Phoenix has to be one of the funniest teams in the NBA in terms of comedy, but of course, that doesn’t do much for your NBA Finals odds. First, Shaq tried to steal Lebron’s thunder with:

Then, I stumbled upon this back in April while going through my offshore sportsbook (it’s amazing what pops up when you type “Steve Nash” into Youtube):

I still have no idea what to think about that. But this is probably the best of the bunch. Nash did Letterman a couple of nights ago:

I swear, if comedy was pick-and-roll defense (actually, just all-around defense), the Suns would be the Pistons of the “Bad Boy” era, and their NBA odds would be through the roof.

Oh yeah, tonight’s NBA championship odds pick hasn’t changed. Kobe’s gon’ go OFF.

NBA Finals odds are giving Orlando a chance to get back in the series when it goes back to Orlando, but they’ll need much-better guard play than they received in Los Angeles.

Lakers Magic odds – Tuesday, June 9, 9:00 PM ET

Simply put, the Magic guards were awful in the first two games of the series, and Courtney Lee’s missed (and open) layup at the end of regulation of Game 2′s 101-96 overtime loss sums up the way Orlando’s guards have started. Lee and Rafer Alston were a combined 2-of-11 for six points, and they never pressured the Lakers’ guards.  Shoot, even Derek Fisher outscored them by himself with 12 points.

You gotta be good to be lucky, and the Lakers earned some luch when Lee missed that last-second alley-oop. Kobe Bryant dropped 29 points, while Pau Gasol added 24 points and 10 boards, but the Lakers also earned their luck on the defensive end of the floor, forcing 20 Orlando turnovers. Also, Lamar Odom outscored the entire Orlando bench by himself with 19 points.

NBA odds are backing the Magic by four points at home, and their supporting cast, particularly their guards, will play better at Amway Arena. Also, Odom won’t play that well on the road (unless he eats a bowl of Skittles for breakfast again). Look for Bryant to go into “Black Mamba” mode when his teammates tighten up in Orlando, which gives the nod to the Magic. 

Lakers Magic odds pick: Orlando

Still going over tonight’s NBA Finals odds, and I’m sticking with my “Lakers won’t cover” pick. Something tells me Orlando will shoot the lights out, but fall just short. 

Speaking of falling short, who are the best players to go ringless in a sterling career? I wonder who would get the last shot on this team. I’m going with the point guard.

C – Patrick Ewing

The big man who was the face of the Knicks for so long ran into the problem that so many other teams had: Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. When he finally got to the Finals (when Jordan “retired”), Ewing’s Knicks were beaten in seven games by Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets in 1994. He’s now an assistant coach with the Magic, tutoring Dwight Howard.

PF – Karl Malone

This was probably the closest of all the positions, as Malone edged out Charles Barkley. Malone won a pair of MVPs and went to two Finals, but they were beaten by Jordan and the Bulls, who probably would have been a Belmont Stakes betting favorite if they tried. He also tried to win a ring with the Lakers, and failed befiore retiring in 2005.

SF – Bernard King 

King beat out Dominique Wilkins and LeBron James for this spot (the James thing was just funny to me…way to spoil this year’s NBA championship odds, Cleveland), and he never really came close to the Finals, but there aren’t many better “pure” scorers than King. He’s 22nd on the all-time scoring list.

SG – Pete Maravich

The first truly “flashy” player, “Pistol Pete” is the highest-scoring college player of all-time (without a three-point line, might I add), and he made the All-NBA team in 1976 and 1978. The players on the “And 1″ tour would be jealous of Maravich, as he did his moves in games where people actually played defense against him.

PG – John Stockton

The other half of the Stockton/Malone duo in Utah, Stockton is the all-time leader in assists and steals by a wide margin, and he may have been the toughest point guard to ever play the game with his legendary elbows and screens. He’ll go into the Hall of Fame this year, and if Deron Williams can be even half as good as Stockton, the Jazz could have decent NBA Finals odds in the future.

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)

First things first, when you’re looking over your Kentucky Derby odds for this weekend, take Chocolate Candy. Trust me on this one.

Dwight Howard’s elbows did a one-man job on the Magic’s basketball betting chances tonight in Philadelphia, where they’ll be a 5.5-point underdog against the 76ers in Game 6. First, he fractured the sinuses of rookie teammate Courtney Lee, who was having an amazing series until he ran into Howard’s elbow. And then, this:

Howard received a technical for it, and he deserved it, that was pretty blatant. So the Magic are now a basketball betting underdog in a possible series clincher on the road, which means it’s not looking good. I’m setting the over/under of attempted threes tonight by Orlando at 30, and taking the over. Howard had 24 points and 24 boards in the Game 5 win, and has been putting up 24.0 points, 15.8 boards, and 2.8 blocks a game in this series. Good luck replacing that. Take Philly for the basketball betting win to send this to a seventh game.

Much like Kentucky Derby betting players who come to find out that a favorite horse has to be put down, basketball betting players watched on Tuesday night as Dikembe Mutumbo went down in the first quarter of Houston’s loss to Portland. Mutumbo got tangled up with the Trailblazers’ Greg Oden and came down on his left leg, and he immediately clutched at his knee. Mutumbo now says his basketball career is over, and it’s a shame that it had to end like that.

Mutumbo will be go down as one of the best defensive players of all time, winning Defensive Player of the Year four times, leading the league in blocks five times, four times in rebounding, and he was an eight-time All-Star. As great of a player as he was, he may be better remembered for his philanthropic efforts around the league and in his country of Congo.

So what does this mean for Houston’s basketball betting chances? As the oldest player in the league at 42, Mutumbo still gave the Rockets valuable minutes off the bench when Yao Ming needed a spell, and their interior defense also took a hit. Mutumbo was also one of the most well-liked players in the Houston locker room, and many Rockets said how tough it was to watch his career end on a stretcher. However, they could use this as inspiration, so don’t avoid the Rockets’ basketball betting odds just yet.

Those looking at their basketball betting odds this morning got more injury news from the Boston camp, as Leon Powe is out for the season after he tore his ACL in the Celtics’ thrilliing 118-115 win over Chicago on Monday night. So what does it all mean?

It means Boston’s interior defense is a terrible state right now. The Celtics were in bad shape with no Kevin Garnett, and now are down to Kendrick Pendrick, Glen “Big Baby” Davis and Mikki Moore in the post. The Bulls have to take advantage of this if they want to pull off a huge basketball betting upset. If Derrick Rose can get into the paint like he did in his 36-point performance in Game 1, that leaves the likes of Brad Miller and Tyrus Thomas to do their thing down low. Offensively, Davis is their biggest threat in the post, and that can’t be a good sign for those looking over the Bulls vs Celtics odds, if you’re a Boston fan, that is. If Garnett’s absence is like a Kentucky Derby betting player losing his star thoroughbred, what happens when you lose the backup as well?

Still, this was pretty insane at the end of Game 2:

Well, North Carolina proved the Final Four odds right, romping past Michigan State 89-72 in Monday’s championship game. Here’s a look at the players who owned Detroit, and it’s no surprise that it’s loaded with Tar Heels and Spartans.

C -Goran Suton, Michigan State

The big man struggled with foul troubles in the Final Four betting upset over UConn, but he pulled off a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards, and was probably Michigan State’s best player. With his outside shooting skill, he could be a poor man’s Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the NBA.

F – Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina

Hansbrough saved his best for last, averaging 18 points and nine boards during the final weekend of the Tournament. He got the national championship he deserved after a highly-decorated career, and now all eyes will be on him to see where he lands in the NBA.

F – Wayne Ellington, North Carolina

Ellington may have the most talent on this squad, and he averaged 19.5 points during Final Four weekend. Ellington was instrumental in the Tar Heels’ fast start against the Spartans, as all 19 of his points came in the first half. He could prove to be an effective scorer off the bench in the NBA.

G – Kalin Lucas, Michigan State

The sophomore guard got a lesson in the Carolina loss, as he committed a game-high six turnovers. Still, Lucas averaged 17 points during the last weekend, and his 21-point performance pushed the Spartans past UConn. He should be one of the top guards in the nation next season, making Michigan State a Final Four betting favorite.

G – Ty Lawson, North Carolina

Ellington won the Final Four’s Outstanding Player, but it should have gone to Lawson, who set an championship-game record with eight steals against Lucas and the Spartans. Lawson put up 21.5 points, 7.0 assists and 5.5 assists, and he was the driving force behind this championship run. He’ll probably go to the NBA, but he’ll always be remembered for this run, as the team that were the Final Four betting favorites all season, came up with the trophy.

And if you missed “One Shining Moment”, here it is, the best part of the NCAA Tournament:

Two players make a repeat appearance in the Team of the Weekend as we head into Final Four betting, and although one of them won’t get to play this weekend, he probably played himself into a high draft pick in the NBA.

C – Goran Suton, Michigan State

The man in the middle for the Spartans averaged 19.5 points and 9.5 boards in wins over Kansas and Lousiville, and Suton is looking to close out his career at Michigan State with a national title. He’ll be counted on heavily if the Spartans are to stage a Final Four betting upset over Connecticut, but Suton can match up with UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet.

F- Sam Young, Pittsburgh

Young was easily Pitt’s best player during their NCAA run, and he put up 23.5 points against Xavier and Villanova, including 28 in the loss to the Wildcats. Young has an NBA-ready body and game, and staying four years at Pitt was definitely an asset. NBA betting players should keep an eye on this kid.

F- Blake Griffin, Oklahoma

Griffin was the first player since 1969 to put up 25 points and 10 boards in his first three Tournament games when he had 30 and 14 in Oklahoma’s Sweet 16 win over Syracuse, and he went down fighting in the loss to North Carolina, notching 23 points and 16 boards. We’ve surely seen the last of Griffin in the NCAA ranks, as a No.1 spot in the NBA draft awaits him, but Final Four betting players will remember the damage Griffin did in this Tournament.

G -Ty Lawson, North Carolina

It’s business as usual for the ACC Player of the Year, whose toe seems to be 100% now. Lawson averaged 19.0 points and 7.0 assists while leading the Tar Heels to double-digit wins over Gonzaga and Oklahoma, and he had only one turnover in each game. No one player is as important to one team’s Final Four odds as Lawson is to North Carolina’s, and they’re a much more relaxed and free-flowing team with him at the helm.

G – Scottie Reynolds, Villanova

Reynolds raised his game in the wins over Duke and Pitt, averaging 15.5 points, and he essentially sealed his spot in this team when he hit the game-winner against the Panthers to win the East region. Like Lawson, Reynolds is essential to his team’s Final Four odds, and the matchup between Lawson and Reynolds will likely decide the winner of the ‘Nova-UNC game.

I wonder if Barack Obama has ever done any March Madness betting? I’d be willing to bet that he has, you know, before this whole political career and being the President-type thing got in the way. But President Obama is still a big fan, and we all know the dude can probably ball better than any leader on the world stage:

Obama filled out a bracket on ESPN.com, and his Final Four includes three No.1s (Louisville, North Carolina and Pittsburgh) and a No.2 (Memphis, who I’m backing to win it all). In the final, the President has the March Madness betting favorites, North Carolina, taking down the top overall seed, Louisville. Surely, he knows that Ty Lawson will miss the first game of the Tournament and may not be 100% at any point. Sportsbook players (and probably Obama as well) are watching the March Madness odds on North Carolina very closely to see if they fall, as they should if Lawson misses the Tournament.

Now, Obama: Get on that BCS playoff.