Orlando Magic (3) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (1)

Remember last year when the Lakers ran through the West, and everyone thought they were the front runners? Remember when they had the best player in the league/MVP (Kobe) and he was so hungry for a title to find his place in history? Remember when it appeared the team in the East had to go through so much more competition, and they couldn’t win on the road AT ALL?

Who won the title that year?

All that is to say that we can stop the ceremony for the LeBrons right now before he breaks your heart, and you start questioning why he can’t win it by himself. There’s a lot that goes into a title contender and a little bit more that goes into a champion.

My wonderful sports betting site oddsmaker.com has not put up the Exact Series Odds as of Monday night, which is ludacrous considering the first game of the Conference Finals is Tuesday, but I’m sure there’s something I can find to gamble on. The ONLY thing the Cavs have that the Magic don’t is LeBron. People will talk about how amazing Cleveland’s defense is, but it’s not up to the defense to stop an offense like Orlando. The Magic spread the floor, and everyone is a jump shooter besides Dwight. Their bench play has been inspired and energetic, and their team defense is pretty amazing considering they start Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu who are not known as defensive minded players.

This series will be competitive, and if Orlando plays well they will win. The line for game 1 is Cleveland -9 and the over/under is at 184.5 right now. I like Orlando +9 and for it to go over. LeBron will need to average a 35, 8 and 8 to win this series and by average I mean every single game needs to be like that. He can’t show up with 45, 11 and 12 then balance it with 25, 6 and 6. I am not convinced that Cleveland can own a game on the road, and the Magic do not give up when they’re down double digits. I like Orlando in 6 or 7. Take the points in the games in Cleveland and appreciate that we get to see a great match-up like this instead of the garbage that Boston/Cleveland would’ve been. Also, Orlando is +500 to win the series, I will be taking that for sure.

Denver Nuggets (2) vs. LA Lakers (1)

It is about damn time the Lakers did something the hard way. I have been a Lakers fan my whole life, although the Clippers are my favorite team (insert Dunleavy/Sterling comment and joke about how bad the Clippers are). That’s right, I said I’m a Clippers fan.

Now that we got that out of the way, if the Lakers pull it together, then I think they win it all. I don’t see anything in the other teams that is outstanding besides effort, so the Lakers need to show about 80 percent of their effort and get quality minutes from Bynum/Brown/Farmar/Ariza and the rest will fall into place.

I’m not even going to include Fisher in that because the switch has flipped on him, and it seems like he is done. They’re going to have their hands full in terms of physical, talented basketball because the Nuggets are that for 48 minutes a night. Their problem during the season was not having Chauney from the start and the knuckleheadedry that comes with having emotional athletes.

If Denver can keep this team together for next season, they are going to win 60 games pretty easily, and they will have some dominating performances like we haven’t really seen in years. For example, they beat Chris Paul by 50+, nuff said. I love watching the Nuggets play. Carmelo has played incredibly well as of late. If I were making an all-NBA team of players that people wouldn’t consider from this playoffs, I would put Melo and Joe Johnson in my starting lineup. Their on ball defense has been superb, and they do NOT shy away from the big moment. You’re gonna get your chance Melo…..please don’t disappoint America.

I like this series to go 7 games. I like the Lakers to win one game on the road, and I like Phil Jackson to be happy about that one win on the road and not really push for another one. I like Kobe to score at will if his jumper is going, and I like a flagrant foul to happen every game.

I do not think the Lakers will shy away from the physical play anymore. The line is Lakers -6.5, and the over/under is 217. Lakers and the over is a solid bet. Denver plays good defense, but they play a quick pace so despite the good D, they still give up a lot of points. Both series are going to be competitive and fun to watch. I’m going to enjoy it so much that I’ll forget how much money I’m gonna lose when it ends up being Cleveland/Denver.

***********************************

Dave Weitzel is a professional gambler and excels at everything from Poker to Chinese Checkers and has been betting on both since the third grade.  Dave Weitzel has turned his sights to sports betting and is passing his knowledge onto you via The Odds by The Sports Union.

Related posts:

1. ⊚  Four Reasons The Nuggets Can Beat The Lakers…And Four Reasons It Won’t
2. ⊚  NBA Eastern Conference First Round Preview
3. ⊚  Betting the NBA Playoffs
4. ⊚  The Top-5 Western Conference All-Stars (of my era)
5. ⊚  The Odds in Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs