posted July 29, 2008 at 17:01 in NBA Betting Trends
2008 Olympic Basketball Odds
While most members of the BetUS basketball online sports wagering community already know that the U.S. Men’s team is highly favored to win the Gold Medal in the upcoming 2008 Summer Olympics.
The fact of the matter is that nothing will be handed to the American team and the possibility of an upset occurring legitimately exists – no matter how slim that chance may be.
Here is a look at the 2008 Olympic Basketball Odds in the BetUS Sportsbook, followed by my brief comments on each team’s respective chances and overall analysis on which team I believe will actually hoist the Gold Medal at the conclusion of what is shaping up to be a thrilling Olympic basketball showdown.
Here is a look at each of the draws for the 2008 Men’s Olympic Basketball Tournament and the two opening preliminary rounds for each Group.
Group A: Argentina, Australia, Croatia, Iran, Lithuania and Russia
Group B: Angola, China, Germany, Greece, Spain and USA
10th August 2008
Game 7 (9:00 hours): Russia vs. Iran
Game 8 (11:15 hours): Germany vs. Angola
Game 9 (14:30 hours): Spain vs. Greece
Game 10 (16:45 hours): Lithuania vs. Argentina
Game 11 (20:00 hours): Australia vs. Croatia
Game 12 (22:15 hours): USA vs. China
12th August 2008
Game 19 (9:00 hours): Iran vs. Lithuania
Game 20 (11:15 hours): Croatia vs. Russia
Game 21 (14:30 hours): Greece vs. Germany
Game 22 (16:45 hours): China vs. Spain
Game 23 (20:00 hours): Angola vs. USA
Game 24 (22:15 hours): Argentina vs. Australia
Online Odds To Win Men’s Basketball Gold Medal
USA -325
The U.S. team seems very for real this time around. Still, I’m not convinced about their big men one iota.
Spain +350
NBA players Pau and Marc Gasol, Jorge Garbajosa, Juan Carlos Navarro and Rudy Fernandez will definitely be a tough out.
Argentina +700
Manu Ginobili, Andres Nocioni, Fabricio Oberto and Carlos Delfino are just four of the players on Argentina’s roster that make them very, very dangerous.
Russia +1000
Utah Jazz star Andrei Kirilenko doesn’t have much help at all, though the team has at least four players 6-10 or taller.
Greece +1500
They share the ball and play the right way as Larry Brown is fond of saying. Not enough talent here to get the job done though.
Lithuania +1500
I love Denver Nuggets forward Leinas Kleiza and Wizards forward Darius Songaila is pretty good too, but that’s about it for this team.
China +6500
If China’s backcourt can surprise, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian and even Wang Zhizhi can definitely get the job done against any country’s ‘bigs.’
Australia +25000
Andrew Bogut leads an uninspiring group of teammates from ‘Down Under.’
Germany +25000
The Germans have a whopping four seven footers on the roster, led by Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman. Too bad the rest of their players are mostly stiffs.
Iran +100000
I won’t make any stupid international jokes here. Let’s just say this team has no chance whatsoever.
Analysis: While I have to admit that the American team is looking extremely focused under head coach Mike Krzyzewski and are my pick o to take home the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal, I will also admit that several other teams have more than a passing chance at upsetting the U.S., most notably, Spain and Argentina, both of whom possess, not only a ton of NBA-level talent, but a better overall sense of team play than the U.S. has shown since the original 1992 ‘Dream Team.’
Call me crazy, but I would not be shocked to see the U.S. bounced unceremoniously out of its supposed ‘Gold Medal’ guarantee.
