The Boston Celtics closed out their second round series with Philadelphia with a thrilling 114-112 win over the Sixers in Game 5 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The closing seconds of the game were a wild ride for everyone watching, as the two teams went back and forth with both teams appearing to have chances to win the game down the stretch. However, for those with a vested interest in the game beyond just a rooting interest, the final seconds were either incredibly painful or incredibly joyful, depending on your ticket.
The Celtics closed as 1.5-point favorites over the Sixers, which means they covered by a half-point. That’s a tough way to lose if you’re a Sixers bettor, but it’s made even tougher by the circumstances. It was a wild ride for both sides as J.J. Redick’s late three made it 113-112 Boston and Marcus Smart, not the best free throw shooter, was headed to the line. After missing the first, Smart purposefully tried to miss a free throw but had it rattle around off the rim and backboard, only to fall in to give Boston the two point lead.
Jeez. Smart tried to miss the free throw, hits it, Ben Simmons throws the Hail Mary, game over. https://t.co/FakC5l2txy
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) May 10, 2018
This was the right play by Smart knowing Philly was out of timeouts and wouldn’t be able to set up anything with 2.4 seconds to play, but the failed execution swung the result in Vegas wildly. Celtics backers were undoubtedly thrilled to see the free throw fall in, but for those that wagered on the Sixers it was a brutal beat (particularly if you also happen to be a Sixers fan and saw your team eliminated from the postseason in the process).
This is just the latest example of why betting on sports can be a painful experience. It’s probably not quite as bad as the way the moose got loose in Cleveland in Game 7 on a buzzer-beater by Victor Oladipo that meant nothing for the outcome of the game but everything for bettors. If you managed to have the Cavs then and the Sixers now, godspeed to you and your bank account (and you should probably sit things out for a little bit to regroup).
