2012 NBA Finals Futures Betting Lines
May 17th, 2012 | Author: John
The Miami Heat are the favorite to win the NBA title at the moment, but that will change if they face either the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs. If either of those teams win the West, many sportsbooks will likely flip and make Miami the underdog. So says Covers, anyway.
The mixed signal can be attributed to the fact that Miami is the one team oddsmakers think will definitly reach the championship round. With the Bulls out of the way, the Heat have a relatively clear path to the championship while the west is still cluttered. Oddsmakers can’t really setlle on the Thunder or Spurs just yet.
“The pure price will have the Western Conference team as a small favorite in a series over the Heat,” Andrew Patterson, oddsmaker with Las Vegas Sports Consultants, told Covers. “The Spurs-Thunder series will be a great series and the winner will definitely deserve the respect. We were thinking about a -130 favorite for the West.”
Miami is the 3/2 favorite to win the title at the moment, according to Bovada’s NBA Finals Futures Odds, only because they have strongest chance of reaching the Finals of any remaining team. They have the clearest path to the title because they are in the east with an aging Celtics team, the eighth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers, and a nice Indiana Pacers team that isnt’ elite yet. The west is an entirely different story. The only reason the Thunder or Spurs aren’t the favorite for the Finals right now is because they have to play each other to get there.
The Heat are a 1/3 favorite to win the east, according to Bovada’s NBA Finals Futures far ahead of Boston at 7/2. Meanwhile, the Thunder have a slight edge with 11/10 odds to win the west, nibbles better than San Antonio at 1/1.
“The West might have the three best teams left [Lakers being the third] – especially if Chris Bosh doesn’t come back healthy,” Cal Neva oddsmaker 
Chris Andrews told Covers. “The Heat are extremely vulnerable.”
Plus, there’s the face that Miami won’t have home-court advantage over San Antonio or Oklahoma City.
Bottom line: If you’re thinking of backing the Heat, wait until they are underdogs for a better payout. If you like the Thunder or Spurs, pounce on them now while odds are good.