If the odds boards are any indication, the Eastern Conference is wide open.
BetMGM Sportsbook has four teams – the Cavaliers, Celtics, Pistons and Knicks – between +300 and +400 to win the conference.
That’s about as close as it gets this late in the season, but there’s one team that went all-in at the NBA trade deadline that oddsmakers may still be undervaluing.
The Cavaliers made some big changes earlier this month, sending Darius Garland to the Clippers in exchange for James Harden.
While Garland is a promising young guard, injuries limited him to just 26 games this season, and he hasn’t quite looked like himself on the court, making Harden a huge asset without much of a loss.
It is shown on the field.
Since Harden’s arrival, Cleveland is 6-1 entering Wednesday night’s game against the Bucks with an impressive win over the Nuggets in Denver and a loss to the Knicks on Tuesday night.
Over that stretch, the Cavs have the second-best Net Rating (+10.6) in the East, behind only the non-contender Heat, and have the third-best rated offense and 11th best-rated defense in the league.
Their lone loss came against the Thunder in Oklahoma City in their third game in four nights after the All-Star break.
Harden gives the Cavs two top scorers in addition to Donovan Mitchell and offers a bit more defense compared to the much smaller Garland.
And that wasn’t all they did on deadline.
Cleveland also made a sneaky deal to land Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroeder from the Kings for De’Andre Hunter in a three-team deal with the Bulls, who ended up getting a pair of second-round picks and forward Dario Saric.
Ellis gives them solid defense and three-point shooting off the bench, while Schroeder provides a third ballhandler, making the Cavaliers one of the best guards in the league.
The deal was also likely an addition by subtraction by getting rid of Hunter, who had a -0.5 plus-minus and opened up more minutes for sharpshooting wings Sam Merrill and Dean Wade.
The Pistons are still very young and lack the scoring power needed in the playoffs behind Cade Cunningham. The Celtics have remained surprisingly good without Jayson Tatum, but it’s hard to imagine them making a deep postseason run unless their star can miraculously return to full strength after an Achilles injury. And we’ve all seen how unconvincing the Knicks have been all season.
Bet on the NBA?
Wednesday’s news of Harden’s broken thumb may scare bettors, but the injury occurred in his non-shooting hand and should allow him to return in plenty of time for the postseason, if he misses any extended time at all.
Take the Cavaliers in a crowded East.
The Play: Cavaliers Win Eastern Conference (+300, BetMGM Sportsbook)
Why trust New York Post betting
Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst in many sports. He especially has a lot of knowledge of the big three: MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
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