The NBA Finals conclude this week in Los Angeles as the Lakers host the Boston Celtics in NBA betting. The NBA Finals have a 2-3-2 format so the first two and the last two games of the series are in Los Angeles. NBA Finals betting had the teams splitting the first four games of the series so home court was not a guarantee of victory.
NBA betting odds favored the home team in each of the first five games of the series and that will be the case in Game 6 and in Game 7, in necessary. The Lakers were 5.5 or 6 point favorites in the first two games of the series so it is likely that will be the case in the final two games.
The NBA Finals have featured a number of stars so far from Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher to Ray Allen and Glen Davis. The question that remains is which stars will determine the ultimate outcome this week. The Lakers have shown that they are in serious trouble when center Andrew Bynum does not play. He barely saw the court in Game 4 and Davis dominated the Lakers inside. If Bynum is healthy the Lakers have the advantage but if he doesn’t see much playing time due to injury then the Celtics have the edge.
Normally in an NBA Finals betting series the big stars will determine which team wins but that has really not been the case so far. Kobe has had an excellent series for the Lakers but just because he scores over 30 points does not mean the Lakers always win. Conversely, Paul Pierce has had his moments but he has not taken over the series. It has been other players like Davis and Fisher who have determined the outcome. Will that be the case in the deciding games in Los Angeles?
Defense has been the story in this series since the opening game. Neither team has had overwhelming offensive performances. That has meant many of the games have gone under the total. With the NBA title on the line in Los Angeles, the defense could be tough again. Game 6 is scheduled for Tuesday night in Los Angeles with Game 7, if necessary on Thursday.