NBA Playoff Betting Preview
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers (Lakers lead 3-1)
Thursday, 9:05 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Lakers  - 7 , Total  193.5

The Los Angeles Lakers will try and advance to the NBA Finals by eliminating the defending champion San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.  The Lakers are a perfect 7-0 at home in the playoffs this season and in their last 21 home playoff games are 18-3.  Since moving to Staples Center before the 1999-2000 season the Lakers have topped the 100 points mark in over half of their postseason home games.  The Lakers are not overconfident heading home though. “We’re confident, but we’re not relaxed at all. It’s going to be a battle in Game 5.” the Lakers’ Pau Gasol said, “We want to definitely take advantage of the opportunity we have to close them out and to move on.” SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Spurs on the Road.

The Lakers took control of the series by winning Game 5 in San Antonio on Tuesday as Kobe Bryant had 28 points and 10 rebounds for Los Angeles.  The Lakers led all the way but San Antonio had a chance at the end of the game but Brent Barry missed a last second shot. Tim Duncan led all scorers with 29 points and 17 rebounds.  The Spurs know they let a golden chance slip away. “Obviously losing at home, giving up 20+ points in second chance points, points off turnovers and losing by two.” Duncan said, “So all of that combined, when you put all of that together, it was a game that we really could have and really should have won.”

SBG Global Current Line: Lakers  - 8 , Total  193.5

Here are the NBA betting stats for Thursday’s game.  The Spurs are 14-5 ATS in their last 19 Conference Finals games. The Spurs are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 playoff games as an underdog.

The Lakers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Thursday games. The Lakers are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games as a home favorite. The Lakers are 11-4-1 ATS in their last 16 games overall.

The Under is 6-0 in the Spurs last 6 vs. the Pacific. The Under is 4-0 in the Spurs last 4 games as a road underdog. The Under is 7-0 in the Spurs last 7 overall. The Under is 11-5 in the Spurs last 16 Thursday games.

The Under is 7-0 in the Lakers last 7 Thursday games. The Under is 4-0 in the Lakers last 4 overall. The Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Los Angeles between the two teams.

Pick: While it looks like the Lakers will win this one to my surprise, I cant count out the Spurs here or at least a cover with the high line. Spurs 4units

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics (Series tied 2-2)
Wednesday, 8:35 pm Eastern – ESPN

SBG Global Opening Line: Celtics - 5.5 , Total 172.5

The Detroit Pistons got their must-win game on Monday as they won at home against the Boston Celtics to even the best of seven Eastern Conference Finals at two games each. Now the Boston Celtics are facing their must-win game on Wednesday in Game Five as they don’t want to go back to Detroit having to win a Game Six. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Celtics at Home.

The Pistons were led on Monday by forward Antonio McDyess who showed a lot of energy and desire. McDyess had 21 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Piston to the 94-75 win. “(McDyess) knows that you can’t take any of this for granted,” Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. “Some of our guys have been in six straight conference finals, which is an amazing achievement, but for some of our guys, this is the first time.” The Celtics need to find some of the energy that McDyess had or they may lose this series. “We don’t get this opportunity too much in our careers,” Celtics’ forward Paul Pierce said, “We have to go out and play like it’s our last, because you never know when this is going to happen again. … We have to find some way, somehow to get a win at home and bring that momentum back to Detroit.” Home court is no guarantee in this series as both teams have won on each other’s court. The Celtics shot just 32 percent on Monday night and none of the Big Three played well. They will need a big performance on Wednesday or they could face a road game at Detroit with their season on the line and that is not a pleasant thought for Boston.

SBG Global Current Line: Celtics - 6 , Total 173

Here are the NBA betting stats for Wednesday’s game. The Pistons are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Pistons are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 vs. the Atlantic. The Pistons are 13-6 ATS in their last 19 games overall. The Pistons are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games as a road underdog.
The Pistons are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 Wednesday games. The Underdog is 12-5 ATS in the last 17 meetings between the two teams. The road team is 9-3 ATS in the last 12 meetings.

The Celtics are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 Wednesday games. The Celtics are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games as a home favorite. The Celtics are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games playing on 1 day of rest.

The Under is 5-1 in the Pistons last 6 overall. The Under is 11-3 in the Pistons last 14 road games. The Under is 19-7-1 in the Pistons last 27 playoff games as an underdog. The Under is 12-5 in the Pistons last 17 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Under is 43-19-1 in the Pistons last 63 games as a road underdog.

The Over is 4-1 in the Celtics last 5 Wednesday games. The Under is 19-8 in the Celtics last 27 vs. the Central. The Under is 7-1 in the last 8 meetings between the two teams and the Under is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings in Boston.

Pick: Take the Celtics at home

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
Los Angeles Lakers at San Antonio Spurs (Lakers lead 2-1)
Tuesday, 9:05 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Spurs  - 4.5 , Total  192

The San Antonio Spurs will try and even up the best of seven Western Conference Finals on Tuesday as they host the Los Angeles Lakers.  The Spurs got back in the series on Sunday as Manu Ginobili hit five three pointers and scored 30 points overall to lead San Antonio.  Kobe Bryant had 30 points for the Lakers but didn’t get much help.  “I got to the point where I couldn’t make a shot,” said Lamar Odom, who was 2-of-11 from the field and had only 7 points on Sunday.  Pau Gasol had 15 points while Derek Fisher had just two points. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Spurs at Home.

The Spurs played a very good game on Sunday and need a repeat performance if they are to even the series on Tuesday. “Making shots is part of it. And we did a better job of that,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “They missed some shots that could have gone in without a doubt.”  Game Four on Tuesday has the potential to be a great one if the Lakers bounce back as expected.

SBG Global Current Line: Spurs  - 4 , Total  192

Here are the NBA betting stats for Tuesday’s game. The Lakers are 12-3-2 ATS in their last 17 games as a road underdog. The Lakers are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 Tuesday games. The Lakers are 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Lakers are 10-4-1 ATS in their last 15 games overall. The Lakers are 2-5 ATS in the last 7 meetings between the two teams.

The Spurs are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a home favorite. The Spurs are 5-1-2 ATS in their last 8 Tuesday games. The Spurs are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings between the two teams and the home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

The Under is 5-1 in the Lakers last 6 games as a road underdog. The Over is 4-1 in the Lakers last 5 Tuesday games.

The Under is 5-0 in the Spurs last 5 vs. the Pacific. The Under is 5-0 in the Spurs last 5 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Under is 6-0 in the Spurs last 6 overall. The Under is 8-1 in the last 9 meetings in San Antonio between the two teams.

Pick: Spurs 4units, as long as Ginobli plays and well the Spurs will dominate

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers (Lakers lead 1-0)
Friday, 9:05 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Lakers  - 6.5, Total  193

The San Antonio Spurs let a golden chance slip away in Game One against the Los Angeles Lakers as they blew a 20 point third quarter lead and lost 89-85.  “No one gives any excuse,” Spurs guard Tony Parker said, “We were in pretty good shape, had a great lead. We had a great chance to win the game and we just didn’t play well enough in the fourth quarter.” History is now not on the Spurs side. The Lakers are 52-7 when winning Game 1 in a best-of-seven series. The also have owned the Spurs in the postseason.  They have beaten them in seven of their previous 10 postseason matchups, including all three in the conference finals. Further history indicates that the Spurs are facing even more dismal numbers as Lakers’ head coach Phil Jackson is a perfect 40-0 when his teams win the opening game of a 7 game series. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Lakers at Home.

Kobe Bryant scored all but two of his 27 points after halftime as the Spurs couldn’t slow him down.  Losing a 20 point lead could be difficult for the Spurs to bounce back from. “Obviously a difficult loss and we had a great opportunity. We didn’t take advantage of it. Hurts like hell.” Spurs head coach Greg Popovich said.  The Lakers are now 7-0 in the postseason at Staples Center and have won 13 straight games overall at home.  The Lakers don’t expect the Spurs to quit though. “We expect them to come back with renewed energy,” said coach Phil Jackson.  Kobe doesn’t believe the Spurs will be crushed by the loss. “I don’t think so,” said Kobe, “They’ve won four championships.”

SBG Global Current Line: Lakers  - 6.5, Total  192.5

Here are the NBA betting stats for Friday’s game. The Spurs are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 Conference Finals games. The Spurs are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Friday games. The Spurs are 7-16 ATS in their last 23 games as a road underdog. The Spurs are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings between the two teams.

The Lakers are 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 games overall. The Lakers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games as a home favorite. The Lakers are 2-9-1 ATS in their last 12 vs. the Southwest. The Lakers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Conference Finals games.

The Under is 4-0 in the Spurs last 4 overall. The Under is 4-1-1 in the Spurs last 6 games as a road underdog.

The Over is 11-4 in the Lakers last 15 Friday games. The Under is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings between the two teams.

Pick: Spurs +6.5 3units. I would say outright win here if Ginobli was healthy

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics (Celtics lead 1-0)
Thursday, 8:35 pm Eastern – ESPN

SBG Global Opening Line: Celtics  - 3.5, Total  172.5

The Boston Celtics had enough energy to win Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons as they won 88-79 on Tuesday.  They expect a much tougher test on Tuesday since Detroit is not likely to be as rusty.  Point guard Chauncey Billups had not played in quite a while after missing the last two games against Orlando.  He had just nine points with two assists and two turnovers. “I needed to play that game,” he said. “I don’t feel good about the outcome of it, but I feel good having been out there, having seen what it was going to be like in my first game, and I look to make improvements in the second game. It’s difficult getting back out there. It’s not like I’m just getting out there in a regular season game. There’s a lot at stake.” The Celtics were led by Kevin Garnett who had 26 points and 9 rebounds while Paul Pierce added 22 points, 6 rebounds and six assists. “The things he does on the floor don’t surprise me,” Kevin Garnett said about Pierce. “You see him work on it every day. He’s probably one of the strongest mental players in the league. He’s able to, for some reason, lock in a zone there and get his work done and come in today and carry it over to the floor. And not a lot of players can do that in this league.”  SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Celtics at Home.

“We played a horrible game,” Detroit’s Antonio McDyess said. “We felt we played a horrible game and we just can’t continue playing that way. I think tomorrow is going to be a little different.”  The Pistons were fortunate to only be down one at the half but then came out and played a poor third quarter. “We didn’t get it done. We turned the ball over too much. We beat ourselves. We’re a team that, we came off of a playoff low of three turnovers and we had seven in the third quarter.” Head coach Flip Saunders said, “So when it’s a close game, we turn it over seven times, we don’t give ourselves a chance.”

The Celtics won Game One without much from Ray Allen who continues to play poorly in the playoffs. Allen had just nine points. “I’ve scored a lot in my career,” Allen said, “But it’s good to be in this position, where I’m not going to let it” affect the rest of the game. As part of the Big Three, Allen was expected to score more in the playoffs but so far it has been all Garnett and Pierce. “Ray’s a part of the Boston Celtics, and the Boston Celtics are winning,” Garnett said, “I’m sure it’s not his first shooting slump, and it’s definitely not his last. So I don’t have any sympathy for Ray Allen. I think he’s playing great basketball.”

SBG Global Current Line: Celtics  - 4 , Total  172

Here are the NBA betting stats for Thursday’s game.  The Pistons are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Pistons are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games overall. The Pistons are 5-16 ATS in their last 21 Conference Finals games. The Pistons are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 playoff games as an underdog. The Pistons are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games as a road underdog. The Pistons are 2-5 ATS in the last 7 meetings between the two teams. The Underdog is 10-4 ATS in the last 14 meetings. The road team is 7-2 ATS in the last 9 meetings.

The Celtics are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 Thursday games. The Celtics are 12-3 ATS in their last 15 games as a home favorite. The Celtics are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Conference Finals games. The Celtics are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 1 day of rest.

The Under is 13-3 in the Pistons last 16 road games. The Under is 4-1 in the Pistons last 5 vs. the Atlantic. The Under is 41-12-1 in the Pistons last 54 Thursday games. The Under is 19-7-1 in the Pistons last 27 Conference Finals games. The Under is 19-7-1 in the Pistons last 27 playoff games as an underdog. The Under is 10-4 in the Pistons last 14 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Under is 5-2 in the Pistons last 7 overall. The Under is 43-18-1 in the Pistons last 62 games as a road underdog.

The Under is 5-1 in the Celtics last 6 Conference Finals games. The Under is 8-2 in the Celtics last 10 Thursday games. The Under is 17-7 in the Celtics last 24 vs. the Central. The Under is 9-4 in the Celtics last 13 games as a home favorite. The Under is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings between the two teams. The Under is 6-0 in the last 6 meetings in Boston.

Pick: Stick with the home teams in this series. Celtics 3units

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers (Game One)
Wednesday, 9:05 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Lakers  - 6.5 , Total  197.5

The defending champion San Antonio Spurs survived against the New Orleans Hornets but to reach the NBA Finals they will have to go through the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant.  The Lakers have home court advantage in this series and that could prove important as Los Angeles is a perfect 6-0 at home in the playoffs and has won 12 straight overall at home. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Lakers at Home.

“We’ve had our battles. We’ve had some great matchups,” the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant said. “It feels great to be back at that level, matching up with San Antonio.”  San Antonio and Los Angeles have combined to win 7 of the last 9 NBA titles. Although the Spurs are the defending champs, the Lakers are favored in this series.  “It’s always great to play against the Lakers,” San Antonio’s Tony Parker said, “Kobe’s at his best; they have a great team. It reminds me of my first couple of years in the league. Back to the rivalry. It will be great.”

The Lakers have not played since last Friday and are well rested while the Spurs had to play in New Orleans on Monday and had a rough trip just getting to Los Angeles.  The Spurs did not even practice on Tuesday. Lakers head coach Phil Jackson did not expect the Spurs lack of rest to be a factor.
“The NBA is a grueling marathon of a season,” he said. “They’ll be rested; they’ll be fine.”

SBG Global Current Line: Lakers  - 7, Total  196

Los Angeles has owned the Spurs in the post season going 7-3 against them all-time.  The last time they met in the Conference Finals was seven years ago when the Lakers swept the Spurs. The matchups in the series are intriguing with Spurs defensive expert Bruce Bowen guarding Kobe Bryant, Vladimir Radmanovic might be matched against Manu Ginobili, Lamar Odom against Fabricio Oberto, Pau Gasol against Tim Duncan with Derek Fisher guarding Tony Parker.

San Antonio is 6-0 at home and 2-4 on the road in this year’s playoffs. Tony Parker leads the Spurs in scoring in the playoffs at 23.7 points per game.  Manu Ginobili is averaging 20 points, 4 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the postseason. Forward Tim Duncan is averaging 19.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. Head coach Gregg Popovich has an all-time record of 100-55 in the playoffs.

MVP Kobe Bryant is leading the Lakers in scoring at 33.3 points per game. Pau Gasol is averaging 20 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the postseason. Head coach Phil Jackson is 187-79 in the postseason.

During the regular season, the teams split four games with each team winning their home games. Here are the betting stats for Wednesday’s game.  The Spurs are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Conference Finals games. The Spurs are 2-5-1 ATS in their last 8 vs. the Pacific. The Spurs are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 playoff games as an underdog. The Spurs are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog. The Spurs are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games.

The Lakers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 3 or more days of rest. The Lakers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games as a home favorite.
The Lakers are 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 games overall.  The Lakers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 playoff games as a favorite. The Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 NBA betting Conference Finals games. The Lakers are 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 vs. the Southwest. The home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings between the two teams.

The Under is 4-1 in the Spurs last 5 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Over is 4-1 in the Spurs last 5 Conference Finals games. The Over is 5-2 in the Spurs last 7 vs. the Pacific. The Under is 5-2-1 in the Spurs last 8 overall.
The Under is 7-3 in the Spurs last 10 Wednesday games. The Under is 13-6-1 in the Spurs last 20 games as an underdog.

The Over is 4-1 in the Lakers last 5 overall. The Over is 6-2 in the Lakers last 8 Conference Finals games. The Over is 5-2 in the Lakers last 7 games as a home favorite. The Over is 12-5 in the last 17 meetings in Los Angeles between the two teams.

Pick: Hard to go against the Spurs in any game, they are built for the post-season. After seven games it may take 1 for them to get there legs back so look for the Lakers to win this one. Lakers -6.5 2units

 NBA Playoff Betting Preview
Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics (Game One)
Tuesday, 8:35 pm Eastern – ESPN

SBG Global Opening Line: Celtics  - 4 , Total  174

The two best teams in the Eastern Conference will meet for the right to play in the NBA Finals.  The Boston Celtics took the long way to get here as they defeated the Atlanta Hawks in seven games and the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games.  The Detroit Pistons were more efficient, dispatching the 76ers in six games and the Magic in five. While the Western Conference gets all the publicity, the Eastern Conference actually had the two best teams in the NBA as the Celtics finished with 66 wins and the Pistons finished with 59 wins. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Celtics at Home.

The Pistons are in the Conference Finals for the sixth straight season while it is been quite a while for Boston.  The teams are very evenly matched and it promises to be a very good series.  The Celtics are led by the big three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen although lately it has only been the big two as Allen has been invisible in the playoffs.  The Pistons have Chauncey Billiups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace.   “We’re mirror images,” Detroit head coach Flip Saunders said, “Defensive-oriented teams; both teams are good offensively when they move the ball; both teams have inside guys who like to play outside at times; two guards (Allen and Hamilton), both (from) Connecticut … you can go right on down the list. Right now Pierce is their best player in the playoffs; Tay might be our best player, both at the three spot. And when their point guard plays well, they win; when our point guard plays well, we win.”

The difference might be the play of Ray Allen. He has been awful in the playoffs and actually sat on the bench in the fourth quarter of Game 7 against Cleveland. “Ray’s a great shooter,” said Hamilton, “You can’t sleep on him at any point in time of the game.” The question for Boston is whether or not Allen will turn around his poor shooting.  Another key in the series will be how well Rasheed Wallace handles Kevin Garnett. “Both have great respect for each other,” Saunders said. “The difference is that Rasheed has more of a perimeter, 3-point type of game where KG is more mid-range. Both have the ability to get down on the block and score, but they’re both reluctant to get down there. Both are great defensive players. Both can run the floor. They’re kind of clones of each other. Most of the time when we played Portland, when Sheed got the best of KG, they’d win. When KG got the best of Sheed, Minnesota would win. That’s a key matchup. If one of them can get on the other one, you have an opportunity for success for your team.” One matchup edge the Pistons hold is at the point where Chauncey Billups is a three-time All-Star and Rajon Rondo is a second-year player.  It could also be that Sam Cassell gets a lot of playing time for Boston in this series.

SBG Global Current Line: Celtics  - 4.5, Total  174

The home team has dominated in the playoffs but the Pistons know they can win in Boston.  They won in December 87-85 at Boston. “That’s a big plus for us, that we have won there … in a season that they pretty much won most of their home games, probably 30-something of them, but (Dec. 19) was one of their losses and we draw confidence from that,” Billups said. “Not only that, but we know we’re a great road team.” The Pistons rarely go into a series without the home court edge. “This will be a great, great challenge for us,” Billups said. “Starting out the series on the road, it’s been a long time since we’ve done that. So it will be a lot of great matchups out there. It’s going to be some great basketball. I’m excited for that.”

Here are the NBA betting stats for Tuesday’s game.  The Pistons are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. the Atlantic. The Pistons are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games overall. The Pistons are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 playoff games as an underdog. The Pistons are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 Tuesday games. The Pistons are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games as a road underdog. The Pistons are 1-11 ATS in their last 12 Conference Finals games. The underdog is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings between the two teams and the road team is 7-1 ATS in the last 8 meetings.

The Celtics are 11-3 ATS in their last 14 games as a home favorite. The Celtics are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Conference Finals games. The Celtics are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 vs. the Central.

The Under is 10-2 in the Pistons last 12 road games. The Under is 17-5-1 in the Pistons last 23 playoff games as an underdog. The Over is 12-4 in the Pistons last 16 Tuesday games. The Under is 5-2 in the Pistons last 7 vs. the Atlantic. The Under is 20-8-1 in the Pistons last 29 Conference Finals games. The Under is 42-18-1 in the Pistons last 61 games as a road underdog.

The Under is 4-1 in the Celtics last 5 Conference Finals games. The Under is 16-7 in the Celtics last 23 vs. the Central. The Under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between the two teams and the Under is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings in Boston.

Pick: Still have to back the home team here: Celtics 4units

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Hornets (Series tied 3-3)
Monday, 8:35 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Hornets  - 4 , Total  182

The San Antonio Spurs will try and accomplish something that not many teams have done in the NBA playoffs this season and that is pull off a road win.  The defending NBA champs have not won in New Orleans in the playoffs and have been blown out in each game.  They will hope to rely upon their experience in tonight’s Game 7.  The Hornets on the other hand will be hoping that home court and All-Stars Chris Paul and David West can carry them to victory. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Hornets at Home.

The Hornets have not lost at home in the playoffs and will have a big edge on Monday. “We knew it was going to be a long series, the type of team we’re dealing with,” said West, “The reason we fought out games throughout the regular season was to be able to have a Game 7 on your home floor. We’ve been able to do that, so we’ve got to take advantage of the opportunity we have.” Both teams have been dominant on their home floor in this series.  Now it all comes down to one game with the winner advancing to the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. “You’ve just got to be very focused, knowing that you can’t blink, that you can’t let the other team get on a run, get confident on a run,” said Manu Ginobili, “It’s going to be a really tense game with a lot of adrenaline. Fans are going to be going nuts. So it’s going to be a very fun game to play.”

SBG Global Current Line: Hornets  - 4.5, Total  182.5

The Spurs have never come back from a 2-0 deficit to win a playoff series in their history. “We’ll see if we thrive on pressure after Monday’s game. We still don’t know,” Ginobili said. “It’s a great test for both teams. A lot of pressure, as I said before, and we’re going to try to be the ones that respond to that pressure the best way.”

Here are the NBA betting stats for Monday’s game.  The Spurs are 5-16 ATS in their last 21 games as a road underdog. The Spurs are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 playoff games as an underdog. The Spurs are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Monday games. The Spurs are 0-4 ATS in the last 4 meetings in New Orleans.

The Hornets are 22-7 ATS in their last 29 games as a home favorite. The Hornets are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 Monday games. The favorite is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings between the two teams and the home team is 7-0 ATS in the last 7 meetings.

The Over is 4-0 in the Spurs last 4 Monday games. The Under is 18-8-1 in the Spurs last 27 vs. the Southwest. The Over is 9-4-1 in the Spurs last 14 playoff games as an underdog.

The Under is 5-2-1 in the Hornets last 8 vs. the Southwest. The Over is 18-8-3 in the Hornets last 29 games as a home favorite.

Pick: Going with the home team. Hornets -4 and over the total 3 units each

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers (Celtics lead 3-2)
Friday, 8:05 pm Eastern – ESPN

SBG Global Opening Line: Cavaliers  - 2 , Total  179

Things have gotten much tougher for the Cleveland Cavaliers in their series against the Boston Celtics.  Not only do they have to win on Friday to force a Game 7, they must do it without one of their best shooters as Daniel Gibson will miss the game with a separated shoulder.  It will be up to LeBron James to lead the Cavaliers on Friday. “It’s something we didn’t want to happen,” James said, “It’s kind of the tale of our season - a guy goes down in the heat of a playoff series. He’s very key to our team. It’s not good seeing a guy who is that key to your team in a suit.”
SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Cavaliers at Home.

The Cavaliers blew a 14 point lead on Wednesday in Boston as they missed free throws and gave the game away. Gibson has played a key role in the playoffs for Cleveland as he is one of the few outside threats the Cavaliers have to score.  Last year he scored 31 points in the playoffs against Detroit.  Now the Cavaliers will have to find someone else to score other than James. “We’re not looking for a spectacular game from anybody,” said James, “We just want to continue to do what we’ve been doing in the two wins we’ve had at home - guys stepped up. We’re not looking for a guy to go out and score 30 points or anything like that.” The Cavaliers will probably look to either Devin Brown or Damon Jones to replace Gibson or perhaps Sasha Pavlovic will get more minutes.

SBG Global Current Line: Cavaliers  - 2.5 , Total  179

The Cavaliers are not happy about being down 3-2 in the series after having the Celtics on the ropes in Game Five.  The third quarter was the downfall of the Cavaliers as the Celtics outscored them 29-17. “We had them on their heels,” Cleveland center Zydrunas Ilgauskas said, “(In the second half) It just seemed like we really weren’t into it. We came out a half-step slow.”

What helped the Celtics in Game Five was the play of point guard Rajon Rondo, who scored 20 points and had 13 assists.  He hit some big shots to keep the Celtics in the game. “If they’re going to leave him open, I want him to shoot it,” Boston head coach Doc Rivers said. “But I don’t want him to look for it.” Boston will try and get their first road win of the playoffs on Friday. They are 0-5 on the road so far. Eventually the trend of home teams winning in the playoffs should end but so far it has been amazing.  Before Thursday’s Hornets-Spurs game the home teams were 19-1 in the second round.  The lone win came by one point when Detroit won at Orlando.
“I guess we could bring the scorekeepers, and bring all the wives on the road,” Rivers said. “We’re not going to do that. We’re just going to show up and play basketball.”

Cleveland does not seem worried about Friday’s game. “You can’t panic,” guard Delonte West said. “This is when it gets fun. This is when you see what your team is made of.”

Here are the NBA betting stats for Friday’s game.  The Celtics are 19-7 ATS in their last 26 games as an underdog. The Celtics are 40-16 ATS in their last 56 games as a road underdog. The Celtics are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Celtics are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Celtics are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 Conference Semifinals games. The Celtics are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 road games. The underdog is 8-3-1 ATS in the last 12 meetings between the two teams but the Celtics are 2-6 ATS in the last 8 meetings in Cleveland.

The Cavaliers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 playoff games as a favorite. The Cavaliers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Conference Semifinals games. The Cavaliers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Cavaliers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The Cavaliers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a home favorite. The Cavaliers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 Friday games.

The Over is 4-1 in the Celtics last 5 road games. The Under is 15-6 in the Celtics last 21 vs. the Central. The Under is 5-2 in the Celtics last 7 games as a road underdog.

The Under is 13-3 in the Cavaliers last 16 Conference Semifinals games. The Under is 4-1 in the Cavaliers last 5 Friday games. The Under is 7-2 in the Cavaliers last 9 vs. the Atlantic. The Under is 14-4 in the Cavaliers last 18 games as a home favorite. The Under is 12-5 in the Cavaliers last 17 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Under is 12-5 in the Cavaliers last 17 overall.

Pick: Cant go against the home teams this postseason as they are 20-1. Nice low line here Cavs 4units

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
Los Angeles Lakers at Utah Jazz (Lakers lead 3-2)
Friday, 10:35 pm Eastern – ESPN

SBG Global Opening Line: Jazz  - 4 , Total  211.5

The Utah Jazz will look to use the NBA’s best home court edge to even their best of seven series against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. The Lakers won 111-104 on Wednesday and could clinch if they can win at Utah.  The Jazz had a good chance to win Game Five at Los Angeles but let their chance slip away and now must win on Friday to force a Game Seven. “If we lose, we go home,” Utah forward Matt Harpring said. “We certainly don’t want to lose on our home court the last game of the year. No way.”
SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Lakers on the Road.

The Lakers are hurting a little bit entering Friday’s game.  Kobe Bryant is nursing a sore back while other starters are banged up.  Bryant and three other starters sat out Thursday’s practice.  The Lakers would like to win on Friday and give Kobe some extra rest. “The message is being under control. It’s about execution at this point. It’s about winning the game,” Lakers’ head coach Phil Jackson said. “There’s a lot of intensity. We probably have to play 10 points better than we did last night (Wednesday) to win it.”

Kobe led the Lakers on Wednesday with 26 points, seven assists and six rebounds. “Incredible, as always,” Lamar Odom said. “Kobe made plays for us when he needed to.”  The Jazz had a number of excellent chances to win Wednesday’s game but couldn’t control rebounds and that cost them the game. “You watch the tape of the game, you wish you could jump in the screen and play it all over again,” said Utah’s Carlos Boozer, “I thought we had the opportunity to take the lead a few times, and looking back on it, it’s definitely frustrating. You put the pressure on the home team if you get the lead.”

SBG Global Current Line: Jazz  - 2, Total  213

About the only positive for the Jazz was that the game gave them confidence that they could win a Game 7 in Los Angeles.  To force that game the Jazz must win on Friday night.  “We’ve got two left with them,” Boozer said. “We’ve got to win tomorrow night to have the second one.” The Jazz are 1-1 when hosting a Game 6 and trailing 3-2 in the series over the past decade.  The loss was in the 1998 NBA Finals when Michael Jordan hit one of his most memorable shots in his career to eliminate the Jazz. “I think it’s exciting myself. I always have loved to be in those situations. If you like to play, what better position could you be in?” Utah head coach Jerry Sloan said. “They have to come and beat us, and we hope we don’t beat ourselves.”

The Jazz are getting excellent play in the series from point guard Deron Williams.  He is averaging almost 23 points and 11 assists in this series. He had 27 points and 10 assists on Wednesday and was the best player for the Jazz.

Here are the NBA betting stats for Friday’s game.  The Lakers are 7-1-1 ATS in their last 9 games as a road underdog. The Lakers are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Lakers are 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 games overall. The Lakers are 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 Conference Semifinals games. The Lakers are 21-8-2 ATS in their last 31 games as an underdog. The Lakers are 35-17-2 ATS in their last 54 road games. The Lakers are 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 Friday games. The Lakers are 3-7-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings in Utah.

The Jazz are 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 Friday games. The Jazz are 7-2-2 ATS in their last 11 playoff games as a favorite. The Jazz are 38-13-2 ATS in their last 53 games as a home favorite. The Jazz are 39-15-2 ATS in their last 56 home games. The Jazz are 12-5-1 ATS in their last 18 games playing on 1 day of rest. The home team is 10-3-1 ATS in the last 14 meetings between the two teams.

The Under is 4-0 in the Lakers last 4 games as a road underdog. The Over is 10-4 in the Lakers last 14 Friday games.

The Under is 4-1 in Utah’s last 5 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Over is 23-8 in Utah’s last 31 vs. the Pacific. The Over is 13-6 in the last 19 meetings between the two teams.

Pick: There is no other way to go then to take the home team! Jazz 4 units. Home teams are 20-1 this year, with the lone loss coming from Magic.