Boston Celtics seek consistency in Milwaukee
The final weekend of the regular season includes a big showdown Sunday between the Bulls and Raptors. But before we get to that contest, there's some Saturday action to wade through. In what may be a preview of a 4-5 playoff series next week, Boston travels to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks. The Celtics are off an embarrassing loss at home last night at home to the Wizards, their fifth in the last seven games.
They paid for LeBron James. They got Sebastien Telfair.
The 21,000-plus fans at the United Center got a little less than they bargained for on Thursday night. James did not dress for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who decided to rest their league MVP in what for them was a meaningless game against the Chicago Bulls. The Cavaliers were already 2-point underdogs as the market anticipated a weaker effort than usual. Without James, the betting odds moved to Cleveland +6½.
In the end, everybody took home something from this game. The fans left happy as the Bulls held on for a vitally important 109-108 victory. Telfair played reasonably well in his 17 minutes of fame, scoring eight points with three assists and finishing the night at plus-2. And Cleveland supporters got paid for the second time in two games. Smiles all around – except in Toronto.
Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks (-2, 190)
Saturday - 8:30 p.m. (ET)
Here’s an interesting battle between the most profitable team in the NBA and one of the least profitable. We should be able to count on both these teams to give it a full effort with playoff seeding on the line in the Eastern Conference. Boston (49-29 SU, 32-44-2 ATS) is tied with the Atlanta Hawks for the third seed; Milwaukee (44-34 SU, 51-26-1 ATS) is tied with the Miami Heat for fifth. That also means we have a potential first-round matchup on our hands.
The Bucks lost starting center Andrew Bogut (19.7 points, 12.6 rebounds per 40 minutes) for what appears to be the rest of the season after a nasty fall last Saturday against the Phoenix Suns. But Milwaukee continues to roll with veteran Kurt Thomas (8.3 points, 11.0 rebounds/40) starting in back-to-back wins over the Bulls (-5½) and the New Jersey Nets (+7½), leaving the Bucks on a 7-0 ATS streak heading into Friday’s road tilt with the Philadelphia 76ers (+4½).
The Celtics were also in action Friday, taking a 2-5 ATS slump into their game at the Garden with the Washington Wizards (+11½) and dropping the game straight up. Boston doesn’t have any health problems at this point, but inconsistency has been an issue all season long. Sounds like time for a meeting. The “Big Three” of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen discussed the team’s problems over dinner last Friday night; Boston has won two of three since then at 2-1 ATS.
Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers
Sunday - 1 p.m. (ET) ABC
The Magic (55-23 SU, 42-34-2 ATS) are locked into the No. 2 seed in the East, but they’re also fighting the Los Angeles Lakers for the second-best record in the league, which would give Orlando home-court advantage in a potential Magic-Lakers finals rematch. Orlando is 16-3 SU and 12-6-1 ATS since the end of February, playing in relative anonymity despite boasting the considerable talents of Dwight Howard (21.1 points, 15.2 rebounds/40) and Vince Carter (21.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists/40).
Cleveland (61-18 SU, 38-40-1 ATS) is expected to continue resting its starters for the remainder of the regular season, if coach Mike Brown sticks to the game plan. Fans are wondering if Shaquille O’Neal (20.5 points, 11.5 rebounds/40) will get in a couple of regular season games to reacquaint himself with his teammates after missing six weeks to an injured thumb. That scenario looks pretty shaky after Brown told reporters there was “little chance” O’Neal would play Sunday.
Brown would probably rather not have to go so deep into his reserves. Guards Delonte West (back) and Daniel Gibson (foot) are both day-to-day, which is why Telfair was called upon Thursday night against Chicago. Even young Daniel Green (you may remember him from the North Carolina Tar Heels) got four of his 95 minutes played on the season.
The Magic bench is completely stocked with talent at all five positions. The Cavs are 2-1 SU and ATS against Orlando this year, but you can throw those results out the door given Cleveland’s lack of manpower. Yes, they’re phoning it in.
The final weekend of the regular season includes a big showdown Sunday between the Bulls and Raptors. But before we get to that contest, there's some Saturday action to wade through. In what may be a preview of a 4-5 playoff series next week, Boston travels to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks. The Celtics are off an embarrassing loss at home last night at home to the Wizards, their fifth in the last seven games.
They paid for LeBron James. They got Sebastien Telfair.
The 21,000-plus fans at the United Center got a little less than they bargained for on Thursday night. James did not dress for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who decided to rest their league MVP in what for them was a meaningless game against the Chicago Bulls. The Cavaliers were already 2-point underdogs as the market anticipated a weaker effort than usual. Without James, the betting odds moved to Cleveland +6½.
In the end, everybody took home something from this game. The fans left happy as the Bulls held on for a vitally important 109-108 victory. Telfair played reasonably well in his 17 minutes of fame, scoring eight points with three assists and finishing the night at plus-2. And Cleveland supporters got paid for the second time in two games. Smiles all around – except in Toronto.
Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks (-2, 190)
Saturday - 8:30 p.m. (ET)
Here’s an interesting battle between the most profitable team in the NBA and one of the least profitable. We should be able to count on both these teams to give it a full effort with playoff seeding on the line in the Eastern Conference. Boston (49-29 SU, 32-44-2 ATS) is tied with the Atlanta Hawks for the third seed; Milwaukee (44-34 SU, 51-26-1 ATS) is tied with the Miami Heat for fifth. That also means we have a potential first-round matchup on our hands.
The Bucks lost starting center Andrew Bogut (19.7 points, 12.6 rebounds per 40 minutes) for what appears to be the rest of the season after a nasty fall last Saturday against the Phoenix Suns. But Milwaukee continues to roll with veteran Kurt Thomas (8.3 points, 11.0 rebounds/40) starting in back-to-back wins over the Bulls (-5½) and the New Jersey Nets (+7½), leaving the Bucks on a 7-0 ATS streak heading into Friday’s road tilt with the Philadelphia 76ers (+4½).
The Celtics were also in action Friday, taking a 2-5 ATS slump into their game at the Garden with the Washington Wizards (+11½) and dropping the game straight up. Boston doesn’t have any health problems at this point, but inconsistency has been an issue all season long. Sounds like time for a meeting. The “Big Three” of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen discussed the team’s problems over dinner last Friday night; Boston has won two of three since then at 2-1 ATS.
Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers
Sunday - 1 p.m. (ET) ABC
The Magic (55-23 SU, 42-34-2 ATS) are locked into the No. 2 seed in the East, but they’re also fighting the Los Angeles Lakers for the second-best record in the league, which would give Orlando home-court advantage in a potential Magic-Lakers finals rematch. Orlando is 16-3 SU and 12-6-1 ATS since the end of February, playing in relative anonymity despite boasting the considerable talents of Dwight Howard (21.1 points, 15.2 rebounds/40) and Vince Carter (21.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists/40).
Cleveland (61-18 SU, 38-40-1 ATS) is expected to continue resting its starters for the remainder of the regular season, if coach Mike Brown sticks to the game plan. Fans are wondering if Shaquille O’Neal (20.5 points, 11.5 rebounds/40) will get in a couple of regular season games to reacquaint himself with his teammates after missing six weeks to an injured thumb. That scenario looks pretty shaky after Brown told reporters there was “little chance” O’Neal would play Sunday.
Brown would probably rather not have to go so deep into his reserves. Guards Delonte West (back) and Daniel Gibson (foot) are both day-to-day, which is why Telfair was called upon Thursday night against Chicago. Even young Daniel Green (you may remember him from the North Carolina Tar Heels) got four of his 95 minutes played on the season.
The Magic bench is completely stocked with talent at all five positions. The Cavs are 2-1 SU and ATS against Orlando this year, but you can throw those results out the door given Cleveland’s lack of manpower. Yes, they’re phoning it in.
