NBA Betting: Heat Making Statement to Pacers, Rest of NBA
by Bovada Sportsbook Staff | Feb. 24, 2014
The Indiana Pacers lead the Eastern Conference and made a big deal before last week’s trade deadline in acquiring Evan Turner from Philadelphia. Yet why is it that Miami now seems head and shoulders the team to beat once again for the NBA title? At Bovada, the Heat are 5/6 to win the East and 9/4 to win a third straight NBA championship.
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As recently as late January it didn’t seem as if Miami cared whether they finished with the top seed in the East and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Something changed, however, when Oklahoma City went into Miami on January 29 and throttled the Heat 112-95. All of a sudden, all the talk was about Kevin Durant for MVP. That only seemed to motivate four-time MVP LeBron James.
The Heat have lost just once since that Thunder defeat. They had a very difficult six-game road trip through the Western Conference that included five games against likely playoff teams. Miami won them all, beating the Clippers 116-112, the Suns 103-97, the Warriors 111-110 (on LeBron’s last-second 3-pointer) and the Mavericks 117-106 (season high 42 points for James).
The trip concluded last Thursday with what clearly was the statement game of the year: a 103-81 payback game against Oklahoma City. LeBron scored Miami’s first 12 points – his most ever consecutively to open a game – and it was essentially over after that.
Think LeBron didn’t take it personal against Durant? While James was only 2-for-6 from the field while being guarded by Durant in the first matchup, James was 6-for-8 for 14 points in this one. Miami improved to 93-2 with James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh when entering the fourth quarter with a double-digit lead.
About the only negative from the win was that LeBron was clobbered across the nose by Thunder center Serge Ibaka as James finished off a big dunk. James was gushing blood on the court and sat out Sunday with a broken beak. No matter, the Heat still rolled past what had been a hot Chicago team 93-79, the Heat’s fifth straight win and cover overall. The Heat are just 1.5 games behind Indiana now.
James should be back on the court Thursday at home against the New York Knicks in the TNT opener, and the game will have Live Betting at Bovada. It’s the Knicks’ first visit to south Florida this season.
New York tends to have some regular-season success against the Heat and is 1-1 against them this year. On January 9 at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks beat the Heat as 8-point underdogs. Carmelo Anthony had 29 and Raymond Felton 13 points and 14 assists for the Knicks. LeBron finished with 32 as the Heat lost their fourth in the past five meetings with New York. The Knicks didn’t have two key players available either: Tyson Chandler and JR Smith.
On Super Bowl Saturday, the Heat crushed the Knicks 106-91 as 4.5-point underdogs. LeBron had had an amazing stat line: 30 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and six steals. Anthony had 26 for the Knicks.
New York is going the wrong way right now, entering this week having lost eight of 10 to fall 5.5 games back of the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. They blew a 17-point lead in Atlanta to lose Saturday night and the Hawks had dropped eight straight games. The seat of embattled coach Mike Woodson continues to get hotter. New York is 50/1 to somehow win the Eastern Conference.
