Brooklyn vs Miami Online Betting Odds
The Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets will face off in the second round of the postseason in a battle of the first and sixth seeds in the Eastern Conference. [ad-4468020]
Series Odds
Series: Heat -550, Nets +445
Conference: Heat -280, Nets +700
NBA Title: Heat +155, Nets +1600
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The Heat easily did away with the Bobcats in the opening round, coming away with a series sweep, while the Nets needed a full complement of games to do away with the Raptors, and even then, they snuck past them by just a single point in a deciding Game 7.
The Heat didn’t need much of an edge against the Bobcats, but they got some help anyway when Charlotte center Al Jefferson tore his plantar fascia early in the series. He was a player to watch for, given the lack of bigs on the Heat, but the team was able to handle him easily as his mobility was limited. The absence of Brook Lopez in this series could have a similar impact.
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As for the sixth-seeded Nets, they upset the third-seeded Raptors in a series that went right down to the final seconds.
Toronto even had a chance to advance on a drive by Kyle Lowry in the final seconds of the game, but Paul Pierce came up big, as he often does, this time, with a block at the buzzer to preserve the win.
The x-factor in this series could be Nets shooting guard Joe Johnson, who averaged 21.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists on 51.8 percent shooting from the field.
His size and skill posed a real problem for the Raptors, but the Heat have multiple players that can guard someone with his skill set, though he was able to average 19.5 points in the four regular season meetings between these teams, including a big 32-point game.
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The league has already been treated to battles between the Nets’ Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, and the Heat’s LeBron James.
The teams have previously met when the duo played with the Celtics, with Garnett and Pierce taking the first two of four meetings, but since moving to Miami, LeBron’s Heat have won each of the last two postseason meetings.
The latest chapter in the story is going to be interesting, as Ray Allen will be in tow for the Heat in this one. Allen was a member of the Celtics’ big three along with Garnett and Pierce before leaving for South Beach last season.
He has already been rewarded with a championship ring since coming over, and looks to add another this season.
NBA Playoff Betting Prediction
The main talking point in this one is that the Nets claimed all four regular season meetings between these teams during the regular season, but these are the playoffs, and the Heat have a way of flipping the on switch and finding another level when the games start to really count.
The absence of Brook Lopez makes all the difference here. He has the ability to exploit the Heat in the paint, as that’s their biggest area of weakness given their lack of bigs. The Nets will likely remain competitive in most of the games, and might even squeeze one out, but they simply lack the athleticism to keep up with the Heat.
Miami is going to want to end this game in a hurry, and they should be able to do so.
Prediction: Heat win 4-1
