Sport: NBAPick Selection: Boston Celtics vs. Seattle SuperSonics OVER
I'm playing on the Celtics and Sonics to finish OVER the number. By now, everyone knows that the Celtics are capable of playing outstanding defense. They proved it again last night as they limited the Kings to a mere 69 points. That result notwithstanding, the Celtics have played much lower-scoring games at Boston than they have on the road. Playing the second of back to back games, heavily favored vs. a young Sonics team, and with Ray Allen returning to the Pacific Northwest, I expect a much faster tempo this evening. Note that the Celtics have seen the OVER go a highly profitable 18-3 the last 21 times they faced an opponent from the Northwest division. During the same stretch, the Celts have seen the OVER go 36-26-2 in 64 road games overall. The Sonics, who have seen their games here average 204 points this season, have a tendency to try and speed up the tempo when they face a strong defensive team. In fact, they've seen the OVER go 3-0 this season when facing a team which allows 91 points or less and a profitable 16-6 in that situation since 2005. During the same stretch, the Sonics have seen the OVER go 8-3 when playing a home game with an over/under line in the 190 to 194.5 range and 16-7 when facing a team from the Atlantic division. Four straight series meetings here have produced a minimum of 196 points. Those four games averaged a whopping 215 points each. I'm expecting another high-scoring affair this evening with the final combined score finishing above the relatively low number. *TNT TOM
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