World Cup betting players know that France would love a chance to avenge their controversial loss to Italy in the 2006 final in Germany, and the Los Angeles Lakers will have a chance to get their revenge on Boston for their loss in 2008.
Celtics Lakers Betting – Game 1: Thursday, June 3, 9:00 PM ET
The “Big Three” were on a mission in their first year together in 2008, as they were the only three Celtics to average more than 10 points in the six-game win over Los Angeles. Paul Pierce led the way with 21.8 points, while Ray Allen was next with 20.3 points, shooting 52.4% from three-point land. Kevin Garnett chipped in with 18.2 points and 13.0 rebounds, and he was the heart of a stifling defense that held the Lakers to 93.8 points on 44.1% from the field. Rajon Rondo steered the offense with 9.3 points and 6.7 assists, but he wasn’t nearly the impact player that he is right now. The Celtics also had James Posey as a veteran defender on the perimeter.
The Lakers were led by Kobe Bryant with 25.7 points, but he shot just 40.5% from the field, and 32.1% from beyond the arc. Pau Gasol was next with 14.7 points and 10.2 boards, but he wasn’t aggressive at the offensive end as Garnett bullied him in the post. Like a World Cup contest with a 5-0 scoreline, the humiliation came for the Lakers in the sixth game, where they were blown out by 39 points in Boston in one of the poorest performances of any team facing an elimination, and the Lakers won’t give up like that again. Like the Celtics had with Posey, the Lakers have Ron Artest to defend the best perimeter player on the other time, and unlike Posey who came off the bench, Artest is a starter who plays big minutes.
NBA Final betting have the Lakers as a -185 favorite to not only defend their NBA title, but avenge their loss to the Celtics two years ago. This is a different Los Angeles team than the one the Celtics faced in 2008, and they’re a tougher team after what they experienced in Boston in that Game 6 rout. They had to go through a lot to win the championship last year, and now they have the added motivation of revenge. No one expected the Celtics to get to this point after an inconsistent regular season, but we’re wondering how healthy Garnett is after it looked like he was struggling in the Celtics’ six-game win over Orlando in the Eastern Conference finals.
Online sports betting pick: Lakers -185
