SI.com - Writers - Marty Burns: Ranking the East teams%after the KG deal - Wednesday August 1, 2007 12:20PM

Quote:

1. CAVS 2. PISTONS 3. CELTICS 4. BULLS 5. RAPTORS 6. HEAT 7. WIZARDS 8. NETS 9. MAGIC 10. KNICKS 11. BUCKS 12. BOBCATS 13. HAWKS 14. PACERS 15: SIXERS

More explanations in the article.

Blah blah blah. We will wipe the floor with the cavs then wring them out. then the playoff will arrive and we'll fall to toronto or whoever. The Cavs make no new additions and are in jeopardy of losing some key guys. Thats #2 in my book.

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HMMM...the top three are coached by Mike Brown, Flip Saunders and Doc Rivers....that's a shaky trio.

I think I'd put the Bulls higher.

It's a pretty realistic list though.

I don't see why the Cavs are so high, especially since they could still lose key players (though I guess you can't rank on what might happen). Otherwise, pretty good.

Nawl... not feeling this list.

Here's mine.

1. PISTONS
2. CELTICS
3. BULLS
4. CAVS
5. HEAT
6. RAPTORS
7. NETS
8. KNICKS
9. WIZARDS
10. MAGIC
11. BUCKS
12. BOBCATS
13. HAWKS
14. PACERS
15: SIXERS

• On paper, noone should beat the Pistons
• Miami is really being underestimated
• I like the changes that New York has made alot. The combination of Randolph and Curry could be deadly.
• Not sold on the Magic. Lewis won't make that big of a difference. They lose alot defensively without Darko

Current Betting Line NBA Championship

Dallas 7-2
Phoenix 7-2
San Antonio 4-1
Boston 5-1
Detroit 11-1
Chicago 12-1
Cleveland 14-1
Miami 14-1
Houston 15-1

Current Betting Line EC Championship

Boston 5-2
Cleveland 7-2
Detroit 7-2
Chicago 4-1

Every other team is over 10-1

I wonder if Las Vegas takes odds against teams winning.

If I could get 1-5 against Boston winning the NBA title this year, I would pawn my old Walter Dukes card and make this bet.

NBA Basketball Futures Betting, NBA and NCAA Odds at Bodog Sportsbook

You just have to place bets on every other team that you think could realistically win it. You would basically be betting against Boston.

I am actually OK with the SI Rankings as it put the onus on the Cavs and Celtics to perform up to expectations. Since most so called experts are saying that the Pistons are done, lets sit somewhat under the radar and work our new guys in there enough to surpise everyone at the end...with a championship of course!!!

I concur, i wouldn't have minded having the Celts ahead of us, for motivational purposes