Heavy action expected on Finals

What the beginning of the NBA season brought was controversy. As the league attempted to quiet a gambling scandal involving a former referee, Kobe Bryant was outspoken in his demand to be traded from the Los Angeles Lakers.

It was a dark time of negative publicity.

But that was about seven months ago. The end of the season brings an entirely different theme, with a classic NBA Finals matchup between the Lakers and Boston Celtics capable of showcasing the league's bright side.

"This has got to be a dream matchup for the NBA," MGM Mirage sports book director Robert Walker said. "This is going to be a great event. I would love to see this series go seven games."

With several days of hype leading up to Thursday's best-of-7 series opener in Boston, the Finals are taking on a Super Bowl-type atmosphere. Las Vegas sports books are posting extensive menus of proposition wagers, and the betting business is brisk.

Walker said he expects a "ton of action" as the wagering handle goes "through the roof" for the next two weeks.

The Lakers are almost 2-1 favorites to win the series. MGM Mirage opened the Lakers at minus-170, and by Tuesday the series price was up to minus-190 at most books.

But the underdog Celtics own home-court advantage in the 2-3-2 format, with the middle three games to be played in Los Angeles. In Game 1, Boston is a 21/2-point favorite, and the total is 1921/2.

The Lakers own two distinct edges in Bryant, the league Most Valuable Player, and coach Phil Jackson, a winner of nine championships.

The Celtics have a set of stars in Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, yet all three pale in comparison to Bryant, the most consistently dominant force in basketball.

"The Lakers are the better team with the best player in the league," Walker said. "But I thought (minus-170) was high for the series."

Mike Scalleat, a handicapper for jimfeist.com, said although he likes the Lakers to win the series, he would not bet them on the best-of-7 line. Instead, he suggests playing the Lakers early as road underdogs.

The Lakers are plus-125 on the money line in Game 1 and probably can be had at a similar price in Game 2. The series line also will be adjusted after each game.

"I have a feeling the Celtics are going to win the first game and then it's going to go downhill from there," Scalleat said. "I think the Celtics will come out inspired to play. They will win a couple games, maybe even the first game.

"If you like the Lakers, you're better off playing them on the money line in the first game. If the Lakers lose Game 1, come back with them in Game 2. But I think after every game you've got to re-evaluate the situation."

And if the Lakers lose the first two games, Scalleat said to consider "doubling up" on them in Game 3. The Lakers are projected to be about 7-point home favorites with a money line in the minus-300 range.

"You've got to lay it sometimes, as long as the line's not too out of sight," Scalleat said.

The best bet in Game 1, Scalleat said, is under the total of 1921/2. None of the five games in the Western Conference finals between the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs went over a total of 192 points, and the defensive-minded Celtics played mostly low-scoring games in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

A Celtics-Lakers matchup is not a complete win-win scenario for the books. Last summer, before Boston acquired Garnett in a trade, some books posted the Celtics' odds to win the title as high as 200-1 and 300-1.

"We lose on the futures on both teams," said Walker, who opened the Celtics at 80-1 odds and the Lakers at 30-1.

Boston swept two games from the Lakers early in the season and compiled the NBA's top regular-season record at 66-16.

When it seemed Bryant was close to being traded to the Chicago Bulls in late October, most analysts doubted the Lakers' chances to even make the playoffs. But Bryant stayed, the Lakers traded for versatile 7-footer Pau Gasol in early February and finished with the West's best record at 57-25.

"It's so funny how things could have changed," Walker said. "The Lakers were bad, and it looked like they were going to lose Kobe, who wanted to go to Chicago.

"Now the Lakers appear to be the team to beat for the next several years."

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.