If anyone thinks the Boston Celtics are going to change their approach because they have learned a lesson, you are sorely mistaken.
Joe Mazzulla will not channel the Bart Simpson meme and repeatedly write on the chalkboard that his team should not shoot an obscene amount of 3-pointers.
Give the Knicks enormous credit for doing what they needed to do in Game 1, rallying from a 20-point deficit in the third quarter to stun the defending champs.
While being blown out, they showed resolve and resilience to avoid punting on the first game of a long series.
And perhaps more impressively, New York executed down the stretch and into overtime. That is what most stood out to me. The Knicks made the necessary plays in clutch moments, even when the game was tight on the road.
But I am not ready to think they will win the series. In fact, I believe Boston as a -300 series favorite has extreme value.
I do not think the Knicks will win more than one more game, so my favorite approach is Boston -1.5 games. That means the Celtics must win the series in five or six games for the wager to cash.
We all know that Boston shot 60 3-pointers in Game 1. Plus, 19 of their 20 shot attempts in the third quarter came from behind the arc. Additionally, 37 of their 49 attempts after halftime were from downtown. Jayson Tatum finished 4-of-15, Derrick White 5-of-16.
Those are all laughable and somewhat appalling statistics. However, if the Celtics merely made a few more, they win the game by double digits. I would argue that only making 15-of-60 for the game is more remarkable than the shot selection itself.
Like it or not, that is why the NBA has experienced such an extreme shift toward the 3-pointer.
Betting on the NBA?
Make no mistake. This was a collapse and outlier performance. I am backing Boston to bounce back in Game 2 in emphatic fashion. The health of Kristaps Porzingis is an unknown variable, but I expect the Celtics to play with urgency and win convincingly.
Oddsmakers understand the narrative and thus have applied a tax, given Boston is a 10.5-point favorite after only laying 8.5 points in Game 1.
My record in this Post section is 41-32-1 ATS and I am adding two more wagers.
I will take the Celtics -10.5 points and Boston -1.5 games in the series (Caesars Sportsbook).
BETS: Celtics -105 (-110) | Celtics -1.5 series (-120)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Doug Kezirian is a New York Post contributor who currently serves as the Chief Content Officer for Only Players, a sports betting media company. Doug has over two decades of experience in the betting space, including spending 11 years at ESPN as a host, columnist and betting analyst. He’s also the rare personality who has documented success – 14th place in 2023 Circa Million and Las Vegas SuperContest ($37K), two top-10 finishes in 2022 William Hill College Football Challenge ($58K) and also grabbed headlines with a $297K win on the 2021 NFL Draft.
