2013 NBA Championship Odds: Heat Favorites to Repeat, Pacers with Respect in East

The current state of sports truly is immediate and fleeting. It hasn't been 48 hours since LeBron James won his first NBA Championship with the Miami Heat, but already, it's time to look forward to 2012-13. The fast paced world of instant reaction makes time spent carrying about a championship team that isn't yours (or frankly, a team that you don't like) over in a heartbeat. So it's fair that the folks at Bovada.lv would waste no time with their early odds for the 2012-13 NBA season.

With little turnover expected from the World Champions, the Heat are favorites to repeat, with 11/4 odds. The Oklahoma City Thunder unsurprisingly come in at second at 5/1. Look deep in the NBA landscape (with how it's currently constructed) and neither conference looks prepared to handle the Heat or the Thunder in preventing an NBA Finals rematch. Even still, with all of the injury concerns regarding Derrick Rose, the Chicago Bulls still sit at third with 6/1 odds. Getting Rose back in game form in time for the playoffs next season could turn the Eastern Conference postseason on its head from what it could look like in the regular season.

The Indiana Pacers would prefer to be the noisemakers next postseason, and even as currently constituted and no rush to add additional pieces, are eighth in the league, third in the East, at 20/1. Indiana tops Boston (25/1), Orlando (30/1) and New York (35/1) for some of the highest expectations in the Eastern Conference as far as title contenders go. Out West, meanwhile, the Lakers and Spurs (10/1), as well as the Mavericks (14/1) and Clippers (18/1) are expected to be the top challengers in the West, sporting better odds than the Pacers.

Is it fair to say teams like the Lakers, Mavs, and Clippers are closer to a title than Indiana? They each have the superstar front covered, but none of them have a roster as stable to compete as the Pacers. How much of the Lakers' odds are banked on them swinging a deal for Dwight Howard or the Mavs' odds for the same opportunity, plus or minus Deron Williams? Without those kinds of headline creating moves, neither team seems in a much better position than they were this year when the Thunder made quick work of them.

Of course, with the 2012-13 regular season only four months away, put whatever you want from the past two days behind you and look forward to the Pacers as a contender in the Eastern Conference once again.

Full odds after the jump:

Odds to win 2013 NBA Championship

Miami Heat 11/4

Oklahoma City Thunder 5/1

Chicago Bulls 6/1

Los Angeles Lakers 10/1

San Antonio Spurs 10/1

Dallas Mavericks 14/1

Los Angeles Clippers 18/1

Indiana Pacers 20/1

Boston Celtics 25/1

Memphis Grizzlies 25/1

Denver Nuggets 30/1

Orlando Magic 30/1

New York Knicks 35/1

Philadelphia 76ers 40/1

Atlanta Hawks 50/1

Houston Rockets 50/1

Portland Trailblazers 50/1

Utah Jazz 50/1

Golden State Warriors 75/1

Milwaukee Bucks 75/1

Minnesota Timberwolves 75/1

Phoenix Suns 75/1

Brooklyn Nets 100/1

Cleveland Cavaliers 100/1

New Orleans Hornets 100/1

Sacramento Kings 100/1

Toronto Raptors 150/1

Washington Wizards 150/1

Charlotte Bobcats 200/1

Detroit Pistons 200/1

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