NBA Finals Preview – Breaking down the X Factors

NBA Finals gets started on Thursday

After a small breather NBA betting resumes on Thursday night with the Orlando Magic opening the NBA Finals on the road in Los Angeles against the Lakers. And after knocking off the Cleveland Cavaliers and superstar LeBron James, the Magic will be looking to pull off yet another upset by containing Kobe Bryant and his L.A. teammates.

The oddsmakers at BetOnline have Orlando pegged as the +210 underdog to win the NBA Finals, with Los Angeles the series favorite at -280. Of course, the Magic were also big ‘dogs in the Eastern Conference Finals against King James, but managed to come out on top. In that series clincher on Saturday night Dwight Howard poured in 40 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a 103-90 home win. Rashard Lewis scored 18 points in the win.

As well, the Magic managed to beat the Lakers in both of their regular season meetings, winning 106-103 at home on December 20 (as a 1.5-point underdog), and 109-103 on the road on January 16 (as a 4.5-point underdog). The OVER/UNDER was split at 1-1. However, Orlando was led by guard Jameer Nelson’s 27 points in that December 20 victory, and he’s unlikely to suit up in the Finals as he recovers from a shoulder injury. Nelson was also effective in the January 16 win, as he poured in a team-high 28 points.

The Lakers are pegged as 6-point home favorites for Thursday night, with the total sitting at 206 points. On the moneyline, Los Angeles is at -290, with Orlando at +240. Los Angeles last took to the court last Friday night, with Bryant pouring in 35 points in a 119-92 series-clinching win over the Denver Nuggets. Bryant was also good for 10 assists and six rebounds in that victory, while Pau Gasol had 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Bryant and Gasol are both on the board for the 2009 NBA Finals MVP prop wager, but it’s the Lakers’ star guard that’s sitting as the big -300 favorite to snag the award. Howard is next at +275, followed by Gasol at +600, Lewis at +850, and Hedo Turkoglu at +1200. Even bigger odds belong to Trevor Ariza at +1400 and Lamar Odom at +2500.

For the series props, a 4-0 Lakers sweep is listed at +650, with the Magic pulling off the same feat way back at +2600 odds. Other series scores and their posted odds: Lakers 4-1 (+450), Lakers 4-2 (+275), Lakers 4-3 (+300), Magic 4-1 (+1200), Magic 4-2 (+900), Magic 4-3 (+700). You can also get +175 odds on the series ending in either six or seven games, with five games priced at +225, and just four games listed back at +550.

For more exotic props, you can get -170 odds at BetOnline.com that the title will be won on home court, with a series-clinching road victory an underdog at +130. The “No” side on Howard having a 20-rebound game is priced as a -300 favorite (Yes sits at +200), while Howard averaging over 20.5 points per game is listed at -135 odds. Bryant’s scoring OVER/UNDER sits higher at 31.5 points, with the OVER on that wager pegged at -130.

Game 1 has a 9:00pm ET tipoff on Thursday night, with Game 2 getting underway at 8:00pm ET in Los Angeles on Sunday. Games 3 and 4 are slated for Orlando next Tuesday and Thursday, with a required Game 5 also contested in Florida next Sunday. A drawn-out series could then conclude in Los Angeles in either Game 6 (June 16) or Game 7 (June 18). Visit BetOnline.com for all of the latest game and series lines and totals.