The NBA Finals begin on Tuesday with the first two games of the series in Miami. Then it swings to Dallas for three games and back to Miami for the last two games, if needed. The Heat have the homecourt advantage so Miami to win 4-1 or 4-3 have the shortest odds.
The format for the Finals favors the team with the homecourt advantage. The only chance for the lower seed to win at home with a loss in the series is to win in five games. The Finals have gone five games or less nine times since 1990. It has gone seven games only three times during that span. A series sweep has occurred just three times since 1990.
In the 2006 Finals, Miami won in six games over Dallas. After losing the first two games, the Heat rattled off four straight wins for the NBA Championship. The home team won every game in that series except for Game 6. Dwayne Wade led that team but the Heat have a couple more weapons this time around.
LeBron James is the favorite to be named NBA Finals MVP with the Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki not far behind. James leads the Heat in scoring in the playoffs at 26 points per game. He is also averaging 8.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists. Nowitzki has put up the best numbers in the postseason this year. He is averaging 28.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. His shooting percentage is uncanny at 51.7% from the field, 51.6% from beyond the arc, and 92.9% from the foul line.
Dwayne Wade is third in the odds for the Finals MVP after winning it in 2006. He isn’t the centerpiece anymore but is still averaging 23.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and shooting 46% from the field per game in the playoffs.
NBA Finals Series Exact Score Odds (provided by Party Bets)
Dallas Mavericks to win 4-0: 12/1
Dallas Mavericks to win 4-1: 10/1
Dallas Mavericks to win 4-2: 5/1
Dallas Mavericks to win 4-3: 13/2
Miami Heat to win 4-0: 8/1
Miami Heat to win 4-1: 3/1
Miami Heat to win 4-2: 4/1
Miami Heat to win 4-3: 3/1
NBA Finals MVP Odds (provided by Party Bets)
LeBron James (Miami Heat): 13/10
Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks): 6/4
Dwayne Wade (Miami Heat): 9/2
Chris Bosh (Miami Heat): 12/1
Jason Terry (Dallas Mavericks): 15/1
Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks): 20/1
Shawn Marion (Dallas Mavericks): 25/1
Tyson Chandler (Dallas Mavericks): 33/1