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NBA Playoff Odds: Detroit Pistons vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Written by Jimmy Boyd on April 15, 2009

cavs-pistons-41509 The team who has ruled the East for the better part of this decade meets the up and comers in this first round Eastern Conference playoff series between No. 8 seed Detroit and No. 1 seed Cleveland. There haven’t been many No. 8 over No. 1 upsets in the history of the NBA playoffs, but the Pistons are an experienced team which will not go quietly into the night. Jimmy Boyd takes a look at Detroit’s chances of pulling off the upset in the first round playoff series preview.

No. 1 Seed Cleveland Cavaliers -175 to win the Eastern Conference – The Cavs have beaten the Pistons in the playoffs before. These teams met in the 2007 NBA playoffs with Cleveland winning the series to advance to the NBA Finals. The Cavs faced a two-game hole in that series, but rebounded to win four straight games to finish the Pistons off in six. The Cavs will not be lacking confidence in this series, and they will not be taking the Pistons lightly. Cleveland won three of four games in this regular season matchup, but three of those games were very close. It’s no secret that this Cavs team is better than the one which made the Finals in 2007. LeBron James has continued to improve and the addition of scoring point guard Mo Williams has been huge. LeBron makes the Cavs go though with his ability to do it all. He leads the Cavs in every major statistical category (points, assists, rebounds, field goal percentage, steals, and blocks). The Cavs also appear to be a bigger threat this time around because they have elevated their play on the defense end. Cleveland currently ranks No. 1 in the NBA in points per game allowed (91.1), field goal percentage defense (43%), and three-point field goal percentage defense (33.3%).

No. 8 Seed Detroit Pistons +4000 to win the Eastern Conference – It’s been a disappointing year for the Pistons, who finished as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference a season ago with 59 regular season wins. The Pistons advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals yet again before losing to eventual champion Boston in six games. While Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace, and Rip Hamilton remain, this Pistons team likely kissed its chances of winning another championship down the drain when it traded Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson early in the season. Billups ran the show for Detroit as a pass first point guard who picked his spots to get his own. He has elevated the Nuggets to among the best in the West while the Pistons have struggled in his absence. Allen Iverson, a player which has always demanded lots of shots, has not proved to be a good fit with the very team-oriented Pistons. And as you know, the Pistons will be without his services in the postseason. I actually think that helps their chances. For Detroit to pull off the upset, we are going to have to see a superb defensive effort. Detroit was a top eight team in the NBA in points allowed and field goal percentage defense, but it will need to take their game to a whole new level. Additionally, we are going to need to see a coming out party from point guard Rodney Stuckey. He has the ability to get into the lane and put some pressure on the Cavaliers defense.

Prediction: Cleveland Cavalier in 5
This is clearly not the same Pistons team we’ve seen in the past. They will put up a fight, but I expect LeBron James and company to move on rather quickly. Bet the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the NBA Finals at +200.

No your NBA betting on Jimmy Boyd NBA picks during the postseason for consistent winners against the NBA odds.

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