NBA Finals Predictions – Celtics-Lakers Game 7 Betting Preview
Thursday, June 17, 2010
by BetUS.com
It all comes down to this. A rubber match from the 2008 NBA Finals has stretched to Game 7 with the Los Angeles Lakers looking to win back-to-back titles at home.
Can Kobe win his fifth ring? Can Phil Jackson match Russell’s eleven championships? Or will the Boston Celtics cause a riot in L.A. with an upset?
The vaunted, and historic, rivalry between the Celtics and Lakers has seen five Game 7’s in the NBA Finals, and all of those have been won by the Celtics.
That betting trend is kind of debunked by the fact that a road team hasn’t won a Game 7 in the NBA Finals betting round since 1978.
Even if you believe that history is in the Celtics’ corner, momentum certainly isn’t. In Game 6, the Celtics were embarrassed by the incredible defensive effort of the Lakers in an 89-67 loss. They also lost the services of starting center Kendrick Perkins, who ruptured his knee early in the first quarter.
Perkins will be replaced by a combination of Rasheed Wallace and Glen Davis, who both play strong defense against Pau Gasol. Yet that isn’t the problem with the Celtics.
The issue I continue to grow more and more concerned with is Rajon Rondo playing like a coward.
The Lakers disrespected him by putting zero defenders on him, and he still continued to make bad decisions in passing. Shouldn’t a guy who is being touted as the future of the franchise, and one of the best point guards in the league, make the Lakers pay for leaving him wide open?
Ray Allen is ice cold since a record setting performance in Game 2. I’ve written ad nauseum that Paul Pierce can’t win this series on his own.
Kevin Garnett is, in my mind at least, the MVP of the Celtics thus far. Rondo’s inability to step up to the plate and deliver the goods is the most daunting element of this game for the underdog basketball bettors.
Boston Celtics (50-32) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (57-25)
Thursday, June 17th --- STAPLES Center --- 9:00pm EST
NBA Betting Line: Lakers -7.0 (186.5)
At one point or another, you just have to be willing to be responsible for your team and no position should be more aware of that than the point guard. It’s a responsibility that very few can handle, let alone thrive in. The Lakers have that guy in Kobe Bryant, who is averaging 29.5 points per game in the series, and is adding 6.8 boards per game too.
For Rondo and Kobe, this is a definitive game and that goes without saying. Kobe Bryant is on the verge of being the best player of his generation hands down with a fifth NBA title well within reach.
Rondo has to learn to take over games, especially in the second half, and he has not been able to make the Lakers pay in this series. I’m not counting two fast break layups in Game 5 because the Celtics were just protecting a lead. At some point, this kid has to take his lumps.
If you remove Rondo from the equation like the Lakers have, what can you expect from the Boston Three Party? For all intents and purposes, this is likely their last shot at a title together. Garnett is doing everything he can to put the Celtics on his back, but he needs Ray Allen to start producing from range.
That’s the dark horse in this game from a betting standpoint. We know Kobe will show up for this game with everything he has. The question is whether Ray Allen can start hitting from distance. He is just 10-of-34 from beyond the arc in this series, and is averaging 14.8 points overall.
I will chastise Rondo till my throat is soar. I will endorse Kobe Bryant as the best player in the game since nobody else (aside from Jeff Van Gundy) seems willing to do so. Kevin Garnett and Pau Gasol will be the most underappreciated players in this series.
Yet I’m having difficulty grading Ray Allen for Game 7 betting purposes. This is the thing with shooters as they age – they’re inconsistent. By the law of averages (I know, it’s a stretch) Ray Allen should emerge as a hero in this game.
You can’t stay this cold from the field if you’re supposedly one of the best shooters in NBA history.
What can you expect out of a 34-year old sharp shooter when you’re matched up against a team like the Lakers in the NBA Finals? At least two great games. We’ve only had one thus far, and that’s why I’m siding with Boston on the points. They’ll resolve their offensive issues. Doc Rivers will tell Rondo to start taking shots.
Most of all, Ray Allen will fuel the momentum engine by finally emerging as the sniper we all know he can be.
Buckle your seat belts, NBA fans. This one’s going to be rough.
Sportsbook_promo Furious NBA Finals Prediction – Boston Celtics +7.0 (OVER)
Related Articles
- Betting on Basketball: NBA Releases 66-Game 2011-12 Schedule
- NBA Finals Betting: Lakers Take It To Seven
- NBA Finals Odds: Boston Celtics at L.A. Lakers Game 7
- Lakers vs. Celtics – This One is Going All the Way
- NBA Finals Pick – Celtics to Win It All
Category
Tags
boston celtics - los angeles lakers - nba finals - nba finals betting
Proud member of the