2009 NBA Finals Picks Game 4 – Lakers @ Magic – Covering The Spread
FiveStarPick.com will be giving its members two plays on today’s board, the first is in Major League Baseball as the Yankees take on the Red Sox and the other is tonight’s ‘Total’ in the NBA Finals. The focus of today’s preview is the Game 4 showdown between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic. Las Vegas sportsbooks list the Magic as two point favorites with a total of 203.
On Tuesday, Orlando dropped Los Angeles 108-104 in Game 3 to pull within 1 in the best-of-seven series. The Magic set NBA Finals records for shooting percentage from the floor in both the first half (75%) and the game (63%). However, Orlando’s specialty, the 3-point shot, was just 5-of-14 (35.7%) on Tuesday. The key to Orlando’s success is balance and attacking the rim, which is exactly what the Magic did in Game 3.
Rafer Alston scored 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting in Game 3 and Pietrus had 18 points by hitting 7-of-11 attempts from the field. Kobe Bryant finished with 31 points but was just 3-of-10 in the second half including some costly misses from the free throw line.
On another note worth mentioning, our email box was flooded with comments about why the refs blew the whistle at the end of game 3 with a half second left. Orlando was pushing the spread as a 4-point favorite, 106-102. The Lakers missed numerous 3-point attempts before Kobe Bryant finger rolled in a meaningless bucket to cut the lead to 106-104. On the ensuing in-bounds play, the Lakers immediately fouled, but the horn sounded and the confetti fell from the rafters at Amway Arena. For bettors who had the Lakers as four-point dogs, this was obviously crucial.
After reviewing the play, the officials added 0.2 ticks back on the clock and Rashard Lewis went to the free throw line for two. He hit both free throws for a push, but many of our Lakers bettors were pissed. What’s even funnier about the second make is it appeared that Van Gundy wanted him to miss. Maybe the coach had the Lakers in Game 3. It wouldn’t be the first time a coach had bet big money against his own team. But we will leave that to the conspiracy theorists.
Bettors should also be aware that Game 3’s loss now gives the Lakers a road record of 4-5 both SU and against the spread in the playoffs. Fatigue could be an issue in Game 4, since this will be the second battle played on one-day of rest for both teams and the third game in five days.
Who covers the spread in Game 4 of the 2009 NBA Finals? Let the pros at FiveStarPick.com analyze the stats and trends and take some of the pressure off you tonight. This is our life and our living and FiveStarPick.com will take away the guesswork in the 2009 NBA Finals and provide you with winning NBA Finals Picks that beat the spread and get results. We are consistently providing over 3000 members with NBA Picks that cover the spread. If you’re skeptical, monitor our plays from our homepage and see if our talent for picking winners exceeds your expectations. Or join for two days…it’s only $19.99. Join our family today and start winning tonight.
Jimmy the Geek – FiveStarPick.com
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