2010 World Cup betting players have to look at all the matchups before making their picks, and the same goes in the NBA Finals, where Boston and Los Angeles will meet for Game 3 in Boston on Tuesday.
NBA Championship Betting – Tuesday, June 8, 9:00 PM ET
Frontcourt
The Lakers’ frontcourt have had the edge in the first two games of the series, and Pau Gasol has put up 24.0 points and 11.0 boards, while Andrew Bynum had 21 points in Game 2 and played a playoff-high 39 minutes. The two combined for 13 of the Lakers’ NBA Finals-record 14 blocks, and Bynum’s knee looked fine on Sunday, but will it hold up over a tough series? Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins have dealt with foul problems over the first two games, while Paul Pierce has been locked in a fierce battle with Ron Artest, managing to shoot 33.3% from the field.
Backcourt
Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher romped over their Boston counterparts in Game 1, but Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo stormed back in Game 2, setting a Finals record with eight three-pointers and posting a triple-double, respectively. Allen dominated the first half, while Rondo took over in the second, and the Lakers looked like they had no idea who they wanted Bryant to guard, not to mention, Bryant was battling foul trouble and played just 34 minutes. Bryant and Fisher have too much championship experience to allow themselves to be outplayed like that, and even though Allen and Rondo were a big part of the 2008 title team in Boston, Bryant and Fisher have four rings apiece. Look for a much better game from them in Game 3.
Bench
However, Rasheed Wallace has badly outplayed Lamar Odom in a battle of the bench players, and that has helped offset the play of Garnett and Perkins. There will be at least one World Cup contest
decided by a sub, and Odom needs to be the super-sub that he has been all season. Nate Robinson has provided a spark off the bench in both games, while Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown haven’t been that great for the Lakers, and the Celtics’ bench will play a major role if Boston wants to upset the Lakers in this series.
Preview
The Celtics are a 2.5-point favorite on Tuesday, and they’ve won seven of their nine games at home in the playoffs. The Lakers won 90-89 in Boston on January 31, but they’re going to have to keep either Allen or Rondo from going off like they did in Game 2. Odom is also going to have bring his “A” game off the pine because we don’t think Bynum will have another 39-minute game. We’re making the Lakers our online sports betting pick on Tuesday night, led by a strong game from their backcourt.
