NBA careers have been built and destroyed based on the ability to make three-point shots. Most online sportsbooks try to shy away from three-point shooting statistics, but the ability to hit the deep shot is something that affects a team’s chances at NBA success. The one thing that all NBA championship teams have in common is that they each had at least one player that specialized in shooting three-point shots. But the way those players are used is what dictates whether a team is a champion or not.

One of the most famous sports betting online images of all time is Michael Jordan shrugging his shoulders after ripping of a series of three-point shots that helped the Bulls to win another NBA Championship. But Michael Jordan’s game was not based on the ability to shoot three-point shots. Jordan was strong under the boards and from the foul line. The Bulls had other players that were on the team specifically to shoot three-pointers. But when you have Michael Jordan on your team, you can pick and choose who plays from the bench and who does not.

NBA scores in the playoffs are often decided by the ability to shoot three-pointers, even though NBA coaches would rather not have the game come down to three-point shots. NBA starters are never chosen for their ability to shoot from three-point land. When you want to gauge a team’s ability to shoot the three-point shot, then look to the bench. If a team has a three-point specialist on the bench that is able to hit important shots at the right moments, then that team has a very good chance of winning an NBA Championship.

If you are going to do your sportsbook betting on the NBA, then you need to keep a lot of stats that most people would not take notice of. These include bench scoring and the assists of the backup point guard for every team in the league. Why do you need this information when betting on the NBA playoffs? Because injuries can play a significant role in how the playoffs turn out.

There is no greater example of how important a backup point guard can be in the NBA than the 2012 New York Knicks. The Knicks were getting hammered with injuries and threw backup point guard Jeremy Lin on the court because the team had no other players. Lin averaged less than 10 minutes a game in only 29 games for the 2010-2012 season. But he was averaging almost two assists per game. Once the Knicks made Lin a starter, he continued with his playmaking ability and pushed the Knicks into playoff contention.

NBA injuries force teams to look to their bench. Examine the NBA scores and totals for each bench in the NBA to see which teams would be able to absorb injuries. The 2012 Chicago Bulls lost superstar Derrick Rose for weeks due to a severe groin injury, but the team’s bench was so strong that it remained the top team in the Eastern Conference. Look to the bench to see how an NBA team will survive key injuries as the playoffs approach.

The online sportsbook websites are getting geared up for NBA playoff betting and so are NBA fans all over the country. When you are putting together your NBA betting strategy, remember that betting on the NBA is not like betting March Madness games. With the NBA, mid-season changes can make things difficult to predict.

A team that has found success all season long without any major changes to personnel tends to be more stable than teams that brought in players at the trade deadline. That is not to say that deadline moves do not make teams better, because they do. But if you have a team that has maintained a consistent level of winning all season long and does not make any major changes at the deadline, then that team has a full season of momentum going for it.

As with any sport, basketball teams do rely on momentum. If a team was flying high all season long and then suddenly goes into a tailspin late in the season, then that team is a liability when it comes time to place your playoff bets. The 2012 Los Angeles Clippers are a good example of this. The Clippers were riding high in the NBA standings all season long in a season shortened by a lockout. But as the end of the season approached, the Clippers showed that it was more of a team of individuals than a team working together. It usually takes 50 games or so, but if you watch the patterns of many NBA playoff teams, you can see the teams that will struggle as the playoffs approach.

This is the time of year when the online sportsbooks are filled with NCAA Tournament bracket predictions. Once you have the 68 teams in place, then you can start to scour the March Madness odds to see who has the best chance of winning. When you start picking your bracket, the most important thing to remember is to use the information that you have accumulated all season long.

The worst thing you can do when picking a bracket is to say to yourself “I think this team will win” based on the team’s historic performance in the tournament. Many teams have legendary histories in the NCAA tournament, but college teams also change players every two or three years. The teams that dominated just four years ago are not the same teams playing the game now. Before you make your picks, look at the current trends by each team and use real information instead of going with your gut.

March Madness betting lines are just like NBA trade rumors in that you never know which ones to believe. One trick you can use to improve your chances of creating a better bracket is to see how each team did against ranked teams. A team may only have four losses going into the tournament, but if all four of those losses were to ranked teams then the team you are looking at does not play well under pressure. That is an important factor to consider when betting on what many of the players in this tournament consider to be the most pressure they have ever been under in their young careers.

The sport betting experts are well aware of the dangers of betting for a team based on its reputation. When you enter into betting March Madness games, you need to keep all of your criteria in the here and now and avoid betting based on a school’s reputation. In many cases, the reputation of some college programs was established by players who played years ago and have gone on to successful NBA careers. It is common for bettors to try and bet with their emotions, but that is not going to get you a winning bet in college basketball.

The Connecticut Huskies are a great example of a team that people continue to bet on because of its reputation. For the 2011-2012 season, the Connecticut Huskies are not even ranked in the top 25 and are in danger of not making the NCAA Tournament. But because the Huskies were one of the top teams in the country from 2006 to 2008, people still bet Huskies’ games as though the team was due for a win. The truth is that the Huskies are a terrible team in 2012 and cannot beat a ranked team.

As the NHL trade rumors continue to float around, college basketball fans are lining up to bet on the March Madness tournament. If you want to make a profit with your college betting, then you need to develop a system that relies on current information about the team’s performance and avoid betting on a team because of its winning history.

College basketball betting is one of the few kinds of sport betting where adoration of the public plays a role in the odds a team is given. The public has a list of teams that it bets on regardless of whether or not the team is winning. Many people develop a sentimental attachment to a college basketball team and bet based on emotion. It seems to happen more in college basketball than any other sport, so that is why the odds makers shade things a little based on those emotions.

For example, the Duke Blue Devils are an extremely popular team which means that the odds makers can move the odds either for or against the Blue Devils and get more action. People will bet on the Blue Devils to win just because it is the Blue Devils. If Duke is playing an especially good team, then the odds can still favor the Blue Devils and the betting sites would make more if the Blue Devils lose.

March Madness betting can be a bit different because so many new bettors are in play that it can distort the betting lines. But if a fan favorite is playing poorly, then the odds will still favor that team. That allows you the chance to make some money by betting against a popular team that is having a bad year. Since the popular team will usually be the favorite, it is giving up points. When you see this, you should take advantage of it to make a betting profit.

College basketball differs from the NBA in that college teams are constantly changing personnel because of new players coming in and players graduating every four years or getting into the NBA. A popular team in transition, that is not playing well, can be your ticket to a profitable betting year.

Those who bet on MLB odds have had their eye on a couple of lockout situations as the NFL and NBA are in the midst of work stoppages. Actually, the NFL lockout is winding down and could be ending very soon, which means the spotlight is on the NBA, and this lockout threatens to make the NFL look like a walk in the park. This is going to be a brutal time for sports betting players waiting for the NBA.

The NBA and the players’ union are finally going to the bargaining table this week, the first meeting between the two sides since the lockout began on July 1^st, but it will be missing some very crucial pieces, like commissioner David Stern, union head Billy Hunter, nor any players or owners. Representatives for the two sides are getting together with no new proposals, which means the posturing has begun. Stern has been known to be a heavy-handed individual, but the consensus is that Hunter has come out on top in the last two CBAs. This will probably be the last time that Stern negotiates on behalf of the owners and the league, and you can expect him to be as stubborn as he has ever been to go out on a high note.

None of that bodes well of our chances of seeing NBA basketball anytime soon, and there is a real fear that the owners are willing to sacrifice a season to get a new deal done. Of course, the same was said about the NFL lockout, so hopefully both sides can be open-minded. However, that’s not something we’re betting on.

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.