NBA Playoff Odds: Orlando Magic vs. Los Angeles Lakers Game 1

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magic-lakers-gm-1-6109The 2009 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic tips off Thursday, June 4th at 9:00 pm EST on ABC. The storied Lakers franchise has gotten the nod as the -280 series favorite and NBA odds makers have listed the Lakers as a 6-point favorite with the total set at 206 in Game 1.

While no one would doubt that the Magic were a good basketball team heading into the postseason, very few expected them to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, especially with how poor they looked defensively down the home stretch of the regular season. But the Magic have knocked off defending NBA Finals champion Boston and No. 1 overall seed Cleveland for a chance to pursue basketball greatness. Orlando may be the underdog, but it will not be lacking any confidence until the Lakers give it a reason to. The Magic do not have the home court advantage in this series, but they didn’t have it against the Celtics or the Cavs either. Some NBA betting enthusiasts will take a strong look at the Magic in Game 1 of this series because of how strongly they have come out on the road in Game 1 at Boston and at Cleveland. Orlando won Game 1 in Boston 95-90 as a 1.5-point underdog and Game 1 in Cleveland 107-106 as an 8.5-point underdog. Meanwhile, the Lakers struggled in Game 1 against the Rockets and the Nuggets. They lost Game 1 against Houston 92-100 as an 8.5-point favorite and struggled in Game 1 against the Nuggets, winning by just 2 points after trailing most of the way as a 6.5-point favorite. If you think Orlando will come out strong in Game 1, bet the Magic at +6 at BetUS and receive up to 145 percent in sign up bonuses.

The Lakers are back in the NBA Finals for the second straight year and they are hoping this trip turns out better than the last. Last season, they were defeated by the Boston Celtics in 6 games. Experience is largely on LA’s side this time around and so is the home court advantage. The Magic struggled to stop LeBron James so we can expect Kobe Bryant to put up big numbers in this series as well. The Cavs were not able to prevail, though, because their role players were not up to the challenge night in and night out. It will boil down to the same thing here. If the Lakers role players show up, they should win the series. That means Lamar Odom is going to have to perform like he did in Games 5 and 6 of the Western Conference Finals throughout this series. Another big key for the Lakers will be its defense. This is the side of the ball that is sometimes lacking for LA, but it cannot afford to take any defensive possession off against a team capable of knocking down 10-plus three point shots a night. The Lakers really have no excuse for playing poor defensively as they have the size and athletic ability to match up with Orlando much better than Cleveland was able to. If you think LA will be ready in Game 1, bet the Lakers at -6 at BetUS.

Jimmy Boyd is a sensational 14-3 his last 17 NBA playoff sides. Make sure you consult Jimmy’s NBA picks before laying down ion Game 1 Thursday night.

About the Author: Jimmy Boyd is known for his consistency. He's a proven winner in college and pro football, college and pro basketball and pro baseball. He finished as the No. 1 ranked MLB handicapper in 2007 by earning $1,000/game bettors $50,050. He also finished as the No. 1 ranked basketball handicapper in the 2008-09 season, profiting $1,000/game bettors 38,530. His basketball plays have banked $1,000/game bettors nearly $80,000 the last five years. Check out Jimmy's premium picks for tonight!
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