EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF Predictions: 76ers vs Heat Series Preview
Before nba betting fans turn their attention to NBA Playoff basketball betting events this week, we have some more good NBA first round series Previews on tap, and our man Lawrence weighs in with his picks for the series. It’s time for our weekly hoops picks for NBA gambling action.
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PHILADELPHIA vs. MIAMI PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Game 1 – Sat April 16, Philadelphia at Miami, 3:30 p.m, ABC
Game 2 – Mon April 18, Philadelphia at Miami, 7:00 p.m, TNT
Game 3 – Thu April 21, Miami at Philadelphia, 8:00 p.m, TNT
Game 4 – Sun April 24, Miami at Philadelphia, 1:00 p.m, ABC
Game 5 * Wed April 27, Philadelphia at Miami, TBD, TBD
Game 6 * Fri April 29, Miami at Philadelphia, TBD, TBD
Game 7 * Sun May 1, Philadelphia at Miami, TBD, TBD
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Odds To Win Series
Philadelphia +1200
Miami -2000
Odds To Win Eastern Conference
Philadelphia 60/1
Miami 7/4
Odds To Win NBA Title
Philadelphia 150/1
Miami 3/1
Injuries of Note: Philadelphia: Andre Iguodala – F – Day-to-Day (sore knee)
Louis Williams – G – Day-to-Day (strained hamstring)
Miami: Erick Dampier – C – Day-to-Day (sore knees)
Udonis Haslem – F – Out Indefinitely (foot injury)
Mike Miller – G – Day-to-Day (sprained ankle)
Even in their darkest hours the Miami Heat knew that eventually they would be able to hit the control-alt-delete button and begin the season over at 0-0. That underwhelming 12-8 start and the early-March 5-game losing streak are now just footnotes to a season that begins in earnest this weekend when they take on the 76ers in the first series of what is expected to be a deep playoff run for the Heat.
It better be. That, after all, is what LeBron James promised back when he was in the process of leaving Cleveland for South Beach – “Not one title. Not two. Not three,” he said then. You get the picture. We be bad, you suck. That’s the way life is going to be in the NBA from now on, so you chumps better get used to it.
Crap like that made James, Dwyane Wade and the chillin’ Chris Bosh much hated, and the laughter rained back on them with each loss. But the losses also may have had a beneficial effect – Miami players came to realize that the NBA is not just another AAU tournament, and that there were a few other teams (Chicago and Boston, mainly) that had some game, too.
So the Heat took a deep breath, and in the final stages of the season they finally seemed to have righted the ship. Besides bullying the cripples of the league (that was expected), Miami also owns wins over the Spurs and Lakers, and a recent dominating triumph over their presumed second-round opponent, the Celtics.
Miami figures to get pushed a bit by the 76ers, who play hard for 48 minutes and have overachieved for the entire season. If either James or Wade is having an off game, Philly might even have enough juice to steal one or two games.
The key for the 76ers just might be Elton Brand, who somehow has found a home on the block amid the 76ers’ frenetic offense, and does not look anywhere as lost as he has in the previous two seasons. If Brand can have a decent series, it could help neutralize the Heat’s huge advantage on the wings.
Philadelphia’s main problem may be lost momentum. After playing themselves into the playoffs with a solid March, the Sixers were unable to remain competitive against decent teams down the stretch and ceded the 6 seed to New York. Falling to 7th means dealing with the Heat’s youth and explosiveness in Round 1 rather than Boston’s fading veterans.
In the end it won’t matter much. Philadelphia has been a nice story, especially considering that the team got out of the blocks 3-13 this season before finishing around .500. Most of the country will be rooting for them to give James and the Heat one final slapdown, but the chances of it happening are about the same as Game 1 in Miami being postponed by snow.
Free NBA Playoff Series Pick: Miami in 4.
Lawrence Paul is a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog, and is a free-lance gambling expert from Massachusetts.
