Game 2 of the NBA Finals is tonight and the pros at FiveStarPick.com have been working for two days analyzing stats and trends from Game 1.  This attention to detail is for one reason and one reason only…BRINGING HOME THE CASH!  Most Vegas books list the Lakers as 6-point home favorites with a total of 190.

In Game 1, our members got the UNDER 192.  Although it was a bit too close for our comfort, Kobe Bryant’s 3 with the clock expiring still kept us under the closing total of 192, albeit by 1 point.

Game 1’s outcome was determined in the paint, where the lakers took the Celtics to the woodshed. The Lakers out-rebounded the Celtics, 42-31, and they outscored the Celtics in the paint, 48-30, including 12 offensive rebounds.

All-Star forward Pau Gasol finished with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. His size and athleticism was evident against the Celtics’ Kevin Garnett, who had no answer for Gasol in Game 1.  Kobe Bryant put up 30 points, his 12th 30+ point game of this year’s playoffs. Ron Artest also did his job grinding out 15 points for the Lakers.

Ray Allen was plagued with foul trouble for most of Game 1. He played 27 minutes and finished with 12 points on 3-of-8 shooting. Allen was given the daunting task of guarding Kobe Bryant, so he didn’t have much time to rest on defense.  KG didn’t have his best performance in Game 1, but veteran Rasheed Wallace added 9 points and 4 boards in just 18 minutes. The rest of Boston’s bench only had seven points, which included just 3 points and 3 rebounds from Glen Davis. Point guard Rajon Rondo had a reasonable outing with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists in Game 1, but Rondo will have to step up his speed and back court domination if he want a chance to leave LA tied 1 game a piece.

The win over Boston in Game 1 helped the Lakers improve to a 6-3 record against the spread at home in the playoffs. The loss for the Celtics was their sixth of the playoffs, four of them being on the road.  The Celtics have yet to lose a playoff game and cover the spread, which is something to think about for Game 2.  These two clubs will travel back to Boston for Game 3, which is scheduled for Tuesday night.

Tonight’s tip is at 8:05 p.m. EDT on ABC.

Who covers the spread tonight?  It is not your job to analyze these stats and trends, it’s ours.  This is our life and our living.  Let FiveStarPick.com take away the guesswork in the NBA Playoffs and provide you with winning NBA Playoff Picks that beat the spread and get results.  If you’re skeptical, monitor our daily plays on 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.

Rick Riley – FiveStarPick.com

The pros at FiveStarPick.com look to continue our NBA Playoff hot streak handicapping every game in the 2010 NBA Finals.  We’re confident that our members share our desire.  The NBA didn’t get LeBron-Kobe, but they did get the next best thing in Lakers-Celtics.  Las Vegas sportsbooks list the Lakers as -180 favorites (risk $180 to win $100) and the Celtics as +150 dogs (risk $100 to win $150).  For Game 1, most books list the Lakers as 5.5-point favorites with a total of 192.

Over the last 10 years, the team that hosted the first 2 games of the Finals has won the title 8 times. The only two clubs to break that trend were the 2004 Pistons and the 2006 Heat. The Lakers have been weak in their game openers in the Phil Jackson era.  In the Lakers last five Finals appearances dating back to 2000, Los Angeles is meager 3-8-1 Against The Spread.  In game openers, LA is just 2-4 Against The Spread. In Jackson’s ten titles with the Bulls and Lakers, his teams have never swept the Finals, but also have never played a Game 7.

Since the inception of 2-3-2 format in 1985, the home team has won the first two games 13 times.  The road team has won the first two only twice, with Phoenix back in 1993, and Houston in 1995.  Ten times the home team has split the first two games, but in seven of those instances the home team still won the series.

Back in 2008, the Celtics covered the spread in all six games of the Finals, including four games as an underdog. Boston is 12-5 Against The Spread this postseason, while the Lakers are just 9-7 Against The Spread, including a 5-4 Against The Spread mark as a favorite. Nine of the last 12 Finals series openers have finished ‘under’ the closing total.

Who covers the spread tonight?  It is not your job to analyze these stats and trends, it’s ours.  This is our life and our living.  Let FiveStarPick.com take away the guesswork in the NBA Playoffs and provide you with winning NBA Playoff Picks that beat the spread and get results.  If you’re skeptical, monitor our daily plays on 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.

Rick Riley – FiveStarPick.com