NBA Playoffs Betting Starts Saturday

The 2009 NBA Playoffs get started Saturday and betED.com has odds for all first-round Series, opening-games, and Championship and Conference winners.

The defending champion Boston Celtics get things started Saturday when they host the Chicago Bulls (12:30 pm ET, ESPN).

Despite the fact the Celtics will be without all-star forward Kevin Garnett, Boston is a -600 favorite to win the best-of-seven series in NBA Playoffs First-Round Series Prices, and an 8.5-point favorite to win the opener in NBA Betting Lines. The Bulls are a +400 Series underdog.

Head coach Doc Rivers told a Boston radio station Thursday that a knee injury will likely prevent Garnett from helping the Celtics defend their NBA Championship title.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, who finished No. 1 in the Eastern Conference and in the league, are a whopping -4000 favorite to win their series with the Detroit Pistons, and a 12-point favorite to win Game 1 on Saturday. The Pistons are at +2500 odds to pull off a series upset.

In the Battle of Texas, the San Antonio Spurs are a -145 favorite to win their series against the Dallas Mavericks. The Spurs are a 4-point favorite in Game 1.

The action gets started Sunday with the Los Angeles Lakers, the top team in the Western Conference, hosting the Utah Jazz. The Lakers are a -2500 favorite to win the best-of-seven series, and an 11-point favorite to win the opener.

Later, the Orlando Magic host the Philadelphia 76ers, with the Magic a -1000 favorite to win the series and a 9.5-point favorite to win Game 1.

In NBA Championship odds at betED.com, the top five favorites to win the title are: Lakers (+130); Cavaliers (+160); Celtics (+750); Magic (+1200); and Spurs (+1800).