NBA Weekend Betting Preview: Bucks can shock weakened Celtics

Basketball / Nick Shiambouros / 13 March 2009 / Leave a Comment

Kevin Garnett's absence has left Boston short of quality and Milwaukee can take advantage, says Nick Shiambouros.

The Los Angeles Lakers started the week with a 111-94 loss to bitter rivals the Portland Trailblazers in a heated affair in Oregon.

Tempers flared on Monday night when the Lakers' Trevor Ariza committed a terrible foul on rookie Rudi Fernandez late in the third quarter. Fernandez was carried from the court in a stretcher and was taken to hospital complaining of chest pains. Thankfully he only suffered a soft tissue injury but it looked far worse. Ariza was ejected and now faces a suspension and a hefty fine.

This was a huge win for this young Portland team as they head towards the play-offs. I think it will be difficult for any team to beat them on their home court in the post-season.

Over in the Eastern Conference the Boston Celtics lost ground to the Cleveland Cavaliers with a loss to Orlando on Sunday 86-79 and to Miami 107-99 on Wednesday. The Celtics have drifted to [4.1] on the exchange for the NBA championship as a result and they do not look like the same team without Kevin Garnett on the floor.

Cleveland must like their chances of earning home court advantage in the Eastern Conference and have won 12 out of the last 14 games. Currently the Cavaliers are trading at[ 5.0] for the championship which is about right in my opinion.

The Cavs play the New York Knicks at home on Sunday and I really like them with the handicap in this one.

Cleveland have only lost one game at home all season and I think they will run up a big score against the Knicks. Nowadays LeBron James is getting plenty of help from players like Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao inside. The whole Cleveland rotation has elevated their intensity and they are finally playing as a unit.

The New York Knicks have had a shocking season and have the third worst record in the Eastern Conference. This team can still technically make the play-offs but I will be amazed if they do so.

Also on Sunday, the Milwaukee Bucks take on Boston at home and I think they can cause the upset in this one.

The Bucks are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference and are a team that I believe will make the play-offs. They have a record of 19-13 at home and are a young team with a future. There are not many household names in the rotation but players like Richard Jefferson and Charlie Villanueva are both averaging over 16 points per game. The Bucks' head coach is former Orlando Magic player Scott Skiles who has done well with limited resources.

The Celtics are always tough to beat so I try to pick my moments carefully when betting against the champions. At the moment Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are carrying the load for this team, along with point guard Rajon Rondo. The Celtics do not have a very strong bench and this weakness has been magnified due to the absence of Garnett.

I still think Boston is the team to beat for the NBA title but they are vulnerable when short handed.

Recommended wagers:

Sunday, Back Milwaukee in the outright market