The stars will affect the outcome of the NBA playoffs

No league hypes its stars more than the NBA, and the playoffs are no exception. Expect to see plenty of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Paul Pierce, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Dirk Nowitzki, Carmelo Anthony, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan and Kevin Durant. And nowhere will you find more NBA player props than at Bodog Sportsbook, the web’s gaming leader for more than 15 years. The casual basketball fan might be getting his or her first look at Durant, who just became the NBA’s youngest-ever scoring champion and is in his first playoffs with the rising Oklahoma City Thunder. Can Durant lead his eighth-seeded Thunder to a huge upset over Kobe and the Lakers in the first round? Bet on it with Bodog’s NBA’s odds. The Lakers haven’t been the same without an injured Andrew Bynum, and the Thunder played L.A. very tough this year, including a win in the last meeting. But a top-seeded team has lost just three times in the first round of the NBA playoffs (2007 Mavericks, 1999 Heat and 1994 Sonics). Perhaps Los Angeles’ toughest test out West will be Phoenix, which was 23-6 following the All-Star break. In the Eastern Conference, the favored Cleveland Cavaliers added Shaquille O’Neal to help stop the Orlando Magic’s Howard, who dominated the Cavs in last year’s East Finals. Despite all the hype around LeBron and the Cavs, who again have the NBA’s best record, it was Orlando – which is 10/3 behind Cleveland to win the East on Bodog’s — that had the league’s top mark in the second half of this season. The young Hawks and aging Celtics seem unlikely to stop another Cavs-Magic East Finals this season. And Cavs fans are hoping that LeBron can bring a title to championship-starved Cleveland, as that city hasn’t won a title in one of the four major sports since 1964. And maybe, just maybe, LeBron will the re-sign with Cleveland as a free agent this summer to try for a repeat. From the first tip of this year’s NBA playoffs to the final buzzer in the Finals, Bodog sportsbook will have numerous NBA game, team and player props and odds to keep even the most devoted NBA fan occupied. Basketball season really starts now in the Association – so get those bets down at the industry’s most trusted gaming site: Bodog.