Bulls at Celtics – Ben Gordon’s Hamstring Injury is BIG News

The first-round of the playoffs has been no easy task for the Celtics in the past two years. Besides storming through the regular season on both occasions, the Celtics have entered Game 5 tied 2-2 with their respective opponents both this and last year. The 2008 Atlanta Hawks were an upstart trio of youngsters. The 2009 Chicago Bulls have one of the scariest backcourts in the league.

I’ve been singing Rose and Gordon’s praises all series long, but with Gordon adopting an awkward hamstring injury, everyone behind the Chicago betting bandwagon just keeled over like God just kicked ‘em in the junk. The Bulls have been heady steady on the road, but in Boston, they’ve struggled immensely against the betting line. So with a spread that’s only getting bigger, does Gordon’s hammy scare you that much?

NBA Betting Trends

-Chicago is 7-3 SU in their last 10 games

-Chicago is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 on the road

-Chicago is 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 games when playing Boston

-Boston is 5-13 ATS in their last 18 games at home

-Boston is 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 games when playing Chicago

-Boston is 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games when playing at home against Chicago

Gordon’s MRI came back negative, but when a player says he heard a “pop”, then the injuries in his head. The good thing is that Derrick Rose can easily pick up the slack, but the Bulls are deadliest when Gordon is playing with 100% confidence. He’s a scorer and nothing else. The guy is averaging 25 points and 2 assists per game as a guard. Rose is posting double-doubles, but if Gordon isn’t the same deadly speedster in his head because of a hamstring tweak, then you’re right to doubt the Bulls in Game 5.

Chicago Bulls (41-41) vs. Boston Celtics (62-20)

Tuesday, April 28th — TD Banknorth Garden, Boston — 7:00pm EST

NBA Betting Line: Boston -7.5 (199.5)

The good thing is that this is not a make or break game for the Bulls. If the Celtics pull away and Gordon is not feeling it, they’ll let the game go, which means the Celtics will pour it on heavily. As is usual in the playoffs, coaches and teams refrain from divulging details about injuries. We have no idea how bad this Gordon injury is. What we do know is that Chicago has struggled when playing Detroit. Injuries have ravaged this series, but it still has the makings of a classic. Give this game to Boston, but this series is far from over.

NBA Free Pick: Boston -7.5 (UNDER)