NBA Playoff Odds Preview: Cavs vs. Celtics

The Eastern Conference Finals begin Wednesday night with the Cleveland Cavaliers visiting the Boston Celtics as the series favorite.

At the Bovada Sportsbook the Cavaliers will begin the series as -550 chalk. Boston checks in as a +375 underdog.

Cleveland has had a long break since they swept the Toronto Raptors in the second round. The Cavaliers last played on May 7, giving them 10 days off between games. Whether this will lead to a healthy and energized Cavaliers squad or one that needs to shake off the rust remains to be seen.

During the regular season the Celtics and Cavaliers clashed three times with Cleveland going 2-1 straight up and 1-1-1 against the spread. They last met on April 5 in Cleveland and the Cavaliers won 114-91 as a 4-point favorite. In their last 11 games against Boston the Cavaliers are a strong 9-2 SU, but only 4-6-1 ATS. The Cavaliers are also 5-2 SU in their last seven games in Boston, but a lousy 2-5 ATS.

Cleveland heads into Wednesday night a perfect 8-0 SU during their postseason run. They aren’t quite as good ATS at 4-2-2. Cleveland opens up on the road and on the road during their playoff run they sport a 4-0 record SU and 2-0-2 mark ATS. Cleveland has won six straight road playoff games overall with a 4-0-2 record ATS

Boston needed seven games to dispatch the Washington Wizards in the second round. They won Game 7 of that series 115-105 as a 5-point favorite and are now 8-5 SU and 9-4 ATS in the postseason. That includes a solid 7-2 ATS mark in their last nine games.

In the series against Washington the home team won every game. At home in the playoffs Boston is 5-2 SU and ATS and they enter the series having won five straight on home court. The fact that Boston opens at home may be important to totals bettors. In seven playoff home games this season the Celtics are 6-1 on the OVER.

Cleveland has favored OVER bettors so far in the postseason with a 6-2 OVER mark in eight games. However, on the road in the playoffs they’ve been an UNDER play at 5-2-1 UNDER in their last eight.