The 2012-13 NBA regular season is just about a month old. This makes it a good time to take a look how a few teams’ early play on the court has affected Bovada’s original odds for their chances to win their respective conference.

Eastern Conference

Stock Holding Steady

Miami Heat
Open: 5/9
Current: 5/8

At the end of last season’s run to the NBA title, Miami was instantly opened as the favorite to get back to the finals from the East. It is easy to see why considering there were no major losses to its all-star roster and the addition of veteran guard Ray Allen as a free agent from Boston added some scoring depth off the bench.

Through the first month of games, the Heat are off to a 10-3 start and already at the top of the standings in the East. They lead the league in scoring, and their 49.4 percent shooting average from the floor is also tops in the NBA. If they continue on this pace, everyone else in the conference is playing for second.

Stock on the Rise

New York Knicks
Open: 23/1
Current: 13/2

A lightning-fast 6-0 start worked to drive the Knicks current odds down, but the team has come back to earth in the past week or so and is now 9-4 overall. Nonetheless, the veteran talent on this team should keep New York near the top of the standings all season long.

The big question mark surrounding the Knicks chances to overtake Miami: can such a veteran team stay healthy through the grind of an 82-game regular season and three rounds of the playoffs to pull this feat off?

Stock on the Decline

Boston Celtics
Open: 6/1
Current: 12/1

Slow starts have dogged the Celtics in the past as this team is the ultimate tortoise competing against the hares in the conference. As of Monday night’s games, Boston was 8-6 and already sitting in seventh place in the East.

It is way too early to write the Celtics off, but the fact remains that it is ranked 19th in the NBA in scoring and 22nd in points allowed, which is never a good combination for winning games. While this early downturn has worked to add some solid value to this stock, Boston is another team that is not getting any younger.

Western Conference

Stock Holding Steady

Oklahoma City Thunder
Open: 9/5
Current: 9/4

The defending conference champ has already staked its claim that the road to the NBA Finals from the West is going through Oklahoma City. The Thunder trail Memphis by half a game in the standings at 11-4. They are the second-highest scoring team in the NBA with 104.4 points a game and ranked 12th in points allowed in giving up 96.3 points a game.

Kevin Durant and Michael Westbrook continue to light up the scoreboard night after night, but the real plus has been the addition of Kevin Martin off the bench. He is averaging 30 minutes and 15.7 points a game to more than fill the void from the James Harding trade.

Stock on the Rise

Los Angeles Clippers
Open: 15/1
Current: 6/1

Memphis might be the biggest surprise in the West so far with a 10-2 start, but the betting public has driven the odds down even lower for the Clippers. Their fast start has already cooled with a current four-game skid that dropped their overall record to 8-6.

The new favorite son of Los Angeles has the talent and depth to take over the No.1 spot in the city, but it will need to improve its play on the road and its overall consistency if it wants to ascend to the top spot in the conference.

Stock on the Decline

Los Angeles Lakers
Open: 13/10
Current: 2/1

It is really hard to call this a decline considering that the Lakers are still the odds-on-favorite to win the Western Conference, but all the early season drama has shaken the betting public’s confidence just a bit.

This is easy to see when a team loses four of its first five games and fires its coach just weeks into the season. With Mike D’Antoni now at the helm, some of that confidence has been restored along with improved play on the court that has Los Angeles back to .500 at 7-7. Much like Boston, it is way too early to panic with this team. In fact, the poor start makes it a great time to buy into its stock if you are looking for a slightly better return from wagering on the favorite.

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