Will the Nets steal another series?
LAS VEGAS, NV (The Spread) – Which lower seed will pull off the upset in the second round of this year’s NBA playoffs? Let’s take a look.
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As of this writing, we have already seen two upsets in Game 1 of the second round of the Playoffs. The Wizards jumped out to an early lead and the Pacers could never recover and the same can be said with the Clippers as they embarrassed the Oklahoma City Thunder on their home court. We have two more series being played Tuesday night and I think the team that offers the most value is the Brooklyn Nets as they are a +450 to win the series vs. the Miami Heat.
It would not surprise me to see Brooklyn steal game 1 and this series from Miami. The Brooklyn ‘Vets’ beat Miami 4-0 during the regular season and they come into this game with momentum after rallying down 3-2 vs. Toronto to win the series. Miami will be playing with a full week’s rest and I expect them to be rusty, giving the Nets the situational edge in Game 1. If Brooklyn steals game 1, then they have done their job by winning a game in Miami. They will just need to protect their home court after that. I will note that the Nets ended the season on a 15-2 SU record on their home court and they have a ton of playoff experience in the starting rotation, the bench, and HC Jason Kidd has personal playoff experience as well. Miami has been known to have trouble in the paint on the offensive boards, and this is where I can see Brooklyn posing a threat. The Nets are long, tall, and athletic with their forwards and center. This series will go 7 games more than likely, and I like Brooklyn to win Game 7 in South Beach to advance to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers lost Game 1 vs. the Wizards on Monday night which was not a surprise to many. I will note that the Pacers lost Game 1 vs. the Atlanta Hawks in the first round in similar fashion before righting the ship in Game 2. I feel this series with Washington and Indiana is one where home court is not that important. Either team can when on the others home court. I look for Indiana to make changes to respond strongly in the upcoming games. I do not expect Ariza to go 6-for-6 from the 3 point line again and I have to expect the Pacers to win the rebounding edge in the upcoming games as this is where they got beat. The public and the sharps are on the Wizards this series, but I truly feel the Pacers find a way to grind out this series in what will probably go 7 games.
The Clippers stole game 1 from Oklahoma City and I liked the Thunder to win the NBA Championship this season. After watching this game, I will say that they look to be in trouble but I still feel they can right their ship and win this series, then beat the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. They went toe-to-toe 7 games with Memphis and probably only won because Randolph got suspended in Game 7. Now they just got blown out on their home court in Game 1 vs. the Clippers. The good news for Oklahoma City is that I do not see the Clippers making 15 three pointer a game and shooting 50+% from the floor. I also do not expect them to only commit 8 turnovers a game. Chris Paul, with all due respect, had an outer body experience in Game 1 and the playoffs are built around defensive intensity and I have to believe Westbrook will play better defense and with a chip on his shoulder as he did in Game 6 and 7 vs. the Grizzlies. ……While many are saying that Oklahoma City will lose this series after losing game 1, I see them bouncing back and taking this series in 6.
In closing, while money is being bet on the Wizards and the Clippers to win their series as underdogs, I like the Brooklyn ‘Vets’ to shock the world and dethrone the Miami Heat and are a great low risk- high reward for bettors.
Play on Brooklyn Nets to Win Series +425
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