By adding crazy-eyed tough guy Ron Artest in a midseason makeover,
the Sacramento Kings dropped their image as princesses who refuse to
put up a fight on defense.
The Kings are a hot team headed into the NBA playoffs behind Artest, point guard Mike Bibby and center Brad Miller.
But oddsmakers have determined Sacramento is still a long shot to
knock off the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in a best-of-7
first-round series. The Spurs are heavy favorites, 13-1 at the Mirage.
"I like the Kings, but this is asking a lot. That's a tall order,
beating the Spurs," MGM Mirage sports book director Robert Walker said.
"The prices are so prohibitive in some of these series. There are some obvious mismatches on paper."
Detroit is the biggest first-round favorite, 50-1 to eliminate Milwaukee.
"I was debating whether I even wanted to put that up," said Walker,
who anticipates an accumulation of small bets on the underdog Bucks.
The Pistons, the defending Eastern Conference champs, are minus-130
favorites to win the title. The Spurs are the 9-5 second choice.
A better potential payoff is available by taking Miami at 9-2 or Dallas and Phoenix, both 6-1.
The Heat is a 9-1 favorite in the first round against Chicago. The Mavericks are 7-1 favorites over Memphis.
It's always tempting to pick upsets, but handicapper Jim Kruger
(vegassportsauthority.com) said to remember the best team usually
prevails in a seven-game series.
Kruger is siding with New Jersey as a minus-360 favorite to beat
Indiana. He pointed out the Pacers' starting five of Jermaine O'Neal,
Peja Stojakovic, Jeff Foster, Stephen Jackson and Jamaal Tinsley
started together just three times all season.
"A lot of people are saying Indiana can give New Jersey a lot of trouble, but I don't really think so," Kruger said.
Kruger also is going with the Los Angeles Clippers as minus-165
favorites over Denver, which is limping into the playoffs with guard
Earl Boykins out with an injury and star forward Kenyon Martin expected
to play limited minutes because of an injury.
Two underdogs, Washington and the Los Angeles Lakers, do look appealing to Kruger.
The Wizards, who get scoring from Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and
Antawn Jamison, are plus-180 in the series against the LeBron James-led
Cavaliers.
"I like the fact the Wizards have playoff experience, and between
Arenas, Butler and Jamison, they have three guys who can go off for 35
points in any game," Kruger said.
Washington advanced to the second round of the playoffs last year, and this is James' first postseason.
The Wizards won three of four games between the teams in the regular season.
Kobe Bryant will be firing from all angles for the Lakers, who are
plus-340 underdogs to Phoenix. Kruger said the Suns could be vulnerable
without Amare Stoudemire, putting more pressure on guard Steve Nash to
hit his outside shots.
"As the season progressed, the Lakers continually improved. I think you have a real good chance for an upset," Kruger said.
The Lakers-Suns series will probably attract the most betting action.
Phoenix is a 7-point favorite with a total of 217 1/2 in Sunday's series opener.
"That's going to be the most exciting first-round matchup," Walker
said, "because people want to watch Kobe and everybody likes to watch
the Suns."
REVIEW-JOURNAL
