Posted on 4/18/2008 7:22:54 PM

NBA Basketball Playoff Betting 2 Pack – Let The Games Begin

By Charles Jay

Philadelphia 76ers at Detroit Pistons

WHAT: Game 1 of Eastern Conference playoff series

WHO: Philadelphia 76ers (40-42 SU, 43-38-1 ATS) at Detroit Pistons (59-23 SU, 46-35-1 ATS)

WHERE: The Palace, Auburn Hills, MI

WHEN: Sunday, April 20 at 6 PM ET

BetUS NBA basketball betting odds: Detroit -9.5, Total 179.5

In the HEAD-to-HEAD NBA basketball betting trends:

* PHIL has won three of the last five meetings SU

* PHIL has covered four of the last five meetings

* Four of the last six meetings have gone UNDER the total

* PHIL has covered the last three meetings as the home team

* DET has had the shooting edge in six of the last eight meetings

* PHIL has had the rebounding edge in each of the last eight meetings

* DET has made more three-pointers in nine of the last ten meetings

Philadelphia and its coach, Maurice Cheeks deserve to be commended for the job they did in turning the situation around in the City of Brotherly Love, and taking the Sixers from a spot where they needed answers in the "post-Iverson" era to a point where they are challenging in the playoffs.

Andre Iguodala has gradually developed from a defensive specialist to a player who can hurt anyone on the offensive end (20 ppg), while Samuel Dalembert solidified things in the middle with rebounding (10.4 board per game) and intimidation (2.4 blocks per contest).

Of course, this Sixer squad, collectively, has little or no playoff experience, while Detroit's veteran contingent surpasses everyone in that regard in the Eastern Conference. This may turn out to be a game of pace; Cheeks feels as if his team has to speed things up a bit to negate some of Detroit's advantages in the half-court game. But they were not very successful in governing tempo in regular season meetings, only one of which saw either opponent score better than 90 points.

The Pistons are just very good at getting back on defense, and Flip Saunders was extremely pleased with the kind of production his team was able to get from rookies off the bench, where Rodney Stuckey provided some instant offense and Aaron Afflalo kept up the defensive intensity.

And Detroit doesn't cough up the ball, either. The Pistons committed just 11.3 turnovers a game, and that translated to a 2-to-1 assist/turnover ratio. They also have much more three-point power than Philly, which is the NBA's least prolific team from beyond the arc (3.7 three-pointers per game).

This will be a learning experience for Cheeks' Sixers, but likely a painful one. And with seven losses in the last ten games, they seemed to tucker out toward the finish, even though there was playoff positioning to be gained. In fact, they wound up opposing Detroit instead of Orlando in the first round because of the poor finish. They'll pay. Lay the points with Detroit, the 9.5-point favorite in the BetUS NBA basketball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: DETROIT

Denver Nuggets at L.A. Lakers

WHAT: Game 1 - Western Conference playoff series

WHO: Denver Nuggets (50-32 SU, 43-39 ATS) at Los Angeles Lakers (57-25 SU, 47-34-1 ATS)

WHERE: Staples Center in Los Angeles

WHEN: Sunday, April 20 at 3 PM ET

BetUS NBA basketball betting odds: Lakers -8, Total 224

In the HEAD-to-HEAD NBA basketball betting trends:

* LA has won the last three meetings SU

* LA has covered eight of the last ten meetings

* Four of the last six meetings have gone UNDER the total

* LA has won and covered four of the last five meetings SU as the home team

* LA has had the shooting edge in seven of the last ten meetings

* DEN has had the rebounding edge in six of the last eight meetings

* LA has made more three-pointers in eight of the last ten meetings

I'm not sure what happened last season matters very much. This edition of the Lakers scored home wins by 17 and 28 points over Denver this season and held the Nuggets below 100 points each time. Both teams have been showing pretty good shooting form coming into this series, but there is a defensive edge that probably has to go to the Lakers.

With Denver, it's a question of whether they can outscore the opponent. The Nuggets led the NBA in scoring in road games (108.4 ppg) but by the same token, they also gave up the most points away from home (111.4 ppg). Denver is often willing to take chances in order to make the play that will lead to the transition basket on the other end, and has 9.2 steals a game to show for it.

The Lakers, on balance, are better defensively than their opponent. And admittedly, Los Angeles also has the advantage of the coach who has won many titles in the past (Phil Jackson) against one who has never had much success in the post-season (George Karl). But without Andrew Bynum (who shot 63.6% this year but is out with injury), this probably becomes tougher, And Marcus Camby, who led the NBA in blocks, serves as an impediment to Pau Gasol down low.

Denver probably won't win the game, or the series, but they have enough talent and depth to make a contest of it in the series lidlifter. We'll take the points with the Nuggets, the eight-point underdog in the BetUS NBA basketball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: DENVER

You’ll find the latest 2007-2008 NBA odds and lines in the best online sportsbook, BetUS.com. Betting on NBA player and game props makes every aspect of the game exciting. Join BetUS.com today to bet on the NBA and make online sports betting work for you!

(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com is a freelance writer and handicapper who not only can make his shots from the top of the key, but also contributes with gusto to the BetUS Locker Room)