The team with the best records in the NBA this basketball playoffs betting season is on the brink of being eliminated and it is time for Cleveland’s LeBron James to put up or shut up. The league MVP was terrible in Game 5 as the Cavaliers were blown out 120-88 and many people are saying he just quit. Superstar players are supposed to carry their teams to victory in key games but James was a non-factor on Tuesday. If he doesn’t step up his game on Thursday then the Cavaliers are going to be out of the playoffs.
Boston is a one-point basketball betting favorite with a total of 196 at SBG Global Sportsbook.
LeBron was so bad in Game 5 that he was booed off the court by Cleveland fans. If LeBron is the player that he continually says he is, then he has to have a monster game on Thursday in Boston to even this series. If he doesn’t show up then he has no business being mentioned again as a premier NBA superstar.
Boston so dominated the Cavaliers in Game 5 that the outcome was never in doubt. The big three of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce had good games and Rajon Rondo was great in the second half. Now Boston can end all this talk of LeBron and the Cavaliers once and for all. Many are speculating that if the Cavaliers lose on Thursday it will be the last game for LeBron in a Cleveland uniform. New York is the rumored landing place for the league MVP.
Cleveland has not lost by double-digits at home very often but they have bounced back well in the past going 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in this situation. Cleveland is also rarely an underdog on the road and they thrive in that situation as they are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 games as a road underdog.
Boston was terrible during the regular season vs. the point spread in home games but in the NBA playoffs odds they are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games.
Looking at the total, the Under is 9-2 in the Cavaliers last 11 games as an underdog But the Over is 6-2 in the Cavaliers last 8 road games. The Over is 5-2 in the Celtics last 7 games as a home favorite. The Over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Boston between the two teams.
