Basketball Betting
 

Basketball Betting


NFL Football
NCAA Football
NCAA Basketball
MLB Baseball
NHL Hockey
Soccer
Auto
Horse Racing
Golf
Tennis
 

NBA Basketball Betting

NBA's second round features some familiar matchups

Basketball Betting Lines

05/01/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - They say familiarity breeds contempt.

The theory being that it's less likely you are going to respect someone if you know them well enough to have experienced his or her faults first hand.

In the world of the NBA, I'm not so sure familiarity breeds contempt. After all, you tend to develop a certain amount of respect for a Kobe Bryant after he sticks the dagger in your heart time and time again. What familiarity does breed, however, is rivalries.

The second round of the NBA playoffs will feature a numbers of series between teams intimately familiar with each other, meaning you can expect some tough, hard-nosed basketball for the next couple of weeks as the conference semifinals heat up.

In the East, the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers and the veteran-laden Boston Celtics kick off the semis on Saturday night in a rematch from two years ago when the Celtics survived in seven games en route to their record 17th NBA championship.

Orlando, meanwhile, continues to rest and wait for the winner of the only quarterfinals set to reach seven games, Atlanta and Milwaukee. The Magic don't have a long playoff history with either club, but a presumptive matchup with their Southeast Division rivals, the Hawks, could provide quite a few fireworks.

Over in the West, the defending champion Lakers survived the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder and are set to take on Jerry Sloan's Jazz for the third straight postseason.

Meanwhile, playoff-tested San Antonio and the up-tempo Phoenix Suns are about to embark on their 10th playoff series since 1992.

Here's a closer look at what to expect when the NBA's "Elite Eight" meet...

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) CLEVELAND vs. (4) BOSTON

Home court should be the difference in this matchup. The Cavs have won 12 of their last 13 playoff games at "The Q" and, since the 2006 postseason, Cleveland is a gaudy 25-7 (.781) as the host, which is the second most home wins in the playoffs over that span (The Lakers are 26-5). LeBron James and the deeper bench should prove to be the difference for the Cavaliers in this set.

Cavs in 7

(2) ORLANDO vs. (3) ATLANTA or (6) MILWAUKEE

Orlando has been resting since sweeping Larry Brown's Bobcats back on April 26, while the Hawks have had more trouble putting away the Bucks than expected. You have to believe Atlanta will get it done on Sunday in Dixie after surviving Game 6 in Brew City but going the distance against a Milwaukee team minus Andrew Bogut doesn't speak well to Atlanta's chances of a possible upset over the Magic. About the only way the Bucks can escape Game 7 in the ATL with a win is if Brandon Jennings goes off, but Milwaukee just isn't deep enough to give Orlando any trouble.

Magic in 6 over Atlanta or 5 over Milwaukee.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) LA LAKERS vs. (5) UTAH

The Jazz never match up well with the Lakers even with a healthy Memhet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko. Meanwhile, Staples Center has been a house of horrors for them. That said, Kobe Bryant seems to be a little more banged-up than he is letting on and that should keep Utah in the series for a little bit. However, LA's length with Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom should be too much for Sloan and Company to overcome.

Lakers in 6

(3) PHOENIX vs. (7) SAN ANTONIO

The Suns are far more athletic and deeper than San Antonio but it's hard to bet against the big three of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, along with the game's best coach, Gregg Popovich. Phoenix obviously wants to run but I would concentrate on pounding the ball down low to Amare Stoudemire in order to get Duncan in foul trouble. Forcing Popovich to use his shaky bench could turn things the Suns' way. However, San Antonio seems like far too intelligent a basketball team and should be able to weather the storm.

SPURS in 6

<< NL West-leading Padres go for fifth straight win against Brewers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres take aim at their fifth straight win this evening when they play the third test of a four-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Petco Park. San Diego put the finishing touches on a terrific Apri

<< Rox hand the ball to Rogers in San Fran
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Esmil Rogers gets a spot start this evening when the Colorado Rockies continue their three-game series against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. Rogers, who will be filling in for injured left-hander Jorge De La R

<< Halos continue road trip in Detroit
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers are set to host the LA Angels of Anaheim this afternoon in the second test of a three-game set at Comerica Park. Scott Kazmir is slated to pitch for the Angels today, and while his 2-1 record is solid

<< Lohse goes for Cards against Cincy
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Reds pitcher Kyle Lohse dons a St. Louis Cardinals uniform to try and stop a Cincinnati win streak today when the two National League Central Division rivals meet in game two of their three-game series at Busch Stadium

<< Dodgers go for another win against Pirates
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers try to put an awful April behind them this evening when they play the third test of a four-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles closed the first month on a high

Foster moves three clear in Spain >>
Seville, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England's Mark Foster posted a three-under 69 on Saturday to move atop the leaderboard after the third round of the Open de Espana. Foster finished 54 holes at 12-under 204 and is three strokes clear a

Bayern just about clinches title >>
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich has all but mathematically clinched its 22nd Bundesliga title as a Thomas Muller hat trick propelled the club to a 3-1 win over Bochum at the Allianz Arena on Saturday. Bayern entered th

Benesova tops Halep for Fes crown >>
Fes, Morocco (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seventh-seeded Czech Iveta Benesova beat tour newcomer Simona Halep 6-4, 6-2 in Saturday's final at the $220,000 Moroccan Grand Prix tennis tournament. The 27-year-old Benesova captured her sec

Bruins' Sturm leaves Game 1 >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Bruins forward Marco Sturm left Saturday's Game 1 against the Philadelphia Flyers with an apparent leg injury. In the opening minutes of the first period, Sturm went to check Flyers defenseman Matt Carle

Penguins' Staal out indefinitely following surgery >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins may no longer have the services of center Jordan Staal in their bid to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Staal was injured in the second period of Game 1 against Montreal and d

Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).

Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

Adam Dunn 15-1

Albert Pujols 5-1

Alex Rodriguez 12-1

Alfonso Soriano 15-1

Andruw Jones 25-1

Barry Bonds 50-1

Carlos Delgado 40-1

David Ortiz 8-1

Jermaine Dye 40-1

Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1

Lance Berkman 40-1

Manny Ramirez 20-1

Richie Sexson 40-1

Ryan Howard 6-1

Travis Hafner 20-1

Vladimir Guerrero 40-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

MySportsbook features easy-to-use online betting software that’s the most reliable in the industry. If you’re looking to bet underdogs, then this Sportsbook is the place - we have the best betting lines in the business. MySportsbook is your one-stop shop for all your betting needs - sports betting, poker, casino, and horse betting . MySportsbook offers every bet type with lightning fast settlement of wagers. Take advantage of free statistical analysis - including against-the-spread and straight-up trends - in MySportsbook’s game previews section. With MySportsbook there are unlimited free deposits and payouts - and no transaction fees!

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football sportsbook needs.