Oddsmakers give Lakers series edge

It's usually easy to make an argument for betting on Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. A difficult task for oddsmakers is to make the opposite side more attractive.

Bryant has been dominant while leading the Lakers though two rounds of the NBA playoffs.

And the respect earned by the Lakers is obvious, because they have put the defending champion San Antonio Spurs into the rare role of heavy underdogs.

Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened the Lakers as minus-220 favorites in the Western Conference finals. The best-of-7 series begins today, with the Lakers 7-point home favorites in Game 1.

"This is a tough matchup for the Lakers," The Gold Sheet handicapper Bruce Marshall said. "The Spurs can take the Lakers out of their game easier than anybody else in the West."

Marshall (goldsheet.com) said the Spurs look like the better bet at plus-180 in the series.

Bryant has averaged 33.3 points in 10 playoff games, but San Antonio's Bruce Bowen is one of the league's best wing defenders.

The Spurs are strong on the perimeter with point guard Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan's inside scoring will present the most severe test yet for the Lakers' Pau Gasol.

Bryant has been supported well by veteran point guard Derek Fisher, forward Lamar Odom and Gasol, but San Antonio's defense will be far superior to what Utah and Denver showed in the first two rounds.

"Bowen will pester Bryant, and Kobe won't find so much room to score," Marshall said. "Fisher is the X-factor for the Lakers because he can be such a positive for them.

"I think the Spurs can attack the Lakers and have some success in the paint. Ginobili is a real dagger thrower, and he can take over a game."

LVSC oddsmaker John Harper said San Antonio is in a "tough situation emotionally" after winning at New Orleans in a Game 7 on Monday. The quick turnaround could work against the Spurs, and Harper said money on the Lakers is expected in the series opener.

"It might be a walkover in Game 1, and Game 2 might be much more competitive," Harper said. "The Lakers should win the series, but it looks like a seven-game series.

"There are mixed opinions on this because a lot of people think the Spurs are over the hill. To be frank, the Spurs are not the same team they were three years ago. They're not as good."

The Lakers, 54-36 against the spread this season, split four regular-season games against the Spurs.