Ala Hann Sport picks

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ORL Magic v DEN Nuggets     under 206 @ 1.91

Statistic: 152/303 49,8%

Detroit Pistons/Houston Rockets (Under 201.5) at      2.020

Statistic: 151/302 49,8%

Minnesota Timberwolves/New York Knicks (Under 221.5) at      1.917

Statistic: 150/301 49,8%

Los Angeles Lakers vs Utah Jazz Los Angeles Lakers at      1.952

Statistic: 150/300 49,8%

Detroit Pistons/Memphis Grizzlies (Under 195.5) at      1.926

Statistic: 149/298 49,8%

Atlanta Hawks/New Jersey Nets (Over 189.5) at      1.877

Statistic: 148/297 49,8%

Los Angeles Lakers/Milwaukee Bucks (Over 193) at      1.952
New York Knicks/Denver Nuggets (Under 218.5) at      1.952

Statistic: 147/295 49,8%

2010 World Cup betting players don’t have to worry much about a draft, but NBA betting players will be gearing up for next week’s draft, and the most polarizing player in the draft is a teammate of the player everyone believes will go No.1.

DeMarcus Cousins is being listed to go anywhere from third to eighth in the draft, and the opinions on the big man are varied.  Cousins spent a year at Kentucky with John Wall, who is expected to be the No.1 pick, and it was Cousins who was the SEC Freshman of the Year with 15.1 points and 9.8 rebounds.  Cousins was also a second-team All-American, and he’s a load for anyone to handle in the paint.  However, being a load is what may be causing his stock to drop, among other things.

Cousins has always been a big man, and he was listed as having 270 pounds on his 6’11” frame.  But it’s been reported that Cousins has ballooned to 290 pounds, and some are saying more than that.  Cousins’ weight has always been as unpredictable as World Cup Round of 16 betting, and even at 270, you could see that he had a lot of work to do to turn some of that into muscle.  Of course, he didn’t have to do that at Kentucky as he was just physically bigger than anyone he faced 90% of the time.  But Cousins won’t be able to get away with that in the league, and slimming down a bit would also help him get up and down the floor.  We all know that Cousins has tremendous footwork for a man his size, but he would be so much better if he wasn’t carrying that extra weight.  If he wasn’t in basketball, Cousins would have probably boosted the Wildcats’ NCAA football betting odds.

Another worry about Cousins is his temperament, as he was prone to sulk and get into foul trouble last year.  That won’t fly in the NBA, but unlike his weight, that’s something that Cousins has dealt with.  Early in the season, and in particular, the game against rival Louisville, Cousins had problems controlling his emotions, and he almost got ejected from that game after 45 seconds.  Coach John Calipari took him out of the game, talked to him, and Cousins ended up with 18 points and 18 rebounds.

Drafting all depends on need, of course, but you have to say that Cousins should be the first big man taken after Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors, who is a better athlete than Cousins and has more upside.  But Cousins comes with a polished post game and a willingness to hit the glass, and if he can keep his weight and head in check, he’ll be a huge boost for some team’s betting odds in a couple years.

It has been a tale of two Boston Celtics’ sports bet teams through the first three games of the NBA Finals series, with the team in green looking like a shadow of its Game Two version in Games One and Three. Now with just two of the potential four remaining games to be played on home court, the Celtics must find an urgency to win Game Four at the BankNorth Gardens, or risk going down three-games-to-one to a talented and determined Los Angeles Lakers team.

Los Angeles Lakers @ Boston Celtics

Thursday June 10, 2010 – 9 PM ET

NBA Finals Betting Odds: Celtics – 140

No player served as a microcosm for the incredibly opposite performances of the Celtics between Games Two and Three than guard Ray Allen, who after setting an NBA Finals record for three-point baskets by hitting his first eight in a row in the second game, failed to score from not just beyond the arc in Game Three, but also from the field. Allen finished 0-for-8 from three-point range, and 0-for-13 from the field, struggling to find his legs, while finishing with the only minus rating of the five starters. The 13-year pro is not the only Celtics player to struggle in this series, and if Kevin Garnett’s bounce back performance in Game Three is any indication after how much he struggled in the last game in California, Allen should have no trouble bouncing back in Game Four.

The Celtics will however need a much better job from its bench, after Rasheed Wallace, Glen Davis, and Nate Robinson combined to go minus-30 in the 91-84 loss. Rajon Rondo played nearly the entire game, logging over 42 minutes, but was not his usual aggressive self in the loss, and will need to find his game to help both Allen and Paul Pierce become even better players.

Rondo may also have to move to covering Derek Fisher, while allowing Allen to move over to cover Ron Artest, who has been less of a threat at the offensive end. Fisher exploded for 16 points while shooting 50-percent from the field in Game Three, complementing the consistency of Kobe Bryant, who seemed to jack up shots every chance he got en route to finishing with a game-high 29 points.

NBA Betting Pick: Los Angeles + 130

Celtic Lakers Betting Line: Over/ Under 190

Despite the Celtics doing a much better job shooting in Game Two in Los Angeles, the team struggled to find its rhythm on home court, and never really got much of a flow going until the fourth quarter. Boston will have to do a much better job shooting in Game Four, especially considering that it allowed Bryant to score 29 despite shooting just 10-for-29 from the field. Bryant should be even better in the next game, and given that Pau Gasol and Artest combined for just 15 points, they will likely finish with higher totals as well.

Pick: Over 190

The NBA betting cognoscenti is mulling over its next choice. The online betting calculus is in a pronounced state of flux as Game 3 of the NBA Finals comes across the calendar. For the first time since 2004, the Finals are tied at 1-1 after the first two games. In 2004, the Detroit Pistons became the first team to win the three middle games at home since the Finals switched to the current 2-3-2 scheduling system in 1985. In 2006, the Miami Heat also defended home court in Games 3, 4 and 5. A lot of people are wondering if Boston can take the next three games at home, but if the Celtics do have to go back to L.A., it’s universally acknowledged that they must have a 3-2 lead at the very least. This means that winning Game 3 is a very high priority. The direction of this series could very well depend on what happens Tuesday night.

2010 NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers @ Boston Celtics, Game 3

Tuesday, June 8

Bookmaker Odds: No line (as of yet)

If NBA Finals betting experts are conflicted about this game, they need to identify a number of trends. First of all, Rajon Rondo is back. A 19-12-10 effort in Game 2 (points-rebounds-assists) reasserted the point guard’s prominence on the Celtics and has to have Boston in a very good frame of mind. Rondo was so good that the Celtics won by nine points, 103-94, on a night when their two old stand-bys, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, played horribly. Garnett is playing comatose, body-snatched basketball in this series. The former superstar scored only six points and snatched just four rebounds. Garnett was a liability for almost all of the game, and he just couldn’t generate any lift or jump with a body that looks 40 years old.

The other big name who isn’t delivering for coach Doc Rivers is Mr. Pierce. The MVP of the 2008 Finals hit just 2 of 11 shots on Sunday night at the Staples Center. Hounded by L.A.’s defensive specialist, Ron Artest, Pierce scored just 10 points and was a non-factor from start to finish. The idea that the Celtics could win under such circumstances is amazing enough. The fact that the deed was done in Los Angeles is even more remarkable.

Just how could the Lakers lose Game 2 when Artest was doing his typical defensive lock-down job against a credentialed scorer?

The answer comes in the form of two words: Lamar Odom.

The rangy forward crashed and burned for a second consecutive game. Odom is the barometer for the Lakers. His energy comes and goes, and he is a feast-or-famine player. When Odom is flying around the court and using his combination of quickness and length to bother opponents, L.A. is positively unstoppable. When he flatlines, however, the Lakers become mortal, and that’s what happened in Game 2. Odom picked up three fouls in the game’s first three minutes, did a lot of sitting on the pine, and never got into the flow of the contest. Odom finished with an embarrassing 3 points and 5 rebounds. Coach Phil Jackson sorely missed Odom’s production and will need it as this series shifts to Boston.

It must be said, though, that Odom tends to disappear on the road more than at home. If he couldn’t perform in Southern California, it’s not likely that he’ll play well in Boston. Odom could be viewed in much the same way that World Cup odds view France’s underachieving soccer team: not favorably.

Pick the Celtics in Game 3.

Online basketball betting pick: Boston