2012 Olympics: Basketball Odds + Prop Bets

Our friends over at Bovada.lv hooked us up with the betting odds and prop bets for the basketball event during the 2012 Olympics.

I'm a big fan of straight odds, but there are some interesting prop bets on the board that should interest many gamblers.

I enjoy the historical prop bets that have Michael Jordan's stats from 1992 face Lebron James' 2012 stats. Charles Barkley/Kevin Durant and Magic Johnson/Chris Paul have similar prop bets.

Are you going to put some money on the Olympics? Team USA is heavily favored to win the gold in London, so betting on them would be super patriotic, right? (At least that's what I tell myself)

Men’s Basketball Props

Basketball - Men's - Odds to win the Gold Medal

USA                                         1/8

Spain                                        13/2

France                                      28/1

Argentina                                  28/1

Lithuania                                   33/1

Russia                                      33/1

Brazil                                        40/1

Australia                                   100/1

Great Britain                              250/1

China                                        400/1

Nigeria                                      500/1

Tunisia                                      1000/1

Basketball Men's - Odds to win Silver

Spain                            4/9

France                          7/1

Argentina                      7/1

Basketball Men's - Will USA and Spain meet in the finals?

Yes                              4/5

What will be the average margin of victory for the USA Men's Basketball Team at the 2012 Olympics?

Over/Under                    25.5

What will be the largest margin of victory for the USA Men’s Basketball Team?

Over/Under                    45.5

What will be the smallest margin of victory for the USA Men’s Basketball Team?

Over/Under                    12.5

Will the USA win both the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Gold Medals?

Yes                  -600   (1/6)

No                    +400   (4/1)

Lebron James - PPG for the tournament?

Over/Under                    17

Lebron James - APG for the tournament?

Over/Under                    4.5

Lebron James - RPG for the tournament?

Over/Under                    6.5

Kobe Bryant - PPG for the tournament?

Over/Under                    13.5

Kevin Durant - PPG for the tournament?

Over/Under                    17

Carmelo Anthony - PPG for the tournament?

Over/Under                    13.5

           

Historical Matchups – Who will Average More Points Per Game

(Whole Tournament)

Lebron James                            -2

Michael Jordan (1992)                +2

(Note: Jordan averaged 14.9 pts per game)

Kevin Durant                              +1

Charles Barkley (1992)               -1

(Note: Barkley averaged 18 pts per game)

Kobe Bryant                              -.5      

Karl Malone (1992)                     +.5

(Note: Malone averaged 13 pts per game)

Historical Matchups – Who will Average More Assists Per Game

(Whole Tournament)

Chris Paul                                 Pick

Magic Johnson (1992)                Pick

(Note: Magic averaged 5.5 assists  per game)

Game 1 Lines

USA                 -24.5                -8000               167.5

France              +24.5                +1400

Total Points – Team USA

96

Total Points – Team France

71.5

Margin Of Victory

USA by 1-5                               18/1

USA by 6-10                              10/1

USA by 11-15                            6/1

USA by 16-20                            9/2

USA by 21-25                            4/1

USA by 26 or more                    1/1

France by 1-5                            50/1

France by 6-10                          200/1

France by 11-15                         250/1

France by 16-20                         300/1

France by 21-25                         350/1

France by 26 or more                 400/1

Why "Shaq To Cavs" Could Be Bad For Lebron

The rumor mill is busy tonight with a pending Shaquille O'Neal trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs will send Sasha Pavlovic and Ben Wallace to Phoenix for basically two expiring contracts. Shaq resurrected his career last season and wants to win another championship before he retires. He got into great physical shape, thanks for the Phoenix Suns trainers. This trade is great for Cleveland, but is it good for Lebron James?

Cleveland is Lebron's team from the first day he grabbed a wine-colored jersey. He has been hyped as the "next great player" and a championship would be a given. He has flourished with the talent around him, but never seemed to have enough talent to get him a ring. Lebron has never had a true big man, even though Big Z is a good player, he isn't much of a physical presence in the paint. Shaq will help Cleveland and probably land Cleveland a championship.

Do you remember the talk about Kobe Bryant won a championship with Shaq and didn't win one without Shaq until this past season? All the talk on sports radio and with fans never really recognized that Kobe even won any championships, since they were just with Shaq. Will the same argument be made if Lebron wins a championship with Shaq and then struggles the next couple seasons?

The Cavs do need a big man, it's a no-brainer. The way that Dwight Howard man-handled them and scored at will, even with the offensive post-moves of a toddler. The Cavs need a tall-wing player more than a big man. Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu hurt the Cavs more than Dwight Howard, it's not even close. The backcourt in Cleveland are short and fast, but not physical. If the Cavs made a trade for Vince Carter or maybe even sign Trevor Ariza. A tall wingman isn't available in this year's draft. If Lebron James is Michael Jordan, he needs a Scottie Pippen. It's going to be hard when you 2nd best guard is Mo Williams, a guy who seems to disappear in big games.

If things go rough the first month of the season, expect Shaq to throw out a couple of Tweets that will bash Lebron or Mike Brown. Shaq is a fun-loving guy, but when he's on a contender, he tends to be not so light-hearted. You are always gambling when signing Shaq, I'm not saying that he's like Terrell Owens, but you have to worry a little. The Phoenix Suns training staff is the best in a league and works miracles on guys. If Shaq and Grant Hill play more than 90% of games in a season, you know that they are doing some special. When Shaq leaves the training staff, is he still going to be motivated enough and stay healthy for a full season?

Can a season with Shaq, turn Lebron into a bitter Kobe-like player? If Cleveland wins next season, will Lebron leave and try to win in another city without Shaq? There are so many question marks with this trade. The Cavs are smart and realize that they may only have one season to make a run with Lebron, but I'm wondering if the cons outweigh the pros for Lebron James.