NBA Finals Betting Strategies

Written by Lucky Lester on June, 10th 2008 | 2 Comments

NBA Finals - Lakers vs.Celtics Rundown

Here we are, where the Celtics have been in two of the three playoff series so far this season - up 2-0 on the road team. The Lakers were supposed to take 1 of 2 from Boston, but they needed a freak comeback late in Game 2 to even have a chance. Like they do, Boston put a damper on the Lakers heroics and walked out of Boston with yet another win. Now the series heads to L.A. for three straight games this week, and few expect L.A. to capture all three contests - but don’t sell L.A. short… Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday in L.A. - check it out on ABC.

L.A. Lakers (1) vs. Boston Celtics (1) (Boston Up 2-0)

Games 1 and 2 Reviewed: The Celtics really dominated both games in Boston. Even when the score is close, it has always seemed to me that Boston is dominating the war. The last 7 minutes of Sunday Night’s Game 2 was really the only time that I saw L.A. playing better than Boston. It will be interesting to see if the Lakers build on that hard fought battle that came up just short, or if they take an even bigger hit because of all the work they put in to finish just shy of a comeback.

Game 1 was a slow tempo contest that ended with Boston proving their worth on the defensive end of the floor. Still, it seemed as thought L.A. couldn’t find any rhythm and was unable to get the ball into the hands of the hottest guy. Boston just moseyed their was through the game, and finished with some clutch free-throws to hold of the road team.

Game 2 was all Boston from start to mid way through the 4th quarter - still the game stayed close for much of the first half, even though it was obvious that Boston was playing much better basketball. KG really struggled to produce offensively in Game 2, especially when it counted most. Boston was on fire from the land of 3, and Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and James Posey all hit huge threes to keep Boston up. The biggest surprise player of the night was Leon Powe who played just under 15 minutes but scored 21 points and shot more free-throws than the entire Lakers team (13-10: he made 9 of 13). Boston was much more aggressive, until they tried to run out the clock midway through the 3rd quarter. The Celtics hung on with some clutch free-throws yet again, and head to L.A. up 2 games on the Lakers. 

Regular Season Series:
04/13/08 LA 91- BOS 106 (Over 198.5)
01/23/08 BOS 107 - LA 94 (Under 204.5)

Playoff Series Schedule:

Gm. 1: Thursday, June 5 (8:30 p.m. ET) - LAL 88 at BOS 98
Gm. 2: Sunday, June 8 (8:30 p.m. ET) - LAL 102 at BOS 108

Gm. 3: Tuesday, June 10 (8:30 p.m. ET) - BOS at LAL
Gm. 4: Thursday, June 12 (8:30 p.m. ET) - BOS at LAL
Gm. 5: *Sunday, June 15 (8:30 p.m. ET) - BOS at LAL

Gm. 6: *Tuesday, June 17 (8:30 p.m. ET) - LAL at BOS
Gm. 7: *Thursday, June 19 (8:30 p.m. ET) - LAL at BOS
*if necessary

Original Series Prediction: “I am the only one that likes the Celtics, and I like them in 7. It will be fantastic, and I couldn’t dream of a better match-up, but Boston has an ability to defend the Lakers that few teams have been able to do. Boston has scorers that can give LA trouble, 1 on 1 and as a team. Kevin Garnett can score at will on Pau Gasol, and the toughness provided from Boston’s bigs off the bench should be enough to keep LA from dominating the glass. I like the Celtics in a historically brilliant series, but it will be close throughout.”

Now: Look out for the Celtics to win in 6. I don’t see L.A. taking all three games at home, not against the best road team in the NBA. Kevin Garnett will play out of his mind in one of these games, and that will give the Lakers absolutely no chance. Coming back to Boston for Game 6 with the series on the line, yeah, I don’t see L.A. taking that contest. I still like the Celtics, obviously, but it might be 6 instead of 7…

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