They Can’t be Beat – Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers

Atlanta Remains Steep Underdog For Good Reason

Well, if you were kind of upset that Kobe didn’t get the MVP nod, or that Wade was overshadowed , can put down your hatorade now. LeBron dropped a 34 points, hauled down 10 boards and, just for good measure, stole the ball four times. He made Atlanta look like a prep-school team on the court with him. He dominated. He wowed. He amazed. Most of all – he won the game for Cleveland.

Atlanta, looking for answers, continues their woeful road game play. Joe Johnson may be the most productive player on the team, but Josh Smith is the fulcrum of the Hawks. He put up 22 points, but is erratic on the road. Hell, he’s erratic at home sometimes too. That’s the problem when you’re a player that bases everything on emotion. Away from home, Smith can’t draw enough energy from his environment to blow the roof off the joint. And against Cleveland, Smith shrivels to just 9.7 points per game.

NBA Betting Trends

-Atlanta is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road

-Atlanta is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Cleveland

-Atlanta is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Cleveland

-Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games Cleveland is 19-1 SU in its last 20 games at home

-Cleveland is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Atlanta

-Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta

The trends don’t favor Atlanta at all. The line inflated by two-points, and there’s no reason it really shouldn’t. They’re 1-4 SU in their last 5 road games, and they’ve been horrific against the spread when away from the comfort of the Dirty Dirty.

At this point there’s no doubting LeBron’s desire to vindictively prove that he is the best of the best. Staving off a playoff apocalypse from the three horsemen of Atlanta is just another walk in the park for the newly crowned MVP of the NBA. Dropping 34 in the first game was just the tip of the iceberg. Don’t expect Atlanta to come up with any genius coaching strategies as the star of LeBron keeps rising.

#4 Atlanta Hawks vs. #1 Cleveland Cavaliers

Thursday, May 7th — Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland — 8:00pm EST

NBA Betting Line: Cleveland -13 (177.5)

I have zero faith in Atlanta to drop it like it’s hot (as they say in Atlanta). Cleveland all around is a phenomenal team. Big Z can embarrass Al Horfod, especially with the former Florida Gator limping on a gimp ankle. Mo Willliams can outshoot Joe Johnson on any given night.

And the betting hopes of Atlanta rest on the slumped shoulders of Josh Smith. He’s never played against LeBron very well. Is he going to start now? Don’t bet on it.

NBA Furious Free Pick: Cleveland -13 (OVER)