posted May 8, 2008 at 15:24 in NBA Betting Trends

NBA betting lines can be really stubborn during the playoffs. On Tuesday night, we saw the Boston Celtics struggle to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 76-72 as 10-point favorites. As a result, the odds on the Celtics for Thursday’s Game 2 have moved with all the ferocity of a glacier – Boston is now a “mere” 8.5-point chalk.

Every point counts when you’re line shopping, but this move doesn’t even represent a single bucket. And single buckets were very hard to come by in the series opener. Both the Celtics (No. 1 in efficiency) and the Cavaliers (No. 11) bring defensive mindsets to the floor, leading to the following ghastly performances on Tuesday:

• LeBron James: 2-for-18, 12 points, 10 turnovers

• Delonte West: 2-for-10, four points, two assists

• Paul Pierce: 2-for-14, four points, six turnovers

• Ray Allen: 0-for-4, zero points, four turnovers

Suffice to say, this game will not be replayed on ESPN Classic anytime soon. Pierce perfectly summed up Tuesday night’s frustrations when he joked to reporters that his scoring line, added with Allen’s, equaled James’ 2-for-18 shooting and 10 turnovers. It can’t be taken for granted that any of the four aforementioned players will bounce back in Game 2 – especially the oft-injured Allen, who appeared very tentative in the opener.

Boston fans were already sweating after the Celtics dropped three games to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. Yet Tuesday’s tight contest (it was tied at 72 with 39 seconds remaining) hasn’t stopped the C’s bandwagon. Their series price to win this Eastern Conference semifinal has ballooned from –900 to –1200; meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers were –800 after handily winning their series opener against the Utah Jazz.

Cleveland improved to 5-2 against the spread in these playoffs by nearly taking Game 1 at the Garden. The Celtics are 4-4 ATS and 2-4 ATS in the past six games. Even more upsetting for Boston supporters, the C’s are 3-2 (1-4 ATS) against Cleveland since Allen and Kevin Garnett joined forces with Pierce. The under is 3-2, and the home team won every time. The last three games have been decided by a grand total of 10 points.

Thursday’s matchup is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time as the first half of an ESPN doubleheader. The nightcap features Game 3 between New Orleans and San Antonio; the Spurs were crushed in the first two contests, but come home as 6.5-point faves. The Hornets are somehow only –300 on the NBA odds list to advance to the Western finals.

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