The world of NBA betting never looked so free of uncertainty. So many gambling addicts talk about the sure thing that can't possibly go wrong. One of the great risks of being a sports betting junkie is that you can become convinced that every other game is a can't-miss prospect, a stone-cold, mortal-lock, lead-pipe-cinch ticket to success. Once in a while, though, there really are games which set up as a golden opportunity to bank on one team over another. Game 2 of the NBA's Eastern Conference semifinals offers just such a scenario.
Eastern Conference Semifinals: Atlanta @ Orlando, Game 2
Thursday, May 6
Bookmaker Odds: No line (as of yet)
Yes, the NBA playoff odds were always going to rest with the Orlando Magic in their second-round postseason series against the Atlanta Hawks, but as inconsistent as Atlanta has been over the past two weeks, there was little which could have prepared the betting public for Game 1 on Tuesday night in the Sunshine State. The Hawks were expected to lose to the defending Eastern Conference champions, and they were expected to be inadequate against the power, balance and versatility of a rested Orlando team playing at home. However, few could have envisioned the extent to which the third seed (not the seventh or eighth seed) in the East would fold up the tent and give up the ghost by the time the first half ended. Just how ridiculous were the proceedings inside Amway Arena in North Florida? Consider the ways:
First, the point guard matchup between Orlando's Jameer Nelson and Atlanta's Mike Bibby was going to be one big concern for the Hawks, and it proved to be: Nelson outscored Bibby by a 19-2 margin.
Orlando's other big matchup advantage was at center, with the muscular Dwight Howard squaring off against a poor man's version of "Superman," the strong but not imposing Al Horford. Sure enough, Howard owned Horford, outscoring the Atlanta center by a 21-4 count. When the point guard and center matchups lead to a 40-6 point differential, there's not much else that needs to be said.
Final score of Game 1: Orlando 114, Atlanta 71. It wasn't even that close, either – don't laugh.
To put this game in further perspective, the Magic led by 41 after three periods and increased their lead in the fourth quarter despite calling off the wolves.
All in all, three of Atlanta's key cogs – Bibby, Horford, and NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford – combined to hit a grand total of just three field goals.
The Hawks tallied just 44 points through three quarters. All five Orlando starters – due to the lopsided nature of the win – played fewer than 30 minutes each and will be extremely rested for Game 2.
The more you look at this series, and the more you consider how completely the Hawks mentally checked out of Game 1, it becomes very difficult to envision how this best-of-seven battle can become competitive. Atlanta is extremely immature and frail. Orlando is blasting its way through opponents and has yet to lose a single playoff game, the only team that can make such a claim. Very simply, online betting experts aren't going to go wrong by picking Orlando in Game 2.
Online basketball betting pick: Orlando
