FRIDAY APRIL 23, 2010 – Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat
Welcome to the CappersPicks.com nba hoops weekly predictions pages! We KNOW you will find our FREE weekly NBA Playoff predictions, tips, betting advice, strategies, NBA Playoff gambling articles and more to help you become the best Hoops bettor on your block!!
CLICK HERE FOR THE BEST NBA WEEKLY PLAYOFF GAMBLING TIPS & FREE NBA PREDICTIONS!! —>
Team records:
Boston: 50-32 SU, 33-48-1 ATS
Miami: 47-35 SU, 43-37-2 ATS
Is it too late for the Heat players to get a communal heart transplant?
After finishing off the regular season by winning 18 of its last 22 games and grabbing the 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, Miami has shown absolutely no interest in competing against the Celtics.
Matchup: HEAT vs. CELTICS
Friday 8 EST
Venue: American Airlines Arena, Miami
Spread: Heat -4
Over/Under: 182
If this is the way there are going about trying to get Dwyane Wade to stay in south Florida, it’s not working.
The Heat figured to have one advantage on the Celtics in this series – athleticism. But coach Erik Spoelstra has drained that pool quickly with a take-no-chances, walk-it-up-the-court offense that is a mirror image of the Charlotte Bobcats.
Miami’s offense has allowed the Celtics to walk back on defense and do what they do best – defend as a team, instead of having to deal with Wade in the open court.
More problems. Jermaine O’Neal is 4 for 28 from the field in this series. Think about that for a minute. O’Neal is a former All-Star who like Rasheed Wallace has shown all the life of a pile of dirt. Quentin Richardson talks a good game but has been taken apart on both ends of the court.
Carlos Arroyo? Mario Chalmers? Michael Beasley? Did this entire team miss its wakeup call?
Take Wade out of the equation and the rest of the Heat roster is shooting 32 percent from the field.
Granted, Spoelstra’s sleep-inducing offense has taken some of the spirit out of a team that is dead last in scoring among all playoff teams (Charlotte, the next-closest, is averaging almost 8 points a game more than the Heat). But the players also have to step up a bit.
Miami has defended Boston well at times, but the Heat have caved when Boston gets on a run. Ray Allen drained seven 3-pointers (all of them from right in front of the Miami bench) in Game 2 and no one was even closing on him most of the time.
Gut check time for the entire Heat organization Friday night.
FREE BOSTON CELTICS VS. MIAMI HEAT GAME 3 PICK
OVER 182
The O/U was a ridiculously low 179 in Game 2, and the Heat’s stagnant offense almost took the number under even at that. It’s up to 182 for Game 3, and the over play looks good.
Miami scored in the high 90s in most home games late in the season.
Teams usually play with a lot of energy in their first home game of the playoffs, and everyone up and the down the East Coast knows that this is Miami’s last chance to get back in the series.
Hesitate to lay the points on a team that has played so poorly, but an OVER play here is reasonable.
CLICK HERE TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT AT SPORTSBOOK.COM AND GRAB A HUGE NBA PLAYOFFS SIGNUP GAMBLING BONUS!!
Lawrence Paul is a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog, and is a free-lance gambling and travel expert from Massachusetts.
