Looking at the NBA Conference Championships

As MC Hammer once said, “U can’t touch this.”

At least, I won’t be touching either NBA Conference Championship series at the outset. Readers may know that my NBA Finals Matchup pick went down in flames with the Denver Nuggets choke in Game 7 in the previous round against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Don’t get me wrong – it was a terrible pick by me. But up by 20, I believe, at home . . . and you lose? It’s my only pick in the NBA so far this season, leaving me 0-1 for -$100, and dropping my overall record to 37-61-3 for $564.60.

I think the Boston Celtics will roll through the rest of the playoffs to an NBA title. But so do the sports books. On Sugar House, they’re favored by 10 points in tonight’s series opener against Indiana. I’m not giving up 10, but I don’t trust or know the Pacers enough to take the points.

The series odds have the Celtics at -1000, which I have to think eliminates most bettors. A sweep by Boston is currently +250. It’s slightly tempting, but for where I’m at, it would be maybe $10 to win $25, and who cares?

Indiana is +620 to win the series, but . . . no.

The other series has Minnesota at -180 favored over Dallas at +145. I just don’t know enough about the Mavericks, but I’d lean their way based on the Timberwolves seeming to win on defense and I don’t think that will hold up.

For the record, Boston is -167 to win the title. I already said, I think they roll. But that number is just too high for me. I’ll be kicking myself through the Finals for not grabbing them at even money to win the title after they dropped a game to Miami.