Bet On NBA Basketball – Celtics Waiting For The Rest Of The East To Catch Up
A lot of sports betting players counted Boston out at the beginning of the playoffs, but as of Tuesday, it’s the Celtics who has earned a few days of rest with a sweep in the first round, although they probably won’t have to wait long to see who they play next as all three of the other matchups are at three games to one.
Pacers Bulls Betting
This has been a much closer series than anyone expected as the Bulls take a 3-1 lead into Tuesday night’s game at home, and all four games so far have been decided by six points or less. Both teams have been struggling from the floor as the Bulls have shot 39.8% from the field, while the Pacers have shot 41.3%, and both starting point guards have been dealing with ailing ankles as Darren Collison bounced back from getting hurt in Game 2, while Derrick Rose played through the pain in Game 4. Even though the league’s probable MVP was seen in a walking boot between Games 4 and 5, Rose will be on the court on Tuesday night.
The Pacers have done an excellent job against Rose, despite his 28.3 points as Rose is shooting 35.2% from the field and 17.2% from three-point land. Carlos Boozer has also struggled from the field and you could argue that he’s being outplayed by Indiana’s Tyler Hansbrough. However, Chicago’s defense has carried them through this series, and it’s probably going to be enough to lift the Bulls to the second round.
76ers Heat Betting
The Heat head into Wednesday’s NBA betting matchup against the 76ers with a 3-1 series lead, and even though Miami will likely go on to win this series, it’s still worrying that they can’t close out in tight games. In Game 4’s 86-82 loss, the Heat had problems with late-game execution in the offensive zone, and once again, LeBron James missed a shot with the game on the line. James is now 1-of-10 in those situations, and we’re not even sure that Dwyane Wade is the answer, either. It’s a team sport and when either of those two have the ball, the rest of the Heat stand around and watch; no backdoor cuts, no picks being set. There has to be movement on the court so the Heat don’t always have to try for the hero shot.
That being said, they should roll through the 76ers at home on Wednesday night, but Philadelphia should receive credit for even staying with Miami. This has been a close series outside of Miami’s 21-point rout in Game 2, and the 76ers have been giving the Heat headaches. They won’t win the series, but Philadelphia fans should feel positive about the future of the team, if they can add a couple more pieces.
Knicks Celtics Betting
New York’s plan is to try and outscore teams, because their attention to defense, or lack of it, isn’t that great. But what happens when you run into a team that can play defense? Boston held the Knicks under 100 points in all four games of their first-round sweep, and the Knicks couldn’t make the key stops they needed to make when it was necessary. NBA betting players also saw the Rajon Rondo that has been a major factor of the Celtics’ playoff success over the past couple seasons as the point guard averaged 19.0 points, 12.0 assists and 7.3 rebounds, including a marvelous performance in Game 3 in which he put up 15 points, 11 boards and 20 assists. As much as people talked about the Celtics looking old down the stretch, and especially after the trade of Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City, the playoffs are here, which means the road through the East still has to go through Boston.
The Knicks have a lot to work on in the offseason. Their defense is awful, which is a statement that could be made about all of Mike D’Antoni’s teams, but we don’t know if the coach will be back. We don’t know if general manager Donnie Walsh will be back, or Chauncey Billups, either. And can Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire co-exist offensively? The Knicks took a big step this season, but they still have to figure some things out in order to be a threat in the playoffs.
Hawks Magic Betting
The Hawks take a 3-1 lead into Tuesday’s Game 5 in Orlando, and they’re playing like a team that was embarrassed by the Magic in last year’s playoffs, which of course, they are. They’ve come up with a plan: let Dwight Howard get his points and guard the rest of the Magic, and it’s working as Howard has averaged 32.3 points and 17.5 boards, while shooting 66.7% from the field (and even 68% from the foul line). However, the Magic are shooting 40.3% as a team, and they’re hitting their three-point shots at a miserable 21.9% clip. Words can’t express how bad Hedo Turkoglu has been in this series, to the point that coach Stan Van Gundy called him out for an atrocious late-game play in Game 4’s loss in Atlanta.
Jamal Crawford has stepped up as the guy who takes the big shots for Atlanta, and he’s scoring 24.0 points off the bench, which is more than the entire Orlando bench combined. Joe Johnson has settled into the role of Batman quite nicely, although he’s the one who signed the only max deal in the NBA during the free-agent sweepstakes of 2010. Either way, Atlanta probably doesn’t care who is making the shots; as long as the Hawks continue to play like this, they could be a solid darkhorse wager in your online betting book
