Hockey Mex

The NBA playoffs have offered up a heck of a lot of excitement so far. An historic 7-game basketball betting series, some controversial comments from one wacky owner and some bumping and bruising as only the NBA Playoffs can. So why has Lebron James not been a bigger story yet?

The answer is obvious, the Cavs are cruised through to the Eastern Conference Finals. I wouldn’t say “under the radar,” since James is never under the radar, but they haven’t exactly grabbed the headlines. Don’t let that deter you from believing the Cavs will win the title this year. You should’ve been betting on it a few months ago, and you still should be betting on it now. It’s early still, but let’s look at the possible lines for each step of the way for them before they cross the finish line.

Cavs vs. Celtics: Yes, I’m calling the Celtics, as much as I want the Magic to cover the NBA odds and to drop the team that finished off my Bulls, Orlando had their chance and couldn’t keep the champs down. So now the edge lies with Boston to move on to face the Cleveland LeBrons. I think the home team will be favored all the way through. As impressive as the Cavs have been so far, they’ve largely been untested, so it waits to be seen how LeBron can handle a really hostile road situation – as the favorite. Cavs will be 5 or 6 point favorites at home. Celts will be 3 or 4 point favorites at home. I’d peg Game 4 as the upset game. With the Cavs going back to Cleveland up 3-1 in the series.

NBA Finals: Cavs vs. Denver/Lakers. That West coast finals series is going to be tougher to call with regards to NBA Betting, especially with how exciting Denver is playing these days. I think the Lakers will finally brush aside Houston and we’ll see a #1, #2 seed match up in both conferences. If the Cavs get the Lakers (the match up everyone is drooling over), the home team will be more heavily favored in each game, probably by 7 points – at least in the early games. I still lean toward the Lakers’ firepower and depth over Cleveland, but the Cavs have proven so far they have everything they need to win the title. Still, if the line is that large, I’d bet the road teams for games 4-6, by then both teams will be traveled and worn down a little, and I think we’ll be in for some close ones. If, by chance, the Cavs face the Nuggets, I think the Cavs will be favored the whole way through. The games might be closer than you think, though, so I’d be hesitant to jump on the Cavs bandwagon for gambling if the line is like 8-9 points at home. That’d be generous, maybe a little too much so. If the Nuggets somehow make it past LA, they’ll have earned their spot, as well.