NBA Championship Final Betting: Let the games begin!

Basketball / Nick Shiambouros / 03 June 2010 / Leave a Comment

Rajon Rondo and Kobe Bryant come face to face

"Boston have every chance of winning Game One. The series is likely to be decided on defence and the Lakers are a little vulnerable."

The Los Angeles Lakers play the Boston Celtics for the right to be crowned NBA champions. The bitter rivals square off in a rematch of the 2008 series won by Boston in six enthralling games. Nick Shiambouros selects the best bets.

This is the final every television executive wanted and who could blame them. Viewers from all over the world will tune in to see this classic confrontation. This will be the 12th meeting between these two teams in an NBA final.
　
Boston beat some stellar opposition - Miami, Cleveland and Orlando - to make it to the finals. Most pundits (including myself) had written off this Celtic rotation after the All-Star break. They limped in to the play-offs as the fourth seed and looked like they were heading for an early exit.

Once the playoffs started Boston turned things around in a hurry. Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen started to play with a lot more intensity and self belief. I must give credit to coach Doc Rivers who has done a magnificent job with this experienced team.
　
The Los Angeles Lakers had a much easier journey to the finals. They beat Oklahoma, Utah and Phoenix .The only team to give them any real trouble was Oklahoma City who took them to six games. The Lakers have been a model of consistency all year and it is no great surprise to see them in the finals.
　
Game one takes place in Los Angeles on Thursday evening.

Boston come in to this game healthy and reasonably well rested. I think they have every chance of winning this all important first encounter. This series is likely to be decided on defence and the Lakers are a little vulnerable in this area.

The Celtics can play some very physical defense and this could pose some real problems for Los Angeles. Boston will try to keep Kobe Bryant out of the paint at all costs. They will happily give him the outside shot but will do everything in their power to stop him inside.

The Celtics do not take any prisoners inside the painted area and there are bound to be some very hard fouls in this series. I really hope the officials let both teams play and refrain from calling fouls with minimal contact.

The Lakers will try to get off to a fast start but if Boston can hold them at bay in the early going they will have a great chance of causing the upset.
　
The Lakers are currently priced at [1.59] to win the NBA championship. I really think this represents very poor value indeed. These two teams are very evenly matched and they should both be trading at around [2.0]. Let the games begin.

Recommended bets:

Thursday Game 1 Back Boston in the outright market
Lay Los Angeles @ [1.59] in the championship winner market