Chris Bosh has been taking a beating this year. First, Toronto’s NBA odds went right down the tubes early in the season, then Shaq called him “the RuPaul of big men” after Bosh accused him of flopping. Then, this:

Back in New York, ESPN Radio’s Brandon Tierney had Amare Stoudemire on this morning and reiterated remarks about his desire to play for Mike D’Antoni in 2010 while boasting about being better than Chris Bosh. Stoudemire told The Post similar stuff during All-Star Weekend.

When Tierney asked Stoudemire if he’s better than Bosh, the Suns forward said, “Oooh man, are you kidding me? Ask Chris Bosh that question.”

“No doubt about it, I’m better than Chris Bosh”

It’s an interesting statement, as both will be free agents next year and are probably the best big men on the market. Offensively, Bosh is more polished, but Stoudamire is far more explosive and catching up rapidly in terms of technique. The problem with Stoudamire, though, is that he pays less than no attention to defense if he isn’t getting the ball on the offensive end, while Bosh will at least pretend to care. Either player could boost the NBA odds for a new team, and if you could combine them, you’d have the new MVP of the league. Bosh isn’t saying anything in reply, which isn’t surprising as he’s not as arrogant as Stoudamire. But maybe some arrogance is what CB4 needs.

As for tonight’s NBA Finals odds pick, I’m sticking with the Magic in my sportsbook. They’ll be going on
adrenaline, if anything, and the home crowd has to give them some energy. They can’t shoot any worse than they did in L.A…….can they?

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

I know you remember this scene from mid-December. Kevin Garnett lashes into Glen “Big Baby” Davis late in a win over Portland, and then Davis promptly proceeds to cry on the Boston bench. Now, a championship team with great NBA odds shouldn’t have any criers on the team, should they?

Fast forward to Sunday’s Game 4 in Orlando, and everyone in the arena expected the ball to go to Paul Pierce, Ray Allen or Rajon Rondo, but those looking over their NBA odds would have never expected Davis to hit the game-winning shot. But there he was, hitting an 18-foot jumper to give the Celtics a 95-94 win to even the series up at two games apiece. Davis has elevated his game in the postseason in Garnett’s absence, putting up 16.4 points and 6.0 boards, and if he keeps this up, the Celtics’ NBA odds won’t take a big drop without their defensive leader on the court.  That shot may have broken the Magic completely, so it wouldn’t be a bad choice to take the Celtics tomorrow night in your US-friendly sportsbook.

The NBA odds were stacked against the Atlanta Hawks in the first place, as sportsbook players stayed away from them, and they showed why as they were blown out of their first two games in Cleveland. Now, it looks like it’ll get worse.

Al Horford? Injured. Marvin Williams? Injured. Now, All-Star Joe Johnson could be the next Hawk on the trainer’s table as he sprained his ankle in the third quarter of Game 2, and he is questionable for Saturday’s Game 3 when the Hawks return home. NBA odds have the Hawks as an eight-point underdog right now, but if word gets out that Johnson will miss the game, expect that to shoot to double digits. This would put an extraordinary load on Josh Smith, who already has to “guard” LeBron James, and he also has to bounce back from Game 2′s terrible showing in which he shot 2-of-13, and he only managed to grab a single rebound. Mike Bibby has been low-key as well. What a bad time to run into injury problems. Stay away from Atlanta’s NBA odds for the rest of the series.

Everyone who is planning to go against the Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA odds because of their 100-92 Game 1 loss at home to Houston: stop, have a beverage, and relax. Everything is fine with the Lake Show.

The Lakers hadn’t played since April 27th, when they wrapped up their five-game series with Utah in the first round. On top of that, Kobe Bryant couldn’t practice prior to the game because of a flu and laryngitis, and it took him 31 shots to get his 32 points. The Lakers were also a terrible 2-of-18 from beyond the arc, and they’re a pretty good three-point shooting team in general. They also struggled from the foul line, going 12-of-19, and Lamar Odom was the biggest culprit, missing five of his six chances from the charity stripe. Any team with good NBA odds are usually good from the foul line, and the Lakers are a good free-throw shooting team, so they should bounce back.

NBA odds still have the Lakers as the favorites to win this series, although the Rockets’ win changed the sportsbook line just a little bit. Expect to see a completely different Lakers team tonight when the two meet for Game 2.

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.

The defending champions still have some good basketball betting odds as they head into Game 2 against Chicago, but Game 1 was enough to worry even the most ardent Celtics fan.

The look on Kevin Garnett’s face throughout the first half of their overtime loss to the Bulls in Game 1 was enough to tell the story. The Celtics could not stop Derrick Rose from getting into the paint at will, and while most teams can’t do this, Boston has a better chance than most with KG in the lineup. Without his sore right knee, KG is one of the best help defenders in the NBA, probably of all time, and there’s no way that Rose finishes as easily as he does with KG in there (no knock on Rose either, y’all know how I feel about him. Garnett’s intensity on defense is sometimes taken for granted, but not after Game 1. He couldn’t even come back on the bench, he was so frustrated. Give Ray Allen’s awful shooting (1-of-12? Gross.) and Paul Pierce’s free-throw missed a nod as supporting actors, but KG’s knee is the star of the show, and Boston’s basketball betting chances are definitely not the same without the “Big Ticket”. Think of the Celtics as a horse trying to beat the Kentucky Derby odds with one leg. It’s not going to work. Basketball betting players will see what heart the Celtics have in Game 2.

It’ll be a long time before online betting players get to see this kind of dominance again, as the Connecticut womens’ basketball team bettered their male counterparts The Huskies romped to a 76-54 win over Louisville (their third blowout win over the Cardinals this year), completing a 39-0 season in which they beat all of their opponents by at least 10 points. Tina Charles, the Outstanding Player of the Final Four, capped a brilliant season with a 25-point, 19-rebound performance, as the Huskies held the Cardinals to 31% shooting from the floor.

Next year, the Huskies should be the basketball betting favorites once again. Charles could be back for her senior year, while Maya Moore is only a sophomore. Both could easily play in the WNBA, but they could return to be a part of a dynasty. Since Moore joined the team, the Huskies are 75-2. NBA betting players have been treated to a great season with teams like Cleveland and the Lakers, but you should definitely respect what the UConn women have done this year.

North Carolina has been the Final Four betting favorite all season, and Monday’s national-championship game against Michigan State should be a coronation for the NCAA’s best team.

Michigan State vs North Carolina odds – Monday, April 6, 9:21 PM ET

The Spartans went toe-to-toe with a bigger UConn team, and came away with an 82-73 win on Saturday. The Spartans definitely felt their homecourt advantage, as the majority of the 72,000-plus at Ford Field were backing Michigan State. Kalin Lucas led the way with 21 points, while Raymar Morgan had 18 points and nine boards while playing with a broken nose.

The Tar Heels continued their improved defensive play with an 83-69 win over Villanova, holding the Wildcats to 32.9% from the floor. Ty Lawson had a brilliant all-around game with 22 points, eight assists and seven boards for Carolina, who have won their five Tournament games by an average margin of 20.8 points.

Final Four odds have the Tar Heels as a 7.5-point favorite, and they’re 5-2 alltime against the Spartans, including 3-0 in the Tournament. Carolina have already played Michigan State at Ford Field this year, and it ended with a 98-63 romp for the Tar Heels. The Spartans are better now, but the scary thing is, so is Carolina. With the way they are playing defense right now, the Tar Heels would probably give some NBA teams a run for their money. The crowd will play a role, but Carolina has been destined to win this title, since Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green all decided to come back and win a championship instead of playing in the NBA. Take North Carolina and their Final Four odds on Monday.

It’s time for Final Four betting picks….another NCAA tournament is winding down, and while there’ve been fewer upsets than usual, it’s good when the cream rises to the top. We know we’re being treated to some good quality basketball.

Michigan State vs Connecticut odds – Saturday, April 4, 6:47 PM ET

The Spartans beat Robert Morris, USC and Kansas before saving their best performance for last. Michigan State battered top overall seed Louisville all over the court for a 12-point win, holding the Cardinals to 38.3% from the field. Goran Suton is making a strong case to be on the All-Tournament team, as the big center is playing the best ball of his four-year career. Also, Michigan State isn’t worried about being a Final Four betting underdog: they’re 3-1 this season when the opposition is favored.

The Huskies have been the most impressive team in the Tournament, beating Chattanooga, Texas A&M, Purdue and Missouri by an average of 25.2 points. Only Mizzou really pushed the Huskies, who have outrebounded their opponents by 68. The Huskies have size, outside shooting, a great point guard in A.J. Price, and a future HOF coach in Jim Calhoun. And still, I’m picking against them.

UConn has a Final Four betting spread of four points, but they’ll face a unique problem in the Tournament: Michigan State’s campus is only 75 miles away. The Spartans’ faithful will be out in full force, serving as an extra man against the Huskies. UConn is used to having their way in the post, but they won’t with Michigan State, who is one of only two teams in the nation that is better than the Huskies on the boards. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo is surely no slouch, and he’s had his boys ready for this moment all season. Bet on Michigan State for a Final Four betting upset on Saturday.