Houston Rockets: Odds of Rockets Winning Championship Grows

Jan 24, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (13) talks to small forward Chandler Parsons (25) and small forward Omri Casspi (18) after the third quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Toyota Center. The Grizzlies defeated the Rockets 88-87. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Rockets began the season with the LVH SuperBook pricing them at 10-to-1 odds to win the NBA title this season.

As the Rockets near the All-Star break the odds for them to capture the Larry O’Brien trophy as increased to 20-to-1. That still places them squarely into the second-tier of title contenders, alongside the likes of the Golden State Warriors (12-to-1), Los Angeles Clippers (15-to-1), and Portland Trail Blazers (15-to-1).

If the season ended today, they’d head into the playoffs as the Western Conference’s  #5 seed, an improvement over last year’s #8 seed finish. Advancing to the second round is necessary for the season to not end in total failure, and the thought of advancing further would be considered icing on the cake.

Scoring (105 PPG, fifth) and rebounding (44.9 RPG, ninth) aren’t a problem for the Rockets, and even though their 101.6 points allowed per game looks generous, it takes opponents 88 attempts on 43.7 percent shooting on average to get there.

A huge test awaits the Rockets after All-Star break in the month of March where they play the Indiana Pacers, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, and the Miami Heat twice!!