BOOK PER HEAD

Kobe Bryant used to nickname himself (in his classic arrogant style) the “black mamba”, just like the deadliest snake on Earth. He said at that time that he chose that nickname because of the snake’s accuracy of every strike, which was the level he wanted to reach. Many NBA betting players that have seen him play lately agree that he finally is good enough to be called the Lakers’ Black Mamba.

The 2007-2008 NBA Season had been mostly owned by the Boston Celtics: these guys had a great start and managed to stay glued to the top, taking the Eastern Conference Championship title. However, during these last games, the L.A. Lakers jumped into the scene stronger than ever, proving that the Celtics would have a real opponent for these Playoffs.

Now it all comes down to these 2 NBA teams, and things are so interesting that there are no certainties of who could win yet. Lakers and Celtics disputing the NBA Finals is actually a tradition many had forgotten, and it will be re-born. The all-season favorite will have to face a team that seems to be stomping over everyone on their way. Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics’ star, will have a face-to-face encounter with Kobe Bryant, this year’s MVP and the most impressive player so far, to the point that some are already comparing him to unbeatable basketball legend Michael Jordan. Those kind of comments will be reflected on the NBA basketball betting odds, for sure.

Will the Black Mamba’s venom be enough to stop Garnett? We will know that on Thursday. NBA betting fans, make your basketball picks!

Kobe Bryant did it again. Thanks to the MVP, the L.A. Lakers became the Western Conference Champions and jumped right into the NBA Finals on Thursday with a 100-92 score.

Once more, the Defending Champions started with a great advantage, but probably got too confident about it. And if there’s something the Lakers -and especially Kobe- have proved to us during these NBA Playoffs, is that they’re great at comebacks. During the fourth quarter, the Spurs were swept out by Kobe Bryant (who scored 17 points just in that quarter). Bryant scored a total of 39 points during the game. Definitely the Lakers’ hero!

The Spurs’ defense has become weaker and that was an important factor on this last victory. Not even Tim Duncan’s triple-double was impressive enough to stop the Lakers’ effort.

Now it all comes down to the final challenge: the fight for the 2007-2008 NBA Championship title. Their opponent has not been chosen yet, but judging by the current results, we could end up enjoying a full-action match between Los Angeles and the Boston Celtics. Who would want to miss that?

Source: NBA.com

Maria Sharapova only has the French Open title left to complete her Grand Slam career. However, during this 2008 French Open this tennis star doesn’t seem to be on her way to change her luck.

The now top-seeded Russian had a very rough start on the tennis tournament against fellow Evgeniya Rodina, where the struggle wasn’t to win, but avoiding to lose. After more than 2 hours, Sharapova barely made it to the second round, and there were possibilities that Rodina was suffering from some sort of cramps that could’ve affected her performance on the third set. In the end, Maria Sharapova herself admitted that she had some kind of “lucky escape” from being defeated.

So why is it so hard for Maria Sharapova to do well at French Open? Is it the place or does she lack certain skills? That’s a mistery. Some argue that the windy weather has been an important factor at Roland Garros, but still is weird to see the top female tennis player of the world trying so hard to stay on the competition, instead of cruising by the first stages to compete against the best on the finals.

As Maria Sharapova keeps trying to get all this overwith and complete her biggest tennis challenge, the excitement of tennis betting is raising with every matchup.

Source: RolandGarros.com

2008 Western Conference Finals seem to be owned by Los Angeles Lakers. Just defeated once by the Defending Champions, San Antonio Spurs, the Lakers seem to be having a good time, with the advantage on the current 2-1 global score. They probably have time to do a couple of dumb things in the meantime, because they don’t feel that much pressure. At least that’s what 2008 MVP Kobe Bryant seems to be doing, with another one of his famous and questionable jumps.

Many people still remember the questioned video where Kobe jumped over an Aston Martin. Lots came out to prove it was fake (and it probably was). Now Kobe jumps an amazing distance again, this time for MTV’s Jackass and flying over a pool full of snakes. In the Kobe snake jump video, you can see the LA Lakers star jumping across the pool to make a dunk. Here’s the full video where Kobe Bryant jumps over the snakes:

Is this one real? Maybe. There will be many who will try to prove otherwise. But if this is a real thing, then there are only 2 things left to say:

1. That would definitely be a reason why Kobe Bryant is this year’s MVP and is leading the Lakers towards the NBA Championship.

2. Only a team of morons would send their biggest star to goof around on Jackass in the middle of NBA playoffs, where he could end up breaking something… or getting an awful snake bite.

Those who thought the Spurs had the game wrapped up by half time on Wednesday night, probably dropped their jaws to the floor with the unexpected (but amazing) comeback made by the Lakers, collecting the first victory on this 7-game 2008 Western Conference Finals.

MVP Kobe Bryant did a brilliant job scoring 27 points, and 25 of them were during the second half. No doubt he’s showing the best of his skills, taking his team to the advantage after being down by 20 points. Bryant made the Lakers take the lead just a couple of minutes away from the end of the fourth quarter, and then another final shot with 23 seconds left, leaving the result in a solid 89-85. Who will remember Kobe’s arrogance and hate towards the LA Lakers now?

Tim Duncan also stepped up to represent the Spurs with 30 points and 18 rebounds. Unfortunately, San Antonio didn’t count with the Lakers’ strong comeback and only scored 13 points during the second half.

Still, this is just game 1. Nothing’s set on stone yet, so the San Antonio Spurs have some more opportunities to keep up to the new Lakers’ agressive game. Let’s see who has what it takes to become the 2008 Western Conference Champion.

Source: NBA.com

This Wednesday brings a major event for rabid soccer betting fans: the Manchester United will play on the UEFA Champions League Final for the first time in almost a decade, facing the also british club Chelsea.

After many ups-and-downs, it seems finally the Old Trafford guys are regaining strength. Some were really impressed by the fact that Man U has played with good level, but never made it to the Final. But now Manchester has reached (and maybe surpassed) the level of the other big european soccer clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Chelsea had a great performance as well this year, but in most cases the soccer odds favor Manchester United for being a more aggresive team. Getting here took nine years to them, so they will do whatever it takes to bring the UEFA Championship title home. Besides, with Ashley Cole injured and not completely sure that he will be able to play a good match, Chelsea has less chances of beating the Manchester squad.

So, my predictions are that the 2008 UEFA Champions League will be won by Manchester United, but not without a good struggle. The difference is probably going to be one lucky goal on the second half.

Finally! Only the best of the best NBA teams are left. Tuesday night will be the beginning of the exciting NBA Conference Finals, starting with Game 1 for the Eastern Conference. If you are a fan of NBA betting, there’s no doubt you have it all set by now.

After 6 games with a very tight result, many thought that anything could happen between the Celtics and the Cavaliers. The advantage Boston seemed to have in the beginning was erased by the Cavs’ comeback. But not even King James could stop the Celtics from sweeping right into Conference Finals with a tight, still solid result of 97-92.

Boston will have the chance to play tonight against the Detroit Pistons, who qualified to Eastern Conference Finals for sixth time in a row. With that record, it won’t be easy for the Celtics to have any advantage.

Tomorrow, the 2008 Western Conference Finals will begin with the first game between the L.A. Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. The Defending Champions are going to give their best to hold the NBA Championship title for one more year. However, the Lakers seem to be ready to take the challenge… after all, they have this year’s MVP.

If one of these 4 teams is one of your favorites, then you definitely should be looking for some 2008 NBA Finals tickets! There are no smashing favorites yet, and the best of the action is just starting…

Source: NBA.com

Many horse wagering fans have everything ready to enjoy the exciting day of the 133^rd Preakness Stakes, that will take place at Pimlico (as usual) on May 17^th. But if you were so absorbed on NBA games that you didn’t even notice when the 2008 Kentucky Derby race happened, this is your chance to catch up and enjoy some racetrack action. It won’t be a quiet day at all! Even PETA guys are going to be there in protest for Eight Belle’s “euthanasia” after breaking her ankles during the Derby.

The winner of the Kentucky Derby was Big Brown, and there’s no doubt he’s running to try to get the Triple Crown win. The chances look very good since Big Brown broke an impressive record, being the first horse since 1915 to win the Derby with just 3 career starts. Maybe it will seem easier to win this one, since Preakness Stakes has a lower number of starters. However, some horse wagering players get concerned about the fact that Preakness betting odds are usually lower too, compared to Kentucky Derby.

This year’s Preakness is not as strong as it has been on other years, and that makes Big Brown a crushing betting favorite for this horse race, and even maybe one of the heaviest favorites in all history of Preakness. Still, for those who don’t want to go for the obvious favorite, another interesting option and possible surprise for the 2008 Preakness Stakes is Kentucky Bear, which had some good results: in 3 career starts, he already has one win and one third-place finish.

Will this finally be the year when a horse makes the Triple Crown again? We haven’t seen that since Affirmed in 1978. For now, here’s the list of the horses and jockeys that will be on the 2008 Run for the Black-eyed Susans. Make your picks!

Post 1 - Macho Again (J. Leparoux)
Post 2 - Tres Borrachos (T. Baze)
Post 3 - Icabad Crane (J. Rose)
Post 4 - Yankee Bravo (A. Solis)

Post 5 - Behindatthebar (D. Flores)
Post 6 - Racecar Rhapsody (R. Albarado)
Post 7 - Big Brown (K. Desormeaux)
Post 8 - Kentucky Bear (J. Theriot)

Post 9 - Stevil (J. Velazquez)
Post 10 - Riley tucker (E. Prado)
Post 11 - Giant Moon (R. Dominguez)
Post 12 - Gayego (M. Smith)
Post 13 - Hey Byrn (C.C. Lopez)

Source: Preakness.com

Game 5 gave Detroit a home win that will take the Pistons directly to the 2008 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. The final result 91-86 kicked Orlando Magic out of the way.

This time Richard Hamilton took the lead for the Pistons, scoring 31 points. It seems the fact that they were missing Chauncey Billups wasn’t so tragic after all. Even though Orlando had the chance to reach them, during the final minute Tayshaun Prince blocked the dunk that could change the results. Even Orlando’s leader for the night, Hedo Turkoglu, couldn’t keep up, just scoring 19 points.

The result is great for all basketball betting fans that were waiting to finally have some decisive teams to consider when making their NBA betting strategy. The Pistons come with a great opportunity to win and a lot of strength.

Now their next challenge will be the expected Eastern Conference Finals. My obvious forecast is that they will end up facing the Boston Celtics very soon. But nothing’s final until four games are won and the Cleveland Cavaliers are still an option. We will soon find out who will be the fierce contender that will have to face Detroit on the last -but most important- games.

Source: NBA.com

With a very abrupt decision, Top seed Justine Henin says good-bye to tennis, putting an end to a very short but successful career.

On Wednesday, Henin gave her official announcement. We all know her game was a little bit sloppy lately and had a rough patch at every tournament since a couple of months ago, but that still doesn’t look like a good reason to quit playing tennis for good. These bad times have no comparison to all her victories, starting with the 7 Grand Slam Titles she owns.

The announcement has shocked everyone, since nobody could expect something like this just 2 weeks before the French Open. It seems the Belgian player didn’t want to take the risk, given the awful losing streak she’s been going through. But seriously, who retires at 25?!

Most tennis betting fans are probably not going to be so affected by the news, because everyone that has been watching Justin Henin lately knows the betting odds on her for the next tennis tournament were not going to be that good anyway. However, this makes me feel upset as a devoted tennis fan who admires real athletes. What kind of pro tennis player chickens out like that and prefers to hide forever instead of working hard and re-gaining that performance that put her at the top in the first place? They say it’s better to leave professional sports when you’re enjoying your peak of glory, but this is ridiculous. She had at least 10 years left of good play to come, it’s far too soon to give up. And I’m pretty sure she will regret the decision eventually.

But oh, well. This is how the sports world moves, and new talented female tennis players will rise to fill that empty spot the current #1 tennis player of the world is about to abandon.

Source: AP