Pinnaclesports.com Posts Odds on NBA MVP & Rookie of the Year

Shaq & Nash Vie for MVP While Okafor & Gordon Battle for ROY
4/20/2005 10:09:08 AM

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao, April 20, 2005 -- With the NBA regular season coming to an end this evening, fans everywhere want to know who will win the league's most coveted awards. Although a number of players have had outstanding seasons, the races to win the NBA's Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards both appear to be between just two worthy candidates. The Internet's largest sports betting site, PinnacleSports.com today released odds on which players would be named the 2005 NBA MVP and Rookie of the Year.

In the MVP race, PinnacleSports.com considers two players that changed teams in the off-season 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 percent of all money wagered placed on O'Neal so far. The only serious threat to Shaq for MVP 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. Former league MVP Allen Iverson, Dirk Nowitzki, LeBron James, Amare Stoudemire and Dwayne Wade have all been listed at 50/1 by PinnacleSports.com.

The battle for Rookie of the Year honors is clearly between two former Connecticut Huskies. PinnacleSports.com believes that Charlotte center and second overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft Emeka Okafor is 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 to be named Rookie of the Year. Similar to MVP betting, two-thirds of all the money wagered to date on the Rookie of the Year has been laid on Okafor capturing the award. Orlando's Dwight Howard, the first overall pick in last June's draft, is the only other player PinnacleSports.com has calculated individual odds for, listing Howard as a 50/1 long shot to win 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."

Current Odds: *All Odds Subject To Change*

Odds To Win NBA MVP From PinnacleSports.com

Shaquille O'Neal (1/2)
Steve Nash (6/5)
Allen Iverson (50/1)
Dirk Nowitzki (50/1)
LeBron James (50/1)
Amare Stoudemire (50/1)
Dwayne Wade (50/1)
Any Other Player (50/1)

Odds To Win NBA Rookie Of The Year From PinnacleSports.com

Emeka Okafor (5/12)
Ben Gordon (9/5)
Dwight Howard (50/1)
Any Other Player (50/1)

For a complete list of odds, please visit http://www.pinnaclesports.com.

About PinnacleSports.com

PinnacleSports.com is the Internet's largest sports betting site serving customers in more than 80 countries worldwide. Founded in 1998, PinnacleSports.com was the first sports book to introduce reduced margin wagering using a -105 pricing model that gives bettors up to 50% better value on wagers than traditional bookmakers. With low minimum bet requirements and the highest maximum limits on the Web, PinnacleSports.com has earned an industry leading reputation for providing consistent value to the player, professional customer service and the quickest payouts online. Fully licensed and regulated in Curacao and the United Kingdom, the company offers a secure environment for sports betting, racing and casino gaming.

SOURCE: PinnacleSports.com

Kyle Fratini, +1-212-979-6010, or kyle@kfratini.com, for PinnacleSports.com