| 2009 NBA Finals: LA Lakers vs Orlando Magic Series Betting Odds |
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| Written by Scott Burgess | |||||||
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Monday, 01 June 2009
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 The Western Conference Champion LA Lakers will host the Eastern Conference Champions Orlando Magic for the chance to be named NBA Final Champs. Orlando beat the Lakers twice during the regular season, one at home and one in L.A. NBA oddsmakers at SBGglobal.com have the Lakers as -260 moneyline favs over the Magic (+220) to win the NBA Championship. Be sure to get your 2009 NBA Finals: LA Lakers vs Orlando Magic Prediction in now at SBGglobal.comThe Magic will make their first trip to the NBA Finals since losing to the Rockets in 1995. The Magic defeated the 76ers 4-2 in their opening round series and showed some depth in doing it. They averaged 96.1 ppg and gave up an average 88.5 ppg to the 76ers. Orlando then walked into Boston Garden and won the first and last games of the series to earn a 4-3 series win over the Celtics. They averaged 96 ppg and gave up an average 91.7 ppg to the Celtics. Then the Magic were able to hold off LeBron James and Co. in the Conference finals winning 4-2. They averaged 103.6 ppg and gave up an average 101.1 ppg to the Cavaliers. The Magic got better as they got farther into the playoffs. The Magic have an excellent long-range game and their depth means that anyone on the court can be dangerous at any given time, adding a little unpredictability to their game. Defensive player of the year, Dwight Howard is a challenge to cover; if you double team him they nail you with three pointers. If you focus on stopping the three’s, they go to Howard in the paint. The Lakers finished off the Utah Jazz 4-1but didn't display the kind of dominance you might expect. They averaged 106.6 ppg and gave up an average 97.4 ppg to the Jazz. The Lakers faced a tough test against the Houston Rockets in the second round and was pushed to the limit having to win the seventh game. They averaged 97.8 ppg and gave up an average 90.5 ppg to the Rockets. In the third round, they disposed of the Nuggets in six games to earn a berth in their record 30th NBA Finals. They averaged 105.6 ppg and gave up an average 102 ppg to the 76ers. In two playoff series they averaged above 100 ppg but averaged just under against the Rockets, who were without their top defenseman Yao Ming. Kobe Bryant is arguably the best player in the league and has the power to take control of a game and change its outcome almost single-handedly. With three NBA championships to his name, Bryant knows how to tough it out in the playoffs and his experience and maturity should be helpful in the locker room. The Lakers will need a huge effort from Andrew Bynum as he’ll be the man covering Howard. Derek Fisher needs to be more consistent from the arc, he’s shooting 35% from the field and 23.5% from the arc. 2009 NBA Finals: LA Lakers vs Orlando Magic Game 1: Thurs, June 4, 2009 9:00 PM ET Line: SBGglobal.com Pick: Lakers -240 Point-Spreads.com 2009 NBA Finals: LA Lakers vs Orlando Magic The Bottom Line: The Lakers have home court advantage and they’ll need it because this series is going seven games. Go Lakers! Be sure to get your 2009 NBA Finals: LA Lakers vs Orlando Magic Prediction in now at SBGglobal.com and receive a 60% sign-up bonus on your initial deposit.                        |
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 01 June 2009 ) | |||||||