The Orlando Magic turned the ball over 20 times Sunday night and when the final second ticked off the clock in overtime they turned over the game as well. The Los Angeles Lakers seemed to want it more. The Lakers ended up winning 101-96 and they are taking that 2-0 series lead into Orlando on Tuesday night. Magic Courtney Lee missed a routine layup at the end of regulation that would have tied the series at 1 game each. You know that when the going gets tough the tough get going. The Lakers seem set for a date with destiny and a 15th NBA Title.

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Although the ball seems to be bouncing the Lakers way Kobe Bryant says there is nothing to be happy about. He wants this Championship as much as anyone but he knows that the series is not over until that final second tics off of their 4th win. They are only half way there and Kobe has been around long enough to know that the Magic will not simply lie down and give up in front of the hometown crowd in Orlando. Although the Magic still seem to be missing a beat they just missed splitting the series in Los Angeles. Rashard Lewis scored 34 points as the Lakers double teamed Dwight Howard all night long.

Kobe Bryant did not score 40 like in game 1 but he tossed in 29, which was just as effective. As the Lakers begin to smell the blood of their wounded victims that 15th Title is looming nearer and nearer. The Orlando Magic on the other hand is still dreaming of that first ever Finals victory. Kobe does not want his teammates to start celebrating yet.

He knows game 2 was too close for comfort and that the Magic are tough at home. If the truth were known Kobe is probably breathing a little easier. But the competitor in him knows that you can never leave your guard down. It must make him a little content to know that only 3 teams in NBA history have come back from a 2-0 deficit in the Finals. The Magic have to be aware of this as well.

Dwight Howard and the Magic may be wounded but some creatures only fight harder when wounded. He says they will have to fight harder to put everything together. The Magic know very well that losing game 3 would almost certainly leave them in a hopeless situation.

The Orlando Magic did not get to the NBA Finals on luck. It has been a season built on heartbreak but they have always found a way to prevail. Only time will tell if the Magic can reach down deep and pull out one more miracle. Orlando is a great team. Great teams find a way to win. But first the Orlando Magic will have to start playing as a team once again.

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The Sportsbook Gazette Weekly Sports Roundup is here. We will take this opportunity once a week to offer a complete overview of the latest sports news all in one article for the sports enthusiast who desires the whole scoop and nothing but the scoop all on one page. Lets take a look at the world of sports today.

NFL

In the National Football League the rumors are still flying about Brent Farve and his possible escape from retirement to quarterback the Minnesota Vikings. The jury is still out as to how much juice Farve still has and the options he could actually bring to the Vikings offense. The Vikings already have a great defense and one of the best running backs in the NFL in Adrian Peterson. All Farve would have to do is control the game and the Vikings could be a serious contender this year. But the potential of Farve coming out of retirement seems slim at this point. Nor the Vikings or Farve are willing to admit Farve is a possibility in Minnesota. More on NFL Betting!

NBA Finals

The NBA Finals tipped off Thursday night in Los Angeles between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic. The bottom line is simple. The Lakers came to Staples Arena hungry to play and the Magic did not. Dwight Howard the ‘off center’ center for Orlando could only put together a 12 -point outing and the Magic shot a dismal 30% from the floor. Orlando failed to get defensive rebounds because they couldn’t get close enough to the basket. Kobe Bryant of the Lakers scored 40 explosive points the most ever by him in a finals game. Bryant was hungry enough for both teams as he did his best to ward off the demons from last years finals when the Lakers lost to the Celtics. The Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Magic in game 1 winning 100-75. The Magic were well aware of their shortcomings Thursday night. Only game 2 will tell if they made the proper adjustments. More on NBA Betting!

Stanley Cup Finals

If you had already counted the Pittsburgh Penguins out of the Stanley Cup Finals you better think again. They approached game 4 in Pittsburgh faced with the possibility of allowing the Detroit Red Wings to go back home with a 3-1 advantage in the race for the Stanley Cup.

The Red Wings jumped out to a 2-1 lead and it seemed evident that this series was heading down the same road as last year when the Red Wings defeated the Penguins in 6 games. Just when all seemed hopeless the Penguins caught fire and scored 3 points over a five and a half minute stretch. The Red Wings never recuperated and Pittsburgh hailed victorious 4-2. With the series now tied 2-2 and going back to Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on Saturday night for game 5 the odds are changing like a woman’s mind. The Stanley Cup is definitely still up for grabs. More on NHL Betting!

French Open Final

Roger Federer needs only to beat Robin Soderling of Sweden on Sunday in the French Open Final to take home his first French Open Title. Watch Roger Federer vs Robin Soderling video!

But that is not all. If he wins he will tie Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam Singles Titles. In addition he will become only the sixth man in tennis history to have a career Grand Slam winning a title from each of tennis’ four majors. Federer has beaten Soderling in all 9 previous matches. Sunday he would like nothing better than to make it 10. More on Tennis Betting!

The world of sports is still unpredictable. The power of competition and the strength of the human spirit still make it hard to pick winners within the shadow of a doubt.

The difference between being champions and coming in the easily forgettable runner up is found somewhere in the heart and soul of the athletes who devote their lives to the sports that offer us so much pleasure. All is as it should be.

The Denver Nuggets haven’t been able to slow down Kobe Bryant and the Lakers so far but they hope their home court will provide them with enough of an advantage to get back in the series on Saturday.  The Nuggets were a sparkling 33-8 at home this season. “It’s our turn to hold serve,” Nuggets coach George Karl said, “It’s a great challenge, a lot of fun. The home court’s been kind of our biggest ally all year long.”  SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Lakers on the Road.

Denver hasn’t played any defense so far in this series, giving up an average of 125 points per game to the Lakers.  Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol have ripped them apart but the Nuggets believe things will turn around on Saturday. “My sense is all year long when this team had its true back to the wall, they’ve responded great and the home court’s been a big part of that,” Karl said. “I think there’s an energy out there. Statistically there’s all sorts of positives that come our way here. We play better defense here.”  They sure couldn’t play defense much worse than they did in Los Angeles. 

The problem for the Nuggets is that they were next to last in the NBA this season allowing 107 points per game. Perhaps the home court advantage will be enough for Denver to make this a series. “I don’t think you’re going to see wholesale changes. They believe in their style of play,” the Lakers Derek Fisher said. “Defensively, I think they’ll play even more zone than we saw last night. I don’t expect them to do too many things differently than they’ve done so far. I just expect them to do them better on their home court.”

SBG Global Current Line: Nuggets  -1.5 , Total 230

The Lakers are only 4-6 in their last 10 road games in Denver.  Here are more NBA betting stats for Saturday’s game.  The Lakers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall. The Lakers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games as a road underdog. The Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Lakers are 19-7-1 ATS in their last 27 road games. The Lakers are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Denver.

The Nuggets are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games as a home favorite. The Nuggets are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 vs. the Pacific. The Nuggets are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Nuggets are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 Conference Quarterfinals games. The favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings between the two teams and the home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

The Over is 8-2 in the Lakers last 10 Saturday games. The Over is 5-2 in the Lakers last 7 playoff games as an underdog. The Over is 7-3 in the Lakers last 10 Conference Quarterfinals games.

The Under is 17-4 in the Nuggets last 21 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Over is 15-6 in the Nuggets last 21 games as a home favorite.

The Los Angeles Lakers will look to avoid a letdown in Game #2 on Wednesday as they host the Denver Nuggets.  The Lakers had little trouble in game one and are wary of the Nuggets coming out hard in game two. “The pressure’s still on us. We still have the pressure to win on our home court, play as hard as we did before.” Lakers’ head coach Phil Jackson said, “It’s very difficult for a team to come back with the same intensity.” SBG Global reports that early NBAbetting has the public taking Lakers at Home.

The Lakers were led in game one by Pau Gasol who had 36 points and 16 rebounds.  Gasol does not expect things to be as easy in game #2. “When Marcus left me, most of the time they didn’t cut off that second man. That second man helper didn’t get there on those rotations to me. I guess they will try to allow us to shoot more from the outside and not get in the lane as easy as we did. You’d rather give up open long shots than layups and dunks.”  The total on game #2 is almost five points higher than in game number one since the teams combined to score 242 points on Sunday.

Here are the NBA betting stats for Wednesday’s game.  The Nuggets are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Wednesday games. The Nuggets are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 playoff games as an underdog. The Nuggets are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Nuggets are 1-8 ATS in the last 9 meetings in Los Angeles.

The Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite. The Lakers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games as a home favorite. The Lakers are 2-6-1 ATS in their last 9 playoff games as a favorite. The home team is 13-5 ATS in the last 18 meetings between the two teams.

The Under is 5-1 in the Nuggets last 6 overall. The Under is 13-3 in the Nuggets last 16 playoff games as an underdog. The Under is 16-5 in the Nuggets last 21 Conference Quarterfinals games.

The Over is 4-1 in the Lakers last 5 games as a home favorite. The Under is 6-2 in the Lakers last 8 Wednesday games. The Under is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings in Los Angeles between the two teams.