Betting the NBA Playoffs: Rotoworld and NBC Sports Best Bets for First Round Series

Welcome to the start of a two-month stretch of the most competitive basketball played at the highest level you will see all year. The first round of the NBA Playoffs tips off this weekend and there are betting angles at every turn. The experts at NBC Sports and Rotoworld are here to offer their thoughts on the opening round.

Each states their case concisely. MIA is the OKC series. At the time of publication, Golden State and Phoenix were playing.

While the support for OKC is overwhelming regardless of the winner of the final Play-In game, all deferred because their opponent had not been set and that obviously could affect the length of the series. Not surprising our experts agree on most series, but the keys in each series differ among the prognosticators. Eastern Conference Playoffs - Round 1 Playoff Matchups Toronto Raptors vs.

Cleveland Cavaliers Series Winner: Cavaliers -550 / Raptors +400 Jay Croucher (@croucherJD): Raptors "At price, the Raptors are the bet for me. There are ongoing concerns about Jarrett Allen’s knee, and the Cavs haven’t shown enough consistency to warrant this aggressive price. " Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports): Cavaliers "The Cavs went 18-6 with James Harden in the lineup this season and his addition is supposed to keep Cleveland’s championship window open.