Get to the Point:

By Jimmy Harris

If Game 2 between Boston and Cleveland on Thursday night is as poorly played as Game 1 turned out to be, then basketball fans better get their pillows ready and Cavaliers fans better stock up on pain pills.

I don't think I'm alone when I say Game 1 was a total letdown. Take Kevin Garnett out of the boxscore and the game was an utter joke. Boston's Big Three might as well have been the Big One, because Paul Pierce and Ray Allen did nothing.

Allen had zero points on 0-for-4 shooting, while Pierce had only four points on 2-of-14 shooting.

That was still better than LeBron James, though. King James' crown must have been on a little too tight as he shot a miserable 2-for-18 to finish with 12 points. To make matters even worse, James also turned the ball over 10 times.

The end result was an ugly 76-72 Boston win, but Cleveland won against the point spread as the Celts were a 10-point favorite. It has to give Cleveland confidence they can beat Boston, to have sucked so hard yet still come so close.

At Boston is a 9-point favorite in Game 2. I think Boston will win again, but LeBron should bounce back enough to keep it close, so I'll take Cleveland +9.

In Thursday other NBA matchup, the Hornets will try to build a 3-0 lead over the Spurs when that series shifts to San Antonio. The Hornets owned the Spurs in New Orleans, as they hammered them again in Game 2 102-84 as a 3-point favorite.

With the series moving to San Antonio, the Spurs are a 6.5-point favorite in Game 3. That spread seems pretty high considering how badly the Spurs lost the first two games. I'll take New Orleans +6.5 and watch as the Hornets go up 3-0.