The Beasts Of The East: Four Strong Teams Battle For A Place In The Final

With both series tied at one a piece, there's no better time to bet on the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals. Here's a quick breakdown as to where things stand and what to expect for the rest of the series.

Milwaukee-Boston

Fortunately for everyone, we didn’t write this beforeTuesday night’s dismantling of the Celtics by the Bucks. After a first game blow-out of Giannis and company in Milwaukee on Sunday, it seemed as if Boston had picked up where it left off during last season’s playoffs, when, Irving and Hayward-less, they made it within one game of the NBA Finals. Game One included everything right the C’s did in last year’s run, with contributions from Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier, and Al Horford providing the backbone, while Kyrie went off for 26 points and 11 assists. 

With a decisive 21 point away win, a series win didn’t just seem possible. It felt like destiny.

But then they had to go and play Game Two and ruin everything.

Even though Boston led after the first quarter, there was a different energy. And as the game wore on, and Milwaukee started playing their type of game, up-tempo on offense, lock-down on D, it felt as if it suddenly occurred to them in the second quarter, “Hey, we’re the number one seed! We won 60 games! We have the League MVP on our team! What are we doing here??”

And thus the return blow-out was on.

So after the two lop-sided victories by each team, what has happened to the various betting lines?

• Well, oddsmaker-wise, Milwaukee (-195) is still the favorite over the Celtics (+155), which means that there’s more faith in the idea that Game One was the aberration rather than Game Two. In truth, it feels like the games in this series will even out, with tighter, more defensive battles ahead. Kyrie won’t go 4-18 again, and Middleton can’t possibly continue to hit 70% of his 3 point attempts.
• The lines predict that this will go 7 games, but a 4-3 series win getting the best odds (+230 for a Bucks series win, +650 for a Boston win), it still could be a nice payout no matter who wins.
• Even though Boston got pounded in Game 2, lest we forget, THEY WON GAME ONE! They now have home court advantage, and a lingering belief that they can win in Milwaukee if need be. As the continued underdogs in both this series, and to win the East (they’re at +500) they control their own destiny. Now if someone can just politely remind Jayson Tatum how to shoot, we’d all make some great money!

Toronto/Philadelphia

Is the world really ready for “James” Butler? That’s how 76ers coach referred to the mercurial playmaker after a huge 30 point, 11 rebound and 5 assist effort in their huge away win over Toronto on Monday. Philly better hope that James shows up for the rest of the playoffs, because regular Jimmy was a drag on the Sixers in the first game, posting only 10 points and 3 rebounds. Every time the Raptors made a run in Game Two, Butler took the game in his hands and gave the Sixers breathing room, not that they wanted to breathe in too deep, what with Joel Embiid’s, um, gastrointestinal problems that left him feeling not 100% the entire game.

So with the series tied up and Game Three tonight in Philly, what should we look forward to, and who should we keep an eye out for in terms of making this series tilt one way or the other?

• Simmons/Embiid’s D on Kawhi:There’s no stopping him, only controlling him. Even after Kawhai followed his career best 45 point performance in Game One with 35 in Game Two, the Sixers came away feeling good about how the combo of Simmons and Embiid made the Raptors star work for every one of those points. “Holding him” to 35 feels like a win, and if they can continue to wear him down, the Raptors are going to have to find someone else to step in and step up.
• Pascal Siakam: If Kyle Lowry isn’t going to step up, perhaps the 3^rdyear forward from New Mexico State will. After a quietly outstanding season, Siakam has stepped it up in the playoffs, averaging over 21 PPG, including 29 in Game One. If he can be a viable option when Kawhai is being double teamed, the Raptors will force the Sixers to change their strategy.
• The Bench: NBA playoffs mean longer minutes for starters, and shortening your bench. So who has the advantage when it comes to an 8-9 man rotation? It’s been pretty even so far, and not in a good way, as neither team has gotten much of a spark. The Raptors are hoping Serge Ibaka’s playoff experience will finally shine through, while the Sixers have gotten some, but not a lot, of help from James Ennis III. Whoever finds a hidden spark off the bench might find themselves in the conference finals.

The oddsmakers still like the Raptors, both in tonight’s game at Philly (-122) and in the full series (-182.) If James Butler shows up night after night however, you could make some money betting on the Sixers tonight (+102) and in the series (+150.) Let’s just hope Embiid’s tummy troubles are OK, so he doesn’t have to discuss it any more.