The Cleveland Cavaliers were so inconsistent during the regular season that many wondered if they could just turn it on once the playoffs came around. Wonder no more. LeBron James has been as dominant as ever and the Cavaliers are back in the Eastern Conference Finals, where they will be favored to knock off the Boston Celtics to claim yet another conference championship.
The Celtics weren’t given much of a chance to get this far after the loss of star point guard Kyrie Irving late in the season, as his absence compounded of the early season-ending injury to Gordon Hayward. Despite missing their two best players, Boston defeated the Bucks in the first round and then waxed the favored 76ers in five games in the second round.
The Celtics get the home court advantage in this series but will still be the underdogs. The 76ers were favored in every game of the Eastern Conference Semifinals but Boston won four of five, and it would love to continue that success in NBA basketball gambling.
Game 1 of this NBA Playoff Series is on Sunday, May 13, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The contest will be nationally televised on ABC.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
Odds Analysis
The Cavaliers are -255 favorites to win this series while the Celtics are listed as +211 underdogs. Boston’s odds are the more intriguing to bettors as more than 57 percent of the action is on the Celtics to pull the upset and make the NBA Finals.
The Celtics would love to get out to an early series lead and they are slim 1-point favorites in Game 1. More than 70 percent of the action is on Cleveland to cover that spread. The scoring total is listed at 205 points and the “over” has been the more popular pick.
The Celtics are the slight -115 favorites on the moneyline while the Cavs are listed at -105. Cleveland is getting the majority of the early action.
Season Series
The Cavaliers and Celtics faced off three times during the regular season, and Cleveland came away with a pair of victories. The teams matched up in the regular season opener and the Cavs picked up a 102-99 victory. Kevin Love hit a big three-pointer in the final minute and it was in this game in which Boston lost Hayward for the season with a broken ankle.
The Celtics knotted the series at 1 in early January as they came away with a 102-88 victory. Terry Rozier led the way with 20 points and he has taken over a huge role with Irving sidelined. Rozier will be a key in this series.
Cleveland clinched the season series with a 121-99 win on February 11. LeBron James led the way with 24 points and 10 assists.
Player To Watch
James has been unbelievable in the postseason despite being 33 years old at this point. He has averaged an unreal 34.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game, shooting a prolific 55.3 percent from the floor.
The Cavaliers traded a bunch of players at the deadline to revamp the team around James and the new group seems to be jelling at the right time. In the end, though, this team will go as far as James takes it. He is playing at an obscene level. The Celtics have a solid defense but no one can stop LeBron when he is in a groove, which he has been all postseason long.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Celtics should be competitive but the presence of James makes the Cavs a worthy favorite. Look for Cleveland to start out well with at least one win in Boston over the first two games and then keep the pressure up by playing well at home.
The Cavaliers aren’t a perfect team but James is far and away the best player in this series and he will not allow his team to fall short of the NBA Finals in basketball betting.
NBA ATS Pick: Cavaliers in six games
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