NBA Betting – Can Lakers Keep the Celtics From Winning the Title Tonight?

Forget everything that Lakers’ fans are saying about Game 6 tonight at the Staples Center.  The pressure is not on the Boston Celtics.  The pressure is on the Los Angeles Lakers.  Shortly after the Lakers lost a tough Game 5 in Boston, many L.A. fans began to console themselves, to tell themselves that everything was okay.  The NBA odds makers appear to agree as the Lakers are a solid -6 ½ point favorites in the NBA sportsbook to beat the Boston Celtics and force a Game 7.

Will that be the case?  Or, will the Boston Celtics, like they have so many times before in NBA history, beat the Los Angeles Lakers and win the NBA Championship?

Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers – Game 6

Where:  Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA

When:  June 15th, 2010 at 9:00 pm EST

TV:  ABC

NBA Betting Odds

Boston Celtics                         +6 ½ -110        +250

Los Angeles Lakers                -6 ½ -110         -300

I’m not looking at trends again in this game.  The key stat regarding this game played out again in Game 5 when the team that grabbed the most rebounds, the Celtics, won the game.

But the rebounding margin wasn’t nearly what it should have been. The Celtics grabbed only 35 boards to the Lakers 34.  The Celtics did, however, shoot 56.3% from the field.  They most likely won’t shoot that well on Tuesday night.

Even with the Lakers playing better defense on Tuesday night, L.A. still faces an uphill battle in this game.  Everything went according to plan against Boston in Game 5.  Pau Gasol grabbed 12 rebounds, each time he had grabbed 10 rebounds or more in a game during this series the Lakers had won, Kobe Bryant scored 38 points and Lakers held the Celtics to only a +1 margin, 34 to 35, on the boards.

So, why did the Lakers lose?  Because of the shooting percentage, but that’s just it, right?  I mean, if the Lakers run out to the shooters, then the Celtics rebounding margin becomes greater and rebounding, I still believe, is the single most important factor in this series.

The Celtics shot only 13 free throws in Game 5 as opposed to the Lakers’ 26 free throw attempts.  That’s a huge margin yet the Celtics still found a way to win the game.  I just don’t see what Phil Jackson can do in order to get his fellas to beat this team.

Boston is clicking in all phases of the game right now.  If the Lakers defenders run out to the shooters, they will get burned on the boards.  If the Lakers defenders drop down and double-team the Celtics’ inside game, then the shooters will tear them up.  In almost every way, I see the Boston Celtics beating the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6.

Kobe and Pau Gasol really can’t play much better than they did in Game 5.  The Lakers’ bench just isn’t as good as the Celtics’.  Yes, L.A. will come out fired up and ready to dominate Boston, but Boston is simply the better team.

I believe that emotion will take the Lakers only so far in tonight’s game.  I see Boston either shooting over 50% from the field, or, if the Lakers run out to their shooters, driving the basketball and getting a lot of free throw attempts.

I also see Boston, once again, winning the rebound battle.  I believe that the NBA Finals ends tonight.  The Boston Celtics will win the NBA Championship.

They’re the basketball betting pick on the moneyline.

NBA Sportsbook Pick:  Boston Celtics +250