Posted on 6/4/2007 3:26:07 PM

NBA Finals Betting - Boobie’s For Real

By Jim Leary

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The Cleveland Cavaliers are no longer a one-man team.

Daniel Gibson scored 31 points in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final between the Cavs and the Detroit Pistons. And he did it in just 29 minutes off the bench, dropping four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to put the stake through Detroit’s heart. Cleveland supporters aren’t just happy to upset the Pistons; they feel they have a legitimate shot now against the Western champions, the San Antonio Spurs.

 

If they’re right, they’re sitting on a big pile of money. The Cavs are priced at +350 to win the NBA title. They’re also getting 7.5 points as they travel to San Antonio for Thursday’s series opener, or you can get them on the moneyline at +300.

Thanks in part to his colorful nickname getting splashed all over the press this past weekend, “Boobie” Gibson is no longer a secret weapon – except, perhaps, to coach Mike Brown. It wasn’t until Larry Hughes suffered a sprained foot that Brown turned to Gibson, and he responded with 21 points in Game 4 to tie the series at two games apiece. That was the pivotal choice in this matchup; Gibson’s outside shooting penalized the Pistons for double-teaming LeBron James. And it could do the same against the Spurs.

While Cleveland prides itself on defense, that’s pretty much where the comparison between the two clubs ends. Gibson’s ascension gives the Cavs four options at the 1-spot, Eric Snow and Damon Jones being the others. All four were able to contribute something against the Pistons and their surprisingly ineffective point guard, Chauncey Billups. Can they do the same to Tony Parker? He’s quicker than Billups, and should be able to rotate off James to provide some better perimeter defense than what we saw out of Detroit.

 

San Antonio’s excess of riches can be found in the paint, which is where this series will likely be decided. The Spurs were able to down the Denver Nuggets despite the impressive defense put in by the frontcourt combo of Marcus Camby and Nene. Denver, though, didn’t have sufficient reserves to keep their frontline fresh, or to create some instant offense off the bench. The Cavs will have a similar problem subbing in for Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden.

At least Cleveland definitely knows a thing or two about San Antonio. Brown was an assistant on the 2003 champion Spurs, while GM Danny Ferry was their director of basketball operations when they won the title in 2005. That’s some valuable inside information; the Cavs used that wisdom to win both their matchups against the Spurs during the regular season, both as underdogs. And that was before “Boobie” became a household name in Cleveland.

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