The Miami Heat came close to beating one of the most hollowed streaks in NBA history. It's astounding to think that a team can keep up the energy and focus to not lose a single game in nearly three months.
Miami is on a mission to become an all-time great team, and in order to take their spot alongside the 72-10 Chicago Bulls, they will need to accomplish two things: win a title and break the 1971-72 Los Angeles win-streak record.
The Miami Heat, heading into the playoffs, simply look unbeatable. They blowout teams, make monstrous second-half comebacks and make the rest of the league resemble a JV squad.
The honest truth is that the Heat are going to win this year’s NBA title and there is nothing any other team can do about it, and that includes the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
Since the playoffs are only a matter of weeks away, let’s take a look at a few Heat futures and try and find the best wagers to make.
Eastern Conference Odds (-500)
The Heat are massive favorites to win the Eastern Conference at -500 odds. The next team in line, the Indiana Pacers, are getting +1200.
Wagering $500 to win $100 on the Heat is a bit expensive, but if your bankroll is big enough to make the bet, then by all means go ahead because no other team is coming out of the East expect for Miami. The team is too good and too focused to lose a seven-game series against anybody in the notoriously weak Eastern Conference.
Title Odds (-140)
Miami’s title odds are much cheaper and easier to wager on than their conference odds. The Heat are a massive favorite to win this year’s title and are the only team receiving a negative price. The truth here is that Miami is the best team in the league and they will not lose a seven-game series to the Thunder.
The only question is how well Miami will do against the San Antonio Spurs. The two teams have not really played against each other the past two seasons, and while the Heat will definitely be the favorite in that hypothetical match-up, the Spurs are really the only team with a chance to dethrone them.
Finals Match-Ups
vs. Thunder (+220) / vs. Spurs (+350)
There are a couple of sportbooks that are currently allowing you to wager on possible NBA Finals match-ups; and, of course, the two lines with the best value are Heat versus Thunder and and Heat versus Spurs.
Deciding between these two wagers is really just a toss-up or a matter of preference. San Antonio will likely end up with home-court advantage in the West, and it becomes increasingly unlikely that the Thunder will be able to beat the Spurs two years in a row without having home-court.
Your best bet is to wager on a Heat versus Spurs NBA Finals match-up.
LeBron James MVP Odds (-600)
LeBron’s campaign for this year’s MVP award is such and open-and-shut case that most sportsbooks have taken their MVP lines off the board. James is clearly the best player on the best team in the league and is playing at a historically high level this season. There simply is no point in wagering on anyone else.
However, the oddsmakers know that and you probably won’t be able to find a place to book your action anyway, but if you do, taking LeBron to win the MVP award is the no-brainer of the year. Expect the King to unanimously win the award by receiving every first-place vote this season.
