NBA Eastern Conference First Round Betting Preview

Oh, NBA Eastern Conference. It seems like only yesterday when you were feared. The Heat. The Bulls. The Pistons. Oh, wait, that was, like 20 years ago. Never mind.

But what is this? A heartbeat in the East? I little bit of, dare we say, swagger? Turns out there are a few beasts in the East, one of whom could take advantage of not only a suddenly shaky-looking Western Conference, but oddsmakers who saw a continuation of the Warriors dynasty as a given. 

Today we’ll take a look at each of the first round series and see who’s a contender, who’s a pretender, and who is the Detroit Pistons. (HINT: it’s the Detroit Pistons.) There are plenty of hidden winnings to be had in each of these series, so prep your bets.

(1) Milwaukee Bucks/(8) Detroit Pistons

Poor Blake Griffin. He left a team stuck in playoff purgatory to find success in a weaker Eastern Conference, and where does he find himself? On the East’s version of the Clippers, a team that seems stuck in that 6th-10^thplace in the conference, always destined to play the top seed early in the playoffs, and then settle for a mid-round draft pick. The dreams of an upset seem likely to stay dreams, as both common sense and the betting lines reinforce what Giannis said at the beginning of game one: “I’m f#*king upstoppable.”

 (2) Toronto Raptors/ (7) Orlando Magic

The Raptors are gonna roll right over the Mag….wait? What happened in Game One? Oh, yeah, that’s right, the playoffs happened. The team that got hot at the end of the season carried their confidence into the playoffs and stunned a team that seemed like a foregone conclusion to sweep. And just like that, despite the odds, and despite a Game Two win, the Raptors look human, and that trade for Kawhi to take them over the top looks a little shaky.

So, who do you go with? The team with more talent but a history of choking in the playoffs? Or the team that’s just happy to be there and playing worry-free, fun basketball? The lines say stick with the Raptors, but the heart? It’s your call.

(3) Philadelphia 76ers/ (6) Brooklyn Nets

We promised ourselves we wouldn’t make any phone jokes here but …hold the phone! This series is tied? (OK, we’re done. We promise.) The Process continued it’s frustrating run at success with an embarrassing first game loss to the New Jersey Nets (yes, we will continue to call them the NJ Nets. Why? Because we’re from Jersey and we do what we want.) But maybe someone made a call to the shot doctor from the bench, because game two was a completely different story, with all the promise that we’ve seen on paper from the Sixers finally coming together. The oddsmakers aren’t sold on the Nets, and, given their history, maybe they’re right. (It still feels like they might, mid-series, trade their first round pick for a bag of corn.) But, man, they’re fun to watch. And the best way to win against the odds is with a team that’s as fun as these guys.

(4) Boston Celtics/ (5) Indiana Pacers

The Boston Celtics feel mis-seeded, right? That roster looks like a number two seed. Kyrie. Tatum. Horford. Hayward. And yet here they are, shoulders slumped in the middle of the pack as the number 4 seed. We should jump on that, right? Ride this strange mistake all the way to the bank?  But then again, something has felt off all season about the Celtics. The young guys didn’t step up as much as they hoped. The role players felt like they wanted different roles. And Gordon Hayward, despite the amazing comeback, isn’t what he once was. And despite the win in Game One, the Celtics weren’t pretty. This might be a good series to bet on, but it isn’t pretty to watch. 

As we wait to see if this is the year Giannis assumes his rightful place as the next Jordan, (or if Jordan himself comes out of retirement and bring the Bulls back to the holy land) the East is wide open. So, go prep your wagers and place your bets.  It’s gonna be a fun ride to the Finals!