Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavs: Free NBA Pick

Written by Steve Janus on January 9, 2009

cavs-celitcs-picks-010909 The Cleveland Cavs have the best record in all of basketball at 28-6 and they are a perfect 18-0 at home. Tonight they host another NBA juggernaut, the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics, who are 29-8 on the year. The Cavs are 4 point favorites against the Celtics and the total for the game is set for 183.5 points.

These two teams met last year in a great Eastern Conference semifinal series that was pushed all the way to seven games. Since then, they’ve seen each other just once, in Boston’s home opener, a game the Celtics won 90-85.

A lot has changed since that meeting, however, and the Celtics have looked like anything but the defending NBA champs. Boston has dropped six of their last eight games, including a 89-85 loss in Boston to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Boston managed just 11 points in the fourth quarter of that game, and it really makes me start to wonder if this team isn’t wearing out already. The C’s started the season at 27-2 and it looked like they would make an easy run to the Finals once again, but since their loss to the Lakers on Christmas Day they’ve been unable to maintain any kind of consistency. Maybe the strain of having to live up to the “greatest team in the NBA” tag is really starting to wear on the Celtics. A win in Cleveland would be just what the doctor ordered to get Boston back in the groove.

The Cavs have been literally unbeatable at home this season. They remain the only undefeated home team in the NBA. What’s equally impressive is the manner in which Cleveland has been able to win at home. Many times they are huge favorites, but they’ve still gone an impressive 14-4 against the point spread in their 18 home games this season. The Cavaliers have had some chinks put in their armor lately as well. In their last 4 games they are just 2-2, and they’ve only been able to cover the spread in 2 of their last 6 contests. Cleveland is coming off of a 30-point destruction of the Charlotte Bobcats, however, so their confidence should be high coming into tonight’s epic showdown.

The Celtics would like nothing more than to end Cleveland’s winning streak at home, but the team just starts to look flat as games wear on. You can’t overlook momentum in the NBA and right now the Cavs certainly have it. They have the best record in the association, arguably the single best player in the NBA, and are the hotter of the two teams. In Cleveland, the edge goes to the Cavs, who haven’t forgotten about last year’s semifinal, or their five-point loss in Boston to open the season.

Take the Cleveland Cavs -4

Predicted Score: Cleveland Cavs 99, Boston Celtics 93

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