Brandon Lang
Saturday ...
15 Dime Celtics - Not sold on the defending Eastern Conference champs bowing out as easily as everyone believes. Do you realize the odds to win the NBA title never wavered when the announcement about Kevin Garnett came out? Not one bit, and that's because of the experience this team has, and the stars that are on this team.
Let's not forget that Boston enters the postseason on runs of 12-2 straight-up and 9-5 against the books, while it has won nine consecutive home games. And since the Celtics are a perfect 4-0 both SU and ATS the last four times they've hosted Chicago the past two seasons, winning by margins of 18, 16, 23 and 25 points, and the fact the favorite is 6-1 in the last seven series meetings.
15 Dime Cavaliers - Cleveland has all the momentum in the world right now, and with a presumable collision course with L.A. looming, I don't see LeBron James opening the playoffs with anything less than spectacular today. The Cavaliers were 39-2 straight up and 28-13 against the spread at home this past regular season. And keep this in mind, the straight-up losses came against the Lakers and in the season finale against the Sixers ... the latter of which four Cavaliers regulars didn’t suit up, including James.
Back to full strength, nothing will stop this team, not even a Pistons squad that has made it to six straight Eastern Conference Finals. Cleveland was an impressive 10-3 versus the books in the playoffs last season, including a stellar 5-1 ATS at home. On the other hand, the Pistons hobble into the postseason on slides of 0-3 on the hardwood and 0-4 against the number. The Cavaliers have covered 11 of the last 16 meetings with Detroit, and that included a 5-2 run in Cleveland. Finally, the favorite is on an 8-1 ATS the last nine battles, so lay the chalk with the No. 1 seed.
15 Dime Mavericks - Meeting for the fourth time in the postseason since 2001, these two Texas rivals might finally be the closest they’ve ever been at this point. The Spurs obviously have the more impressive postseason resume, sporting three NBA titles, but the absence of injured swingman Manu Ginobili levels the playing field a tad. Both teams roll into the postseason playing well, as Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki is peaking at the right time, and since the health of Tim Duncan remains a question for the Spurs, could very well give Dallas the advantage in this Texas tussle.
The Mavericks certainly have the stronger bench, led by Jason Terry, and that’s an intangible that will come into play late in the game when the physicality of this rivalry kicks in. The underdog has covered 15 of the last 20 meetings, while the road team is on a 14-6 ATS run. With veteran Jason Kidd running the show, the Mavs have a strong chance to steal Game 1. They come in on a 9-2 spread streak the last 11 times they’ve been to San Antonio, so I’ll grab the points with the Mavs.
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