Even if you’re a 2011 Belmont Stakes betting player, you have to be paying attention to one of the best NBA Finals in a while between Dallas and Miami, which was tied up at two games apiece heading into a critical Game 5 in Dallas on Thursday night. Can the Mavericks avenge their 2006 loss to the Heat?

Even if the Mavericks win Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead back to Miami, the Heat are still the smart play as they’ve been great at home so far in the playoffs, and in Miami, they’ll likely get an improved LeBron James, who was awful offensively in Game 4’s two-point loss. At home, look for James to be much more aggressive and not just be content to be a defensive stopper, leaving the offensive duties to Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Another big reason that Miami will win the title is because Dallas’ role players really struggled in Miami, and role players generally tend to play better at home than they are on the road. With the title on the line and the lights getting brighter as the games go on, how will the likes of J.J. Barea, Tyson Chandler and Shawn Marion play?

It’s going to be a couple of close games, as this series has been a hard-fought bout, but the Heat have the talent and the defense to take it. Dallas can win, it definitely is a possibility, but it wouldn’t be a smart bet in your online sports betting book. (continue reading…)

Those who bet on the Kentucky Derby are always looking for the upstart, and this year in the NBA, that upstart was Chicago, who roared to the best record in the league during the regular season. They have a tough road out of the Eastern Conference, and we’re confident they’ll finish the job. But waiting for them in the NBA Finals: the two-time defending champions from Los Angeles.

Chicago played a physical five-game series against Indiana, and in particular, the health of Derrick Rose’s ankle was a question, although he silenced most of the queries with another MVP performance in the series clincher. The Bulls now have to wait for the Orlando-Atlanta series to end, and they should be able to beat either of those teams. The key is the other matchup between Boston and Miami, as those two teams are going to pound on each other, which makes Chicago’s road to the Finals that much easier.

The Lakers finally put their foot on the gas in their series against New Orleans in Game 5, and we’re pretty confident that they’ll end it on Thursday night. Kobe Bryant’s ankle was also an issue, but a pair of highlight-reel dunks showed that the five-time NBA champion was more than fine. Unlike the Bulls, we really don’t know what the Lakers’ road to the NBA Finals looks like, but in Game 5 against the Hornets, they showed that their size advantage should be enough to give them a chance to win their third straight title. Don’t bet against the Lakers in your online sportsbook.



Those betting on March Madness will be done for another year soon as the NCAA Tournament is down to their Final Four, but baseball season is starting on Thursday, which means it is time to think about your World Series picks. We’re going with the Red Sox from Boston, but like every team, there are still some questions.

Everyone talks about the rotation in Philadelphia, and granted, it is warranted with the likes of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt. But if Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka can return to form, the Red Sox’s rotation can be just as good because Jon Lester is a Cy Young candidate and Clay Buchholz came into his own last season. Matsuzaka had a good spring, but Beckett still has some work to do. We’re also worried about Jonathan Papelbon as the closer, but we think he’ll bounce back.

In the field, the Red Sox did very well for themselves when it comes to free-agent pickups, as Adrian Gonzalez joins them from San Diego, while Carl Crawford left Tampa Bay. Gonzalez adds another big bat to a lineup that includes David Ortiz, but the Red Sox really need Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury to stay healthy. Crawford adds some much-needed speed to the lineup and he will be a major factor in Boston’s ability to generate runs outside of the long ball.

Like we said, there are some questions and you’re going to have to watch Beckett throughout the season, but we think Boston has enough to weapons to garner a sports bet at your favorite online betting sites.

If you’re going to bet on March Madness, you’re probably looking at the top seeds to lead the way to Houston, but we have just one of the No.1s making it out of their region, and it’s not the overall top seed.

East – Ohio State is the top overall seed, but we see them running into the 2-3 zone juggernaut from Syracuse, a team that has the length to get out and bother the three-point shooters that surround Jared Sullinger, and they can get back in to defend the freshman big man.

West – Duke won’t be able to defend their national title, falling out in the Sweet 16 to Arizona, who will then fall to San Diego State, who hasn’t gotten a lot of attention outside of their losses to BYU, but the Aztecs have a very good and balanced team, and a star in Kawhi Leonard.

Southwest – Kansas is the top seed that will make it out of their region, because the Jayhawks don’t have much competition in the Southwest. We think fourth-seeded Louisville causes the most problems for the Jayhawks, but they have the depth to deal with the press.

Southeast – Pittsburgh won’t make it to Houston either, and instead, we’re going with a red-hot Kansas State team that has been one of the best in the country over the last two months. Momentum is a huge thing to have at this time of year, and the Wildcats are experienced. They’re definitely worth a sports bet as a No.5 seed.

If you bet on March Madness, it’s tough to bet on just one team when it comes to the winner of the NCAA Tournament as anything can happen, and it usually does. Therefore, we’re going to give you two picks to go with when it comes to the Big Dance, and while they should come as no surprise, it’s for a good reason: these teams are really, really good.

Kansas

The Jayhawks are deeper than anyone in the country, they score inside and out, and they are as active on the defensive end on the floor as they are with the basketball. They also have a great coach in Bill Self, who has done a fantastic job of keeping this deep and talented group on the straight and narrow, outside of Tyshawn Taylor’s suspension. But it seems like only a major injury to one of the Morris brothers will derail Kansas’ championship run.

Ohio State

The Buckeyes have a tried and true formula: one amazing big man in freshman Jared Sullinger, and a crew of three-point shooters who can gun it with anyone in the country. Like Kansas, Ohio State takes good shots, but they may be more physical than the Jayhawks. The Buckeyes don’t hurt themselves in terms of turning the ball over, and they have plenty of experience with players who went to the 2008 title game. If they get a No.1 seed and a favorable draw, look for Ohio State to be a popular online sports bet in Houston.

In just under a week the fans betting online towards the NBA will be watching Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers set the league on fire during the Slam Dunk competition and All Star Game. With only 30 games left in the regular season, it is that time of year again when we bet on which two teams we feel will be battling it out for NBA supremacy come early June.

This year, the 2010-11 NBA Championship will be contested between the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics. While the NBA in itself is increasingly getting younger and younger, these two veteran teams have what it takes in our minds to make it all the way to the finals. While the Celtics have been the team to experience more recent success, the San Antonio Spurs appear to be a team returning to success.

Going into this season, the San Antonio Spurs, centered on the veteran core of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker, was expected to take another step back, since their depth players let them down last season. However, from the start of the season until now, the Spurs have been at the top of the NBA. They opened the season with a 21 and three record, and to date, the Spurs still own the NBA’s best record at 43 wins and eight losses.

What’s perhaps most impressive, is that the Spurs bench has literally matched the starting five stride for stride. When it doesn’t appear that any of the starting five have their game in order, the bench players step up and lead the way.

Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics are once again putting in a strong season. Heading into the All Star break, the Celtics are 38 and 13, good enough for the NBA’s second best record. The starting five of Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo is amongst the league’s elite. Similar to the Spurs, the Celtics bench has also done a nice job of keeping them in games. With so much depth on both sides it’s only a matter of time before these two clubs face off for the NBA title.

Los Angeles’ NBA championship odds are dependent on the health of their star player and former league MVP, and we know he’s been battling injuries all season, but is it worse than he’s let on?

A report came down on Monday that Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant had his right knee drained of fluid in an attempt to get Bryant as close to 100% as possible before their Game 1 meeting with Phoenix on Monday in the Western Conference finals.  Bryant has fought broken fingers, back problems, an ailing wrist, and other bumps and bruises that we probably don’t even know about.  He looked very banged up in the first round against Oklahoma City, but that may have been a result of the Thunder’s athleticism and youth.  But Bryant’s knee (and other injuries) will have to now hold up against a Phoenix team that doesn’t know the meaning of “walk it up the floor”, and they’ll be pushing the issue as much as possible, every time they get the ball.

So should Lakers fans be worried about the health of their No.1 guy?  Unless Bryant is missing an entire leg, we wouldn’t bet on this knee-draining being a big deal, unlike some injuries affecting champions league betting.  It’s something that a lot of guys get done during the course of the season, and if it’s going to give Bryant a little more flexibility with his knee, so be it.  One thing you don’t have to worry about, though, is the Lakers’ betting odds in this series, because Bryant will be fine when the ball goes up.