NBA Playoffs betting on Tuesday night features the Cleveland Cavaliers hosting the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference playoffs series.
Oftentimes in the playoffs, the winner of Game 5 ultimately goes on to win the series so this is a critical game for both teams. The Cavaliers are favored at home in basketball betting but it should be noted they have already lost once at home in this series.
NBA Playoffs betting favored the Cavaliers by 7 points in Game 1 at home and by six points in Game 2. Cleveland just barely covered the first game as they won by eight points but they lost the second game outright. Cleveland was not a good team vs. the spread this season at home so it should not come as a surprise that they are struggling to cover the number. During the regular season the Cavaliers were 16-25 at home vs. the basketball betting odds.
Boston has been a much better team on the road this season vs. the point spread than at home. They have similar numbers to Cleveland in that respect. The Celtics were terrible at home vs. the NBA lines but on the road they actually were above .500. Boston wins with defense as during the regular season they had the fifth best defense in the league. That defense held Cleveland to just 86 points in the Game 2 win.
The Cavaliers are still getting a lot out of LeBron James in this series but if Cleveland loses this series they are already preparing the excuse of LeBron having a sore elbow. The reality is that Boston is dominating them in certain areas. Rajon Rondo is the best guard in this series and Boston simply has more scoring depth than Cleveland.
Cleveland was expected to dominate Boston in this series but the Celtics are not rolling over for the Cavaliers. Many people thought that this was the season Cleveland would win the NBA title. The Cavaliers were the favorites in NBA Playoffs betting to win it all. Perhaps the Cavaliers still will win the title but the defending Eastern Conference champion is Orlando and right now the Magic look like the team to beat. And then whoever emerges from the Eastern Conference has to get past the Lakers to win the title and that will not be easy.