Eastern Conference Finals Odds
Do oddsmakers think that LeBron James can be stopped from making another NBA Finals? Here’s a look at the odds for the Eastern Conference Finals.
This year’s Eastern Conference Finals features the second-seeded Boston Celtics taking on the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. According to oddsmakers, the Cavaliers are favored to advance to the NBA Finals, as they are getting odds of -270 to win. The Celtics are listed with a money line of +225 to prevail.
The Cavaliers are the three-time defending champions in the Eastern Conference and they won the NBA Finals in 2016. Cleveland got a close call in the first round, edging the Indiana Pacers in seven games. They took that momentum and turned it into a dominant sweep of the Toronto Raptors in the second round.
The Celtics have won the conference title 21 times in franchise history, with the last crown coming in 2010. Boston will have the home-court advantage in this series, which is good because it has yet to lose at home in the playoffs. Boston defeated Milwaukee in seven games in the first round and then managed to upset the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round in just five games.
These two teams met three times during the season with Cleveland getting the win in two of the three games. Each team earned a home win while the Cavs picked up a road victory. Cleveland had a +11 scoring edge in the three games. These two really haven’t met with the rosters constructed the way they are. Boston is without most of their star power due to injury while Cleveland made a number of trades at the deadline. These two last met on Feb. 11.