The NBA Playoffs have taken the center stage on the hardwood, the Major League Baseball season is in full swing on the diamond, and NASCAR drivers are going door to door every weekend on the track. The month of May is sure to bring excitement to all bettors and sports enthusiasts. In the next few weeks, we will have an NBA Champion, an All-Star Race, and of course unlimited action on the baseball field. There will be a wide variety of betting action provided by the major sports books throughout the rest of the month. We take a look at the always interesting prop bets listed at Betus.com & Bodoglife.com while giving some insight on a few bets to consider in the month of May.

Prop Bet #1 – Possible NBA Finals Match-up

One popular betting line on nearly every sports book right now is who will be squaring off in the 2009 NBA Finals? In the Eastern Conference, the defending World Champion Boston Celtics are still alive as they battle with the Orlando Magic who has also been strong all year as well. Newly crowned MVP Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers have looked more than impressive in their post-season run as they are the only unbeaten team in the playoffs. In the Western Conference, everybody seems to want to hand the Los Angeles Lakers the Western Conference Title. However, Houston knocked off the Lakers in Game 1 giving some hope to the rest of the conference. Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets have remained one of the hottest teams in the League throughout the 2nd half of the season. If you took the Cavaliers and the Lakers who are the favorites out of each conference, they are offering +300 odds. However, we like for you to consider the Denver Nuggets in the West. Sure, the Nuggets were beat up by the Lakers earlier this season but they are not the same team by any means. The Nuggets have a lot of momentum and the Lakers are not as invincible as many would expect. Along with that, Cleveland may never lose another game at home this season. We take a gamble with Denver and say they meet the Cavs in this year’s NBA Finals.

Pick – Denver vs. Cleveland +500

Prop Bet #2 – Southern 500 at Darlington – Kyle Busch vs. Kurt Busch

The Southern 500 down in Darlington, SC is one of the most popular races for drivers and racing fans every year. Darlington is a brutally tough track that has the beating and banging action of a short track with the speeds of a super speedway. The Busch brothers have been very strong so far early on in the 2009 campaign. Kyle Busch is coming off his 3rd win of the season last week on Saturday night in Richmond. The #18 car is a front runner every week and is likely the most talented driver in the sport. Kurt Busch is having a great year as well with a victory in Atlanta. Kurt also led the point standings before last week heading into Richmond and now trails Jeff Gordon by only 10 points. However when it comes to head to head match-up at the track called “too tough to tame,” Kyle should have the big advantage. The ¾ mile narrow speedway is grueling on drivers physically and you really have to be on top of your game to conquer this fickle speedway. Kyle Busch has the extremely aggressive driving style and the talent to not only beat Kurt, but the other 42 drivers this Saturday night as well. Consider a fairly strong bet with the #18 machine.

Pick – Kyle Busch -155

Prop Bet #3 – Who will win the NFC North in 2010?

Perhaps we have gotten too caught up on all the other sports and forgotten the best of them all. Shortly after the NFL Draft, the NFL division odds were updated to accommodate for all the off-season transactions. One division race has grabbed our attention in the NFC South. Of course the Detroit Lions had a great draft, but let’s face it the chances of them going from not winning a game in 2009 to NFC North Champions in 2010 could be a small stretch to say the least. Then it comes down to Green Bay, Chicago, and Minnesota. There are cases to be made for every team. Could Jay Cutler lead the offensively inclined Bears to the promise land? Will the Vikings strong rushing attack lead them to another NFC North crown? Or could Green Bay get the job done after pulling off possibly the best 2009 Draft of any team in the league? Well for starters do not expect for Chicago’s struggles to be changed around in the blink of an eye. The Bears are headed in the right direction, but still need few more playmakers mainly at wide receiver before any big difference will be recognized. The Packers need more consistency on defense to contend in the division despite having more talent and depth on the roster. Green Bay really fell apart at the end of the season and that is not promising for next season. Minnesota has to be the best pick to back up their 2009 performance. Adrian Peterson and the rushing attack really came on strong at the end of the year. The Vikings added depth on the offensive line through the off-season and Percy Harvin could add some more explosiveness as well. Minnesota should improve their already dangerous offense which already dominated the division one year ago.

Pick – Minnesota +125

The boxing world will take center stage once again this Saturday night with the most anticipated fight of 2009 between Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and Ricky “Hitman” Hatton. The battle will take place at the famous MGM Grand Gardens Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The junior welter-weight bout promises to be a contest that displays fast furious punching between two of the top fighters in the world. These two fighters are among the most aggressive and quickest punchers on the planet which is certain to display some great boxing action.

Pacquiao was involved previously in one of the most anticipated fights in recent memory when he battled with the legend Oscar De La Hoya. Pacquiao dominated the fight throwing flurries that were simply too quick for De La Hoya to defend. By the time the 9th round had begun, De La Hoya with a nearly swollen shut eye threw in the towel giving the win by way of technical knockout to Pacquiao. Pacquiao is considered the best pound for pound fighter in the world and rightfully so. Pacman will be competing in his 4th different weight class in the last 4 fights as he won all previous battles. Pacquiao sports tons of speed that never goes away even late in fights. Speed so great that once De La Hoya started tiring the fight turned from bad to worse as Pacquiao was relentless with connects. Pacquiao may be among the most popular fighters in the world for his exciting fast paced style of punches. With a career record of 48-3-2, Pacquiao will be heavy favorite at -275 odds to win the fight this Saturday night.

Click Here For A Complete List of Boxing Betting Odds & Lines

Ricky Hatton is another fighter that seems to have it all. The fighter out of Greater Manchester, England is very popular among the British fans. However, Hatton is being overshadowed by the Pacman crazed society. Hatton has lost only once in his 12 year career and that was to the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr who retired last year at the top of his game. In that fight, Hatton actually got off to a great start against the undefeated icon. Hatton landed some early punches that got Mayweather off balance. However, as the fight went on Mayweather was able to adapt and landed some punches that cut the fighter’s eye eventually leading to his defeat the only one of his career. After the fight, Mayweather called the fight “possibly the toughest of his career.” Hatton is very aggressive fighter that comes right at his opponents. On top of his stellar resume which consist of a career record of 45-1 (32 KOs), Hatton has a great asset in his corner in trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr who was also needless to say a great fighter in his day. Hatton will enter the fight as a +190 underdog and will be trying to score the same type upset Pacquiao completed over De La Hoya.

The fight has many interesting tidbits to consider if you plan on putting down a wager. Hatton is turning out to be a sizeable underdog; however he is fighting at a weight class which he has never been defeated. Pacquiao will be fighting at the 5th different weight class of his career which has not seemed to matter considering he has dominated at every division. Pacquiao is generally the smaller and quicker puncher. However, the “Hitman” is known for landing some vicious punches that can change the fight with one blow. Pacquiao should have the advantage out of the gates, but it will be interesting to see how the fight turns out if it makes it to the later rounds. Hatton could really give Pacquiao problems with his relentless in your face style of boxing while Pacman is sure to give the Hitman some issues with his speed. The over/under for the contest has been set at 9.5 rounds which is slightly later than most junior welterweight bouts last. However, this fight could be one for the ages. Major sports books are offering all types of different betting options for the fight including the fight outcome, round betting, round group betting, and if the fight will go the distance. We would definitely like to jump on the -180 side to place a bet the fight will not go the scheduled 12 rounds. With these two quick hard hitting fighters in the ring, 12 rounds seems a bit of a stretch.

Daytona International Speedway will host the 31st annual Budweiser Shootout on Saturday night featuring an all-star type atmosphere for the best drivers in the world to kick start the 2009 season. A record field of 28 drivers will try and tame the high banks of Daytona in restrictor plate style racing at speeds near 200mph giving the start to this year’s NASCAR season. Dale Earnhardt Jr won the event last year in his first ever race as a Hendrick driver when the piloted the #88 National Guard to victory lane to grab his 2nd career shootout victory. Tonight’s Budweiser Shootout will officially start the most exciting week in auto-sports what many like to call speedweeks at Daytona. Unlike most races, the Daytona 500 has many special events leading up to NASCAR’s biggest race. After the Budweiser Shootout on Saturday night a non-points prestigious dash for the cash, Sunday will follow with the qualifying for the Daytona 500. Although over 40 cars will qualify for the event, only the top two spots are locked into the field. The rest will battle it out on Thursday for 50 laps in two Gatorade 125s to set the starting lineup for the Daytona 500 that will follow next Sunday. Without a doubt, this will be an exciting week in NASCAR.

There will be a ton of fantasy racing and betting odds all week from the major sports books and while many may not give any expert picks we will break down the drivers with the best opportunities to make a big impact in the next week of racing. The favorite in the field is undoubtedly the restrictor plate king Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt Jr has more wins at restrictor plate racing than any active driver on the circuit and all eyes will be on the NASCAR’s most popular driver when the green drops at 8:00est Saturday night. Earnhardt captured last year’s Shootout victory and backed it up by winning the Gatorade 125’s after starting dead last a season ago. Earnhardt Jr is receiving 5/1 odds to win the Budweiser Shootout and he is definitely a driver to keep your eye on.

Tony Stewart will be in a new ride this season when he takes the wheel of the No. 14 Old Spice machine. Stewart left the famed Joe Gibbs Racing last season to become majority owner at what is now Stewart-Haas racing. It is unclear how long it will take Stewart to build up the time if he can, considering how hard it is for today’s owner in the sport of NASCAR. Stewart has 3 victories in the Shootout that is 2nd to only the late Dale Earnhardt who dominated the event with 6 wins. The new team of Stewart-Haas will release the No. 14 on Saturday night and see if they can contend with the big franchise teams like Hendrick, Rousch, and others. Stewart is receiving 15/1 odds for his no. 14 Chevrolet to reach victory lane.

Hendrick teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have both had success at Daytona. Gordon has won the event twice and always runs well at the 2.5 mile oval. Jimmie Johnson won his 3rd consecutive championship last season and also has a Bud Shootout victory to his resume. These two drivers finished 2nd and 4th last year behind the other Hendrick car Dale Earnhardt Jr in the Shootout and they will again try to put the Hendrick cars out in front of the pack. Kyle Busch and Carl Edward both broke out last year with career seasons. Edwards ended up with more wins than any other driver with 9. However, Edwards has not faired well at the super-speedways in the past, but will try to change that on Saturday. Kyle Busch on the other hand can drive to the front on any track on the circuit and had two restrictor plate victories in 4 tries last season. Busch actually leads the betting odds going into the shootout as a slight favorite over Dale Earnhardt Jr at 9/2.

A few other notable drivers to keep an eye on…

Joey Logano – Logano will be the youngest driver to get a start at Daytona at 18 years of age. The sensational talent won his 3rd career start in the Nationwide Series last year and will attempt to be the youngest winner ever in NASCAR.

Kevin Harvick – Harvick may not be widely known as a restrictor plate driver, but he has had a lot of success at these types of tracks. Driver of the Goodwrench #29 career finish at Daytona ranks 5th among active drivers.

David Ragan – This is an outside dark horse, but David Ragan had an excellent season last year early in his career and is staged to make another impressive run in 2009. Receiving 20/1 odds this driver may be worth a gambling risk to score his first big win.

* Last year’s Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman will not be in the field due to the eligibility requirements. Newman switched teams at the end of last season to side with Tony Stewart at Stewart-Haas racing and will be left out of this year’s Shootout.

Bud Shootout Notable Betting Odds…

Kurt Busch 12/1
Kyle Busch 9/2
Dale Earnhardt Jr 5/1
Carl Edwards 8/1
Joey Logano 35/1
Tony Stewart 15/1
Jimmie Johnson 13/2
Jeff Gordon 15/2
Kevin Harvick 15/1
Denny Hamlin 10/1

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The NBA season is in full stride and the bettors are starting the transition from the football field to the basketball court. We will try to keep you updated with how the professional teams are performing by releasing an updated power ranking determining the best teams to place your money with on the court this year. This list will combine the way the teams are performing against the books as well as against other competition around the NBA.

1. Orlando Magic (27-8)

Dwight Howard is a fantasy players dream and a big reason the Magic are having a big year. Howard leads the NBA in points, rebounds, and blocked shots per game and has Orlando in the lead of the Southeast in the Eastern Conference with a 27-8 record. The Magic have produced a stellar record ATS this season with a mark of 23-12 which equals a 65% winning percentage. Amazingly Orlando has been tearing up the books going 12-3 in their last 15 games ATS and are on an 18-4 SU run. Despite their recent success, the Magic have a tough road in the next few weeks with games with Boston, Los Angeles, Cleveland, and a pair of match-ups with San Antonio and Atlanta. Still the Magic have been one of the best teams in the league at this point in the season and their achievements in recent weeks ATS have them a top the rankings.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (27-6)

Cleveland has come out of the gates strong this season behind superstar LeBron James who is averaging an NBA 2nd best 27.5 points per game. However James is not the surprise, but rather the success the Cavs have had this season may have turned some heads. Since the Celtics recent struggles, Cleveland is now tied with the Los Angeles Lakers with the best record in the NBA at a mark of 27-6. The Cavaliers own the best record ATS this season at 23-10 equaling a 69.7 winning percentage against the books which leads the NBA. However, Cleveland is losers of their last 4 of 5 games ATS. Cleveland went on an unbelievable 11 straight wins against the books this season and despite their recent slide they are still one of the best teams in the league to place your money on.

3. L.A Lakers (27-6)

The Lakers are tied with Cleveland with the best record in the NBA and lately have been on a impressive run for bettors. The Lakers would be ranked a bit down in this poll considering they are slightly under the 50% mark for the season ATS, but they have 5 straight wins ATS in their last 6 game against some quality opponents. Kobe Bryant has the ability to put up numbers as high as anyone on any given night averaging 27.1 points per game. The Lakers are among the most popular team across America and the recent surge against the books makes placing a wager on them even more fun.

4. Boston Celtics (29-7)

Boston had the best start in NBA history with a record of 27-2 and were also matching-up well against the spread. The Celtics are an easy team to jump on considering they are the defending NBA Champions and have clearly looked like the class of the league this year. However, recently the momentum has been let out of the Celtics bandwagon. Boston has dropped 5 of their last 7 games straight up and against the spread. For the season, the Celtics have been mediocre slightly above the 50% winning percentage mark. Boston still represents the most talent as an entire team in the league. Although they have been down in recent weeks, a team this good will not stay down for long and you may want to consider jumping back on before they start tearing up the betting lines again.

5. Denver Nuggets (24-12)

The Denver Nuggets are rolling and sport one of the highest scoring offenses in the NBA. Denver averages 105 per contest as a team this season. The Nuggets have knocked off 4 straight wins and own a strong 20-15-1 record against the spread this season. The Nuggets stand a top the Northwest with a 3 game lead over the Portland Trailblazers. Denver is also sporting a solid 60% percentage on the over total for the year which is the 2nd highest percentage in the NBA in terms of over/under. The Nuggets offense led by Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson have proven to be a superior group and are big reason Denver has faired well against the spread and on the over total for the year.

6. Atlanta Hawks (22-11)

The Hawks look to return to the playoffs this season to back up their solid performance a year ago. Many seem to forget that Atlanta took the Boston Celtics to 7 games in the first round of the NBA playoffs last year and they are off to another solid start this season. The Hawks have firm 19-13-1 record ATS this season which equals a 59.3% winning percentage. Atlanta trails Orlando by 4 games in the Southeast, but has been strong in recent weeks going 8-2 SU in their last 10 games. Atlanta success against the spread this year makes them an optimistic bet for anyone.

7. Milwaukee Bucks (17-19)

I know what your thinking. Milwaukee? The fact is that the Bucks have been one of the best teams in the NBA this season against the spread despite their 17-19 record. The Bucks own the 2nd best ATS mark in the NBA behind the Cleveland Cavaliers. Milwaukee is a stout 24-11-1 ATS this season meaning they have beaten the betting lines in 68% of their games for the year. The reason Milwaukee is faired well this season is because despite the number of losses they have, the Bucks find away to keep the games close. Milwaukee may be an underdog the majority of the season, but that has not slowed them down from performing well. The Bucks own a 16-8-1 record as the underdog this season and you might want to think twice if you have been betting against the Bucks and their 17-19 record.

8. Utah Jazz (20-15)

There are a few teams that didn’t make this list with better records, but the fact still remains Utah has played well ATS this season and that keeps the among the best teams for bettors to consider. The Jazz are 19-16 ATS this season with a 54% winning percentage against the lines. Utah is 3 ½ games behind Denver and ½ game behind Portland in the Northwest. The Jazz have not been on any impressive winning or losing steaks against the books, but remain among the top teams in the NBA to place your money on a consistent basis.