Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals moves back to south Beach on Saturday night as the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat square off to see who will advance to the NBA Finals. The game is scheduled for an 8:30 pm start time and it will be televised live on ESPN. Currently the odds have Miami favored by 7.5 points with the total sitting at 178 points for the contest.
Free Analysis: In the game 6 loss to tyhe Heat, Boston once again struggled to make shots, hitting just 42.7% FG and 1-of-14 threes. SF Paul Pierce was an atrocious 4-for-18 from the floor, missing all six of his long-range tries. PG Rajon Rondo has had a great offensive series with 20.7 PPG (50% FG), 10.8 APG and 6.3 RPG, and he did have 21 points in Game 6, but he also posted a dreadful 7 turnovers in the game as well. The last time he played in Miami in Game 5, he shot just 3-for-15 from the field. PF Kevin Garnett also had a subpar performance on Thursday, amassing just 12 points (6-of-14 FG), five rebounds and zero assists, plus he did not attempt a single free throw and was pretty useless against Bosh down low. SG Ray Allen has been off the mark in this series (36.2% FG), which includes a horrible 8-for-27 FG clip (29.6%) in Miami. Starting PF Brandon Bass scored 12 points (5-of-8 FG) with seven rebounds in Game 6, giving him solid averages of 11.0 PPG (50% FG) and 6.0 RPG in the past three contests. Boston is a woeful 18-24 SU (21-21 ATS) on the road this season, having lost its previous four away games by an average of 8.5 PPG before prevailing in Game 5. However, the Celtics are a solid 20-14 (18-16 ATS) after an SU loss this season, and they have also been sharp with just one day’s rest at 31-20 (30-21 ATS). LeBron James made sure his season wouldn’t end on Thursday night in Boston. James had an incredible 45 points on 19-for-26 FG (73%), and added 15 rebounds and five assists. James has actually been better offensively on the road during the 2012 playoffs (32.1 PPG on 53% FG), but his home playoff numbers aren’t too shabby (29.6 PPG on 50% FG). In three home games this series, he has torched the Celtics for 32.0 PPG and 12.0 RPG. But after making 18-of-24 free throws in Game 2, James is a dreadful 16-for-30 from the foul line (53%) during the past four contests. Although Wade wasn’t great offensively in Boston during East Finals (18.3 PPG on 37% FG), he has thrived on home cooking with 24.0 PPG on 52% FG in the three games held in Miami. PF Udonis Haslem has not been a consistent scorer this series with 0, 13, 3, 12, 3 and 6 points, but he continues to pound the glass on a regular basis with 11.4 RPG in his past five contests. Mario Chalmers hasn’t had a great series shooting the basketball (43.5% FG, 30.8% threes), but he had a well-rounded Game 6 with nine points (3-of-4 threes), two steals and zero turnovers. Miami is 35-6 (23-18-1 ATS) at home this season, outscoring these opponents by an average of 11.1 PPG (100.1 to 89.0 PPG). The Heat have avoided major letdowns after an SU victory (40-16 SU, 27-29 ATS), and have been strong with just one day of rest at 32-16 (22-26 ATS). The winner of tonight's game moves on to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals.
Free Pick: Game 7 and i expect both teams to come out firing as a loss here and you are done for the season. That has me liking the Over in this one. The last game did hit just 177 points and the first one of the series put up just 172 points, but the middle 4 games each hit at least 184 points and Game 6 actually was on pace for a game in the 190's at the half. Miami home games have gone 27-15 to the Under this year, but still 189 ppg have been scored on this floor this year. Boston road games have gone 21-19-2 to the Under, while their road games have averaged 184.3 ppg. Both teams may be a bit tired and that could hurt defensively, plus both teams are in desperation mode and that should lead to a team that is down fouling earlier than normal. Let's just hope Lebron can do a better job at the Line. LOL. I expect the mid 180's in this one.
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NBA Free Picks: Boston Celtics at Miami Heat - Game 7 Betting
What NBA bettors need to know about Celtics at Heat Game 7 - Including a free selection from Pregame.com's Bryan Leonard & Host Marco D'Angelo!