**No. 4 Cleveland vs. No. 5 Washington**
Series Price: Cleveland -230, Washington +190
Series Format: Cleveland, 2-2-1-1-1
Skinny: Like a lot of other teams in the playoffs, it appears Cleveland’s hopes will rest on one player’s shoulders. LeBron James is arguably the Most Valuable Player this season and his numbers (31 PPG, 7 RPG, 6 APG) are mind blowing. The Cavaliers go as James goes and it showed in the four meetings between the two teams. LeBron poured in 37 in the first meeting of the year, but was held to a combined 41 points in the next two contests. The fourth game was meaningless for Cleveland and it showed, with 12 players earning minutes. The X-factor for the Cavs will be Larry Hughes, who dropped 22 in the first contest before missing most of the season with a wrist injury.
Washington parallels Cleveland with its own featured playmaker in point guard Gilbert Arenas, but the Wizards also have solid players in Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. Arenas has ripped the Cavs for 32, 26 and 35 in the three victories, but only 18 point on 4-of-17 shots in the double-digit setback. This three-headed monster resembles New Jersey’s trio of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson.
Gambling Notes: The four-five matchup is always the most competitive battle in the first round since consistency is hard to find. Neither the Cavs nor Wizards are dominant at home, so taking a flyer on the road team to win outright is definitely a suggestion. The point-spread hasn’t played a role in any of the first four meetings this season. Don’t be afraid to lay the points if you like the ‘chalk’ and never hesitate to play the money-line if you favor the puppy.
Total players could get trapped in this series. Early in the year, you couldn’t go wrong with the Cavs-Over parlay, but that was when Lebron, Hughes and the treys from Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones were dropping easily. After Hughes got hurt, the offense sputtered, resulting in a 46-35 ‘under’ mark on the year.
Some numbers to look at when ‘capping totals is field goal attempts per game and free throw attempts game. The latter is key to totals, especially for ‘over’ players. The Wizards are averaging 30 attempts per game, ranked second in the league, while the Cavs are taking 28 shots from the stripe. That’s a possibility of 58 attempts per game from both teams. Even if you hit 70 percent, you’re still getting 40 points and the clock isn’t running!
Outlook: Can the Cavaliers win a playoff series for the first time in over 13 years (1992-93), when Mark Price and Larry Nance roamed the city of Cleveland? It’s very possible, but it depends on the health of Hughes and center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Ironically, Hughes signed with Cleveland in the offseason after playing for Washington last year. He’s playoff tested and could be the difference against the Wizards.
Washington will use a center by committee approach against “Z” with Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas sharing the duties. That still won’t do the trick unless Ilgauskas’ ankle acts up again or gets in early foul trouble. Even though the Wizards don’t match up well in the frontcourt, the Cavs won’t have an answer for Arenas and Antonio Daniels. Experience also goes to the Wizards in this spot, with last year’s first round series victory over Chicago in six games boosting confidence for Eddie Jordan’s crew.
It’s been said that Legends are created in the playoffs and all eyes will be on LeBron. Can he carry his team for another four wins or will he fall to the pressure in his first playoff spot? Whoever wins this series, will most likely need seven games to get it done.
Future Advice: When you have a series that is this close, it’s almost a given to take the underdog, especially at 2/1 odds. You can grab Washington early and hope they steal a win at the “Q” in the first two games, then hold serve at MCI. Hedge opportunities will then appear in Game 6 or 7.
Series Price: Cleveland -230, Washington +190
Series Format: Cleveland, 2-2-1-1-1
Skinny: Like a lot of other teams in the playoffs, it appears Cleveland’s hopes will rest on one player’s shoulders. LeBron James is arguably the Most Valuable Player this season and his numbers (31 PPG, 7 RPG, 6 APG) are mind blowing. The Cavaliers go as James goes and it showed in the four meetings between the two teams. LeBron poured in 37 in the first meeting of the year, but was held to a combined 41 points in the next two contests. The fourth game was meaningless for Cleveland and it showed, with 12 players earning minutes. The X-factor for the Cavs will be Larry Hughes, who dropped 22 in the first contest before missing most of the season with a wrist injury.
Washington parallels Cleveland with its own featured playmaker in point guard Gilbert Arenas, but the Wizards also have solid players in Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. Arenas has ripped the Cavs for 32, 26 and 35 in the three victories, but only 18 point on 4-of-17 shots in the double-digit setback. This three-headed monster resembles New Jersey’s trio of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson.
Gambling Notes: The four-five matchup is always the most competitive battle in the first round since consistency is hard to find. Neither the Cavs nor Wizards are dominant at home, so taking a flyer on the road team to win outright is definitely a suggestion. The point-spread hasn’t played a role in any of the first four meetings this season. Don’t be afraid to lay the points if you like the ‘chalk’ and never hesitate to play the money-line if you favor the puppy.
Total players could get trapped in this series. Early in the year, you couldn’t go wrong with the Cavs-Over parlay, but that was when Lebron, Hughes and the treys from Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones were dropping easily. After Hughes got hurt, the offense sputtered, resulting in a 46-35 ‘under’ mark on the year.
Some numbers to look at when ‘capping totals is field goal attempts per game and free throw attempts game. The latter is key to totals, especially for ‘over’ players. The Wizards are averaging 30 attempts per game, ranked second in the league, while the Cavs are taking 28 shots from the stripe. That’s a possibility of 58 attempts per game from both teams. Even if you hit 70 percent, you’re still getting 40 points and the clock isn’t running!
Outlook: Can the Cavaliers win a playoff series for the first time in over 13 years (1992-93), when Mark Price and Larry Nance roamed the city of Cleveland? It’s very possible, but it depends on the health of Hughes and center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Ironically, Hughes signed with Cleveland in the offseason after playing for Washington last year. He’s playoff tested and could be the difference against the Wizards.
Washington will use a center by committee approach against “Z” with Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas sharing the duties. That still won’t do the trick unless Ilgauskas’ ankle acts up again or gets in early foul trouble. Even though the Wizards don’t match up well in the frontcourt, the Cavs won’t have an answer for Arenas and Antonio Daniels. Experience also goes to the Wizards in this spot, with last year’s first round series victory over Chicago in six games boosting confidence for Eddie Jordan’s crew.
It’s been said that Legends are created in the playoffs and all eyes will be on LeBron. Can he carry his team for another four wins or will he fall to the pressure in his first playoff spot? Whoever wins this series, will most likely need seven games to get it done.
Future Advice: When you have a series that is this close, it’s almost a given to take the underdog, especially at 2/1 odds. You can grab Washington early and hope they steal a win at the “Q” in the first two games, then hold serve at MCI. Hedge opportunities will then appear in Game 6 or 7.
