20* Knicks/Celtics NBA on ESPN GAME OF THE WEEK on New York +6.5

New York vs. Boston, 02/03/2012 20:00 EDT, Score: 89 - 91

Point Spread: +6½/-101 New York

Sportsbook: 5Dimes

Result: Win

The New York Knicks are showing awesome value Friday as a big road underdog to the Boston Celtics. Boston is getting a lot of love because of their recent play. But the fact of the matter is that the Celtics have had to win six of their last seven just to get to 11-10 on the season. This is still a mediocre team at best.

The Knicks are off to a slow start, but that's why they are showing so much value here. It's only a matter of time before a team with this much talent gets going. After thumping the Detroit Pistons 113-86, the Knicks came back last night and gave the Eastern Conference-leading Chicago Bulls all they could handle. The Knicks would lost 102-105, but they're certainly battle-tested coming into this showdown with the Celtics.

New York is a superb 9-1 ATS in their last 10 road games vs. division opponents. They are actually outscoring their division foes 101.1 to 97.2 in this spot. The Celtics are 0-8 ATS in their last 8 after allowing 35 points or less in the first half last game. The road team is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings in this series. These three trends make for a 22-1 system backing New York. Bet the Knicks Thursday.