Magic Are NBA Team To Bet On In 2010-11
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Editor's note: Neon Tommy does not condone gambling where it is illegal. If you're going to bet, do it the right way: in a Vegas sports book surrounded by your closest friends and scores of half-naked women. Personally, I recommend Lagasse Stadium but that's just me.
I've always told friends not to put money on the NBA after hearing ESPN gambling analyst Chad Millman say on the Bill Simmons podcast that it's the riskiest proposition of the four major sports. But if you have your heart set on doing it, the Orlando Magic are your best bet.
The Magic may not be the sexiest pick -- the Lakers and Heat are the Megan Fox and Eva Mendes of the NBA right now; Orlando is Arianny Celeste, the sneaky hot girl no one is talking about -- but no team has been consistently better against the spread than them in recent years.
Last season, Dwight Howard and Co. went 45-33-4 against the spread. The year before that? 49-32-1. The year before that? 51-29-2.
That's 145-94-7 over a three-year period.
No other team can touch that.
Not the Celtics (128-115-3). Not the Cavaliers (123-121-2). Not even the two-time defending champion Lakers (123-119-4).
The Magic are the Arcade Fire of NBA gambling: underrated and underpublicized, but you can't go wrong with them. They're consistently dominant.
And you can expect the same to hold true this season.
Orlando returns the majority of a roster that went 59-23 last season and was Top 10 in scoring, opponent scoring, field goal percentage, lopponent field goal percentage, rebounding and 3-pointers made.
They lost veteran sub Matt Barnes to the Lakers, but their starting lineup remains intact and they still have their ace in the hole: Howard, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Plus they added point guard Chris Duhon to the mix, which should clear up one of their most glaring weaknesses last season -- they ranked 25th in the league in assists.
Vince Carter's presence ensures an earlier than expected postseason exit, so drop the Magic like a Stan Van Gundy heart attack reference once they hit the playoffs, but during the season they're as close to a sure thing as there is in the NBA.
If you're going to bet on one team to win one game this season, I recommend the Magic.
All gambling stats courtesy of BetUS.com.
To reach editor Patrick Crawley, click here.
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