic 40 to 1
Atlanta Hawks 50 to 1
Indiana Pacers 50 to 1
Memphis Grizzlies 50 to 1
New York Knicks 50 to 1
Houston Rockets 100 to 1
Utah Jazz 125 to 1
Milwaukee Bucks 250 to 1
Minnesota Timberwolves 250 to 1
Phoenix Suns 250 to 1
Golden State Warriors 300 to 1
New Jersey Nets 350 to 1
Cleveland Cavaliers 450 to 1
Sacramento Kings 500 to 1
Detroit Pistons 1,000 to 1
Toronto Raptors 1,000 to 1
Washington Wizards 1,500 to 1
Charlotte Bobcats 2,500 to 1
New Orleans Hornets 2,500 to 1

2011-12 Odds To Win The NBA Finals @ BetRevolution Sportsbook (as of 2/9/12):
(Get a HUGE 100% Bonus at BetRevolution.com When Using This Link)

Miami Heat 1.30 to 1
Chicago Bulls 4.25 to 1
Oklahoma City Thunder 4 to 1
Dallas Mavericks 16 to 1
Los Angeles Lakers 8 to 1
Portland Trail Blazers 30 to 1
New York Knicks 65 to 1
Orlando Magic 35 to 1
San Antonio Spurs 20 to 1
Atlanta Hawks 25 to 1
Memphis Grizzlies 55 to 1
Boston Celtics 25 to 1
Phoenix Suns 175 to 1
Houston Rockets 65 to 1
Los Angeles Clippers 14 to 1
Denver Nuggets 40 to 1
Golden State Warriors 200 to 1
Utah Jazz 85 to 1
Indiana Pacers 25 to 1
Charlotte Bobcats 300 to 1
Philadelphia 76ers 20 to 1
New Orleans Hornets 300 to 1
Milwaukee Bucks 150 to 1
New Jersey Nets 220 to 1
Detroit Pistons 300 to 1
Washington Wizards 300 to 1
Sacramento Kings 150 to 1
Toronto Raptors 300 to 1
Minnesota Timberwolves 175 to 1
Cleveland Cavaliers 300 to 1

On the midst of all the exciting action that has been going on in college basketball over the last few weeks it has drawn attention away from the NBA. However, last night Chris Paul nearly reached an achievement that can not go unnoticed. The New Orleans Hornets got a big victory over the Philadelphia 76ers last night 101-86 and closed to only one game behind the San Antonio Spurs in the Southwest Division Standings. Hornets’ star point guard and last year’s MVP candidate Chris Paul nearly made history by earning a rare quadruple-double in his magnificent performance against the 76ers on Monday night.

Chris Paul has been extraordinary over the last two seasons running the New Orleans offense from the guard position. Outside of his tremendous ability to score at anytime and post big number Paul gains a lot of recognition from his ability to lift the other players around him. Paul leads the NBA this season with 11 assist and sports a double-double average with 21 points as well per game. However, on Monday night Chris Paul elevated his game even more. The playmaker out of Wake Forest got off to a fast start and showed how valuable he is on every end of the court. Paul racked up 15 assist by the end of the night along, 10 rebounds, 7 steals, and 27 points barely missing a rare quadruple double. It was quite apparent that Paul was running the show and to even have the quadruple double talk discussed is quite an accomplishment in itself.

For Chris Paul, the game marked his 3^rd triple double of the month and also the second time this month where he has accumulated 7 steals. Paul is known for his ability to swipe the ball on defense and of course has led the league for some time in the assist category. However, when Paul put them all together in what turned out to be a brilliantly played game. Paul came up nearly 3 steals away from achieving the quadruple-double. While it may sound far fetched to ask for 3 more steals, Paul performance proved to be one of the better games all around in NBA history not to mention how many fantasy players cashed in huge points last night off his feat.

So how big is the seemingly impossible quadruple double? Actually if Chris Paul could have got the 3 more steals last night, it would have only been the 5^th time in NBA History a player reached the quadruple double. 4 players have reached the quadruple double throughout the history of the NBA and only 1 player has accomplished the milestone including the steals category by the way of Alvin Robertson of the Spurs back in 1986. The other 3 players reached the accomplishment through earning more than 10 in the blocks category. Paul would have been the first player to reach this feat in the last 15 years considering the last quadruple double came in 1994 by David Robinson another Spurs player. The first ever player to reach the quadruple double was Chicago Bulls’ Nate Thurmond by in 1974 and the only other player to earn the accomplishment was NBA great Hakeem Olajuwon back in 1990.

While Paul’s performance will likely be forgotten in the next few games, it should gain some respect and marvel those NBA enthusiast that love rare accomplishments. Despite failing to actually get the quadruple double, Chris Paul deserves all the attention for getting near the feat in today’s NBA game that is usually conquered by players trying to score as many points as possible. However, Paul proves time and time again that he is a true team player that will do whatever it takes to get the win for his team. The little guy is fun to watch and so is the race in the Southwest between the Hornets and the Spurs. After a few days of wild College Basketball action seemingly drowned out the NBA play, Chris Paul delivers a big game and gets the attention back towards the NBA.

The NBA regular season a little more than halfway through and there is a pretty clear sight of who are the front runners with the chance for a few more teams to make a surprise down the stretch. The Eastern Conference appears to be the strength of the league with the powerhouses of Boston, Cleveland, and Orlando. Out West we still await a contender to emerge to be able to challenge the L.A Lakers and the most likely team to take that role is the San Antonio Spurs. At this time in the season is when all the predictions start coming out and the betting lines are changing every day with new future odds. We break down the top 3 teams in each conference and provide some insight on some teams to keep an eye on that could surprise down the stretch.

Eastern Conference

Boston Celtics (36-9)

The defending NBA Champions had the best start in NBA history at 27-2. However, the Celtics rang in the New Year poorly losing 4 out of their first 5 games and even 7 out of 9 at one point. The tough weeks of basketball exposed the first sign of troubles from Boston that we have seen in some time. Despite the tough stretch that featured 3 of 4 of their last losses on the road, Boston has bounced back with a vengeance. The Celtics have now knocked off 7 straight wins including a big win over what many call the best team in the league the Orland Magic last Thursday night 90-80. The difference in the wins and losses is how the Celtics play defense. In the Celtics last 4 defeats, the opponents were averaging 100.2 points per game. However, in the last 7 victories the Celtics have held opposing teams to only 88 points. The Celtics are 2^nd behind Cleveland in scoring defense this season and that has always been a big attribute to their success. With the troubles seemingly out of the way, Boston appears to be right back where they left last off last year.

Orlando Magic (33-9)

The Magic that is Orlando comes in the form of 6’11 Dwight Howard. Howard has been superb this year and so has the rest of the Orlando lineup. Howard leads the league in rebounds (14rpg), blocked shots (3.2bpg), and also supports with 20 points every game. However, it has not been all the achievement of one man. Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, and Jameer Nelson are all averaging at least 17 points while the Magic are averaging 101 points per contest. Orlando had won 8 straight games before their loss to Boston on Thursday night and they own a 7 ½ game over Atlanta in the Southeast. Orlando is the only team out of the top 3 in the Eastern Conference to have captured a victory over the L.A Lakers this season which is clearly the best team right now in the West. The Magic are actually 2-0 over the Lakers and many think they are the most complete team at this point in the season.

Cleveland Cavaliers (32-8)

Cleveland appeared to be the best team out of the East only a matter of a few short weeks ago. However, the Cavaliers have gone 2-2 in their last 4 games with losses over the Lakers and Trailblazers. Not to mention Cleveland is facing some key injuries over the last few days. Starting shooting guard Delonte West has a broken wrist and will miss 4-6 weeks. Also starting center Zydrunas Ilgauskas has a fractured ankle and will miss 3-4 weeks. Despite the small dark cloud that has recently developed over the team, Cleveland is still among the best in the NBA. Lebron James is 2^nd in the NBA in scoring with 27.8 points and the team seems to be playing better behind him than they have in past seasons. The Cavs also are a perfect 20-0 at home meaning that they could be very tough to beat at playoff time.

Team to watch…

Philadelphia 76ers (20-21)

The 76ers have risen from the dead after they were nearly written off with a 13-20 start. However, they have now put together 7 straight wins before a tough loss to Dallas on Monday night. Considering how inconsistent the rest of the East is behind the top 3, the 76ers have a chance to really make things interesting if they can put together another similar streak.

Western Conference

Los Angeles Lakers (34-8)

The Lakers clearly look to be favorites again out of the Western Conference as they have a 5 game advantage over any other team from the West and a huge 10 ½ game lead in the Pacific division. Kobe Bryant’s 26.4 points per game is good for 3^rd best in the league and the Lakers lead the NBA with 108 points per contest as a team. A few short weeks ago the Lakers appeared that they would be unchallenged this year in the conference, but they are realizing that the San Antonio Spurs are playing very well and will attempt to give them a challenge for frontrunner in the West. Los Angeles has won 13 of their past 16 games including big wins over Boston and Cleveland in the process. If nothing else drastically changes, the Lakers will likely make another run towards the NBA Finals.

San Antonio Spurs (29-13)

A lot of questions arose after the Spurs got off to a slow start losing 5 of their first 7 games. However, San Antonio bounced back winning 7 of their next 8 and the momentum has not slowed down much since. The Spurs have now won their last 4 games and 8 of their last 10 including a huge battle where they took down the Lakers 112-111. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker continue to lead the way both averaging 20.4 points per contest. The Spurs win over the Lakers proved that they are back on the right track and not ready to hand over the season quite yet to the Lakers considering Los Angeles is everybody’s pick to win the West. San Antonio gets another big match-up with the Lakers this Sunday and it will be interesting to see how things shake up this time inside the Staples Center. Look for the Spurs to be playing their best basketball as they usually do around post season time.

Denver Nuggets (28-15)

Giving up Allen Iverson may not been a big of mistake as people first thought. Chauncey Billups is averaging nearly 20 points and the Nuggets seem to be in better shape than the Pistons. Carmelo Anthony leads the team with 21 points, but has missed some valuable playing time recently due to a broken hand. Despite their star player missing time on the court, the Nuggets have still managed to win 8 of their last 11 games. Anthony participated in some workouts on Thursday and it should not be long before he rejoins the lineup. Denver will desperately need him back considering they are bout to embark on an 8 game road adventure at the start of February. The Nuggets are only 11-9 on the road this year and how they perform in the next few weeks away from home will definitely make an impact on their ability to maintain their 2 ½ game lead over Portland in the Northwest.

Team to watch…

New Orleans Hornets (26-14)

The Hornets proved last year that they could really come alive during the playoffs. Chris Paul has played like Chris Paul with 21.2ppg and an NBA leading 11 assist per game. New Orleans may have been expected to be in better position at this point in the season, but they are still only a mere 2 games back to the Spurs and definitely in striking range.