The NBA Eastern Conference semifinal matchups are set. The (1 seed) Boston Celtics will play the (4 seed) Cleveland Cavaliers, and the (2 seed) New York Knicks will play the (6 seed) Indiana Pacers. We have seen iconic matchups between these squads and will see some fireworks once again. The top seeds, the Celtics and Knicks, are favored in both matchups, but we’ve seen some big upsets in the Eastern Conference semis in recent years.
NBA East Semis: (1) Boston Celtics vs (4) Cleveland Cavaliers
To Win the Series: Boston Celtics -3000, Cleveland Cavaliers +1120
In the first matchup of the Eastern semifinals, the Boston Celtics are an overwhelming favorite over the Cavaliers at -3000. The Celtics enter this matchup with arguably their best season in the Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown era, with a championship or-bust mentality, knowing that another disappointing end to the season will lead to a challenging offseason. The Cavaliers find themselves in the second round of the NBA playoffs without LeBron James for the first time since 1993. The Cavs are looking to pull off one of the NBA’s best upsets in this series, to create a distraction from questions about Donovan Mitchell’s future with the team.
Both teams also enter this series with significant concerns to their frontcourts as Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis is battling a leg injury, and Cavs big man Jarett Allen is battling a rib injury. Porzingis has seemingly been the needle mover that is supposed to help the Celtics finally break through and win a championship with this core, his injury will lead to an increase in Al Horford’s minutes, but it still leaves the Celtics with little front-court depth. Without Jarrett Allen, the Cavs will look to move Evan Mobley to Center and give long-time veteran Tristian Thompson a boost in minutes off the bench.
The sportsbooks aren’t giving the Cavaliers a chance, as are most of the media. We have seen the Celtics suffer letdowns in the playoffs, but it is unlikely to happen in this series as the Cavs will have an uphill battle trying to match the Celtics scoring output.
NBA East Semis: (2) New York Knicks vs (6) Indiana Pacers
To Win the Series: New York Knicks -290, Indiana Pacers +225
In a throwback matchup that takes us back to the Spike Lee versus Reggie Miller days, we have the New York Knicks as -290 favorites over the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks and Jalen Brunson look to continue the revival of basketball in New York and make the conference finals for the first time since 1994. The Pacers look to build upon the momentum of their young superstar Tyrese Haliburton and redeem their In-Season Tournament Championship loss.
In a true clashing of styles, we will see the fast-paced high-scoring Pacers take on the Knick’s slow-paced physical attack. Both teams go as their star point guards go, and it’ll be interesting to see who will be able to dictate the pace and make adjustments on the fly.
While the books have the Knicks as a decent favorite, we could be in store for a classic battle in this matchup.
All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.
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