2017 NBA Playoff Preview: Eastern Conference Odds, Betting Trends

When the Boston Celtics were blown out at home 114-91 by the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 5 as four-point favorites, they probably thought becoming the top seed in the Eastern Conference was out of the question.But a four-game losing streak by the Cavaliers to end the regular season essentially handed the Celtics that distinction, though they are still the +425 second choice (bet $100 to win $425) on the odds to win the Eastern Conference at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark behind favored Cleveland.The Cavaliers (51-31) sit atop the betting board at -275 (bet $275 to win $100) despite their current skid, and they finished with their worst record in three years since LeBron James returned. The only time during that brief stretch that they ended up with the best record in the conference was last year when they won their firstNBA championship.So can Boston or any other team in the East keep Cleveland, which sits at a 47.8 percent chance to win the conference according to PredictionMachine.com, from getting back to the NBA Finals for the third straight time' That is one question most NBA future bettors are wondering as they handicap the series matchups heading into the playoffs. Is there value on the Celtics or another lower-seeded squad to upset the Cavs this year'While there obviously would not be any real value on anybody besides Cleveland if James and his teammates survive the first three rounds of the postseason, that is not to say bettors cannot make money betting against them.For example, the seventh-seeded Indiana Pacers (42-40) are +6600 longshots to win the East, but they have beaten the spread in nine of the past 11 meetings with the Cavs, according to the OddsShark NBA Database. You could potentially make some money wagering on them to at least cover on a game-by-game basis instead of betting futures.Boston matches up with the eighth-seeded Chicago Bulls (41-41), who are also listed at +6600 and could steal a game or two to make that first-round series interesting. Chicago has some good players in Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade and former Celtic Rajon Rondo but was arguably the most inconsistent team in the league during the regular season.The only real individual mismatch in Bostons favor is with point guard Isaiah Thomas, who would probably win NBA MVP honors most other years.The Toronto Raptors (51-31) met Cleveland in the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals and would meet the Cavs in the second round this year if both advance. The third-seeded Raptors are +900 to win the East and face the sixth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks (42-40), who are +5000.The last first-round series pits the fourth-seeded Washington Wizards (49-33) versus the fifth-seeded Atlanta Hawks (43-39). Like Toronto, Washington is +900 to win the East, and Atlanta has the same odds as Milwaukee at +5000.
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