2011 NBA Finals Odds, Lines and Predictions: Boston Celtics Most Overrated NBA Championship Contender

2011 NBA Finals Odds, Lines and Predictions: Boston Celtics Most Overrated NBA Championship Contender and Team to Avoid Betting to Win 2011 NBA Title: For the better part of the 2011 season, the Boston Celtics were head and shoulders above any other team in the Eastern Conference. Rajon Rondo was on his way to leading the league in assists, Ray Allen was breaking the mark for most 3-pointers in NBA history, and Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce were enjoying the most efficient offensive seasons of their careers.

A lot has changed since the early months of the season, and Boston has slid to third in the Eastern Conference and is a long shot to recapture the top seed in time for the playoffs. Despite the slide, the Celtics (+300 Odds to Win the 2011 NBA Finals) are still considered the third-most likely team to win the championship this season. The fact that they are being given the same odds as the Chicago Bulls – a team that now leads the Celtics by a full three games is shocking.

Injuries have played a factor, but the trouble for the Celtics really began with a questionable midseason trade. Boston shipped center Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City in exchange for forward Jeff Green. In the process, the Celtics lost their best interior defender and acquired another offensive weapon for a team that was already efficient and effective at scoring the ball. Essentially, Boston gave up size it desperately needs for a scoring option the team could have done without.

Throwing salt in the wound is that fact that Green has struggled to find his offense since joining the Celtics, while Perkins has improved the Thunder defense by more than 10 points a contest. Boston is just 5-5 in its last 10 games, and everyone on the court seems out of sorts. Rondo’s assist totals have fallen, and Pierce appears to have hit a wall.

Looking ahead to the playoffs, it is very likely that the Celtics will have a gaping hole in the middle of their defense. Shaquille O’Neal is hurt again, and Jermaine O’Neal has been hurt off and on all year. With Perkins sent packing, Boston put all its eggs in the basket of two old players with a growing list of injuries. It was a risky move, and it looks like it is going to cost them a shot at the title.

Maybe if the odds were in the favor of bettors it would be worth taking a shot on the Celtics. After all, they are still a veteran team with championship experience. However, the payoff is so small at +300 odds that taking a chance on a struggling team searching for an identity is anything but a wise investment.