Miami vs San Antonio Online Betting Odds
The San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat will meet in the NBA Finals for the second year in a row beginning on Thursday. The two teams took part in an epic Finals a year ago with the Heat prevailing in seven games to win their second title in as many years.[ad-4468020]
2014 NBA Final odds
Series: San Antonio -126, Miami +106
Game 1: San Antonio -4, Un 198.5
[dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
Both teams met little resistance on their way to the Finals. The Heat needed only three games above the minimum to dispose of their first three playoff opponents. They swept the Charlotte Bobcats, then pulled off a gentleman’s sweep of the Brooklyn Nets, before downing the rival Indiana Pacers in six games.
For the top-seeded Spurs, they actually had their most trouble in the opening round, when they fell behind their instate rival the Dallas Mavericks 2-1, before winning three of the final four games in that seven-game series.
For there, the Spurs easily disposed of the Portland Trail Blazers after taking a 3-0 series lead, getting away from the Blazers in five. The Spurs brought back some ugly memories of the 2012 postseason when they lost back-to-back games in Oklahoma City to draw even with the Thunder at two games apiece before winning the next two.
CLICK GRAB OUR BEST Expert Hoops Picks for 2014 GAMBLING season!
Last year’s Finals was all but won by the Spurs, with the South Beach faithful famously exiting the stadium early in Game 6 with the series all but lost before Ray Allen pulled the team from the jaws of defeat with some clutch work from beyond the arc.
[ad-6571516]
This year, much of the talk leading up to the series surrounds Spurs point guard Tony Parker who is dealing with separate ankle and hamstring injuries that have put his status for Game 1 in doubt. Luckily for both him and the Spurs, there is a five-day break before their final win over the Trail Blazers and the opening game of the Finals. Don’t be surprised when Parker plays every game of the Finals.
A player to watch this time around will be Kawhi Leonard, who averaged 14.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.0 steals in last year’s Finals as a 22-year-old. The Spurs’ big three will surely attract the majority of the attention from the Heat defense, leaving Leonard to deal with secondary defenders, offering him the opportunity to again have a big series.
As for the Heat, the stellar play of LeBron James should come as no surprise. He’s averaging 27.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in the postseason. What has been surprising has been the consistent strong play of Dwyane Wade, who is averaging 18.7 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.9 rebounds.
Wade has also stepped up his shooting from beyond the arc. He didn’t even attempt a three-pointer in last year’s Finals, but shot 6-for-13 from three in the Eastern Conference Finals after making only one three-pointer in the first two rounds of the postseason.
2014 NBA Finals Betting Prediction
Bettors are going to want to think back to last season and remember how profitable betting on the total was. Alert bettors cashed-in on the overs when the series was in Miami, where the over went 3-0, but switched back to the under when the games were in San Antonio, where the under went 3-1, with Allen’s late three-pointers forcing overtime the only thing keeping that fourth under from coming through.
As for the series itself, the Heat seem to have taken a major step back from what they were a year ago, particularly at the defensive end of the court, which has been their trademark during the big three era. Conversely, the Spurs can seem to do no wrong, with every one of Gregg Popovich’s moves seemingly working out to perfection. The determined Spurs could make short work of the Heat this time around, though a couple heroic efforts from LeBron could be enough to extend this series.
Series prediction: San Antonio wins 4-2
