2008 NBA Finals Pick - Game Four
June 12, 2008
The Lakers were able to sneak out a victory in Game 3 of the NBA Finals and now they have a chance to even the series at 2-2 before heading back to Boston for Game 5. The Lakers were able to pull away during parts of Game 2, but they could never manage to hold the big lead. The line for Thursday’s game still favors the Lakers by 7.5 points, so odds-makers obviously still think the Lakers have enough in the tank to win handily. I think that Tuesday’s win was a big step in the right direction for the Lakers, but it also threw up several warning flags. If Kobe can’t perform down the stretch, or his misses a few free throws earlier in the game, the Celtics would have a 3-0 lead. That obviously did not happen, but it doesn’t bode well for L.A. The line is still too high for this match-up in my opinion, we will stay on the Celtics for Game Four though the Lakers still have a good chance to win the game, just not by 8 points.
NBA Finals Pick - Game Four: Boston Celtics +7.5
Popularity: 47% [?]
2008 NBA Finals Pick - Game 3
June 10, 2008
With the Lakers down 0-2 in the NBA Finals, they find themselves in a must-win situation in Game 3. The Celtics, on the other hand, certainly don’t want to hand the Lakers a couple of wins in L.A. and give up their momentum in the Finals overall. As it has gone in the Playoffs for the most part this season, the home team has dominated the win column. Boston, as much as any other team, has shown that they tend to struggle on the road, but they did grab huge wins in Detroit to get to the Finals. The Lakers really have their backs against the wall, and while I think they pick up the win to get the series to 1-2, I don’t see them covering the 9.5 points that Vegas is giving them.
NBA Finals - Game 3 Pick: Boston Celtics +9.5
Popularity: 54% [?]
Game 1 NBA Finals Pick-2008 NBA Championship
June 5, 2008
This year’s NBA finals pits two of the league’s most storied and successful franchises against each other. The Lakers and Celtics will get this epic duel started Thursday night in Boston. Both teams took different, but equally impressive paths to get here.
Boston is coming off of a storybook type of year. They made the best off-season acquisitions of any NBA team before the 2008 season, bringing together somewhat of a dream team brining in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to combine with the already explosive Paul Pierce. There was a lot of speculation, my favorite being that “there won’t be enough basketballs to go around”. The Celtics have proved that theory couldn’t have been more wrong. What pundits didn’t care to observe is that guys like Garnett and Allen have played long enough on unsuccessful teams to realize that if they are the only one on the team taking and making shots, they aren’t going to win. The whole team has adopted a team mentality and with the star power that they have, this is a very dangerous Celtics squad.
The Lakers finally built a good team around the NBA’s best player, Kobe Bryant. They’ve done some good work getting players like Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum (who was unfortunately hurt for the latter part of the season), but the real gem has been Pau Gasol. Gasol is the type of guy that can take some pressure off Kobe because of his scoring ability, but he’s also a good defender, good rebounder, and moves the ball well. The combination has worked superbly so far, but the Lakers face a big challenge ahead in the finals.
NBA Finals - Game 1 Pick: Boston Celtics -2.5
Popularity: 60% [?]
NBA Eastern Conference Finals Pick - Celtics vs Pistons
May 30, 2008
The stage for game six of the Eastern Conference finals is set. The Celtics have a chance to end the series in Detroit Friday night. Can the Celtics pull it off, or will they need a game seven in Boston to try to finish the job? For Friday, May 30th we’ll take a quick look at the game and give you our prediction for the game.
Boston Celtics @ Detroit Pistons
The Celtics hold the 3-2 game lead, but you certainly don’t get the sense they are dominating the series. I’m sure Boston would love to finish the Pistons off Friday night, but this is a Detroit team that still has a lot of pride. If you ask me, the Pistons win a decisive victory on Friday, then the Celtics finish them off for good back in Boston on Sunday.
Pick: Detroit Pistons +5
Popularity: 65% [?]
NBA - Western Conference Finals Game 5 Pick
May 29, 2008
The Lakers picked up a big win in game 4 of the Western Conference Finals beating the Spurs in San Antonio and taking a 3-1 series lead. The Spurs have dug themselves a hole that is going to be very difficult to climb out of. Their task becomes even tougher when you consider that the Lakers are a perfect 7-0 in this year’s playoffs. The line on the game has been set at eight points.
San Antonio Spurs @ LA Lakers
The Lakers have put themselves in perfect position to earn a trip to the NBA Finals, and there’s no reason they should not accomplish that feat. The only real question for the rest of the series (which may only last one more game) is whether or not the Spurs can make it close. I am speculating, of course, but I think that the Spurs still feel like they have a chance in the series. If they can pick up a win in game five, they at least have a chance to get back to San Antonio for a chance to tie up the series. Along those same lines, the Lakers certainly don’t want to allow the Spurs back in this thing. An LA win Thursday night ends the series for the Lakers on their home court, which is exactly what I’m predicting they will do. Motivation is always a strong factor in picking who will win a game. The Spurs’ motivation to prolong their season may be strong, but I believe the Lakers’ motivation to end the series and grab a the Western Conference spot in the NBA finals is much stronger.
Pick: LA Lakers -8
Popularity: 68% [?]
Free NBA Playoff Pick 5/27/2008
May 28, 2008
It’s a huge game five in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals as the Boston Celtics host the Detroit Pistons with the series tied at 2-2. Both teams have managed to sneak a victory on the road and game five looks to be a pivotal one in the series. If Boston can grab the lead after game five, it’s going to be hard for the Pistons to overcome the difference with only one remaining game in Detroit.
Detroit Pistons @ Boston Celtics
As previously eluded to, this is quite simply a monster game for the Celtics. Winning this game would put them in prime position to earn a trip to the NBA Finals to face the winner in the Lakers/Spurs series. Boston was able to win one at Detroit, but also lost game two of the series on their home court. Both teams have a lot of motivation to come out on top Wednesday night, but The Celtics have a the clear advantage at home. Don’t count on them losing another game at home in this series.
Pick: Boston Celtics -5.5
Popularity: 30% [?]
Free NBA Pick - Lakers at Spurs Sunday
May 25, 2008
It’s been all Lakers so far in the NBA’s Western Conference Finals. Granted, the Lakers played both games in Los Angeles, but winning two in a row against the Spurs in any situation is reason to be optimistic. The question now is whether or not they can steal a game from San Antonio on their home court, or if they will have to rely solely on their success at home.
L.A. Lakers @ San Antonio Spurs
The Lakers have been nothing less than impressive in their first two games against the Spurs, but I can’t see them winning three in a row against a team as good as San Antonio, particularly back in the friendly surroundings of the AT&T Center. As much as I think the Lakers are the better team in this series, I don’t see them winning game three tonight in San Antonio. The Spurs should very motivated and should win by a wider margin than the five point spread.
Pick: San Antonio Spurs +5
Popularity: 34% [?]
NBA Eastern Conference Finals Pick 5/24/08
May 24, 2008
Detroit did what not very many teams have been able to do this year, especially in the playoffs, and beat the Celtics in Boston. Saturday night the Celtics make the trip to Detroit to square-off against the Pistons on their home court. The Pistons have been a strong team at home in the regular season and playoffs as well, but Boston knows that they now have to steal a game from the Pistons in Detroit if they are going to make it to the NBA Finals this year.
Boston Celtics @ Detroit Pistons
The Pistons definitely gained some momentum by defeating the Celtics at home on Thursday night. While it’s possible that this could be the beginning of home teams starting to lose in the NBA playoffs, I’m certainly not sold on it just yet. I wouldn’t count the Celtics out just yet, but I kn ow the Pistons have the energy, momentum, and home court advantage on Saturday night. With five points to give I’m sure there will be a lot of bettors on the Celtics, but I’m staying with the home team as the Pistons have definitively proven to me that they are once again one of the teams to be reckoned with in the East.
Pick: Detroit Pistons -5
Popularity: 30% [?]
NBA Western Conference Finals Prediction
May 22, 2008
The Lakers held on in Los Angeles in game one of the Western Conference Finals just long enough to get the win. It may have been that the Lakers were able to defend more effectively in the second half, or maybe that San Antonio’s shooters just went cold. Regardless of the cause, the effect on tonight’s game could be very significant.
San Antonio Spurs @ L.A. Lakers
The Lakers edged out San Antonio in game one, but they didn’t quite cover the seven point spread. The big question for game two is if they can do on Friday what they failed to do on Wednesday. In my opinion the Lakers had an average game on Wednesday. Kobe had 27, Gasol had 19, and the rest of the team chipped in effectively enough for them to get the win. Also in my opinion, the Spurs turned in an average performance. Tim Duncan was spectacular scoring 30 points and grabbing 18 rebounds, but Ginobili had a poor game (by his standards) and Parker was right about where he was all season as far as scoring. My point at looking at these numbers is that Kobe and Gasol can turn in ho-hum performances, and the Lakers still find a way to win. I’m expecting a monster night out of Mr. Bryant (bold prediction, right?), but his performance should be what pushes this from just a Laker’s win, to the Lakers covering the spread. The Lakers also gained some important confidence and mommentum by hanging on to win in game one at home.
Pick: L.A. Lakers -6.5
Popularity: 31% [?]
Free NBA Eastern Conference Finals Prediction
May 21, 2008
Game two of the Eastern Conference Finals tips off Thursday night. The Celtics won a decisive victory in game one of the Eastern Conference finals. Boston has the momentum, but the Pistons have plenty of motivation. You can bet your bottom dollar that the Pistons don’t want to go back to Detroit down 2-0, but The Rolling Stones said it best: “You can’t always get what you want”.
Detroit Pistons @ Boston Celtics
You aren’t going to catch me going against the winning home team trend in the NBA Playoffs. There’s just no reason to question it at this point, just sit back and enjoy the ride. It will inevitably end, but when you have a very good team like the Celtics, who have already proven they can win at home during the regular season and throughout the playoffs thus far, you simply have no rational reason to go against them.
Pick: Boston Celtics -3.5
Popularity: 30% [?]
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