Cavaliers vs Magic odds – Orlando’s threes won’t fly against Cavs’ defense
The Magic vs Cavaliers odds heavily favor the Cavs. Orlando has impressed most observers and NBA betting odds fans know topping the fatigued, short-handed Celtics is one thing; beating the prepared, well-rested Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals is another.
Magic vs Cavaliers odds: Cavaliers -850 to win series
- Defense will win this series
- Cavaliers won’t give up easy three-pointers
- Magic have no answer for LeBron James
While the Western Finals will be decided by offense, defense will be the key to the Magic vs Cavaliers odds in the East Finals. While the Cavs’ foundation is on defense, the Magic have been up-and-down throughout the playoffs because of their spotty “D.”
The Magic have blown big second-half leads and they’ve been blown out, which is not a sign of consistency. Magic vs Cavaliers betting handicappers know the Cavs’ defense is a team-wide foundation, whereas the Magic rely heavily on 24-year-old All-Star center Dwight Howard.
Howard is the Defensive Player of the Year but that won’t deter LeBron James from driving to the basket, and as we’ve seen many times throughout the playoffs, the aggressive Howard does find himself in foul trouble often enough.
The edge on defense goes to Cleveland and, since that’s the case, expect the Magic to be harassed every time they try a three-point attempt. The Magic were one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA in the regular season but the Cavs won’t let them have any easy baskets in this series.
The Magic vs Cavaliers odds should be a battle on the interior as much as it is on the perimeter, but the Cavs should be more prepared to handle Howard than the Celtics were. The Cavs have Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejao, Joe Smith and Ben Wallace, while the Magic’s front court is very thin behind Howard.
With the better defense and a front court to contain Howard, Magic vs Cavaliers betting handicappers know that the Magic just don’t have enough to win this series. The biggest difference will be James, who is the best player in this series.
Not only will James be an offensive threat as players like Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis will not be able to contain him, but James has developed into one of the best defensive players in the league, which should limit the scoring of at least one of the Magic’s guards or forwards.
CRAIG’S PICK: Magic vs Cavaliers odds favor the Cavs so heavily because they are rested, they are ready, they have home court advantage and, although they lost the season series, they are in fact the better team. Bet on Cleveland six.
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Craig Parsons is an avid sports fan, but his true love has always been basketball. Too short to realize his dream of playing in the NBA, he did the next best thing: sports betting and covering basketball for a living. Thoughts or questions? Email Comments@BetOnline.com.
