SUNDAY MAY 2, 2010 – Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Lakers
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Team records:
Utah: 53-29 SU, 49-30-3 ATS
Los Angeles: 57-25 SU, 34-46-2 ATS
Los Angeles’s Round 1 series against Oklahoma City showed both how resilient this Lakers team is, and also how vulnerable it might be.
Matchup: SPURS vs. MAVERICKS
Time: Sunday 3:30 ET
Venue: Staples Center, Los Angeles
Spread: Lakers -7
Over/Under: 199
Not many teams could limp through the final few weeks of the regular season and take care of – in 6 games, no less – the young and full-of-piss-and-vinegar Thunder, who were full of both talent and confidence.
The Lakers showed the Thunder that the regular season and playoffs are two different animals, and ending the series in OKC was also a warning shot to the Western Conference that burying the defending champs in a bit premature.
Unless Kobe Bryant is mentioned in the same sentence with torn ACL any time soon, the Lakers will soldier on in the semifinals and take care of business against the Jazz, simply because that is what the Lakers do. Utah has a nice team led by Deron Williams, and the Jazz are so fundamentally sound that they have been able to overcome the injuries to big men Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okru.
But can they beat the Lakers, or even extend the series to 6 or 7?
There is a glimmer of hope. Andrew Bynum has developed yet another injury, and his ailing right knee could make things a little more difficult under the boards. But LA figured to dominate in the pain anyway, and even with Bynum at less than 100 percent, it’s a huge advantage for the Lakers.
Then there’s the Kobe Factor. The NBA and its TV cohorts are on pins and needles every time the Lakers lose a game, and if it comes down to a close call, Bryant will get more than his share of free throws.
If you have any doubts about superstars and free throws, they should have been dispelled in the Cleveland-Boston series Game 1, when LeBron James spent the good part of the first half just throwing himself into Celtic defenders and was protected like the president.
Jazz vs. Lakers Free NBA Prediction
This is a short turnaround for both teams, the Lakers having been drained a bit by taking care of OKC on Friday and the Jazz sending home the dysfunctional Nuggets on the same night, Now the teams play on less than 48 hours rest, and that should benefit the home team.
The Lakers’ length and ability to defend the perimeter should be too much for Utah over a 7-game series. Neither team has had time to do much game-planning, but they know each other by this time of the season.
Bettors should take a hard look at the under, as tired legs could produce poor shooting.
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Lawrence Paul is a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog, and is a free-lance gambling and travel expert from Massachusetts.
