NBA championship odds aren’t giving Orlando much credit against the Lakers, but they were the underdogs against Cleveland and Boston, and looks who is still playing? The Magic may be getting even more help, but it’s uncertain whether it’s needed or not.

Jameer Nelson tore his labrum just before he was able to play in his first All-Star game, and he was largely credited with the Magic’s ascent in the East. The Magic have gotten by without him, picking up Rafer Alston from Houston just before the trade deadline, and he’s been crucial to Orlando’s NBA odds during this run, including a game against the Cavaliers in which he was unconscious from beyond the arc.

Players looking for betting management advice are waiting to see if the Magic clear Nelson to play, and the worry is that he’ll mess with the chemistry that Orlando has built with Alston in the lineup. Clearly, Nelson is a better player than Alston, but the Magic have gotten used to Alston over the last four months, and it may not be the right time to put him in the lineup. Nelson lit up the Lakers for 27.5 points in Orlando’s two wins over the Lakers during the regular season, but he surely won’t be 100%, timing-wise anyway, and to jump into a playoff series cold when the intensity is high is tough enough, but in the Finals? Nelson, and the Magic’s NBA championship odds, may be better served sitting this one out.

….another secondary scorer. Preferably one that doesn’t guarantee victories, then plays horribly, causing a massive basketball betting upset in the process, possibly bigger than Rafa Nadal ruining the tournament for many French Open betting players.

The Cavs’ upset at the hands of Orlando ruined the NBA championship odds of virtually everyone who wasn’t a Laker fan. James did his part with 38.5 points, 9.1 boards and 7.3 assists, but only one other Cav scored over 20 in the entire series, and that was Williams, who scored 24 in the Game 5 win, and Delonte West, who nailed 22 in the Game 6 loss.

So who would be a boost to the Cavs’ NBA odds for next season? Looking at the free-agent list for 2009, it appears that Carlos Boozer, an ex-Cav, would be the best fit to join the LeBrons. He’s a legitimate 20/10 guy who can get easy baskets in the paint, and he would open up the floor even more for the three-point shooters, who would also be more confident in shooting with Boozer and James patrolling the paint for boards. Ben Wallace sounds like he’s leaning towards retirement, and Anderson Varejao sounds like he’s going to opt out of the final year of his contract, so there’s about $20 million on the table. However, will they make such a move knowing they have to resign LeBron in 2010? Offshore sportsbook odds depend heavily on it.

The last couple of games have proven just how important secondary players are to NBA championship odds. Michael Jordan proved that. It wasn’t until Scottie Pippen came on board, as well as a host of others, that MJ could really prove his worth.

Los Angeles Lakers - Lamar Odom could be the biggest factor in this year’s Lakers odds, including bigger than Kobe Bryant. Odom has an insane skill set for a man his size, and he dominated the Nuggets in Game 5′s win with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Not only can he play in the post, but he can bring the ball up the floor, and he may be the best 6’11″ passer in the NBA. When his heart is in it, of course.

Denver Nuggets – Chris “Birdman” Andersen brings insane rebounding and defensive skills to the Nuggets off the bench, but it’s more the energy he contributes. The Denver fans love Andersen, who has bounced back from a drug suspension, and that sparks the crowd. His play in Game 4 was the difference.

Cleveland Cavaliers – Pick one. Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 16 in Game 5 with Mo Williams adding 24, meaning LeBron James didn’t have to score 40 again (he ended up with 37, but whatever). I’ll take Ilgauskas because Williams is supposed to be scoring. Ilgauskas brings Dwight Howard out of the paint, leaving James space to do his thing.

Orlando Magic – Mickael Pietrus gets the nod over Rafer Alston because Alston was awful in Game 5, and Pietrus not only adds points off the bench, but he gets the task of guarding James as best he can. Pietrus hasn’t shut down James, but really, who can? But he makes him work, which makes James tired by the end of games. If they win Game 6, which they are favored to by NBA odds, Pietrus will have a huge hand in it.

Also before Saturday’s Game 6 between Cleveland and Orlando, check out some boxing betting action. There are two fights in Finland and Florida worth watching, which will pass the time.

David Stern must have set the NBA championship odds at the beginning of the season and laid money on them, because he’s doing his best to make sure that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers are in the Finals, with the help of his officials, but it may be backfiring.

The Lakers odds to win their series with Denver are still good, but there have been alarming discrepancies for both teams in three of the five games thus far. Phil Jackson has earned a $25,000 fine for complaining after Game 4, but he got the upper hand in Game 3. George Karl has also complained, and the technical situation is out of hand. Denver’s Kenyon Martin has had three of the six Ts against him rescinded by the league.

But Cavs Magic betting players are being treated to one of the most inconsistent and quasi-blatant reffing exhibitions of all time. Look, I’m a big LeBron James fan, but dude is averaging 16 foul shots a game. SIXTEEN! At the end of Game 4, James forced a trip to the line by putting his head down and barging into Mickael Pietrus, praying to get the call. You don’t think he was going to get it? If you don’t , you also don’t think that Rachel Alexander has a Belmont Stakes betting chance in hell in a week. But the Magic are feeling it, too: Dwight Howard had a crap technical from Game 4 rescinded as well.

So basically, the Cavs aren’t out of it by a longshot, because they were getting shady calls on the road. In Cleveland, the Magic should just stayed lined up outside the lane, because that is where they’ll be all night. And the Lakers should be fine, with or without help. The NBA championship odds favorites aren’t done yet.

Now, I have no problem with guarantees, like, for example, if someone in the Rachel Alexander said that Belmont Stakes betting players should gamble the farm on the star filly, then fine. She’s actually done something. I don’t even have a problem with Mo Williams’ guarantee that the Cavs would win the series.

But after watching last night’s overtime loss to the Magic, man……Mo Williams needs to shut his mouth. He came out alright, and even had a decent night with 18 points. But he shot 5-of-15 from the field, missed all three of his long-range attempts, and almost half of his points were on foul shots. Because I (and a host of others) laid my faith in him, basketball odds players everywhere are now in trouble. Meanwhile, those who played the Cavs Magic betting matchup in favor of Orlando, well, I say good on ya. Dwight’s even hitting his free throws, and Rafer Alston is playing out of his mind. 

Still, I’m going for Cleveland one more time. Here’s hopin’. If Mo Williams doesn’t score at least 27 points, there is going to be hell to pay.

Basketball odds pick: Cleveland -7.5

It’s not even boxing betting time, but here I am, taking a beating. 

Cavaliers Magic odds – Wednesday, May 26, 8:30 PM ET

The Cavaliers’ supporting cast was nowhere to be found in Game 3′s 99-89 loss. If it wasn’t for LeBron James and some questionable foul calls, the Cavs may have lost by 20. Mo Williams, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Delonte West combined to go 11-of-37 from the field.  James had 41 points, nine assists and seven boards, but come on, guys, he can’t do it by himself every night.

The Magic were aggressive, and showed composure every time the Cavs made a run. Dwight Howard was hitting his free throws, and if he can do that consistently, he’s unstoppable, which means Orlando is bound to have great NBA odds whenever he’s in the lineup.

Cavs Magic odds are somehow backing Cleveland by 1.5 points, and since Williams “guaranteed” a victory, he better back it up. He’s been disappointing in the playoffs, as he was signed so LeBron doesn’t have to score 40 points a game. The Magic have been riding the underdog train all series and they clearly has the momentum, but you can’t count on Cleveland being that bad again in Game 4….can you?

Cavs Magic betting pick: Cleveland

Lakers Nuggets betting is set for tonight’s Game 4 in Denver, with the Lakers coming in as a 4.5-point underdog and a 2-1 series lead. If you’re looking for the reason why the Lakers will win this game, look no further than the bench.

Seriously….the Nuggets have lost two games in this series due to inbounding players. That’s two sloppy plays away from a possible 3-0 series lead. Really? George Karl has to be one of the worst coaches in the league. Chauncey Billups probably does more coaching on the Nuggets than Karl does (see Carmelo Anthony sprinting to the bench at Billups’ request earlier this season). And it’s not like this is his first time. He was the coach when Seattle lost to Denver as a No.1 seed in the first round of the ’94 playoffs, he was the coach for the 2002 USA team that failed to get a medal. He’s never been a good Xs and Os guy, so Nuggets fans shouldn’t hold their breath.

Phil Jackson hasn’t been at his best in these playoffs, with some strange substitution patterns. Still, he’s won nine NBA titles, so he’s earned the benefit of the doubt. And he has the game’s best closer in Kobe Bryant, who is averaging 37.7 points in this series and has smacked Denver in the mouth with two 40-point games. The biggest difference is the calmness he exudes over this team, even during the last series with Houston. Karl doesn’t do that, and it seems to be on Billups to slow the team down.  That’s one of the main reasons the Lakers has been near the top of the NBA Finals odds all year.

Lakers Nuggets betting pick: Lakers, because George Karl would never do this:

(Bonus Champions League betting pick: Manchester United. Barca’s defense is just too banged up to marshall the likes of Ronaldo, Rooney et al)

Evans Machida odds players are watching Denver battle with the Lakers and thinking, “I hope Machida can take down the champs like the Nuggets are”. The first two games of the Western Conference finals were supposed to be romps for the home team, but no one gave the Nuggets the memo, especially Carmelo Anthony.

Much has been made about the acquisition of Chauncey Billups, and it’s well deserved, but Anthony deserves some props as well. He somehow was missing from the All-Star team, and he had a little problem with coach George Karl when he was subbed out of a game, but the media made more a big deal about it than the team did. In the playoffs, ‘Melo has raised his game, putting up 28.6 points, 6.6 boards and 4.3 assists, and he’s even (gasp) playing hard on the defensive end of the floor. All of this improvement has boosted Denver’s NBA odds dramatically. 

Lakers Nuggets odds had Denver as a massive underdog in this series, but they’re now rated at +120 to pull off the upset after giving away a win in Game 1, and stealing a victory in Game 2.  Anthony has averaged 35.5 points in the first two games, and now he’s going home. ‘Melo knows that if his Nuggets beat Kobe Bryant’s Lakers, he’ll have to be considered one of the best players in the game, especially if he keeps up his play. Basketball betting players could be seeing the next step in the emergence of Carmelo Anthony.

Kobe Bryant will be checking out next week’s Champions League betting odds, as he is a big Barcelona fan and wanted to play for AC Milan while growing up in Italy. However, he took some time out form being a soccer fan to save his team from a shattering loss in Game 1 of their series with Denver.

Lakers Nuggets odds – Thursday, May 21, 9:00 PM ET

Bryant scored 18 of his 40 points to power the Lakers to a 105-103 victory, while no other Lakers had more than 13 points (Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher). The Lakers can’t win with Bryant jacking up 28 shots a game….or can they?

The Nuggets really should have won this game, as they had 11 more free-throw attempts than the Lakers (at the Staples Center, that’s impressive), but managed to go 23-of-35 from the line. Carmelo Anthony lit up the Lakers for 39 points, but free throws and a -9 deficit on the glass killed the Nuggets, who may have missed their best chance to win a game in Los Angeles, where they have beaten Denver nine of the last 10 games.

Lakers Nuggets odds are backing the Lakers by 5.5 points, and it’ll be interesting to see how the Nuggets come out after losing a seven-point deficit in the final 12 minutes of the game. They should keep feeding Anthony the ball as much as possible, as he’s too big for Kobe to guard, and well, then there is Trevor Ariza. J.R. Smith is usually a hot hand off the bench, but he was more wrapped in guarding Bryant, for obvious reasons. Defensively, you have to think the Lakers will step up their game on Thursday, and they could have been a little tired after being taken to seven games by the Rockets, while the Nuggets got a break after beating Dallas in five. Look for a much more balanced Los Angeles team. (Basketball betting pick: Lakers to cover)

Yeah, you’re better off taking Danica Patrick’s Indy 500 odds this weekend than picking the Orlando Magic to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers. Shoot, if they can take it to six, it’ll be an accomplishment. The Eastern Conference finals tips off on Wednesday night in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers are unbeatable.

Cleveland Orlando odds : Cavs -850 to win the series

The Magic beat the Cavs in two of three meetings this year, including one 29-point beating in Orlando that you know LeBron James hasn’t forgot. The Cavs have been steamrolling through the postseason, winning all of their games by double digits, which only served to keep James fresher for a series like this. The Magic showed a lot of heart by going into Boston and thumping the Celtics in the deciding Game 7, but to be fair, a team without Kevin Garnett and a slumping Ray Allen should have NEVER went to seven games with the Magic, who have lost a number of big leads in these playoffs. 

NBA odds are favoring Cleveland by 8.5 points in Game 1, and that sounds about right. The Cavaliers have been absolute beasts at home, and they’re rested. It won’t be a 40-point blowout or anything, but Cleveland will cover the basketball betting spread.

Regardless, we all know Shaq has them both beat on the dancefloor: