What. A. Weekend. As if the Belmont Stakes odds weren’t enough to get us amped up, we’ve got championship action in the NBA and NHL. Let’s make some picks for the hardcourt and the ice.
NBA Finals Betting – Orlando Magic @ Los Angeles Lakers
Game 2 – Sunday, June 7 @ 8:00 p.m. ET
The Belmont Stakes odds were supposed to be a two-horse race but, with Rachel Alexandra pulling out, it’s not a one-horse show.
In the 2009 NBA Finals, many people were expecting a two-horse race between Kobe and Lebron, and although it didn’t happen, it might be a two-horse race of a different kind.
The NBA brass wanted the dream matchup Kobe vs. Lebron but Orlando would have no part of it upsetting Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Championship. The Lakers will have the home court advantage but Orlando has overcome the advantage in the last two series. In the regular season Orlando swept the LA Lakers and also covered the spread in both games.
Got time to bet on the NBA Finals?
The NBA Finals begin this Thursday, June 4th in Los Angeles. Below is a look at some key numbers in the matchup between the Lakers and Magic.
16.7
This was the regular season scoring average for Orlando point guard Jameer Nelson who averaged 16.7 points in the 42 games he played in before injuring his shoulder against Dallas on February 2nd. Nelson was ruled out for the rest of the season after having surgery on February 19th, however the Magic’s extended playoff run has given him extra recovery time and the team might now activate him for the NBA Finals.
NBA Weekend Preview
Outside of Kenyon Martin’s $25,000 shoulder block on Dirk Nowitzki and the presentation of LeBron James as league MVP, NBA betting on both the Cleveland-Atlanta and Denver-Dallas series has been ho-hum.
The L.A. Lakers, Boston Celtics, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals; those are the teams that early Sportsbook.com bettors expect to bring home the cash on a Friday night packed with big games across the board.
The NBA and NHL Playoffs continue all weekend and with 45 Major League Baseball games, there are hundreds of ways to make money this weekend, whether it’s betting on game lines, totals or props.
The Boston Celtics (66-24 SU, 46-43-1 ATS, 47-42-1 O/U) will be looking to even their second-round Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Orlando Magic (64-25 SU, 52-36-1 ATS, 38-51 O/U) at one victory apiece when the two Eastern Conference rivals square off at TD Banknorth Garden tonight at 8 PM ET.
2009 NBA Championship Odds- Second Round
The second round of the NBA playoffs tipped off on Sunday with Denver pulling away from Dallas to win game one of their series. The first round had some great action and hard fought battles, especially between Chicago and Boston.
Regular season dominance
The Lakers were a perfect 4-0 straight-up in the four head-to-head meetings during the regular season and this is a bad sign for the Rockets as teams that were swept in the regular season (3+ games) are 0-25 all-time in a NBA playoff series.
Odds: Los Angeles is currently -900 to win this series, while the Rockets are +700.
We all know the NBA playoffs and finals are a whole new season, but there are a few characteristics and statistics that will remain. On the other side, what jumps out is the lower scoring. Its only natural in a playoff situation, a team will slow it down, be more methodical and emphasize defense. Here are some generalities that apply to all NBA games.
Nuggets at Hornets (-2½, 193) –
Game 4 – 8:35 pm ET (NBA-tv)
Line movement
The oddsmakers opened the Hornets as a 3-point favorite, but the early money quickly moved the line down to 2 ½ by Sunday afternoon. This is a full two points less than the line in Game 3 which saw New Orleans as a 4½-point favorite.
On Thursday evening Bookmaker Sportsbook presents a fantastic NBA betting match-up between the eighth seeded Utah Jazz (48-36, 40-44-0 ATS) and the one seeded Los Angeles Lakers (67-17, 44-40-0 ATS) in Game 3 of this best of seven series at Energy Solutions Arena. The Lakers lead the series 2-0 after back-to-back dominant victories in the first two games against the Jazz.
Bulls at Celtics (-8, 196) – 7:05 pm ET (TNT)
Tale of Two Teams
The Bulls pulled the upset in Game 1 as an 8½-point underdog and they covered from start to finish as they never trailed by more than five points the entire day. Chicago became a better team in late February after they acquired John Salmons and Brad Miller from the Kings. Salmons averages more than 36 minutes per game and finished the regular season ranked second in scoring (17.6 ppg), while Brad Miller averages more than 27 minutes per game and is fifth on the team in scoring (11.8 ppg).
The 2009 NBA Playoffs get started Saturday and betED.com has odds for all first-round Series, opening-games, and Championship and Conference winners.
The defending champion Boston Celtics get things started Saturday when they host the Chicago Bulls (12:30 pm ET, ESPN).
Finally the NBA Playoffs are upon us. Not a minute too soon Craig Trapp has heated up with his NBA Plays going 10-2 last 10 days!! Today Craig will break down the future odds for the Western Conference Championship. Some great value to be had if you can get past the huge favorite: Los Angeles Lakers.
The Western Conference playoff race figures to be the Lakers versus the field.
Los Angeles has sprinted away from the pack this season while the #2 through #8 teams in the West are grouped as closely as any other season in the history of the NBA.
