Pinnaclesports.com Posts Odds on NBA Season Winners
Online sportsbook opens books on Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year
Thursday 21st April 2005
With the NBA regular season coming to an end, online sportsbook, Pinnaclesports.com, have opened the books on the NBA’s Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year.
In the MVP race, PinnacleSports.com has identified two players as the clear frontrunners to be named the league's best player. Miami center Shaquille O'Neal is an overwhelming favorite to win the MVP at 1/2 odds after propelling the Heat to the best record in the Eastern Conference and first seed in the conference playoffs. Bettors have certainly jumped on 'the Big Diesel's' MVP bandwagon, with nearly 65% of all money wagered placed on O'Neal so far. The only serious threat to Shaq is Phoenix point guard Steve Nash (6/5), who has led the Suns to a 60- plus win season and the league's best regular season record.
The battle for Rookie of the Year centres on two former Connecticut Huskies. PinnacleSports.com have named Charlotte centre, Emeka Okafor, as the clear favorite to win the award at 5/12 odds over his former teammate, Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon who stands at 9/5. Two-thirds of all the money wagered to date on the Rookie of the Year has been laid on Okafor capturing the award.
'Despite a number of veterans having career seasons, while leading their teams into playoff contention, Shaq and Steve Nash have both transformed their new teams into serious championship contenders,' said Simon Noble of PinnacleSports.com, 'The same holds true with this year's rookies where Okafor and Gordon are clearly the class of the draft and have had the biggest impact on their teams and the league.'
