LeBron James and the Miami Heat enter the third round of the NBA postseason as an EVEN wager on the odds to win the NBA championship.
NBA championship odds: Miami remains top choice, faces Pacers in 3rd round
Miami faces a tough challenge from Indiana but remains the top betting choice on odds to win the NBA title. The Spurs and Thunder battle in the West.
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Fans and bettors were questioning the form of the Miami Heat as they entered the postseason mired in a 1-5 SU and ATS slump, but the slow finish to the regular season seems like ancient history now.
The Heat have mowed through the playoffs so far with an 8-1 SU and 6-3 ATS record, producing profits for those who bet on the NBA at playoff time. They were slight road favorites for Game 1, according to TopBet.eu.
Entering the regular season this year, the Indiana Pacers (+1000 on the odds to win the NBA title) were considered to be Miami's biggest threat to winning a fourth straight Eastern Conference title.
The Pacers earned home-court advantage in this series with a better regular season record, but they’ve looked shaky in the playoffs so far with an 8-5 SU and 7-6 ATS record. The home team has won each of the last 10 games played between the Pacers and the Heat.
San Antonio (+230) looked out of sorts in a 3-3 SU and 0-6 ATS start to the postseason against the Dallas Mavericks, but since then the Spurs have been back to their dominating selves with a 5-1 SU and ATS record over their last six games.
Tony Parker left Game 5 against the Trail Blazers in the second round with a hamstring strain, but he is expected to be ready for the conference finals.
Oklahoma City (+350) had the most dramatic series in the second round, erasing huge deficits in both Game 5 and Game 6 to overcome the Clippers and advance into the Western Conference Finals.
The Thunder are 10-2 SU and 10-1-1 ATS in their last 12 games against the San Antonio Spurs, which includes a 4-0 SU and ATS run in their last four postseason games against the Spurs, according to the matchup report at NBA-Odds.com.
