-So the Lakers, at the top of the NBA Finals odds all season long, put away Orlando in five. Good on ‘em. Kobe gets his Shaqless ring and his Finals MVP, Phil’s got 10 and has to be the best coach ever now, and Trevor Ariza will be rich. Like, “way more than he deserves” rich.

-How much are you betting management of the Lakers will try to get Odom to take a paycut to stay, so they can keep Ariza?

-Turkoglu wasn’t even back in the dressing room before it was announced that he would be a free agent.

-Why was Kobe’s wife all up in the mix right after the game? She’s cute and all, but shoot…..give the man a second to breathe. He surely can’t cheat on you in the middle of an arena.

-NBA odds on whether Phil comes back: Not bloody likely.

Phoenix has to be one of the funniest teams in the NBA in terms of comedy, but of course, that doesn’t do much for your NBA Finals odds. First, Shaq tried to steal Lebron’s thunder with:

Then, I stumbled upon this back in April while going through my offshore sportsbook (it’s amazing what pops up when you type “Steve Nash” into Youtube):

I still have no idea what to think about that. But this is probably the best of the bunch. Nash did Letterman a couple of nights ago:

I swear, if comedy was pick-and-roll defense (actually, just all-around defense), the Suns would be the Pistons of the “Bad Boy” era, and their NBA odds would be through the roof.

Oh yeah, tonight’s NBA championship odds pick hasn’t changed. Kobe’s gon’ go OFF.

Looks like I’ll have to make a different French Open finals betting pick. Thanks, Serena.

I picked the Lakers to win the NBA finals, but it won’t be easy. The Magic opened their meetings with Boston and Cleveland on the road, and came away with a win to steal homecourt advantage. This takes pressure off them, because you lose the first game, the second game virtually becomes a must-win. They also have won their last two trips to Los Angles, but they’re still a 6-point favorite at the Staples Center tomorrow night according to NBA Finals odds. 

The Lakers have won eight of their 10 playoff games at home, where the supporting cast plays much better, and it doesn’t become a shotfest from Kobe Bryant. The Lakers will have to do a better job on the Magic’s three-point gunners, who shot 42.9% from long distance in a 109-103 victory in Los Angeles in January. Dwight Howard went off for 25 points and 20 boards, but the Lakers and their NBA odds stand a much better chance of winning if they can keep the likes of Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu and Rafer Alston quiet. 

No one, myself included, have given the Magic much credit during the playoffs. Think that’s not fueling them? 

NBA championship odds pick: Lakers to win, but not to cover

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.

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:

(Preakness 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 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)

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)

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.

-Looking at those boxing odds? Pac-Man will knock out Hatton by the fifth round on Saturday night.

-This Chicago-Boston series has been the best thing for the NBA since…..shoot, I don’t even know. I thought about the Warriors-Mavericks series of ‘06, but that was more for the upset factor. Six games, five decided by three points or less, four overtimes games, including Game 6’s triple-OT classic. Game 7 goes Saturday night in Boston, and the Celtics’ experience, homecourt advantage and the clutch shooting of Ray Allen will end the Bulls’ season. (basketball betting pick: Boston outright, not to cover the 6.5-point spread)

-Thanks Philly, for making me look stupid last night. No Dwight Howard, no Courtney Lee, on homecourt, and you lose by 25? You deserved to get booed.

-Dallas and Denver open up their series on Sunday afternoon in Denver, and the Mavericks won’t have anything for the Nuggets on the road. It won’t be a blowout, but…..(basketball betting pick: Denver to cover the 5.5-point spread)

-Tonight should mark the end of the Heat’s season. Dwayne Wade is obviously hurting with a back injury, and without him at less than 100%, Miami doesn’t stand a chance. (basketball betting pick: Atlanta as a 5-point underdog)