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Those who bet on MLB odds will tell you know much the lockout hurt the game in 1994 and 1995, and even now the game is still trying to work its way back to where it was. The NBA is coming off the most exhilarating season in recent memory as the Miami Heat got everyone talking, and not just in the sports world, and then they were “upset” by Dallas in the NBA Finals. However, everyone knew that the lockout was hanging over the sport like a storm cloud, and as of July 1st, the owners locked the players out. More worryingly, it doesn’t look like there will be any end in sight.
The two sides have only sat down to the negotiating table once since the lockout began, and reports surfaced that they came away from the meeting further apart than ever before. The main sticking point in the discussions (or lack thereof, we should say) is salaries: owners are saying that they are losing money and it’s due to paying out too much in salary to the players, who have offered to shave off $500 million. The owners replied with an offer of $2 billion, and no one was willing to budge.
The NFL lockout was nothing compared to how this lockout will go. The owners aren’t going to compromise and are willing to lose a season or more, and the players are now looking overseas to try and continue their career. One thing is for sure, if you are an NBA fan, you may want to check into other options in your sports betting book.
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 With five teams remaining in the NBA playoffs, Preakness betting enthusiasts are pondering which team has the best odds at winning this year's NBA title. For the average sports betting handicapper, the NBA playoffs have been both some of the most forgettable and some of the most memorable. After 16 teams opened the gauntlet, only five remain with a shot at the title, here are the updated odds.
In the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls the NBA's best team, were able to wrap up their series with the Atlanta Hawks yesterday. With the victory, the Bulls were able to book their ticket to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in nearly 13 years. Recall, the last time the Bulls made it to the Eastern Conference finals, they were led by Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan.
Today the Chicago Bulls with odds of two to one to win the NBA title are led by Derek Rose and Joaquin Noah. Entering the Eastern Conference Finals the new look Bulls are in tough against the three to one NBA title favorite Miami Heat. This past offseason, the Miami Heat, similar to the 2007 - 2008 Boston Celtics, were able to recruit three of the best players in the NBA to join forces in hopes of winning an NBA title. The Heat, with a core of Lebron James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade, have looked unstoppable at times these NBA playoffs. Can the Miami big three upset the youthful Chicago Bulls and book their tickets to the NBA finals?
Over in the Western Conference, the five to one NBA title favorite Dallas Mavericks, appear to be poised for their first NBA title appearance, since losing to the Miami Heat during the 2005 to 2006 NBA season. Led by international star Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks are trying to obliterate their choke artist title, and have favorable odds to do so.
The Mavericks will face the winner of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies series, which to be blunt, should finish tonight in game six. The Oklahoma City Thunder is the favorite in the series, and has odds of eight to one at winning the NBA title. Conversely, the Memphis Grizzlies, a team that not many expected to get out of the first round, have the longest odds at 15 to one to win the NBA title. |
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 This past weekend was a huge one for sports betting enthusiasts, as both the NHL and NBA held their playoff rounds. For the NBA betting online enthusiast, you would have been able to see all 16 remaining teams battle it out for the right to take the lead in game one, as four games were played on Saturday, and four were played on Sunday. With game one in the books for all 16 squads, here is a look at the two teams we believe will be playing for the NBA title in June.
This year's NBA finals will see the Chicago Bulls taking on the Dallas Mavericks, as two of the top regular season teams battle it out for playoff glory. For the Bulls, 2010-11 is all about showing their critics, that this young team has what it takes to be good for a long time. Conversely, for the Dallas Mavericks, making it to the NBA finals is all about showing that previous years collapses should be forgotten.
Looking at the Chicago Bulls road to the NBA finals, and fans will see that the Bulls have to go through the Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic and one of either Boston or Miami in the Conference finals. Thus far, the Bulls appear to be in for more of a challenge then they bargained for with the Pacers, as during the first game, they trailed up until the final three minutes. The Bulls youth will be put to the test, as all of the teams they have to face, are very good defensively.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks look to have the best lineup since Steve Nash left a few years ago. Made up of a big three of Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and Jason Kidd, the Mavericks appear poised to go all the way this season. In game one against Portland, the Mavericks looked like they were playing a D league team. |
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 If there is one thing that we can comfortably say about the 2011 March Madness betting tournament, it is that we didn't see any of the results of the first three rounds coming. With 16 teams remaining in the March Madness betting tournament, it is time to make a new final four prediction. Here are our picks.
Going into the tournament, we had the final four section set up as Ohio State of the East region taking on Texas of the West region in one semi final matchup. In the other game, we had the Southwest top seed Kansas taking on Southeast long shot the Old Dominion Monarchs. After a week of tournament action, we are left with only Ohio State and Kansas. However, here is our new final four prediction.
Essentially, it would be foolish for anyone to believe that the Ohio State Buckeyes are not going to make it to the final four stage of the tournament, which is why we are keeping them there. On the other hand, last night's thrilling affair between the Kansas Jayhawks and Illinois Fighting Illini had us wondering if three of our original four teams would be eliminated. However, in the end Kansas proved why it is a top seed this year, and why they will make it all the way to the final four.
That leaves the West and Southeast regions to pick teams from. With Texas now eliminated, we feel that the team to pick is fifth seed Arizona. The Wildcats beat both of their opponents this tournament by a combined three or fewer points. Yet while they do face Duke in the next round, it is important to take into consideration, the fact that Duke only won by two against the Michigan Wolverines.
In the Southeast region, the team to beat right now is the eighth seeded Butler Bulldogs. Firstly, Butler ruined our aspirations of predicting the final four, by defeating nine seed Old Dominion. There next matchup, was then against the top seeded Pitt Panthers, who Butler was also able to defeat in literally the last second. That makes our final four, Ohio State vs. Arizona, and Kansas vs. Butler. |
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 With the biggest dance of the College basketball betting season, set to return for another year in just under eight days, it's once again time to consider all the prop bets that can be made for the tournament. Today, March Madness betting enthusiasts reading this column, can consider prop bets as they relate to the number one seeds in this year's tournament.
Disclaimer: Although the number one seeds have yet to be determined, for all intents and purposes we will be using Ohio State, Pitt, Kansas, and North Carolina for this column.
Which number one seed will win by the highest margin in the second round?
Ohio State +170
Pitt +200
Kansas +250
North Carolina +300
On paper, the two best picks to win by the highest margin are Ohio State and Kansas, as both will be facing 16 seeds that had to play in the first round to qualify for the tournament. Of the two, you can receive better value taking Kansas over their opponent, as you will get $250 back verses $170 for Ohio State winning their game.
Which round will the first number one seed be eliminated?
Round of 64 +1000
Round of 32 + 175
Round of 16 +190
Elite 8 +275
Final Four +1500
The best value of the five options comes in the final four, as all four of the top seeds have the potential to get to the final four. At plus 1500 it's a bit shocking that the oddsmakers at most sportsbooks have such little belief that the four top seeds will last that long. In our opinion, the elite eight round also provides some value, as this is normally when the number one seeds start to face their toughest competition. For instance, in years past during the elite eight stage, the top seed has faced the third and fourth ranked schools, which is where a lot of the tournament winners have come from. |
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