By Dave Zamzack, Inspin.com Collaborator, November 29th, 2011

While thousands of fans and followers still uncertain about the upcoming NBA season and the announced 66-game schedule, oddmakers in Las Vegas don’t want to waste any more time.

Just a few days after reaching a tentative labor agreement that would finally put an end to the nearly five-month NBA players lockout, some of the biggest oddsmakers in Sin City have already released an early list of candidates to win the 2011-2012 season.

MGM Mirage's race and sports director Jay Rood says the property has the Miami Heat listed as a 2/1 favorite to win the title, followed by the Lakers in second place with 9/2 odds. 

The top 5 also includes the Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder (5/1) and the Dallas Mavericks (17/2).  Jay Kornegay, director of the Las Vegas Hilton Race and Sports Book, also listed the Heat as 2-to-1 favorites, followed by the Bulls and the Lakers at 6/1, and the Oklahoma Thunder and the NBA defending champion, the Dallas Mavericks, at 7/1. 

At the same time, Miami has even odds to win the Eastern Conference, while the Mavericks, Lakers and Thunder are 11/4 to capture the West Conference.

Right on the middle of the list are the Boston Celtics 12/1, New York Knicks 20/1, Memphis Grizzlies 45/1, Orlando Magic, Portland Trailblazers, San Antonio Spurs with 25/1 odds. Closing the list as the biggest underdogs for this upcoming season are the Atlanta Hawks (70/1), Denver Nuggets & Philadelphia 76ers (75/1), Houston Rockets (95/1), L.A Clippers & New Jersey Nets (100/1), Golden State Warriors & Indiana Pacers (125/1), Phoenix Suns (145/1), Milwaukee Bucks (150/1), Utah Jazz (175/1), Sacramento Kings (225/1), Cleveland Cavaliers & New Orleans Hornets (250/1), Charlotte Bobcats, Washington Wizards & Detroit Pistons (300/1), Minnesota T-Wolves (350-1), Toronto Raptors (400/1).

As announced this past weekend by the league officials, the 2011-2012 NBA season is set to get underway on Christmas Day with a three-game slate featuring the Celtics at Knicks, Heat at Mavericks and Lakers at Bulls.

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