Posted on 3/20/2008 1:55:13 PM

NBA SportsBook Betting Furious Free Picks – Boston To Complete Texas Three-Step

By Tim Furious

Boston Celtics (54-13) vs. Dallas Mavericks (44-24)
Thursday, March 20th --- American Airlines Center, Dallas --- 8:30pm EST
NBA Betting Line: (OFF)

First they came back from a 13-point deficit against the balanced Spurs. Then they grounded the surging Rockets and their historic 22-game winning streak. Can the Boston Three Party complete their domination of the great state of Texas with a win over Dallas? I say “yes”. And by a lot.

I still hate this Dallas team. With Harris and Diop getting buckets in Jersey, Dallas has become small and slow, which simply doesn’t cut it anymore in this day and age. They average 100.4 points per game, and are 16-2 SU in their past 18 games, but may be too unathletic to keep up with what many believe to be the best team in the league.

Boston is 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games and are playing with a tempo that Jason Kidd and Dallas can’t hope to keep up with. In their past five meetings, Dallas has gone 1-4 ATS Boston. And with Dallas coming off a devastating loss to the Lakers last Tuesday, it’s hard to imagine that Cuban’s crew has enough in the tank to go toe-to-toe with the Celtics.

Boston has the best defense in the league averaging 90.0 points per game against, and has the size and speed to beat up on Dallas. With Paul Pierce roaming the perimeter, Jerry Stackhouse will get left in the dust. And while the battle Dirk and KG will be a great one, KG holds the edge defensively and can eliminate Dirk from the gameplan with a tremendous wingspan and a tenacious effort on defense. The Big Ticket has been worth the price that Boston paid for him with 18.8 points per game and 9.4 rebounds. His effort on the boards will neutralize Dallas’s second attempts and hold the once explosive Mavericks on the defensive end.

Rajon Rondo, who I honestly believed would fade in to the background with the acquisition of Sam Cassell, has responded by maintaining his 10.6 points per game average with 5.0 assists. Kidd has shown evidence that he has become a defensive liability and that will give Uncle Sam and Raging Rondo plenty of chances to get on the score sheet and run a blistering pace on the hardwood that Dallas simply can’t match.

A lot of people are going to side with Dallas based on their past success and their strong home record, but I like Boston in this one with anything less than -6. Bet on the under as Dallas loses the matchup battle at key positions. Barring a 40-point effort from Jason Terry off the bench, Boston will dismantle the Mavericks in this one and complete their conquest of Texas.

NBA Free Pick: Boston -6 (UNDER)

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