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 | Hot Bets
Tips from our SportsBook expert
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May Madness
All right! May has arrived, and the betting landscape springs to life. Britney's got a bun in the oven, the NBA playoffs are out of the gate and the horses are on the track for the Triple Crown. After a dormant April, it's time to whip out that billfold and lay your cash.
The Event: The NBA's Western Conference Championship
When: To be crowned in May
Bet Trends: The basketball gods and the betting public are heading into the great American southwest. The Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs have paid dividends in April and May. Phoenix sent the Sacramento King to the guillotine, and San Antonio strip-mined the Denver Nuggets in five games.
Odds: A sparkling regular-season record equals the shortest odds. The San Antonio Spurs (10/22, 10/11) may be hobbled by Tim Duncan's ankle problems, but don't tell that to the betting public. The upstart Phoenix Suns (7/5, 37/50, 150/1) have risen from last year's ashes.
The Smart Money: The Sonics gave the Spurs fits all season, but the Spurs have won at Key Arena, where Seattle (12/1, 14/1) was an otherwise bulletproof 38-3 this season. Indeed, San Antonio handed them their worst home loss of the season in January, beating them by a healthy 19 points.
The Stupid Money: When it comes to winning the conference, bettors think that there's room for only one team in Texas. The winner of the Dallas Mavericks (5/1, 8/1) and Houston (25/1, 30/1) series is on the outs.
The Event: The Eastern Conference Championship
When: Right now through the end of May
Bet Trends: After torching the Nets by a margin of 13 points a game, the Heat are looking to burn through the competition. They match-up well against everybody on the board with the exception of Detroit, who are turning on their trademark defense at the right time.
Odds: So who walks away with the conference hardware? Miami (3/2, 16/10) is a prohibitive favorite. Betting on Shaq O'Neal and his crew is like feeding your benjamins into a shredder. The Pistons (13/10, 22/10) get love too, but there's still no profit margin.
The Smart Money: The Heat have shown the ability to win in Detroit, but the key is Dwyane Wade. When Miami smacked them around at the end of December, Shaq's game was strictly average--21 points but only seven rebounds in 36 minutes--while Wade recorded his first career triple-double. And Wade damn well better be hot--when he went one of six from the floor in April, Detroit rolled 80-72.
The Stupid Money: The books are having to post big odds to draw money away from the favorites. If you don't want Miami or Detroit, you can get anywhere from 50/1 to 66/1.
Quick Hits:
It's a Britney Baby Bonanza! The news that Ms. Spears ovum met Kevin Federline's seed is a little bundle of joy for proposition bettors. Birth weight predictions are big at Betswwwts.com. [link there] ... What will the couple name the little reality tyke? Try the favorites--Lynn, Jamie and Madison--all at 8/1 on Paddy Power. Outside shots include Toxic, Beyonce and Cheetos, all at 500/1. ... The cynics out there can also take a shot at the length of the Brit/Kev union. A divorce by the end of 2005 will net you 3/1 ... Princeton econ prof Ben Bernanke (13/8) is the favorite to fill Alan Greenspan's wingtips as chairman of the Federal Reserve come November. Britney Spears does not appear to be in the running.
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