The Spurs will try to forget their NBA Playoff Finals Game 1 loss Wednesday night to the Lakers, 89-85.  In Game 1 the Spurs led 65-45 with 5:54 left in the third quarter, and seemed to be on their way toward landing a crushing blow in the series.  Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers waited toward the end of the 3rd quarter to make there big run.  The Lakers outscored the Spurs 24-13 in the fourth quarter, when San Antonio shot 3-for-21, including 1-for-9 from 3-point range.  Silly turnovers, ill-advised decisions lost the game for the Spurs.  Bryant had 25 points in the second half.  The oddsmakers at bodoglife.com currently have the Lakers -7 favorites to San Antonio into this NBA Playoff betting matchup.

The question is can the Spurs keep the Lakers from scoring 90+ throughout the series?  I don't think so.  Can the Spurs score 85+ in all of the games?  I don't think so.  The Spurs, while the most complete and talented team in the NBA, don't have the firepower to keep up with the Lakers scoring.  And yes, while they have perhaps the best defense in the league, they are going up against perhaps the greatest offensive perimeter player ever in Kobe.  In the game 1 win the Lakers' comeback marked only the second time since 1998 that a team had overcome a 20-point second-half deficit to win an NBA playoff game.  It looks like Kobe can turn it on at any point.

In this series they are going to let Kobe have his points, that is just office.  Spurs are more concerned about stopping everyone else.  Everyone knows Kobe will score his points.  In the end, whatever happened in Game 1 is just that.  You can't expect Game 2 to look anything like it. If it does, I don't think the Lakers would come back again.  Besides coaches Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich are such good coaches that  every adjustment that needs to be made is going to be made and the team that executes the adjustments given to them by their coach will win this game. 

NBA Angle plays for this NBA Playoff Picks Matchup When LA LAKERS team Played as Home team as a Favorite - with 1 day off - Total is between 190 to 195 - Allowed 85 or less points AGAINST in their last game - Coming off 1 under 11-1 SU in this spot. When LA LAKERS team played as a Home team - Last 2 years - playing on Friday 18-9 O/U in this spot

The San Antonio Spurs let a golden chance slip away in NBA Playoffs Game One against the Los Angeles Lakers as they blew a 20 point third quarter lead and lost 89-85.  "No one gives any excuse,'' Spurs guard Tony Parker said, "We were in pretty good shape, had a great lead. We had a great chance to win the game and we just didn't play well enough in the fourth quarter.'' History is now not on the Spurs side. The Lakers are 52-7 when winning Game 1 in a best-of-seven series. The also have owned the Spurs in the postseason.  They have beaten them in seven of their previous 10 postseason matchups, including all three in the conference finals. Further history indicates that the Spurs are facing even more dismal numbers as Lakers’ head coach Phil Jackson is a perfect 40-0 when his teams win the opening game of a 7 game series. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Lakers at Home.

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers (Lakers lead 1-0)
Friday, 9:05 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Lakers  - 6.5, Total  193

Kobe Bryant scored all but two of his 27 points after halftime as the Spurs couldn’t slow him down.  Losing a 20 point lead could be difficult for the Spurs to bounce back from. "Obviously a difficult loss and we had a great opportunity. We didn't take advantage of it. Hurts like hell.'' Spurs head coach Greg Popovich said.  The Lakers are now 7-0 in the postseason at Staples Center and have won 13 straight games overall at home.  The Lakers don’t expect the Spurs to quit though. “We expect them to come back with renewed energy,” said coach Phil Jackson.  Kobe doesn’t believe the Spurs will be crushed by the loss. “I don’t think so,” said Kobe, “They’ve won four championships.”

SBG Global Current Line: Lakers  - 6.5, Total  192.5

Here are the NBA betting stats for Friday’s game. The Spurs are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 Conference Finals games. The Spurs are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Friday games. The Spurs are 7-16 ATS in their last 23 games as a road underdog. The Spurs are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings between the two teams. 

The Lakers are 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 games overall. The Lakers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games as a home favorite. The Lakers are 2-9-1 ATS in their last 12 vs. the Southwest. The Lakers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Conference Finals games. 

The Under is 4-0 in the Spurs last 4 overall. The Under is 4-1-1 in the Spurs last 6 games as a road underdog. 

The Over is 11-4 in the Lakers last 15 Friday games. The Under is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings between the two teams.

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Boston took Game 1 of this NBA Playoffs series Tuesday night with a 88-79 win.  Kevin Garnett had 26 points and 9 rebounds.  Paul Pierce had 22 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and, despite 5 turnovers, continued to play at a higher level than he did during the first 13 playoff games.  Rajon Rondo had 11 points, 7 assists, 5 steals, 1 turnover, and his 3-pointer with 1:47 left in the game sealed the deal.  Eddie House had a huge 3-pointer as the third quarter came to a close.  The oddsmakers at sportsbetting.com currently have the Boston -4 favorites to Detroit heading into this NBA Playoff betting matchup.

The Pistons laid a huge egg in Game 1 which they usually do every year in every series.  In the 2008 playoffs 1st game of series this year Detroit lost to Philadelphia by 20 plus points and Orlando by 20 plus points.  The question is does Detroit only have to win one game in Boston to win this series since the Celtics have yet to win on the road these playoffs?  If they are going to steal one it has to be tonight.  Look for them to double on Kevin Garnett and try to make struggling Ray Allen beat them tonight.  All this talk about how Ray Allen has sucked so far this playoffs, which is true, but hey even the greats had bad games, but what happens when he has a bounce back night.  What happens when he hits some early 3's.....The answer is Detroit better hope it doesn't happen because if it does this series is over.

I don't get why all these expert analysts keep saying that Boston must be out of energy, they must be tired, etc.  Can't you see that in every game they have played so far they have had endless energy.  Sure they must be tired but they are bringing it just like they were all season long.  You have to give Detroit credit they have been to the Eastern Conference finals 6 years in a row.  In Game 1 the Pistons kept hanging around, they were very calm and had a chance to win the game even with Chauncey Billups not playing well.  But the Celtics deserve credit, that's the team I remember from the regular season.

NBA Angle plays for this NBA Playoff Picks Matchup When DETROIT team played as a Road team - playing on Thursday - Last 2 years 13-3 ATS in this spot. When DETROIT team played as a Road team - playing on Thursday - Last 3 years 17-6 ATS in this spot.

The Bulls won the NBA's draft lottery Tuesday night, giving them the right to choose between star freshmen Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose.  The Bulls won even though that had a 1.7 percent chance of winning.  What a horrible set up.  Being able to jump up eight spots in the lottery makes this sport look like a joke!  The Heat and Bulls could vault into one of the top teams in the East with Beasley and Rose joining them. If Chicago gets Beasley they will have a very, very talented team.  Also, if Miami has Rose and a healthy Wade in the backcourt with Marion they will be right back, especially in the weak East. Wade, if healthy, could become the biggest star in the East with a player like Rose.  The oddsmakers at SportsBook.com currently have Derrick Rose 5-6 odds to be the number #1 pick in the draft.

At the start of the season, back in November, the chances of them participating in the lottery seemed impossible, and then coach Scott Skiles got fired before Christmas and the team never reaching the .500 mark at any point.  Vice president Steve Schandwald represented the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.  The Bulls will finally get the inside presence they need, while Pat Riley and the Heat will get their dream backcourt mate for Wade in Rose.  Looks like a win win situation for both teams. 

 Here's a look at the potential Top Two Picks:

1. MICHAEL BEASLEY, Kansas State, PF, 6-9, 235 (freshman): Kansas State forward who averaged 26.2 points and an NCAA-best 12.4 rebounds.  Beasley was the best player during college basketball's regular season and can inside or outside.

2. DERRICK ROSE, Memphis, PG, 6-3, 205 (freshman): The Chicago native had a spectacular run, carried Memphis within minutes of the national title.   He's been compared to Deron Williams and Chris Paul and won't drop below second.Sportsbook.com’s odds on the 1st pick of the 2008 NBA Draft

• Derrick Rose 5-6
• Michael Beasley 10-11
• OJ Mayo 50-1
• Brook Lopez 50-1
• Kevin Love 250-1
• Field 50-1