posted March 20, 2008 at 16:40 EST in NBA Betting Trends
NBA Basketball Sportsbook Wagering Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks
by Eric Williams
While the Boston Celtics, (54-13 SU, 41-24-2 ATS, 30-36-1 O/U), are thriving better than they have all season in winning their last two games in particular, the Dallas Mavericks, (44-24 SU, 30-24-4 ATS 33-33-2 O/U), are showing exactly why they are not in the same elite class as many of the league’s top-flight teams.
The Celtics are coming off solid back-to-back wins over the San Antonio Spurs, (93-91) and Houston Rockets, (94-74), on Monday and Tuesday nights that has fueled talk that they are headed to the NBA Finals this season, while the Mavericks fell to the Los Angeles Lakers 102-100 on Tuesday despite the fact that the Lakers were without either of their seven-footers in Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum and had to rely almost exclusively on Kobe Bryant at the offensive end of the floor to create opportunities for himself and his teammates.
"There wasn't really a lot of talking on the bus (in San Antonio) after the win," said Celtics all-star forward Kevin Garnett. "I know when we're like that, we're focused."
Boston has used its overwhelming defense to shut opponents down routinely this season.
"I've never seen a defense like that," Houston Rockets swingman Tracy McGrady said. "I mean, if they play defense like that, night in and night out, the NBA is in trouble because that was defense at its finest."
While the Celtics have won 13 of their last 14 games in the BetUS.com Sportsbook, the Mavericks have gone 0-6 against teams over .500 since acquiring all-star point guard Jason Kidd from the New Jersey Nets.
The underachieving Mavericks actually trailed the Lakers by as many as 25 points before making a furious comeback that fell just short.
"My confidence is not shaken," head coach Avery Johnson told the team's official Web site. "We are disappointed because we don't like coming in second. But again, every game is a playoff game and they played it early on more like they were playing for their basketball lives and we didn't."
The Celtics have covered the spread in eight of their last ten games and three straight coming into this contest while the Mavericks had their five-game ATS winning streak snapped by the Lakers.
Here is a look at tonight’s Key Trends, followed by my analysis and NBA Betting Picks:
The Celtics are 5-0 ATS in their last five vs. NBA Southwest.
The Celtics are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games overall.
The Mavericks are 4-0 ATS in their last four after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
The Mavericks are 5-0 ATS in their last five vs. Eastern Conference.
The Over is 5-1 in Celtics last six vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
The Over is 4-0 in Mavericks last four after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
The Over is 5-1 in the last six meetings.
The Celtics are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
Analysis: Just like I wrote about the Celtics last game against the Houston Rockets, I’ll write it again. The Celtics are going to march into Dallas and lay the ‘smackdown’ on the underachieving Mavericks who still have absolutely no low post presence whatsoever. The Mavericks’ best player is a seven-foot jump shooter who still doesn’t know how to use his height in the low post to take advantage of smaller players. If Bruce Bowen can regularly frustrate Dirk Nowitzki, just wait until the Celtics’ vaunted defense gets a hold of the underachieving Nowitzki tonight.
NBA Free Picks: Celtics +2½ Points/Under 189 Total Points
08:05 PM EST NBA Point Spreads
Boston Celtics +2½ -110
Dallas Mavericks -2½ -110
Over 189 -110
Under 189 -110
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