Wednesday, 9:05 pm Eastern – TNT

History is definitely not on the side of the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. In Game 1 of the series on Monday the Suns were blown out 128-107 by the Lakers.  Phil Jackson coached teams are 46-0 when they win the first game of a series.  The Lakers are favored in the NBA playoffs odds to make it two straight on Wednesday night.

The Lakers are 6.5 point favorites with a total of 215.  Place your Bet Now!

The Suns were trying to be positive even though they were completely dominated in Game 1.  “Some of the things we game-planned for, we actually did well,” said Phoenix guard Steve Nash, “We just didn’t hit shots. We want to cut down on their transitions and create some easier stuff for ourselves, but some of the things they did, you’ve just got to tip your hat to.” The Suns allowed the Lakers to hit 58 percent of their shots and when that happens, the Lakers are going to win most of the time. Kobe Bryant had 40 points to lead the Lakers while Lamar Odom had 19 points and 19 rebounds. The Suns had absolutely no answer for Kobe. “The shots he made, we could run anybody at him.” Phoenix head coach Alvin Gentry said, “It doesn’t matter. He’s going to make them. The shot he made at the end of the first quarter, that’s what I’m talking about. That’s why they pay him $30 million a year. I think he’s the best finisher that ever played.”

The Lakers were not getting too excited about their Game 1 win.  Head coach Phil Jackson believes the team can play a lot better and guard Derek Fisher was worried about the pace of the game. “Sometimes we played a little bit too fast,” Fisher said. “Something we want to come back to in Game 2 is making sure Pau and Drew and Ron and Kobe get their opportunities inside to test their D. That’s where we’re difficult for teams to guard.”

Here are the NBA betting stats for Wednesday’s game. The Suns are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 playoff games as an underdog. The Suns are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games. The Suns are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Conference Finals games. The Suns are 0-4 ATS in the last 4 meetings in Los Angeles. The Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Conference Finals games.

The Over is 4-1 in the Suns last 5 overall but the Under is 7-2-1 in the Suns last 10 road games. The Over is 4-0-1 in the Lakers last 5 overall. The Over is 4-0 in the Lakers last 4 home games. The Under is 9-3 in the Lakers last 12 Conference Finals games. The Over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Los Angeles between the two teams. Are you ready for some NBA Playoffs betting action?

The 135th Preakness is once again all set to get the excitement rolling on 15th May in Baltimore, Maryland. Preakness accounts for a million dollar race which would set hearts thumping for this unpredictable event. The field will most likely be set for 13 horses with everybody’s eyes on Super Saver and Calvin Borel who is supposed to be its jockey. The Super Saver was a treat to watch when it managed to pull off an amazing race in the Kentucky Derby. The victory of Super Saver in Derby would boost the spirits of many and everybody would be keeping a close watch on this master.

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There are only five horses that are running from Derby. These definitely include the winner of the Derby race- Super Saver. Apart from that, the other horses those are all set to go include Dublin, Looking at Lucky, Jackson Bend and Paddy O’Prado. There can be as many as 14 entries that can participate in this second leg. Besides the Super Saver, Paddy O’Prado who stood second in the Derby race can be quite a competitor who can be a great challenge for its contenders. This horse was the one who almost took away the glorious victory from Super Saver. It would be quite interesting to see its performance on Saturday. One of the most favorite and strongest contenders in the Derby race was “Looking at Lucky”. However, he lost his chance and he was really struggling during the whole race due to hamstring thereby losing to his contenders. However, one would really keep a watchful eye on this one as many would expect him to do a great come back and give some tough time to other contenders.

Caracortado has not been able to contribute much in this race season which is why many are not considering him as the greatest challenge. However, this horse has a lot of potential that can prove his mettle on the race course of Maryland. This horse mostly races in California and there are reports that suggest that such horses are very likely to shine on the Maryland soil. Still, many people are positive that this horse can be an exceptional case thereby proving such a theory incorrect. One of the most possible contenders of all times is the classic Dublin. This horse did not perform up to his potential due to traffic in the Derby. However, with the possibility of lower traffic in the Baltimore race, Dublin has a brilliant reason to come back and show what actually he is capable of. It would not be surprising to see this supremely talented horse to come out as a winner.

These are essentially the top most contenders to look out for in the second leg of horse race for the Triple Crown. All the contenders have an equal chance of winning as they have their own essential characteristics that can really make them stand out. The excitement has already started brewing and people are eagerly awaiting this grand event and closely analyzing various odds and possibilities.

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Red-hot Phil Hughes and the New York Yankees face the Detroit Tigers in the third baseball betting battle of a four-game set on Wednesday.  Hughes is 4-0 on the season with a 1.69 ERA.  The Yankees are favored at Detroit on Wednesday since the pitching matchup definitely favors New York.

Check out the current line for this game at SBG Global.

Hughes was excellent last time out against Boston as he gave up just two runs and seven hits in seven innings.  He walked just one and struck out seven in that outing.  He is 2-2 with a 5.30 ERA in five career appearances vs. Detroit in his career.  Last MLB betting season he threw six scoreless innings at Detroit; as the Yankees won 11-0.

The Tigers are sending Jeremy Bonderman on Wednesday.  He has not pitched well this season and his numbers are actually worse than they appear.  In his last start he gave up six runs and seven hits in just under three innings of work against Cleveland but the game was called due to rain and all of the stats were wiped out. Bonderman is 1-1 on the season with a 5.74 ERA.

The Yankees have been playing without center fielder Curtis Granderson but Brett Gardner has stepped right into his spot and had a direct effect on the baseball odds.  Gardner had his 11-game hitting streak stopped on Monday.  He was hitting almost .400 during that streak and he is second in the league in stolen bases. “I felt all along that Gardy was an everyday player,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “He’s hit left-handers all the way throughout, and he’s comfortable in there. … I love what he brings to the table.”  New York has the big names like Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira but it is players like Gardner and Nick Swisher who have been carrying the offense.  Swisher was tied for the Major League lead in home runs this month.

Here are the betting stats for Wednesday’s game. The Yankees are 8-2 in their last 10 road games vs. a right-handed starter. The Yankees are 40-12 in their last 52 Wednesday games. The Yankees are 5-0 in Hughes’ last 5 Wednesday starts.

The Tigers are 46-22 in their last 68 home games. The Tigers are 4-1 in Bonderman’s last 5 starts. The Tigers are 1-7 in Bonderman’s last 8 starts vs. a team with a winning record. The Tigers are 2-5 in Bonderman’s last 7 starts vs. the Yankees.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are having a lot more trouble than expected getting past the Boston Celtics in their Eastern Conference playoff series. NBA Playoffs betting fans have seen LeBron James playing well but the best player in the series has been Boston guard Rajon Rondo. He dominated Game 4 as the Celtics won 97-87 to even the best-of-seven series at two games each. Rondo had a triple-double as he scored 29 points, pulled down 18 rebounds and handed out 13 assists. If the Cavaliers are to win this series as expected, they are going to need LeBron to step up his game and they need to find a way to slow down Rondo.

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Cleveland Cavaliers are a 7.5 point favorite with a total over/under of 193.5.

LeBron has said that he wants to guard Rondo in Game 5 but that strategy may not work. Paul Pierce has been shutdown by James and it is also very questionable whether James could keep up with Rondo but James wants to give it a try. “It’s something that we should explore,’’ said James, “Because Rondo is definitely dominating the series at the point guard position.” The problem for Cleveland is that if James guards Rondo there is no one to guard Pierce. And Pierce does whatever it takes for the team to win. “I’m at the point in my career where it don’t matter who gets the credit on this team,’’ Pierce said. “It’s about winning games. At the end of the game, when my legacy is put up in the air, it’s going to be like, ‘What did he do for his team?’ A lot of individual things I have done, but it’s about winning games, winning championships. If it’s going to be me getting 9 points, a couple of rebounds, a key charge or key rebound, that’s fine with me.’’

NBA betting stats show that Boston has been a solid team in the playoffs when they are getting points. The Celtics are 11-4-1 ATS in their last 16 playoff games as an underdog.

The Celtics are 2-7 ATS in the last 9 meetings in Cleveland. Cleveland has had their troubles at home recently covering the spread in the basketball odds. The Cavaliers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games as a home favorite.

Looking at the total, the Under is 6-2 in the Celtics last 8 Conference Semifinals games and the Under is 19-7 in the Cavaliers last 26 Conference Semifinals games.

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According to multiple reports from ESPN, Lebron James is the NBA MVP for the 2nd straight season.

He will be the tenth player to win back to back MVPs. He will be placed in the category of such hall of fame faces as Michael Jordan, Steve Nash, Magic, Malone,

Lebron James will be the 2nd youngest NBA player to win back to back MVP (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1975-1977). Cavaliers will have to come up with a lot of money to keep such a player on their roster, since he becomes a free agent after the season is over. As stated by Dwayne Wade, tasting and seeing what free agency will offer him, Lebron said the same, which puts New York Knicks in pretty good position to take the King of basketball away from Cleveland and bring it to New York City. Lets see what Mr. James will choose.

The official report comes out on Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 to see if Lebron James is the official NBA Most Valuable Player for the second straight seasons. (2008-2010)