Those of you that bothered listening to me rant about Ray Allen as the best
value in my NBA Finals prediction for MVP, Game 2 was hard nosed proof of why.
Allen tied a record with eight three-pointers to amass 32-points and lead the
Celtics to a series tying win. Now, the NBA Finals shift back to Boston where
Boston will play with all sorts of urgency as they try to prevent this series
from heading back to L.A.
The backcourt scoring of the Celtics is the scariest part about this series for
the Lakers. The Rondo-Fisher matchup notwithstanding, Kobe’s defensive
responsibilities against Ray Allen is a dangerous weak link. It’s not just that
Allen can make his shots available, and hit them as well, it’s that he never
stops moving and that can kill Kobe’s stamina and endurance as the game
progresses.
If you think chasing Allen around, trying to cool him down, didn’t wear Kobe
out, then just look at his numbers. His 40-percent on 8-of-20 from the field was
his third worst field goal percentage he put up in the entire post-season. Kobe
ended the game with 21-points.
Los Angeles Lakers (57-25) vs. Boston Celtics (50-32)
Tuesday, June 8th --- TD Garden --- 9:00pm EST
NBA Betting Line:
Boston -2.5 (193)
As far as
NBA betting
goes, the Lakers haven’t been a favorable investment. They’re 2-4 ATS in their
last 6 games and just 3-5-1 ATS in their past 9 road games. When playing in
Boston, they’re an ugly 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 attempts.
Boston, meanwhile, has been a staggeringly good NBA bet. They’re 8-3 ATS in
their last 11 games overall and 4-1 SU/ATS at home. Though they haven’t found a
way to slow down Pau Gasol, the trash talking Spaniard still doesn’t have the
room or impact to put up the 30+ points that the Lakers need to win games. That
production comes from the best player in the game, and if Kobe is left hunting
down either Ray Allen or Rajon Rondo, he simply won’t have the legs in the
fourth.
Salting the wound is the fact that if Ray Allen is cold, Rondo can pick up the
slack, and vice versa. Short of giving Jordan Farmar more minutes in place of
Derek Fisher, the Lakers don’t have the speed to necessarily shut down both
players.
This series is coming down to one very interesting, and almost unexpected,
factor and that is “energy distribution”. These guys may be Hall of Fame
athletes, but every human being has their limitations. The Celtics are better
spent revving the scoring engine of Rondo and Allen, leaving Garnett and Perkins
to hammer away on the defensive end limiting the damage Gasol can inflict.
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