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ESPN Staff Writer- Dave Tuley has covered the Las Vegas race and sports book scene since 1998 and runs his own website, ViewFromVegas.com.
LAS VEGAS -- The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of the NBA's Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night. And while these are the top two seeds in the East, they took totally opposite ways to get here.
The Cavaliers swept both the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks while the Raptors were taken to Game 7's by both the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat. According to ESPN Stats & Info, this is the first Conference final in which a team that has played the minimum number of games through the first two rounds will face a team that has played the maximum. Another stat I love: the Raptors have racked up 6,905 frequent-flier miles while the Cavaliers have only accumulated 1,302.
But that's all trivial: This is ESPN Chalk's Eastern Conference Finals Betting Guide, and we're more interested in stats that can help up pick the winners of the upcoming games.
The Cavaliers are a prohibitive -1600 favorite (risk $16 for every $1 you want to profit) at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook with the Raptors at +900 (profit $9 for every $1 wagered). Not too many people are giving the Raptors a chance to win the series, though ESPN's Basketball Power Index (BPI) has Cleveland at a 69 percent chance of advancing to the NBA Finals, so the Raptors' 31 percent chance is closer to odds of 2-1, with the current 9-1 price appearing to offer a lot of value.
