Game of the day: Celtics at Lakers
By STEVE MERRIL
Line adjustment
The Lakers were 5.5-point favorites in Game 1 and they have now been installed as 6-point chalk in Game 2 after their easy win on Thursday.
Los Angeles led by 20 points entering the fourth quarter in the eventual 102-89 win and the oddsmakers had to adjust the line. The same thing occurred last season when Los Angeles easily defeated the Magic in Game 1, 100-75, as a 6-point fave. The Lakers were 6.5-point faves for Game 2 and barely won 101-96 in overtime.
Heavy money came in on the under in Game 1 on Thursday and pushed the opening total from 195 all the way down to 191 by game time. Kobe Bryant’s meaningless 3-pointer at the buzzer landed the game exactly on 191 and now the oddsmakers have adjusted the Game 2 line lower to 190.
The Lakers entered the series as a -185 favorite to win the championship and they now stand -340 to capture the title.
Gasol says KG's game isn't the same
Laker big man Pau Gasol was the story in Game 1 finishing with 23 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks. The performance came with former Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett guarding the Spaniard.
Gasol threw a bit of salt in the wound Friday night telling reporters that the Big Ticket isn't the same player he once was.
"On Kevin's part, he's also lost some explosiveness," Gasol said. "He's more of a jump shooter now you could say, comes off the lane. Before he had a really, really quick first step and was getting to the lane and he was more aggressive then.”
Boston players were excited to hear the statement when reporters relayed Gasol assessment of KG.
"I just can't wait -- I didn't know he said that, but I'll be excited to see how it goes in Game 2," Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo said. "You know, Kevin is fine. It's just one game. We'll see in Game 2. We'll see in Game 2."
Garnett outplayed Gasol in the 2008 NBA Finals but it looks like he'll have his work cut out just to keep up with the younger big man this time around.
Past history
Kobe Bryant missed the regular season meeting on Feb. 18 and the Celtics won 87-86 as a 2.5-point underdog at Los Angeles. The Lakers have won every other meeting the past two seasons with Kobe in the lineup, going a perfect 4-0 straight-up and 3-0-1 against the spread which includes their Game 1 win on Thursday.
This is a stark reversal from the 2007-08 season which saw the Celtics go a perfect 8-0 against the spread versus the Lakers (6-2 straight-up) on Boston’s way to the NBA Championship. The Celtics won the title in six games which included a pair of home wins in Games 1 and 2.
Stingy defense vanished
Prior to Game 1 in Los Angeles, Boston’s defense had been ultra consistent throughout the playoffs. The C’s had allowed more than 100 points in just four of their 17 previous playoff games, and had held their opponents to less than 90 points in 10 of those 17 contests.
But their defense was non-existent on Thursday night as the Lakers scored 102 points in their 13-point win. Boston allowed the Lakers to shoot 48.7 percent (37-76) from the field and 40 percent (4-10) from 3-point land. The Celtics also gave the Lakers 24 free points after letting them get to the free-throw line 31 times.
Swallow the whistle
Game 1 had way too many fouls. The first quarter was actually tough to watch because there was absolutely no flow to the game thanks to the officials. They called a whopping 18 personal fouls over the first 12 minutes alone, and most of those calls were questionable at best.
The Celtics and Lakers combined to shoot 67 free throws for the game after 54 personal fouls were called with seven players having at least four fouls called on them. The match was officiated too tight, and we can only hope they let them play for the rest of the series.
Efficient offense
Both offensive units were extremely efficient in Game 1, especially the starters. Boston had four starters score in double digits with only Kendrick Perkins scoring less than 10 points. The starting five combined to score 73 points on 45.3 percent shooting (24-53).
Los Angeles also had four of their five starters score in double digits. Their starting five combined to score 87 points on 50 percent shooting (30-60).
NBA RoundUp For 6/6
By Dan Bebe
Celtics @ Lakers - Los Angeles by 6 with a total of 191. Let's start by cracking open the nut that was game one. The Lakers dominated, flat out, from start to finish. Every 6 minutes that passed, it seemed like the Celtics found themselves down another 3-4 points, and by the end of the 3rd quarter, the Lakers were running away with it in a blowout. Boston made a slight comeback effort early in the 4th quarter, courtesy of some generous foul calls and the Lakers pulling their customary 85% effort in a blowout act. The combination of Ron Artest, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom was far tougher than Boston expected, and Gasol in particular exerted a level of dominance on the interior that was really something to behold. I will say, though, that we saw more double-teaming out of Boston than I ever thought we would. They sent some extra bodies at Kobe Bryant in particular, but in the triangle, that just doesn't work. Ron Artest hit a few big shots out of those double-teams, and they almost rarely worked out in Boston's favor. I think we'll see the Celtics go back to playing more "man" defense in game two, since one of their ultimate goals since Boston became an NBA power was to force superstars to work as hard as possible for their points, but take away as many offensive weapons as possible, and they failed to do so in game one. But, as we've been saying all Playoffs long, can any team out there compete with the Lakers inside? The simple answer is "no." Kendrick Perkins can put a big body on Andrew Bynum, but the Lakers have the luxury of being able to play two 7-footers the entire game, and skilled ones, at that. Bynum and Perkins are the "big bodies", but Gasol, who has seemed to get stronger every year in LA, is able to use his superior strength on Garnett. Then, if the Celtics try to move Perkins over onto Gasol, Bynum is just an absolute load. I really liked what we saw defensively from Ron Artest, as well, and while his offensive outburst is going to get a lot of attention, his ability to make Paul Pierce work for every look was commendable. I believe the line opening at roughly the same number tells us that oddsmakers don't think anyone is going to really change their opinion after one game. Boston should play better in game two, and I think we'll see some more hustle out of them. The Lakers can't play all that much better, though guys like Odom and Fisher could probably stand to log a few more minutes without getting into foul trouble. The final score of this one should be closer than the 13-point margin we saw in game one, but how much closer? The total on this one opened right on the final number from game one, but that 3rd quarter was something of an anomaly. Tons of fouls shots let to a high-scoring 12-minute stretch, and I suppose the big question about the score is whether the officials are going to let the guys play a little more (there were quite a few ticky-tack fouls called), or if we're going to see more of the same. Obviously, if the game starts with another double-tech, that will answer that question quickly. No matter what we think on the side or the total, this one will probably stay close for longer than the first 8 minutes, and I happen to believe we'll have ourselves, roughly, a tie game at the half. But winning by 5.5 or 6 points isn't at all out of the question, and we'll really see some resolve from the two teams here in game 2. Let's rock.
Game 2, Celtics at Lakers
By Chris David
Can Boston earn a split in Los Angeles on Sunday? It’s easier said than done, considering the last five NBA Finals has watched the home team build a 2-0 lead with consecutive victories on their court.
And of those five teams, four of them went on to win the championship with the lone exception being Miami, who ripped off four straight victories over Dallas in the 2005-06 finals.
When you look at those trends, plus the fact that Lakers’ head coach Phil Jackson is 47-0 in series after winning Game 1, the pendulum is siding with the Purple and Gold, right now.
Regardless of the history mentioned, Boston’s chances of knotting up the series will depend if they bounce back after being outmuscled in the first installment to Los Angeles.
The Lakers captured a 102-89 wire-to-wire victory in Game 1 on Thursday, covering as 5 ½-point home favorites. L.A. also managed to cover the number in the first half (-3.5) and second half (-.5) as well.
Los Angeles led 26-21 after the first quarter and 50-41 at the break. The domination continued in the third quarter (34-23) before the Celtics cut into the 20-point deficit by outscoring the Lakers 25-18 over the final12 minutes.
The combined 191 points barely slid ‘over’ the closing total of 190 ½, which probably struck a nerve with some ‘under’ bettors (see below).
Game 1’s outcome was determined under the rim, where Los Angeles dominated. The Lakers owned the battle of the boards (42-31) and they outscored the Celtics 48-30 in the paint, with the help of 12 offensive rebounds.
All-Star forward Pau Gasol was questioned for his toughness in the finals two years ago against Boston but he quickly erased those memories in Game 1. The Spanish product finished with 23 points and had a game-high in rebounds (14) and blocks (3). His size and athleticism was evident against the Celtics’ Kevin Garnett, who finished with 16 points and four boards, but had no answer for Gasol in Game 1.
While Gasol exceeded expectations for L.A. on Thursday, the club’s best effort came from Kobe Bryant. The Lakers’ best player put up 30 points, his 12th of this year’s playoffs, seven rebounds and eight assists. While Kobe was dicing up the Celtics’ defense, Ron Artest grinded out 15 points for the Lakers.
Neither Boston (43%) nor L.A. (48%) shot extremely well from the field but both clubs were benefited with a combined 67 trips to the free throw line. Boston’s Paul Pierce got the most calls (12-of-13 fts) from the zebras and he also played the most minutes for the Celtics too.
Ray Allen was the one Celtic who was plagued by the foul trouble the most. He played 27 minutes and couldn’t get into any rhythm, finishing with 12 points on 3-of-8 shooting. Guarding Bryant doesn’t give Allen much time to rest on defense but he said he’s up for the challenge again for the rest of the series.
While KG didn’t have his best performance, veteran Rasheed Wallace used his craftiness to help with nine points and four boards in just 18 minutes. The rest of Boston’s bench only had seven points, which included a lackluster effort from Glen Davis (3 points, 3 rebounds).
Point guard Rajon Rondo has been great in the playoffs so far and his stats (13 points, six rebounds, eight assists) weren’t horrible in Game 1 but a large part of the Celtics’ success in the playoffs is based off Rondo’s speed and domination, neither shown Thursday.
Boston only attempted 67 shots in Game 1, including 10 attempts from 3-point land. The lack of treys was due to Allen’s limited minutes, plus the C’s had to match up with the Lakers’ bigs. Most would expect both those numbers to go up for Game 2.
Even though the Lakers played the run ‘n gun styles with the Jazz and Suns, they were happy to slow it down with Boston. L.A. attempted 76 shots, which was the lowest number of attempts by the club in this year’s postseason.
The win over Boston in Game 1 helped the Lakers improve to 9-0 straight up at home in the playoffs. L.A. has helped gamblers to a 6-3 mark against the spread. The loss for the Celtics was their sixth of the playoffs. Five of those setbacks have come by eight or more and four of them happened on the road. Boston has never lost yet covered, which is something to think about for Game 2.
For the second battle, the books pushed the Lake Show up to six-point favorites. Gamblers looking to back the Celtics for the outright victory, can take a shot at a generous money-line price of plus-210 (Bet $100 to win $220) on the ‘dogs.
The Game 1 total opened anywhere from 193- to 194 ½ at most books and as we noted in our Trend Piece, the ‘under’ in the opening tip of the finals has been golden. Well, the total closed at 190 ½ in Thursday’s battle and the game went ‘over’ by a hook, leaving some total players with a bad taste, especially those who shopped late. The Lakers led 99-86 with less than 30 ticks left before Pierce converted an old-fashioned 3-point play. L.A. had to take a shot with a two-second differential on the game clock and sure enough, Kobe finished the game with a 3-point dagger that helped ‘over’ players, plus the arbitrage guys were happy as well.
Similar to the closing number in Game 1, the total for Sunday is hovering between 190 and 191. The two regular season battles went ‘under’ and so should’ve the first matchup in this series.
Most sportsbooks had the Lakers listed as $2.00 series favorites (Bet $200 to win $100) over the Celtics and after the Game 1 victory, that number has jumped up to as high as minus-330 (Bet $330 to win $100) at most shops. The takeback on Boston is now hovering at plus-280 (Bet $100 to win $280) at a handful of offshore outfits.
The two clubs will travel back to Boston for Game 3, which is scheduled for Tuesday.
Tonight’s tip is slated for 8:05 p.m. EDT and ABC will provide national coverage.
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Tips and Trends
Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers
Celtics: Boston is going to have to play with far more effort if they are going to make this series a Finals to remember. Boston made the critical mistake of expecting the Lakers to be soft like they were in their last Finals matchup. The Celtics vaunted defense struggled in Game 1, as they allowed the Lakers to score more than 100 PTS and allowed them to shoot better than 48% in the process. F Paul Pierce was the the only Celtics player to score more than 16 PTS, as he had 24 PTS. Pierce was 6-13 from the field, and attempted a game high 13 free throw attempts in Game 1. Pierce also had a team high 9 rebounds in Game 1, 3 more than any other teammate had. PG Rajon Rondo was the only other Celtics player that played well in Game 1, as he had 13 PTS, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds. Boston only made 1 of their 10 three point attempts in Game 1, something they certainly need to improve on. Boston is 62-38 SU and 45-53-2 ATS overall this season. Boston is 31-19 SU both at home and on the road this season. The Celtics are 26-23-2 ATS away from home this year, proving just how great of a road team they are. The Celtics are 7-8 ATS as a road underdog of 3.5 to 6 PTS this year. The Celtics are only 1-9 ATS against Pacific Division opponents this year.
Celtics are 6-1 ATS last 7 games following a SU loss of more than 10 points.
Under is 5-0 last 5 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
Key Injuries - G Marquis Daniels (concussion) is questionable.
PROJECTED SCORE: 90 (Side of the Day)
Lakers (-6, O/U 190): Los Angeles played Game 1 like they had been waiting for it for years. That's mostly the case, because the Lakers had indeed been waiting for the Celtics after losing to them in the Finals a few years ago. Los Angeles played like the team with revenge, as they dominated the rebounding department and the hustle points against Boston. The Lakers outrebounded the Celtics 42-31, with F Pau Gasol being the only player in the game with double digit rebounds. Gasol had 23 PTS and 14 rebounds in Game 1, proving that he isn't as "soft" as he has been in the past. G Kobe Bryant was very efficient, as he had a game high 30 PTS on 22 shot attempts. F Ron Artest played great as well, as he had 15 PTS while playing superb defense on Paul Pierce. The Lakers are confident after their Game 1 win, partly due to the fact that Coach Jackson led teams are 47-0 in a series after winning Game 1. Los Angeles is 70-29 SU and 43-53-3 ATS overall this season. The Lakers are 43-7 SU and 22-27-1 ATS in home games this year. The Lakers are 5-3 as a home favorite between 3.5 and 6 PTS this season. Los Angeles is 10-7 ATS during the playoffs this season entering tonight.
Lakers are 7-3 ATS last 10 home games against a team with a road winning percentage greater than .600%.
Over is 6-1-1 last 8 playoff games as a favorite.
Key Injuries - None.
PROJECTED SCORE: 91