NBA Eastern Conference Finals Preview

#4 Boston Celtics (50-32) vs. #2 Orlando Magic (59-23)

2010-05-24

The last two Eastern Conference champions will square off beginning on Sunday at Amway Arena in a bid to reach another NBA Finals. The Celtics won the NBA title two years ago but were knocked out by the Magic in last year's conference semi-finals. In that series, Orlando rallied from a 3-2 series deficit to finish off the Celtics with a 101-82 victory in Game 7 at Boston. In defeat, the Celtics felt that an injury had cost them another title. Veteran forward Kevin Garnett wasn't available for that series. The Celtics will have him in this year's rematch but Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen aren't the players they were two years ago. Still, Boston was able to upset the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in six games in the conference semi-finals. With LeBron James and the Cavs out of the picture, the road to this year's NBA title will have to go through Orlando. The Magic have been perfect in this year's postseason. Orlando destroyed Atlanta in the Eastern semi-finals. The Magic swept the Hawks with an average margin of victory of 25 points. In the regular season, Orlando won three of its four matchups against Boston. All four of the games were decided by single-digits. In the four games, the Magic held the Celtics to an average of just 87 points per game. These are the kind of stats NBA betting keep their eyes on. When you place you NBA bets you have to know all the numbers before making a decision.

While Boston's star trio will still play a big role in this series, point guard Rajon Rondo (14 points, 10 assists per game during regular season) is now the catalyst of the team. His triple-double effort in Game 4 of the conference semi-finals sparked Boston to an upset in the series matchup against the heavily-favored Cleveland squad. In the series, Rondo finished with an average of 21 points and 12 assists per game. While Rondo dazzled against Cleveland, Pierce (18 points per game during regular season) struggled against the Cavs. After shooting less than 35% from the field against Cleveland, the Celtics will need Pierce to bounce back in this series. Allen (16 points per game during regular season) has been more consistent this postseason with an average of 17 points per contest. Garnett (14 points, 7 rebounds per game during regular season) has been rejuvenated by the team's postseason run. He averaged 19 points per game against the Cavs and hit on 60% of his field goal tries over the final four games of the series. Against Orlando's Dwight Howard, Boston center Kendrick Perkins (10 points, 8 rebounds per game during regular season) will play a key role in the series versus the Magic. Former Orlando head coach Doc Rivers was able to get the Celtics its first title in more than two decades in 2008. Which made many NBA bettors happy.

A deep Orlando squad begins with Howard (18 points,13 rebounds per game during regular season) in the middle. The back-to-back NBA Defensive Player of the Year bounced back from a rough opening series against Charlotte to have a dominant run against the Hawks. He hit a remarkable 84% of his field goal attempts against an overwhelmed Atlanta squad. To counter Rondo, Orlando will have a solid point guard of its own. Jameer Nelson (13 points, 5 assists per game during regular season) was on the sidelines with an injury when his team faced Boston in last year's postseason. In this year's playoffs, Nelson is averaging a team-high 21 points per outing. Veteran guard Vince Carter (17 points per game during regular season) is still capable of taking over a game with bursts of scoring. Forward Rashard Lewis (14 points per game during regular season) is the top 3-point shooter for the league's best perimeter shooting team. During the regular season, Orlando hit on an average of ten 3-point shots per game while its opponents hit on just six long range attempts per contest. The advantage has grown in the postseason. The Magic have hit an average of 11 trifectas per game in the playoffs while opponents have connected on just four 3-point shots per outing. With a variety of scoring options on a deep roster, head coach Stan Van Gundy has done an effective job of juggling his deep roster to get the most from his squad. He is hoping that last year's run to the NBA Finals will help his team take one more step this time around.

Which of these titans are you placing your NBA bet on? Head over to www.sportsbook.com where the best NBA playoff betting lines are.

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