Derrick Rose Injury Sends Chicago Bulls Betting Odds Plummeting

How much does one player affect NBA Championship betting odds? That answer came this past weekend when NBA superstar Derrick Rose was lost to an ACL injury. The Bulls all-star guard will be out the rest of the playoffs, and odds makers have adjusted the teams' betting odds accordingly.

Heading into the playoffs, Chicago was one of the favorites to win a championship this season, with 4/1 odds. After Rose was pronounced out for the duration of the playoffs, the Bulls odds dropped all the way to 12/1. That is a drastic drop for a team that had the best record in the NBA during the regular season.

"The odds are focused on the betting public," said Gaming Analyst Steve Schwartz. "The public perceives the Bulls of having little chance of winning a title without Rose, so odds makers acted in a way that reflected that sentiment. The odds will likely change again should the Bulls show the rest of the series with Philadelphia that they can win without Rose."

Even if the Bulls get by the 76ers, it will be the next two rounds and the NBA Finals where the team struggles. Without Rose, Chicago will have few answers on the offensive end of the floor, although they have shown this season that they can win without their star.

If the Bulls get by Philly, they would face either Atlanta or Boston, and a potential showdown with the Miami Heat looms in the Eastern Conference championship series. The heat have been installed as the new favorites to win a title.

Out West, San Antonio has the top seed and carried the best record in the conference into the playoffs. The Spurs, however, have odds of winning a title that are slightly less than Oklahoma City. The Thunder, along with the heat, have been the betting favorites for much of the year, and their two wins against Dallas thus far have shown that Oklahoma City has grown from the team Dallas knocked out last year in the conference finals.

May 1, 2012
Posted By Vincent Tapoglia III
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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