Cnotes NBA Season Trends/News/ Stats/ Picks All You Need To Know !

[CNOTES]

May's Best Bets:
Date W-L-T % Units Record


05/23/2017.......... 0-2-0......... 0.00%.......... -11.00
05/22/2017.......... 1-1-0........ 50.00%........... -0.50
05/21/2017.......... 0-2-0.......... 0.00%......... -11.00
05/20/2017.......... 0-2-0.......... 0.00%......... -11.00
05/19/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%.......... -0.50
05/17/2017.......... 0-2-0........... 0.00%........ -11.00
05/16/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%.......... -0.50
05/12/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%.......... -0.50
05/11/2017.......... 2-0-0........ 100.00%....... +10.00
05/10/2017...........2-0-0.........100.00%.........+10.00
05/09/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%........... -0.50
05/08/2017.......... 0-2-0 ..........0.00%.......... -11.00
05/07/2017.......... 2-4-0......... 33.33%.......... -12.00
05/06/2017.......... 0-2-0........... 0.00%.......... -11.00
05/05/2017.......... 2-2-0......... 50.00%........... -1.00
05/04/2017.......... 0-4-0........... 0.00%.......... -22.00
05/03/2017.......... 3-1-0.......... 75.00%......... + 9.50
05/02/2017.......... 4-0-0......... 100.00%........ +20.00
05/01/2017.......... 3-1-0.......... 75.00%........... +9.50


Totals................23 - 29...........44.23%..........- 43.50


Best Bets Daily:
Sides / Totals


05/23/2017........... 0-1-0......... 0.00%.......... -1.10..............0 - 1......00.00...-1.10
05/22/2017........... 1-0-0........100.00%.........+1.00..............0 - 1......00.00...-1.10
05/21/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%...........-1.10..............0 - 1......00.00...-1.10
05/20/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%...........-1.10..............0 - 1......00.00...-1.10
05/19/2017............1 - 0............100%..........+1.00..............0 - 1.......00.00...-1.10
05/17/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%...........-1.10..............0 - 1.......00.00...-1.10
05/16/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%...........- 1.10.............1 - 0......100.00 +1.00
05/12/2017............1 - 0............100%...........+1.00.............0 - 1........0,00...-1.00
05/11/2017............1 - 0............100%...........+1.00.............1 - 0......100.00..+1.00
05/10/2017............1 - 0............100%...........+1.00.............1 - 0......100.00..+1.00
05/09/2017............0 - 1 .........00.00%............-1.10.............1 - 0......100.00....+1.00
05/08/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%............-1.10.............0 - 1 ......0.00%....-1.10
05/07/2017............2 - 1..........66.66%............+0.90............0 - 3.......0.00%...-3.30
5/06/2017.............0 - 1...........00.00%............-1.10.............0 - 1.......0.00%...-1.10
5/05/2017.............1 - 1...........50.00%............-0.10.............1 - 1......50.00%...-0.10
05/04/2017............0 - 2...........00.00%............-2.20.............0 - 2......0.00%.....- 2.20
05/03/2017............1 - 1...........50.00%...........- 0.10.............2 - 0......100%....+ 2.00
05/02/2017............2 - 0..........100.00%.........+ 2.00.............2 - 0.......100%....+ 2.00
05/01/2017............2 - 0..........100.00 %........+ 2.00.............1 - 1.......50%.......- 0.10


Totals...................13 - 13............50.00%.........-1.30..............10 - 16.......38.46%...-7.70

 

[CNOTES]

Game 5 - Cavaliers at Celtics
May 24, 2017


The Eastern Conference Finals seemed like a fait accompli (a done deal for you non-French speakers) after Cleveland rolled Boston in the first two games at TD Garden. The nail was in the coffin in Game 3 when the Cavaliers built a 21-point edge on the Celtics before Boston rallied to stun Cleveland with a late Avery Bradley three-pointer to win as 15 ½-point underdogs.


The tide seemed like it was turning Boston’s way as the Celtics jumped out to a 57-47 halftime edge in Game 4 at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland regrouped at halftime as the defending champions outscored Boston, 65-42 in the second half to knock off the Celtics, 112-99 to grab a commanding 3-1 series edge and come within one victory of setting up a third straight NBA Finals appearance against Golden State.


For the second straight game, the Celtics cashed as a heavy underdog (+15 ½), but the offense disappeared in the second half as Marcus Smart went from a 27-point effort in Game 3 to scoring only eight points in Game 4 on 1-of-9 shooting from the floor. Bradley led the Celtics with 19 points, but misfired on 6-of-7 attempts from three-point range, while Boston was outrebounded in the loss, 37-29.


Kyrie Irving took over for Cleveland in the third quarter by scoring 21 third quarter points and establishing a playoff-career high with 42 points. In spite of missing a wide-open dunk on a fast break, LeBron James bounced back from a brutal Game 3 performance to score 34 points on 15-of-27 shooting from the floor. Kevin Love posted a double-double with 17 points and 17 rebounds, as the Cavaliers shot 71% from the floor in the second half and nearly 60% for the game.


The venue shifts back to TD Garden in Beantown on Thursday as the Celtics try to keep their season alive. Leading scorer Isaiah Thomas isn’t returning this postseason after suffering a hip injury in Game 2, as the Celtics just to fix their uneven mark at home. Boston lost the first two games at home to Chicago before winning the next four (only one win came at home) to advance, but Brad Stevens’ team won all four games at TD Garden in the second round against Washington before regressing in the first two losses to Cleveland.


The ‘under’ (215 ½) connected in Game 4 and the total has now gone 2-2 in this series but VegasInsider.com NBA analyst Chris David could argue that the ‘over’ could easily be 4-0.


He explained, “Bettors riding the low side had to work for a full 48 minutes on Tuesday and anybody riding the ‘over’ has to be a little aggravated with what transpired in the final three minutes. Cleveland had built an 11-point lead (108-97) but the two teams only managed to combine for six points and Boston didn’t try to extend the game.” Oddsmakers sent out a total of 215 for Game 6 and the number was quickly pushed up to 216 at most betting shops.


David said, “I’m not surprised by the slight upward move and with Boston facing elimination, you have to believe that it will do everything to stay alive on Thursday. The Celtics have seen the ‘over’ go 7-2 at home in the playoffs and the defense (110.8 PPG) has been very suspect. Plus, Cleveland has shot better from distance (42.6%) on the road in the postseason, which has helped them average 116 PPG.”


“The Cavaliers have gone ‘under’ their team total in the last two games at home, but that number was hovering between 115 and 116 points. For this matchup, the Cavaliers are looking at 112 to cash and the ‘over’ has a good shot to connect based on what we’ve seen in the two games played at TD Garden. Cleveland posted 117 and 130 points in those victories and I believe they can get there again. I liked the way the Cavs played in Game 3 by only taking 22 attempts from 3-point land, compared to 39 in Game 3’s loss to Boston. The Celtics frontcourt is undermanned and that was evident with Cleveland scoring 58 points inside the paint in Game 4. If the Cavs get anywhere near that number again, they’ll easily drop triple digits and come very close to putting up totals close to their first two contests of this series.”


Cleveland doesn’t mess around in close-out games since James’ return to the Cavaliers in 2014. The Cavs are 9-0 in this stretch, which includes the Game 7 victory at Golden State to capture the franchise’s first championship. Eight of the nine wins came away from Quicken Loans Arena, including a pair of close calls in the first two rounds of this postseason against Indiana and Toronto by four and seven points, respectively. In five of the last six close-out contests, the Cavaliers have won by seven points or fewer.


Meanwhile, Boston struggled as a home underdog by compiling a 1-2 mark this season. If you go back to the 2015-16 season, the Celtics went 2-6 SU and 2-5-1 ATS. In the only two home elimination games under Stevens, Boston beat Washington in Game 7 in the previous round, while losing to Atlanta in the opening round in 2015.


VegasInsider.com NBA handicapper Tony Mejia provides his views heading into Game 5, “Irving's 42-point Game 4 explosion had many declaring that he's a better running mate than Scottie Pippen ever was in this LeBron James-Michael Jordan narrative people insist on harping on, which illustrates how bored we are with these Eastern Conference Finals. By rallying from a substantial second-quarter deficit with James on the bench with four fouls, Cleveland took all the remaining mystery out of the series now that it has three opportunities to get one last win, but it will be interesting to see what killer instinct they pack for this Game 5.”


“Boston is just 5-4 SU/ATS at home this postseason and was embarrassed by the Cavs in each of the first two games when both teams were at full strength to open the Eastern Conference finals, but it seems overly reactionary to see them open as a double-digit underdog at TD Garden for the first time all season in Game 5,” Mejia notes. “They're not the most talented group, but they've proven resilient. It wouldn't be overly surprising to see this extended one more game. Cleveland closed as a double-digit favorite on the road five times this season against the Lakers, Pelicans, Nets and 76ers, twice. They won four outright, but failed to cover in any of the games.”


The Cavaliers are currently at 2/1 odds to win the NBA title at Sportsbook.ag, while the Celtics are listed at a hefty 2500/1 to beat Cleveland in three straight games and then have enough in the tank to defeat Golden State four times. Game 5 from Boston tips off at 8:30 PM EST on Thursday and can be seen on TNT.

 

[CNOTES]

Cavs with chance to close in Game 5
May 24, 2017


BOSTON (AP) It took 10 games and halfway through the third round of the NBA playoffs before the Cleveland Cavaliers finally encountered their first true dose of resistance this postseason.


After cruising to a 2-0 Eastern Conference finals lead over Boston, the Cavs were humbled at home in a Game 3 loss, and needed a 42-point night from Kyrie Irving to battle back from a 16-point hole and win Game 4.


The chatter about an NBA Finals' matchup of two teams with unblemished playoff records is gone, but the challenge from the Celtics has sharpened the focus of the defending champs. Cleveland is expecting another unflinching effort in Game 5 from a Celtics team that isn't backing down despite facing a 3-1 deficit in the series.


''The closeout game is always the hardest.and Boston is going to make it even harder,'' said LeBron James, who rebounded from a playoff-low 11 points in Game 3 to score 34 in Game 4.


James had been saying that he felt like the Cavs needed to go through some adversity after a blistering 10-0 start to the postseason.


The way they responded Tuesday night - particularly on the defensive end - is a good sign for their prospects of wrapping up their third straight Eastern Conference crown on Thursday.


Boston shot 47 percent from the field and 35 percent from the 3-point line in the first half of Game 4 on their way to building as much as a 16-point lead.


While Irving's scoring ignited the Cavs' comeback, it was made possible thanks to Cleveland's defensive effort over the final 24 minutes. Cleveland limited the Celtics to 41 percent from the field and 29 percent from beyond the arc.


''We have to go in with a bunker mentality that we had in Game 1 and Game 2, to go out and do what we do, but we have to defend,'' James said. ''We have to execute offensively. We have to have low turnovers, and we have to try to make them miss because some of those guys play a lot better at home. That's just how the game be played.''


Everyone will have one eye on Irving's left ankle. He rolled it late in the third quarter of Game 4 when he stepped on Terry Rozier's foot. Irving stayed on the floor and finished the game, but with a day off between games there will be interest in how tender his ankle is at tipoff.


If the Celtics were playing with house money heading into the series, they are flush with it again as they return to the Garden.


They've given themselves a chance to erase the sting of their 44-point loss in Game 2. The Celtics are also guarding against ending their season by having to watch the Cavs celebrate a conference title on their home floor.


Boston lost All-Star Isaiah Thomas for the remainder of the postseason to a hip injury in Game 2, forcing coach Brad Stevens to shuffle his lineup and rotations in Games 3 and 4.


In addition, Jae Crowder suffered a strained left thigh in the third quarter of Game 4 as well, but returned to play the entire fourth quarter.


It's an indication that despite still being in a dire 3-1 hole, the resolve inside Boston's locker room remains strong.


''We owe our fans a better performance, and we know that, and we're going to play hard,'' Celtics guard Avery Bradley said. ''You're going to see a team playing hard, very hard, the entire game.''


It's also why Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said that his team must keep all thoughts of being on the cusp of a return to the NBA Finals at bay for now.


''You can't (think about it). As much as you want to, it's not over,'' he said.


If nothing else, Lue said their recent taste of adversity should help them remain humble heading into Game 5.


''I think it is making us better. And it's making us tougher. It's making us work,'' the Cavs coach said. ''Because they got a tough group over there. (Terry) Rozier is tough, Avery is tough, (Marcus) Smart's tough. Crowder. So, they got a lot of tough guys that are going to compete so they're making us compete, which is good for us.''

 

[CNOTES]

NBA knowledge
Thursday’s game


Cleveland lost Game 3 at home, then was down 10 at half in Game 4, but used a 40-23 third quarter to take Game 4 and a 3-1 series lead- they can end this series here. Cavaliers are 11-1 in playoffs (7-2-1 vs spread in last ten games), 6-0 on road (5-0-1 vs spread). Cleveland is 10-3 in its last 13 games with Boston, winning last three games in Beantown by 23-13-44 points. Celtics lost six of last nine games overall; over is 8-3 in their last 11 games- they were 18-40 on arc in Game 3, then 10-31 in Game 4. With Isaiah Thomas out, they need to make ton of 3’s to stay alive here.


Conference finals:


San Antonio-Golden State
GState 113-111, -10, O209.5
GState 136-100, -13, O211
GState 120-108, -9.5, U215.5
GState 129-115, -11, O218.5
Warriors win series, 4-0


Cleveland-Boston
Clev 117-104, -4.5, O219
Clev 130-86, -5, U218.5
Boston 111-108, +16, O215.5
Clev 112-99, -15, U215

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

Odds to win the PGA Tour event at Colonial this weekend:


12-1— Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth


14-1— Sergio Garcia


20-1— Jason Dufner


25-1— Matt Kuchar, Paul Casey


30-1— Bud Cauley, Kevin Kisner


35-1— Adam Hadwin, Tony Finau, Zach Johnson


**********


Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud……..


13) Dodgers beat St Louis 2-1 in 13 innings late Tuesday night, but Cardinals tied the game in the 9th inning in an odd way. Clayton Kershaw was going for a complete game shutout but threw a wild pitch with a man on second and Randall Grichuk scored all the way from second with the tying run. Don’t see that more than a couple of times a year.


12) That game Tuesday started the Cardinals out on a 47-game in 48-day stretch that takes them up to the All-Star break. Has to be a makeup game in there somewhere, since teams generally aren’t allowed to play more than 20 consecutive days.


11) They had a 3:12 rain delay in Atlanta Tuesday nite; with non-division opponents only visiting a city once a year, teams don’t want to have to play doubleheaders, so they wait the rain out and finish the game when they can, which in this case was close to 2am.


10) If you’re trying to develop young pitchers, like the Milwaukee Brewers are, is it smart to have your AAA farm team in the high altitude of Colorado Springs?


Arizona, Colorado, Milwaukee, San Diego and the Mets all have their AAA teams in high altitude cities.


9) North Carolina’s 6-10 Tony Bradley scored 7.1 pts/game in 14.6 minutes per game, but he is bolting to the NBA, UNC’s first one/done player since 2007 (Brandan Wright).


8) Most overused word in English language these days: “process”. If ballplayers don’t know what to say during an interview, they “trust the process”- its become a cliche.


7) Former Duke guard Frank Jackson had a stress reaction in his foot last winter at Duke but reportedly played pain-free through the season, but decided to have surgery on the foot now to begin the rehabilitation process- he is expected to be back by late July, but summer league is in early July.


Unless the kid got a promise from an NBA team that they will draft him, what on earth was he thinking, signing with an agent? That prevented him from going back to school, having the operation on Duke’s dime, rehabbing all summer and then playing for the Blue Devils next winter.


6) Purdue’s chances of making the Final Four next spring went down the drain when big man Caleb Swanigan stayed in the NBA Draft. Matt Painter is suspect as a game coach, so they probably wouldn’t have made it anyway, but having Swanigan gave them an advantage.


5) All-time, there have been 18,988 major league baseball players; Houston’s new backup catcher Juan Centeno became the 875th all-time Astro this week.


4) Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon has 44 RBI, most in the major leagues and he bats leadoff— part of that is because Colorado has sacrificed 22 times (most in MLB) this year, giving him lot of guys in scoring position when he bats.


Blackmon has come to bat with a guy on 3rd base 15 times this year (T2 in MLB), also 15 times with a man on second base (most in MLB). Makes it easier to get a lot of RBI that way.


3) Phillies were 12-12 on May 1st; they are 3-17 since then, with all three wins in games started by Jeremy Hellickson- they’ve lost their last 15 games not started by Hellickson.


2) If/when David Ortiz gets in the Hall of Fame and I think he will, then Edgar Martinez has to get in, too, since that would eliminate the anti-DH bias. Playing in Seattle shouldn’t work against him; Ortiz played in the eastern media spotlight, Martinez didn’t.


Martinez had a career on-base percentage of .418, he hit .312 with 309 homers. A great hitter.


1) Eagles’ QB Carson Wentz spent 10 days in LA this spring with QB gurus Adam Dedeaux and Tom House (of baseball fame), to improve his throwing mechanics, I guess. Doug Pederson is the Eagles’ coach, a former NFL QB and apparently he wasn’t all that happy Wentz did that.

 

[CNOTES]

Thursday's Eastern Conference Game 5 Betting Preview: Cavaliers at Celtics


The Cavaliers took a 3-1 series lead with a 112-99 victory in Game 4 as point guard Kyrie Irving (42 points) and small forward LeBron James (34) scored at will.


Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics (+10, 215.5)


Cavaliers lead series 3-1


The Cleveland Cavaliers are one victory away from joining the Golden State Warriors in a high-profile NBA Finals' rematch. Second-seeded Cleveland looks to sew up its spot when it visits the top-seeded Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday.


The Cavaliers took a 3-1 lead with a 112-99 victory in Game 4 as point guard Kyrie Irving (42 points) and small forward LeBron James (34) scored at will. Cleveland looked in jeopardy of returning to Boston with the series tied before a torrid second half in which it outscored the Celtics 65-42. The Celtics haven't found the home floor to be much help against the Cavaliers as they lost the first two games by an average of 28.5 points, including a 130-86 setback in Game 2. "We're humble enough to know that we haven't played well at home, and we want to give our home crowd a better outing than we did the past two games," forward Jae Crowder told reporters. "We're right there where we want to be, we're locked in."


TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, TNT


SERIES PRICE:


OFF the board.


LINE HISTORY: The Cavaliers opened as 8.5-point road favorites and by Wednesday night that point spread was bet up to 10. The total hit the betting board at 214.5 and has been bumped up to 215.5.


INJURY REPORT:


Cavaliers - C E. Tavares (Out For Season, hand), PG K. Felder (Out Indefinitely, leg).


Celtics - PF A. Johnson (Probable, shoulder), PG I. Thomas (Out For Season, hip), SF J. Crowder (Probable, thigh), SF J. Brown (Questionable, hip).


ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (62-32 SU, 43-47-4 ATS, 55-38-1 O/U): Irving tweaked an ankle but didn't seem to be the least bit affected as he scored 33 of his points during an impressive 19-minute stretch. "He's a special kid," James said of Irving. "He's a special talent. As the stakes get higher and higher, his game gets higher and higher, but it was nothing surprising for me." James overcame early foul trouble to make 15-of-27 shots after suffering through a porous Game 3 in which he tallied just 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting.


ABOUT THE CELTICS (62-37 SU, 51-46-2 ATS, 49-46-4 O/U): Guard Marcus Smart was a Game 3 hero with 27 points as he capably stepped up in the wake of Isaiah Thomas' season-ending hip injury. But he was unable to follow up that outing as he had just eight points on 1-of-9 shooting in Game 4 for his third single-digit deficit of the series. Crowder battled through a groin injury in Game 4 and produced 18 points and eight rebounds and is averaging 15.5 points and 7.8 rebounds in the series.


TRENDS:


* Cavaliers are 6-0-1 ATS in their last 7 road games.
* Celtics are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Over is 12-4 in Cavaliers last 16 games following a straight up win.
* Over is 8-1-1 in Celtics last 10 home games.
* Road team is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings.


CONSENSUS: 53 percent of users are siding with the road favorite Cleveland Cavaliers and 69 percent are on the Over.

 

[CNOTES]

NBA
Dunkel


Thursday, May 25



Cleveland @ Boston


Game 507-508
May 25, 2017 @ 8:30 pm


Dunkel Rating:
Cleveland
127.934
Boston
125.076
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland
by 3
225
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland
by 10 1/2
215 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(+10 1/2); Over








NBA
Long Sheet


Thursday, May 25


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


CLEVELAND (62 - 32) at BOSTON (62 - 37) - 5/25/2017, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 45-30 ATS (+12.0 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 9-9 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
CLEVELAND is 14-5 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
12 of 19 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------







NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up


Thursday, May 25


Cleveland lost Game 3 at home, then was down 10 at half in Game 4, but used a 40-23 third quarter to take Game 4 and a 3-1 series lead- they can end this series here. Cavaliers are 11-1 in playoffs (7-2-1 vs spread in last ten games), 6-0 on road (5-0-1 vs spread). Cleveland is 10-3 in its last 13 games with Boston, winning last three games in Beantown by 23-13-44 points. Celtics lost six of last nine games overall; over is 8-3 in their last 11 games- they were 18-40 on arc in Game 3, then 10-31 in Game 4. With Isaiah Thomas out, they need to make ton of 3’s to stay alive here.


Conference finals:
San Antonio-Golden State
GState 113-111, -10, O209.5
GState 136-100, -13, O211
GState 120-108, -9.5, U215.5
GState 129-115, -11, O218.5
Warriors win series, 4-0


Cleveland-Boston
Clev 117-104, -4.5, O219
Clev 130-86, -5, U218.5
Boston 111-108, +16, O215.5
Clev 112-99, -15, U215








NBA


Thursday, May 25


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


8:30 PM
CLEVELAND vs. BOSTON
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Cleveland's last 8 games when playing on the road against Boston
Cleveland is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston's last 6 games at home

 

[CNOTES]

THURSDAY, MAY 25


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


CLE at BOS 08:30 PM


BOS +10.0


O 216.5

 

[CNOTES]

Cavs roll past Celtics for East title
May 25, 2017


BOSTON (AP) LeBron James scored 35 points and passed Michael Jordan to become the NBA's all-time playoff scoring leader as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Boston Celtics 135-102 on Thursday night to claim their third straight Eastern Conference title and a return trip to the NBA Finals.


Kyrie Irving added 24 points and Kevin Love finished with 15 for the Cavs, who never trailed and led by as many as 39 points in one of their most dominating wins of the series. The Cavs set an NBA record by winning their 13th consecutive series closeout opportunity.


Cleveland's 4-1 series' win gives it a 12-1 record this postseason and sets up a third consecutive matchup with Western Conference champion Golden State, the team it beat in the Finals last season to claim the franchise's first championship.


It will mark the seventh straight trip to the Finals for James.


''This team is a crazy team. They just stayed resilient all year, got to the playoffs, and we really stepped our game up,'' Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. ''Now we can start focusing on Golden State to get ready. As of tonight, I'll get started.''


Avery Bradley led Boston with 23 points.


The Cavaliers basically conceded the East's top seed to the Celtics at the end of the regular season by opting to rest its starters in advance of the playoffs. But they displayed their superiority over the final two games to wrap up the series.


After allowing the Celtics to seize the early momentum in Game 4, the Cavs barely gave them the chance in Game 5.


Led by its Big Three, Cleveland quickly built a 21-point lead in the first quarter, while getting lots of contributions from their teammates.


Love continued to knock down shots from the outside, Irving sliced his way into the lane to the rim and James got free for several of his one-handed, tomahawk dunks.


It was a very welcomed sight in Irving's case, after he rolled his left ankle in the third quarter of Cleveland's Game 4 win. He showed no signs of lingering issues, though, beating several defenders off the dribble and handing out seven assists.


Meanwhile, J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver all helped spread out Boston's defenders by connecting on several wide-open scoring opportunities.


Deron Williams, who had been quiet for most of the series, also got in on the act with a series-best 14 points for Cleveland.


The Celtics did their best to keep up, but the consistent outside shooting, bench scoring and defense they relied on to stun Cleveland in Game 3 wasn't there Thursday night.


''I thought we played a little too haphazard tonight,'' Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. ''Our offensive mistakes led to bad defense, and it just kind of snowballed on us.''


He said though he's disappointed with how the season ended, he's encouraged that no one in Boston's locker room is satisfied just making it to the conference finals.


''I told our guys: `We made a lot of great strides, but this pain is part of the path to what we ultimately want to be,''' he said.


TIP-INS


Cavaliers: James has scored 30 or more points in 11 of Cleveland's 13 games this postseason. ... Improved to 36-5 against Eastern Conference opponents in the playoffs since 2015. ... The 43 points Cleveland scored in the first quarter set a team postseason record for points in a quarter.


Celtics: Injured point guard Isaiah Thomas led his teammates in a pregame huddle before they took the court for warmups. Thomas sat out the rest of the series after aggravating a hip injury in Game 2. ... Held a pregame moment of silence for the victims of the Manchester bombing. ... Were whistled for 16 fouls in the first half.

 

[CNOTES]

James breaks MJ's playoff scoring mark
May 25, 2017


BOSTON (AP) King James has another throne.


LeBron James surpassed Michael Jordan for the top spot on the NBA's all-time playoff scoring list on Thursday night. The Cavaliers star hit a 3-pointer in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics that gave him 29 points in the game and 5,989 points in his postseason career.


Jordan scored 5,987 in his postseason career in 179 games from 1985-2003.


James played in his 212th career postseason game on Thursday night, when the Cavaliers met the Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.


James entered the game 27 points behind Jordan.

 

[CNOTES]

Steve Kerr not yet ready to return
May 25, 2017


OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Steve Kerr is involved in just about everything but the actual game-day coaching for the Golden State Warriors - film session, coaches meetings, game-planning and practice.


He's just not yet ready from a health standpoint to be back on the bench with the start of the NBA Finals a week away.


General manager Bob Myers made the announcement Thursday , though he didn't rule out Kerr returning at some point if he somehow is healthy enough to do so - though that doesn't appear promising at this stage.


''If he feels better and we have to make those decisions, we will, but right now we're not putting any deadlines on should he feel better what will we do,'' Myers said. ''It'll be based on what day it is, how exactly he feels, how long he's felt well. I should be saying this with more emotion because it's hard for me. I'm kind of in this basketball mode but he's a person and he's not feeling well and that's what makes it hard - more than how it affects our team is how he's feeling that makes it very difficult to have to sit here and say that the man that's hugely responsible for us being in the Finals for three years in a row, in a moment that he should be treasuring, can't do it.


''It's painful, and I know it's painful for him more than anybody.''


Kerr was there as his team returned to practice following a two-day break after completing a four-game sweep of the Spurs on Monday night to improve to 12-0 this postseason. Myers noted that ''just having him in the building and around is very powerful.''


The 51-year-old Kerr underwent a procedure May 5 to repair a spinal fluid leak stemming from complications after two back surgeries in 2015, after the Warriors won their first championship in 40 years during his first season as coach.


While people have asked Kerr whether he should step away, Myers knows that's not the immediate answer.


''This is his sanctuary. Even though he's suffering, being at home or being removed is actually harder if we can understand that, because this is his joy,'' the GM said. ''Even though it's a muted joy right now, this is the best thing that he feels. This is his fulfillment.''


Kerr returned to practice May 13 after more than three weeks off the court, and he hasn't coached the Warriors on the bench since Game 2 of the first round against Portland. He then traveled for the Western Conference finals to San Antonio and has been watching games from behind the scenes, speaking to the team beforehand and during halftime. Acting coach Mike Brown has been leading Golden State during Kerr's absence.


It's unclear how well the latest procedure worked for Kerr, who missed the initial 43 games last season dealing with debilitating symptoms such as headaches and nausea that have returned throughout this season.


''Unfortunately this has been a two-year odyssey,'' Myers said. ''He's never tried to sugarcoat how he feels. Sadly, we've been dealing with this. So I can tell, and you guys are around, you see the ups and downs. ... He's not going to put himself or the team at risk and say that he can do it if he doesn't feel like he can.''


Brown said he will continue to lead the way with reigning NBA Coach of the Year Kerr's guidance until told otherwise. Myers doesn't ask Kerr every day how he is feeling, rather allowing the coach to reach out with any updates.


''This is unusual, right?'' Myers said. ''It's a lot of gray area even though Mike has won all these games. There's no right or wrong way to handle this, short of looking in his eyes: `How you feeling? How do you feel about doing it?'''


Even Myers, a close friend of Kerr along with being a colleague, is struggling to appreciate the accomplishment by the Warriors given the coach's heart-wrenching ordeal.


''Somebody asked me, `Is going to the Finals three times muted because of what's going on?' Of course it is,'' Myers said. ''This should be great. This should be unbelievable. And we are excited, and we are proud, but our head coach can't coach. It's not an excuse, it's just a fact, and that sucks. But we deal with it, and everybody has been dealing with it and have met that challenge and have embraced it and will continue to do it.''

 

[CNOTES]

May's Best Bets:
Date W-L-T % Units Record


05/25/2017.......... 1-1-0....... 50.00%............ -0.50
05/23/2017.......... 0-2-0......... 0.00%.......... -11.00
05/22/2017.......... 1-1-0........ 50.00%........... -0.50
05/21/2017.......... 0-2-0.......... 0.00%......... -11.00
05/20/2017.......... 0-2-0.......... 0.00%......... -11.00
05/19/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%.......... -0.50
05/17/2017.......... 0-2-0........... 0.00%........ -11.00
05/16/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%.......... -0.50
05/12/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%.......... -0.50
05/11/2017.......... 2-0-0........ 100.00%....... +10.00
05/10/2017...........2-0-0.........100.00%.........+10.00
05/09/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%........... -0.50
05/08/2017.......... 0-2-0 ..........0.00%.......... -11.00
05/07/2017.......... 2-4-0......... 33.33%.......... -12.00
05/06/2017.......... 0-2-0........... 0.00%.......... -11.00
05/05/2017.......... 2-2-0......... 50.00%........... -1.00
05/04/2017.......... 0-4-0........... 0.00%.......... -22.00
05/03/2017.......... 3-1-0.......... 75.00%......... + 9.50
05/02/2017.......... 4-0-0......... 100.00%........ +20.00
05/01/2017.......... 3-1-0.......... 75.00%........... +9.50


Totals................24 - 30...........44.44%..........- 44.00


Best Bets Daily:
Sides / Totals


05/25/2017 ...........0 - 1...........0.00%...........-1.10..............1 - 0......100.00 +1.00
05/23/2017........... 0-1-0......... 0.00%.......... -1.10..............0 - 1......00.00...-1.10
05/22/2017........... 1-0-0........100.00%.........+1.00..............0 - 1......00.00...-1.10
05/21/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%...........-1.10..............0 - 1......00.00...-1.10
05/20/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%...........-1.10..............0 - 1......00.00...-1.10
05/19/2017............1 - 0............100%..........+1.00..............0 - 1.......00.00...-1.10
05/17/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%...........-1.10..............0 - 1.......00.00...-1.10
05/16/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%...........- 1.10.............1 - 0......100.00 +1.00
05/12/2017............1 - 0............100%...........+1.00.............0 - 1........0,00...-1.00
05/11/2017............1 - 0............100%...........+1.00.............1 - 0......100.00..+1.00
05/10/2017............1 - 0............100%...........+1.00.............1 - 0......100.00..+1.00
05/09/2017............0 - 1 .........00.00%............-1.10.............1 - 0......100.00....+1.00
05/08/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%............-1.10.............0 - 1 ......0.00%....-1.10
05/07/2017............2 - 1..........66.66%............+0.90............0 - 3.......0.00%...-3.30
5/06/2017.............0 - 1...........00.00%............-1.10.............0 - 1.......0.00%...-1.10
5/05/2017.............1 - 1...........50.00%............-0.10.............1 - 1......50.00%...-0.10
05/04/2017............0 - 2...........00.00%............-2.20.............0 - 2......0.00%.....- 2.20
05/03/2017............1 - 1...........50.00%...........- 0.10.............2 - 0......100%....+ 2.00
05/02/2017............2 - 0..........100.00%.........+ 2.00.............2 - 0.......100%....+ 2.00
05/01/2017............2 - 0..........100.00 %........+ 2.00.............1 - 1.......50%.......- 0.10


Totals...................13 - 14............48.14%.........-2.40..............11 - 16.......40.74%...-6.70