Betting Info for Game 1 NBA Finals

If David Stern and the rest of the NBA minions are smiling ear to ear, hard to blame them, as they couldn’t have drawn up a more perfect match for the NBA Finals. We have enough NBA championship banners hung in the rafters to curtail the affects of global warming in this country (includes those from George Mikan era). For nostalgia buffs, names like Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor have been mentioned, along with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This matchup brings back memories of the old, to go along with making new memories from the present.

Among the fascinating aspects of these Finals, is offense vs defense confrontation. The Boston Celtics were considered the best defensive team in the NBA this season, though Detroit ended up allowing the fewest points by .02. (90.1 vs 90.3) Boston was by far the best defensive team in the NBA according to John Hollinger of ESPN, using defensive efficiency ratings. In fact, according to his rating system, the Celtics are the third best defensive team in the last 35 years, which is how far back all the numbers relating to system go.

This style of basketball would never fly in Los Angeles on the professional level. It works fine at college campus’ like UCLA and USC, however this is Tinsel-Town and the patrons are expecting to be entertained. The Lakers finished fourth in the league in scoring at 108.6 points a game and was the only one among the four that paid homage to defense. Pau Gasol became the missing piece to a surprisingly potent L.A. team. In the 41 games of the Gasol era, the Lakers have been the best team in offensive efficiency in the NBA, which is quite remarkable considering 16 of those games have coming during more defensive-minded playoff basketball.

Another intriguing aspect of the Finals, is the lightly-regarded point differential of the regular season. In the last six years, the team that finished with either the first or second largest scoring margin has gone on to win the title four times. This season, Boston was first at +10.3 points and Los Angeles was third at +7.3 points.
Boston is 7-2 ATS against teams with winning road records (31-17, 31-15-2 ATS on the year) and will have to decide how to guard Kobe Bryant in the opener. In the prior two meetings, they didn’t go anything radical, seldom using double teams and changed on all screens. What they did do is go underneath on screens, trying to do two things. Take away driving lanes for Bryant to go to the basket for fouls and make him a jump shooter. Kobe piles up points methodically when he starts marching to the line. This is what the C’s want to prevent and it has worked, since they are 12-3 ATS in home games vs. good free throw shooting teams, making 76 percent of their attempts since the 42-game mark of the season. Bryant, however, can drain jumpers at an alarming rate when in the groove. Boston will have to take that chance early at home.

Questions emerge about Gasol being in the spotlight, especially with the physical frontcourt players the Celtics possess. Kendrick Perkins confidence has grown with each Boston win, yet is Rajon Rando ready for primetime against Derek Fisher and his bling of three championship rings. Rando has severe quickness edge over Fisher and Phil Jackson will not hesitate to bring Jordan Farmar off the bench to match quicks. The Lakers are 8-3-1 ATS on the road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
In seven games series, a third scorer is frequently a difference-maker along with bench play. Will Ray Allen continue improved shooting or does chasing Kobe leave him with dead legs? Will Lamar Odom be focused enough quarter to quarter and not disappear for long stretches trying to find his place in the offense?

Most sportsbooks have Boston as a 2.5-point home favorite with Total of 192. L.A. is 15-7 ATS as a road underdog this year, the Celtics 29-20 against the spread as home favorite. Though these are vastly different teams from the past, seven of last 11 contests have gone Over in downtown Boston.

Checked with a number experts and the side and the total seems to be divided pretty evenly. I'll pass tonight and look towards Game 2 for wagering opportunity. I did take the Lakers at -190 to win the series.