-So the Lakers, at the top of the NBA Finals odds all season long, put away Orlando in five. Good on ‘em. Kobe gets his Shaqless ring and his Finals MVP, Phil’s got 10 and has to be the best coach ever now, and Trevor Ariza will be rich. Like, “way more than he deserves” rich.

-How much are you betting management of the Lakers will try to get Odom to take a paycut to stay, so they can keep Ariza?

-Turkoglu wasn’t even back in the dressing room before it was announced that he would be a free agent.

-Why was Kobe’s wife all up in the mix right after the game? She’s cute and all, but shoot…..give the man a second to breathe. He surely can’t cheat on you in the middle of an arena.

-NBA odds on whether Phil comes back: Not bloody likely.

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

Well, if the Magic were a Belmont Stakes betting option, they definitely pulled up lame out of the gate. 

Lakers Magic betting – Lakers -6.5, Sunday, June 5, 9:00 PM ET

The Magic were beaten all over the court in a 100-75 mauling at the hands of the Lakers, as they shot 29.9% from the field, and were outrebounded 55-41. Mickael Pietrus was the high scorer with 14 points off the bench, but the Magic’s big three of Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu were a combined 6-of-27 from the field. Orlando was also 8-of-23 from beyond the arc, which is their key to the series. Jameer Nelson made his return but didn’t really do much,  adding six points and four assists in 23 minutes.

For the Lakers, it was all Kobe, all day. Bryant had a game-high 40 points to go with eight boards and eight assists, with 18 points coming in the third quarter to put the Magic away. Pau Gasol had 16 and eight boards for the Lakers, who usually look to get everyone involved, but when your star is feeling it like Kobe was, you gotta let him go.

NBA Finals odds are backing the Lakers by 6.5 points to take a 2-0 series lead to Orlando, and this game will be much, much closer. The Magic looked like a deer in headlights on Thursday, and now the nerves are out of their system. Bryant likely won’t go for 40 again, but he knew how important it was for the Lakers to win Game 1, as the Magic won the first game of their series with both Boston and Cleveland. The Magic will make it closer, but the Lakers just want it more.

Lakers Magic betting pick: Lakers to cover