Scott Delaney
Tuesday lineup:
30 DIME OVER Bulls/Celtics - Kind of hard to ignore the type of series that has turned into, but the fact is, the Celtics were in identical ones last year in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, tied 2-2 against Atlanta, Cleveland and Detroit. And because the C’s won all Game 5s by an average margin of 12 points, I think we’re going to see the offense come to play once again. The Bulls should have no trouble responding either, as they won the opener to this series by lighting up the scoreboard. I wouldn’t even be surprised to see these two go into overtime for a third time in this series.



Where I think the Celtics will be forced into an up-tempo contest, is the fact Chicago can push the defending champs to the brink of elimination. Game 6 will be back in Chi-town, so you know the Bulls will be looking to serve the knockout punch tonight. After all, if they lose, and win Game 6, they know they have to come back to Boston for Game 7. This is the crucial one.



Now, do I want to take the points, not really; not when Boston is capable of keeping the Bulls at arm’s length and then pulling away late for the cover. That’s why I want the over in this game.



The over is now on a 5-1 run the last six meetings between these two, including a 3-1 run in this series. For the Celtics, the over is on winning runs of 5-1 overall, 22-6 at home, 18-6 against the Eastern Conference, 7-2 in first-round postseason games, 5-1 when favored and 8-0 after a straight-up loss. With Chicago, the over is on winning streaks of 7-2 in first-round playoff action, 15-6 as an underdog, 5-0 as the installed playoff pup and 9-4 against the Atlantic Division.



10 DIME FLORIDA MARLINS - Time to snap the losing streak. I like this underdog tonight, as Ricky Nolasco will get revenge on the Mets and Livan Hernandez for an April 11 loss. Hernandez was slapped around for seven runs and nine hits in 4-1/3 innings, as New York lost 12-8 at St. Louis last Thursday. The right-hander has gone from a victory to a no-decision to a loss, and his ERA has jumped from 2.70 to 4.63 to 7.31. I know Nolasco has yet to register a quality start and has given up 16 earned runs in 21 innings, but that tells me he’s overdue for a solid performance. Take the pup here.