NBA Championship Betting – Lakers In For A Wakeup Call In Game 1
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.
While very few pundits or NBA odds makers want to give the Orlando Magic credit, they deserve it. As a matter of fact, they don’t need to win in the court of public opinion as they might get their validation with a Championship win over Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
The Lakers were pushed around by an intense, physical force in Kevin Garnett last year. The Lakers also showed that they haven’t learned from that experience when the shorthanded-yet-physical Houston Rockets forced them into a seven-game series in Round 2.
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Now the Lakers are forced to deal with Dwight Howard, who is not only the Defensive Player of the Year but possibly the best big man in the sport nowadays.
While everyone seems to think that if the Lakers can limit the Magic’s threes , the Lakers will walk to a win, that will be far from the truth. For starters, let’s look at the starters.
With Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee, Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis and Howard, the Magic have five starters who can average double-digit figures at any point.
The Lakers do have the best all-around guard in Kobe Bryant, but he is surrounded by Trevor Ariza, Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, none of whom have performed consistently throughout the playoffs.
Furthermore, with Mikael Pietrus and now with the return of All-Star Jameer Nelson, the Magic even have more bench-depth than the Lakers.
The NBA Finals odds have the Lakers favored to win Game 1 – and the series – but the Magic will not be intimidated. The Magic won both regular season meetings against the Lakers and the Magic have also gone on the road in the previous two series to the TD Banknorth Garden against Boston and to the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland and left with victories in Game 1.
For a second series in a row, the Magic have more balance, better team chemistry and better depth than their opponent. They also have a history of winning against their opponent. Those factors can be ignored by NBA odds makers but, as bettors, there’s no sense in ignoring them.
