Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics (-2.5, 198.5)
Series tied 3-3
The Boston Celtics have yet to lose at home in the playoffs, but a Game 7 against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers is different from every other test the young team has faced in the postseason. The Celtics will try to hold homecourt advantage and turn away James and company when they host the Cavaliers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday.
James stepped up with his team facing elimination in Game 6 on Friday, collecting 46 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in 46 minutes to push Cleveland to a 109-99 win and put himself one win away from an eighth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. "I have a drive. I have a love of the game. I have a passion for the game," James told reporters. "While I have the opportunity to lace my shoes up and put a uniform on, then I try to go out and do my job to the best of my ability. ... I haven't always played great in my career. But I just always want to try to maximize when I'm on the floor, and I've been able to." Boston is trying to maximize its own potential and is prepared for a fight in Game 7. "It's about just winning the game now," Celtics guard Marcus Smart told reporters. "It's not going to be pretty. You got to be able to get down and get dirty. You can't go out and try to look pretty. You have to be ready for a dogfight. We got to be ready to come up with our nose bloodied, we got to be ready to come out with our mouth bloodied, we have to come out ready to fight."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
LINE HISTORY: The Celtics opened Game 7 as 2.5-point home favorites and were briefly bet down to -2, but as of Saturday night they had returned to the opening number. The total hit the board at 201.5 and has been gradually bet down to the current number of 198.5. Check out the complete line history here.
COVERS CONSENSUS: Despite LeBron's elimination game dominance, bettors are still riding with the Celtics at home, with 54 percent of public wagers backing Boston. When it comes to the total, 60 percent of bettors are on the Over. So with the number coming down that could indicate sharp money on the Under. Check out the up to date consensus data here.
WHAT SHARPS SAY: "The home/road dichotomy has been extreme for the Celtics this postseason. Boston is 10-0 SU at home, but just 1-7 SU on the road. In order to advance to the NBA Finals, they must beat a Cavaliers team that is now 6-2 SU in elimination games the past three years after their 10-point Game 6 win on Friday night. LeBron James dominated with 46 points on Friday and his teams are now 5-2 SU all-time in Game 7s." Covers Expert Steve Merril.
WHAT BOOKS SAY: "Shortly after game 6 on Friday night, we opened Boston -2 based on Kevin Love being questionable for today's elimination game with a head injury. On Saturday morning when it was announced that Love wouldnt play, the line went from Boston -2 to -2.5 where it still remains. 64% of cash & 61% of bets are taking Boston on the spread." - Online sportsbook TopBet.eu.
INJURY REPORT:
Cavaliers - C Kevin Love (Out, head).
Celtics - PG Kyrie Irving (Out, knee), SF Gordon Hayward (Out, ankle), PG Shane Larkin (Out, shoulder), Daniel Theis (Out, knee).
MATCHUP CHART:
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (61-38, 39-59-1 ATS, 46-51-2 O/U): Cleveland will spend the off day and the hours leading up to Game 7 monitoring the health of James, who was forced to play through a knee injury in the fourth quarter on Friday, and the team is expected to be without power forward Kevin Love in Game 7 after he was placed in the concussion protocol. The Cavaliers used a combination of players in the second half on Friday to fill the gap caused by the exit of Love, who has a history of concussions and did not play after the break. Jeff Green (14 points) and Larry Nance Jr. (10 points on 5-of-5 shooting) stepped up in Love's absence and will be counted on again in Game 7.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (66-34, 62-36-2 ATS, 53-46-1 O/U): Boston took the first three home games in the series by an average of 17 points and already has one Game 7 home win under its belt in the postseason after knocking off the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. "It's going to be a lot of fun, first and foremost," Celtics point guard Terry Rozier told reporters of playing Game 7 at home. "...We need the whole city of Boston to be behind us. We know LeBron is different than a lot of other guys, but we've got to get the job done. That's no excuse, so we're looking forward to it." Rozier scored a series-high 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting in Game 6 after slumping to eight points on 3-of-15 in Game 5.
TRENDS:
* Cavaliers are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 vs. Atlantic Division opponents.
* Celtics are 11-0 ATS in their last 11 home games.
* Over is 7-3 in Cavaliers last 10 games playing on one days rest.
* Over is 15-6 in Celtics last 21 home games.
* Home team is 6-0 ATS in the last six meetings.
