The scene that you'll remember most from Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals is LeBron James perched over at midcourt with his head buried in his hands after pulling off a thrilling victory in overtime when he put the team on his back and carried it to victory.
Now the Cleveland Cavaliers (64-31 SU, 46-49 ATS) are just one win away from reaching the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history, a goal which will be accomplished with a Tuesday night win over the Atlanta Hawks (68-29 SU, 56-39-2 ATS).
LOOKING OUT FOR LEBRON
The key in this game to not get caught up in #23. It's easy to think that James is indestructible, but there's no way that that is actually the case. He proved that by going 0-for-10 from the field to start off the game on Sunday night, and even though he did score 37 points with 18 boards and 13 assists, it wasn't the most efficient game in the world.
There were plenty of really good opportunities to bet on the Hawks in live betting late in Game 3. They were barely favorites when they were up four points with under two minutes to play, and when they had the ball with 17 seconds left in a tie game, they were just -120 favorites.
In a one-possession situation, there's just no need for that. We understand that James is the best player in the world, and he can do things that no one can do, but he's hurt. He looked over at the Cleveland bench in overtime and wanted to come out of the game but changed his mind, and having just one day off to rest that ankle or foot isn't going to be sufficient.
James might go off for a triple-double once again, and it wouldn't surprise us. But for live betting purposes, remember that James had a ridiculous triple-double and still didn't lead his team to a cover in Game 3 against a down and out Atlanta team which only essentially had six bodies on the court for the whole second half.
THE WALKING WOUNDED
The problem though, is when you look at the men who are on the court for the Hawks right now, you just have to sit and cringe.
DeMarre Carroll played 41 minutes on this night, but he was clearly hurt. His drive defensively wasn't what it normally is, and his 4-of-12 shooting night probably highlights just that.
Kyle Korver is likely out for the rest of the year even if the Hawks do put together a massive comeback, and it is anyone's guess whether the NBA might take action against Al Horford after he was ejected at the end of the first half on Sunday night.
That leaves Kent Bazemore, Mike Scott and Shelvin Mack to play really big minutes. Yikes.
The Hawks went 1-for-13 from the field at the end of Game 3, and they proved that when things start to go south, they really can fall apart on the offensive end of the court. Most of the problems stemmed from Jeff Teague, who missed three triples in that stretch and drove to the hoop twice without hitting the rim once.
These are the things the Hawks can't afford to do to win.
That said, James is still hurt, and we don't see Kyrie Irving playing in this game with the Cavs up 3-0. Is a team with half of LeBron, Matthew Dellavedova, Iman Shumpert, Tristan Thompson and some combination of Timofey Mozgov, J.R. Smith and James Jones really capable of running away with this series once and for all?
Live bettors should certainly take notice of who is playing well on the court, and if any of these role players who aren't normal stars are starting to put together unbelievable nights, that's the side to back in live betting.
The NBA betting lines for this Tuesday game will be first available at BookMaker Sportsbook. Live wagering during commercials offers adjusted moneylines, totals and spreads. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers will go down Tuesday, May 26, 2015 at 8:30 p.m. ET at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH. The matchup will be televised live on TNT.
