NBA Playoffs: Over here and Over there
NBA Playoffs: Over here and Over there
Basketball fans that were expecting to see defense reign supreme in the NBA Playoffs have been disappointed so far. Those holding tickets for the Over cashed seven of the first eight games this past weekend, the lone Under coming home in the Atlanta, Miami game as Joe Johnson and the Hawks cruised to a 90-64 win. Three road dogs also earned upsets, the biggest being Philadelphia's 100-98 win in Orlando.
So much for teams locking it up on defense in the NBA playoffs. In the eight series openers on the weekend, the over cashed in seven times, with the sole under coming in the Atlanta Hawks’ 90-64 stifling of the Miami Heat on Sunday. Other than that, offense reigned supreme to the extent that oddsmakers were left scratching their heads by Sunday night.
The other thing bettors should take with them into the week is the obvious effect Kevin Garnett’s absence has on the Boston Celtics. I think we all put it in the back of our minds when the news hit KG was likely to miss the entire postseason because of his knee injury; we thought of it in the abstract. Now that we’ve seen the difficulty the Celtics had in their 105-103 overtime loss to the Chicago Bulls (+8½) in Game 1 on Saturday, we know what Boston is in for.
Game 2 goes Monday night in Beantown, and sportsbooks once again have the Celts as 8½-point chalk. My estimation is Boston is going to have trouble cashing, much like the San Antonio Spurs for the second game of their series with the Dallas Mavericks. The Spurs missed the injured Manu Ginobili in their 105-97 loss to the Mavericks (+4) in Game 1, and are priced as 5½-point favorites for Monday night’s redux.
The Detroit Pistons get another crack at the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night, but judging by Game 1 it doesn’t appear as though they relish the opportunity. It was borderline impressive the Pistons (+11½) only lost 102-84 in Saturday’s opener, considering how disinterested they looked from the outset. Then again, maybe it’s a sign of a veteran team that knows it has no chance at beating LeBron James and the Cavaliers, 11-point chalk for Game 2.
Cleveland is on a well-documented collision course with the Los Angeles Lakers, who played one half of basketball in their 113-100 victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday. The Lakers roared out to a 62-40 lead after two quarters, then went back into regular season mode en route to the payday as 12-point faves. Los Angeles is giving 11½ points for Tuesday’s Game 2, although my guess is public money will bet that number up to 12 by tipoff.
The one team the Lakers don’t want to face in the playoffs did their part for L.A. backers on Saturday, as the Portland Trail Blazers were waxed 108-81 by the Houston Rockets. Portland has a vaunted homecourt advantage at the Rose Garden – especially against the Lakers – but it didn’t matter in Game 1 versus the Rockets. Houston demonstrated that it was the veteran team in the series in the opener, covering easily as 5-point pups in the blowout. Oddsmakers rewarded the Rockets by installing them as 5½-point dogs for Game 2 on Tuesday.
Even uglier than the Rockets-Blazers opener was the display in Atlanta between the Hawks and Heat. The game started well enough for Miami bettors, with the Heat trailing by only three points after the first quarter. Then the wheels fell off; Miami scored only 43 points the rest of the way, including 25 whole points in the second half. Atlanta rolled to the bank as 4½-point favorites, completely shutting down anyone not named Dwyane Wade in the process.
The Denver Nuggets (-6½) made a statement in Game 1 of their series with New Orleans, slamming the Hornets 113-84 on Sunday night. While the Nuggets didn’t go to the extent of throwing beer bottles on the court (like one fan late in the fourth quarter), they did thoroughly smash the Hornets, who look nothing like the squad many picked to win the Western Conference in the preseason.
Andre Iguodala’s jumper with 2.2 seconds remaining lifted the Philadelphia 76ers (+9½) to a stunning 100-98 win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday, although the payday was well in the balance by that time. It wasn’t at the beginning of the fourth quarter, when the Sixers trailed 79-65 and the cover was in jeopardy. Philadelphia outscored Orlando 35-19 in the final period, as Iguodala finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists for the 76ers.
Basketball fans that were expecting to see defense reign supreme in the NBA Playoffs have been disappointed so far. Those holding tickets for the Over cashed seven of the first eight games this past weekend, the lone Under coming home in the Atlanta, Miami game as Joe Johnson and the Hawks cruised to a 90-64 win. Three road dogs also earned upsets, the biggest being Philadelphia's 100-98 win in Orlando.
So much for teams locking it up on defense in the NBA playoffs. In the eight series openers on the weekend, the over cashed in seven times, with the sole under coming in the Atlanta Hawks’ 90-64 stifling of the Miami Heat on Sunday. Other than that, offense reigned supreme to the extent that oddsmakers were left scratching their heads by Sunday night.
The other thing bettors should take with them into the week is the obvious effect Kevin Garnett’s absence has on the Boston Celtics. I think we all put it in the back of our minds when the news hit KG was likely to miss the entire postseason because of his knee injury; we thought of it in the abstract. Now that we’ve seen the difficulty the Celtics had in their 105-103 overtime loss to the Chicago Bulls (+8½) in Game 1 on Saturday, we know what Boston is in for.
Game 2 goes Monday night in Beantown, and sportsbooks once again have the Celts as 8½-point chalk. My estimation is Boston is going to have trouble cashing, much like the San Antonio Spurs for the second game of their series with the Dallas Mavericks. The Spurs missed the injured Manu Ginobili in their 105-97 loss to the Mavericks (+4) in Game 1, and are priced as 5½-point favorites for Monday night’s redux.
The Detroit Pistons get another crack at the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night, but judging by Game 1 it doesn’t appear as though they relish the opportunity. It was borderline impressive the Pistons (+11½) only lost 102-84 in Saturday’s opener, considering how disinterested they looked from the outset. Then again, maybe it’s a sign of a veteran team that knows it has no chance at beating LeBron James and the Cavaliers, 11-point chalk for Game 2.
Cleveland is on a well-documented collision course with the Los Angeles Lakers, who played one half of basketball in their 113-100 victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday. The Lakers roared out to a 62-40 lead after two quarters, then went back into regular season mode en route to the payday as 12-point faves. Los Angeles is giving 11½ points for Tuesday’s Game 2, although my guess is public money will bet that number up to 12 by tipoff.
The one team the Lakers don’t want to face in the playoffs did their part for L.A. backers on Saturday, as the Portland Trail Blazers were waxed 108-81 by the Houston Rockets. Portland has a vaunted homecourt advantage at the Rose Garden – especially against the Lakers – but it didn’t matter in Game 1 versus the Rockets. Houston demonstrated that it was the veteran team in the series in the opener, covering easily as 5-point pups in the blowout. Oddsmakers rewarded the Rockets by installing them as 5½-point dogs for Game 2 on Tuesday.
Even uglier than the Rockets-Blazers opener was the display in Atlanta between the Hawks and Heat. The game started well enough for Miami bettors, with the Heat trailing by only three points after the first quarter. Then the wheels fell off; Miami scored only 43 points the rest of the way, including 25 whole points in the second half. Atlanta rolled to the bank as 4½-point favorites, completely shutting down anyone not named Dwyane Wade in the process.
The Denver Nuggets (-6½) made a statement in Game 1 of their series with New Orleans, slamming the Hornets 113-84 on Sunday night. While the Nuggets didn’t go to the extent of throwing beer bottles on the court (like one fan late in the fourth quarter), they did thoroughly smash the Hornets, who look nothing like the squad many picked to win the Western Conference in the preseason.
Andre Iguodala’s jumper with 2.2 seconds remaining lifted the Philadelphia 76ers (+9½) to a stunning 100-98 win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday, although the payday was well in the balance by that time. It wasn’t at the beginning of the fourth quarter, when the Sixers trailed 79-65 and the cover was in jeopardy. Philadelphia outscored Orlando 35-19 in the final period, as Iguodala finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists for the 76ers.
