The first NBA BEST BET for the month of June is tonight's Finals TOTAL featured in the GUARANTEED section and backed by a 13-4 season-long database angle!!!

"1 UNIT" NBA FINALS GAME TWO SIDE (Magic +6' at Lakers in a 8:05 eastern tipoff on ABC): Considering that the Lakers were humiliated by 39 points the last time they made an NBA Championship series appearance, Thursday's result did not come as a complete shock. But it is worth noting that going into Thursday, the Lakers in the NBA Finals (0-10-1 ATS) had been a financial disaster. Despite dominating on the scoreboard, I find it interesting that the oddsmakers did not radically adjust the price tag for this evening. One of the reasons why they did not adjust the price was due to the fact that Orlando actually won the opening quarter Thursday before folding. The turning point to the contest was in the second stanza when starting point guard Rafer Alston sat in favor of All Star Jameer Nelson who was making his first appearance since sustaining a major shoulder injury in the beginning of February.

I am confident that Orlando head coach Stan Van Gundy will make an adjustment in Nelson's overall minutes this evening which should make the Magic more competitive. One could argue that Orlando has the much stronger BENCH which has been bolstered by Nelson's arrival. During the Eastern Conference Finals Mickael Pietrus was effective both offensively and defensively and he certainly has faced the Lakers enough after originally being a pair of the Golden State Warriors roster. On paper it would appear that we have a coaching mismatch in the NBA Finals where Phil Jackson has ruled for decades. Of course Jackson's teams have been automatic after winning game-one, having won 43 different playoff series. Jackson has had the benefit of coaching both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant which is something that Stan Van Gundy could only dream of. One of the keys to being successful in the playoffs is having a head coach that can make the necessary adjustments on the fly and I am confident that Van Gundy who is a stickler for detailed PREPARATION can do that. Van Gundy actually has a Los Angeles connection in that he learned his craft as an assistant under Pat Riley for eight years and that is the same Riley who used to coach the Lakers version of "showtime". Orlando is certainly due to win an NBA Finals contest after getting swept by Houston back in 1995 when the team was led by Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway.

Of course the Magic have made a second championship series appearance with the help of a dominant center and I am sure Dwight Howard learned a lot from his initial appearance in the Finals spotlight. The bottom line is that Orlando had a WINNING record during the season against NBA elite teams like the Lakers, Cavaliers, Celtics and Nuggets. That is why the Magic have been a great investment when cast as an underdog (18-8 ATS) this campaign. Going into Thursday's tilt that Magic were UNDEFEATED where it counts for the season (10-0 ATS) when facing opposition from the NBA Pacific Division. In the past two years Orlando is an outstanding 14-3 ATS when shaking off a "double digit" road loss!

NBA Best Bet TOTAL (Magic/Lakers) in the GUARANTEED section!!!