NBA Odds: Future Betting “Heats” Up

With a tip of the hat to Dennis Green…”don’t crown their asses just yet”.

We speak of the Miami Heat of course, as fans, commentators and of course, the sports betting public have been weighing in with their thoughts on the 2010-11 NBA Championship since the Lebron decided to “take his talents” to South Beach. Joining him down there is, of course, Chris Bosh and with D-Wade re-signing Miami has become the center of the NBA universe for the time being.

The big question is can they close the deal?

After the big announcement, online sportsbook Sportsbetting.com had the Heat listed as the odds-on favorite to take next season’s NBA title with odds of at +175. Sportsbook manager Brian Taylor said, “not surprisingly, we’ve seen more interest in our NBA Future betting options than any other off-season I can remember. And also not surprisingly, the Miami Heat are seeing lots of the volume, but we are seeing a reasonable amount of money coming in on the Orlando Magic in the East and the LA Lakers”

But until Miami actually wins a fourth game in the 2011 NBA Final, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers are the defending NBA champions.

Though a Lakers and Heat matchup in the next NBA Final is far from certain (despite what will undoubtedly be obsessive meddling by David Stern and co.), LA got an early punch in against Miami.

The Heat were said to be heavily courting Derek Fisher but the guard decided against joining LeBron, Bosh and Wade and opted to re-sign with his old team.

“I have decided to continue with Kobe, continue with our teammates and the fans of Los Angeles. While this may not be the most lucrative contract I’ve been offered this off season, it is the most valuable,” Fisher said on his website.

“I am confident I will continue to lead this team on and off the court. Let the hunt for six begin…”

The team also brought back the Zen Master, head coach Phil Jackson, who has been bench boss for the Lakers’ last five NBA titles.

Besides Fisher, the Lakers probably won’t be adding any big-name talent – the team is four players away from the association’s roster minimum of 13 players.

The Lakers are listed at +300 to repeat as NBA champs at the sportsbooks.

If the Miami Heat do become the power in the Eastern Conference, which team will present the biggest challenge?

The Boston Celtics, who are listed at +1000 to win the 2011 title, have re-signed Paul Pierce and Ray Allen and added Jermaine O’Neal and should pack some punch.

But the intra-state rivals, the Orlando Magic could be the major hurdle for the Heat.
The Magic have re-signed backup shooting guard J.J. Redick and have added point guard Chris Duhon from the New York Knicks and shooting guard Quentin Richardson from the Miami Heat and they already have the likes of Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson.

The Magic are listed at +200 to win the Eastern Conference title and +1600 to take the NBA championship during the 2010/11 campaign.

The Miami Heat have struck gold so far this off-season…but there are several teams who are ready to step up and keep the big prize out of South Beach.

You can check out all the NBA Odds.

We’ll keep an eye on the NBA Championship betting throughout the summer.

Have a great week.

Basketball-Hayden and Sparks cruise past Monarchs

Vanessa Hayden had 12 points and eight rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Sparks over the Sacramento Monarchs, 67-47, at Staples Center.

Tina Thompson had 12 points, Betty Lennox added 10 points and eight boards and Marie Ferdinand-Harris had 10 points for the Sparks, who snapped a four-game losing streak.



Nicole Powell had 13 points and was the only played in double-figures for the Monarchs, who have dropped their past three Basketball games.

The Sparks held a 22-point lead at the half and were never threatened for the rest of the game.

NBA Betting-2010 NBA Championship Futures

Here are some futures odds for next year’s NBA Betting championship and bookies are favoring a LeBron-Kobe matchup.

The L.A. Lakers are the odds-on from the Western Conference and overall at +250 and the Cleveland Cavaliers are the odds-on from the Eastern Conference at +300.

For more details about NBA Gambling check out NBA Gambling.

Orlando Feeling The Magic, Bettors Not

The Orlando Magic finally were able to win in the NBA finals with a 108-104 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in yesterday’s Game 3.

However, Orlando bettors didn’t profit as the Magic were 4-point faves and the game was a Push.

Game 4 goes tomorrow and the Magic are 2.5-point faves with the Total set at 202.

For more details check out Betting Lines.

NBA Final- Orlando upends LA in Game 3

Dwight Howard scored 21 points with 14 rebounds, as Orlando finally put the ball in the basket and watched Kobe Bryant miss several shots and commit a key turnover down the stretch, as the Magic beat the Lakers, 108-104, to take Game 3 of the NBA betting Finals.

Rafer Alston scored 13 of his 20 points in the first half, Rashard Lewis donated 21 points and Hedo Turkoglu recorded 18 points with seven assists and six rebounds.

The Magic shot an NBA Finals record 75 percent in the first half, and ended up making 62.5 percent of their shots for the entire 48 minutes.

Kobe Bryant scored 17 points in the final five-plus minutes of the first quarter then went hot and cold for the rest of the contest, finishing with 31 points and eight assists.

Pau Gasol added 23 points and Trevor Ariza contributed 13 points and seven rebounds.

The Lakers now lead the best-of-seven series, 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled for Thursday night at Amway Arena in Orlando.

NBA Betting:Now Entering Magic Kingdom

The Orlando Magic blew an opportunity to tie the NBA Betting Finals at 1-1 when Courtney Lee flubbed a last-second layup attempt.

Instead the Magic lost 101-96 in OT to the Los Angeles Lakers, went down 2-0 but covered at +6.5.

The scene shifts back to Orlando and the Magic have been solid at home going 6-3 ATS, including four-straight wins ATS.

The Magic are listed as 4-point favorites for tomorrow’s Game 3.

Bryant leads Lakers in rout of Magic in Game 1

Kobe Bryant is off to a good start in his quest for a post-Shaq championship, scoring a personal NBA Finals-high 40 points with eight rebounds and eight assists, as the Lakers took control before halftime and never let up in a 100-75 victory over Orlando in Game 1.

Pau Gasol added 16 points with eight rebounds, Lamar Odom notched a double- double with 11 points and 14 rebounds and Andrew Bynum donated nine points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who shot 46.1 percent but more importantly held the Magic to 29.9 percent shooting.

The Lakers have not won a championship since 2002, the last of their three consecutive titles, but have won 14 in the storied franchise history. Bryant is in search of his first solo title -- meaning without the services of Shaquille O'Neal.

Los Angeles is off to a good start, as head coach Phil Jackson, aiming for his record 10th NBA championship as a coach, has a 43-0 mark in the postseason when his team wins the first game.

NBA Conference Finals Odds: Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers are heading back to Florida. LeBron James, showing off every dimension of his unstoppable game, had 37 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists, and Mo Williams added 24 points in a 112-102 victory over the Orlando Magic in Game 5 on Thursday night.

The Magic will once again try and close out the series in Game 6 on Saturday night.

Orlando overcame a 22-point deficit on Thursday but missed their first opportunity to finish off the Cavaliers, who are trying to become just the ninth team since 1947 to rally and win a series after being down 3-1. Orlando has two more tries to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1995.

The Cavs of course feel confident that if they can force Game 7 they will be in the driver's seat. Last night's win improved their home record to 44-3 this season.

Denver vs. Orlando in the NBA final?

By Chad Rogers

Memo to Mo Williams, leave the predictions or shot calling, to Babe Ruth, Mark Messier and Joe Namath.

Prior to Tuesday’s Game 4, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ one-guard guaranteed a win but unlike that revered New York trio, his mouth wrote a check that he couldn’t cash.

The Cavs were defeated in OT by a score of 116-114 and as a result, they failed to cover as -1.5 road faves and are down 3-1 in the Eastern Conference final.

Over in the West, the sports betting rejoiced as the Los Angeles Lakers rebounded nicely at home last night following a brutal 120-101 road loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday.

Back in the friendly confines of the STAPLES Center L.A. defeated the Nuggets 103-94, covering as 6-point favorites and getting a leg up on Denver in the series, currently leading 3 games to 2.

NBA Playoff Trends

The Nuggets aren’t out for the count by any stretch of the imagination as they play Game 6 back in Denver and are 18-2 straight up and 14-6 against the spread in their last 20 home games.

The NBA secretly wants a Cavs-Lakers final but should the Orlando Magic, who are 7-point underdogs in tonight’s Game 5 in Cleveland, defeat the Cavaliers and the Nuggets force and win a Game 7, the NBA will see a final with the Denver Nuggets and Orlando.

Prospective Betting

What about an Orlando-Denver Final?

SPORTSBETTING.com offers up the unique option fo “Prospective Betting”

The Nuggets have been the hotter team during the postseason, going 12-2-1 ATS while the Magic are 10-7 ATS in the playoffs, although they are currently on a 6-0 ATS run.

In the last 20 games overall between Denver and Orlando, the Magic hold the edge with a record of 12-7-1 ATS and the Under has cashed in the last four consecutive meetings between the two.

More recently, the Denver Nuggets and Orlando Magic split the season series in 2008/09.

The two teams last met back in February 11, 2009 but it was Denver that came away with the win straight up and against the spread, covering as 7-point road ‘dogs in an 82-73 win.

The first meeting of the season took place back in January, with the Magic coming away with a 106-88 win in Denver, covering 1.5-point road underdog.

The last 15 times Orlando has hosted Denver, they have been, pardon the pun, magic, going 14-1 SU and 11-3-1 ATS.

In Denver’s last 15 home contests against the Magic, it hasn’t been too profitable overall going 7-6-2 ATS but more recently it has been, going 5-1 ATS and 4-2 O/U in its last six matchups dating back to November of 2003.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility to see a Denver Nuggets and Orlando Magic championship final in the NBA.

It wouldn’t be the exact matchup the NBA would want but it wouldn’t be a bad thing either.

We’ll see how it plays out.

You can check all the NBA Playoff odds and Prospective Betting at SPORTSBETTING.com.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Author: Chad Rogers has been an avid follower and handicapper of North American sports for over 20 years and has written about sports and sports betting for the last decade. Chad specializes in articles focused on the NFL, NFL betting, NCAA betting, the NBA and overall "how-to" handicapping articles.

NBA Conference Finals Odds: Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic

The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the NBA postseason as one of the favorites to win it all. So far the Cavs, winners of 66 regular-season games and their first eight straight in the playoffs, certainly haven't looked superior to the Orlando Magic.

They can't stop Dwight Howard inside. They can't contain Orlando's outside shooters. They're not giving LeBron James enough support. And they trail 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Orlando is relishing the underdog role in its first conference finals appearance since 1995. They won 99-89 on Sunday night in Game 3, which included a flagrant foul on Anthony Johnson for his elbow to Mo Williams' face in the second quarter. James has been doing his part.

The league's MVP is averaging 41.7 points in the series. But there have been extended periods when it's LeBron and only LeBron vs. the Magic. Can the 1.5-point underdog Cavs tie up the series?

For more details NBA basketball betting check out NBA odds.

Get your NBA conference finals odds in the Bodog Sportsbook now.

NBA Basketball Conference Finals Odds: LA Lakers at Denver Nuggets

Tonight in Game 4 the Nuggets will need everything they have to try and even the series with the Los Angeles Lakers.

In their half-dozen blowouts at the Pepsi Center in these playoffs, the Nuggets had turned their crowd into a major factor by using their transition game, pull-up 3s, kick-outs and rim-rattling dunks to turn tight games into runaways and their arena into a jet engine.

Against Los Angeles, however, the 3-pointers rimmed out all night, allowing the Lakers to stick around long enough for Kobe Bryant to win it for them in the fourth quarter.

The 4.5-point underdog Lakers are 11-4 ATS in the last 15 meetings and the underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings between these clubs.

For more details check out NBA Odds.

Orlando Magic vs. Boston Celtics for a shot at the King

BetUS NBA Basketball Sports Betting Odds

Here are some of the NBA pro basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* ORL has won six of its last nine games SU

* ORL has covered two of its last nine road games

* ORL has lost six of its last nine road games SU

* ORL has played five of its last seven road games UNDER the total

* BOS has won 15 of its last 22 games SU

* BOS has covered eight of its last 23 home games

* BOS has won 14 of its last 16 home games SU

* BOS has played 10 of its last 12 home games OVER the total

Also...

* Seven of the last nine meetings have gone UNDER the total

* BOS has won and covered 19 of the last 24 meetings as the home team

* BOS has had the shooting edge in nine of the last ten meetings

* ORL has made more three-pointers in eight of the last nine meetings

Maybe the mini-soap opera between Dwight Howard and coach Stan Van Gundy is over now. The big man took 16 shots, scored 23 points and grabbed 22 rebounds, ten of them on the offensive end, in Game 6 of the series with the Celtics. Oh yea, Orlando won by eight points.

I wonder, though, whether the soap opera is truly between Howard and Van Gundy, or might also include Howard's Magic teammates, who, in effect, were criticized and disrespected by the 6'11" center after the Game 5 loss.

Sure, Hedo Turkoglu hit a big three-pointer at the end, but between him and Rashard Lewis, they were one for 10 from beyond the arc and 10-for-31 overall. J.J. Redick was 0-for-7 from the field. Remember, when Howard makes pointed comments about not getting enough "touches," he is taking a dig at the outside shooters who make up the rest of this Orlando team.

Frankly, I don't know why Courtney Lee isn't playing more (less than 22 minutes on Thursday) but I wonder whether he's bothered a little by that mask he's wearing. Stan Van Gundy may want to sit Redick down, so it would be either Lee or Michael Pietrus.

Rajon Rondo is averaging almost eleven rebounds a game, and I wonder why no one can box out the point guard. I guess it's because he is penetrating the defense, which is one thing that gives Boston a leg up on Orlando. What puts Rondo back in Rafer Alston's category is the fact that he struggles with his shot. Rondo is 37% from the field in this series, and was 0-for-10 from the arc until making two three-pointers on Thursday.

I believe the difference in this Game 7 might be the fact that Dwight Howard has a hard time at the line. A player with limited shooting range, Howard has to be close to the hoop to score. Boston should send him to the line, without letting him get off a shot, every chance they get, using people like Mikki Moore and Brian Scalabrine. Howard was just 59% from the stripe in the regular season and is only 52% in the series. No wonder they're a little hesitant to get him the ball in crucial late situations.

The Celtics are 14-2 SU in their last 16 games at the TD Banknorth Garden, and there's going to be quite a bit of electricity. Let's see if Howard comes out with as much intensity as he did in Game 6, with Kendrick Perkins and others draped all over him. We're going with the Celtics and laying the 2.5 points in the BetUS NBA pro basketball playoff betting odds.