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.

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

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:

The Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference series are something like Rafael Nadal’s French Open odds….it’s pretty much a lock. And while Roger Federer beat Nadal to end his win streak on clay, let’s be frank: the Nuggets are no Roger Federer.

Nuggets vs Lakers odds – Tuesday, May 19, 9:00 PM ET

The Nuggets steamrolled Dallas in five games, but their defense still leaves a lot to be desired. Before Chauncey Billups, they were terrible, now, they at least show a fleeting interest. They still won’t be mistaken for the Celtics or Spurs. 

The Lakers somehow were taken to seven games by Houston, which is a bit worrying because when the Lakers won, it was like they were toying with the Rockets. Must be nice to conserve energy throughout the playoffs. The Lakers need more from their bench to put this series away early.

Nuggets vs Lakers odds are favoring Los Angeles at -265 for the series, and they have a 6.5-point spread in Game 1 at the Staples Center, where they have beaten the Nuggets in nine of their last 10 meetings. The Nuggets’ defense is awful on the road, not something their fans want to hear heading into arguably the second-toughest arena in the league to play in. The Lakers will win the series, and kick off the matchup with a decisive basketball betting victory.

(Preakness Betting Odds pick – Rachel Alexandra is a massive favorite, and you’ll find out why on Saturday)

Okay, so Thursday’s NBA picks didn’t go as planned. Apparently both teams were waiting to get back home. Here is who is going to win on Sunday.

Rockets vs Lakers odds – Sunday, May 17, 3:30 PM ET

NBA odds have the Lakers as a 12.5-point favorite after a terrible performance in a 95-80 loss in Houston, and outside of Kobe Bryant, no one on the Lakers showed any emotion. The Rockets did well to even take this series to seven, but they’ll be in trouble in Los Angeles, where they were blown out by 40 in Game 5. (Basketball betting pick: Los Angeles to cover)

Magic vs Celtics odds – Sunday, May 17, 8:00 PM ET

The Magic are a 2.5-point underdog on the road after a heroic performance from Dwight Howard carried them to an 83-75 win in Game 6, as D-12 racked up 23 points and 22 boards after asking for more touches. The Celtics looked exhausted by the end of Game 6, and Ray Allen needs to snap out of his shooting slumber, but as usual, Paul Pierce will be the one hitting the clutch shots.  (Basketball betting pick: Boston to cover)

Preakness betting odds are out for this weekend’s big race, and a couple of proven thoroughbreds will advance to the conference finals in the NBA tonight. NBA odds has one Finalist from last year as an underdog on the road, while the other is favored away from home.

Celtics vs Magic odds (Magic -7) : 7:00 PM ET

After blowing a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter….IN BOSTON, no less….the Magic are done. This series should realistically be over by now, but the Magic don’t know how to put teams away yet, and Dwight Howard was right when he said that Orlando’s offense did the wrong thing and went away from him. They could get away with that against Philadelphia, but against the defending champions? Nope. Let’s see how Stan Van Gundy messes this up tonight. (Basketball betting pick: Boston)

Lakers vs Rockets odds (Lakers -9) : 9:30 PM ET

Now that’s the Lakers we know so well. After losing to a Yao-less Houston team in Game 4, you knew the Lakers would be fired up on their homecourt, and it turned into a Game 5 nightmare for the Rockets as they lost (putting it mildly) by 40 points. This game won’t be a rout, but if Andrew Bynum plays the way he did in Game 5, it’s a wrap for the Rockets. (Basketball betting pick: Lakers to win straight up, but not cover)

Preakness betting players know the importance of a good thoroughbred, and Dallas has that in Nowitzki. The problem is, they don’t have much else, and that will hurt them tonight in Denver.

Mavericks vs Nuggets odds – May 13, 9:00 PM ET

The Mavericks only pulled out Game 4 because of a monster effort from Nowitzki, who had 44 in a 119-117 win at home. However, unless Josh Howard can shake off an ankle injury to score another 21 points and grab 11 boards, it could be a long night. The Nuggets are 10-point favorites at home according to NBA odds, and Denver will come out with fire because of their defensive performance in Game 4. A lot of that had to do with a missing Chris Andersen, who sat out the game with the flu, while Kenyon Martin was a mess due to his mom getting harassed in the stands. Carmelo Anthony’s girlfriend also had some problems and was ejected from the building in Game 4, so the Nuggets will have revenge on their mind. This could be a blowout.

Basketball betting pick: Denver to cover

First off, two things: the NBA needs to step their security game up. Kenyon Martin’s mom was gettin’ heckled in Dallas, and I ask you, what kinda person goes at a dude’s mom? Mark Cuban is a punk. Second, fans SHOULD NOT have better seats than players. If they didn’t, “Big Baby” wouldn’t have knocked over the stupid kid. And if he was an Orlando player who made a game-winning shot, his father wouldn’t have said a word.

Now, on to some NBA odds:

Orlando at Boston (8:00 PM ET)
The Celtics should have won Game 4 by more, but their bench was terrible. It’s a good thing the Orlando guards were just as bad, as Rafer Alston and J.J. Redick combined to shoot 1-of-14, including 1-of-11 from three-point land. The Celtics are gaining steam, and unless Dwight Howard puts up 40 and 20, the Magic will be staring down the barrel of a 3-2 deficit. NBA odds favor Boston by two points. (Basketball betting pick: Boston)

Houston vs Los Angeles (10:30 PM ET)
The Lakers WILL NOT come out flat like they did in Game 4′s loss, especially Kobe Bryant, who will go into “Black Mamba” mode. The Rockets pulled out a great win in Houston without Yao Ming, but can Aaron Brooks have another 34-point game at the Staples Center? We don’t think so. NBA odds favor the Lakers by a whopping 12 points. (Basketball betting pick: Los Angeles)