The Lakers are a 6.5 point favorite with a total of 187.5 at SBG Global.

The Lakers need to win on Tuesday to force a Game 7 on Thursday.  If the Lakers don’t get some other players to help Kobe it is unlikely they will win. Kobe did everything on Tuesday but no one else stepped up to contribute.  Ron Artest missed two big free throws, Lamar Odom was terrible again and Pau Gasol is living up to his label as soft.  Andrew Bynum could be a factor but he is barely healthy enough to walk. Boston is playing like a team that wants to win the championship, getting contributions from a number of players while the Lakers are only getting a great effort from Kobe.

History is against the Lakers as teams that lead 3-2 in the NBA Finals win most of the time.  Of the 25 NBA Finals betting series that have been tied at two, the winner of Game 5 went on to win 19 of them. The only thing the Lakers have going for them is their home court.  If the Celtics expect to win the series they probably need to do it on Tuesday.

Boston has been excellent in the NBA Finals recently. The Celtics are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 NBA Championship games. The Celtics are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games. The Celtics are 12-4-1 ATS in the last 17 meetings against the Lakers. The Lakers are 6-14-1 ATS in their last 21 NBA Championship games.

The Under is 4-1-1 in the Celtics last 6 overall. The Over is 6-1-1 in the Lakers last 8 home games but the Under is 5-1-1 in the Lakers last 7 overall. The Under is 5-1-1 in the last 7 meetings between the two teams.

This game 5 is a critical game that both the Celtics and the Lakers need badly to win! Why? Because it the Celtics lose then the Lakers can end the series in game 6 in LA. On the other side if the Lakers lose then they have dug themselves a deep, deep whole and will they be able to overcome that?

For Game 5 the CELTICS are preferred pick by a small 53.9 % over the LAKERS. When it comes to the backboards the even for re-bounding with the CELTICS 51 – 42 for LAKERS and that data will definitely be a factor on NBA Playoff Betting and the NBA Playoff Odds makers along with the shooting and 3 point leaders. In the shooting stats the LAKERS out shot 45.2 to the CELTICS 44.7 from the court also very close. For the 3 pointers this game 4 the CELTICS completed 4 while the LAKERS made 7 of the 3 pointers from the court. Very close are the turnover stats with the CELTICS having 12 to the LAKERS 15 turn overs? Check out the NBA Playoff Betting lines and NBA Playoff odds!

The major concern for this game for the Lakers is they have some injury problems mainly with their center Bynum. He only played a total of 12 minutes in the last game and that allowed Boston’s biggies the opportunity to score 54 points. If the Celtics can get Ray Allan back on target and get a continued effort from Glen Davis and Paul Pierce they will be tuff to beat in this Sunday night game in Boston.
The Next Game:
The LAKERS at home vs. the CELTICS, on TUESDAY, June 15
Presently basketball Odds Makers have the EARLY lines for the NBA Championship GAME 5 for the CELTICS – 3 and the Total Over/Under 188 and the CELTICS are -155 and the LAKERS are +135 on the Money Line.

With another good game from Bryant, Gasol and Fisher the Lakers will be only one game away from their fifth NBA Title and NBA Champions for the 2nd consecutive season. Another strong player for the Lakers in game 3 was Bynum who scored nine points, but more importantly that he had ten rebounds, a valuable asset in these playoff games.
Check out the NBA Playoff Betting lines and NBA Playoff Odds for tonight’s match up!

For Game 4 the LAKERS are preferred pick by a small 52.9 % over the LAKERS. When it comes to the backboards the even for re-bounding with the CELTICS 41.5 – 41.1 for LAKERS and that data will definitely be a factor on NBA Playoff Betting and the NBA Playoff Odds makers along with the shooting and 3 point leaders. In the shooting stats the CELTICS are expected to shoot 46.2 to the LAKERS 44.7 from the court also very close. For the 3 pointers thus far the CELTICS are completing 5.2 while the LAKERS are making 5.8 of the 3 pointers from the court. Very close are the turnover stats with the CELTICS making 13.5 to the LAKERS 12.1 turnovers. Check out the NBA Playoff Betting lines and NBA Playoff odds!
The LAKERS and the CELTICS Stats:
The Lakers are: 57-25 SU, 34-46-2 ATS
The Celtics are: 50-32 SU, 33-48-1 ATS
The LAKERS lately:
While playing Thursday’s they are 8-2
Before they played the Celtics they were 8-2
After they played the Celtics they are 6-4
After their last win they are 8-2

The CELTICS lately:
While playing Thursday’s they are 6-4
Before they played the Lakers they were 6-4
After they played the Lakers they are 6-4
After their last loss they are 8-2
The Next Game:
CELTICS at home to LAKERS, in SUNDAY, June 13
Presently Basketball Odds Makers have the lines for the NBA Championship GAME 4 for the CELTICS – 3 ½ and the Total Over/Under 190 and the CELTICS are -170 and the LAKERS are +150 on the Money Line.

Boston is a 3.5 point favorite with a total of 190 at SBG Global.

The Lakers won 91-84 on Tuesday night as Derek Fisher continually made the big plays down the stretch.  Kobe Bryant had 29 points to lead the Lakers but he missed a ton of shots.  It was Fisher who won the game for Los Angeles.  Kobe gets much of the credit when the Lakers win but not this time.  It was Fisher’s game as he finished with 16 points, 11 of them coming in the fourth quarter. Kevin Garnett had 25 points to lead Boston while Ray Allen, who had 32 points in Game 2 was totally shut down. He missed all 13 of his field goal attempts and finished with just two points.

Boston got nothing out of Ray Allen in Game 2 and they didn’t get a whole lot more out of Paul Pierce.  He finished with just 15 points.  Rajon Rondo also didn’t dominate as he had in Game 2 as he finished with just 11 points, eight assists and three rebounds.  It was said before this series began that for the Celtics to win they needed Rondo to dominate. He did that in Game 2 and the Celtics won.  In the other two games he didn’t and the Celtics lost.

The Lakers continue to excel getting points in the NBA betting playoffs. The Lakers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 playoff games as an underdog.  The Lakers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games.  Boston is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games. The Lakers are 4-10-1 ATS in the last 15 meetings against Boston.

Looking at the total, the Under is 14-6-1 in the Lakers last 21 games as a road underdog. The Under is 5-1 in the Celtics last 6 home games. The Under is 3-1-1 in the last 5 meetings between the two teams.

After that game it seemed like the NBA odds championship would be a Lakers blowout. But then a strange thing happened, Game 2 was played and the Lakers looked awful. The Celtics played decent basketball but hardly their best performance, yet it was enough to shut down the NBA betting champion Lakers on the road 103-94.

Both teams proved to be mortal in the first two games of this NBA Finals betting series and their weaknesses have been exposed. However, in the first games of this series neither team has played their best basketball at the same time and until that happens it’s hard to say who the better team is.

Boston has control of the NBA betting series now after stealing a game on the road and should be favored at home in the Garden in Game 3. That doesn’t mean the Celtics will win but it does mean that if you’re going to bet the NBA odds you should put your money on the Luck of the Irish.

The Lakers have more talent but are more sporadic in their play.

In order for the Lakers to win on the road they need another big performance by Kobe and will likely bet it since the Celtics really don’t have anyone that can guard him. But Bryant must do more than just score; he’s also got to get his big men involved as he did in Game 1 of this NBA betting series and distribute the ball. In game 2 the Lakers Bigs were active but there was no bench scoring and that must also change in the Lakers are going to win the NBA odds match up in Boston.

The Lakers may not win Game 3 but they win at least one game on the road in this NBA Finals betting series before it goes back to LA.

Rajon Rondo has separated himself this NBA odds season as one of the elite PGs in the league. His regular season numbers weren’t’ mind blowing by any stretch of the imagination (13.7 ppg, 9.8 apg, 2.3 spg), but they were good. However, it wasn’t until the NBA playoff betting season arrived that sports fans realized just how good this guy was and just how important he was to the Celtics NBA odds success.

Yet anyone who watched the Celtics in their failed attempt to reach the NBA Finals betting competition last season knows just how special Rondo is in the post season betting. He averaged nearly a triple-double last year in the Celtics NBA playoff betting action and this year he once again leads the NBA betting in playoff triple-doubles.

He notched a triple-double in Game 2 in LA and was a huge reason why Boston won that NBA Finals betting contest on the road. He finished with 19 points, 10 assists and somehow managed to grab 12 rebounds against 7-foot giants in the paint. Of course, the team was also helped out tremendously by Ray Allen’s record breaking 7 3-point baskets in the first half of the game, but in the second half it was all Rondo.

Consider for a minute that the Celtics beat the defending NBA Finals betting champion on the road with only a 10 point contribution from Paul Peirce (2-11 shooting) and just 6 points from KG.

Normally if you saw those stat lines by Peirce and Garnett in an NBA betting matchup you wouldn’t think there would be any way that the Celtics could win, especially in an NBA playoff betting game. But it’s possible and that’s because of the dynamic play of Rondo. The Lakers really have no one that can stay with Rondo on defense if he’s at his best and if his outside shooters can knock down shots early in Game 3 he’ll be at his best and the Celtics will go up 2-1 in the NBA Finals betting.

Boston is a 2.5 point favorite with a total of 192.5 at SBG Global.

Allen and Rondo carried the Celtics on Sunday in their 103-94 win.  The Lakers were plagued by foul trouble and they simply couldn’t stop Allen or Rondo.  The Celtics got an NBA Finals odds record eight three-pointers from Allen in the Game 2 victory and they needed them.  Kevin Garnett was invisible again and Paul Pierce is not the player he used to be. The Celtics won thanks to Allen’s shooting and Rondo’s all around game and because Kobe Bryant and many of the other Lakers were in foul trouble all night. Now the series moves to Boston where the Celtics have been very good during the playoffs after struggling during the regular season.

Here are the NBA betting stats for Tuesday’s game. The Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 NBA Championship games. The Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog. The Lakers are 1-4-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings in Boston. The underdog is 3-1-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings between the two teams and the road team is 3-1-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

The Celtics are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Tuesday games. The Celtics are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 NBA Championship games. The Celtics are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games. The Celtics are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 playoff games as a favorite.

The Over is 8-2-2 in the Lakers last 12 overall. The Over is 6-2-1 in the Lakers last 9 road games. The Over is 3-0-1 in the Celtics last 4 NBA Championship games. The Under is 5-2 in the Celtics last 7 Tuesday games.

The LA Lakers played a nearly flawless game on both ends of the court in Game 1 of the NBA Finals betting action and humiliated the visiting Celtics 102-89. At that moment in time there were more than just a few NBA betting fans that thought this might be a very quick series and reminiscent of so many NBA Finals mismatches in recent years.

But the Celtics impressive 103-94 win over the Lakers in Game 2 dispelled that notion. Now, with series tied at 1-1 and headed back to Beantown the Celtics are now in control of what is shaping up to be a very intriguing NBA Finals betting battle.

There were several keys to this Celtics win and it’s hard to say which was more important in the Game 2 victory.

Ray Allen played the game of his life, or at least the ‘half’ of his life, when he made 7-8 3-point attempts in the first half of this NBA Finals betting contest and gave the Celtics a 1st half lead going into the locker room. Allen finished the game with 32 points but relatively quite in the second half of the NBA betting odds contest.

That’s when PG Rajon Rondo took over. The gutsy playmaker overcame a fairly mundane Game 1 performance to register the first Triple-Double of his NBA Finals betting career. He finished with 19 points, 10 assists and a mind-boggling 12 rebounds. How a 6-foot PG can grab that many rebounds defies NBA betting logic and delivered a huge NBA betting road win to Boston.

The other factor that helped the Boston cause on Sunday night was the Kobe Bryant’s relatively pedestrian performance in Game 2. Bryant the star of Game 1 and the second coming of Michael Jordan (according to all the major media outlets after his big game on Thursday) finished with just 21 points, shooting an awful 8-20 from the field.

With Game 3 in Boston on Tuesday, we’ve finally got decent NBA Finals betting series on our hands.

The Lakers appeared to be a stronger, tougher team in the opening win over the Lakers 102-89.   With Bryant hitting for 30 points and Gasol for 23 and with 14 rebounds they did a really great job against the Lakers. Artest the defensive stopper for the Lakers is the single new player this year and he was able to impress Pierce (MVP of 2008 Finals) that the championship this year will not be a pushover with the Lakers this year.  On Thurs., Artest opened up and gave $18,000 on two courtside seats for Game 1 of the NBA Finals and gave the tickets away to a fan that tweeted him on TWITTER!  Now that will not have any affect on the NBA Playoff betting lines or NBA Playoff Odds but it sure will on Artests wallet.

If the Celtics are going to rebound in game 2 they will have to show more strength and veteran experience and with a superior defense.  The need more output from Rondo, Pierce and Allen. Also Allen will have to attempt to stay out of foul trouble while guarding Kobe. Also it’s apparent that Pao Gasol was the best player on the court in game One and Garnet spent most of his time guarding him and in the end he was ineffective as Gasol had 8 offensive rebounds to Garnett’s 4  and in total he had 14 rebounds, he also blocked 3 shots a 3 assists.  He also had 10 shots from fouls.  And it appears the 15 year career of Garnett is showing up as he only had 16 points in this game and was outplayed by the Brazilian.

For Game 2 the LAKERS are preferred pick by 70 % over the CELTICS.

When it comes to the backboards the LAKERS are out re-bounding with the Lakers 43 – 40 for the CELTICS and that data will definitely be a factor on NBA Playoff Betting and the NBA Playoff Odds makers along with the shooting and 3 point leaders.  In the shooting stats the CELTICS are expected to shoot 44.3 to the LAKERS 43.4 from the court also very close.  For the 3 pointers thus far the CELTICS are completing 5.5 while the LAKERS are making 5.5 of the 3 pointers from the court. Not very close are the turnover stats with the CELTICS making 16.1 to the LAKERS 12.1 turnovers. Check out the NBA Playoff Betting lines and NBA Playoff odds!

The Next Game:

The CELTICS at home vs. the LAKERS, on TUESDAY, June 08, 2010

Our Odds Makers have the lines for the NBA Championship Game 2 at present for the LAKERS – 6 and the Total Over/Under 190 and the LAKERS are -250 and the CELTICS are +210 on the Money Line.

Credit must be given where credit is due and the LA Lakers played a superb, almost flawless game on both ends of the court in the first game of this NBA playoff betting series.  They played better and they deserved to win.

But if the Celtics would have played up to their potential than Game One would not ended in a 13-point blowout but rather a much closer game with Celtics perhaps even stealing the first game of the NBA Finals betting action on the road.

With the notable exception of Paul Peirce the Boston Celtics looked awful in Game One.  The big men were a non factor, the usually terrific PG Rajon Rondo was pedestrian at best with just 13 points and 8 assists, and the so-called ‘Big Three’ was little more like ‘2 and Half Men’, and even that would be too generous to KG and Ray Allen.

Garnett and Allen combined for 29 points and 10 rebounds.  The Lakers Pao Gasol outplayed them all by his lonesome as he poured in 23 points and 14 rebounds in the first game of this NBA betting series.  Worse, Allen managed just 8 shots the entire game as Kobe Bryant put the handcuffs on him.

And what about the stifling Boston team defense you might ask?  This is the same defense that shut down the two best players (LeBron James and Dwyane Wade). That was in the NBA betting in previous NBA playoff betting action.  Bryant torched the Celtics’ D putting together perhaps his best game of the 2010 NBA playoff odds action with 30 points, 7 boards and 6 assists.

The good news for the Celtics is that there is plenty of room for improvement.  Allen can and will get more than 8 shots off in Game 2.  Garnett can and will get more than 4 rebounds in Game 2.  Kendrick Perkins can and will score more than 8 points in Game 2 of the NBA Finals betting action.

And if these players play up to their potential Game 2 should be a much closer affair.