Why The Cleveland Cavaliers' Over/Under Win Total Makes Sense

The Cleveland Cavaliers' over/under win total has been set to 47.5, which is actually perfectly reasonable for the 2024-25 NBA campaign.

Apr 27, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) reacts after making a there point basket against the Orlando Magic in the second quarter during game four of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers' over/under win total for the 2024-25 NBA season has been set at 47.5 by DraftKings Sportsbook, which seems fairly low to some people considering that the Cavaliers won 48 games last season.

However, it's actually fairly appropriate when you account for a variety of factors.

First of all, the Cavaliers' over/under win total is tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference. And who are they tied with? The Orlando Magic, who they finished one game ahead of last season.

Second, we need to keep in mind the durability issues of some of Cleveland's key players.

People will point to the fact that the quartet of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen only played 28 games together last year as reasoning why the Cavs' over/under should be higher, but Garland has always been fairly injury-prone, and Mobley has played 70 games just once in three NBA seasons.

Thirdly, the Cavaliers have not made any major additions outside of draft pick Jaylon Tyson this summer. They were unable to win 50 games last season with virtually the same roster, so they are certainly no slam dunk to hit the over on 47.5 in 2024-25.

There is no question that Cleveland is a good basketball team. It is a playoff squad for sure, but a legitimate argument can be made that the Cavs are not a top-five club in the East. As a matter of fact, one can safely make the claim that there are six teams in the conference that could be better than the Cavaliers.

The Celtics, Bucks, Knicks and 76ers all look clearly better than Cleveland at the moment, and the Pacers and Magic have cases themselves.

For reference, Boston's over/under is set at 57.5, and the Celtics won 64 games and captured the NBA championship this past year.

Fans have a habit of taking these types of betting lines as gospel and will frequently get insulted that their favorite team came in at a total that they feel is a bit too low.

But realistically speaking, 47.5 is not a bad number for the Cavs. The Cavaliers may very well win 50 games, but there also remains the possibility that they win 45 and finish sixth or seventh in the East.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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