Here are some of the NBA pro basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* ORL has won six of its last nine games SU
* ORL has covered two of its last nine road games
* ORL has lost six of its last nine road games SU
* ORL has played five of its last seven road games UNDER the total
* BOS has won 15 of its last 22 games SU
* BOS has covered eight of its last 23 home games
* BOS has won 14 of its last 16 home games SU
* BOS has played 10 of its last 12 home games OVER the total
Also...
* Seven of the last nine meetings have gone UNDER the total
* BOS has won and covered 19 of the last 24 meetings as the home team
* BOS has had the shooting edge in nine of the last ten meetings
* ORL has made more three-pointers in eight of the last nine meetings
Maybe the mini-soap opera between Dwight Howard and coach Stan Van Gundy is over now. The big man took 16 shots, scored 23 points and grabbed 22 rebounds, ten of them on the offensive end, in Game 6 of the series with the Celtics. Oh yea, Orlando won by eight points.
I wonder, though, whether the soap opera is truly between Howard and Van Gundy, or might also include Howard's Magic teammates, who, in effect, were criticized and disrespected by the 6'11" center after the Game 5 loss.
Sure, Hedo Turkoglu hit a big three-pointer at the end, but between him and Rashard Lewis, they were one for 10 from beyond the arc and 10-for-31 overall. J.J. Redick was 0-for-7 from the field. Remember, when Howard makes pointed comments about not getting enough "touches," he is taking a dig at the outside shooters who make up the rest of this Orlando team.
Frankly, I don't know why Courtney Lee isn't playing more (less than 22 minutes on Thursday) but I wonder whether he's bothered a little by that mask he's wearing. Stan Van Gundy may want to sit Redick down, so it would be either Lee or Michael Pietrus.
Rajon Rondo is averaging almost eleven rebounds a game, and I wonder why no one can box out the point guard. I guess it's because he is penetrating the defense, which is one thing that gives Boston a leg up on Orlando. What puts Rondo back in Rafer Alston's category is the fact that he struggles with his shot. Rondo is 37% from the field in this series, and was 0-for-10 from the arc until making two three-pointers on Thursday.
I believe the difference in this Game 7 might be the fact that Dwight Howard has a hard time at the line. A player with limited shooting range, Howard has to be close to the hoop to score. Boston should send him to the line, without letting him get off a shot, every chance they get, using people like Mikki Moore and Brian Scalabrine. Howard was just 59% from the stripe in the regular season and is only 52% in the series. No wonder they're a little hesitant to get him the ball in crucial late situations.
The Celtics are 14-2 SU in their last 16 games at the TD Banknorth Garden, and there's going to be quite a bit of electricity. Let's see if Howard comes out with as much intensity as he did in Game 6, with Kendrick Perkins and others draped all over him. We're going with the Celtics and laying the 2.5 points in the BetUS NBA pro basketball playoff betting odds.
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