Heavily Favored Celtics Taken to Make Short Work of Cavaliers
Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics look to justify their -1600 price when facing the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
NBA odds expect the Celtics to have little trouble getting past Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers, and it’s a fair point.
A bigger question could be how many games will it take the Celtics to wrap things up? Game 1 is Tuesday night in Boston.
The latest NBA betting odds can be found here.
Cavaliers vs Celtics Game Information
- Game: Celtics vs Cavaliers
- Start Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Day Game: Tuesday, May 7th, 2024
- Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
- Cavaliers vs Celtics Live Stream: NBA Game Pass
Cavaliers vs Celtics Head-to-Head
Cavaliers vs Celtics Odds and Spreads
Underdog Value for Cavaliers?
We knew the Cavaliers would be outsiders to win the series, but is getting +900 underrating their chances?
Bettors should have expected around +650-700, considering they got past a tough Orlando Magic team 4-3 in the first round.
“I don’t mean this disrespectful, but it doesn’t really mean much,” Mitchell said. “We didn’t come in just to win the first round. We accomplished one goal, now we have to do it again. That’s the mindset.”
It was a Magic team that had some success against the Celtics, so it was a gutsy win from the Cavaliers. However, the big problem is their lack of road wins.
The Cavaliers weren’t able to beat Orlando on the road, and to win this series, they need to beat the Celtics at TD Garden. The Celtics went 37-4 at home during the regular season, but lost to Miami at home in the first round.
Mitchell needs to be at his brilliant best to have any hope. He was exceptional against the Magic, including a 50-point effort in a 103-96 loss. Scoring 50 of your team’s 96 points might seem like a positive, but it’s not.
Donovan Mitchell is good friends with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum and looks forward to competing against them, but adds:
“I stopped talking to them once there was a possibility that we were going to play them.” pic.twitter.com/3fC7oIFfdv
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzellNBA) May 6, 2024
They need better offense from the support players to have any hope, and Mitchell scoring big numbers won’t translate to wins.
Winning the series doesn’t seem attainable. It would be a big shock for the Celtics to lose, so the Cavaliers would do well to win at least two games.
They are good enough to keep the bagel away, but winning one or two games could be their best chance.
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Dominant Defense, Confident Celtics: Is -1600 Too Easy a Bet?
Now is no time to let the foot off the gas pedal for the Celtics, who find themselves favored to win the NBA title.
Following an Eastern Conference final loss last season, the Celtics know all too well about exiting the playoffs earlier than expected.
Miami didn’t give them much of a test in the first round. The Heat took one game off them, but they failed to score more than 88 points in the final three games.
Boston’s defense was in full stride, and the -1600 favorite should dial it up again for the Cavaliers.
The Celtics enter this series with a 118-84 win over the Heat. That should give them plenty of confidence, and it’s hard to find faults with their roster.
Tatum and Jaylen Brown are one of the best one-two combinations in the NBA. We don’t see how the Cavaliers cover them, but Cleveland didn’t play too poorly against them in the regular season.
They won the most recent meeting 105-104 at home, which followed two defeats by seven and nine points. The Celtics will need to lift their level, but considering what’s at stake, we see that happening.
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NBA Picks Favor Celtics in Lopsided Series
The Celtics shouldn’t be too worried by the Cavaliers, who we expect to lose four games to one.
We’re happy to give the Cavaliers one win at home, which could come in Game 4, but we can’t see them snatching a victory at TD Garden.
They don’t have the depth to stick with the Celtics, and even if Mitchell scores a big total, his teammates won’t rise to the occasion.
Making it this far is a good result for Cleveland, but its time has come, and the Celtics journey is set to continue.
We’re including Celtics 4-1 in our NBA picks, and we wouldn’t bet against them scoring a sweep. They mean business, and their eyes are solely on the title.
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Questions of the Day
Who is the favorite to win the Cavaliers vs Celtics series?
The Celtics are the firm -1600 favorites to beat Eastern Conference rival Cleveland in the best-of-seven series.
Which player will score the most points in the series?
Boston’s Jayson Tatum is the best player on the floor, and should score the most points in the series.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
