The Eastern Conference Finals were supposed to already be over but the Orlando Magic have won two straight in NBA betting vs. Boston and suddenly the pressure is on the Celtics in Game 6 on Friday night. If the Celtics lose on Friday in basketball betting they would face the unpleasant task of heading to Orlando for Game 7 knowing they could become the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-0 series lead.The Magic are suddenly looking like the team that won 59 games during the regular season while Boston is looking old. Dwight Howard is dominating inside as everyone thought he would and J.J. Redick has decided he wants to make a difference.
No team in NBA history has ever won a seven-game series after losing the first three games. Orlando is trying to become the first. Suddenly it doesn’t seem so unlikely. And karma may actually be on the side of the Magic. The Boston Bruins blew a 3-0 series lead against the Philadelphia Flyers in this year’s playoffs. Could the Celtics actually lose this series against Orlando? They definitely don’t want to go back to Orlando for a Game 7.
Jameer Nelson has been the best guard in this series the past two games after Rajon Rondo dominated the first three games. Nelson had 24 points in Game 5 while J.J. Redick added 14. Redick has been very important since Vince Carter has done nothing as usual for the Magic.
There is no question that the pressure is now on Boston. Only four times in history has a team blown a 3-0 lead in a seven-game series and it has never happened in the NBA. It has happened three times in the NHL including in this year’s playoffs when the Bruins blew a 3-0 and lost to the Flyers. It has happened once in baseball as the Red Sox rallied from three games down to beat the Yankees. The Red Sox went on to win the World Series that year.
Orlando has been solid on the road as they are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 road games. The Celtics are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 home games. Looking at the total, five of the last seven Orlando games have gone under. Five of the last six meetings in Boston between the two teams have gone under.