Olympics Betting – gold or bust for USA Men's Basketball
Online sportsbook odds - USA Men’s Basketball
- Can the US Olympic Men's Basketball team rebound from a disappointing showing in Greece?
- Does Team USA have enough depth inside?
- Has Team USA adjusted to the International game?
Betting sports doesn't get much better than the Summer Olympics when you get to watch a collection of the NBA's finest superstars dominate. Correction-that last sentence should be in the past tense.
The “Dream Team” got a rude wakeup call at the 2004 Olympics in Greece and pissed off a lot of bettors that were investing in them. They looked completely lost on the international court in Greece and even after a 5-0 run through their pre-tournament schedule, there are some serious questions.
The online betting community watched the “Redeem Team” struggle in an 87-76 win against Australia, the team's final Olympic tuneup. The Aussies were without their best player Andrew Bogut, who missed the game due to injury.
There are plenty of potential problems for Team USA. For starters, there's too many cooks in the kitchen. The team is loaded with superstars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard and Dwyane Wade, i.e. too many players who are used to being “the guy”.
Who takes the key shots when the game is on the line? Who are the leaders? Who is the spark plug?
Needless to say, there are inherent chemistry issues. Teams like Spain and Argentina, which have rosters full of players who have played together for years and understand their roles, don't have face that issue.
Team USA shot very poorly from the three-point line (3-for-18) and the free throw line (13-for-33) against Australia. Those two failures were essentially the difference in Greece. Given that the US is still struggling with the same problems, it may not be as confident as you'd expect on the International court.
If that's the case, how comfortable are you laying the juice (-460) with them?
There's plenty of great underdogs to bet on instead. Spain is offering great value at +350. They have Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers), his brother Marc (Memphis Grizzlies), Jose Calderon (Toronto Raptors) and first-round pick Rudy Fernandez (Portland Trail Blazers). More importantly, they have chemistry.
Craig's Pick: Spain +350
For all your online sports betting odds needs, visit the betonline.com online Sportsbook. Be sure to visit the Bettor's Edge daily for the hottest tips, info and Olympic betting lines.
Craig Parsons is an avid sports fan, but his true love has always been basketball. Too short to realize his dream of playing in the NBA, he did the next best thing? Sports betting and covering basketball for a living. Thoughts or questions?
