NBA Playoffs Betting Preview- Conference Semifinals

Last night the No. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies knocked off the No.1 seed San Antonio Spurs 99-91 as a five-point home underdog to close-out that series in six games. The shocking upset sets the stage for the conference semifinals as the pairings are finally all in place.

The following is a look at all four matchups along with each team’s updated odds to win this year’s NBA title as provided by Bookmaker.com

Eastern Conference

No.1 Chicago Bulls (+350) vs. No. 5 Atlanta Hawks (+3500)

Chicago made short work of Indiana by taking out the Pacers in five games, but the average margin of victory was just over five points in three of the wins. The Bulls will need more production from Carlos Boozer, who was a non-factor in round one, but they still have Derrick Rose and his 27.6 points a game.

Atlanta rose to the occasion against Orlando to oust its Southeast Division foe in six games including an impressive 84-81 win in Game six as a 4 ½-point home underdog. Unfortunately, for the Hawks the Bulls are not the Magic.

Prediction: Chicago in five games

No.2 Miami Heat (+250) vs. No.3 Boston Celtics (+600)

Miami did beat Philadelphia four out of five times, but it is hard to say it looked impressive in doing so. The Big Three are still having trouble closing out games and the competition only gets tougher from here on in.

For as much concern as people had about Boston coming into the playoffs, the Celtics suddenly look strangely familiar to last year’s Eastern Conference championship team. The fact that they beat the Heat three out of four times both straight-up and against the spread in the regular season is a bonus.

Prediction: Boston in six games

Western Conference

No.2 Los Angeles Lakers (+200) vs. No.3 Dallas Mavericks (+1000)

The Lakers started this year’s playoffs in typical fashion with a couple of early losses and a six-game series win. All is well in LA as Phil Jackson’s team is coming together at just the right time; not to mention it took two out of three against the Mavericks both SU and ATS in the regular season.

Dallas got by the first round of the playoffs with a 103-96 win over Portland in Game 6 as a 3 ½-point road underdog which is a good sign given its past problems in the postseason. The big question is can the Mavs drag this series to seven games to have a shot at winning this one on the road?

The Prediction: Los Angeles in six games

No.4 Oklahoma City Thunder (+400) vs. No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies (+1500)

Oklahoma City proved it is for real with a five-game waxing of an outmatched Denver team. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are a two-man wrecking ball with a combined 56.2 points a game in round one and showing no sign of slowing down in the near future.

Memphis matched up well with San Antonio and it showed in its impressive upset in round one. The Grizzlies also match up well against Oklahoma City, having won three of four games in the regular season both SU and ATS.

Prediction: Oklahoma City in seven games
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