The 2013 NBA playoffs are set to begin, and today at Bankroll Sports, we are going to be keeping a close eye on the series between the Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks. These two should be going at it in a great set of battles, and we are going to have our NBA playoffs predictions and scores update on a nightly basis for this and all of the great series throughout the playoffs. Check back to this page often, as we will be updating our final scores and our series analysis so you can make the most informed NBA picks every step of the way in this series.

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Miami Heat NBA Playoff Schedule

Heat Win Series 4-0

Game 1: Milwaukee Bucks 87 – Miami Heat 110
Game 2: Milwaukee Bucks 86 – Miami Heat 98
Game 3: Miami Heat 104 – Milwaukee Bucks 91
Game 4: Miami Heat 88 – Milwaukee Bucks 77

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Miami Heat Series Odds at
5Dimes Sportsbook
Milwaukee Bucks +150000
Miami Heat -450000
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Bucks vs. Heat Series Update
Game 1: About all that the Bucks can say out Game 1 is that G Monta Ellis and G Brandon Jennings combined for 48 points, but the rest of the team only scored 39 points, and that obviously isn’t going to beat the Heat. F LeBron James had a ho hum 28 points, 10 boards, and eight assists, and he shot 9-of-11 from the floor in doing so. There was never a doubt as to which one of these teams was. Heat 110 – Bucks 87 (Heat Lead Series 1-0)

Game 2: The Bucks were once again stymied by the Heat in the second game of this series, but at least this game was a little bit closer than the first. Milwaukee at least played a good defensive game, but in the end, it wasn’t enough to get the job done. Miami once again just flexed its muscles, pulling away by outscoring the Bucks 30-21 in the fourth quarter. Heat 98 – Bucks 86 (Heat Lead Series 2-0)

Game 3: Milwaukee took a 30-21 lead in the first quarter against the Heat on Thursday, and there had to be a little bit of hope that perhaps this could still be a series. Unfortunately, the lead didn’t make it through the third quarter. G Ray Allen came off of the bench and scored 23 points, making up for the fact that G Dwyane Wade scored just four points and turned the ball over six times. Six Bucks scored in double figures, but once again, it just wasn’t nearly enough. Heat 104 – Bucks 91 (Heat Lead Series 3-0)

Game 4: The Heat were really never challenged in this series, and they really weren’t challenged in this game either. In spite of the fact that neither F Chris Bosh nor G Ray Allen played 30 minutes and that G Dwyane Wade didn’t actually play in the game, Miami raced out to a seven-point lead at the end of the first quarter and ultimately won by 11. The defense held the Bucks down to just 36 points in the second half. Milwaukee simply couldn’t overcome the combination of G Brandon Jenning and F Ersan Ilyasova shooting 4-of-20 from the field between them. Heat 88 – Bucks 77 (Heat Win Series 4-0)

2013 Bucks vs. Heat Series Preview

If you believe that this series is going to be anywhere near close, you have to have another thing coming. The Heat might take a little bit of time to back in the saddle, as they really haven’t been playing all that hard over the course of the last few weeks, but they are clearly the superior team in this game in this best of seven series.

The Bucks know that they would be lucky to get a game in this series, and they are probably just happy to be here in the playoffs. Milwaukee made the biggest move in the league at the NBA’s trade deadline, trading for G JJ Redick. Redick has only averaged 12.3 points per game since coming to the team, which has been a bit of a disappointment, but the truth of the matter is that team really didn’t have a place for all of these guards. Redick is basically the same size is both G Monta Ellis and G Brandon Jennings, and these three can’t successfully be on the court at the same time. There just aren’t all that many bigs that are going to be able to defend the rest of the bigs that the Heat are bringing to the table.

Meanwhile, Miami is clearly one of the most talented teams that we have seen, not just in the league, but in league history as well. The Heat went on a 27-game winning streak, the second longest in the history of the league, and the display was one of the most impressive things that we have ever seen in pro basketball. F LeBron James is going to win the MVP Award once again this year, and for good reason. He averaged 26.8 points, 8.0 boards, and 7.2 assists per game this season, and those averages probably would have been a heck of a lot better if not for the fact that he didn’t play a heck of a lot of minutes over the course of the last several weeks of the season. G Dwyane Wade would have been the most important player on virtually any other team in the league after averaging 21.2 points, 5.1 assists, and 5.0 boards per game. F Chris Bosh probably would have been as well with 16.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. What really makes this team different though, is its IQ and its three-point shooting ability. Miami is second in the league, knocking down 39.6 percent of its three point shots, and the play of G Mario Chalmers and G Ray Allen is clearly making all the difference for this team.

For as much as the basketball enthusiast would like to think that this series will get back to Miami after leaving after Games 1 and 2. It would be a shock to us if Milwaukee figured out how to get even a game in this series when push came to shove, but it would be surprising to us as well if it managed to keep a single game within single digits either.

Heat vs. Bucks Series Prediction: Miami Heat in 4

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The NBA schedule just wrapped up its first half of the season, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are making our All-Star Game predictions for which man will beat the odds to win the MVP of the All-Star Game in Houston on Sunday night.

There really are only a handful of players that we think can legitimately win this award, and we would have no problem backing these four men that we are going to highlight against the field without hesitation. The man in the West that is going to be the most likely hero is the man that won the MVP award in the All-Star Game last year, Kevin Durant (Current All Star Game MVP Odds: 11 to 2 at Bovada Sportsbook). Durant never has fear putting the ball up, and he is one of the most respected shooters in the game. We’re inevitably going to see the Oklahoma City standout throw down some dunks and jack up tons of threes, and in the end, we expect to see him score somewhere in the neck of the woods of the 36 points that he had in last year’s game in Orlando to take the honor.

Next in line in the Western Conference is clearly going to be Kobe Bryant (Current Odds To Win All-Star Game MVP: 15 to 2 at Bovada Sportsbook). Kobe is the vet of this game, and he has made a tremendous habit out of being the man of the hour when push comes to shove. The argument could have been made last year for him to be the MVP of this game for the second straight season, as he scored 27 points and knocked down some huge shots. Bryant not only was the MVP in 2011, but he was the co-MVP in 2009 and the MVP in 2007. (For the record, Bryant won his first All-Star Game MVP award in 2002.) If you just keep following the “every other year” thing, Kobe could be in for a big time performance. If the Western Conference wins this game, it’s tough to see how either Durant or Bryant won’t ultimately win the MVP award.

List Of Past NBA All-Star Game MVPs (Since 2000)
2012 – Kevin Durant
2011 – Kobe Bryant
2010 – Dwyane Wade
2009 – Shaquille O’Neal/Kobe Bryant
2008 – LeBron James
2007 – Kobe Bryant
2006 – LeBron James
2005 – Allen Iverson
2004 – Shaquille O’Neal
2003 – Kevin Garnett
2002 – Kobe Bryant
2001 – Allen Iverson
2000 – Tim Duncan/Shaquille O’Neal

Shifting our attention to the Eastern Conference, it is clear again, that there should only be two teammates that have a chance at claiming glory. LeBron James (Up To Date All Star Game MVP Bettng Lines: 6 to 1 at Bovada Sportsbook) is the obvious choice. He scored 36 points in last year’s All-Star Game, and he would have been the MVP had he stepped up and knocked down the three-point shot at the end of the game instead of dishing it off and watching as a teammate failed at a last ditch effort instead. The bottom line with James right now is that he is on such remarkable fire, it’s not even funny. He has seven straight games with at least 30 points scored, and he is shooting the daylights out of the basketball. If the basket keeps looking like a beach ball could fit through it, we wouldn’t put it beyond James to put up 40, or even maybe 50 points in this one in spite of the fact that his teammates are inevitably going to have to score a ton of points as well.

With Head Coach Erik Spoelstra calling the shots though, we know that we have to give at least a little bit of play to Dwyane Wade (All-Star Game MVP Odds: 12 to 1 at Bovada Sportsbook). There are others such as the hometown hero, James Harden and Russell Westbrook that have a shot on the Western Conference team, but if Carmelo Anthony really is slowed by a hand injury or cannot play in the game, we just don’t know where the scoring is coming from on the Eastern Conference team. Last season in the All-Star Game, Wade almost quietly had a triple-double in defeat, putting up 24 points, 10 boards, and 10 assists. He has the ability to do it all, just like LeBron does. We really do believe that a split MVP would be about as good of a chance as Wade has against his teammate from South Beach, but we still think that there has to be better than a one in 12 chance that the man from Marquette walks away with the MVP trophy from this game in the Lone Star State.

Odds to Win 2013 All Star Game MVP @ Bovada Sportsbook (as of 2/14/13):
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Kevin Durant 11 to 2
LeBron James 6 to 1
Kobe Bryant 15 to 2
Blake Griffin 14 to 1
Carmelo Anthony 9 to 1
Dwyane Wade 12 to 1
Chris Paul 15 to 1
James Harden 9 to 1
Kyrie Irving 15 to 1
Dwight Howard 18 to 1
Russell Westbrook 18 to 1
Kevin Garnett 20 to 1
Tony Parker 20 to 1
Jrue Holiday 25 to 1
Brook Lopez 25 to 1
LaMarcus Aldridge 25 to 1
Chris Bosh 30 to 1
Paul George 35 to 1
Zach Randolph 35 to 1
David Lee 45 to 1
Luol Deng 45 to 1
Tyson Chandler 50 to 1
Joakim Noah 50 to 1
Tim Duncan 60 to 1

The story for the 2012-2013 Los Angeles Lakers was supposed to be one of redemption and success. The team brought in arguably the most talented center in the league in Dwight Howard, and also added a future Hall of Fame point guard in Steve Nash, who is still chasing that illustrious first NBA title. Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Metta World Peace, Jordan Hill… It was all supposed to come together for a title in Tinseltown. However, as of February 3rd, the Lakers are just 21-26. They’re five games below .500 and are four games out of the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Bet Revolution has posted some great Los Angeles Lakers odds, including what their fate is going to be for the rest of the 2012-2013 season. Check it out!

Obviously, these NBA odds are showing just how bad of shape that the men in purple and gold really are. They went from a team that was once upon a time nearly the odds on favorite to win the Western Conference to a team that is -220 to miss the playoffs! Even if they do get in, the insinuation is there that -600 or so says that LA doesn’t get past the first round of the postseason. Getting in as one of the bottom seeds likely sets up a showdown with the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, or Los Angeles Clippers, all of which have played significantly better ball than the Lakers have this year.

So what’s the problem for the Lakers? Kobe is doing his scoring for sure. He is putting up 27.9 points, 5.4 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game, and he is knocking down a healthy 46.6 percent of his shots from the field. Over the course of the last several games, Bryant has proven that he can put the ball in his hands and get the job done as a distributor as well, something that Nash just hasn’t done this season. Granted, the numbers for Nash do look reasonable at 11.7 points and 7.7 assists per game, but the numbers just don’t tell the whole story of how he is really playing on the court, especially on the defensive end where he is truly a liability at this point in his career.

The numbers too, don’t suggest terrible things about D-12. It’s not like we didn’t know that he couldn’t shoot free throws before, though his 49.6 shooting percent from the charity stripe is just pathetic. However, what more could the Lakers ask for? Howard is averaging 16.5 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game. The numbers just don’t show what he has really done on the court though, as he hasn’t come up with the big baskets when need be, and he clearly has gotten into it over and over again with Bryant, the undisputed leader of the team.

F Pau Gasol has basically been benched at this point by D’Antoni. He just doesn’t fit the high octane system, and F Earl Clark has replaced Gasol in the fold. Of course, with Howard out of the lineup injured, Gasol is playing the center position, where he is probably better served to play in D’Antoni’s system, just as F Amare Stoudemire did for years in Phoenix. The proof is in the pudding though, and the trade rumors have gotten to Gasol. He needs to be moved and moved for some younger pieces to the puzzle. The problem is that the market just isn’t entirely there for him, and trading Gasol will come at a discounted price for sure.

Now add into there that F Antawn Jamison has been spot, Hill is out for the year injured, and the rest of the bench features stiffs like Darius Morris, Steve Blake, and Chris Duhon, all of which are just terrible, and the equation just isn’t good for the Lakers.

We do ultimately think that they are going to get into the playoffs, as some of the teams that are holding onto spots right now just aren’t all that great. However, there is a clear divide between the Lake Show and the great teams in the Western Conference, and there is no doubt whatsoever that this team probably isn’t getting out of the first round of the playoffs, if it gets there at all.

This year more than most, the odds to win the MVP award are going to be tight in the NBA. There are a number of candidates that could ultimately go on to win the award, and here at Bankroll Sports, we’re taking a look at some of the top contenders right now and where they currently stand in the chase for the most illustrious individual honor in the NBA.

The new favorite to win the MVP award this year is Kevin Durant (Current NBA MVP Odds: 1 to 1.40 at BetDSI Sportsbook). Durant is the league’s leading scorer at 29.6 points per game this year, a solid point ahead of the field. He is a fantastic shooter that is likely to win the NBA’s scoring title once again, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he is going to win the MVP award. Durant has won the scoring title before, but he has never been the league’s MVP. However, with G Russell Westbrook hanging around as really his only helper on his own team, the writers might give Durant the benefit of the doubt this year now that G James Harden is gone.

It still goes without saying though, that LeBron James (Odds To Win 2012-13 NBA MVP Award: 1.20 to 1 at BetDSI Sportsbook) is capable of winning the MVP award this year. It’s not new news for LeBron to be a contender for the MVP, knowing that he has been the MVP three times already in his career. James is still the leader of the Miami Heat, and there isn’t a player in the league that is more dynamic than he is. King James is averaging 26.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game, and he is playing almost 39 minutes per game as well. If this were purely a statistical competition, James would be the winner of the MVP award just about every year. We think that LBJ clearly has the best price of all of the MVP contenders this year.

Aside from these two men, there really isn’t a lot to back in terms of MVP candidates this year. This is the first time in quite some time that we don’t think that Kobe Bryant is truly a contender for the award, though he is still listed at 30 to 1 to take the honor. Instead, the only other legit contender right now is the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony (NBA MVP Lines: 10 to 1 at BetDSI Sportsbook). Melo is second in the league in scoring at 28.5 pooints per game, and he is really putting the Knicks on his back and carrying them to the Atlantic Division title in all likelihood. Every time that New York plays a big game, it seems like Anthony is the man right in the thick of it all. We would like to see Anthony put together some more double-doubles, knowing that he is only averaging 6.2 boards per game, but we know that he has done a great job as a clutch performer this year. If there were ever a season that Melo was going to win the MVP award, this would be the year for that to happen.

NBA MVP Odds @ Diamond Sportsbook (as of 2/3/13):
(Get a 100% Signup Bonus at BetDSI When Using This Link)
Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks) 10 to 1
Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers) 20 to 1
Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) 1 to 1.40
Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) 30 to 1
LeBron James (Miami Heat) 1.20 to 1
Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) 50 to 1
Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) 50 to 1

The NBA Finals odds are getting hot and heavy, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are taking a look at the odds to win the Eastern Conference Finals, as the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics series gets underway this week!

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Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat NBA Playoff Schedule
Game 1: Boston @ Miami (Monday 5/28, 8:30 PM, ESPN)
Game 2: Boston @ Miami (Wednesday 5/30, 8:30 PM, ESPN)
Game 3: Miami @ Boston (Friday 6/1, 8:30 PM, ESPN)
Game 4: Miami @ Boston (Sunday 6/3, 8:30 PM, ESPN)
Game 5: Boston @ Miami (Tuesday 6/5, 8:30 PM, ESPN) (If Necessary)
Game 6: Miami @ Boston (Thursday 6/7, 8:30 PM, ESPN) (If Necessary)
Game 7: Boston @ Miami (Saturday 6/9, 8:30 PM, ESPN) (If Necessary)

Key #1: Rajon Rondo has to be the best quarterback on the court
When the “Boston Three Party” first came together, all eyes were pointed at Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. Everyone knew that the C’s were going to need a fourth player – some sort of a role player to try to get everything to come together. That man turned out to be the fourth man in the “Big Four” in Rondo. All of a sudden, the man from Kentucky that no one seemed to want on their team at the beginning of the year has nine triple-doubles in his playoff career, including two here in this postseason. Rondo has the ability to take over a game at the point guard spot as a slasher or a passer, and in the end, he might be the most dynamic player on the court. Rondo is really the only one that has young enough legs for the Celtics to keep up with the Heat when they are running up and down the floor as well, and that might be a big time difference making factor in this series.

Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat Series Odds at
Wager Web Sportsbook
Boston Celtics +415
Miami Heat -525
Click Here to Bet The Celtics vs. Heat Picks!

Key #2: Boston has to exploit any Miami weakness in the paint
When the Celtics were busy winning championships, Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis were doing the job in the paint. They weren’t always good for the biggest numbers in the world, but those two were pulling down the important rebounds and altering shots that opponents were taking in the middle of the court all game long. Now though, both are gone, and the bigs for Boston just aren’t as good as they once were. Brandon Bass really isn’t your prototypical center, and there isn’t one that is going to be on the court for either side. Chris Bosh is still hurting for the Heat, and he might end up being out of this entire series with that abdomen injury. If that’s the case, it is up to really just Udonis Haslem for the first two games of this series, and Dexter Pittman as well after that when he returns from his suspension. Whether it be Bass, Garnett, or one of the other big men that the Celtics have to bring off of the bench, someone is going to have to find a way to dominate in the paint the way that Roy Hibbert did at times for the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs against Miami.

Key #3: The Super Friends have to continue to be super
It seems to go without saying that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are going to have to be the two best players on the court for the Heat to win this series. Miami has had its wakeup call, though. The team was pushed just a bit by Indiana, but in the face of adversity, D-Wade and LeBron both game up with huge games down the stretch of the series to make that series look ultimately like Secretariat pulling away from the rest of the field at the Belmont Stakes. This Miami team was assembled specifically to beat Boston, and LeBron knows that he has already had his NBA Finals dreams shattered by these Celtics once before. Not only could the Super Friends figure out how to get their first NBA title together if they can get past Boston, but they might be able to end the legacy in Beantown once and for all. That being said, if LeBron and Wade go back to what they were doing at the end of last year, alternating which one has the ball at the most important junctures of the game instead of playing the best matchups that are on the court, all of a sudden, Miami might find itself to be in a lot of trouble for the second straight series against a clearly inferior team.

Click Here to get the best NBA picks that you’ll find on the internet, including our Boston vs. Miami picks and the NBA playoffs picks for the rest of the postseason odds.

Of all of the great games that we have seen on the 2012 NBA Playoffs Schedule, the best of the bunch may have yet to get started. The top two teams in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, are set to get it on in the Western Conference Finals, and the winner will move on to play for all of the marbles on the 2012 NBA Finals odds! Don’t miss our 2012 Western Conference Finals preview and series picks!

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Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs NBA Playoff Schedule
Game 1: Oklahoma City @ San Antonio (Sunday 5/27, 8:30 PM, TNT)
Game 2: Oklahoma City @ San Antonio (Tuesday 5/29, 9:00 PM, TNT)
Game 3: San Antonio @ Oklahoma City (Thursday 5/31, 9:00 PM, TNT)
Game 4: San Antonio @ Oklahoma City (Saturday 6/2, 8:30 PM, TNT)
Game 5: Oklahoma City @ San Antonio (Monday 6/4, 9:00 PM, TNT, If Necessary)
Game 6: San Antonio @ Oklahoma City (Wednesday 6/6, 9:00 PM, TNT, If Necessary)
Game 7: Oklahoma City @ San Antonio (Friday 6/8, 9:00 PM, TNT, If Necessary)

Key #1: The post defenders for the Thunder have to stay strong
This could really be the key to the whole series. The Spurs are going to be using their depth for sure to consistently give the Thunder everything that they could ever want, and that means a heck of a lot of driving into the paint and trying to control the low block. Battling it out in the paint, there just hasn’t been a team that has been able to body with San Antonio yet. That being said, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins, and Nazr Mohammad are going to be waiting in the lane this time around for the slashing guards and the bigs for the Spurs, and we think that this is going to be a remarkable matchup. It isn’t about the stats for the big men for the Thunder. They just need to play well defensively, clean up the glass, and alter (or block) a ton of shots to make the Spurs uncomfortable. If they don’t and San Antonio can slash into the lane freely, this series is going to be a one-sided romp.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs Series Odds at
5Dimes Sportsbook
Oklahoma City Thunder +175
San Antonio Spurs -210
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Key #2: The Spurs have to be careful with the pace of this series
Depth has been the key for the Spurs over the course of the first two rounds of the playoffs. They clearly had more bodies to throw at both the Los Angeles Clippers and the Utah Jazz, and they were able to just keep running up and down the court to take care of those teams without all that much in the way of problems. Save for Tony Parker and Tim Duncan though, no one averaged more than 26 minutes per game. The good news is that it kept legs fresh. The bad news in this series though, is that the Thunder are ready, willing, and certainly able to keep up at this type of a pace with the Spurs. San Antonio has to be careful to say the least. Yes, this is a team that has the experience of winning NBA Finals, but those wins all came in situations where defense won championships. Now, the Spurs are going to try to run their way to a title. When it ran into a younger team that was willing to run last year in the Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio was in some trouble and eventually got knocked out of the playoffs. We know that this is what got the Spurs to this point, but the possibility is there that the Thunder could force this tempo even faster, and that could make things very uncomfortable for the flow of the Spurs.

Key #3: The Spurs cannot commit too many fouls and send the Thunder to the foul line
If the Spurs are going to lose this series, there is a good chance that they do it at the charity stripe. For all of the good things that they do, the Spurs really don’t shoot foul shots that well. Tim Duncan is a liability from the foul line for sure, and though the guards are usually all good shooters, there are too many on the court that could be fouled and sent to the line for crucial free throws that might be nervy. The argument could be made that Oklahoma City had that issue last year when it was deep into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history (since moving from Seattle), but this year, with the experience that the team has, there should be no jitters. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden are all great free throw shooters, and these are the men that are going to have the ball in their hands. We have seen this team knock down foul shots all postseason, making teams pay for trying to get too physical with them, and the Thunder are going to continue to do that in this series. The Spurs have to find ways to stay out of foul trouble, not so much for their depth, but just to keep Oklahoma City off of the charity stripe.

Click Here to get the best NBA picks that you’ll find on the internet, including our Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio picks and the NBA playoffs picks for the rest of the postseason odds.

The San Antonio Spurs are going to be back in action against the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round of the playoffs, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are going to make our NBA playoff predictions and our Spurs vs. Clippers series picks for what could be quite the entertaining series!

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Los Angeles Clippers vs. San Antonio Spurs NBA Playoff Schedule
Game 1: Los Angeles @ San Antonio (Tuesday 5/15, 9:30 PM, TNT)
Game 2: Los Angeles @ San Antonio (Thursday 5/17, 9:30 PM, ESPN)
Game 3: San Antonio @ Los Angeles (Saturday 5/19, 3:30 PM, ABC)
Game 4: San Antonio @ Los Angeles (Sunday 5/20, 10:30 PM, TNT)
Game 5: Los Angeles @ San Antonio (Tuesday 5/22, TBD, If Necessary)
Game 6: San Antonio @ Los Angeles (Friday 5/25, TBD, If Necessary)
Game 7: Los Angeles @ San Antonio (Sunday 5/27, TBD, If Necessary)

Key #1: CP3 has no choice but to take over
The Clippers are just tremendous underdogs in this series, and for good reason. If there is any chance to pull off the upset though, Chris Paul needs to be the man of the hour. CP3 went off for 36 points when these two teams last met at the AT&T Center, and it took all 36 of those points to be able to get out of Dodge with a ‘W’. Of course, Mo Williams also put together 33 points off of the bench that day to help out, and that made all of the difference in the world. Still, it is going to come down to what CP3 can do. He is still hurting with a hip pointer, and it is clear that that is going to hamper him for as long as the Clippers are in the playoffs. Still, this is why Paul was brought to Tinseltown, and he is going to have to be the man that does everything for the Clippers if they want to stand any chance.

Los Angeles Clippers vs. San Antonio Spurs Series Odds at
5Dimes Sportsbook
Los Angeles Clippers +1350
San Antonio Spurs -2200
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Key #2: Gregg Popovich has to continue to rotate his players
Well, at least we know that that shouldn’t be all that much of a problem. The Spurs use at least 11 players seemingly every single night, and Popovich is known to use all 13 that he has available to him regardless of whether the game is close or not. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker can’t all play 40 minutes per game like they used to, and that means that the likes of Tiago Splitter, Danny Green, Gary Neal, etc. have no choice but to step it up. None of them really need to contribute more than perhaps about 20 minutes on the court, but those 20 minutes are key, especially the ones that come without the big time scorers on the hardwood.

Key #3: The Clippers absolutely cannot get killed on the glass
Even dating back to 2010, it is quite easy to see the key to winning games in this series. The team that controls the glass is the one that is going to have the best chance to win. The Clippers outrebounded the Spurs 41-35 in the 120-108 win back in March at the AT&T Center, and they held the 53-42 edge in a 103-100 loss at Staples Center in overtime in February. The Spurs were +13 in a 115-90 win right at the outset of the season in December, while the Clippers won the battle on the boards 50-43 in the last meeting of last season, a 90-85 win. That means that Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and the likes really need to make sure that they are sure-handed on the glass and don’t let a somewhat undersized San Antonio team have its way. If the Spurs win the rebounding battle every night, the Clippers are going to be in a heck of a lot of trouble.

Click Here to get the best NBA picks that you’ll find on the internet, including our Los Angeles vs. San Antonio picks and the NBA playoffs picks for the rest of the postseason odds.