Celtics vs. Cavs Free Pick (Monday)
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The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of their best of 7 Conference Semi-Finals series. The Cavaliers will attempt to go up 2-0 against the Celtics. The Cavaliers are 6.5 favorites, with a total of 191.5 points expected tonight. TNT will televise the game starting at 8:00 EDT.
Cleveland had quite the scare in Game 1, as they were down by double digits at the half to their bitter rival. Cleveland woke up at the half though, as they outscored the Celtics 58-39 in the 2nd half to ultimately win both SU and ATS. F LeBron James had 35 PTS as well as 7 rebounds and 7 assists. PG Mo Williams contributed 20 PTS of his own, but didn't make any 3 pointers. No other Cavaliers player scored more than 11 PTS in the game. Cleveland was able to take advantage of the foul situation, as they made as many free throws as the Celtics attempted. Cleveland is now 66-22 SU and 41-46-1 ATS overall. Cleveland is 39-6 SU and 19-25-1 ATS in home games this season. The Cavaliers are 5-1 ATS as a home favorite between 6.5 and 9 PTS this season. Cleveland is 22-16 ATS this season when playing against a team with a winning record. F Antawn Jamison will look to have a better 2nd game against the Celtics, as he is averaging 17.3 PPG so far during the playoffs.
The Cavaliers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 home games against a team with a road winning percentage greater than .600%. The Over is 8-2 in their last 10 playoff games as a favorite.
Boston missed out on a golden opportunity to steal Game 1 and the home court advantage in their series with the Cavaliers. Boston is playing revitalized in the playoffs, as they are finally playing with passion that has been missing nearly all season. The Celtics experience and their overall passion gives them the confidence that they can compete with the favorites to win the NBA Championship. Boston had a tremendous game from their starting 5, as they combined for 81 PTS. The Celtics bench was the problem, as they only had 12 PTS combined. The Cavaliers bench outscored the Boston bench by 14 PTS, easily the difference in the game. F Paul Pierce will also look to have a bounce back game, as he only had 13 PTS on 5 of 17 shooting in Game 1. PG Rajon Rondo was the 2nd best player on the floor besides LeBron James, as he finished with 27 PTS and 12 assists for Boston. Rondo is averaging 16.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 10 APG thus far in the playoffs. The Celtics are 27-17 SU and 22-21-1 ATS on the road this season. Boston is 0-2 ATS as a road underdog between 6.5 and 9 PTS this season.
The Celtics are 4-14 ATS in their last 18 Conference Semifinals games. The Over is 6-1 in their last 7 road games against a team with a winning home record.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 100-88 in favor of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers -6.5 is the Side of the Day!
Johnny Detroit, Gambling911.com
