The Boston Celtics are showing why they are the best team in the NBA. Not only did they run away with the Eastern Conference finishing 14 games ahead of the pack, they’ve made things look easy in the postseason and are now just two wins away from their record 18th NBA title. Boston won its ninth straight playoff game and is 14-2 following Sunday’s 105-98 win in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Timing is everything when betting on games and the line for Game 2 opened at Boston -7.5 with the number dropping to 7 and in some places closing as low as Boston -6.5. With the margin being seven points you can see how that would affect your wager.
I was fortunate enough to back Dallas when the spread was +7.5 making me a winner on that wager. But my same game NBA Finals parlay didn’t pan out when the teams failed to go over the total of 214.5. To say Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday, June 12 is a must-win for the Dallas Mavericks isn’t entirely true since there is at least one more game, but another loss puts them in a position no team in the history of the NBA has ever come back from. Playing at home the Mavs opened as a 1.5-point favorite but they are just 5-3 SU and 4-4 ATS on their home floor. Meanwhile, the Celtics have won all six road playoff games earning payouts in three of them.
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2024 NBA Finals Game 3 Parlay Picks
Boston +1.5
Boston / Dallas OVER 212.5
Luka Doncic UNDER 32.5 Points
Bet $100 to win $650
The Celtics were the most efficient offensive team during the regular season and they’ve continued that trend in the playoffs. What’s been surprising is their smothering defense that held Dallas to 6 of 26 shooting from three-point range in Game 2 while forcing 15 turnovers, including eight by Luka Doncic. In nine of their 16 games the Celtics held opponents to fewer than 100 points and they cashed the UNDER in three straight going back to the end of the Eastern Conference Final.
Even with Doncic scoring at least 30 points in each of the first two games the Mavs averaged just 93.5 points. It appears as though Boston’s game plan is to not let anyone else beat them and so far it’s worked. I kind of thought Kyrie Irving would be more of a factor but so far he’s yet to show up in the Finals. He had better numbers on Sunday, but still they weren’t good. Irving was 7 of 18 from the field missing all three three-pointers. He scored only 16 points falling below his projected total of 22.5, which was a number I had him exceeding on my NBA parlay.
The Celtics had problems of their own shooting the basketball in Game 2 making just 10 of 39 three-pointers. They were able to clamp down on the defensive end, though, showing why they are the best team in the Association. I said after Game 1 when the teams combined for 194 points that the offenses will come to life. They had plenty of time off before the series and in many cases that’s detrimental to the focus teams need in the playoffs. So, in my ultimate wisdom, I backed the OVER in Game 2. The total dropped a few points from Game 1 and still the teams cashed the UNDER. I feel as though the Mavs will have a breakout game on Wednesday mainly because they have to.
The Mavs need Doncic and Irving to have strong games if they want to get back in the series. Between them they attempted nearly half of the team’s field goals and the offense runs through them. Irving is 13 for 37 in the series and has yet to make a three-pointer in eight tries. I think the NBA would like the series to go longer than four games, especially after the conference finals were shortened. But the Celtics are just too strong and have more weapons. Jrue Holiday had 26 points on 11 of 14 shooting on Sunday leading four players who scored at least 18 points.
NBA Schedule for Wednesday, June 12
Boston at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. ET / ABC
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