NBA Finals MVP Odds: This Celtics Player Could Be Worth A Flier Bet

The NBA Finals MVP market offers some pretty big payouts if you look beyond the top candidates.

It should be no surprise that Golden State Warriors phenom Stephen Curry and Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum have the shortest odds at every American sportsbook taking bets on this market.

Curry is mostly around even money, while you can find Tatum as high as +175 if you price shop.

Sure, odds are great that Curry or Tatum are named NBA Finals MVP if their respective teams win the championship, but those are unbelievably boring bets with extremely small payouts. Wouldn’t you rather place a $10 bet that could win you hundreds of dollars?

If yes, Boston’s Marcus Smart is a very interesting candidate to bring home the hardware.

NBA Finals Odds: Why You Should Bet Warriors To Win Title Before Series Starts

May 31, 2022

The Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas opened Smart’s NBA Finals MVP odds at 80-1 while Circa Sports said “hold my beer” and opened 100-1 a couple hours later. Both of those prices are long gone and Smart’s market has basically cratered around the 40-1 range at most shops.

Marcus Smart’s NBA Finals MVP odds:
+2000 WynnBET ($10 wins $200)
+3500 Caesars
+4000 BetMGM
+4000 Circa
+4000 PointsBet
+4000 SuperBook
+4100 FanDuel
+4500 DraftKings ($10 wins $450)

Smart will draw the duty of guarding Curry for most of the series, which I believe makes his potential to shine greater than players like Draymond Green or Jordan Poole (who have shorter odds than Smart).

It’s unlikely that the former Oklahoma State Cowboy completely stops Curry, but he’s probably the only player on Boston’s roster that can throw a wrench into the Golden State star’s rhythm. Ime Udoka has stressed the importance of making life difficult on Curry and while that’s easier said than done, the voters will have to give Smart his due if the C’s win the series and Curry averages close to 20 points per game.

And it’s not like Smart shies away from shooting the ball, either. He’s hoisting a career-high 13.3 shots per game this postseason and averaging 15.5 points a game. So he’s far from a one-trick pony.

I like the Warriors to win the title, but Smart for NBA Finals MVP isn’t a bad consolation prize if I’m wrong.