As you might recall, TNT's Charles Barkley was the first national analyst to say the Nuggets could win a title. As you also might recall, Charles Barkley has quite the gambling habit -- so fierce that he was once sued by the Wynn for $400,000 in unpaid gambling debts, which he probably racked up while waiting for a cab.
But if Barkley's been putting his money where his mouth is -- on the Nuggets, that is, not around whole roasted chickens -- that debt should be all but wiped out. Because despite Charles's enthusiasm and the Nuggets emergence as one of the playoffs' toughest outs, Las Vegas has yet to catch onto the Nuggets. How else do you explain Carmelo and Co.'s undefeated playoff record against the Vegas point spread?
That's right. After last night's win over the Lakers -- for which the Nuggets were five-point underdogs -- Denver is 11-0-1 against the spread in 12 playoff games. So, you know, if you happened to bet $100 on the Nugs' opening-round game against the Hornets, and you let your winnings ride through last night's win, you'd be sitting on a cool $204,800, minus the juice and, depending on who you place your bets with, your legs.
Hindsight: It's 20/20, and kind of depressing! Oh well. There's always Saturday night. The Nuggets, if you're wondering, opened as 2.5-point favorites. Apologies in advance to your bookie.
