Orlando Magic: Odds to Win 2009 NBA Championship

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The Orlando Magic would have paid out $3,000 for every $100 bet to win the 2009 NBA Championship earlier this season.

Last week, however, the Magic’s odds were at about +800 for an $800 potential payout with every $100 bet on the team.

Currently, the Orlando Magic’s odds of winning the 2009 NBA Championship are about to be cut down even further.

The payout potential should still be at least 2/1, only because the Lakers are anticipated to be their opponents in the Final.

The problem for the Cavaliers, who return home Thursday night toting a 3-1 Eastern Conference finals deficit against the Magic, is that the dominant team they’ve been all season has reverted back to being one star and 11 schmucks, according to the Associated. This presents a major problem.

In the past fifteen years, only Dwight Howard, Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds per game in a single playoffs in which they played at least 10 games.

The good news for Howard is that Duncan and Shaq both won NBA titles in the seasons that they pulled that off.

The Cavaliers have lost three of four games for the first time all season. LeBron James scored 40-plus points in the this postseason for the third time, all Cavs losses.

“You can almost taste it,” said Orlando’s Rafer Alston, who scored 26 points. “We’ve got to win one more game and it’s not going to be easy.”

The Magic, who won a Game 7 in Boston in the last round, can close out the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Thursday night.

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