NBA Betting: 3 Reasons The Boston Celtics Can Make The Playoffs

February 19, 2014 by Simon Eaton BetOnline/SportsBetting

The NBA season is past the All-Star break, which means that a lot of casual sports fans are going to begin to really train their attention on the Association as the coming weeks pass by. How will the Boston Celtics fit into the chase for a playoff spot?

1 – Rajon Rondo

The best sports betting sites that take a lot of action on the NBA are probably going to face a world in which Rajon Rondo will remain a member of the Celtics for the foreseeable future. The NBA trade deadline is almost here, but the general line of thought among basketball pundits is that Rondo is not going to be shipped out of town, contrary to what was more extensively believed several months ago. If Rondo is indeed staying with the Celtics past the trade deadline, such a reality would give the entire Boston organization a real lift. The possibility that Rondo was going to leave hung over the franchise, but as soon as the trade deadline comes and goes without movement on this front, the Celtics are going to sigh with relief, and their mood is very likely to translate into their level of play on the court over the next two months. If the Celtics can play over. 500 for the remainder of their season, they will definitely move upward in an Eastern Conference where multiple teams in playoff positions are under .500, especially eighth-place Charlotte, which is well below the break-even point. Rondo can lead this team to a 16-12 record in its final 28 games. That could very well do the trick for this team.

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2 – The Charlotte Bobcats

This is as big a reason as Rondo for the Celtics’ ability to get into the playoffs… if indeed they do get there. Charlotte is 23-30 as the second half of the season begins, and as improbable as it may seem, the Bobcats are in the eighth playoff spot in the East. Charlotte is only five games ahead of Boston in the loss column. Though it will take work for the Celtics to catch Charlotte for that eighth spot, a difference of five games is entirely attainable over the course of 28 games. Charlotte suffered a long losing streak last season after a solid month of November. If the Bobcats endure a 10-game losing streak over the final 28, Boston can catch them.

This might not be likely, but it’s definitely realistic. The key is for the Bobcats to stumble in the first two weeks after the All-Star break, enabling Boston to reduce the deficit to two or three games entering March. If the deficit grows to seven games instead of shrinking to two or three when March begins, then the Celtics will have a tough time. However, don’t expect Charlotte to pull away.

3 – The Other Chasers Of The Eighth Spot

In the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, and Cleveland Cavaliers, the Celtics are blessed with a trio of teams that doesn’t inspire fear. Those three teams could all flop in the final 28 games of the season, enabling Boston to move up in the standings.

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