Raptors vs Cavaliers ECF Game 5 Lines Preview

Raptors vs Cavaliers ECF Game 5 Lines Preview

Written by on May 24, 2016

In the sports world, people tend to be a little too quick in declaring a playoff series dead in the water. A team that wins the opening 2 games of a series are almost immediately declared a mortal lock, which causes their NBA betting odds to drop dramatically. If history has shown us anything, though, it’s that teams who look dead and buried often find a way to rise up again and make things interesting.

After the first 2 games of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers certainly looked too good for the Toronto Raptors, but over the course of a couple of days in Canada, that perception shifted dramatically. There was always the belief that Toronto might win a consolation game on home court, but few people saw them taking both games to tie the series at 2-2.

That is exactly what they did, though, and they can now apply some real pressure to the Cavs when they head back to Cleveland for Game 5 on Wednesday night. You can keep up to date with all the latest odds at MyBookie.ag.

How To Bet The Raptors vs Cavaliers NBA ECF Game 5 Odds, TV & Game Info

  • When: Wednesday, May 25 at 8:30 PM EST
  • Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland
  • TV: ESPN
  • NBA Odds: TBA

Why bet on the Toronto Raptors?

The Raptors were always only ever going to go as far as Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan would carry them, which meant it looked like the end of the road in this series. Both men were shut down in the opening two games of the series, with Lowry leaving the bench to decompress in the 2nd quarter of Game 2.

A lot of finger pointing ensued, but both men rose to the occasion back on home court, with DeRozan scoring 32 in Game 3, and Lowry scoring 35 in Game 4. The big question now is whether or not they can take that show on the road to beat a Cavaliers team that is perfect at home in the postseason.

Why bet on the Cleveland Cavaliers?

The Cavaliers have been left with a couple of questions to answer after failing to show up in Toronto. Is Kevin Love going to be healthy enough to be effective after picking up an injury in Game 4, and is Tyronn Lue really the coach that can lead the Cavs to the Promised Land? Love says that he will be ready for Game 5, but there are an awful lot of people who suddenly doubt that Lue is the man for the job.

That seems a little unfair after the Cavaliers took their first postseason loss after winning 10-straight, but the doubts are there just the same, Cleveland have been a formidable bunch at home in these playoffs, and with 2 of the final 3 games of this series on home court, they still have to be the favorites to move on.

My Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

The first 2 games played in Cleveland in this series were one-sided affairs, but I don’t think we are going to see a blowout in this one. The live odds are sure to have the Cavs as the favorite, and while I think they will win, I also think it’ll be a tough battle.

Toronto Raptors 98 Cleveland Cavaliers 101