NBA Betting Picks – Boston Age Is Showing Against Cleveland

It’s been a long standing story this season that the Boston Celtics have gone from champion to geriatric over the past two seasons.

An inability to pace with the tempo of LeBron James in the fourth quarter added fuel to the fire that is burning up the arguments that would favor the Celtics as punchy NBA betting underdogs in this series.

It remains to be seen if the fine wine of the Boston Celtics can match the fury of LeBron and the much younger Cavaliers.

The man who has the most experience on Cleveland is unquestionably Shaquille O’Neal, who has been anything but a stalwart presence this season.

He may not be the monstrous presence he once was, but he sure as hell made his presence known against Boston in the fourth quarter of Game 1.

Rajon Rondo, perhaps the Celtic that has the most responsibility in the playoffs because he’s the only guy who has the motor to run for quarters consistently, caught fire against Cleveland and was pancaked by Shaq  in the fourth while driving to the basket.

That basically ended Rondo’s run in the game. Rondo ended the game with 27-points and 12 apples in a 101-93 loss that failed to cover the spread by one measly point.

This game has “zig zag” written all over it. It’s one thing to play the Miami Heat and then get thrown in to the crosshairs of matching up against the Cavaliers. After a time of adjustment, the 4-2 SU/ATS Celtics can certainly get back in to this series. At the very least, they can cover a similar spread.

Boston Celtics (50-32) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (61-21)

Monday, May 3rd — Quicken Loans Arena — 8:00pm EST

NBA Betting Line: Cleveland -6 (192.5)

The thing that veteran teams do far better than young teams is learn from their mistakes. Teams like the Hawks have trouble adapting to trouble because they don’t have a cohesive mindset. You can’t say that about the Boston Celtics. A daunting road record awaits Boston in Cleveland again. They’re now 1-7 ATS in their past 8 games in Cleveland.

That doesn’t mean the Cavaliers are the most guaranteed home bet in the NBA Playoffs. They’re just 3-7 ATS in their past 10 games at home, despite going 15-2 SU over their past 17 home court stands.

So why do I think the Celtics can adjust? Because the Cavaliers tipped their hand in Game 1. We always seem to think that athletes age in dog years for some reason, so people who are throwing Boston under the bus need to check their doubts at the gate.

Through the starting lineup, Boston has the man power to control the tempo of the game. One of the elements of the zig zag theory usually points to veteran teams adjusting against younger ones. I am more than willing to give Boston the benefit of the doubt in this series. If they don’t show up for Game 2, then they’re giving LeBron license to decimate them at TD Garden. Don’t bet on that happening.

Furious NBA Playoff Pick – Boston +6 (OVER) > > SIGN UP HERE