Sat 20/05/2017 - 13:42 EDT

Cleveland Cavaliers poised for another Boston Celtics mutilation

Cleveland Cavaliers poised for another Boston Celtics mutilation

Two games of the Eastern Conference Finals are gone, and not surprisingly, the Cleveland Cavaliers enter Game 3 with a 2-0 lead. Do TopBet’s lines give the Boston Celtics hope to at least muster a cover on Sunday night?

Cavs won't offer any mercy to Celtics

By Dan Favale

All odds brought to you by Topbet

Cleveland Cavaliers (-14.5) vs. Boston Celtics (+14.5)

The sportsbooks aren't messing around anymore. They gave the Boston Celtics a puncher's chance in each of the first two games, offering up modestly sized spreads in the favor of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

So much for that happening again.

In Game 1, the Cavaliers led the Celtics by as many as 28 points. They would eventually win by 13. 

On Friday night, in Game 2, with revenge on Boston's mind, Cleveland led by as many as 50 points, before securing a 130-86 win—the largest margin of victory in Eastern Conference Finals history.

So, really, why should the sportsbooks be expecting a more competitive matchup in Game 3?

Sure, the Celtics have missed a ton of wide-open shots. They're putting down just 32 percent of their threes when there's no Cavaliers defender within four feet of them. That's an awful rate. It's almost encouragingly bad, because there's no way they can sustain that level of terrible shooting when they're being given so many uncontested bunnies.

But the Celtics won't all of a sudden be able to compete in this series because they start making their threes. We can't even be sure they're going to start—not after Isaiah Thomas left Game 2 with a hip injury.

oddsSome initially thought the Celtics pulled him as a precaution. He's been banged up, both emotionally and physically, all postseason. There was no sense expending more of his energy in the final two frames of a game Boston was never going to win.

Reports since, however, have deemed the injury "significant." And if that's the case, Thomas may not play in Game 3. And if he can't go, the Celtics are doomed, even more so than they already are.

The offensive splits without him on the court were good before this series. But the Celtics won't come close to competing on that end if he's not at his peak. They need him to collapse the Cavaliers' defense with drives and create high-quality looks for what we thought was a cast of shooters that was deep enough. He's a liability on defense, but the Celtics can't defend the Cavaliers anyway. They don't have an answer when Cleveland runs out LeBron at the 5, and their personnel, as we've seen by now, can't hang with his drives when his teammates are hitting threes off his passes. 

So the Celtics need their offense to be on point. And it's not. And that won't change without Thomas. Forget him just playing. They need him to be himself. Even then, if he's ready to rock for Game 3, the Cavaliers have been trapping him almost at half-court. The Celtics aren't setting screens quick enough to free him, and when they have someone else handle the ball, they're committing too many turnovers.

This series is over. Done with. The end. Betting on 14.5-point spreads in the playoffs stinks, but the Celtics have left us no choice.

The Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers (-14.5)

Category : News

More articles...
News - 06/12/24
Best UFC 310 Bets: Alexandre Pantoja vs Kai Asakura Picks 

What: UFC 310 Who: Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura in the main event When: Saturday, December 7 Where: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada How to watch: PPV event Another exciting UFC event is here for everyone across the planet to enjoy. With 2025 almost being here, don't forget that there are still some great […]

News - 05/12/24
Lando Norris and Max Verstappen Are Co-Favorites at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 

What: 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Where: Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates When: Sunday, December 8 How to watch: ESPN Are you ready for yet another thrilling Formula 1 race to arrive? Last weekend, people were treated to an incredible event in Qatar, as Doha hosted the Qatar Grand Prix. While […]

News - 04/12/24
Oleksandr Usyk is Favored to Beat Tyson Fury in Their Rematch 

What: Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk rematch Where: Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia When: Saturday, Dec. 21 at 5:30 p.m. ET How to watch: PPV event Here we go again. The first time Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk went to battle, a lot of people were stunned that Usyk was able to come out […]

News - 03/12/24
LA Galaxy Are Favored to Win the 2024 MLS Cup 

What: 2024 MLS Cup Who: LA Galaxy vs. New York Red Bulls Where: Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California When: Saturday, December 7 at 1 p.m. PT How to watch: ESPN and Univision And then there were two. Over the weekend, the Western Conference and Eastern Conference Finals took place for Major League Soccer […]