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The Cavs enter the Eastern Conference Finals as favorites over the Celtics. (Getty)
The Cavs have been waiting over a week to find out who their opponent would be in the Eastern Conference Finals. According to Vegas Insider, the Cavs are three point road favorites in Game 1 at Boston.
Cleveland is also the favorite to win the series. Vegas Insider has the Cavs at -465 with the Celtics at +361 to reach the NBA Finals.
Given Cleveland has not lost a game in the playoffs, the Cavs were going to be a heavy favorite against either the Celtics or Wizards.
Westgate’s Jeff Sherman had the Cavs second only to the Warriors in the championship odds with five teams remaining. Those odds will go up with the Wizards no longer in contention.
ESPN’s R.J. Bell notes according the Vegas odds there is a 77 percent chance the Cavs and Warriors will face off again in the Finals. Both teams are undefeated in the playoffs.
Five Thirty Eight’s projections give the Cavs just a five percent chance to win the title while the Celtics have a four percent chance. By comparison, the Warriors have an 84 percent chance to win the title in Five Thirty Eight’s projections.
It also helps Cleveland has arguably the best player in the league in LeBron James. The Cavs won three of four games against the Celtics during the regular season.
According to OddsShark, the Cavs are below .500 against the spread this season entering the Eastern Conference Finals at 40-46-4. Their games have tended to go over on the point total. Cleveland has hit the over in 53 games while the under hit in 35 contests.
Boston is 49-44-1 against the spread this season. The point total slightly trended towards the under in Celtics games. The under hit in 46 contests and the over hit in 44 games.
It will be interesting to see how the Celtics defend LeBron James and the Cavs. Jae Crowder will likely see a good portion of time on James. It will also be worth watching whether Bost has Isaiah Thomas guard Kyrie Irving. It is more likely they put Avery Bradley on the Cavs’ point guard.
It is a good week for the Celtics who advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and have a chance to win the number one pick in the NBA lottery thanks to a trade with the Nets.
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