NBA Basketball Betting - Western Conference PlayoffsBy Tim FuriousWhat you see is what you get. In the West, things are looking to pan out exactly as most of the oddsmakers and online basketball betting community imagined. While some of you were quick to defend the teams on the outside looking in, the cream is rising to the top. It's still a two horse race, but let's take a peek through the looking glass and see how the West will be won once the dust settles. For the quickest and easiest depositing methods available, sign-up today at BetUS.com, "for over 14 years they have been the World-Wide Leader in Online Sports, Poker and Casino Gaming!" Always receive great odds, huge bonuses and fast payouts only at BetUS.com! LOOKING GRIM 8. Houston Rockets (54-26) Hey, at least they had that sweet 23-game winning streak, right? Or is this going to be like when David Robinson won the MVP and then got demolished by Hakeem in the playoffs? Who really cares that you won 23-games in a row if you can't 4-of-7 in the first round? Nobody (except their betting faithful...of whom I apologize for my "told ya so" attitude). 7. Denver Nuggets (49-32) Does nobody else find it weird that Denver has both Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin, yet they can't stop Pau Gasol from completely dominating the interior? Denver got steamrolled for 36 points and 16 rebounds on Gasol's part. Turns out nobody cares if you average 110.7 points per game if you can't stop the Lakers from scoring on you like you're Tara Reid at a frat party. 6. Dallas Mavericks (51-31) Yeah, that Jason Kidd trade is reaaaalllly working out for them. Ouch. They've lost the last two games to New Orleans by an average of 18 points in the OVER and are looking absolutely horrific. They can gain a semblance of respect when they return to Dallas, but that $40 million they spent to swing Harris to New Jersey for Kidd is going to be stinging a lot more than it did at the time of the trade. LOOKING UP 5. Utah Jazz (53-27) Is there any more room on the Jazz bandwagon? The entire betting community is falling in LOVE with Deron Williams. And for good reason. The guy can post up, distribute and score, as is reflected by his 18.8 points per game and 10.5 assists per game. In fact, he resembles a young Jason Kidd - the type of pit bull defender you could sick on anybody and he'd suffocate that guy to death. And Deron makes everyone on the Jazz much better, including Carlos Boozer, who is becoming one of the most versatile and smart power forwards in the game. Of course, don't mention that to Cleveland fans. But Utah is looking really nice, and the oddsmakers agree. Utah moved as +800 to win the Western Conference to +550 after Game 1. Think a trend is developing? LOOK LIKE A WAR T-3. Phoenix Suns (53-27) // San Antonio Spurs (54-26) The Spurs are taking a commanding control over Phoenix with a 2-0 series lead. With everything going right for the Spurs, it's hard to imagine why I would have these two tied in our BetUS.com rankings. First of all, this series is just getting warmed up. Give San Antonio the home court advantage and they're insanely difficult to beat. However, with this series heading back to Phoenix, I'm not ready to write off the Suns just yet. San Antonio plays some of the best team defense in the league allowing an average of 90.6 points against, good enough for third best in the Association. On top of that, their 27th ranked offense has put up an average of 109.5 points so far in the playoffs. Still think they can't match the offensive fire power of Phoenix? That being said, it's not like Phoenix is going to fade to black that easily. Amare Stoudemire looks unbelievable, and Shaq is doing a formidable job against Tim Duncan. But Phoenix has to find a way to stop Manu Ginoblli, the leagues reining sixth man. Grant Hill, I'm looking at you. Phoenix cannot justify the trade of Shawn Marion if slashers are going to continually rip their defense apart. San Antonio flew under the radar because of a modest record, and a lack of big swinger trades. But they are proving almost immediately that they are here and they are not giving away their title. The road to the Championships still goes through San Antonio, but these Suns haven't hit supernova yet, so there's no reason for their betting investors to panic...yet. LOOKING UNTOUCHABLE 2. New Orleans Hornets (55-25) The only knock against the Stingers was that they lacked legitimate playoff experience. Enter Byron Scott, the leading candidate for Coach of the year, who has prepped this team in the face of a grizzled, veteran Dallas squad. They have not only covered the spread in the first two games, they have crushed it and blown the doors on the OVER. If you're ready to bet against the Hornets lack of playoff experience, go right ahead. But this is a team that had a top-10 offense with 100.9 points per game and the fifth best defense with 95.6 points against. If the CP3 for MVP campaign falls through, nobody is going to be playing with a bigger chip on their shoulder than Paul. That, in and of itself, is a dangerous idea. 1. LA Lakers (56-25) Quick math lesson: Kobe + Tall Spanish Dude + Phil Jackson = Western Conference Championship. Class dismissed. --- by BetUS at 1800-sports.com on April 24, 2008
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