Editor’s note: Chris David has been ripping up the pro basketball playoffs. Right now, CD has the side and total for Game 1 of the best-of-seven series between the Lakers and Pistons. Also, he has a breakdown of proposition plays for each contest plus a futures play up now. Get all the action now in his pick pack!

The pro basketball playoffs continue Sunday, as Los Angeles hosts Detroit in Game 1 of The NBA Finals. The Lakers are listed as $6.00 favorites (Bet $600 to win $100) to win the best-of-seven series, with the Pistons tabbed as $4.00 underdogs (Bet $100 to win $400).

Prior to the season, the Lakers were listed as a 2/1 favorite to win the finals, while the Pistons were marked a valuable 18/1 price.

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The Lakers will be looking to win their fourth title in last five years. Coach Phil Jackson will be aiming for his 10th league championship. Jackson has never dropped a best-of-seven series in the NBA Finals.

Detroit will be making its first appearance to the NBA Finals since 1990, when the club defeated Portland in five games. The victory over the Trail Blazers was the second of back-to-back championships for the Pistons. Detroit swept Los Angles in the 1988-89 NBA Finals in four games en route to its first championship.

Coincidentally, the Pistons GM Joe Dumars was the MVP in the finals triumph against the Lakers.

Sportsbook.com opened Los Angeles as a seven-point favorite, with the total listed at 171.

Tip-off for Game 1 is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. EST, with ABC providing national coverage.

The playoffs are set up in a 2-3-2 format, with Los Angeles holding homecourt based on its record.

Detroit

SU record: 66-34
ATS record: 54-42
Over/Under: 38-57

Detroit captured the Eastern Conference Finals in six games on Tuesday by dropping Indiana 69-65. The Pistons covered four of the six contests in the series, while the ‘under’ posted an eye opening 5-1 mark.

Richard Hamilton finished his best playoff series of his career with 23.7 PPG and 4.5 RPG in the six games. Ben Wallace cleaned up the paint, posting 15.3 RPG and 3.6 BPG.

Larry Brown has his club focused on defense. The Pistons are holding opponents to 80.3 PPG during the playoffs. New Jersey (127) was the only team to eclipse the 100-point barrier in the playoffs against Detroit. The contest went into triple-overtime.

Detroit is 12-6 both SU and ATS in the postseason. The club has fared well on the road, going 5-3 SU and 6-2 ATS.

The Pistons’ defense has helped the ‘under’ go 10-8 through the first 18 games of the postseason.

Los Angeles

SU record: 68-31
ATS record: 39-57
Over/Under: 41-55

Los Angeles advanced to the finals by defeating Minnesota in six games. Despite the four wins, the Lakers were only 2-4 ATS during the six-game stretch. Two of the non-covers did come in backdoor style, courtesy of the Timberwolves’ Kevin Garnett (Game 4) and Trenton Hassell (Game 6).

Kobe Bryant continues to amaze opponents, averaging 25.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 5.8 APG. Shaquille O’Neal is averaging 20 PPG, 13.9 RPG and 3.4 BPG. Despite the consistent play of the big man, he’s shooting a horrendous 42 percent from the free throw line.

The Lakers’ playoff success could be attributed to the squad’s home mark of 9-0 SU and 7-2 ATS. The ‘over’ held a 5-4 edge.

L.A. has been road weary in the postseason, going 3-5 both SU and ATS. The three victories were by a combined 14 points.

Head-to-Head (Detroit 1-1 SU, 2-0 ATS, Over/Under 1-1): Los Angeles defeated Detroit 94-89 on Nov. 14 at Staples Center. The Lakers failed to cover as eight-point home favorites, with the combined 182 points sliding ‘under’ the closing total of 192.

The game was back-and-forth the entire game before Shaq decided to dominate. O’Neal dominated the paint with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Also, the All-Star nailed 7-of-11 shots from the charity stripe.

Four days later, Detroit avenged its loss by dropping Los Angeles 106-96 on Nov. 18 as a three-point home underdog. The combined 202 points jumped ‘over’ the closing total of 202.

The Lakers held a one-point lead (74-73) over the Pistons entering the fourth quarter. Then, Detroit outscored Los Angeles 33-22 en route to the win. The Pistons shot a blistering 57 percent from the floor in the victory.

Chauncey Billups averaged 26 PPG against the Lakers during the regular season, while Hamilton was held to 10 PPG.

Skinny: Phil Jackson’s quest for 10 rings will definitely be earned if the Lakers take care of business. Los Angeles can finally see the light after a roller coaster ride of a season. The team is playing solid basketball on both ends of the court and remains unbeaten at home in the playoffs. Karl Malone and Gary Payton appear to be hungrier than ever for a chance to earn their first championship.

Shaquille O’Neal should be expected to reach the free throw line very often against Detroit. (AP Images)

Will the Pistons’ rookie center Darko Milicic see the floor in the best-of-seven series? I highly doubt it, but you can bet that big men Elden Campbell and Mehmet Okur will see plenty of action. Keep an eye on Okur, who is drilling 38 percent from downtown. Expect the Turkey product to draw Shaq out of the paint with his shooting threat.

Can Kobe and Shaq bring the title back to tinsel town? It’s hard to beat this dynamic duo once, but four times! It seems very unlikely. The only way you can contain the Lakers is with defense, which is what the Pistons bring to the table.

Los Angeles has struggled shooting the ball at times, including 3-point land and the free-throw line. Defense can win you championships, but the Pistons will need to find their offense. The club has looked lethargic at times, posting 27 points at the half in Game 6 against Indiana.

Larry Brown roamed the sidelines in Philadelphia, when the Sixers lost to the Lakers in five games in the 2000-01 NBA Finals. Philly stole Game 1 at Staples Center by dropping L.A. 107-101 in overtime. However, the Lakers won four straight tilts en route to the championship.

It seems improbable for Detroit to pull the upset, but that’s why we play the game. Everybody talks about Game’s 3 and 5 being crucial in a best-of-seven series. However, I would look at the first two games in this series. The Pistons need to capture one if not two contests at Staples Center to have any shot of winning the series.