East – West

The NBA All Star game will take place outside USA for the first time ever, as the East and West All Stars meet in Toronto, Canada on Sunday night / Monday morning (European time). The Western Conference team is a favorite again as they obviously have the better players, but my tip here will be on the MVP market – and I`m taking the bet early, as there’s great value in the odds and they will surely drop.

I believe Kobe Bryant will win the MVP Award in this All Star game. One of the Top 10 all time players in the NBA, the legendary Kobe Bryant will play his final All Star Game, as he will retire at the end of the season.

Listen, at 37 years old and with so much mileage on his legs, Kobe is not having a good year. He’s averaging just 16.9 points per game on horrible shooting percentages: 34,9 FG% and 28% from three point range. He’s playing better lately, but still not at his old level, that is for sure. Kobe is certainly the worst starter in this game, judging by current ability. However, this is the All Star Game, which is a friendly game played for fun and for fans.

Kobe Bryant got amazing respect from fans and players in his farewell tour this season and it’s a known fact that pretty much everybody wants him to win the MVP award here. It’s the All Star game so there will be little to no defense – especially since his fellow players have nothing but respect for him. He will get a lot of open looks and he won’t pass them up, as we know Kobe likes to shoot. As a starter (and by far the most voted player by fans), he will also get a lot of minutes, despite his age.

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Lineups:

East All Stars: Kyle Lowry, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Paul George, Lebron James

West All Stars: Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Kobe Bryant, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant

Basically there are just two realistic ways in which Kobe can miss the MVP here. One would be if someone like Steph Curry decides “the hell with it, I want to be the MVP”. Unlikely – nobody wants to be the villain and deny Kobe this chance, especially as everybody has tons of respect for him. The second scenario would be if Kobe just can’t hit his shots. This is more plausible, as he is shooting poorly this season. But, as previously said, he will get mostly open looks and layups, which is a huge difference, obviously. It’s unlikely he will keep missing open looks. Even if he does, he will still get plenty of shots to score his points.

I remember a similar scenario in 2009. It was Shaquille O’Neal last All Star game and he was allowed to do pretty much anything he wanted. He won the co-MVP alongside with Kobe Bryant. And keep in mind that it wasn’t the last All Star game for Shaq ‘officially’, as he played 2 more years, it was just suspected that it might be his last. Circumstances are much more favorable for Kobe.

My tip is Kobe Bryant to win the All Star Game MVP Award. It may seem silly to invest 10 units on one’s individual performance in a friendly game and obviously Kobe might end up not winning the MVP, but clearly the circumstances here are very special, the odds have tons of value, so in my opinion maximum stakes are recommended.

Win or lose, it’s definitely a good bet and a good opportunity. Try and take it early, the odds are already down. Prediction: East – West 145 – 165, Kobe Bryant 35 points.

Pick: Kobe Bryant to win MVP
Odds: 3.25 @ Ladbrokes
Stake: 10
Possible profit: 22.5
Event date: 15 February