Denver Nuggets Skeptic

The Line on Denver

(Covers) Odds to win Series: Spurs -600, Nuggets +400.

The oddsmakers like the Spurs in this series, and for most of this season, the experts have been right. Yet the Spurs are only 1 game above .500 on the road this season; against the other 7 Western Conference playoff teams they are a highly suspect 5-14 on the road.

This is a very emotional series, and as such, if Denver wins Game 2 then the winning money is probably going to be at odds with Denver fans. But if the Spurs win, look for an overreaction the other way and try to get a better price on Denver.

The Line According to Knickerblogger

(Knickerblogger) NBA experts, bloggers and writers were asked to submit their picks on who would win each NBA playoff series and in how many games. No one picked Denver to win, with seven picking SA in 6 games, four picking the series to go the distance, and three predicting a sweep.

Spurs Heavy Favorites

(Sportsbook) The odds are in on the first round of the 2005 NBA Playoffs and the San Antonio Spurs are big -500 favorites over the Denver Nuggets. The Spurs are also the favorites to win their third title at 12-5 odds.

After San Antonio, Sportsbook.com has listed Miami (13-5), Phoenix (4-1) and defending champions Detroit (9-2) as leading title contenders. Denver is listed at 22-1 to win the championship and are a +400 underdog in their opening round series against the Spurs.

Peter Childs of Sportsbook remarks:

"...This is a great series because it showcases maybe the best player in the game right now, Tim Duncan, against one of the rising stars in basketball in Carmelo Anthony. With Duncan coming off an injury we expect there to be a lot of betting action on this series."