Nets Aim to Even Playoff Series Against Celtics
NETS AIM TO EVEN SERIES AGAINST CELTICS
The No. 7 seeded Brooklyn Nets and No. 2 seeded Boston Celtics face off on Wednesday night in Game 2 of their NBA Playoffs best-of-seven series. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 pm start.
Game 1, played on Sunday, was a classic, going down to the final seconds. Boston squeaked out a memorable 115-114 win that was marred by controversy and emotional outbursts.
Now heading into Game 2, the Celtics are a -3.5-point favorite in the game, according to Spreads.ca. Moreover, Boston is -165 on the money line and Brooklyn is +133. The over/under for the game is set at 227 points.
We've been advising those who follow to fade Brooklyn all season long, and that cynicism has paid off handsomely. We noted that the Nets going in the preseason NBA favourites was absurd, and that prediction also looks good at the moment. However, in a rare case of situational handicapping Brooklyn could be a wise bet in this next game.
OPINION (powered by Poinstpreads.ca):
There are two significant trends in this game, historically speaking. Both are in Brooklyn's favor.
First-round home favourites of 4 points or less have proven to be a bad investment. Over the last five playoff seasons, they are just 22-21 SU and 16-26-1 ATS. That tells us we should fade Boston, since they're favored by only -3.5.
As for betting the Nets, teams that lose close games, meaning those decided by 3 points or less in the first round of the NBA playoffs have bounced back with a 28-10 SU mark and 24-12-2 ATS result in the very next game. In the underdog role, these teams are on a very strong bet, going 10-4 SU and 11-3 ATS.
Add the emotional intensity the Nets should bring into the next game, and that makes the Brooklyn Nets a very strong play.
