NBA: Celtics-Bulls pairs two strong finishing clubs
If the NBA playoffs are a "what have you done for me lately world", don't be surprised to see a sizeable upset in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
The #7-seeded Chicago Bulls enter as one of the hottest teams in the league as it prepares to take on defending champion Boston.
In fact, both teams were 12-4 in their L16 games. However, if the teams' entire body of work is what matters, then it's clearly advantage Celtics, who find themselves a -500 series favorite at Sportsbook.com.
Keep up with the developing series odds by viewing the LIVE ODDS page.
Make no doubt about it, the Bulls come into the playoffs playing their best basketball of the season, and the midseason trade in which they acquired Brad Miller and John Salmons from Sacramento really seems to be paying dividends.
Chicago is playing particularly well on the offensive end, as they topped the 125-point mark three times in the last month and were held below 97-points just once in their final 17 contests.
Boston hoped to have Kevin Garnett back for the postseason but the latest indications reveal that he's likely out for the posteseason. He has been down with a knee injury for most of the late part of the season, The team has played well without him, but without KG, the chances of repeating or even reaching the conference finals are slim.
Prediction: Boston in seven games
Now here's a look at the top StatFox team playoff trends for both clubs:
#2 BOSTON CELTICS
* BOSTON won it's L7 playoffs games against the spread in its title run last season.
* In its L27 playoff games with lines in the +4 to -4 range, BOSTON is 18-8-1 UNDER the total.
* In its L22 Second Round playoff games, BOSTON is just 10-12 SU & 7-15 ATS.
#7 CHICAGO BULLS
* Over the L4 seasons, CHICAGO is 8-3 ATS in the playoffs when allowing 94 points or less.
* CHICAGO is 8-2 ATS in its L10 playoff games when scoring 100 points or more.
* CHICAGO is 6-0 SU & 5-1 ATS in its L6 home playoff games in the month of April.
