Round 2 of the 2018 NBA Playoffs are done and dusted and what an exciting round it was! We now come to the Conference Finals, which promise to be just as thrilling as Boston face off against Cleveland in the East and Golden State take on Houston in the West. We take a look at the Eastern Conference in full and give our betting tips below.
The Celtics were shock winners over Philadelphia in Round 2 of the playoffs, downing Aussie Ben Simmons and star big man Joel Embiid in five games to set up a date with LeBron James in the conference finals.
Boston are still undefeated at home throughout the two rounds, proving that even without stars Gordon Hayward or Kyrie Irving in the line-up, they can match it with the best in the league. Coach Brad Stevens has been fantastic throughout the whole season so far and the production he has been able to get out of young stars in Terry Rozier, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown has been outstanding.
Tatum in particular has taken his game to another level in the playoffs, averaging over 20 points per game and proving he can be an elite scorer in any situation. We like the value in him to be the leader in this series, minus LeBron of course.
TIP: Jayson Tatum most series points (without LeBron James) - $2.45 at CrownBet
After a really shaky opening round against the Pacers in which Cleveland just got over the line in seven games, LeBron and co. flicked the switch against Toronto in Round 2, demolishing them in four games as the 4-time MVP had arguably the most dominant series of his career.
James is playing like a man possessed at the moment, but the real factor in this series will depend on how much support he can get from his role players. Kevin Love turned up in the Toronto series and Kyle Korver and J.R Smith have slowly been working their way into form throughout the playoffs so far.
Really tough series to call here, it might be the unpopular pick but I actually love the Celtics. The home form of their young stars is actually a real factor and I just think Brad Stevens will come prepared with a much better defensive plan for LeBron James than Toronto did.
TIP: Boston Celtics to win - $2.90 at CrownBet
