Even Belmont Stakes betting players have had one eye on the NBA season, and surely they would have heard about the fuss that has surrounded Miami since the offseason, when they recruited LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade in South Beach. It’s been a tumultuous season for the Heat, but now they’re four wins away from the NBA title, and standing in their way is Dallas, who will be out to avenge their loss to the Heat in the 2006 Finals.
Mavericks Heat Betting – Game 1, Tuesday, 9:00 PM in Miami
The Mavericks needed six games to beat Portland, then they rolled over the two-time defending champions from Los Angeles in a humiliating four-game sweep, and then they stopped a young Oklahoma City team in five games. Through it all, Dirk Nowitzki has been the best player of the postseason, drawing some comparisons to Larry Bird, and he’s been absolutely unguardable. MLB baseball betting players would compare him to Josh Hamilton for Texas: the Mavericks are a good team without him, but they can beat anyone with him. The Mavericks also have an outstanding bench with Jason Terry and J.J. Barea leading the way.
The Heat have won each of their three series against Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago in five games, and they’ve done with stingy defense and newfound confidence at the end of games. LeBron James seems to have taken over the role as closer, although Dwyane Wade can surely hit some buckets, and Chris Bosh has played exceptionally well at points. When he’s on his game, the Heat are very tough to beat. They’ve also gotten some contribution from their role players as Udonis Haslem returned to give the Heat some quality minutes in the Chicago series, and Mike Miller also came on strong as well.
Miami is favored at -175 in your price per head sportsbook, while Dallas is listed at +155, and since losing in six games in the 2006 Finals the Mavericks are 10-0 SU and 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 meetings with the Heat. This series will boil down to a couple of matchups: the most important is Miami’s shutdown defense against Dallas’ explosive and highly efficient offense. Shutting down Notiwzki is a big part of that, but the Heat will have to focus on the Dallas bench, where the Mavericks have the edge. Also, look for James to guard Nowitzki in late-game situations, or if the German star gets hot. In the end, you have to go with the team who plays the best defense, and the Heat have the advantage in that aspect, so they’re the smart play when making a sports bet.
