The 2010 NBA Finals lines are out, and here at Bankroll Sports, we’re offering up our opinions on the odds to win the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics.

Complete List Of Current Odds To Win The 2010 NBA Finals Can Be Found Below

All season long, the Celtics were the team that underachieved. They only finished the regular season at 24-17 SU at home and just 12-28-1 ATS. They only averaged 99.2 points per game in spite of the fact that they probably had one of the most talented offensive lineups in the game. Heck, only finishing fifth in the league in total defense probably wasn’t anything to write home about either.

However, the C’s talked all about how they just needed to flip the switch and that things would be different in the playoffs. My, how they were right.

The only time that Boston has lost two straight games in the playoffs came in Games 4 and 5 against the Orlando Magic. They have already stolen five wins as the visitors in the postseason, and they are an amazing 12-5 ATS to show for 17 playoff efforts.

The “Big Four” are combining to average scoring 67.5 points per game.

“The Truth,” F Paul Pierce is up to 19.1 points per game after scoring 30+ points in two of the final three games of the Orlando series. His counterpart, G Rajon Rondo has made a real name for himself, as he almost averaged a triple-double in the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

First it was D-Wade. Then it was King James. Finally, it was Superman. They all fell. The Celtics were right. The proverbial switch has been flipped.

However, it’s Showtime in Tinseltown now for the Celtics, which means that the Lakers are going to be rockin’ and rollin’ in an effort to win their second consecutive NBA Finals.

Even though Los Angeles was the #1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, this wasn’t exactly a dominant squad either. The Lakers limped down the stretch of the season and had to sweat just a bit about whether or not they were going to take home court advantage on the road to the NBA Finals or not.

Just like Boston, this was a team that was supposed to limp into the playoffs. G Kobe Bryant looked old. The youthful Oklahoma City Thunder were supposed to take all of the energy out of them. F Pau Gasol was supposed to be too soft. The bench wasn’t supposed to be deep enough.

Durant, Boozer, Williams, Nash, and Stoudemire… All names that are now watching as those Lakers that were “finished” are playing to complete the successful defense of their crown.

Bryant has turned the corner in a huge way, as he has been absolutely lights out, particularly since early in that series against the Thunder. He has a streak of four straight 30+ point performances under his belt coming into this series, and his statistics are simply off of the charts. Kobe is averaging 29.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game in the playoffs, shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from beyond the arc.

F Pau Gasol has done plenty of damage as well, scoring right at 20.0 points per game to go with his 10.9 rebounds.

The bench might be under some scrutiny, but F Lamar Odom has done his share. In just under 30 minutes per game of action, Odom has compiled 10.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, which should set up a great clash between he and the secondary big men for the Celtics in the paint.

This is a rematch of the 2008 NBA Finals, won by the Celtics in six games. It was the official renewal of a team that had fallen from the days of Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, and all of the other fantastic names that are sitting in the rafters at TD Banknorth Garden. 2009 was the year of the Lakers, as Bryant helped further solidify his name amongst Lakers greats like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

NBA Finals betting action starts Thursday night at Staples Center and will continue with Game 2 on Sunday before the series shifts back to Beantown for Games 3, 4, and 5 (if necessary) starting on Tuesday.

Odds to Win 2010 NBA Finals: Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Sportsbook	Bonus
JustBet Sportsbook	100% Free Play Bonus	+165	-185
Diamond Sportsbook	100% Match Free Play	+165	-195
BetUS Sportsbook	100% Bonus Up to $500	+155	-190

Only four teams left in the quest to become the champs of the basketball world heading into the Eastern and Western Conference Championship series which begin on Sunday.

With the dismissal of the Cleveland Cavaliers from the postseason, the Orlando Magic (+120 at Diamond Sportsbook) are now the favorite to win it all. And why not? HC Stan Van Gundy’s team has won all eight of its playoff games and just ditched the Hawks by a combined 101 points. The Magic are now 14-0 SU and 12-2 ATS in their L/14 games overall dating back to the regular season, and they haven’t been beaten since the beginning of April. If Boston thinks it is winning this series, it is going to have to buck a very telling trend that is on the side of the men from the Sunshine State. Orlando hasn’t lost back-to-back games since January 18th. That’s 49 straight games without two losses in a row.

As you can plainly see, the Boston Celtics (+600 at Diamond Sportsbook) are deservedly one of the two longest shots on the board to win it all. It’s going to be hard to see how the C’s can get the job done against the Magic. However, Boston did win four out of five games against the team that was easily the favorite to take it all in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. G Rajon Rondo has made a name for himself in these playoffs, especially with his triple-double in Game 4 against Cleveland. The Kentucky product has averaged 18.0 points, 11.1 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game in the playoffs, and no one is questioning the fact that he has been the MVP of the team to date.

In the Western Conference, both teams are coming off of impressive clean sweeps of their foes.

The Phoenix Suns (+625 at Diamond Sportsbook) are the decided underdog to reach the NBA Finals. The Suns swept away the San Antonio Spurs in a series that many thought they were going to lose. HC Alvin Gentry has really gotten his squad together, as he is getting great contributions off of the bench and his starters are continuing to carry the load. F Amare Stoudemire has passed his biggest test to date, as he dominated the paint against F Tim Duncan and the Spurs. Now, he’ll need to take on the team that has arguably had the best inside presences in these playoffs.

In all likelihood, the Los Angeles Lakers (+130 at Diamond Sportsbook) are going to be short underdogs to win the NBA Championship if they run into the Magic in the Finals, which isn’t something that many saw as possible just a few weeks ago. LA rebounded from its iffy series with the Thunder by completely annihilating Utah in four games. G Kobe Bryant has been the subject of a lot of criticism, but he has fired back with five straight fantastic games. Kobe has scored at least 30 in all five and has averaged 32.0 points per game in that stretch. If Bryant can continue his assault on the basket, things are going to be very, very difficult for a Phoenix team that knows that it must shut him down to succeed.

Odds to win 2010 NBA Championship @ Diamond Sportsbook (as of 5/15/10):
(Get a HUGE 100% Bonus at Diamond When Using This Link)

Orlando Magic +120
Los Angeles Lakers +130
Boston Celtics +600
Phoenix Suns +625

Get An Exclusive 100% Sportsbook Bonus Courtesy of Bankroll Sports!
New BetUS Players Only: Must Mention Bankroll Sports at BetUS & Use This Link!
(Must Use Above Links – $100 Min. / $500 Max. – 50% Additional Bonus For Deposits Over $500)

It felt like every season, the Phoenix Suns were being stopped on their quest to reach the NBA Finals at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs. Many thought that this year would be no exception, as Phoenix ran into the #7 Spurs in the second round of the playoffs and was the subject of many upset selections.

Upset, shmupset. Bust out the brooms instead.

The Suns absolutely blasted San Antonio in all four games, winning each by at least six points and averaging winning by 9.3 points per game. They went 4-0 ATS and have now both won and covered every NBA playoff betting line that they have faced since G Brandon Roy limped back onto the court in Game 4 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

The time is now for the loveable losers in the NBA. The Suns haven’t been to the NBA Finals since 1993 in the Charles Barkley days, and you have to go back to 1976 to find the only other time in franchise history that they pulled off the feat.

The city of Phoenix has yet to taste a championship in the NBA.

The time is absolutely now for Phoenix.

C Amare Stoudemire, by all accounts, will most likely be playing somewhere else next season unless he accepts his hefty player option for the 2010-11 season with the Suns. G Steve Nash isn’t getting any younger. Who knows if G Jason Richardson will ever catch this much fire again?

This team is significantly different than the ones that just flew up and down the court, played no defense, and ultimately were just muscled out of the playoffs.

Are Steve Nash and the Suns tough enough to beat the Los Angeles Lakers? You’d better believe it!

Stoudemire just did his job in the paint and 20.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game against arguably the best power forward of our generation in F Tim Duncan. Nash was bloody up in Game 4, but came back and ultimately scored 20 points to go with nine assists. Six different players recorded blocked shots in the final game of the series as well.

In fact, Phoenix held San Antonio to 46.7 percent shooting in Game 4, 45.0 percent in Game 3, 50.6 percent in Game 2, and 45.8 percent in Game 1. When you’re the Suns and you shoot nearly 50% from the field in every game and you have eight guys that can shoot three pointers, including several that are at least 6’10”, if you hold opposing teams to those types of percentages, you’re going to win a lot of games.

Enter the Los Angeles Lakers, the defending champs in the NBA. LA was pushed to the brink in what was a very hard fought series against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Round 1, only to dismiss the Utah Jazz in four games in Round 2.

However, many accept the fact that this team isn’t as good as the one that won it all last year. G Kobe Bryant is still producing, but he is most certainly aging and most likely injured. Unlike in the last series when the Lakers absolutely dominated the glass, the Suns have enough big bodies to pound the likes of F Pau Gasol and C Andrew Bynum on the inside.

Depth won’t be an issue either, as HC Alvin Gentry isn’t afraid to call on any number or combination of ten guys to get the job done. Foul trouble won’t be an issue. Neither will fatigue… at least not for Phoenix.

The Lakers have been warned. The Suns are set to rise in the Western Conference Finals.

BetUS Sportsbook has opened up the Suns at +280 underdogs to win the Western Conference.

Signup Today at @ BetUS Sportsbook & Get a 100% Signup Bonus
New BetUS Players Only: Must Mention Bankroll Sports at BetUS & Use This Link!
(Must Use Above Link – $100 Min. / $500 Max. – Also Get A 50% Bonus On ALL Reloads)

It’s playoff time once again for the men of the hardwood and on the ice! Here at Bankroll Sports, we’re still taking our best shots at the teams, players, and situations that really cost us sports bettors in a big way in the week that was.

Rap Sheet Picture of the Week
Montreal Canadiens G Jaroslav Halak, who blew a three goal lead and gave up this game-winner 31 seconds into overtime.

All of the home teams in the NHL playoffs should be ashamed of themselves. Not a single one of the are hitting the road up two games this week. However, the team we really need to take a stab at right off the bat is the Montreal Canadiens. The rest of the NHL hates you right now, Montreal. After all, the Habs were up 1-0 in the series after stealing Game 1 at the Verizon Center, and they held a 4-1 lead following LW Andrei Kostitsyn’s third goal of the game with just over two minutes to play in the second period. G Jose Theodore had already been ran out of the game and replaced by G Semyon Varlamov, and the Habs looked primed to take a 2-0 lead back to the Great White North. Not so fast, my friends. They were outscored 4-1 during the next 20 minutes of hockey, and then just 31 ticks into the overtime, C Nicklas Backstrom connected for the game-winner, his third goal of the game. Enjoy being bounced from this series in five games, Montreal. You had your chance to slay the giants in the playoffs, and now you’re going to pay the ultimate price for not succeeding.

Give it up for Jason Marquis, ladies and gentlemen! The right-hander has been an absolutely abortion of a signing for the Nationals on the outset of this season, as he has given up at least six earned runs in each of his starts and is 0-3 to show for it. On Sunday though, he had one of the more embarrassing starts that any pitcher has seen in this ’10 MLB betting campaign. Marquis gave up a single to Rickie Weeks, a single to Craig Counsell, a single to Ryan Braun, plunked Prince Fielder, walked Casey McGehee, plunked Jim Edmonds, and gave up a single to Gregg Zaun, and was promptly removed without recording an out. Seven batters faced. Seven batters scored. Solid job, Marquis. Your numbers for the year now? 8.1 innings pitched, 18 hits, 20 runs (19 earned), 2 HRs, 7 walks, 3 plunks, 3 strikeouts, a WHIP of 2.88, a batting average against of .419, and an ERA of 20.52. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Hey, Kevin Garnett, you haven’t cost us any money yet, but we totally see this one coming. For whatever reason, you decided to elbow G Quentin Richardson in the face with 40 seconds to play in a game in which your Celtics stormed back from a 61-47 deficit halfway through the third quarter to win by nine. Now, the NBA’s sheriff, Commissioner David Stern, is inevitably going to suspend you for Game 2 of this series (if not longer). Isn’t your team already woeful enough at home with you in the lineup that you can’t afford to take yourself out of a playoff game for no good reason? C’mon KG, you’re better than this.

NBA Playoffs Betting Bonus Offer Available Exclusively From Bankroll Sports
Click Here For An Exclusive 100% Bonus (Credit Cards Accepted) @ JustBet!

Remember a few years ago when the Boston Celtics were considered the “feel good champs” in the NBA? After all, F Kevin Garnett finally got his ring after all of those years mired in one of basketball’s many purgatories with the Minnesota Timberwolves, F Paul Pierce was finally recognized as one of the true warriors in the game, G Ray Allen was now an East Coast hero after being a Seattle send off that almost always flew under the radar, and other role players like G Rajon Rondo and F Glen Davis were just generally loved.

Now, the C’s are nothing more than the bad boys of the NBA that we can’t wait to see get knocked out of the playoffs.

One thing is for certain, and that’s that this team is becoming a lot like the Detroit Pistons both of the Chuck Daly era and the Larry Brown era. This Boston squad isn’t afraid to bloody you up a bit and smack you right in the mouth to get their point across.

Unfortunately, KG took that mantra a wee bit too seriously on Saturday night.

The term “flipping the switch” was heard in the Boston locker room for the entire second half of the season. The Celtics went 27-27 in their final 54 games of the year, which is hardly acceptable for a team that was the most feared in the NBA over the L/2 seasons. After falling behind 14 points halfway through the third quarter in their Game 1 of the NBA playoffs against the Miami Heat, the proverbial switch was flipped.

Boston was fantastic over the next 19 minutes of play, outscoring the Heat by a whopping 23 points in that stretch to win the game going away. The switch has been flipped.

However, that same switch might’ve been flipped for Miami as well, and it had nothing to do with the basketball going into the net.

Garnett threw an elbow at G Quentin Richardson with 40 seconds to play in the game that earned him a pair of technical fouls and an immediate ejection. Commissioner David Stern is likely to suspend Garnett for at least Game 2 on Tuesday night, if not Game 3 in Miami on Friday as well.

Richardson responded after the game by referring to both Garnett and Pierce as “actresses.”

One thing is for certain though, and that’s that Miami is going to be ready to go regardless of whether KG is a part of the action in Game 2 or not. The Heat were nearly 3-1 underdogs to win this series at the outset of it. All action is off the board at all of the sportsbooks due to the potentially pending suspension.

Regardless of what the odds say about this series, you can bet that Miami has already taken Boston’s best shot and will be ready to take aim at the second round of the playoffs.

The 2010 NBA Playoffs betting lines are here, and Bankroll Sports has all of the action covered from wall to wall as the 16 teams left standing in the season battle it out for the right to be called champions!

There are three clear cut favorites above all else in this tournament, as one of the three of the Cleveland Cavaliers (+125 at Diamond Sportsbook), the Orlando Magic (+575 at Diamond Sportsbook), and the Los Angeles Lakers (+180 at Diamond Sportsbook) are expected to reign supreme as the champs.

And why not? The Cavaliers had the NBA’s best record this season at 61-21, and their record was largely only that bad because HC Mike Brown treated the L/3 weeks of the regular season as if they were a whole bunch of scrimmages. That’s why F LeBron James didn’t win the NBA’s scoring title as well.

**Click Here For The World’s Greatest Basketball Betting System**

Orlando, who ultimately only finished two games behind the Cavs for the top record in the NBA, will hold home court advantage through the entire playoffs including the Finals against any team not named Cleveland. The Magic were absolutely fantastic over the second half of the season. They finished up the year having won six straight games and went 33-8 in their L/41 NBA betting battles in the regular season. Last season’s Eastern Conference champs proved that they could play with Cleveland this year, splitting four games, but the final one came without the services of the King for the Cavs, who was resting for the playoffs.

The Lakers don’t seem to be as strong as they were a year ago in their quest to repeat as NBA champs. Even though record wise, 57-25 probably isn’t the year that HC Phil Jackson was hoping for, there’s no doubt that this is still a team to be reckoned with and has to be considered the definitive favorite in the West. G Kobe Bryant, F Pau Gasol, and their supporting cast have gained a ton of experience from title runs of the past, and if C Andrew Bynum can really get back on the court following his Achilles injury, the purple and gold are going to be a difficult team to oust.

We find it awfully difficult to back anyone outside of the “Big Three” for the title.

However, if we had to pick underdogs in both the Eastern and Western Conferences, we’ll go with the Milwaukee Bucks (+5000 at Diamond Sportsbook) and the Phoenix Suns (+3000 at Diamond Sportsbook).

The Bucks are a bit of a long shot because of the fact that they lost C Andrew Bogut for the rest of the season. However, HC Scott Skiles is largely accepted as one of the best coaches in the league and must be remembered for the way that he handled the Baby Bulls in postseasons of the past. Skiles knows how to get the most out of a lesser talented set of players, and even without the team’s star, there are still plenty of scoring options that can stick around with Atlanta in Round 1 of the playoffs.

The Suns did everything they had to do down the stretch to assure that they A) don’t have to worry about the Lakers for awhile and B) get to play at home in the first round of the playoffs. Not only that, but they hit the jackpot as well, as they get to play a Portland team that most likely won’t have Brandon Roy (and certainly won’t have a 100% Roy) for this round of the playoffs. If that’s the case, it’s hard to see how the Blazers are going to be able to keep up with the scoring options of the Suns in a seven game set. If by chance Phoenix does survive into Round 2, it feels like a prospective date with Dallas would inevitably be a seven game set. We’ll take our chances.

Odds to win 2010 NBA Championship @ Diamond Sportsbook (as of 4/15/10):
(Get a HUGE 100% Bonus at Diamond When Using This Link)

Atlanta Hawks +1600
Boston Celtics +1300
Charlotte Bobcats +5000
Chicago Bulls +7500
Cleveland Cavaliers +125
Dallas Mavericks +1600
Denver Nuggets +1600
Los Angeles Lakers +180
Miami Heat +5000
Milwaukee Bucks +5000
Oklahoma City Thunder +1900
Orlando Magic +575
Phoenix Suns +2200
Portland Trail Blazers +3600
San Antonio Spurs +1600
Utah Jazz +1600

It was an awkward week of sports betting action, as the start of the baseball betting season continued to cross with red hot sporting events on the ice, hardwood, and links. Here’s what we’re ranting about this week at Bankroll Sports!

Rap Sheet Picture of the Week
New York Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist, who was the losing goalie in Sunday’s elimination game for the final slot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Tiger Woods is really getting under my skin right now, and for various reasons. Not only am I irked that the entire PGA Tour betting event this week at the Masters was covered by Tiger this and Tiger that, but I also hate how everyone said that Woods couldn’t figure out how to put this together after taking six months away from the Tour. He’s still Tiger Freaking Woods. No, Tiger didn’t win it on Sunday, but he sure had his dramatic moments to finish just a few shots behind and with yet another Top 10 finish in a major. That being said, I’m still ticked that everyone spent so much time talking about Tiger that there were two stories that just totally went under the radar. Good thing that Phil Mickelson won the event, or no one would’ve ever remembered the name of the winner. I mean really… why not just give Tiger the Green Jacket, too? After all, he was the center of this whole ordeal these past four days, right? And why no love for 16-year old Matteo Manassero, who made the cut and finished at +4 for the tournament? If this kid can finish +4 at the age of 16 and make the Masters cut, maybe there’s another Tiger Woods on our hands that we’ll be discussing in a few years.

A week into MLB betting action and we already have a little bit of history… and not the good kind either. How’s about allowing a whopping 13 runs in an inning? Nice job, Pittsburgh Pirates. The 13 run outburst featured eight hits, four walks, three homers (one of which was to Edwin Jackson, the pitcher, who spent the last couple seasons in the American League), a triple, and a tad bit of miserable fielding to boot. It took three pitchers to get through the frame for the Bucs, as Darren McCutchen, Hayden Penn, and Jack Taschner were all used and all touched up. If you’re interested, through one week of play, McCutchen has an ERA of 24.30 and Penn has one of 30.86. Stellar ball, guys. Stellar.

Let’s take a stab at the Boston Celtics as well. Just a week after watching the San Antonio Spurs get destroyed by the New Jersey Nets, the C’s pulled off one just as sharp. In the fight for the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference, they were knocked off by the lowly Washington Wizards on their home court 106-96. Even more embarrassing was the fact that they put up 42 points in the 4th quarter and still were beaten and beaten badly. The Wiz outscored Boston 52-31 in a very uninspired first half of ball. Over their L/52 games, the Celtics are only 27-25 after starting 18 games over .500 over the first couple months of the year. That won’t cut it in the playoffs, that’s for sure.