NBA Betting: Talented Portland blaze trail to the play-offs

Basketball / Nick Shiambouros / 20 January 2009 / Leave a Comment

It's going to be a tough call for the Portland Trailblazers to maintain their consistency this season but, boasting a good starting rotation and a rookie with a big future, Nick Shiambouros believes they are up to the task.

The Portland Trailblazers , who have been a model of consistency for over 30 years, are bidding to make the play-offs yet again.

Portland have made it to the play-offs 25 out of their 36 years in the NBA and, although this year could be one of the hardest for them to qualify, I believe they will.

The Blazers currently sit in seventh position in the highly competitive Western Conference and are among a host of very good teams within a couple of games of each other.

Portland have a good starting rotation and are very lucky to have two young stars in Rudy Fernandez and Greg Oden. Fernandez, who scored 22 points against team USA in the Olympic Games, is a rookie with a big future. Geg Oden joined the Blazers from Ohio State and has made an excellent start to his professional career after overcoming injury. This seven-foot tall center has had nothing bad luck with injuries but he will be a huge asset for this team in their quest for a play-off slot now that he is fit and well.

LaMarcus Aldridge is only 23-years-old but this Texan is averaging over 17 points per game. Even in this current economic climate he is well worth his $4.6m per year salary. Brandon Roy is also another big contributor with an average of just over 22 points per game.

I like the look of this team going forward, they may surprise a few teams and I expect them to finish the season well. The odds to win the NBA championship give reason to believe that only three teams can win but I am not totally convinced. I am going to add Portland to my portfolio at [65.0]. I believe they will make the play-offs and I am sure a trading opportunity will present itself in the near future.

The Trailblazers have a pretty easy schedule over the next 10 games with six of them at home. This is an important factor because they have only lost four games at home all year. At the Rose Garden arena they are energised by a fantastic fan base and they will need all the support they can muster against Cleveland who visit on Wednesday evening. I like their chances.

Of the four road games out of the next ten they travel to the LA Clippers and Oklahoma and they should be able to handle these two very disappointing franchises. The hardest road game for them will be against Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets on the 2nd of February but they match up well against them.

The Portland Trailblazers have only won the NBA championship once but they have demonstrated a high level of consistency over the years. The current rotation is very young but they are improving and the current price of [65.0] to win the NBA title is way too big . I am quite sure they will life another title at some point and I don't envy any team travelling to Portland to face them in a play-off this year.

Recommended wagers:

NBA Championship, Portland, back at [65.0]
Portland, back with handicap over the next ten games.