NBA betting online handicappers has taken note that Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers is claiming that this year’s edition is the best that he has coached. Boston has opened at Sbg global sportsbook as a +1100 choice to win the 2011 NBA Championship.
Plenty of Personality
The Celtics are coming off a tough seven game loss in the NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers last year in which they took a 3-2 series lead before blowing the final two games in Los Angeles.
Rivers will have the challenge of managing big egos and personalities with Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, and Kendrick Perkins being just a few of the names that gamblers will need to get used to for the long NBA season ahead.
Rivers has proven time and again that he can handle the egos and personalities that come with the job. Rivers had meshed plenty of different agendas and players together for championship runs in the past and there is no reason to expect anything less for 2010-11.
Not getting any Younger
One big concern about the Celtics with NBA betting handicappers is the age of the roster and the acquisition of O’Neal certainly add to what was already a legitimate issue. Rivers will have to manage the bench and playing time with more care and expertise than ever before but with such a veteran group there is the likelihood of better cooperation and understanding from the players.
Lucky Shaq-Rock?
Shaq’s one year run with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers did not end with a championship as the Cavs were upset in the playoffs and went down as one of the biggest NBA betting online bombs in recent years. Shaq enters Boston at 36 years of age and somewhat discredited as his level of play has slipped both at Cleveland and at Phoenix before that.
But despite the recent lack of All Star Caliber play Shaq may find Boston the perfect place to be as a contributor with plenty of talented teammates that will take the heat off of him. There will be less pressure and the possibility of better NBA betting production as a result. Beyond that it is doubtful that Shaq will want to end his career on a losing note.