Eastern Conference Preview – Part 1
Washington Wizards vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
This is the third straight season that these two teams have met in the first round of the playoffs. Cleveland won both of the previous series’, first in six games in 2006 and then a sweep last season against an injury-riddled Washington team. The Wizards have added bulletin board material to this series starting with DeShawn Stevenson who flapped that LeBron James was overrated and then Gilbert Arenas saying that he is glad they got the Cavaliers as they are beatable and can’t win three straight series’ against Washington.
The teams split the season series 2-2 but this is the one playoff series that the past results mean little. Each game saw each team put a different lineup on the floor and this will be the first meeting that both teams are at least close to full strength. For Washington, Arenas did not play in any of the meetings while Caron Butler missed the third game. James was absent from the first meeting and the Cavaliers had just eight players dressed in that third game due to their huge mid-season trade. Basically, we start from scratch.
Cleveland gets the home court advantage and that could likely be the difference once again for the Cavaliers. Cleveland went 4-1 at home while the Wizards went just 1-4 on their home floor during the prior two playoff runs. This season, the Cavaliers went 27-14 at home while Washington went 25-16 so whichever team can break through on their opponents home floor will have a big edge in taking control of this series. If neither can, the Cavaliers have that edge.
From a betting standpoint, the Cavaliers may not be a great take on their home floor as they went just 15-26 against the number. Washington meanwhile went 24-17 ATS on the road but that seven-game margin was due to a 12-5 ATS mark against teams with a losing record. The Wizards are 12-3 ATS on the season as a road underdog of fewer than six points and 21-10 ATS as a road underdog overall. Add to that, the road team has covered five of the last seven meetings and it is possible the road team may be worth long looks
Eastern Conference Preview – Part 2
Toronto Raptors vs. Orlando Magic
Orlando could be considered the Toronto of last season as it kind of came out of nowhere to wins its division. We know the Magic were going to be improved with the addition of Rashard Lewis but we weren’t sure how much. They started out very strong, winning 16 of their first 20 games before coming back down to earth for a while. However, Orlando went 28-13 over the second half of is season so it enters the postseason with some excellent momentum and confidence.
Toronto comes into the postseason six games worse than last season but could be better off this time around. The Raptors admitted the heightened pressure of the playoffs caught them off guard after last season's six-game loss to New Jersey. While the playoff experience is a big plus, motivation heading into this weekend is not. Toronto had a dismal finish to the season, going 9-17 in March and April and the Raptors never really had any head of steam as they never had a winning streak of more than four games.
The playoff experience from last season also helps the Magic as they got their taste last season, getting swept by Detroit in the first round. There is no way the Magic get swept this season and they are likely going to have a rematch with Detroit should they get past Toronto. Knowing the Pistons are on deck should provide even extra motivation. Chris Bosh averaged 33 ppg in the two meetings he played in while Dwight Howard averaged 24.3 ppg and 12.7 rpg in the three meetings so this matchup will be special.
Orlando was the 2nd best team in the NBA against the number this season, going a profit earning 50-29-3. The Magic come in on a three-game ATS run while the Raptors come in on a three-game ATS skid. Orlando covered two of the three meetings this season which snapped a seven-game Toronto ATS streak. A key factor is that the first five games are every other day. The Raptors went 13-22 ATS when playing with a day of rest against an opponent with a day of rest while Orlando went 17-10 ATS in the same scenario.
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