NBA Playoff Odds -- Cavs Need a Bounceback vs. Celtics

  • In Charles Jay
  • Tue, May 15th, 2018 10:40:34 am
  • By Charles Jay - Exclusive to OSGA


LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers played an awful Game 1, and they will try to redeem themselves in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference championship series.

The Cleveland Cavaliers don't seem to be in panic mode after taking it very firmly on the chin in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference championship series against the Boston Celtics. But they have good reason to be relatively calm about it. So they will regroup and take another shot on Tuesday night at 8:35 PM ET at the TD Garden. It will be televised on ESPN, and while that is happening, BetAnySports customers can engage in real-time wagering as they access the state-of-the-art software from Live Betting Ultra.

Cleveland Cavaliers NBA pickVery little went right for the Cavs in Game 1, as they fell behind by 18 points at the end of the first quarter and never recovered. They could not make a shot from the outside, going just 4-for-26 from downtown. And LeBron James found himself dogged by Marcus Morris and other Boston defenders to the point where he made only five of 16 shots and finished with 15 points - less than half what he has been averaging in the playoffs. King James had a plus/minus of minus-32 and was mercifully removed from the game with a little more than seven minutes remaining, as the game was out of reach.

While Brad Stevens, the Celtics' coach, praised his team's "aggression," LeBron asserted that he had no concern after the 108-83 thrashing.

Maybe that's right on the mark; Cleveland's effort in Game 1 against Indiana bore something of a resemblance to this, as the Celtics were down 33-14 after the first quarter en route to a 98-80 defeat. They couldn't find the range from the arc then either, as they hit just eight of 34. And James went just 7-for-17 from the floor.

So no one should be shocked if these guys come back with a vengeance.

In the NBA playoff odds posted at BetAnySports on Game 2, it is a pick'em:

Boston Celtics pick
Cleveland Cavaliers

Over 203.5 points -110
Under 203.5 points -110

One of the strengths of the Celtics is defense; this team was tied for first in Defensive Rating this season. But they are also very balanced on offense, in contrast to the Cavs, who have some talent spread around but still live and die with LeBron. Somehow the Cavs have to get someone to harass Al Horford, who scored 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting, which was part of 60 points Cleveland allowed in the paint.

Boston Celtics NBA playoff previewKevin Love is not a staunch defender; plain and simple. So there is some talk about Tristan Thompson getting the start, with the specific intention of making this more difficult for Horford, particularly on the inside. Since the Cavs need Love for his offense, that would give them a "big" lineup, and maybe they will have to give up some scoring, as well as some open looks from three-point range, against Boston. But that is a trade-off they may have to make. In a little more than 20 minutes of playing time on Sunday, Thompson had eleven rebounds.

Boston is a perfect 8-0 at home during the playoffs, but even after the Game 1 rout, Cleveland is a -125 favorite to win the series at BetAnySports, with the Celtics priced at +105. That is called RESPECT.

And you have to admit that the Cavs deserve it. They will obviously have to execute much better on Tuesday night, and that includes LeBron, who has adjusted well enough in these situations to have been on the Eastern Conference winner in each of the seven seasons.

No one wants to underestimate what the Celtics can do; certainly they are not going to be out-witted from the bench. We would expect that the Cavs will do much better shooting from the perimeter, but the same can be said about Boston, which was just 11 of 30 in triples. The idea is for Cleveland to get more from the supporting cast, and there is more room for that to happen.

We've got some faith that they will make the necessary adjustments, and take a split in Boston back to the Quicken Loans Arena for Game 3.

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(The preceding information has been furnished for news matter only)


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