NBA Championship Future Odds

There is just over a month left on the NBA betting schedule, which is a perfect time for basketball fans to start thinking playoffs. NBA championship futures odds are out for this year's title team and bettors can get a pretty good idea of who has what it takes to bring home the Larry O'Brien trophy in the coming weeks. Here's a look at some of the best futures bets on the board:

Cleveland Cavaliers +200

The Cavaliers have been among the favorites to win the NBA title all season but really made a jump in the futures odds after acquiring small forward Antawn Jamison from the Washington Wizards. Jamison is the perfect inside-out complement to LeBron James' slashing attack, and he balances Cleveland's perimeter threats like Mo Williams and Delonte West. The Cavs' title hopes took a shot when veteran center Shaquille O'Neal went down with an injured thumb, but if the big guy can return in time for the postseason Cleveland has to be the top team coming out of the Eastern Conference.

Los Angeles Lakers +200

The Lakers looked to be a lock to repeat as NBA champs earlier in the season. However, injuries to star players and tough road schedules have revealed cracks in Los Angeles' once-sound system. Coach Phil Jackson has hounded his players about having a sense of urgency during the home stretch of the season but the Lakers appear to be stuck in cruise control heading into the middle of March. But with a guy like Kobe Bryant and an All-Star center in Pau Gasol, not to mention a talented cast of role players, L.A. may be able to just turn up the intensity when the playoffs begin in April.

Orlando Magic +800

The hottest team in the NBA right now is the defending Eastern Conference champ. Orlando has been unstoppable since the All-Star break thanks to big play from center Dwight Howard and point guard Jameer Nelson, who missed last year's Finals run. The Magic are a deeper team than 2008-09's squad with scorer Vince Carter, sniper Rashard Lewis, and a trusted bench matching up with any elite team in the NBA. Orlando is currently in second place in the East and, while it probably won't catch Cleveland, will have home-court advantage all the way up to the conference championship.

Boston Celtics +800

The more the season trudges on, the more the Celtics look like one-hit wonders. Still riding the coat tails of its NBA title two seasons ago, Boston has stuck with its core of veteran players to get it back to the top of the Eastern Conference. The addition of Rasheed Wallace has given it some scoring depth in the frontcourt, but the fact that Kevin Garnett will never be the same player is the elephant in the room in Beantown. The Celtics have been run off the court by young, more athletic teams, leaving many to wonder how this club will fair during the frantic pace of the NBA postseason - especially if they have to go six or seven games in the earlier rounds.

Denver Nuggets +1000

If the Nuggets can overcome a season's worth of injuries and adversity, they deserve a crack at the NBA title. Denver has played through ailments to Chauncey Billups, Carmelo Anthony, and Kenyon Martin, and another cancer scare for coach George Karl, but still remains a contender in the Western Conference. It is currently third in the West and desperately needs to climb into first or second in order to get home-court advantage. The Nuggets are great inside the thin air of the Pepsi Center but have been a different team on the road this season. And, unfortunately for the Nuggets, that's where championships are won.