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NBA Playoff Pick: Celtics vs Heat Is Exactly What We Wanted

Sunday, May 01, 2011

by BetUS.com

NBA Playoff Pick: Celtics vs Heat Is Exactly What We Wanted

By "we" I mean the fans, not the handicappers because from an NBA playoff betting standpoint this series is an absolute nightmare. The Boston Celtics are a team we’ve seen and studied tightly for the past few years, and for the most part we generally know what to expect from them. The Miami Heat boast a bigger problem from that standpoint because of the way their offense is designed.

Either way, this is the series that everyone wanted to see because it has the vitriol to provide us the basketball violence we crave.

You have to imagine that this is the exact scenario that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade wanted as well, especially since they were ousted by the same team in different rounds last season. With their combined forces, the Heat stand a very good chance of exorcizing some demons in NBA playoff betting.

That doesn’t mean that the Celtics won’t be prepared for a dogfight. Paul Pierce thrives in big rivalry games like this, and has pushed his Boston Celtics to a strong 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS record against the Miami Heat. Both teams split the regular season games 1-1 SU and ATS this year in Miami while Boston held the edge in the entire series 3-1 SU and ATS.

- Boston Celtics (56-26) vs. Miami Heat (58-24)
When: Sunday, May 1
Where: AmericanAirlines Arena
At: 3:30pm EST

NBA Playoff Line: Miami -5.0 (182.0)

Considering what Paul Pierce is capable of when matched up against the likes of Kobe, LeBron and Durant you have to imagine that he will come out ready to take over any game he wants. He’s that kind of “keep some in the tank for the big moment” veteran. That being said, LeBron has become increasingly effective at guarding Pierce and held him to 13.5 points per game in their six game series last year when Cleveland battled Boston.

The dark horses in this race are obviously Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade. If the C’s are smart (which they are), they’ll pit Rondo on Wade in the big moments simply because he’s athletic enough to keep up defensively. Allen averaged 22.0 points in the series against New York and that means he’s ready to rock and roll in this series and bolster the Celtics in NBA playoff betting for the second round.

We can dissect the perimeter guys all we want, but this series will always come down to whether or not Bosh can overcome Kevin Garnett. The former Raptor has averaged just 15.0 points and 8.3 rebounds against the Celtics this season, which aren’t great numbers when the Heat hinge on so few players. Garnett might be slower than he used to be, but he’s still a presence that is very difficult to ignore and if Shaq or Jermaine can play a tenth as well as they used to, then Boston gets the edge in the paint, which should not come as a shocker.

I have never shied away from Boston in matchups earmarked as statement games, and the first tilt of this series is exactly that for both teams. They have to come out strong because Miami is a momentum team and given an inch, they’ll take it a mile. Boston has always prided itself on playing stingy defense, and their scoring depth from the bench should help push them over the edge unless Eddie House goes bananas in the playoffs like he’s able to for at least one game.

Still, I’m never going to bank any of my money on a guy like Eddie House. Take the Big 3 in Boston and their strong cast of supporting players to find the edge against Miami. The Heat are strongly favored in NBA playoff betting simply because they have a large public inflation tax from the not-so-savvy faction of the betting community. Don’t get reined in with the rest of the yokels.

BetUS Sportsbook Furious NBA Playoff Betting Picks – Boston +5.0 (OVER)

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