The three biggest teams in the way of the Heat achieving their goals are the Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic, and of course, the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics kept their betting on sports core together in the offseason, retaining Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen on top of the emerging Rajon Rondo at the point. Boston also added some big men in both Jermaine and Shaq O’Neal, whose experience should help in their quest for a third finals’ appearance in four years. Two years removed from an NBA finals’ appearance, the Orlando Magic are hoping that consistency will be the key to them getting back to the big stage. Little has changed in California, where the Los Angeles Lakers are still the class of the league. The two-time defending NBA champions kept their 2010 championship team intact in the offseason, and will be the team to beat this year. The common theme with all three teams is at the five-spot, as all boast centers that rank among the best in the league. Signing three big names limited the Heat’s ability to add more of a supporting cast, and it isn’t a guarantee that their big three can get the job done on their own, especially if one goes down with an injury.

The Staples Center was first opened on October 17, 1999 and is owned and operated by the LA Arena Company and Anschutz Entertainment Group. Aside from hosting the NBA and NHL, the Staples Center is also home to a WNBA franchise, the LA Sparks. As well as being the home arena for sports franchises, the Staples Center has become a main venue in Los Angeles, for concerts, boxing and the home of the Grammy Awards since 2004.

In March of 1998, the plans were made by the LA Arena Company and Anschutz Entertainment Group to privately fund the creation of the multipurpose Staples Center. It is located in downtown LA at 1111 S.Figueroa Street, directly beside the LA Convention Center and across the street from the LA Live building. The total construction cost for building the Staples Center was $375 Million.

Prior to coming to the Staples Center, the Lakers and Kings each played at the LA Forum. Nevertheless, two statues located outside the Staples Center pay tribute to two of the greatest players not only for the Lakers and Kings but also in the history of basketball and hockey. After much success in the early 1990s, the Staples Center owners felt it was proper to build a statue of the Great One Wayne Gretzky for the fans. As well for basketball, the Staples Center has a statue of basketball great Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Further when Kobe Bryant retires, fans should expect a third statue outside of the Staples Center of him.

Location:

Capacity: 19,763

Located in the heart of Manhattan, New York, Madison Square Garden is the oldest arena for both the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association. Originally created in 1879, MSG has been rebuilt at four different times. The most recent version was built on February 11^th 1968, at 4 Pennsylvania Plaza major intersections 8^th avenue and 33^rd street.

Since 1968, fans betting on the Rangers, Knicks have experienced many highs and lows at the Gardens. In 1994 the Gardens were home to the two biggest betting events for fans of each team, as in 1994, both squads played in the finals for each of their leagues. That year’s Ranger squad led by hall of famers Mark Messier and Brian Leetch was able to defeat the Vancouver Canucks in seven games at Madison Square Gardens, in order to capture the elusive Stanley Cup. Prior to winning the Stanley Cup in 1994 at home at the Gardens, many fans believed the team was cursed at home, as their last cup prior the 1994 success was around the beginning of World War 2 in 1939 -1940.

Conversely, the Knicks were unable to cash in during their 1994 dream run to the NBA finals, which saw the team lose to the Houston Rockets in seven games, despite winning all three games at MSG. Further, in 1999, the Knicks went on another dream run, before falling to the San Antonio Spurs in five games.

Aside from various playoff and championship runs over the years, Madison Garden has also been home to professional wrestling’s biggest event, Wrestlemania. The Gardens have hosted three Wrestlemania’s, they hosted the inaugural event in 1985, as well as Wrestlemania 10 and 20.

Although it is one of the oldest venues in professional sports, Madison Square Garden, can hold up to 20,000 people in total capacity.

NBA finals betting odds should not be swayed towards the Lakers as a result of Thibodeau becoming the new Bulls coach. Instead, rather, they should sway in favor of the Celtics, as Thibodeau looks to guide the storied franchise to their second NBA title in the last three years.

Fans betting on a stronger Bulls team for the 2010-2011 season, should know that Thibodeau will bring two essential factors to a Bulls team which at the best of times has lacked direction. The two factors he brings, is that he is a player’s coach, and has a well rounded strategy. Throughout his tenure in Boston, Thibodeau has been responsible for the defensive side of the ball, turning the team into perhaps the most dominant defensive squad in the entire NBA.

However, as a player’s coach, Thibodeau has been inspirational to his players, as his relentless work effort has rubbed off on the team and made each player’s individual game better overall. Further such strong work ethic being infectious on a championship caliber team such as the Celtics, should be just as motivational to a young Bulls squad.

NBA Finals - Game 2

Sunday, June 6th - 8:10 PM ET

Staples Center - Los Angeles, CA

The first game of the 2010 NBA Finals was a complete train wreck for Boston. Coach Doc Rivers’ club never got into the flow of the action, as the Lakers posted a nine-point halftime lead and then blitzed the Eastern Conference champions for an 84-64 lead after three periods. The Celtics made a modest push in the fourth quarter, but never got within single digits of the Lakers, losing 102-89 in a rather lopsided affair. Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong for the 2008 NBA champions, who were hoping to win Game 1 just as they did two years ago against the Lake Show in the Finals.

Ray Allen picked up two early fouls and racked up even more whistles when he re-entered the game later on. He had five fouls before the third quarter ended and didn’t hit a single three-point shot. Kevin Garnett looked slow and creaky, a shadow of the man who excelled against Cleveland and was solid against Orlando. Kendrick Perkins scored just eight points and grabbed only three rebounds. No one stepped up for the Celtics, who need a substantially better effort just to play the Lakers on even terms.

Coach Phil Jackson has to love what he saw in Game 1. It wasn’t just that his team won; the Lakers must be very pleased because they outworked Boston in the low post and near the rim. The Lakers hammered the Celtics on the boards, with Pau Gasol getting eight offensive rebounds, one more than the combined total of overall rebounds (offensive and defensive boards) snatched by Garnett and Perkins. L.A. won the points-in-the-paint competition by a substantial 48-30 margin. Even more telling was the fact that the Lakers earned 16 second-chance points while the C’s produced absolutely nothing. That’s right: The defending champions prevented the 2008 champs from getting a single second-chance bucket. Los Angeles clearly wanted the game a lot more and prevented Boston from ever getting any kind of foothold. It was partly like a give-away game in which the Lakers didn’t have to spill the tank. They won a game with minimal resistance, and can now stay fresh for Game 2.

The Pick:

The Celtics are in huge trouble. Garnett didn’t look physically liberated. Rajon Rondo’s back was tight during the game, and he didn’t orchestrate his offense the way his teammates and coaching staff had hoped. Kobe Bryant scored 30 points but didn’t dominate the proceedings. Why? Because he never really needed to. Ron Artest played a fabulous high-energy game for the Lakers and set a very positive tone for his team… not just in Game 1, but for the whole series. This is a different situation compared to 2008. The Lakers, not the Celtics, are the deeper team, unlike two years ago. The Lakers should take full control of the Finals on Sunday.

Pick: Lakers

NBA Western Conference Finals - Game 6

Saturday, May 29th - 8:40 PM ET

U.S. Airways Center -  Phoenix, AZ

Heading Into Game 6: Lakers

It was all so much like Game 6 of the Lakers’ first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. In a highly important late-series game, the Lakers needed a bucket at the very end of regulation time. Kobe Bryant got the ball on the right wing and launched a jumper that missed. While the ball was in the air, members of the opposing team stood around and watched the ball, mesmerized by the scene and hoping that the world’s best basketball player would miss. However, the job of a rebounder in the final seconds is not to hope for a miss, but to guard against an offensive rebounder in the event of a miss. Against Oklahoma City, L.A.’s Pau Gasol fought through Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison of the Thunder to put back a Kobe miss and win the series for the defending world champions. In Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, the rebounder for the Lakers was Ron Artest, and the Phoenix Sun who failed to block him out was Jason Richardson. That’s the kind of play champions make. The Lakers are still champions.

Heading Into Game 6: Suns

How will the end of Game 5 affect this team on Saturday evening? It’s hard to say. On one hand, the Suns still have to be encouraged by the way they competed. They trailed the Lakers on Thursday night by a 41-25 score midway through the second period, and were playing a horrible brand of basketball. Stagnant in their halfcourt sets and paralyzed on defense, Phoenix allowed Kobe Bryant to get clean spot-up looks for threes and simply failed to react to what was happening on the court. Yes, the Suns cranked up the intensity and crashed the offensive glass with success in the final stages of Game 5, but their hard work - plus their valiant comeback - went for naught when Jason Richardson failed to do his job on the final play of regulation. If the Suns can be more consistent and hold their nerve to the very end, they still have a chance, but the wound of the Game 5 heartbreaker could very well crush their resolve.

Outlook & Pick

In terms of evaluating the raw form of these two teams, the Suns should be favored to win Game 6 on their home floor. The Lakers have clearly regressed from the team that steamrolled the Suns in Games 1 and 2. Pau Gasol is not the same player, and big man Andrew Bynum is simply not much a factor due to the limitations imposed by his injury. The Suns are refusing to give up, and are actually getting stronger as the series goes along. However, the Lakers furnished a championship moment in Game 5, and the Suns - who made the West Finals in 2006 but lost in Game 6 (at home) to the Dallas Mavericks - might have had their psyches permanently damaged by Ron Artest’s late basket. The percentages say the Suns, but the gut instinct says the Lakers will finish this series on Saturday.

Pick: Lakers

NBA playoff betting fans, should note that although the Magic finally showed up for game four, no team has come back in the history of the NBA after being down three to nothing. This year, could be different, because if any team should be able to come all the way back, it should be the Magic. After such a dominating performance in the regular season and first two rounds of the playoffs, the Magic have never had to come from behind. Essentially if statistics can prove anything it is that this Magic team is too good to be finished in five games, and may become the first team in NBA history to come all the way back from being down three games to nothing. After winning last night, if the team can play as motivated the rest of the way through, Magic fans and basketball betters alike may witness history, as they still have the best odds of returning to the NBA finals.

The Suns dispatched the Portland Trail Blazers is the first round and then spun the San Antonio Spurs out of the playoffs in just four games. They had been one of the hottest teams in the NBA heading into the playoffs but they simply can’t match up with the Los Angeles Lakers.

In Game 1, Lamar Odom went off and the Suns had no answers for him or anyone else on the Lakers squad. In Game 2, the story was the same as again the Lakers topped the 120-point mark and throttled the Suns.

In short, the Suns simply aren’t good enough. The Lakers can get out and run-and-gun, but the Suns can’t play a half court style when necessary. On top of that, the Lakers can score with the Suns with ease - and even outscore them - but the Suns can’t play a lick of defense.

New team, new coach, new faces, but same old problems.

The sports betting lines gave the impression that this would be a close series but it has been anything but in the first two games. It might last a few more but the result is becoming very clear.

In every game this season that Steve Nash and company were down in a game, they came back and won each game. As well, the most intriguing part of the series will be to see how well each teams supporting cast plays, as the Phoenix bench severely out played San Antonio’s bench leading to the four game sweep. While Kobe Bryant’s supporting cast of Paul Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Ron Artest, and Lamar Odom to name a few, easily won games against both the Thunder in the first round and the Jazz in the second round. Phoenix fans witnessed the emergence of backup point guard Goran Dragic, as he took over games three and four against the Spurs. If the Lakers hope to sweep the Suns like they did the Jazz, they will need to play a very tight disciplined defensive game, similar to the one administered against the Thunder.

While Orlando has advanced past the opening round, the team it defeated in the Eastern conference finals a year ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers, can advance with a win over the Chicago Bulls on home court Tuesday night in their Bulls vs Cavaliers Odds series. The Cavaliers have faced little adversity in their series, and there is a possibility that the Bulls will be without their star guard Derrick Rose. Rose underwent an MRI on Monday for a sprained left ankle, and although the results revealed no significant tears, head coach Vinny Del Negro acknowledged the fact that a decision on whether or not his star will be in the lineup will not be made until game day. Rose injured his ankle in Sunday’s Game Four loss when he stepped on the foot of Cleveland center Shaquille O’Neal.