So, the online betting season for NBA fans tipped off on Tuesday with a massive matchup between two of the title contenders, Boston and Cleveland. How did these two fare in Game No.1?

The Cavs got off to a quick start in the first quarter before the Celtics’ veteran experience kicked in, and they outscored Cleveland 30-17 in the second quarter. The Boston reserves outscored their counterparts 26-10, thanks in large part to Rasheed Wallace, who notched 12 in his debut. The pickup of Wallace is seen to be a boost to the Celtics’ NBA odds, as he can spell Kevin Garnett, who had 13 points and 10 boards. Paul Pierce has 23 and 11 boards to lead the way for the Celtics.

How about the Cavs, one of the trendy sportsbook picks this year? It was similar to last year. LeBron James had 38 and eight assists, but the next highest Cav was Mo Williams with 12, and he was only 3-of-8 from the field. Shaquille O’Neal had 10 and 10 in his Cleveland debut, and that’s all they really need from him. But they need secondary scoring, preferably from Williams and Anthony Parker.

So, what can we take away from this game? Not much. It’s the first game in a long, long season. All we know is, these two will be there at the end of the season, and this is just a prelude to a rivalry that’s gone from budding to full-on.

PS: I’m going to throw in World Series picks as much as I can. Take the Yankees in Game 1. Sabathia edges Lee in a pitcher’s duel, while Cleveland Indians fans slit their wrists.

Since all is quiet on the online betting front in terms of basketball, let’s turn to the baseball diamond, where the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will meet once again in another edition of baseball’s best rivalry.

I expect the Yankees to continue their solid play by taking two of three at Fenway Park, where they were swept earlier this year. The Yankees lost their first eight meetings of the season against the Red Sox, but gained some revenge with a sweep at Yankees Stadium at the beginning of August. Andy Pettitte and A.J. Burnett should be your MLB picks on Friday and Saturday, but the best matchup of the weekend comes on Sunday, when 14-game winners C.C. Sabathia and Josh Beckett square off. Beckett is coming off a rough outing in Toronto, while Sabathia has given up only three runs in his last 23.2 innings of work. But Beckett gets up for the Yankees every time, going 2-0 in four outings against them in 2009, and there is no way he’ll let the Red Sox get swept at home, especially by their bitter rivals. He’ll save them from an offshore sportsbook sweep.