Nets vs Heat Online Betting Odds
The Brooklyn Nets will make the trip out to South Beach just two days after a deciding Game 7 in their opening round series, as they will continue into the Eastern Conference semifinals with a visit with the Miami Heat. [ad-4468020]
Eastern Conference semifinal Game 1
Brooklyn Nets (4-3) at Miami Heat (4-0)
Date: Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Venue: American Airlines Arena
City: Miami, Florida
O/U Odds: 191.5
Spread: Miami -7
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The Nets were able to get past the Raptors by the narrowest of margins in the opening round, while the Heat easily dispatched of the Bobcats in a series sweep.
The Nets won each of the four regular season meetings between these teams during the regular season, and they would love nothing more than to pick up another four, even if they come in the ugly variety that they pulled off in the first round.
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Reading into the Nets’ regular season play against the Heat could be a little much, as three of those four victories came by just a single point, and the fourth came in overtime. The Nets’ core of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett have history with LeBron James and the Heat, and they surely won’t give an inch in this series.
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The veteran Nets will lean heavily on the like of Pierce and Joe Johnson to find their scoring. Point guard Deron Williams will also need to be at his best, as the point guard position is an area that the team’s opponents need to exploit, as the Heat have so much depth at the other positions.
The Nets added some significant bodies in the offseason with the Heat in mind, and depth guys like Andrei Kirilenko, Alan Anderson, Mirza Teletovic, and trade deadline acquisition Marcus Thornton will need to be at the top of their game if the team is going to keep up.
LeBron James averaged 27.5 points in those four meetings against the Nets in the regular year, and had to play two of those four contests without Dwyane Wade, though Wade scored an average of 21.5 points in the two games he did participate in. Pierce averaged 21.3 points in those games, while Johnson averaged 19.5.
Those regular season meetings have been getting far too much play in the media. The Heat have a way of finding another gear in the postseason, and the Nets simply don’t possess the athleticism to keep up with them. Additionally, the total in this series is quite low, and we could see it shaded a few points higher come Game 2.
Playoff Trends
The Heat are 21-8-1 ATS in their last 30 conference semifinal games, while the Nets are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games against Southeast Division opponents.
The over is 5-1 in the Nets last six road games, and 6-1 in the Heat’s last seven games played on three or more days rest.
The play: Miami -7, Over 191.5
