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.

Those checking this Saturday’s boxing odds can watch a different type of slugfest, as Chicago is giving the defending champions from Boston all they can handle in a series that is tied at two, with three of the four games being decided by three or fewer points, and one double-overtime classic that has been the game of the playoffs so far. Much has been made of the Derrick Rose-Rajon Rondo matchup, and both young point guards have been fantastic, but the real battle comes from a pair of UConn snipers, Boston’s Ray Allen and Chicago’s Ben Gordon. This clash of snipers will be the deciding factor in these basketball betting odds.

In Game 1, Allen was only 1-of-12, and Gordon dropped 20 in an overtime win for the Bulls. In Game 2, Gordon lit up the Celtics for 42, but it was Allen’s last-second three to cap a 30-point performance to lift Boston to a win. Both had quiet games in Boston’s Game 3 romp, but they were up to their old tricks in Game 4, trading last-second shots in a double-overtime win for the Bulls. Allen had 28 to Gordon’s 22, but Gordon’s three at the end of the first overtime kept the Bulls’ basketball betting chances alive.

These two must be familiar with each other, as Allen starred at UConn between 1993 and 1996, while Gordon also spent three years at UConn between 2001 and 2004, helping the Huskies win a national title. It’s been fun to watch them go at each other, and it’s no surprise that either will be getting the game-winning shot in upcoming games in this series, so basketball betting odds and totals will depend heavily on how these two gunners play.

The defending champions still have some good basketball betting odds as they head into Game 2 against Chicago, but Game 1 was enough to worry even the most ardent Celtics fan.

The look on Kevin Garnett’s face throughout the first half of their overtime loss to the Bulls in Game 1 was enough to tell the story. The Celtics could not stop Derrick Rose from getting into the paint at will, and while most teams can’t do this, Boston has a better chance than most with KG in the lineup. Without his sore right knee, KG is one of the best help defenders in the NBA, probably of all time, and there’s no way that Rose finishes as easily as he does with KG in there (no knock on Rose either, y’all know how I feel about him. Garnett’s intensity on defense is sometimes taken for granted, but not after Game 1. He couldn’t even come back on the bench, he was so frustrated. Give Ray Allen’s awful shooting (1-of-12? Gross.) and Paul Pierce’s free-throw missed a nod as supporting actors, but KG’s knee is the star of the show, and Boston’s basketball betting chances are definitely not the same without the “Big Ticket”. Think of the Celtics as a horse trying to beat the Kentucky Derby odds with one leg. It’s not going to work. Basketball betting players will see what heart the Celtics have in Game 2.