The first round of the NBA Playoffs get underway on Saturday as the sixth-seeded Orlando Magic travel north to take on the third seed Indiana Pacers. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 pm start time and it will be televised live on ESPN. Currently the odds have Indiana favored by 9 points with the total sitting at 191.5 points for the contest.
Free Analysis: We all know that Dwight Howard isn't going to play the rest of the season and that's probably the main reason the Magic won't move past the Indiana Pacers in this playoff series. Howard averaged 23.8 points and 10.8 rebounds while shooting 69 percent from the field against Indiana during the 2011-12 NBA season. Orlando won three of the four meetings between the squads in the regular season. But how do the Pacers and head coach Frank Vogel keep from getting overconfident against a team without their best player? Orlando led the league in 3-pointers made and attempted and was third in percentage (.375), which could cause some problems for the big, stout Indiana Pacers. Orlando forward Ryan Anderson led the league with 166 3-pointers this season. "Anybody that knows basketball knows that a 3-point shooting team like Orlando is extremely dangerous," Vogel said. "It doesn't matter who's in the middle, they can get red hot and shoot you out of the game. Our antennas are going to be up, and we'll be ready to go." The Magic will have Glen "Big Baby" Davis, Earl Clark and Daniel Orton inside to try and match up with the Pacers. Hedo Turkoglu had surgery on his face but will play with a mask. The Pacers are HUGE up front with All-Star center Roy Hibbert (7-foot-2) and David West at 6-9 is one of the league's strongest players overall. Lou Amundson and Tyler Hansbrough also provide size and athleticism. Leandro Barbosa seems to be the only injured player for the Pacers, but he's only battling a small ankle injury. Pacers forward Danny Granger averaged 19 points per game this year and helped lead the team to a 12-3 record in April, averaging 22 per contest.
Free Pick: Indiana is just too big for the Magic in my opinion. Size and athleticism are huge in the NBA and Indiana is just going to maul the Magic in this series. Sure, Orlando won three of the four games against Indiana this year but without Howard in the middle, the Magic are in trouble. The odds for the series have the Pacers at -800 vs. Magic +600 (implying 88% chance Pacers advance). Orlando is going to have to hit a massive amount of triples in this game and the series if they are going to be able to hang around. The Pacers became a bit of a surprising team during the past year and a half and have evolved into one of the best teams in the league. I think they have way too much size for the Magic. Pacers in 5.
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Betting Strategies: Handicapping NBA Playoffs
Host Marco D'Angelo and Pregame Pro Vegas Runner discuss their strategies about betting the NBA Playoffs and being successful.