NBA
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Boston Celtics:
Cleveland Cavaliers (+ 16) /// 1.83
Last bet lost. It's hard for me to explain why Indiana played so weak. It feels like it was Tyrese Haliburton played 48 minutes per game in the Playoffs, instead of Josh Hart. Isaiah Hartenstein turned into Shaquille O-Neal. Reserves Alec Burks and Miles McBride hit 10 three-point shots on 15 attempts. Are you kidding me? Are you serious? If I read what I just wrote, I'd probably think it was some kind of cringe or ridiculous joke. But yes, it is! Isaiah Hartenstein is Mr. Offensive Rebound! 12 offensive rebounds! That's domination! The East Finals, it looks like, will be between Boston and New York. And it's not a sure thing that the Knicks will win on the road against Indiana in Game 6. Most likely, given the injuries, there will be a rotation from Tom Thibodeau in Game 6. And in Game 7, the Knicks will again play the same way they did in Game 5. The total score of my bets: NBA 85-97 in favor of the unsuccessful, MLB 32-31 in favor of the successful, NHL 2-3 in favor of the unsuccessful, NFL+NCAAF 3-8 in favor of the unsuccessful.
New bet: Cleveland on the road won't lose to Boston by more than 16 points in Game 5. Overall, the Cavaliers have struggled in this series in all but Game 1. And even once they managed to win. Yes, Donovan Mitchell probably won't play again, but I have confidence that Boston will be unconvincing again. A lot depended on Derick White's successful three-point shooting, but he's really down in the game sense. And I think he has a micro-injury that really hinders his shot mechanics. Al Horford is not a Playoff level player at all. So Boston doesn't look like a team that can spectacularly close out a series with a 16+ point rout. A 7-12 point win? Yeah, that's probably what the score differential will be. But no way over 16 points. I just don't see how Boston, who has looked very offense-heavy and defense-inert the last 3 games against Cleveland, can get a 16-point lead. Moreover, it is still unclear whether Donovan Mitchell will play. It may happen that Cleveland will put all their players on the floor for the decisive game. Therefore, the handicap is very sweet. Shall we bet? Sure!