Los Angeles Lakers at Orlando Magic: NBA Finals Game 3 Preview

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magic-lakers-game-3-nba-finals-2009The Los Angeles Lakers came away with a 101-96 overtime victory against the Orlando Magic, giving them a commanding 2-0 lead in the 2009 NBA Finals series.  Only 3 teams in the history of the NBA Finals have come back from an 0-2 deficit to win the series.  The Boston Celtics did it in 1969, the Portland Trail Blazers came back in 1977, and, most recently, the Miami Heat overcame being down 0-2 to the Dallas Mavericks to come back and win the championship.  Tuesday night the Finals shift from Los Angeles to Orlando for a 3-game stint.  These games will be crucial, especially to the Magic, who will eventually need to win a game back in Los Angeles if they are going to win the title this season.  For the Lakers, they can take control of the series even more with a win in games 3, 4, or 5, as they have the luxury of finishing up the Finals on their home court if games 6 and 7 are necessary.  The NBA odds for Tuesday night’s game have been posted, with the Magic being favored by 4 points in Orlando over the Lakers, and the over/under set for 198 points.

The Lakers dodged a bullet on Sunday night when Courtney Lee missed what looked to be a game-winning layup with less than 0.6 seconds on the clock.  Lee’s miss pushed the game into overtime, where the Lakers took over, eventually walking away with a 5 point victory.  Kobe Bryant continued to shine in the playoffs, scoring 29 points and making some key passes down the stretch to help the Lakers to the win.  Other key performances for the Lakers included Lamar Odom’s 19 points (8 of 9 from the field), 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks, as well as Pau Gasol’s 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists.  Gasol was especially clutch in overtime, where he scored 7 of the Lakers’ 13 points. Bet on the Lakers +4 at BetUS.

Orlando has to be relieved to be heading home after dropping the two opening games of the NBA Finals in Los Angeles.  Game 1 was a blowout, 100-75 loss, and while Game 2 was much closer, the Magic still ended up on the losing end of the final score.  The Magic will be looking for their big man, Dwight Howard to provide some pop to their offensive attack on Tuesday.  In Game 1 of the Finals Howard managed just 12 points, and put in only 17 points in Game 2 on Sunday.  Howard looked frustrated at times, and while he shot well from the free-throw line, he didn’t seem as much a part of the offense as in previous playoff series.  Rashard Lewis has been the go-to guy so far in the Finals for the Magic, and there is little reason to expect that is going to change anytime soon.  Lewis scored 34 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and chipped in with 7 assists in Sunday’s losing effort.  Hedo Turkoglu was again a big part of the team offensively, but his best play was on the defensive end of the court, playing solid defense on Kobe Bryant, including blocking Bryant’s game-winning attempt near the end of regulation.

Jimmy Boyd’s expert NBA picks are now 7-2 his last 9 and he has nailed 15 of his last 19 NBA sides. Make sure you’re doing your NBA betting with Jimmy for Game 3 Tuesday night.  Make Jimmy Boyd your handicapper for the 2009 NBA Finals and you will be sure you are getting the best NBA picks in the industry!

About the Author: Jimmy Boyd is known for his consistency. He's a proven winner in college and pro football, college and pro basketball and pro baseball. He finished as the No. 1 ranked MLB handicapper in 2007 by earning $1,000/game bettors $50,050. He also finished as the No. 1 ranked basketball handicapper in the 2008-09 season, profiting $1,000/game bettors 38,530. His basketball plays have banked $1,000/game bettors nearly $80,000 the last five years. Check out Jimmy's premium picks for tonight!
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