Eastern Conference Finals Betting Preview
The Eastern Conference Finals begin on Tuesday night on ESPN at 8pmET. The New York Knicks host the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of a seven-game series. In Game 1, the Knicks are a 7.5-point favorite, and the total is 217.5, while the Knicks are -260 on the money line and Cleveland is +215. Let’s take a look at a betting preview of this series.
(odds from DraftKings).
Cleveland (60-36, 40-55-1 ATS, 50-46 O/U) vs New York (62-31, 50-42-1 ATS, 43-50 O/U)
Head-to-Head: The Knicks have taken two of three games this season, but are 1-2 ATS.
Preview: Cleveland needed seven games to get by top-seeded Detroit, winning Game 7, 125-94 on the road on Sunday. That game after getting crushed 115-94 at home in Game 6. Donovan Mitchell has had some shooting woes in the playoffs, but he came through when the Cavs needed him. He had 26 points and eight assists, but Sam Merrill was huge off the bench with 23 points on 5-of-8 from 3-point range. To beat a physical team like the Knicks, Cleveland will need big performances from Evan Mobley (17ppg, 8rpg, 4.1apg in the playoffs) and Jarrett Allen (13.1ppg, 7.3rpg). They have some depth in the backcourt, but not a lot in the frontcourt. James Harden (20.1ppg, 6.2apg, 4.8tpg) struggled with turnovers in the Detroit series against much more athletic players. New York doesn’t have an Ausar Thompson to defend him, though Mikal Bridges can cause some havoc (assuming he will defend Mitchell).
Key stats: 9th in Adjusted Net Rating, 5th in Adjusted Offensive Rating, 17th in Adjusted Defense. (stats from DunksandThrees). Basic stats: 8th in field goal percentage (47.9%), 13th in three-point offense (35.7%). 8th in field goal defense (46.3%) and 26th in three-point defense (37.2%).
The New York Knicks swept Philadelphia in four games and have not played since May 10. They’ve also won seven straight playoff games, having defeated Atlanta in six in the first round. That was great news for them, considering OG Anunoby missed the last two games due to a hamstring injury. He should be healthy for this game (listed as probable). He was arguably the best all-around player for the Knicks before the injury, averaging 21.4 points in their first eight postseason games. Jalen Brunson (27.4ppg, 6.1apg in the playoffs) is the star, but they need Karl-Anthony Towns (17.4pp, 10rpg, 6.6apg) to play big and unselfish in this series. New York has a loaded starting five and a solid bench with guards like Miles McBride (7.5ppg), Jordan Clarkson (6.5ppg), Jose Alvarado (4.9ppg), and Landry Shamet (4.1ppg) as capable performers.
Key Stats: 5th in Adjusted Net Rating, 4th in Adjusted Offensive Rating, 7th in Adjusted Defense. (from DunksandThrees). Basic stats: 11th in field goal percentage (48.1%) and 4th in three-point shooting (37.6%). 5th in field goal defense (45.7%) and 20th in three-point defense (35.7%).
Conference Finals Series Prices: NY Knicks -265/Cleveland +215
Series Leader (total points): Jalen Brunson -115 (take a longshot with KAT +4000)
Series Total Games Under 5.5 +125
Series Correct Score: Knicks 4-1 +320
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