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Vegas oddsmakers: Knicks would be heavily favored against Kentucky

Vegas oddsmakers: Knicks would be heavily favored against Kentucky

Las Vegas sportsbooks pay oddsmakers handsomely to set accurate point spreads that will split bets evenly on both sides, because without them there are no Las Vegas sportsbooks. Super Bowl XLIX was essentially a pick 'em game that came down to the final play. They try to be wiser than the wisest of guys.

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And so when the Westgate Las Vegas Race and Sports Book tells ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike" that the New York Knicks would be heavy favorites over the Kentucky Wildcats, we should listen, and put an end to this silly debate over a 37-0 college basketball team's chances in the NBA — even against the Knicks.

For anyone who thinks that number is either too high or too low, David Malinsky — an oddsmaker turned gambling analyst — recently told the Associated Press his line would be Knicks by 15 without specifying the rules under which the two teams would play. Consider also the same Westgate Las Vegas sportsbook deemed the Philadelphia 76ers a 17-point favorite over Kentucky under NBA rules back in November.

For the record, Knicks rookie wing Cleanthony Early — whose Wichita State Shockers had their 35-0 record snapped in a two-point loss to Kentucky last season — concurred in the New York Post with most sane people who contend there is no comparison between college and professional basketball.

“I doubt it, I doubt it,’’ Early said when asked if they could beat the Knicks or any NBA club. “I completely doubt it. It’s a different game – in the paint – it’s 10 times more physical. I doubt it. Everybody makes statements they believe in. Some people believe that. I’m one of the people who don’t."

This does not lay to rest an argument over whether the Wildcats could beat an NBA team on a given night, especially since the Knicks just topped the San Antonio Spurs as 14.5-point underdogs last week. The better team doesn't always win, as March Madness fans can attest. But it should put to bed SMU coach Larry Brown's contention, "I honestly believe Kentucky would make the NBA playoffs in the East."

Heck, even Calipari conceded his team wouldn't stand a chance in the NBA when Georgetown College coach Chris Briggs raised this half-cocked hypothetical upon losing to Kentucky by 70 in November.

Calipari knows. He lost 40 more games than he won in two-plus seasons on the New Jersey Nets bench.

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