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NBA Finals betting action wraps up on Thursday night from Tinseltown, as the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers meet for the final time to decide who will be the champions of the NBA.
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This series has been tight every step of the way, as neither team ever took more than a one game edge in the proceedings. Los Angeles, facing its first deficit of the series, came out with guns blazing and scored an 89-67 victory in Game 6 to force the do or die, winner take all seventh game.

Boston Celtics (65-40, 48-55-2 ATS) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (72-32, 45-56-3 ATS)
Game Date/Time: Thursday, June 17th, 9:00 ET
Game Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
TV/Radio Broadcast: ABC, TSN, Sirius

NBA Finals Odds: Boston Celtics +7 vs. Los Angeles Lakers -7: Game Total 186

C Kendrick Perkins was knocked out of Game 6 with a knee injury, and he is going to be out of the lineup for Game 7. There is still a question about who will step into the starting lineup, but regardless of who it is, he will have to play better than he did in Game 6. The bench for the Celtics was absolutely embarrassing on Tuesday night, as the unit shot just 15.3 percent from the field collectively and scored just 13 points. The other stars for HC Doc Rivers shined as G Ray Allen, G Rajon Rondo, F Paul Pierce, and F Kevin Garnett all scored in double figures.

For Los Angeles, it was clearly the defense which did the trick. Offensively, G Kobe Bryant put up a not-so-spectacular 26 points on 9/19 shooting. The team only shot 41.8 percent from the field. The difference, once again, was on the glass. The Lakers pulled down a whopping 52 rebounds against just 39 for the Celtics. Three players, including Bryant, F Pau Gasol, and F Lamar Odom, each reached double digits in boards. Gasol had a particularly strong game, as he had 17 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists to go with three blocked shots. F Ron Artest was a star as well. After having a rough series that had only seen him averaging 7.8 points per game, Artest exploded for 15 points, including three triples. C Andrew Bynum, who had just had his knee drained once again before Game 6, only scored two points in the victory.

NBA Finals Insider Tip: The Celtics have covered five straight spreads following a game in which they were defeated by double digits.

It’s hard to imagine the Lakers losing a Game 7 at home, but it was equally hard to envision the Celtics losing a seventh game at home to the Orlando Magic last year in the Eastern Conference semifinals. It was also just as hard to fathom the C’s knocking off the Cavs and the Magic as well in these playoffs.

We’ve ridden the Celtics for the mass majority of this series, and we are going to finish it that way as well. Back Boston plus the points in Thursday night NBA Finals betting action!

My NBA Playoff Prediction: Boston by 3
Source: BetUS Locker Room Featured on: Handicapperspicks.com

BetUS Sportsbook is back with our NBA Finals betting picks for the sixth, and what could be the final game of the NBA season, as the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers duke it out in Tinseltown in Game 6. The Celtics have turned a pair of one game deficits into a 3-2 series lead by winning both Games 4 and 5 at TD Banknorth Garden, and now, they are just one victory away from becoming champions of the world for the second time in three seasons.
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Boston Celtics (65-39, 48-54-2 ATS) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (71-32, 44-56-3 ATS)
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, June 15th, 9:00 ET
Game Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
TV/Radio Broadcast: ABC, TSN, Sirius

NBA Finals Betting Odds: Boston Celtics +6.5 vs. Los Angeles Lakers -6.5: Game Total 187.5

It’s not often that a team can hold Los Angeles under 95 points in four straight games, but that’s exactly what the C’s have done and why they are on the verge of winning the title this year. In Game 5, HC Doc Rivers went under the mentality that G Kobe Bryant was going to get his points and make his shots, but that the rest of the team was going to be held under wraps. Mission accomplished! If you discount the 13/27 and 38 points that Kobe put up in Game 5, the rest of the team combined shot just 35.3 percent from the field and scored just 48 total points. The only man to reach double digits in scoring in purple and gold aside from Bryant was F Pau Gasol, who had a dozen points and a dozen boards.

For Boston, F Paul Pierce played his most important game of the season, shooting 12/21 from the field and scoring a team high 27 points. F Kevin Garnett had 18 points and ten rebounds in one of his best efforts in the series. G Rajon Rondo is back on the horse after a bad Game 4, as he scored 18 points on 9/12 from the floor with eight assists and five rebounds.

NBA Finals Insider Tip: The Celtics are 12-4-1 ATS in their L/17 NBA betting battles against the Lakers.

All season long, the Celtics have been told what they can’t do. They couldn’t figure out how to win games at home. They couldn’t overcome being the #4 seed in the Eastern Conference. They couldn’t stop LeBron James and the Cavs. They couldn’t figure out how to cope with the Orlando Magic. There was no way that they were going to be able to finish off the Magic in Game 6 after losing Games 4 and 5. They weren’t going to stop Kobe and the Lakers in the Finals. Now, Boston is staring two major trends in the face. No team has ever beaten a HC Phil Jackson coached squad after falling behind 1-0 in a series, and no team has ever won an NBA Finals in the 2-3-2 format after losing Game 3 to fall behind 2-1 in the series. That all ends tonight! The Celtics are our NBA Finals pick to win it all on Tuesday.

My NBA Playoff Prediction: Boston by 8
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For the fifth time this month, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics will take to the hardwood in NBA Finals betting action. For the second time in this series, the two teams are on terms. The C’s knotted this series at two games apiece on Thursday night when the bench proved to be the difference in a 96-89 win at TD Banknorth Garden.
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Boston Celtics (64-39, 47-54-2 ATS) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (71-31, 44-55-3 ATS)
Game Date/Time: Sunday, June 14th, 8:00 ET
Game Location: TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA
TV/Radio Broadcast: ABC, TSN, Sirius

NBA Finals Odds: Los Angeles Lakers +3 vs. Boston Celtics -3: Game Total 187.5

The biggest question for HC Phil Jackson and his crew is whether or not the team is really going to able to step up and put its foot on Boston’s throat in this series or not. G Kobe Bryant has certainly played this series as if he was the centerpiece and the only way that the Lakers will be able to win a game. He took 22 shots in Game 4′s defeat, and only connected on ten of them. Hitting six three pointers helped matters out quite a bit, as Bryant led the team with 33 points. Aside from Bryant though, the only man in purple and gold that scored more than ten points was F Pau Gasol. The Spaniard scored 21 points on 6/13 shooting, but his effort on the glass wasn’t fantastic, as he had just six boards. Los Angeles shot 45.1 percent from the field and just 7/20 from beyond the arc. However, the rest of the team outside of Bryant only hit one triple, and if you take out Gasol and Bryant, everyone else in purple and gold only went 2/4 from the charity stripe.

Once again, the winner of this game ultimately ended up being the team that won the rebounding battle. Boston had 16 offensive rebounds and won the battle 41-34 overall. Four of those offensive boards came from F Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who had the game of his career off of the bench. Davis scored 18 points in just 23 minutes of work, the second highest total of the team. F Paul Pierce shot 7/12 from the floor and scored 19 to lead all scorers in green. There were six Celtics that ended up scoring in double digits, including G Ray Allen, G Rajon Rondo, F Kevin Garnett, and G Nate Robinson. The Celtics scored a whopping 54 points in the paint in the victory, which was 20 more than the Lakers managed. The C’s also won the fast break battle 15-2 and consistently kept the Lakers off guard.

NBA Finals Insider Tip: The Celtics are 5-0 ATS in their L/5 clashes when playing on two days of rest.

With Lakers C Andrew Bynum’s knee once again giving him problems, I really feel the Celtics now hold the overall advantage in the paint. That’s huge considering the team that’s won the rebounding battle is now a perfect 4-0 ATS in this series. Doc Rivers has also done a masterful job with his substitutions, and I think he’s done a better job coaching his club than Phil Jackson’s done looking upon his. If the Celtics lose this game, the NBA Finals will almost certainly be lost. Again, I feel as though the Lakers have to feel somewhat accomplished by their games in Beantown. If Kobe goes off for 40+ and the Lakers beat me, so be it! That said; I don’t see it happening.

Back the C’s in NBA betting Game 5 action on Sunday night!
My NBA Playoff Prediction: Boston by 6
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BetUS Sportsbook is back with another round of NBA Finals picks for Thursday night, as the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers duke it out for the fourth time in this best of seven series. The Lakers have to feel like an accomplished team after Tuesday night’s 91-84 victory, as they took a 2-1 series lead and guaranteed that, regardless of whether Boston wins both Games 4 and 5 or not, that the NBA championship will either be handed to them in Beantown, or the series will be going back to Tinseltown for at least a Game 6.
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Boston Celtics (63-39, 46-54-2 ATS) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (71-30, 44-54-3 ATS)
•Game Date/Time: Thursday, June 10th, 9:00 ET
•Game Location: TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA
•TV/Radio Broadcast: ABC, TSN, Sirius

NBA Finals Odds: Los Angeles Lakers +3.5 vs. Boston Celtics -3.5 – Game Total 190.5

HC Phil Jackson will tell you that his team still has a lot of work to do offensively if it hopes to win the NBA title. Shooting 44.7 percent from the field probably won’t cut it, but it’s hard to argue with the fact that G Kobe Bryant shot 10/29 from the floor. No, that’s not a fantastic percentage, but generally speaking, the more that Kobe shoots, the better off the Lakers are. Bryant scored 29 points, coming up just one shy of his sixth 30+ point performance in his L/7 games overall in Tuesday’s ‘W’. G Derek Fisher battled foul trouble all night, but his 6/12 shooting from the floor and 16 total points were a huge boost for a team that struggled at times offensively when its star wasn’t connecting from the field.

Game 3 may as well have been called “Disaster Piece Theatre” for G Ray Allen. The Connecticut Huskies standout only scored two points and failed to hit a shot from the floor. His 0/13 effort, eight of which came from downtown, really crushed the offensive flow of the game for the C’s all night long. F Paul Piece only scored 15 points, while G Rajon Rondo was held to 11. The star was F Kevin Garnett, who erased the memories of two awful games by shooting 11/16 from the field and scoring 25 points.

The team winning the rebounding battle is now 3-0 both SU and ATS in this series, as LA held that advantage 43-35 in Game 3.

NBA Finals Insider Tip: The Celtics are 7-3 ATS in their L/10 home games and are 10-4-1 ATS in their L/15 clashes with the Lakers overall.

Here’s some food for thought: Had Allen not gone 0/13 from the floor in Game 3, the Celtics would’ve shot 53.3 percent from the field. Odds have it, that won’t be the case again in Game 4, but odds have it, Allen will end up playing a game that is somewhere between the ridiculous Game 2 outing that he had in LA and the dismal one that he had in Game 3.

Also, the referees pretty much made it impossible for the Celtics to get into a rhythm after blowing the whistles on them what seemed to be almost every Lakers possession. With a new crop of zebras in the “Garden” for Game 4, I got a feeling some major make-up calls are certainly in the cards.

The Celtics are going to be desperate and fighting for their lives. Back the hosts for your NBA Finals picks as they tie this series up to set up a crucial Game 5.

My NBA Playoff Prediction: Boston by 8
Source: BetUS Locker Room Featured on: Handicapperspicks.com

BetUS Sportsbook begins wrapping up the basketball season with NBA Finals betting action beginning on Thursday night in Tinseltown. The Lakers reached this point in the season by dismissing the Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz, and Phoenix Suns from the Western Conference playoffs.
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Boston took care of the Miami Heat with no difficulties and ultimately also disposed of two of the three top favorites to win it all from when the postseason started in the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic.

Boston Celtics (62-37, 45-52-2 ATS) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (69-29, 42-53-3 ATS) – Game Date/Time: Thursday, June 3rd, 9:00 ET – Game Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA – TV/Radio Broadcast: ABC, TSN, Sirius

NBA Finals Odds: Boston Celtics +5.5 vs. Los Angeles Lakers -5.5: Game Total 191.5

In order for the Celtics to bring back the memories of an NBA Finals victory over LA from two years ago, their “Big Four” are going to have to play like four superstars. This feels like a team that needs to get more production, particularly out of F Paul Pierce offensively. Pierce did score 30+ points in two of the final three games of the Eastern Conference Finals, but 19.1 points per game just doesn’t feel like it is cutting it, particularly if F Kevin Garnett is only going to average 14.9 points per game like he has in the playoffs to date.

Role players are going to be critical for Boston. C Kendrick Perkins is only averaging 5.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in the first three rounds of these playoffs, and he is just one technical foul away from being suspended for a game in the Finals.

It’s going to take the efforts of some secondary players for the Lakers to be called champs as well. C Andrew Bynum recently had his knee drained of fluid in attempt to try to put him in a better condition to play in the NBA Finals than he was in the Western Conference Finals when he scored just 7.2 points per game.

However, as long as G Kobe Bryant is doing his thing, the purple and gold are going to be tough to beat. It was clearly “Kobe Time” against the Suns, as the star of the Lakers for the last decade was up to his old tricks again, scoring 30+ points in five of the six games and nearly recording three triple-doubles.

NBA Finals Insider Tip: The Celtics are 9-2-1 ATS in their L/12 NBA betting clashes with the Lakers.

Boston has been the team that has just refused to accept the logic of, “You can’t do that” all postseason long. This may be a completely different type of task trying to shut down Kobe and the gang, but we expect this to be a very, very close series.

This is a winnable game for the Celtics. However, we think that they’ll fall just short. Boston and the points are still the way to go in NBA Finals betting action in Game 1.

My NBA Playoff Prediction: Los Angeles by 3
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The last time that the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics took the Parquet Court in Beantown, the hosts had to feel as though they were right there on the verge of sweeping away the visitors and reaching the NBA Finals for the second time in three years. However, just five days later, the Eastern Conference Finals are still alive, and the C’s are just one slip away in NBA playoff betting action from having to deal with a deciding seventh game in Orlando.
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The Magic inched just a tad bit closer to becoming the first team in NBA history to erase a 3-0 series deficit on Wednesday night when they took out Boston 113-92 in their most impressive game since the close out game against the Atlanta Hawks back on May 10th.

Orlando Magic (69-26, 55-38-2 ATS) vs. Boston Celtics (61-37, 44-52-2 ATS). Game Date/Time: Friday, May 28th, 8:30 ET. Game Location: TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA. TV/Radio Broadcast: ESPN, Sirius

NBA Playoff Odds
Orlando Magic +3 vs.Boston Celtics -3 : Game Total 189
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After waiting for four games, the Orlando offense finally showed up in Game 5 in the Sunshine State, as the team shot 52.2 percent from the floor and nailed 13 three pointers. That marked the first time the squad had shot better than 42.0 percent from the field or 38.0 percent from long range in this series.

F Rashard Lewis finally made an acceptable appearance as well, as he scored a series-high 14 points on 6/11 shooting. C Dwight Howard chipped in 21 points and ten boards for his second straight solid game.

The key to victories in Games 4 and 5 has arguably been the heart of G Jameer Nelson. Nelson has scored 47 points over the L/2 NBA playoff betting affairs the Magic have engaged in.

Boston fans have to be wondering what is next for their team. The C’s only got three baskets all night long from F Paul Pierce in Game 5.

F Rasheed Wallace scored 21 points, but he has an injured back that could keep him out of Game 6. He wasn’t the only casualty on the night for HC Doc Rivers.

F Glen Davis had a tooth knocked clear out of his mouth and was concussed on the court thanks to an elbow from Howard that, though it was most likely a foul, wasn’t a dirty play. C Kendrick Perkins was ejected after playing just 17 minutes of action, and because his second ‘T’ marked his seventh of these playoffs, he would have been suspended for Game 6 had the NBA not rescinded either of the technical fouls.

NBA Playoff Insider Tip: The underdog and the road team are now 8-2 ATS in the L/10 NBA betting battles between these Eastern Conference opponents.

The bottom line here is that the Magic are starting to play with some swagger, while the Celtics are starting to wonder if they really have what it takes to close this series out. The fans in Beantown might become restless, especially if their C’s ultimately get off to a poor start on Friday night. With the Bruins already blowing a 3-0 series lead to the Flyers in the second round of the NHL playoffs, the TD Garden is going to be on tilt throughout the games entirety.

Orlando will put the chokehold on the Celtics in NBA playoff betting action and shockingly send this series back to Orlando for a seventh and deciding game.

My NBA Playoff Prediction: Orlando by 5
Source: Betus Locker Room

2010 NBA Playoffs: Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics
Free Pick: Miami Heat +4
Courtesy of Mike Rose (Handicapperspicks.com)
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The Heat were never quite up to par with teams like Atlanta and Orlando in their own division, but they were always good enough to stay in the middle of the pack in the playoff picture. Thanks to wins in 12 of their L/13 games, the Heat snuck all the way up to the #5 seed in the East, where they’ll get the most favorable draw of any of the first round underdogs.

The Celtics have to be feeling the exact opposite. They were a miserable home team this season by their standards at just 24-17 SU and 12-28-1 ATS in the Garden this season, and they went just 27-27 in their L/54 games of the year to finish in the #4 hole in the East.

Miami is 7-1 ATS in its L/8 games played away from South Beach.

Remember when the C’s were bounced by the Bulls in Game 1 of the playoffs last season? Can you say “de ja vu?”

Miami has the star power to be able to compete with this Boston team, and in spite of the fact that they lost all three regular season meetings this year, Wade and the Heat can pull this off; even on the road.

Detroit Pistons vs. Boston Celtics
Free Pick: Over 195 (March 15th 2010 – Jimmy Boyd)
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Both of these teams are struggling on the defensive end. Boston has allowed 103 or more points in its last 3 games and defending will be no easier tonight after playing a tough one in Cleveland Sunday. The Pistons have allowed 107 or more points in 3 of their last 4 and 105 or more points in 5 of their last 7. In recent years, these have been two or the better defensive teams in the NBA, but the fact is that they are aging, making it tough to defend on a nightly basis. In fact, these two teams combined for 205 total points with the line set at just 187 the last time they met. With this number still 10 points under the total score in the last meeting, I think the Over is showing some pretty solid value. In fact, we’ve seen Boston struggle defensively down the stretch each of the last two seasons as its veterans have worn down. As a result, Boston is 21-8 Over in home games in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons, and we are seeing 201.3 points scored in these games on average. It is also worth noting that Boston is 18-7 Over in home games versus poor defensive teams, allowing their opponents to shoot 46% or better from the field, over the last 2 seasons, and we are seeing 202.7 points in these spot on average. We’ll bet the Over here tonight.

Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Free NBA Pick: Milwaukee -1 (March 9th 2010 – Joseph D’Amico)
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The Buck’s are the hottest team in the NBA, winning 9 of their L10 SU and covering 10 straight. They dismantled the Cav’s 92-85 on Saturday. All 5 starters are averaging DD”s each game, including Forward John Salmons who is posting 19.2 PPG. When hosting, Milwaukee is 19-10 ATS TY and are outscoring visiting foes by an average of 4.1 PPG. Boston is playing well, but are just 7-16-1 ATS their L24 games overall. They are just not covering the number. The Celtic’s can’t seem to get over on the Buck’s, as they are 0-4 ATS their L4 against them and 1-4 ATS their L5 in Miwasukee. The Celtic’s are also 5-15-1 ATS their L21 games played on 1 days rest, 1-4 ATS their L5 vs. the NBA Central, and 3-8-1 ATS their L12 vs. teams with a winning record. The Buck’s 4-0 ATS their L4 at home, 13-3 ATS their L16 vs. the NBA Atlantic, and 23-8 ATS their L31 as a favorite. Milwaukee wins and covers at home. Thank you.