It’s all coming down to the game 7 NBA finals 2010.
Here comes a forever night in the NBA, a forever fight to the finish, a Celtics-Lakers death-grip still unsettled. All those years, all that history, and it comes flooding into the surround sound of Staples Center for Game 7.

Boston is now playing without Kendrick Perkins for Game 7. That’s a massive blow because he plays great defense, is the anchor of their whole defense, and is their leading rebounder in the series thus far.
Celtics will start either the undersized Glen Davis, or the undisciplined Rasheed Wallace. This is a huge for the Lakers, since now, there’s not as much pressure for Bynum to be in the game lots of minutes.

Kobe Bryant started off Game 6 going 5-6 from the field. Boston couldn’t do much when LA’s failsafe scorer was hot at the start—especially since he could dish the ball out and initiate everyone else on the offensive end, particularly Ron Artest. The Lakers seem to play their best when Kobe manages to score early, because this opens up everyone else on the offensive end. Ron Artest was scoring well when the Celtics had to collapse on Kobe’s drives and Artest was finally dropping his shots.

In game 6, the Lakers played the best defense seen in a long while, as they held the Celtics to under 70 points and actually tied their worst point total for a Finals game. That’s very good, especially for a team that so many people would write off defensively. Guys like Kobe, Artest, Farmar, Fisher, and even Vujacic were playing excellent man to man defense. The front line was stepping it up, and blocking shots, rotating and bringing help defense when needed. Everything was being executed to perfection on the defense end.
Certainly the Lakers won’t play almost perfect defense again, but if they can hold them to around 80 points, that might be enough. They also received help from the Celtics, since the only players that scored through three quarters were Rondo, Garnett, Pierce, and Allen. Celtics bench scored zero through three.

It will be essential for the Lakers to prevent guys like Pierce and Allen from getting into a grove; because if they do, this series goes to the Celtics. Ray Allen is very experienced and could be the difference between these teams.

Perhaps the Celtics missed their chance. History tells us that six teams have taken a 3-2 lead into an opponent’s building for Games 6 and 7 in an NBA final, and that the only two teams that lost Game 6, the 1994 Knicks and the 1988 Pistons, also lost Game 7. And the home team is 13-3 in Game 7s for the title. But there’s always a statistical counter, and here’s Boston’s: the Lakers and Celtics, in the history of their illustrious rivalry, have played four Game 7s. Boston is unbeaten.

7 is the magic number and to have Boston + 7 in game 7 is the way to go.

Boston +7 @1.96 and Boston to win the NBA finals @3.93

Rajon Rondo is the youngest of the Big 4 of the Boston Celtics, but the best. Rondo has guided the Celtics to a possible 18th championship.
First off, he dominated Mario Chalmers in the Miami Heat series. He guided the Celtics to win in five games over the Heat.He was a machine in the series against the Cavs, outplaying LeBron James. He even had a triple-double in one win over the Cavs. Due to Rondo’s performance, Celtics won in six games.
Then came the Orlando Magic series. Rondo dominated for the third straight series. Jameer Nelson could not keep up with Rondo’s speed and blew by him so many times.The Celtics were up 3-0, but they were about to choke the series. Rajon Rondo and the Big 4 saved the Celtics from elimination, and the team won in six games.Boston is in the Finals. Rondo has a great matchup against an old Derek Fisher. Rondo should easily be the leading scorer for the Celtics in the NBA Finals.

Celtics have a great shot at this final. Even though Kobe was unreal during Game Six of the Western Conference Finals, practically toying with Alvin Gentry and the Suns, basketball is a team sport. Kobe can put the Lakers on his back, and Gasol or Fisher can put up big numbers, but I think it’s still no match for the “Big Four”. Rondo is more than legit, and with this year being potentially the last for Ray Allen in Boston, this is a championship run not worth wasting. The C’s beat LA in 2008, and with Rondo emerging as one of the best point guards in the league, they will do it again in 2010. Celtics win Game Six at home to clinch the ‘ship.

Looking at it from a neutral position, it’s hard to see the Lakers getting past the team basketball that the Celtics play, it’s just too fluid. I’m not saying the Celtics are going to take it 4-0, I hope as much as anyone that it goes down to the wire, but can’t see the Lakers pulling it off.
Celtics defense held Kobe to 40 percent shooting (off his career postseason average of 45 percent) and forced him to commit one turnover per game more than his career postseason average in the ’08 Finals.

Expect Rondo to be the NBA Finals MVP, and for the Boston Celtics to win in six games. That’s the one reason why the Celtics look too good, plus the fact that their bench looks far too deep for the Lakers to handle.

Not a great performance in Phoenix and the Lakers need to bounce back in a big way in Game 5.  This team has always been at their best when the games matter the most, and now realize they need to step up their game.  The Lakers are 18-5 ATS when tied in a playoff series since 1996.  When the Thunder came back to tie their opening round series with L.A. at 2-2, the Lakers went on to win Game 5 in blowout fashion at home by a final of 111-87 as 6-point favorites.  I look for another double-digit blowout in this Game 5 with Phoenix.

Bryant and center Andrew Bynum didn’t appear to practice with the Lakers on Wednesday, although Jackson didn’t say for sure. Bynum is playing on an injured right knee that will require surgery, while Bryant simply takes advantage of every chance to rest his accumulated injuries.

This play also falls under a system that is 39-13 (75%) ATS since 1996.  It tells us to bet on home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points (LA LAKERS) – double revenge – 2 straight losses vs. opponent against opponent off an upset win over a division rival as an underdog.  The Lakers will play much better defensively tonight and it should lead to a win and cover for the home team.  Take the Lakers in Game 5.

A few NBA statistics to consider :
LA Lakers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 5 games at home
LA Lakers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games when playing at home against Phoenix
LA Lakers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Phoenix
LA are 8-2 When playing on Thursday.

So today’s free NBA tip is :

Play Lakers – 7.5 @1,90 only at Pinnacle

Best of luck!

After a long deserved break, we’re back in action in the middle of the NBA playoffs with more free NBA tips.

San Antonio returned home Thursday trailing the Suns 2-0 – the most commanding lead Phoenix has built in a decade of postseason misery against the Spurs. The Suns have lost four consecutive playoff series to San Antonio since 2003, and Steve Nash has never gotten past the four-time NBA champions in six tries in his career.
Now the Spurs come home where they have been down right nasty in their last 15 here, posting a 13-2 mark. They swept the three home games vs. the Mavericks, and will be bringing the “A” game here. The Spurs in the Duncan era, rarely get tripped up when they are supposed to win, as they have failed to cover just six times in their last 30 as a playoff favorite. That certainly bodes well for them here vs. a Suns team that has struggled some on the road this season.

In the first two games Spurs had their moments but didn’t manage to hold some good advantages in various moments of the games. Also, surpinsigly, George Hill didn’t step up his game in a manner to be influential, like Popovich was hoping. Hill has gone from an atrocious shooter taken 26th in the 2008 draft to supplanting Parker in the starting lineup. He’s become a trustworthy 3-point shooter, a dependable defender and, as early as the start of this season, Popovich dubbed him his favorite player.

Hill averaged nearly 20 points in the final four games against Dallas, including becoming the first player other than Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili or Tony Parker to lead the Spurs in scoring in 41 playoff games.

Tonight at home, we might see a different type of Spurs. If they can hold the Suns 3pt shooters quiet and play their regular game, Spurs will win this one easily considering that it’s a must win game.

Today’s NBA free tip is : Play Spurs -6,5 @1,92 only at Pinnacle

Miami (39-34) is sixth in the Eastern Conference, but moved within a game of fifth-place Milwaukee after an 87-74 road win over the Bucks on Friday.

Miami could do that by evening the season series with Toronto (35-36), which is trying to hold off Chicago for the final playoff spot in the East. The Raptors, three games behind Miami, won both home meetings against the Heat this season, but had their three-game winning streak at Miami snapped with a 115-95 loss Dec. 15.

Wade had 35 points and 10 assists in the teams’ latest meeting, a 111-103 Toronto win Jan. 27. He’s averaging 33.2 points in his last five games against the Raptors.

Toronto has had Miami’s number.  The Raptors have won 8 of their last 10 meetings with Miami, and they are 13-4 ATS in their last 17 meetings with the Heat overall.  Miami is going to get torched inside tonight by Chris Bosh, who will put this team on his shoulders.  Toronto’s game plan tonight is to get Bosh the ball on almost every trip down the floor to take advantage of the injury to Jermaine O’Neal, who is doubtful to play tonight for the Heat due to a knee injury.

Toronto All-Star Chris Bosh, averaging 27.0 points and 10.7 rebounds against Miami this season, had 18 with 12 boards in the Raptors’ 97-96 home loss to Denver on Friday.
The Raptors are 12-23 on the road, but have won two in a row away from home.

The rookie Derozan scored 19 points on Wednesday in a victory over Atlanta. DeRozan shot 7 for 12 from the field and went 5 for 7 from the free-throw line. He added three rebounds. If he will step up his game , Derozan could be an important factor for today’s game.
Miami could do that by evening the season series with Toronto (35-36), which is trying to hold off Chicago for the final playoff spot in the East. The Raptors, three games behind Miami, won both home meetings against the Heat this season, but had their three-game winning streak at Miami snapped with a 115-95 loss Dec. 15.

Wade had 35 points and 10 assists in the teams’ latest meeting, a 111-103 Toronto win Jan. 27. He’s averaging 33.2 points in his last five games against the Raptors.

Two days after the Raptors were blown out 113-87 by Utah, Denver’s Carmelo Anthony hit an 18-footer at the buzzer to hand Toronto its 12th loss in 16 games.  Miami is a tired team right now, and this will be their third game in four days.  The Heat are 16-33-2 ATS in their last 51 Sunday games.

Today’s free NBA tip is Toronto +7,5 @ 1,93 played only at Pinnacle

* If you want , you can modify the actual spread line by adding or retrieving points , option available at Pinnacle a very useful way to maximize your sportsbetting profit *

Happy New Year everyone and back on the game again in 2010 for new NBA free tips ! Today I spotted a match up between two teams found in complete opposite moods.

After the 87-86 victory over Utah on Thursday night, the Oklahoma City franchise won five straight for the first time since March 18-25, 2005. Durant, who has tied a franchise mark for consecutive 30-point games, leads the Thunder as they attempt to extend their winning streak to six for the first time in five years in a matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.

Durant had 33 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in his first matchup with Milwaukee (12-18) this season, a 108-90 Oklahoma City win Nov. 27. Milwaukee shot 37.8 percent in that contest. He is coming off his sixth straight 30-point game, tying the franchise record and is averaging 34.0 points during his scoring run.

After opening up the season 8-3 the Bucks have since only won 4 games in their last 19 contests and also their last 4 home games have all been losses. The Thunder have been the exact opposite of the Bucks recent play they are on fire winning their last 5 games in row and also hold a very respectable road record on the season @ 9-7 su and 11-5 ats. Since Nov. 23rd the Bucks have avg. 95.7ppg of offense and giving up 101.3ppg on defense reflecting that horrible 4-15 su record since Nov. 23rd.

For the Bucks, Bogut had 15 points and 10 rebounds in a 117-92 loss at Orlando on Wednesday night, following one of the worst games of his career, posting two points on 1-of-6 shooting in a 94-84 loss to Charlotte on Monday night.
A few important trendsto consider:
# Bucks are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a S.U. loss.
# Bucks are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
# Thunder are 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games vs. a team with a losing S.U. record.
# Thunder are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games.
# Thunder are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 vs. Eastern Conference.
# Thunder are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
# Thunder are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a road underdog.
# Thunder are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
# Thunder are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog of 0.5-4.5.
# Thunder are 27-9 ATS in their last 36 games following a ATS loss.

No doubt on who’s on fire between those two, so today’s free NBA tip is :

Play OKL +1 @1,95 only at Pinnacle

* If you want , you can modify the actual spread line by adding or retrieving points , option available at Pinnacle a very useful way to maximize your sportsbetting profit *

Terrible lose pick last night , with the Nuggets scoring 4 points in the last seconds of the game to break the 9 point spread by one .  For today , we’re back to Chicago for where this time, the Knicks are in town.

The Bulls are averaging 88.4 points and shooting 39.7 percent over their last five home games, losing four. They’ve dropped 11 of 13 overall, scoring 90.1 points per game and making 41.8 percent of their attempts from the floor.

   The Knicks are overachieving for coach Mike D’Antoni, playing hard with their run-and-gun style. They are on a 10-4 ATS run. That included straight up wins as a dog against the Suns, Blazers and Hornets. Chicago, on the other hand, is a big underachiever, not playing any defense while searching for leadership on a very young team. Harrington, averaging 25.5 points in his last two games in Chicago and 19.8 on the season, isn’t expected to miss any time.

The Bulls are favored here, yet they’ve lost 11 of 13 games. They are 0-2-2 ATS their last 4 games as a favorite.
The Bulls are just 2-11-3 ATS in their last 16 as a home favorite and 1-9-2 in their last 12 on 1 day rest. The Knicks meanwhile are 4-0 in their last 4 in Chicago and 30-14-1 ATS in their last 45 road games overall.

The Bulls have really struggled to score as of late and while many may think a visit from the Knicks is a sure cure I am telling you it may not. In the Last 5 games the Knicks defense is giving up 10.7 fewer points per game including -2.6FG% and -10.63% from beyond the arch while the Bulls continue to struggle both offensively and defensively. The Knicks have continued to beat and play right with the quality teams in the conference and they would have had a nice road win in Charlotte if it was not for a 4th quarter collapse that saw them get outscored by 15.

Today’s NBA play of the day is :

Take the Knicks plus the 3 points @1,91 only at Pinnacle

* If you want , you can modify the actual spread line by adding or retrieving points , option available at Pinnacle a very useful way to maximize your sportsbetting profit *

This might be a weird choice for a few people, but I like the Rockets playing in Denver tonight. It’s not recommended to pick underdogs on a b2b games, but this one looks different.

The Houston Rockets, one of the few teams to win in Denver last season, have Tracy McGrady back for at least limited playing time as they look to defeat the Nuggets for a fourth consecutive time Wednesday night.
Anthony was hardly dominant versus Houston (14-10) last season, averaging 15.0 points in three games and missing another with a fractured right hand. The Rockets won the last three meetings with Denver, including a 97-95 victory at the Pepsi Center on March 9.

  Tracy McGrady played in just one of those wins, but he was instrumental. McGrady had 20 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in the Rockets’ 108-96 victory on Dec. 16, his fourth career triple-double.

He played in 17 games after that before opting to have season-ending microfracture surgery on his left knee. While McGrady had lobbied to play during this season’s first six weeks, coach Rick Adelman didn’t let him make his 2009-10 debut until Tuesday against Detroit.

With Trevor Ariza serving a one-game suspension, rookie Chase Budinger started and McGrady came off the bench. Luis Scola and Aaron Brooks had 23 points apiece in Houston’s 107-96 win while McGrady had three points in seven minutes, but the talk was all about the two-time NBA scoring champion.
Hou is posting a 9-5 road ATS record. They are 3-2 ATS on back to back games.

The Nuggets have not covered in 4 straight games and I expect that continue Wednesday night. Even though they beat the Thunder, besides Melo, Nuggets looked pretty sloppy.

A few trends to consider :

Nuggets are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games as a favorite.
Nuggets are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
Rockets are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
Rockets are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 road games.

So , today’s NBA play of the day is :

Take the Rockets +9 @1,85 only at Pinnacle

* If you want , you can modify the actual spread line by adding or retrieving points , option available at Pinnacle a very useful way to maximize your sportsbetting profit *

   Bryant and the Western Conference-leading Lakers visit the struggling Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, trying to rebound from their first loss in 12 games.

Bryant began this five-game road trip after suffering a broken index finger in a home win against Miami on Friday. The finger – and a stomach bug – appeared to significantly affect him in a 102-94 loss at Utah on Saturday. Bryant finished with a season-low 16 points on 7-of-24 shooting.

Chicago shot a season-low 32.6 percent in a 106-80 loss to Boston on Saturday. Derrick Rose finished with a team-high 19 points, but scored only eight in the second half when the Bulls were outscored 52-34 by the Eastern Conference leader

The Bulls last 5 games have yielded higher points against then usual which could be expected without Hinrich in the line-up. However, these numbers could have been expected regardless playing the likes of Golden State (overtime), Atlanta, Toronto and Boston.

Hinrich finally has a game back under his belt and will be back ay 100% tonight. The Lakers on the other hand will be playing with Kobe (broken Finger and coming off an illness, that reportedly may have been H1N1) and Luke Walton.

Tonight Phil Jackson will make sure that Kobe is healthy above all, if the game is 10+ in the fourth Kobe will sit (they need this guy for the whole season so Phil won’t chance it.) Kobe’s finger and energy level (from illness will certainly) slow the games tempo as well keeping the Lakers score lower, something the Bulls need desperately. The lower the score the bigger +10 becomes.

The Bulls have averaged over 90 FG attempts their last 3 games and at this pace will put up too many points not to cover against a Lakers team coming in knowing they won the first match-up, trying to conserve Kobe and having to play B2b. The Bulls will be flat out hungry in front of an always sold out crowd when LA comes to town.

It will be all Bulls energy and they will cover tonight against LA and perhaps make LA 3-3 SU on the road this year. I would like to think that against Lakers , most of the NBA teams are playing their A game focusing more and defending better.

So, today’s NBA free tip is :

Take Bulls +10 @1,92 Pinnacle

Good luck !

For today, I studied a lot GS at Philadelphia .
Most of the handicappers are leaning towards 76rs because GS are pretty bad on the road. One important thing must be taken in consideration : Philly are BAD ….. I watch them them play in the new AI era , and it’s hard for them to score …
The lat 4 games :
12/11/09 HOU L 91-96
12/09/09 DET L 86-90
12/07/09 DEN L 83-93
12/05/09 @CHAR L 105-106

If you score 83 points against Den, that means there’s a problem in the offensive.

The Sixers (5-18) have already dropped 12 straight to match their skid from Nov. 25-Dec. 20, 2006, which resulted in the Dec. 19 trade of Iverson to Denver. The sluggish offense has been the biggest problem lately, with the Sixers averaging 86.7 points and shooting 41.8 percent from the field in three games since Iverson joined the lineup. He scored 20 points but shot 7 of 18 against the Rockets.
Golden State has won six of its last seven against the Sixers, but lost 89-81 in its most recent visit to Philadelphia on Nov. 23, 2008.
A few interesting stats to be consider about the scoring abilities of the Warriors :

* Under is 4-0 in Warriors last 4 overall.
* Under is 4-0 in Warriors last 4 road games.
* Under is 6-1 in Warriors last 7 games as a road underdog of 5.0-10.5.
* Under is 5-1 in Warriors last 6 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of less than .400.
* Under is 5-1 in Warriors last 6 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.
* Under is 4-1 in Warriors last 5 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Under is 4-1-1 in Warriors last 6 vs. a team with a losing S.U. record.
* Under is 4-1 in Warriors last 5 games following a S.U. loss.
* Under is 4-1 in Warriors last 5 games as an underdog.
* Under is 5-2 in Warriors last 7 games as a road underdog.
* Under is 7-3 in Warriors last 10 games as an underdog of 5.0-10.5.
Now head 2 head :
# Under is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings in Philadelphia.
# Under is 3-1-1 in the last 5 meetings

W Green and A Iverson are probable for tonight , that’s only makes the tip better.

Today’s NBA Play of the Day is :
Take under 211 @1,95 only at Pinnacle

* If you want , you can modify the actual spread line by adding or retrieving points , option available at Pinnacle a very useful way to maximize your sportsbetting profit *