Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Eastern Conference Finals- Game 1

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The Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The opening line had Atlanta as 1 point favorites and the over/under is set at 197.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off a 21 point win to close out the Eastern Conference Semifinals in six games versus the Chicago Bulls. Once again, Lebron James led the way with 1 rebound shy of a triple double while scoring 15 points, grabbing nine rebounds, dishing out 11 assists and blocking two shots. Matthew Dellavedova also stepped up in this game tallying 19 points, with two rebounds and an assist while going 3-6 from behind the arc. They're going to need continued help from the bench if they want to knock of the number one seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Atlanta Hawks, in similar fashion, finished out their Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Washington Wizards in six games. In game 6, Demarre Carroll carried the load with 25 points, 10 rebounds, an assist and two steals. Also chipping in on the win was Paul Millsap with 20 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

The Hawks will be looking to get solid play from all spots on the court as they don't have someone to dominate the ball like a LeBron James. By spacing the floor and moving the ball, Atlanta will hope to take game one against a Cavs team that has been playing defense on an elite level recently.

Head-to-head, the over is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings and 6-2 in the last 8 meetings in Atlanta The Cavaliers are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings and 0-4 ATS in the last 4 meetings in Atlanta.

Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Trends

Cleveland Cavaliers are 44-48-0 Against the Spread

Cleveland Cavaliers are 38-53-0 against the Over/Under

Atlanta Hawks Betting Trends

Atlanta Hawks are 54-37-3 Against the Spread

Atlanta Hawks are 47-46-0 against the Over/Under

Injuries to Watch

Cleveland Cavaliers

12/24/14 C Anderson Varejao Achilles out for season
05/16/15 G Kyrie Irving Knee injured last game, probable Wednesday vs. Atlanta
04/27/15 F Kevin Love Shoulder out for season

Atlanta Hawks

04/10/15 G Thabo Sefolosha Fibula out for season

Josh's Pick: Take Atlanta

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