The 2010 NBA Finals lines are out, and here at Bankroll Sports, we’re offering up our opinions on the odds to win the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics.

Complete List Of Current Odds To Win The 2010 NBA Finals Can Be Found Below

All season long, the Celtics were the team that underachieved. They only finished the regular season at 24-17 SU at home and just 12-28-1 ATS. They only averaged 99.2 points per game in spite of the fact that they probably had one of the most talented offensive lineups in the game. Heck, only finishing fifth in the league in total defense probably wasn’t anything to write home about either.

However, the C’s talked all about how they just needed to flip the switch and that things would be different in the playoffs. My, how they were right.

The only time that Boston has lost two straight games in the playoffs came in Games 4 and 5 against the Orlando Magic. They have already stolen five wins as the visitors in the postseason, and they are an amazing 12-5 ATS to show for 17 playoff efforts.

The “Big Four” are combining to average scoring 67.5 points per game.

“The Truth,” F Paul Pierce is up to 19.1 points per game after scoring 30+ points in two of the final three games of the Orlando series. His counterpart, G Rajon Rondo has made a real name for himself, as he almost averaged a triple-double in the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

First it was D-Wade. Then it was King James. Finally, it was Superman. They all fell. The Celtics were right. The proverbial switch has been flipped.

However, it’s Showtime in Tinseltown now for the Celtics, which means that the Lakers are going to be rockin’ and rollin’ in an effort to win their second consecutive NBA Finals.

Even though Los Angeles was the #1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, this wasn’t exactly a dominant squad either. The Lakers limped down the stretch of the season and had to sweat just a bit about whether or not they were going to take home court advantage on the road to the NBA Finals or not.

Just like Boston, this was a team that was supposed to limp into the playoffs. G Kobe Bryant looked old. The youthful Oklahoma City Thunder were supposed to take all of the energy out of them. F Pau Gasol was supposed to be too soft. The bench wasn’t supposed to be deep enough.

Durant, Boozer, Williams, Nash, and Stoudemire… All names that are now watching as those Lakers that were “finished” are playing to complete the successful defense of their crown.

Bryant has turned the corner in a huge way, as he has been absolutely lights out, particularly since early in that series against the Thunder. He has a streak of four straight 30+ point performances under his belt coming into this series, and his statistics are simply off of the charts. Kobe is averaging 29.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game in the playoffs, shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from beyond the arc.

F Pau Gasol has done plenty of damage as well, scoring right at 20.0 points per game to go with his 10.9 rebounds.

The bench might be under some scrutiny, but F Lamar Odom has done his share. In just under 30 minutes per game of action, Odom has compiled 10.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, which should set up a great clash between he and the secondary big men for the Celtics in the paint.

This is a rematch of the 2008 NBA Finals, won by the Celtics in six games. It was the official renewal of a team that had fallen from the days of Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, and all of the other fantastic names that are sitting in the rafters at TD Banknorth Garden. 2009 was the year of the Lakers, as Bryant helped further solidify his name amongst Lakers greats like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

NBA Finals betting action starts Thursday night at Staples Center and will continue with Game 2 on Sunday before the series shifts back to Beantown for Games 3, 4, and 5 (if necessary) starting on Tuesday.

Odds to Win 2010 NBA Finals: Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Sportsbook	Bonus
JustBet Sportsbook	100% Free Play Bonus	+165	-185
Diamond Sportsbook	100% Match Free Play	+165	-195
BetUS Sportsbook	100% Bonus Up to $500	+155	-190

Only four teams left in the quest to become the champs of the basketball world heading into the Eastern and Western Conference Championship series which begin on Sunday.

With the dismissal of the Cleveland Cavaliers from the postseason, the Orlando Magic (+120 at Diamond Sportsbook) are now the favorite to win it all. And why not? HC Stan Van Gundy’s team has won all eight of its playoff games and just ditched the Hawks by a combined 101 points. The Magic are now 14-0 SU and 12-2 ATS in their L/14 games overall dating back to the regular season, and they haven’t been beaten since the beginning of April. If Boston thinks it is winning this series, it is going to have to buck a very telling trend that is on the side of the men from the Sunshine State. Orlando hasn’t lost back-to-back games since January 18th. That’s 49 straight games without two losses in a row.

As you can plainly see, the Boston Celtics (+600 at Diamond Sportsbook) are deservedly one of the two longest shots on the board to win it all. It’s going to be hard to see how the C’s can get the job done against the Magic. However, Boston did win four out of five games against the team that was easily the favorite to take it all in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. G Rajon Rondo has made a name for himself in these playoffs, especially with his triple-double in Game 4 against Cleveland. The Kentucky product has averaged 18.0 points, 11.1 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game in the playoffs, and no one is questioning the fact that he has been the MVP of the team to date.

In the Western Conference, both teams are coming off of impressive clean sweeps of their foes.

The Phoenix Suns (+625 at Diamond Sportsbook) are the decided underdog to reach the NBA Finals. The Suns swept away the San Antonio Spurs in a series that many thought they were going to lose. HC Alvin Gentry has really gotten his squad together, as he is getting great contributions off of the bench and his starters are continuing to carry the load. F Amare Stoudemire has passed his biggest test to date, as he dominated the paint against F Tim Duncan and the Spurs. Now, he’ll need to take on the team that has arguably had the best inside presences in these playoffs.

In all likelihood, the Los Angeles Lakers (+130 at Diamond Sportsbook) are going to be short underdogs to win the NBA Championship if they run into the Magic in the Finals, which isn’t something that many saw as possible just a few weeks ago. LA rebounded from its iffy series with the Thunder by completely annihilating Utah in four games. G Kobe Bryant has been the subject of a lot of criticism, but he has fired back with five straight fantastic games. Kobe has scored at least 30 in all five and has averaged 32.0 points per game in that stretch. If Bryant can continue his assault on the basket, things are going to be very, very difficult for a Phoenix team that knows that it must shut him down to succeed.

Odds to win 2010 NBA Championship @ Diamond Sportsbook (as of 5/15/10):
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Orlando Magic +120
Los Angeles Lakers +130
Boston Celtics +600
Phoenix Suns +625

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It felt like every season, the Phoenix Suns were being stopped on their quest to reach the NBA Finals at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs. Many thought that this year would be no exception, as Phoenix ran into the #7 Spurs in the second round of the playoffs and was the subject of many upset selections.

Upset, shmupset. Bust out the brooms instead.

The Suns absolutely blasted San Antonio in all four games, winning each by at least six points and averaging winning by 9.3 points per game. They went 4-0 ATS and have now both won and covered every NBA playoff betting line that they have faced since G Brandon Roy limped back onto the court in Game 4 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

The time is now for the loveable losers in the NBA. The Suns haven’t been to the NBA Finals since 1993 in the Charles Barkley days, and you have to go back to 1976 to find the only other time in franchise history that they pulled off the feat.

The city of Phoenix has yet to taste a championship in the NBA.

The time is absolutely now for Phoenix.

C Amare Stoudemire, by all accounts, will most likely be playing somewhere else next season unless he accepts his hefty player option for the 2010-11 season with the Suns. G Steve Nash isn’t getting any younger. Who knows if G Jason Richardson will ever catch this much fire again?

This team is significantly different than the ones that just flew up and down the court, played no defense, and ultimately were just muscled out of the playoffs.

Are Steve Nash and the Suns tough enough to beat the Los Angeles Lakers? You’d better believe it!

Stoudemire just did his job in the paint and 20.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game against arguably the best power forward of our generation in F Tim Duncan. Nash was bloody up in Game 4, but came back and ultimately scored 20 points to go with nine assists. Six different players recorded blocked shots in the final game of the series as well.

In fact, Phoenix held San Antonio to 46.7 percent shooting in Game 4, 45.0 percent in Game 3, 50.6 percent in Game 2, and 45.8 percent in Game 1. When you’re the Suns and you shoot nearly 50% from the field in every game and you have eight guys that can shoot three pointers, including several that are at least 6’10″, if you hold opposing teams to those types of percentages, you’re going to win a lot of games.

Enter the Los Angeles Lakers, the defending champs in the NBA. LA was pushed to the brink in what was a very hard fought series against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Round 1, only to dismiss the Utah Jazz in four games in Round 2.

However, many accept the fact that this team isn’t as good as the one that won it all last year. G Kobe Bryant is still producing, but he is most certainly aging and most likely injured. Unlike in the last series when the Lakers absolutely dominated the glass, the Suns have enough big bodies to pound the likes of F Pau Gasol and C Andrew Bynum on the inside.

Depth won’t be an issue either, as HC Alvin Gentry isn’t afraid to call on any number or combination of ten guys to get the job done. Foul trouble won’t be an issue. Neither will fatigue… at least not for Phoenix.

The Lakers have been warned. The Suns are set to rise in the Western Conference Finals.

BetUS Sportsbook has opened up the Suns at +280 underdogs to win the Western Conference.

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2009-10 NBA Finals Odds, Preview & Predictions

List of Odds To Win The 2010 NBA Finals Can Be Found At The Bottom

Last year marked the Los Angeles Lakers return to glory as they recorded their 15th NBA Championship in franchise history just two behind the all-time leading Boston Celtics at 17 in total. The Championship marked Kobe Bryant’s 4th title in his career and for Coach Phil Jackson a record 10th championship. However despite the Lakers dominance especially over the Western Conference in recent years, it was their first championship in 7 years despite 2 failed NBA Finals trips during that period. Heading into 2010, the Lakers are once again favorites to take on the hardware at +180 favorites meaning Phil Jackson will have to start finding additional hands to carry those rings. However, as the NBA proved last year the competition is fierce and there will be many fighting for similar claims including Lebron James who is in search for his first NBA Championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers who are receiving +450 odds to win it all. Take a look as we list he odds to win the 2009 NBA Fianls, breakdown each Conference and what to expect from the NBA in 2010, and ultimately giving a prediction for this year’s 2010 NBA Championship.

2009-10 Eastern Conference Preview:

Last year in the Eastern Conference the “Big 3” dominated the conference consistently battling for the best overall record in the league. Those teams were the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Orlando Magic who ended up representing the Eastern Conference in the Finals. Orlando is receiving +700 odds for 2010, but they lost Hedo Turkoglu to free agency who landed with the Toronto Raptors. Orlando will still be a force just from the presence of Dwight Howard. However, shooting guard J.J Redick should be able to provide some more help this season and the Magic also landed a proven veteran in Vince Carter. There is no reason not to expect the Magic to be a force this year as Turkoglu really did not do much during the regular season. Orlando will still be playing catch-up early in the season, but they could be a force by playoff time.

The Cavaliers added Shaquille O’Neal to the roster to help down low. O’Neal has not produced a ton of points over the past few seasons, but he could definitely contribute a lot to the defensive efforts from Cleveland. The Cavaliers were among the best defensive teams in the league last year holding opponents to just 90.4 points per game and those numbers may get even better. Of course James will be Lebron like so there is not much worry with him. James averaged just less than 30 points per game last year 2nd best in the NBA behind Dwyane Wade. The player that may make the biggest difference for Cleveland is Mo Williams. Shaq gives the presence you need down low that teams will respect, and Lebron will draw all the attention. If Williams can be the shooter they think he can be, then the Cavaliers may very well have their shot at glory this season.

The last of the “Big 3” is the Boston Celtics who are receiving solid +300 odds to win the NBA Title. There was not a ton of change in Boston outside of the signing of Rasheed Wallace. Wallace spent the last 5 years in Detroit, but will find a place in the starting rotation for the Celtics. The problem Boston had last season is that injuries plagued the team down the stretch. Garnett missed a lot of the latter part of the season and guys were consistently banged up. If not for countless Paul Pierce clutch shots, the Celtics may not have made it out of the opening round of the playoffs last year. Boston will once again own the most talented lineup in the NBA as they can get huge numbers from any of their starters. The key will be staying together and staying healthy.

A few other teams that could get into the mix this season are the Atlanta Hawks and the Chicago Bulls. It has been some time since we seen the Bulls get on a level where they could be possible contenders for a championship. While that still may be a few years down the road, Chicago could make similar noise as they did in their opening round overtime thrilling playoff match-up with the Celtics. Chicago signed 2009 Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose to an extension and he should have a future in the windy city. The Bulls have the ability to contend on any given night, but possibly not the depth to contend in the long run. All in all, the Bulls are about 1 superstar away from being back in the NBA Finals contender category.

The Hawks signed rookie Jeff Teague out of Wake Forest who showed countless signs of brilliance in the college ranks. Teague should adapt well in Atlanta since they like to run a fast paced offense. Atlanta also acquired Jamal Crawford from the Knicks. Crawford averaged 20 points per contest last year and he should help make Atlanta even tougher on a nightly basis. The Hawks are sizeable +4000 underdogs, but are a team to keep on the radar with their style of play.

2009-10 Western Conference Preview:

The Lakers really controlled the West last season with just less than an .80 winning percentage. The only team that showed signs that they could slow the Lakers where the Denver Nuggets who got extremely hot on some late season runs. However, the Nuggets still dropped 3 of 4 regular season contest to the Lakers. Los Angeles also ended up taking Denver out in the Conference Finals going 4-2. In the Southwest division, things were wide open throughout the year. San Antonio ended up on the top spot and showed signs of late season magic, but they were destroyed by Dallas 4 games to 1 in the playoffs. In all reality this may be another year of wide open basketball in the Western Conference, but all will still be chasing the Lakers.

The Dallas Mavericks came on late in the year and also in the playoffs last year mainly behind Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavericks added some depth to the roster this season in Drew Gooden and Shawn Marion. Marion should help scoring efforts and Gooden with time will develop into a nice presence as well. Josh Howard battled injuries all last season and it is imperative that he stay healthy in terms of the Mavericks success. Dallas has the scorer’s to contend, but may still lack the down low presence needed. Erick Dampier just is not the big man in the middle you find on most championship teams.

The other contender out of the Southwest will be none other than the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs should take battle with Dallas in the southwest as Houston will likely suffer with the season long absence of Yao Ming whose career may be in jeopardy after foot surgery. However, the Spurs made some moves in the right direction. After campaigning for senior citizens benefits last year, the Spurs added youth with rookie DeJuan Blair and also added Richard Jefferson. San Antonio should be the most experience team in the league and Blair may give more help in his rookie campaign than most would expect. The Spurs should be able to contend, but we just not sold they have what it takes to return to the Finals spotlight.

Outside of the might Southwest, the Denver Nuggets have to be the team that challenges the Lakers for the top spot. Last year’s addition of Chauncey Billups proved to be astronomical for the team’s success. Of course Carmelo Anthony is the superstar, but Billups is a star as well and really gets the team to play together. If J.R Smith can have a similar season to 2009 much less improve, the Nuggets will be even better in 2010. Denver has the talent in the starting lineup to content with anyone, but this is another team that can not afford any injuries. If they stay healthy, they have every opportunity to take down the West. Denver is +1500 underdogs which is a line that may deserve a lot of attention.

The Lakers lost Trevor Ariza, but just when you think Los Angeles takes a step back they sign Ron Artest to the lineup. If you hated the Lakers before, you will hate them even more with Artest now on the roster. Like it or not, it should make Los Angeles even stronger. Kobe Bryant may just be the best player in the league and Pau Gasol has proved he is a good match with Bryant. The scary thing about this team is center Andrew Bynum is just going to get better and better. Hopefully for the rest of the league’s sake, Bynum does not have any huge breakout this season. If so call it checkmate for the defending Champions to repeat.

One final team to keep your eye on in the west includes first and foremost the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland has found their star in Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge is an equally effective helping hand. However, Portland strengthened their lineup over the off season with the additions of Andre Miller and Juwan Howard. Miller should definitely be able to help efforts and depth in the backcourt. Howard is a veteran whose performance will likely wane, but he can still provide some quality minutes. The Trail Blazers really need Greg Oden to step up and be the big inside threat. Oden is a rebounding machine, but has had trouble with injuries as well as foul trouble. If he stays healthy and stays on the court, good things will come for Portland who is receiving +1500 odds.

2009-10 NBA Finals Prediction:

If the Boston Celtics can stay healthy, their lineup is ridiculously talented. The Cavaliers may be even better this season, but the Celtics will be as well. Boston will take down the Eastern Conference and meet up with the Lakers who will again edge out Denver in the Western Conference. However the Lakers will not defend their title, as 2008 repeats itself and the Celtics will beat the Lakers 4-2 while taking home the hardware for the 18th time.

2010 NBA Finals Odds From JustBet Sportsbook (as of 11/5/2009):
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Atlanta Hawks - 40 to 1
Boston Celtics – 3 to 1
Charlotte Bobcats – 100 to 1
Chicago Bulls – 60 to 1
Cleveland Cavaliers – 9 to 2
Dallas Mavericks – 30 to 1
Denver Nuggets – 15 to 1
Detroit Pistons – 75 to 1
Golden State Warriors – 100 to 1
Houston Rockets – 50 to 1
Indiana Pacers – 100 to 1
Los Angeles Clippers – 100 to 1
Los Angeles Lakers – 7 to 4
Memphis Grizzlies – 100 to 1
Miami Heat – 40 to 1
Milwaukee Bucks – 100 to 1
Minnesota Timberwolves – 100 to 1
New Jersey Nets – 100 to 1
New Orleans Hornes – 50 to 1
New York Knicks – 100 to 1
Oklahoma City Thunder – 100 to 1
Orlando Magic – 7 to 1
Philadelphia 76ers – 75 to 1
Phoenix Suns – 70 to 1
Portland Blazers – 15 to 1
Sacramento Kings – 10 to 1
San Antonio Spurs – 7 to 1
Toronto Raptors – 100 to 1
Utah Jazz – 30 to 1
Washington Wizards – 50 to 1

The NBA regular season will end later this week as we head towards the post-season. The Cleveland Cavaliers have locked up home court advantage throughout their Eastern Conference playoff run and are one game away from clinching home court advantage in the NBA Finals if they can make it that far in the playoffs. The Cavaliers are coming off a huge blowout win over the defending Champions the Boston Celtics 107-76 on Sunday. The Cavaliers big win over the number 2 ranked team in the East is actually Cleveland’s biggest victory in franchise history over the Celtics. The Cavaliers amazing home game run extended to a mark of 38-1 inside Quicken Loans Arena with the victory. The Cavaliers appear to be big favorites considering they will get the majority of the games at home were they have been unstoppable. However, the Eastern Conference has been extremely tough this year as Orlando blew out Cleveland a few short weeks ago similar to the Cavaliers big win over Boston. The 3 horse race all season out of the East will carry over to the post-season. In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers are still the big favorites after a big win over Denver last Thursday night. The return of Andrew Bynum will only be more beneficial for the Lakers who have appeared as the top notch team in the West all season. However teams like Denver, Houston, and Portland have really closed out the year strong and could be teams to put together impressive runs in the playoffs. We give brief breakdown of the major contenders for the 2009 NBA Playoffs along with their odds to win it all.

Eastern Conference

Cleveland Cavaliers (7/5)

The Cavaliers extremely impressive home record makes them big favorites in the NBA playoffs. Their 38-1 record is among the best ever string of runs by a home team in NBA history. Lebron James is averaged 28.3 points per game, but more importantly is getting a lot of help from the rest of the team. Cleveland only lost one game all season at home meaning for them to be beaten in the playoffs a team is going to have to win at least one game in Cleveland while sweeping the Cavaliers away from Cleveland. Good luck with that.

Boston Celtics (4/1)

The Celtics chances to repeat as NBA Champions took a big hit with their embarrassing loss to Cleveland. However, Boston has played very well to close out the season winning 8 of their last 10 games. The Celtics are another team that plays very well at home with a 34-6 record for the season. However, Boston is only 4-4 against Orlando and Cleveland on the year meaning they have been anything but dominant over the top teams in the East. Still the Celtics know what it takes to be Champions, but can they do it again?

Orlando Magic (8/1)

The Magic got the big win over Cleveland back in the first week of April, but they have now lost 3 of their last 4 games. Orlando got off to a tremendous start to the season, but really suffered a hit with the loss of Jameer Nelson despite putting together some solid winning streaks in recent weeks. Also, Rashard Lewis will likely miss the final games of the regular season with a knee injury and the Magic simply look to be too banged up down the stretch to be a legitimate threat as they appeared earlier this year.

Team to Watch – Chicago Bulls (100/1)

The Chicago Bulls have won 4 straight games and 12 of their last 15 games during that stretch. Chicago has put together a solid home record this season that is always crucial during the post season. If the Bulls can keep up the momentum and get some more big performances from Ben Gordon, they could really pull off a string off upsets and perhaps take down either Boston or Orlando who they will be likely playing in the opening round.

Western Conference

Los Angeles Lakers (8/5)

Thursday night’s victory over the emerging Denver Nuggets was icing on the cake for Western Conference bragging rights. The Lakers simply looked too strong for their closest competitors in the West and are big favorites at 4/9 favorites to make it to the NBA Finals. The Lakers got beat by a streaking Portland team on Friday 106-98, but they still appear to be too strong in terms of being beat in an entire series. The Lakers have had more problems with the teams in the Eastern Conference this season and until someone proves us wrong we will ride the Lakers bandwagon.

Denver Nuggets (20/1)

The Nuggets are really playing well to close out the season despite their setback to the Lakers last Thursday. Carmelo Anthony and J.R Smith are becoming a dynamic duo posting big figures every night. The Nuggets have put together wins in 13 of their last 15 games The Nuggets could face the Dallas Mavericks in the opening round if things were to stay the same. Denver would not mind the pairing considering they are a perfect 4-0 on the season against Dallas. If the Nuggets could keep the momentum rolling I am sure they will be eager to get their chance at a series with the Lakers.

Portland Trailblazers (25/1)

The Trailblazers are in a heated battle with the Houston Rockets for 3rd place in the West as both teams stand at a mark of 52-28. The Trailblazers and the Rockets have also both put on a solid 4 game winning streak as Portland will get the Thunder and the Nuggets in the final two games. The battle for 3rd dictates whether they will get New Orleans or San Antonio in the playoffs. The Trailblazers have played the most solid basketball the 2nd half of the season and they should give teams problems if they can stay hot.

Team to watch – Houston Rockets (20/1)

The Rockets have put together 4 straight wins along with Portland. The only difference is Houston beat up on the Trailblazers 102-88 to start their winning streak. The Rockets have what it takes to match-up with the other teams from the West in the playoffs giving them a chance to knock off some wins in the postseason. The only thing is the Rockets have failed to beat the Lakers once this season at 0-4 meaning any dream type run at an NBA Finals may be more of a dream than a reality.

This will be the first edition of a set of weekly articles that will come out just before every weekend breaking down the best proposition bets for the weekend. Basically, we will break down some of the most interesting and intriguing prop bets heading into the weekend for you to consider placing bets on to earn some cash on your days off work. We will be reviewing and studying every sport to give the best prop bet at the right time for your money while also trying to include the always popular prop bets as well. Take a look at these Top 3 Prop Bets for you to consider heading into the weekend..

Bet #1 – PGA Golf (The Masters)
Head to Head – Paul Casey (-130) vs. Sergio Garcia (Even) (Thursday)
The PGA Tour will make a stop in Augusta, Georgia this weekend to tee off for the first Major Tournament of the 2009 campaign. The Masters has been one of the most beautiful and exciting golf spectacles for many years now providing some great action for the PGA Tour’s first big event. Bodog Sportsbook has many great betting actions on the event from head to head matchups, opening round group odds, and more. We found a very interesting match-up between Paul Casey and Sergio Garcia. Garcia made the news earlier this season as he closed in on Tiger Woods number 1 ranking while Woods was still recovering from knee surgery. However, Garcia has been playing anything but strong over the past few weeks heading into the Masters. Garcia has played in 4 events and has not been in the top 10 once including a 77th finish in the Shell Houston Open last week. Casey on the other hand won the Shell Houston Open making it his first victory in the United States and jumped from 12th to 6th in the world rankings. Garcia has never been consistent at Augusta National and we expect some more of the same type performance this weekend. While Casey will be riding a wave of confidence and we expect him to play well. Consider placing an above average type bet on Casey. Pick – Casey -130

Bet #2 NBA (Denver at Los Angeles) (Thursday)
The Los Angeles Lakers host the Denver Nuggets late Thursday night at home in a showdown of front runners in the Western Conference. The Lakers are winners of 4 straight games and own a 2-1 record against the Nuggets so far this season. However, Denver is playing better than any team in the league perhaps winning 12 of their last 13 games and 7 straight. In the previous meetings these games have stayed unpredictably low in scoring despite both teams tendency to have high scoring averages. While nearly all indications point to the Lakers having a big night considering they are playing at home where they are 33-5 this season and Andrew Bynum will possibly return to the lineup. However, we are going to take Denver in this game considering how well they have been shooting the ball to be the spoiler this Thursday. J.R Smith and Carmelo Anthony have led the team in scoring every game since the middle of March. Both standouts are averaging right at 20 points per game over the winning streak. Even though Kobe Bryant has been stellar against the Nuggets this season, we expect Denver to have a similar outcomes as they did back in the previous meeting back in February when they got the victory 90-79 except this time there will be more points scored. Pick – Denver

Bet #3 – Kentucky Derby (May 2nd)
Whether you are a fan of horse racing or not, one thing is for sure that when you hear the Kentucky Derby you know it means something special. While most bettors tend to shy away from Horse Racing bets because they simply may not keep up with the sport, betting on a horse race may be the most profitable sport to bet on considering you always get great odds. The 2009 run for the roses is being hyped to be a very exciting spectacle mainly because there are so many great horses with legitimate shots to win this year. One of the horses to have your eye on is “I Want Revenge.” This California bred horse is a proven runner who captured a win just a few weeks back at the Gotham at Aqueduct. I Want Revenge is being posted as a 7/2 favorite to win the entire event this weekend. The horse is quickly emerging as the leading favorite to be covered in the blanket of roses after the most famous dash in horse racing on May 2nd. However, go ahead and get the odds while they are still reasonable and if you do not feel comfortable picking I Want Revenge as a winner be sure to place the horse for a bet to be a top 3 finisher. Pick – “I Want Revenge” (7/2)

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I know we have not even hit the All-star break which will take place this weekend, but it is not too early to kick-start the MVP talk for the NBA. Especially with all the spectacular performances over the past week or so between the two leading candidate Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, it brings a great debate into full focus. Despite their being nearly 30 games or more left in the season, we will take a look at what to expect for the rest of the season along with how things are shaping up with the most prestigious title in the NBA which is the MVP Award.

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Nearly no less than a week ago, many people would have given the edge to Lebron James considering he had been one of the primary reasons the Cleveland Cavaliers were one of the best teams in the East while sporting a perfect home record. However, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers have had a really strong start to February with some important victories. Bryant initiated all the madness when he broke the Madison Square Garden record for points scored inside the historic building with an amazing 61 points against the Knicks back on February 2nd. While many consider that to be the standout performance in all the Bryant uproar, I believe the Lakers big victories over Boston and Cleveland which were both on the road against the two best teams in the league at home was the biggest shocker in this insane stretch of basketball. The Lakers win over the Cavaliers ended the amazing home run Cleveland had been on with a perfect 23-0 start that ranked as one of the top 5 best starts in NBA history. It would be hard to give anybody the edge over Kobe at this point in the season considering the huge performance and wins he has lead the Lakers to over the past 2 weeks of basketball. Hard to imagine that with all the Championships and all the considerable achievements in Bryant’s career that last season was his first and only MVP Award. However the 30 year old is the prime candidate to repeat his title this season even if there is a long way to go.

Lebron James really highlighted the two standouts battle for league supremacy last week when he backed up Kobe Bryant’s performance at Madison Square Garden with an electrifying performance of his own. In only two days after Bryant broke a Madison Square record with 61 points, James made a huge impact for the Cavaliers in their win over the Knicks. Lebron was given credit for a triple-double with an outstanding 52 point performance to go along with the stats for the night. Cleveland won the game 107-102 and James finished with 52 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assist. The game would have been the only triple-double in Madison Square Garden history that included 50 or more points. However, the NBA reversed the ruling a few days after the event claiming Ben Wallace tapped the 9th rebound that was recorded to Lebron giving Wallace the rebound instead. Still, Lebron ended with a huge night and quite possibly if the night had not been so big there would probably never have been a review on that rebound. Instead when you are in the spotlight, everything goes through the microscope. While King James declared that his performance was no attempt to match Kobe’s 61 in the garden, Lebron definitely wanted to make a statement that night. James who was an MVP finalist last season will be the most likely candidate with the chance of stealing the hardware away from Kobe in search of his first MVP Award.

Outside of the undeclared two horse race that many perceive the MVP race will come down to there are still a few others with a shot at the MVP even though the odds will be stacked against them. Dwayne Wade leads the NBA in scoring with 28.3 points over James and Bryant. Wade is also posting a solid 7 assist per game, but the problem is that the Miami Heat is mediocre at best right now. Not to mention MVP Awards are usually handed to individuals that really make a huge impact for their team. While Wade’s numbers are impressive, he has not led the Heat to the success that they need at this point in the year. Dirk Nowitzki is another player having a big year with a long shot to make a run at an MVP trophy. Nowitzki won the 2007 MVP Title and is having a solid season trying to give the Mavericks a boost to get them back in the playoff race. Fresh off a 44 point night against Chicago, Nowitzki is 4th in the NBA in scoring while adding a little over 8 rebounds per night. Chris Paul was a leading MVP Finalist last season and is posting strong numbers again this year with double-double averages 21.5 points and 11 assist per outing. However, the Hornets have been struggling and Paul has been battling a groin injury. Still Paul is one of the most exciting players to watch in the league and it will be interesting to see if he can turn it on during the latter part of the season.

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Kobe Bryant has been known for outstanding performances of the past and for his ability to take control over in games over the best the NBA has to offer. Last night was not any different as Bryant lit up the scoreboards again posting a 61 point performance in Madison Square Garden. The Los Angeles Lakers had a solid night as they held of a New York Knicks team who had won 6 of their last 7 by a score of 126-117. Lakers power forward Pau Gasol had an excellent night in a double-double performance knocking down 31 points and pulling down 14 boards. However, it was Bryant that stole the spotlight as he dropped 60 plus points for the 5th time in his career.

Kobe Bryant is no stranger to huge performances as he quite possibly is the best scorer of the modern era. Of course Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points back in 1962 is a feat that will likely never be broken considering how evolved and competitive the NBA has become. However, Bryant has made a few runs and big performances that rank as high as Wilt’s 100 point performance. Last night, the Lakers franchise player posted 50 or more points for the 25th time in his career. The performance took place in the historic and majestic Madison Square Garden where Kobe surpassed Michael Jordan as the highest scoring game ever for an opponent ever at the Garden. The 61 points also ranked 1st all time at Madison Square Garden for any player as Bryant edged out Bernard King’s 60 points back in 1984.

Kobe’s 25 50 point games ranks 3rd all-time behind Wilt Chamberlain who had 118 50 point nights back before there was a shot clock and the great Michael Jordan who posted 31 50 point games. The miraculous night still fell short of Kobe Bryant’s career best when he drained 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in January of 2006. Bryant performance last night was led by a 61% shooting performance from the floor (19-31), 50% shooting from behind the arc (3-6), and Bryant capped all of it off by not missing a single free throw in 20 attempts from the stripe. The performance along with the 31 points from Pau Gasol marked the highest scoring game all-season by two teammates as they nearly got to the century mark between the two as they ended up with 92 points combined.

The Lakers win moved them to a 38-9 record on the year that ranks the 2nd best in the NBA. Los Angeles has now won their last 3 games including the last 6 of 7. The game was the 3rd of six straight road games. Los Angeles will now get one night off before two hectic back to back games with Toronto and the highly anticipated showdown with the Boston Celtics on Thursday night. The Celtics own the best record in the NBA at 40-9 barely ahead of the Lakers and the showdown will represent last year’s Finals re-match and also represents the two best teams in the NBA at this point in the season. The Lakers won the first meeting this season inside the Staples Center when Bryant led the team with 27 points as they took down the Celtics 92-83. However, the Celtics will likely be in better position to get some revenge this time around. Boston not only will host the meeting which is huge considering Boston owns a 24-2 home record after sporting the best home record in the league last season at 34-6 in the NBA. The Celtics will also get the slight advantage heading into the contest considering they will be on a little fresher legs as the Lakers battle the Raptors on Wednesday night. However, Bryant has a tendency to have some of his biggest nights on the biggest stages and the Lakers will look for him to have another big performance when they travel to Boston on Thursday.