The NBA Playoffs continue on Sunday afternoon and we will see the Boston Celtics travel to Quicken loans Arena to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in game 1 of their best-of-seven series. Free Pick to follow. The game has a start time of 3:00 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on ABC. Current Vegas betting odds have Cleveland listed as 11.5 point favorites, while the total is set at 203.
Analysis: The Boston Celtics come in having won 6 games in a row to secure the 7th seed in the East. They have been rewarded with an opening round matchup vs the Cleveland Cavaliers, who many feel will represent the East in the NBA Finals. Boston is one of two teams with an under .500 record in the playoffs, as they come in at 40-42 overall, which includes a mark of 19-22 on the road. Boston has gone 20-6 ATS in their last 26 games following a S.U. win and 21-8 ATS in their last 29 road games, but just 2-5 ATS the last 7 games in Cleveland. The Celtics have been an average offensive team this year, ranking 13th in scoring (101.4 ppg), 21st in shooting, 27th in 3 point shooting and 14th in FT shooting. Defensively the Celtics have not been great this year, ranking 21st in points allowed (101.2 ppg), 17th in defensive FG% and 4th in 3 point defense.
So much for all the talk about the Cavs struggling this year as they have shown that they are clearly the best team in the East and maybe in the NBA overall. The Cavs won the Central Division this year by 3 games over the Chicago Bulls, while going 53-29, including 31-10 at home. Cleveland has gone 6-1 ATS in their last 7 when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game and 12-5 ATS in their last 17 Conference Quarterfinals games, but just 1-5 ATS in their last 6 vs. the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers have been a good offensive team this year, ranking 8th in scoring (103.1 ppg), 8th in shooting, 5th in 3 point shooting and 18th in FT shooting. Defensively the Cavaliers have been decent this year, ranking 13th in points allowed (98.7 ppg), 20th in defensive FG% and 9th in 3 point defense.
Pick: Statement game for Cleveland here. I know that Boston has played Cleveland tough and a Brad Stevens is an excellent coach, but I see Cleveland picking up the easy win in this one. The Cavs remember all the talk about the Easy Boston win the other day, but that game was without Lebron in the lineup. With the way Boston has played Cleveland this year fully expect a focused effort from the Cavs here and a blowout win may just take away any confidence the Cs may have heading in to this series. The last thing a big series favorite wants is to have the dog playing with confidence. I see the cavs taking it away from Boston in game 1 with a very easy 15+ point win.
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NBA Free Picks: Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers Betting
What Pro basketball bettors need to know about betting Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday (4/19/15) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Steve Fezzik with added insight from Teddy Covers.