NBA Betting Free Picks: Cleveland @ Boston
Added on Feb 25, 2010 by Jack Thurman in
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The marquee NBA betting matchup that sportsbooks will offer on Thursday will undoubtedly be the Eastern Conference battle between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. The Cavs have the best record in the league, while Boston is in third place in the East just 1/2 game ahead of the Atlanta Hawks:
Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics
February 25, 5:05 PM Pacific
No nothings in the mainstream sports media are chortling about ‘what’s wrong with Cleveland?’ since the Cavs have lost 3 of 4 since acquiring Antawn Jamison from the Washington Wizards. This ‘analysis’ underscores why the overwhelming majority of these people shouldn’t be taken seriously–it takes time to work a new player into a team’s lineup and get him involved in the offensive flow. The Cavs have a 5 game lead over 2nd place Orlando, so they’re under no real pressure and can afford to go about this process methodically.
Celtics have won 4 of their L5, but this is a bad matchup for them as the Cavs’ formidable frontline of LeBron, Shaq and Jamison will badly expose Boston’s interior defensive liabilities. Boston won at Cleveland way back in October and this is one matchup where ‘revenge’ may be a viable concept. Cavs are 16-12 ATS on the road and 17-10 ATS against teams with winning records, while Boston is a woeful 6-18 ATS at the TD Banknorth Garden. Celtics have covered only 4 of their L17 games. Kevin Garnett is playing hurt and Paul Pierce is out, further complicating Boston’s assignment here. It won’t be a rout, but the Cavs will win by a sufficiently comfortable margin to cover this number.
Bet Cleveland -2′ over Boston
