Posted on 3/24/2008 4:07:41 PM

NBA Furious Free Picks 2008 – Sixers Battle Home Bound Boston

By Tim Furious

Philadelphia 76ers (35-25) vs. Boston Celtics (55-14)

Monday, March 24th --- TD Banknorth Garden, Boston --- 7:30pm EST

NBA Betting Line: Boston -9.5 (194)

The Sixers have been nothing short of amazing, considering that most betting experts had them pegged as lottery bound loafers at the onset of the NBA betting odds season. But their recent surge to 15-7 ATS in their past 22 games has everyone in the betting community buzzing about Thaddeus Young and Andre Igoudala. The real pusher in Philly, however, is Andre Miller who isn’t getting nearly enough credit for everything he is accomplishing at the point for Philadelphia. Miller is averaging 17.1 points per game with 6.7 helpers as well, and is playing at a level that is reestablishing him as a vaunted NBA playmaker.

Philadelphia has gone 5-1 SU and ATS in their past 6 games on the road, but that doesn’t mean you should be necessarily rushing to the sportsbook to wager on them as an underdog. The line opened at -10 for Team Green, and moved away from it steadily by the half-point because many people are taking the surging Sixers in this game. But you have to remember that the Sixers are only 2-9-1 ATS in their past 10 meetings with the Celtics, who are coming off three emphatic victories in the great state of Texas.

It’s not a well kept secret that the Celtics are the favorites to win the NBA championship this season. If the 14-2 SU record they hold over their past 16 games isn’t convincing enough, then take their 9-2 ATS record over the past 11 as proof of how solid this team is. Hell, if that’s not enough then you’re crazy. You can’t hold a 113-106 loss to the Hornets over Boston’s head. They were coming to the tail end of an exhausting road trip and simply had nothing left in the tank after San Antonio, Dallas and Houston took them to the limit.

The problem I’m beginning to have with Philadelphia is that they are streakers. They get hot, and rely on their brutish athleticism to slash through defenses. That’s not going to work against Boston, which is the boasts the best defense in the league. Boston averages 90.4 points against, and will snail the tempo down to a crawl to bend the Sixers to their will. Simply put, the Sixers do not matchup well against a well experienced team that can control the pace of the game. And that is Boston in a nutshell.

NBA Free Pick: Boston -9.5 (UNDER)

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