Spurs Picked As Slight NBA Finals Favorites Over Heat By Oddsmakers
The Miami Heat may be two-time defending NBA champions with a 12-3 record in the playoffs, but Vegas has the San Antonio Spurs as slight favorites heading into the 2014 NBA Finals.
Oddsmakers Bovada.LV gave the Spurs 4-5 odds and the Heat 21-20 odds. Translation: a $100 bet on the Heat will bring in a $105 profit if Miami wins again and a $100 bet on the Spurs will garner a $80 return if Tim Duncan wins his fifth title.
Last season, the tables were turned as the Heat were heavy favorites going into the series with 5-12 odds. The Spurs on the other hand were set at 2-1. This means that if someone put $100 on the Heat last season, they would’ve only made close to a $40 profit.
The Spurs won 62 games in the regular season compared to the Heat’s 54, and won a much tougher conference by beating the Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers and Oklahoma City Thunder on their road to the NBA Finals.
The difference in regular season wins bodes well for the Spurs. Teams that have at least six more wins than their NBA Finals opponent are 16-2 over the past 30 years. One of the teams to buck that trend, though, were the 2006 Heat.
The teams split the season series, each winning by double-digits at home.
