Game 6 Eastern Conference Finals: It’s time to win or go home in the Eastern Conference Finals, which may seem like stating the obvious. It’s only Game 6 in the best-of-seven series but for all intents and purposes, if the Boston Celtics lose their third straight game in this series and give up home court advantage, they are not likely to win Game 7 in Orlando.
The sharp action has poured in on the Celtics early on, pushing the opening line of 2.5upwards, but is that truly the smart money? The Celtics should be desperate in this game knowing that the NBA series is virtually lost if they lose Game 6 on their turf.
The Celtics have some injury concerns but it looks like it’s nothing major. It’s very likely that the line move is actually reflective of that more than anything else. In Game 5, Kendrick Perkins received two technical fouls, Glen Davis and Rasheed Wallace left the game with separate injuries and it looked as if the Celtics would be very thin in the front court for Game 6. As it turns out, one of Perkins technical fouls was rescinded by the NBA, which means he won’t be suspended, and the Celtics should have Big Baby and Wallace in the lineup as well.
The Magic are also beaten up a little bit – especially forward Rashard Lewis, who has not been able to shake a virus. After averaging 16 points per game in the first two rounds, Lewis’ viral infection has forced his shots astray against the Celtics. In the East Finals, he’s averaging just 8.4 points per game and shooting 36% from the field. He has become stronger as the series has progressed, which could be a reason why the Magic have improved over the last couple of games.
The other main concern for the Magic is the disappearing act of Vince Carter. He has been a non-factor in this series. He’s actually averaged 18 points per game in the Magic’s three losses and scored a total of just 11 points in the Magic’s two wins. Even so, the Magic need him to be a presence on the court and a threat to score if they are to pull the upset.
The stakes are high for Game 6 and the Celtics are still a -310 favorite on the NBA series prices. If Lewis is healthy and Carter shows up, it’s hard not to like the Magic at +255 – especially when you consider how good of a road team they were this year.
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