I’m not really a gambling man. I’ll go to Las Vegas, throw down small-time money on sports futures, sometimes randomly, sometimes not so randomly (thank you New Orleans Saints for winning the Super Bowl — not so random; let’s go Cam Newton and the Auburn Tigers! — sorta random). I’ll also frivolously play roulette, hoping to recapture the magic that a run with ‘Red 23′ (the Michael Jordan number, clearly) once brought me … never have. And oh yea, I’ll play poker (usually Texas Hold’em) like any other red or blue blooded American, but haven’t in a long time.
Gambling is an okay form of entertainment. And if you don’t see it that way and don’t stay within your personal financial limits (aka, your entertainment budget) you’re going to be in a whole lot of trouble. Now here are some sports odds involving the NBA and Washington Wizards via Bodog.com … (how about that for a seamless transition?)
The Larry O’Brien Trophy.
The Miami Heat have 17/10 odds to win the NBA Championship. The LA Lakers follow with 5/2 odds and the Boston Celtics come in third with 17/2 odds. It drops off after that with the Orlando Magic at 13/1 and the OKC Thunder at 14/1.
The Wizards fall below 17 teams with 100/1 odds to win the title, which is the same odds held by the Charlotte Bobcats, Memphis Grizzlies and New Jersey Nets. Worse odds than the Wizards: the Pistons, Clippers, Warriors, Pacers, 76ers, Kings, Cavaliers, Timberwolves and Raptors — Cleveland, Minnesota and Toronto all having 200/1 odds to win the 2011 NBA Championship. The T’Wolves must feel especially special, if you will, because they didn’t lose a superstar, yet are expected to be as crappy as the Cavs and Raps. Read more »
[Mike Miller's final shot versus the Atlanta Hawks, March 11, 2010]
Your average gambling addict is probably keeping track of every game on every night, including a Wizards game. But last Thursday against the Hawks, even the most casual sports gambler was probably paying attention to the Wiz.
Even though there was a full slate of college basketball conference tournament action that night, there were only three NBA games on the schedule … the Bulls at Magic and the Warriors at the Blazers in addition to the Hawks at Wizards, which was a snow make-up game.
Heading into the night, Atlanta was favored by seven points. And with time running out in the fourth quarter, it looked like the Hawks were going to cover. Up 104-97, Marvin Williams was fouled by Mike Miller with nine seconds left. At this point, the clock could have run out, causing a push. And at this point, someone was probably thanking Miller for the foul, possibly allowing Atlanta to cover the spread.
Free-throw #1 … a miss. Free-throw #2 … a make. Hawks up eight, 105-97.
Read more »
It’s all there. Gambling thousands on chartered planes. A certain $111 million point guard ducking out on debt owed to JaVale McGee. Pranks where guns are laid out in a statement of machismo being called “horse-play.”
It all derives from Gilbert Arenas and some of his teammates are becoming increasingly weary of his apathy toward consequences. Hard to believe that this guy has yet to grow up.
It’s all there, even what Ernie Grunfeld might do with the team.
Go read everything at Mike Jones Sports. Our friend, formerly of the Washington Times, has put out the best reported story on the Arenas-Crittenton gun situation yet. What are you waiting for? Go read already.
[Also see what Mike Prada has written at Bullets Forever, 'Trying to make sense of the Gilbert Arenas/Javaris Crittenton incident']
