The Celtics grabbed the first two games on the NBA Finals in fairly decisive fashion.  The big question is whether or not the Lakers can get back on track with a couple of wins at home.  It looks like the odds-makers are on the Lakers’ side, setting them as 9.5 point favorites for Tuesday’s game.  This might seem like a lot of points, but if you look at the combination of the Lakers’ performance at home this season (especially in the playoffs) and the overall trend of home teams winning in the playoffs, the line probably isn’t too far off.  L.A. will need more help from their supporting staff than they’ve received in the first two games of the Finals.  Not surprisingly, Kobe Bryant has been the leading scorer and has hit key shots in difficult situations.  This has not been enough, however, as the rest of the team has not been playing their role as effectively as they did in say the series against the Spurs.  Boston got a pair of great performances out of Paul Pierce, something not many expected.  The Celtics will need to find the other two of the big three in future games because, as we’ve seen with the Lakers and Kobe, you don’t want to hang your hat on just one big scorer.  Tuesday’s odds have been posted over at Bodoglife.com.

NBA Finals - Game 3 Odds

Boston Celtics +9.5 @
Los Angeles Lakers -9.5

Popularity: 12% [?]

The stage has been set for an epic showdown of past NBA powers.  The two most successful franchises in NBA history, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers meet in Boston Thursday, June 5th for game one of the NBA Finals.  There’s a lot to consider for this year’s finals.  Can Kobe finally get that elusive ring without the help of Big Daddy Shaq?  Can Phil Jackson further cement his place in the NBA Hall of Fame by adding yet another championship to his legacy?  Can Kevin Garnett finally overcome his label of being the best individual player in the NBA that hasn’t won a championship?  Will the Celtics end their hugely hyped season with the Big Three as champions or merely contestants?  Phew!  That’s is a lot to consider.  No matter who you’re backing in this year’s finals it’s hard to deny that this is the best possible match-up, both for the fans, for the league, and, let’s face it, for the league’s advertisers.  Even the casual NBA fan can get behind a classic Boston v. L.A. series.  Game one starts at 9pm Eastern Time from the Banknorth Garden in Boston.  Here’s a quick look at the latest odds on the game, brought to you by the best place to bet the NBA Finals this season,BodogLife.com!

NBA Championship - Game One Odds

Los Angeles Lakers +2.5
@ Boston Celtics -2.5

Popularity: 12% [?]

The 2008 NBA Draft is set for June 26th, but it’s never to early to start making predictions about who will be selected as the #1 overall pick.  The Chicago Bulls won the first pick in the lottery and they will have a tough choice to make.  The two favorite candidates right now are Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley.  Rose should be a solid NBA guard.  You might remember him tearing it up for Memphis throughout the regular season and the NCAA Tournament.  In 2007, Rose averaged 14.9 points per game, 4.2 assists per game, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals.  While those numbers don’t exactly jump out and say “superstar”, keep in mind he had a lot of teammates who could score, and he’s consistently shown he has NBA talent.  The Bulls already have a decent back-court, but Rose would certainly be an upgrade.  According to reports around the major sports networks, the Bulls aren’t sold on Beasley’s ability to have an immediate impact, so Rose is being touted as the favorite to be selected at the top spot.  It should go without saying, however, that the Bulls have to be considering drafting the services of Kansas State power forward, Michael Beasley.  Beasley was the most prolific scorer in college basketball in 2007.  He averaged 26.2 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocked shots per game.  At 6-10 he has the size to be an immediate impact player on any team.  The Bulls could certainly use a presence in the paint, but we’ll have to wait and see which direction they decide to go.  Beyond these two outstanding players, there isn’t another #1 overall pick in the class, but SportsBook.com has posted the odds for a few of the other players that have entered the NBA draft for 2008.

2008 NBA Draft - Odds to be Selected with the #1 Pick from Sportsbook.com

Brock Lopez - Forward - Stanford:  50-1

Derrick Rose - Guard - Memphis:  10-13

Kevin Love - Center - UCLA:  250-1

Michael Beasley - Forward - Kansas State:  1-1

O.J. Mayo - Guard - USC:  50-1

*Field - Any other player to be selected #1 overall:  50-1

Popularity: 14% [?]

Game one of the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals saw the Boston Celtics get out front early and ride to a seemingly easy victory.  Boston is at home again and is again favored to win.  The Pistons have to be desperate to pick up a win on Thursday night as it will be terribly difficult for them to recover from a 2-0 deficit.  If current trends continue, the Celtics will win Thursday, Detroit will win the next two of the series, and the Celtics will win game seven in Boston.  I think the numbers have to catch up, it just isn’t clear yet who they will catch up to.  Looking at the regular season results, you have to think that the Celtics have what it takes to win on the road, they just haven’t proven they can do it in the playoffs.  The Pistons have a great deal of motivation for the game, but they haven’t done anything to impress me enough to think they can win in Boston.  Thursday might be the night that home teams take a turn for the worse and finally stop the domination of the NBA Playoffs, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

Here are the odds for Thursday Night’s NBA Eastern Conference Playoff - Game 2 as posted at Sportsbook.com :

Detroit Pistons @ Boston Celtics -3.5

Popularity: 12% [?]

Will home teams continue to dominate the NBA Playoffs?  Can the youth of the Lakers out-play the experience of the Spurs?  These are a few of the questions that come to mind before Wednesday night’s Western Conference Finals opening game.  For the sports bettor, the questions don’t stop there, we have the spread to consider as well!

Western Confernce Finals - Game 1 - San Antonio Spurs @ L.A. Lakers
It’s hard to compare the NBA regular season to the playoffs, even when the teams have played each-other a number of times.  It’s even harder when those teams have only played two games against each-other.  It’s harder yet to decipher who the better team is when the regular season series is split 1-1.  The major factor that seems to have played into both victories whether or not the team was playing on their home court.  The Lakers dominated the Spurs by 21 points in early April in Los Angeles, and you could make a strong argument that the Lakers have evolved into an even better team at this point in the season.  I will admit that it is hard to bet against the Spurs in the playoffs in any situation, but I just don’t see the same spark, the same team chemistry that past Spurs teams exuded.  It may be short-sited on my part, but I’m strong on the Lakers at home by seven Wednesday night.

Western Conference Finals - Game 1 Pick:  Los Angeles Lakers -7

Popularity: 11% [?]

Now it’s time to get down to business.  The Pistons and Celtics made it through the rest of the Eastern playoff field, and Tuesday night they meet in Boston to start their mutual quest for the coveted Eastern Conference slot in the NBA Finals.  The Celtics have the hype, the Pistons have the experience.  Will Boston live up to the expectations or do the Pistons have another title run in them?  Tough questions to answer, but we’ll give them a try for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals Tuesday Night.

5/20/2008 - Detroit Pistons @ Boston Celtics
You’ve heard it before, “To be the best, you have to beat the best”, and that’s exactly what the Detroit Pistons are going to have to do to push themselves into the NBA Finals.  Boston is incredibly tough at home.  Combined with the ridiculous winning trend that home teams are having in the playoffs this year, I don’t see how you can rationally take the Pistons in Game 1.  The game will be a good barometer for the rest of the series, particularly because Boston has the edge with 4 home games to Detroit’s 3.  I think Boston has finally turned a corner.  Instead of expecting to win, they have the confidence to win, and a chip on their shoulder to prove they are as good as everyone thinks they are.
Free NBA Playoff Pick:  Boston Celtics -4.5

Popularity: 11% [?]

Sunday, May 18th & Monday, May 19th
NBA fans get some bonus action from this year’s playoffs as both the Cavs/Celtics and Spurs/Hornets series will go to the seventh and final game of the conference semi-final round.  It will be interesting in both games, as well as the remaining NBA playoff games, to see if the trend of home teams dominating their opponents will continue.  The count is now at 13-2, an unprecedented winning percentage for home playoff teams.  It’s become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy at this point.  There’s so much talk about it, plus the numbers to back it up, so teams naturally start believing that they cannot lose at home.  Obviously, teams do have some advantage playing on their home court, but this year they’ve taken it to a completely new level.  If the trend continues, it looks like Boston and New Orleans will advance, but I’m not sold on either one.  The Celtics are starting to remind me a little bit of the New England Patriots last year.  They were so dominant in the regular season, but couldn’t get the job done in the only game that really mattered for their season.  This isn’t the NBA Finals, but it is a very important step for Boston if they want to win the NBA Championship and be considered one of the best teams in the history of the sport.  I also don’t think you can sleep on the Spurs.  Ever.  Chris Paul and the Hornets are having an amazing season.  CP is probably the MVP of the playoffs so far, but his team needs to get past a San Antonio team that knows exactly where they are and what they have to do to win.  Knowing and executing are two very different things, but the Spurs are just so experienced in the playoffs it would be stupid to write them off.  Pick:  For my money, I’d stick with the home teams to win outright.  Against the spread, I’d lean on Cleveland +8 and New Orleans -4.

Odds for the Up-Coming NBA Playoff Games Provided by BodogLife.com

5/18/2008
Cleveland Cavs +8 @
Boston Celtics -8

5/19/2008
San Antonio Spurs +4 @
New Orleans Hornets -4

Popularity: 11% [?]

There is a little more than a month left in the NBA regular season, but the MVP Candidates for the 2007-2008 campaign are already shaping up.  Right now it is more than likely a two-man race with a few other players on the outside looking in.  It’s become more of a cliche than anything, but you do have to remember that the player selected for the MVP is not necessarily the best player in the NBA, but the player that is the most valuable to his team throughout the season.  Now, many times those two distinctions can be the same players, but as we’ve seen in the past with Steve Nash, it is not always the case.  That’s not a knock on Nash by any means, but to say he’s a better overall player than Kobe or LeBron I think would be a mistake, however, in his role he was certainly deserving of the MVP awards he has won.

#1 - LeBron James - Cleveland Cavs
Let’s face it, the Cavs would not be a playoff team without LeBron, in fact, they may end up missing the playoffs this year if they aren’t careful.  If Cleveland does make it to the playoffs I think you have to consider James as the top pick for the MVP award.  He’s leading the league in scoring with 30.8 points per game, but he also has more assists per game (7.5) than any of the other top 10 scorers in the league.  He also holds the edge on the majority of the top scorers in rebounds with 8 boards per game.  Only Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki, and Chris Bosh have more rebounds per game than LeBron with significantly less points and significantly more height on their side.  LeBron is the complete package.  He’s everything he was billed to more.  He’s all of 23 years old, but this year he stands to win his first of what I believe will be many MVP awards.

#2 - Kobe Bryant - L.A. Lakers
Can you believe the Kobe has never won an MVP award?  He’s one of the premiere scorers in the league, 2nd only to LeBron, but his team is on a tear (currently tied for the best record in the West with San Antonio), and he does a lot of the things that Lebron does well, though James still holds a small statistical edge in most categories.  Kobe’s talent has never been questioned, but his ability to carry a team without the help of Shaq has been in question since the big fella left.  This is Kobe’s first legitimate chance to prove he’s the new leader of this team and that, with a little help, he can lead the Lakers back to the promise land.  I would be happy with Kobe as the MVP this season.  LeBron clearly has better stats, but Kobe is on a much better team and that could ultimately be the deciding factor for MVP voters.

#3 -  Allen Iverson - Denver Nuggets
The third spot on this list was a tough one to pick.  There are plenty of deserving candidates, but I went with the players I felt most improves the players around him, and that player is Allen Iverson.  Not only is he 3rd on the scoring list with 26.8 points per game, but he dishes out 7.3 assists, plus draws a lot of fouls and shoots over 80% from the free throw line.  The Nuggets should make the playoffs and that’s what gives Iverson the edge over a guy like Dwyane Wade, who has similar stats.  Amare Stoudemire and Dirk Nowitzki could also be considered, but they aren’t having the kind of stand out seasons that you expect from an MVP.  The other player that could have been listed in front of Iverson is his teammate, Carmelo Anthony, but I truly believe his success is fueled by Iverson’s play.  Anthony has always had great talent, but since Iverson has come to Denver he has really flourished.  Iverson has taken plenty of knocks throughout his career for being a selfish player, but the statistics tell a different story.  Here is a guy who is barely 6 feet tall who grinds it out every game and finds ways to get his teammates the ball while still putting up the impressive scoring numbers.  In my book , that’s enough justification for his spot on this list.

Popularity: 34% [?]

Detroit Pistons (44-16) @ Boston Celtics (46-12)
7:30PM EST
The best two teams in the NBA’s Eastern Conference meet tonight in Boston for their second showdown of the season.  Before the Celtics made trades that brought Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to the team, Detroit absolutely dominated them.  With a win earlier this year in Detroit the Celtics ended what was a nine-game winning streak for the Pistons in this series.  Now that Boston has the talent to keep up with the Pistons they are certainly out for revenge.  Not many franchises are dominated so prominently as the Celtics have been by the Pistons, but, as Boston has proven, the tides are starting to turn.  The Celtics are riding high and on a five-game winning streak and that momentum should carry them to a victory.  Detroit recently finished up a four-game road trip, mostly near the West Coast, hit one game against Seattle at home (a game they nearly lost, mind you, to one of the worst teams in the NBA), and now head over to Boston to clash with the Celtics with there NBA-best 46-12 record.  At this point in the season, on a neutral court or in Detroit I would probably give the edge to the Pistons.  Their defensive numbers are more consistent than Boston’s, they rebound on the offensive and defensive glass more effectively, they don’t turn the ball over as much, and they have a deeper bench than Boston.  The fact of the matter is, however, that the Celtics have been nearly invincible on their home court, earning a 26-4 mark, one of the top home-records in the league.  For all of Detroit’s strengths, the Celtics have something they do not and that is the ability to score from anywhere on the court.  Boston dominates in terms of points-per-game, and field goal and free throw percentage.  All of those things are nice, but I believe that the outcome of this game comes down to Boston’s home court advantage plus the fact that they were able to beat Detroit earlier this year, in Detroit no less, to finally break their losing streak against the Pistons.

NBA Pick:  Boston Celtics -4

Popularity: 9% [?]

Utah Jazz (37-21) @ New Orleans (38-18)
8:00PM EST
A lot of experts expected the Utah Jazz to be good this season, but a real surprise in the NBA this year has been the New Orleans Hornets.  The Hornets already have 38 wins this season, just one win away from their win total all of last season.  Unfortunately for the Hornets, I don’t see them picking up that 39th win tonight against a very talented Utah team.  The problem New Orleans has is previous history against the Jazz.  Over the past 3 seasons, the Jazz have dominated the Hornets, winning 8 of 10 games, and, most importantly to us, they’ve covered in 7 of 10 games against New Orleans including an impressive 110-88 win in Utah earlier this month.  The Jazz average about 5 points more per game than New Orleans, and that seems like a much more likely outcome than the 3.5 points the Hornets are giving tonight. 

NBA Tip:  Utah Jazz +3.5

Popularity: 9% [?]