Monday night, the NBA and online betting communities should be up in arms as Cleveland heads to Los Angeles for a meeting with the Lakers, but let’s be real: there are 24 players on both teams, yet there are only two to worry about. Reigning MVP Kobe Bryant tries to lift his team out of a two-game losing skid against the man most are picking to succeed Bryant, LeBron James. This is the first time these two megastars have been on the same court since leading the USA to a gold medal in Beijing last summer.

These two stars went head-to-head twice last year, with Cleveland winning both games to extend its streak to five victories in a row over the Lakers. Bryant had 27.0 points, 8.5 boards and 5.5 assists, while James was a beast, putting up 37.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in this all-world showdown.

With both of these teams favored by sportsbook odds to reach the NBA Finals, this monster matchup gets even bigger each time Bryant and James lead their teams into battle. NBA lines have the Lakers as 5-point favorites at home tonight.

PICK: Bean to end the Cavs’ strange and recent domination of the Lakers.

…or Roy’s gonna take some heads. Seriously though, Danny Granger of Indiana is ballin’ out of his mind right now. The fourth-year small forward is putting up 26.4 points, good for fourth in the league, and he just dropped a career-high 42 points (yeah, it was against Golden State, but it still counts). Last year was just a glimpse into Granger’s talent, and now he looks ready to muscle his way into the NBA’s elite. You never know, Indiana may actually have good NBA betting odds next year because of Granger.

It’s been a while since Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has been in the news for making his feelings known about the NBA’s officiating. Well, wait no more, because Cuban lost it during the Mavericks’ 99-97 loss in Denver. Cuban allegedly swore at an official who, he thought, made a bad call on Dallas guard Jason Terry, sending the Nuggets’ Chauncey Billups to the line to make the game-winning free throws. Watch the game highlights and you can make the call:

Cuban also confronted Denver swingman J.R. Smith at halftime for an elbow thrown at Dallas’ Antoine Wright. Smith responded by sending Cuban a pair of signed sneakers, while Denver coach George Karl made his feelings known about Cuban talking to his players. But he should know….Cuban doesn’t care one bit. This is a dude who has been fined 13 times for a total of almost $1.7 million. Look at his commitment; the Mavericks don’t even have good NBA betting odds, and he’s still gettin’ on the ref and the opposition. Nice work Mark Cuban, Roy Jordan salutes you.

Hardly a year passes by without Tracy McGrady landing on the injured list, which puts a huge dent in Houston’s NBA betting chances. T-Mac has never played a full 82-game schedule in his 12-year career, and his season high of came back in 1999-2000, his last year in Toronto. Now, a knee injury has sidelined McGrady for at least two weeks, but some wonder if his heart is still in Houston.

McGrady has admitted he hasn’t been the same player lately, even saying he was scared to jump off his injured knee. But it’s always something with T-Mac. It may not be his fault, he could have some sort of mental issues, he could be just snakebitten by injuries. But it’s not right that a player as talented as McGrady has never reached the second round of the playoffs. He seems destined to leave Houston during the offseason, as his body language has been less-than-optimistic to Rockets’ fans. All I know is, if the Rockets don’t make it to the second round, we may need to put a watch on McGrady.

So I wrote last week that North Carolina’s loss to Boston College to open up the ACC portion of their schedule was no reason to get up in arms. The Tar Heels followed with a 38-point beating of Charleston College, which figured to give them momentum heading into their meeting with then-No.4 Wake Forest.

Needless to say, it didn’t work out so well. The Tar Heels fell by 3, but it’s not quite panic time yet for you Tar Heel fans. Sportsbook odds still give North Carolina a big betting edge to win the national championship at -150, as they don’t even need to win the ACC. They just need to get to the Tournament, and NO ONE will want to face North Carolina. I have a feeling that the scene of Wake Forest fans storming the court will be incentive enough to send the Tar Heels on a big run through the ACC.

I’m actually quite upset that I’m even talking about Darius Miles. His career in a nutshell: failed the SAT, drafted 3rd by the clippers in 2000, traded to Portland three years later before needing microfracture surgery. The surgery was serious enough to classified as career-ending, meaning the Blazers could get compensation for him. But Miles came back with Boston and Memphis, and his return means that the remaining $18 million of his salary would stay on Portland’s books. So Portland has sent an email to teams around the league, basically threatening them not to sign Miles, as two more games would put his salary on the books.

First off…..why is anyone even trying to sign Darius Miles? He wasn’t even good when he was healthy, and he’s definitely not raising your team’s NBA betting chances.

Second, the Blazers are just begging for a Western Conference rival to sign Miles, as that would kill their chances in the 2010 bidding war.

Third……….IT’S DARIUS MILES, PEOPLE! COME ON!

Probably the most lop-sided cover in Sports Illustrated history.

So there’s an NBA betting trap game. What’s the big deal, right? It happens all the time. Sportsbook odds favor a contending team facing a bottom dweller, contending team underestimates bottom dweller, bottom dweller wins, online betting players are devastated.

Well, what if the trap game team isn’t a bottom dweller? What if it’s…drumroll…The Boston Celtics?

Think about it. In the Celtics vs Cavaliers line, all the numbers suggest the Cavs are the smart NBA betting pick. Boston, amazingly, has lost six of eight, and that skid includes falling to the Warrirors, Knicks and Bobcats. The Cavs are 18-0 at home, LeBron is the Second Coming, and they just passed Boston to take over top spot in the East.

So why, oh why, should those who bet on basketball pick the Celts to win on Friday?

1. A game against their new top conference rival will give them the kick in the behind they need. They’ve sagged against some bad teams who “play like it’s Game 7,” according to Doc Rivers. But now it’s Boston’s turn to get up for the powerhouse. Cleveland is the top East team now, so Boston will be the more motivated squad.

2. Cleveland will underestimate Boston. With the Celtics reeling and the Cavs at their best right now, this is the one time all year when the Cavs could actually underestimate Boston in the Celtics vs Cavaliers line.

3. Finally, the pressure isn’t on the Celtics. Maybe they’re mentally drained from always being expected to win in sportsbook odds? With the possible exception of their Christmas-Day tilt against the Lakers in L.A., this is probably the only time so far this year that they’re not the favorite. Without that pressure, they could be more relaxed.

4. When do you EVER get to bet online on the Celtics as underdogs? This is a magical occasion. A rare opportunity to win big on the Celtics vs Cavaliers line. How often is Boston an underdog? Even though the Cavs are the clear favorite, online betting players have to capitalize on rare chance to pick Boston as an “upset.”

What are you waiting for, NBA betting fans? DO IT. It’s no sure thing, but it’s an exciting NBA betting situation. Good luck.

Shed a tear, basketball betting fans. Looks like Melo’s hand bones have Mellowed out, or…uh…OK. Sorry, that joke sucked. But I can’t help it! I’m bummed…will it still be safe to bet online on the Nuggets now that Carmelo Anthony is out at least three weeks with a broken bone in his shooting hand?

Well, this is Chauncey Billups’ team now…good luck to online betting players who stick with the Nuggets in NBA lines for the next few weeks.

The sports world was stunned when No.1 North Carolina fell in their ACC opener on Sunday, losing 85-78 at home to Boston College. Now, this does nothing to hurt the Tar Heels’ NCAA basketball betting odds for the title, or even their chances at the ACC title. All this has done is remove the pressure of trying to become the first team since the 1976 Indiana squad to go through the season without losing. Ask last year’s New England team about the pressure of an undefeated season, and you’ll get this reaction:

This Carolina team is far too good to lose many more games this season, and with “Pyscho T” at the helm, you can bet that the Heels will not lack for focus.

Man, the beating that the College of Charleston will take when they head to Carolina on Wednesday could be epic.

The latest news surrounding the ongoing drama that is Stephon Marbury and the New York Knicks is that the disgruntled point guard would join the defending champions from Boston, providing he gets bought out of his giant contract with the Knicks.

Remember this?

Yeah, it didn’t work out so well the first time in Minnesota. This reminds me of Randy Moss going to New England: a me-first player who was asked to put his ego aside for the team. It’s worked out well for the Patriots (except for that little game to end last season), but unless Marbury is willing to come off the bench to back up the ever-improving Rajon Rondo, this will blow up faster than, well, the Knicks. If this goes down, Boston’s NBA betting chances hinges on Marbury’s ability to integrate himself with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and not be a distraction to the rest of the team that has, you know, won a ring.