Posted on 5/6/2008 3:49:33 PM

NBA Online Playoff Betting - Round 2 Free Picks

By Dave Golokhov

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Boston Celtics

I know what you’re thinking: the Atlanta Hawks can play with the Boston Celtics so inherently, the Cleveland Cavaliers can do the same.

I’d be careful with that line of reasoning. The Atlanta Hawks are a very athletic team that is on the rise in the NBA. Granted, their 37-45 record makes you think otherwise, but their length, speed and athleticism gave the Celtics a lot of problems.

Outside of LeBron James, the Cavs don’t have the same type of athleticism.

One thing that concerns Celtics backers is the fact that they were unable to win on the road in the first round. That is a bit misleading. They blew a 10-point lead in Game 4 and got a rough call when Paul Pierce fouled out in Game 6.

Part of the journey in the playoffs is building from round to round. The Celtics don’t need to win any road games in this series but I’m confident enough they can if necessary. After all, Washington won a game in Cleveland.

The Cavs go through spurts where they struggle to score. James is the main catalyst but he’s the only one and everyone has to feed off of him. Daniel Gibson and Delonte West are basic shooters while Anderson Varejao and Zydrunas Ilgauskas aren’t adept at creating their own shots. Wally Szczerbiak has to have an amazing series to help the Cavs advance.

The Celtics have three quality scorers, which will provide enough offense for them. Look for the Celtics to build on their first round showing.

Basketball Free Picks: Boston -800

Utah Jazz @ Los Angeles Lakers

With a 1-0 lead, the Los Angeles Lakers are a -800 favorite to win the series.

The final score isn’t exactly indicative of what happened in Game 1 and there is reason to sprinkle on the Jazz side of this series when you are getting +500.

The Jazz shot just 37.9% in the opening game and their top two players, Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, combined for just 29 points.

Without Andrew Bynum around, the Jazz have a significant size advantage in the front court and used that to their benefit in Game 1. They outrebounded the Lakers by 17 and totaled 25 offensive rebounds. You can bet the Lakers are looking to adjust for Game 2.

The Lakers are very versatile offensively and while the Jazz should be able to score more efficiently in Game 2, they will have to figure out a way to slow the Lakers on the offensive end.

Six of their players hit double figures and Kobe Bryan finished with 38 points. There was no answer for Bryant all game long as he went to the line and hit a franchise record 21 free throws.

The Jazz need to steal a road game and protect their home court. Although the final score doesn’t indicate it, they nearly stole game one when they cut the lead to five points with 7:22 remaining in the fourth quarter. There isn’t much value betting the Lakers at this point but the Jazz might be worth a small play if you believe in them.

Basketball Free Picks: Utah +500

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