Sign up to receive free picks!

May, 14 2008 8:00pm EST
ATS: Boston Celtics -8.5 (-110)
LOSS for -3 unit(s)

Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics

I'm laying the points with BOSTON. Its been all about homecourt in this series and I expect that trend to continue this evening. The Celtics had the best homecourt defense in the league this season and they've been downright dominant here for weeks now. Indeed, they've won 12 straight games here and have gone a highly profitable 11-1 ATS in the process. Eleven of those 12 wins came by double-digits and they outscored opponents by a 99-80 margin. The Celts have really turned it up defensively here of late, too. None of the last six teams that came here scored more than 85 points and those teams averaged only 75.5. With Lebron missing nearly every shot, the Cavs couldn't even get that many in their two games here, managing a mere 72 and 73. Note that the Cavs have won just five of their past 17 road games, dating back to late February. The Celtics know the critical importance of tonight's game with Paul Pierce's comments summing up the entire team's mentality: "I'm not even thinking about a Game 7. That's definitely the idea: Get a win and try to close it out in Game 6. We definitely have to play well because we haven't been playing well on the road You kind of want to treat it like a Game 7, because you can't count on winning Game 6." Looking at some stats and we find that the Cavs were 5-7 ATS (3-9 SU) as road underdogs in the +6.5 to +9 range. They were also 1-4 ATS when playing a game with an over/under line in the 170s. Additionally, the Cavs were 4-9 ATS after a double-digit win and 6-11 ATS after allowing 85 points or less in the previous game. Boston, on the other hand, is 6-2 ATS after scoring 85 points or less and 3-1 ATS when coming off a double-digit loss. The Celtics are also 5-1 ATS when playing a game with an over/under line in the 170s and 9-2 ATS as a home favorite in the -6.5 to -9 range. Behind another dominant defensive effort, look for the Celts to improve on those stats with an important win and cover in Game 5. *Main Event

Ben Burns Past Picks

NBA Basketball

Los Angeles Lakers @ Boston Celtics Tuesday June 17, 2008 9:00 pm
I'm taking the points with the LAKERS. As you're probably aware, the celtics have covered every game in this series thus far. That has kept tonight's line generously high, despite the fact that the Celtics ... read more

Ben Burns Bio and Picks | Articles By Ben Burns

NBA Basketball

Boston Celtics @ Los Angeles Lakers Sunday June 15, 2008 9:05 pm
I'm playing on the Lakers and Celtics to finish OVER the total. After back to back games which stayed below the number, I believe that we're getting excellent value with the OVER here. On the topic of ... read more

Ben Burns Bio and Picks | Articles By Ben Burns

NBA Basketball

Boston Celtics @ Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday June 10, 2008 9:00 pm
I'm playing on the Lakers and Celtics to finish UNDER the total. I had the 'over' in both games at Boston. In the opening game, the teams had 97 points at the half and 150 heading into the fourth quarter. ... read more

Ben Burns Bio and Picks | Articles By Ben Burns

NBA Basketball

Los Angeles Lakers @ Boston Celtics Sunday June 8, 2008 9:00 pm
I'm playing on the Celtics and Lakers to finish OVER the total. Despite a relatively slow start (44 points in the first quarter) Game 1 was still on pace to finish OVER the total before the teams combined ... read more

Ben Burns Bio and Picks | Articles By Ben Burns

NBA Basketball

Los Angeles Lakers @ Boston Celtics Sunday June 8, 2008 9:00 pm
I'm playing on the LA LAKERS. As you know, the Celtics took Game 1. Despite a poor shooting performance from Kobe and generally getting out-hustled overall, the Lakers were able to keep things close almost ... read more

Ben Burns Bio and Picks | Articles By Ben Burns

NBA Basketball

Los Angeles Lakers @ Boston Celtics Thursday June 5, 2008 9:00 pm
I'm taking the points with the LA LAKERS. Home teams were dominant through the first two rounds of the playoffs. However, road teams began to catch up last round and the Celtics were beaten by ... read more

Ben Burns Bio and Picks | Articles By Ben Burns

NBA Basketball

Los Angeles Lakers @ Boston Celtics Thursday June 5, 2008 9:00 pm
I'm playing on the Lakers and Celtics OVER the number. I'm well aware that the Celtics possess a great defense. I also respect the Lakers' defensive skills. That being said, I don't believe that ... read more

Ben Burns Bio and Picks | Articles By Ben Burns

NBA Basketball

Boston Celtics @ Detroit Pistons Friday May 30, 2008 8:30 pm
I'm playing on Boston and Detroit to finish UNDER the number. These teams exploded for 208 points in Game 5. Considering that these were the two best defenses in the league this season, that type of "explosion" ... read more

Ben Burns Bio and Picks | Articles By Ben Burns

NBA Basketball

Boston Celtics @ Detroit Pistons Friday May 30, 2008 8:30 pm
I'm taking the points with BOSTON. I won with the Pistons in each of the last two games. However, I now believe that the "value" now lies with the visiting Celtics. While the Celtics home/road ... read more

Ben Burns Bio and Picks | Articles By Ben Burns

NBA Basketball

San Antonio Spurs @ Los Angeles Lakers Thursday May 29, 2008 9:00 pm
I'm laying the points with the LA LAKERS. I have a great deal of respect for the defending champions and they've been very good to me throughout these playoffs. That being said, I feel that their season ... read more

Ben Burns Bio and Picks | Articles By Ben Burns

More recent NBA past picks...