SOURCE: Las Vegas Review-Journal

If all of Kobe Bryant's wishes were granted, the Los Angeles Lakers could be suffering through a miserable season.

But Bryant runs the offense, not the team's front office, and the Lakers are emerging as NBA championship contenders as a result.

The Boston Celtics are 5-2 favorites to win the title, but the league has a dramatically different look after last week's trade deadline, and the Lakers' future looks the brightest.

"I think the Lakers are the team to beat," MGM Mirage sports book director Robert Walker said.

The Lakers made a shrewd move by acquiring 7-foot Pau Gasol from Memphis on Feb. 1. That trade triggered a series of deals by Western Conference rivals Phoenix, Dallas and San Antonio.

After blowing out Seattle on Sunday for their eighth straight victory, the Lakers improved their record to 39-17, best in the West. They own the league's top point-spread mark (36-19-1) and are riding a 13-1 run against the spread.

Los Angeles is the second choice to win the title at 3-1 odds, followed by the Spurs and Suns (both 9-2) and Mavericks (5-1).

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