posted May 28, 2008 at 14:33 EST in NBA Betting Trends

Unless you’ve been on another planet for the past week, most NBA basketball betting aficionados and sportsbook wagering fans know that the Eastern Conference Finals matchup featuring the Boston Celtics, (76-24 SU, 59-39-2 ATS, 44-55-1 O/U) and Detroit Pistons, (69-28 SU, 54-42-1 ATS, 41-55-1 O/U) has been everything fans expected and more, when these two teams began their collision course long before the midway point of the regular season ever arrived.

Now, after four games, the online betting series is tied at two games apiece with each team winning once on the road.

Now, with the series a virtual three-game series with two of the contests in Boston, the Celtics say they need to play with a greater sense or urgency than they’ve shown all season long.

"I think the veterans really get that. I think the young ones always think there's another opportunity," Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said on Tuesday. "The whole thing is to show them how close we are, the sense of urgency they have to have. Because the other team has it."

The Pistons won Game 4 after falling into a 2-1 series deficit to the Celtics by getting a stellar performance from veteran forward Antonio McDyess who scored 21 points and pulled down 16 rebounds.

"(McDyess) knows that you can't take any of this for granted," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "Some of our guys have been in six straight conference finals, which is an amazing achievement, but for some of our guys, this is the first time.”

Despite poor performances from each of their ‘Big Three’ in Game 4, the Celtics stayed close for much of the online sportsbook betting contest with terrific free throw shooting.

"It is rare when all of them are missing shots," Rivers said. "They had the old Pat Riley idea that if you foul enough, they're going to stop calling half of them. And it's true."

At least one Celtics player said the C’s have absolutely no plans on losing again at home in the playoffs after suffering their first home loss to the Pistons in Game 2.

"They never panic, especially Ray, Paul and KG. They're always poised," center Kendrick Perkins said. "They never talk negative, even after the loss they stayed positive. It was like, 'Don't even worry about it. We aren't losing any more games at home."'

Here is a look at tonight’s key sports betting trends followed by my NBA Betting Picks.

The Pistons are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games as a road underdog of 5.0-10.5.

The Pistons are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a SU win of more than ten points.

The Celtics are 5-0 ATS in their last five home games vs. a team with a road winning percentage of greater than .600.

The Celtics are 7-1 ATS in their last eight home games vs. a team with a winning road record.

The Under is 10-1 in Pistons last eleven games following a SU win of more than ten points.

The Under is 7-1 in Celtics last eight games following a SU loss of more than ten points.

The Under is 7-1 in the last eight meetings.

The Under is 6-1 in the last seven meetings in Boston.

Analysis: I’ve said time and time again that this series would produce a slew of ‘last possession’ types of contests and although that hasn’t been the case for the majority of this series, I’m going to take the veteran Pistons to keep this game close until the finish, though I certainly don’t see them winning outright. Take the Celtics, backed by their boisterous home crowd, to win this important Game 5 matchup while failing to cover the spread.

NBA Free Picks: Celtics 91 Pistons 85

08:35 PM EST NBA Odds

Detroit Pistons +7 -110

Boston Celtics -7 -110

Over 173 -110

Under 173 -110

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