2010 NBA Playoffs – Magic vs. Celtics Picks & Predictions

Last Updated on May 16, 2010 12:00 pm by drew

Magic-Celtics Pick

The 2010 NBA Eastern Conference Finals feature the previous two conference champions as the Orlando Magic take on the Boston Celtics.

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The Magic are the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference while the Celtics are the No. 4 seed.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made



Orlando the favorites with a betting line of -275 while the Celtics have a line of +245.

In four meetings during the regular season,

Orlando won three of the games. All four games were decided by single digits.

Orlando was 59-23 during the regular season and the Magic had a 34-7 record at home and a 25-16 record on the road. The Magic were 39-13 against conference opponents.
Orlando has yet to lose in the playoffs as the Magic swept
Charlotte in the first round and

Atlanta in the second round. The Magic are averaging 101 points per-game in the playoffs and are shooting 48.8 percent while giving up just 83.7 points per-game and holding opponents to 40.8 percent shooting. Jameer Nelson has led the Magic in the playoffs with 20.5 points and 5.25 assists per-game. Nelson is shooting 51.9 percent from the field in the postseason. Dwight Howard has been quiet at times but is still averaging 15.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per-game.

Boston went 50-32 during the regular season with a 24-17 record at home and a 26-15 record on the road. The Celtics were 33-19 against conference opponents this year.
Boston opened the playoffs with a 4-1 series win over
Miami and then followed up with a 4-2 series win over

Cleveland. During the playoffs,

Boston is scoring 98.4 points per-game while shooting 47.2 percent from the field. Opponents were held to 91.7 points and 44.2 percent shooting by the Celtics. Rajon Rondo has been a big catalyst for the Celtics lately. He is averaging 18 points, 11.1 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per-game in the playoffs. Paul Pierce is averaging 16.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per-game for

Boston.

This series should be some great basketball as the Celtics are on top of their game and the Magic seem unstoppable.
Boston was able to take advantage of a weak post presence from
Cleveland in the conference semifinals, but

Orlando will make it tougher for the Celtics to score inside.
Orlando has the athletes to match

Boston’s talent and ultimately, the younger and fresher Magic should win out in six or seven tough games.

Our NBA Playoff Series Free Pick for this matchup is:


ORLANDO -275

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BOSTON is 41-50 ATS (-14.0 Units) in all games this season.

BOSTON is 20-29 ATS (-11.9 Units) versus good offensive teams – scoring 99+ points/game this season.

ORLANDO is 51-34 ATS (+13.6 Units) in all games this season.

ORLANDO is 47-30 ATS (+14.0 Units) as a favorite this season.

ORLANDO is 26-17 ATS (+7.3 Units) in home games this season.

ORLANDO is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) against Atlantic division opponents this season.

ORLANDO is 16-5 ATS (+10.5 Units) after a division game this season.

ORLANDO is 38-24 ATS (+11.6 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.

ORLANDO is 55-42 ATS (+8.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

ORLANDO is 26-17 ATS (+7.3 Units) versus good offensive teams – scoring 99+ points/game this season.

BOSTON is 39-24 ATS (+12.6 Units) as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.

BOSTON is 82-62 ATS (+13.8 Units) in road games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History

ORLANDO is 9-9 against the spread versus

BOSTON over the last 3 seasons 

ORLANDO is 11-7 straight up against

BOSTON over the last 3 seasons 

12 of 18 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons 

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BOSTON

[C] 05/05/2010 – Kendrick Perkins probable Friday vs.

Cleveland ( Knee ) 

[F] 05/05/2010 – Kevin Garnett probable Friday vs.

Cleveland ( Ankle ) 

ORLANDO

No significant injuries.

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Orlando Magic -275

Boston Celtics +245

Magic vs. Celtics Series Schedule:

Sunday, May 16 at



Orlando, 3:30PM ET on ABC

Tuesday, May 18 at



Orlando, 8:30PM ET on ABC

Saturday, May 22 at



Boston, 8:30PM ET on ABC

Monday, May 24 at



Boston, 8:30PM ET on ABC

*Wednesday, May 26 at



Orlando, 8:30PM ET on ABC

*Friday, May 28 at



Boston, 8:30PM ET on ABC

*Sunday, May 30 at



Orlando, 8:30PM ET on ABC

*If Necessary
Bet the 2010 NBA Playoffs
Posted: 5/16/10 12:00PM ET