One of the great NBA future odds success stories in NBA coaching is JB Bickerstaff of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Bickerstaff took over in crisis during the middle of the 2019-20 season. Since then, he has methodically improved the team from 22-50 in his first full season to 51-31 last year. The Cavaliers are battling with the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia 76ers for the second spot in the Eastern Conference. Correlate that Bickerstaff has used an emphasis on defense to enable Cleveland to overcome its lack of scoring.
NBA 2024 Cleveland Cavaliers Odds
| Cleveland Cavaliers | Odds |
|---|---|
| 2024 NBA Championship Odds: | +1200 |
Cleveland Cavaliers Team Overview
At the approach of the All-Star Break, the Cleveland Cavaliers are 31-16 straight up, 25-22 against the spread, and 21-25 over/under the offshore betting total. Late on, Cleveland has covered seven out of their last ten games. While the Cavaliers have gone under the total in seven of its previous ten matchups. Cleveland is 3rd in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. Cleveland is 5.5 games behind the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
In sum, Cleveland has NBA metrics of 20th for scoring offense, 12th for field goal percentage, 22nd for 3-point field goal percentage, 20th for free throw percentage, and 7th for offensive rebounding. On defense, the Cavaliers have NBA metrics of 3rd for scoring defense, 4th for field goal percentage permitted, 9th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 8th for defensive rebounding. The arrival of Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz did help the Cavs as far as having a go-to man. However, their secondary scoring remains a concern.
Cleveland Cavaliers Key Players and Coach
JB Bickerstaff was a career NBA assistant for several teams before landing with the Cavaliers in 2019-20. Previously, he was also an interim head coach of the Houston Rockets.
SG Donovan Mitchell was the 13th overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft out of Louisville by the Denver Nuggets. Mitchell is a 5-time NBA All-Star, including this NBA odds season. Overall, Mitchell is averaging 28.2 points, 5,5 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game.
PG Darius Garland is averaging 19.4 points and 5.7 assists per game. Garland was the 5th overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft by the Cavaliers out of Vanderbilt. Previously, he was an All-Star in 2022 and a 2018 McDonald’s All-American.
PF Evan Mobley is averaging 15.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Correlate that Mobley was a 2nd round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft out of USC by the Cavs.
C Jarrett Allen is averaging 15.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per contest. Allen was the 22nd overall pick of the 20176 NBA Draft out of Texas by the Brooklyn Nets. Previously, he was a 2022 NBA All-Star.
Cleveland Cavaliers History
The Cleveland Cavaliers were born as an NBA expansion franchise in 1970-71. At the onset, they struggled to keep the attention of local fans until the late 1980s. Then, they emerged as a quality team under coach Lenny Wilkens.
James turned Cleveland into a champion after his return to the Cavaliers from the Miami Heat. The franchise had its most successful run in history, with James and Kyrie Irving leading the way. Cleveland made it to the NBA Finals four straight times. Finally, Cleveland knocked off the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals to give the city its first major sports title in decades.
James left Cleveland for another the Lakers following the 2017-18 season. In like manner, Kyrie Irving moved on from the Cavaliers too.