NBA Playoff Betting Action – Celtics Host Cavaliers in Game 1 Showdown
After being
pushed to the seven-game maximum in
their first round playoff series against
the mediocre but athletic Atlanta Hawks
before winning Game 7 over the Hawks
99-65 on Sunday, the Boston Celtics,
(70-19 SU, 56-31-2 ATS, 40-48-1 O/U)
enter tonight’s second round
series opener against the defending Eastern
Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers,
(49-39 SU, 41-47 ATS, 40-46-2 O/U) and
superstar forward LeBron James with a
different attitude than they one they
had against the Hawks after dropping
all three road contest in that series.
Instead of viewing themselves as the
team to beat after winning a league-high
66 games in the BetUS Sportsbook during
the regular season, the Celtics are preaching
the mantra that they, and not the Cavaliers,
are the underdogs in this series.
“They were in the Finals last
year. One of the things I told our team
all year every time we played them and
already today, that we’re trying
to catch them, not them trying to catch
us,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “The
record means nothing. That team went
to the Finals last year, so in our mind,
we’re trying to catch them.”
“We know it’s going to be
a tough road,” said Celtics all-star
forward Paul Pierce. “You’ve
got to go through the Eastern Conference
champs, a team that has a lot of experience,
a team that knows what it takes. We’re
still learning as a group. This is going
to be the ultimate test. They’ve
got one of the top players in the league
coming in, one of the top teams in the
league coming in. We’ve definitely
got our work cut out for ourselves. We
have to be ready, simple and plain.”
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The Cavaliers
on the other hand, say they recognize
the Celtics’ desperation
to win an NBA title.
"I think with (Garnett), Ray and
Paul, they feel like it's their time," Cavaliers
center Zydrunas Ilgauskas said. "They
had such a great regular season and they
feel like this is their shot at winning
it all. Because the longer you stay in
the league, you realize how few and far
between they are. They feel like this
is their year."
The Celtics
and Cavaliers split their four regular
games this season, with James and Kevin
Garnett each sitting out one contest.
Both teams won their two games at home – a
trend, that would force the Cavaliers
to win one contest on the road in order
to beat the Celtics who have home-court
advantage throughout the Eastern Conference
playoffs.
Still,
the Celtics’ struggles
with the Hawks in the first round seem
to have given the Cavaliers some serious
hope.
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"They kind of had that arrogance
about them all season by winning so many
games that you were kind of not wanting
to face them," Cavaliers guard Devin
Brown said. "But after seeing what
we saw, I think we're ready to go."
The Cavaliers covered the spread in
four of their six first round games against
the Washington Wizards, while the Celtics
covered the spread in four of their seven
games against the Hawks, all at home.
Here
is a look at tonight’s key
trends followed by my analysis and NBA
Betting Picks.
The Cavaliers are 26-9-1 ATS in their
last 36 road games vs. a team with a
home winning percentage of greater than
.600.
The Cavaliers are 5-2 ATS in their last
7 vs. NBA Atlantic.
The Cavaliers are 35-16-1 ATS in their
last 52 road games vs. a team with a
winning home record.
The Celtics are 8-0 ATS in their last
8 home games vs. a team with a losing
road record.
The Celtics are 6-1 ATS in their last
7 vs. NBA Central.
The Celtics are 9-2 ATS in their last
11 games playing on 1 days rest.
The Under is 4-0 in Cavaliers last 4
vs. NBA Atlantic.
The Under is 10-1 in Cavaliers last
11 Conference Semifinals games.
The Under is 9-2 in Celtics last 11
home games vs. a team with a losing road
record.
The Under is 4-1 in Celtics last 5 vs.
NBA Central.
The Cavaliers are 4-1-2 ATS in the last
7 meetings in Boston.
The Cavaliers are 7-3-2 ATS in the last
12 meetings.
Analysis: Let me keep this pick directly
to the point and say that, while the
Celtics made it a routine of beating
the Hawks by 20-plus points at home in
their first round series matchup, there
is no way they are going to beat the
Cavaliers so handily. Take the Cavs and
LeBron James to cover the spread by making
this one of those down-to-the-wire contests.
NBA Free
Picks: Cavaliers +9½ Points/Under
182½ Total Points
08:05 PM EST NBA Odds
Cleveland
Cavaliers +9½ -110
Boston
Celtics -9½ -110
Over 182½ -110
Under 182½ -110
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