For the first time since the 2004-2005 season, the NBA playoffs will not feature LeBron James; for the first time since the 2009-2010 season, LeBron James will not take an Eastern Conference team to the NBA Finals. The new face of the East is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is the favorite to win league MVP and has the Bucks atop the league standings for the first time since 1974. Boston is looking for some redemption after a season in which they were accused of underperforming, and Philadelphia fans are nervous about the back and knee woes of center Joel Embiid. This sports betting preview of the first round matchups will prepare you for your wagering choices in each series. Here’s a closer look on NBA future odds to win the NBA Eastern Conference.
2019 Eastern Conference Playoff Matchups Odds, Picks & Betting Predictions
The road isn’t finished.
It’s just getting started.#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/G9Yp4l3hD5 — Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) 12 de marzo de 2019
Milwaukee Bucks (1) vs Detroit Pistons (8)
Milwaukee has not made it out of the first round in 18 years — but that should change this year. Of the Bucks’ 60 wins, 45 came by double figures. That number leads the NBA — and every other team that has led the league in double-digit wins has gone on to win the league championship. However, keep an eye on the support around Giannis Antetokounmpo — Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Eric Bledsoe and that bench. Lopez has been amazing, shooting 36 percent from downtown, a ridiculously high number for a center. He is also a force inside, using his size and discipline to avoid foul trouble.
Detroit has a pair of big men as their foundation in Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond. Drummond controls the lane and Griffin puts up the points. When the inside-out game is working and Drummond causes problems for shooters inside, then the Pistons win. Their offensive threat is the dribble handoff — they average 1.05 points per direct handoff, second best in the NBA. Wayne Ellington came to Detroit via trade midseason, and he makes 39 percent of his three-pointers. If he can spot up, he can deliver daggers. But can Griffin stay healthy? Milwaukee in 5.
Toronto Raptors (2) vs Orlando Magic (7)
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers definitely owned Toronto in the playoffs — but now LeBron is in Los Angeles, and the Cavaliers are in the East basement. Kawhi Leonard is north of the border, and the Raptors are looking to get to the Finals. Toronto is the best transition team in the NBA, making 1.22 points per chance, and they had 1,639 transition chances during the season. Pascal Siakam is the league’s most improved player and should get that award.
Orlando is a gritty team that focuses on rim defense and pressuring three-point shooters. They are in the top 10 in fewest attempts permitted at the rim or from downtown, according to Cleaning the Glass. They are third in the NBA in defensive rebounding and second in the NBA in transition defense, according to Cleaning the Glass. Their defensive efficiency since February 1 has been 105.0, tops in the league. But I’m not sure they can slow down the Raptors. Toronto in 5.
Philadelphia (3) vs Brooklyn (6)
Philadelphia has made a lot of changes this season, basically having three different rosters. They started 2018-19 with the same lineup as last year; then they traded Robert Covington and Dario Saric for Jimmy Butler, and then they shuffled their bench and added Tobias Harris at the trade deadline. Their starting five — Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, JJ Redick, Harris and Butler put up 110 of the 118 points the Sixers scored in a big win over Boston on March 20. However, this also showed the lack of depth that Philadelphia had — and Embiid might miss the opener of this series.
The emergence of D’Angelo Russell, who has blossomed for Brooklyn after finding frustration as a Laker, is the reason why Brooklyn improved from winning 69 games over the last three years to making the postseason. Russell saved the season with a 29-point night (including six points in overtime) to end an eight-game skid in Toronto. The Nets would win 19 of their next 24 to start climbing the standings. Also, the Brooklyn bench is solid, scoring 47.8 points per game, and this team can go 11 players deep, which helps when fatigue sets in. Even so, the Sixers’ talent should prevail. Philadelphia in 6.
Boston (4) vs Indiana (5)
You really don’t know which Boston team is going to show up, night in and night out. On November 16, Boston beat Toronto in overtime; the next night, they lost to Utah and looked listless. After the calendar turned to 2019, Boston went to Golden State and routed the Warriors. A couple of nights later, they took a rout from the Clippers down in Los Angeles. Marcus Smart, the team’s top defender, will likely miss the first two rounds of the playoffs. However, they do have Kyrie Irving, who has either scored or assisted on 57 percent of the points Boston has scored in crunch time, which is defined as the last five minutes of the fourth period or overtime, and with the margin no more than five points either way.
Indiana has persisted after the loss of Victor Oladipo to a torn quad on January 23. Last year, the Pacers lost all seven games when Oladipo did not play. This year, though, they made the playoffs without him. They have a stout defense, and they have shooters like Doug McDermott to light up the scoreboard from distance. Indiana is 14-4 in their 18 games when they have at least 12 three-pointers, and if they can get hot against Boston, they could win this. I like the Celtics to win, but it will be a war. Boston in 7.
