Magic vs Lakers Game 1 NBA Finals 2009: The STAPLES Center in Downtown Los Angeles will be the sight for Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals 2009, as the Orlando Magic look to shock the world against the early favorite Los Angeles Lakers. For the newcomers, the NBA Finals format goes as follows, and believe me, I think it’s pretty dumb too: it’s a 2-3-2 format. Meaning, that the first two games will be played at the home of the team with homecourt advantage, in this case the Lakers.
Then, the series will shift to Orlando, FL, for Games 3 and 4. And finally the last two (if necessary) would come back to Hollywood for Games 6 and 7.
Let’s not waste any more time with puppet shows and things of the sort. NBA Finals 2009 Odds makers at SportsBook.com have been one of the most consistent NBA Odds providers all season long, including the 2009 Playoffs.
In Game 1 of the NBA Finals 2009 Odds, they have listed the Los Angeles Lakers [-6 or -270 ML] as the Sports Odds favorites on their home court to defeat the underdog/underrated, Orlando Magic [+6 or +230 ML].
The last memory the Los Angeles Lakers have of the NBA Finals, is last year’s 39-point thrashing by the Boston Celtics in Game 6. Perhaps that would explain Kobe Bryant’s demeanor in the days leading up to the NBA Finals 2009: Magic vs. Lakers Game 1.
The 2008 Most Valuable Player isn’t smiling much these days. When you talk about having your gameface on, you talk about Kobe Bryant’s glare: no jokes, no laughter, no B.S. you can tell this guy is ready for war and he wants blood! The Black Mamba has found a prey.
Starving for another title, Bryant can’t seem to shake off the Shaq questions, as everyone assumes he feels he must win without O’Neal to cement his legacy. On Wednesday, he was asked to address his post-Shaq and if he felt he needed to win without him.
“Not at all,” Bryant said. “It means nothing. To me, it's about winning another one, just because I want to win another one… People think Shaq would have won a championship without me on that team… They're crazy.”
SportsBook.com’s OVER/UNDER for tonight’s NBA Finals 2009: Magic vs. Lakers Game 1 has been officially listed at a combined total of 206 points.
With ESPN doing their meaningless polls and everyone expecting Bryant’s former teammate to root against him, the “Big Cactus” set the record straight. “I am saying it today and today only,” Shaq tweeted. “I want kobe bryant to get number four, spread da word.”
How different are these teams? The Lakers have won 14 titles. Orlando none. The Lakers have won 61 finals games. Orlando none. The Lakers have appeared in 30 NBA Finals. Orlando twice. Lakers coach, Phil Jackson has won 9 NBA Championships. Van Gundy (as a head coach), nada.
But here’s perhaps one that will make you go ‘what?’ During the 2009 regular season, the Orlando Magic beat the Lakers twice. How many times did LA defeated Orlando? None. “They've beaten us three of the last four times,” Bryant said. “So we're very, very concerned.”
Nevertheless, the role of ultimate underdog doesn’t seem to affect Superman. “We've always been overlooked,” Dwight Howard said. “We were overlooked in the first series against Philly. We were overlooked against Boston. We were overlooked against the Cavs, and we're still overlooked.
“We don't want to be a team that everybody picks to win, because I think as a young team, once everybody starts saying, 'OK, you're this or you're that,' sometimes you tend to forget what got you there… Everybody picking against us motivates us. It drives us to do something greater."
