NBA Championship Finals Betting: LA Lakers v Miami Heat

Let’s not get confused, the best-of-seven NBA Finals series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat is a David versus Goliath contest. It’s easy to feel that a LA Lakers NBA championship is written in the stars, they are the hulking behemoth in this showdown. There are lots of things playing into their favour that would make a title win seem pre-destined. The arrival of Anthony Davis, a plethora of role-players and a new coach bolstered their squad. LeBron James is having a phenomenal season, even by his lofty standards and the city of Los Angeles is willing the purple and gold to do it for the memory of late Laker great Kobe Bryant.

All of these narratives are excellent reasons for believing it will be an easy Lakers win. However, the team in their path, the Miami Heat, have clawed their way into these finals, much like the diminutive David. The dogged defensive work, the swarming coverage and high-octane transition play have typified a Heat team that don’t know when they’re beaten. This will be a thrilling matchup for fans of basketball and indeed for sports fans in general.

The Case for the Lakers

There isn’t much more to say to praise the Lakers that hasn’t been said already, but here are some very important points to take heed of. LeBron James is on this team and any team he is leading always has a shot at the title, this is his 10th trip to the biggest game in basketball. He ended the season as the leader in assists in the NBA, and he has a supporting cast led by Anthony Davis who are willing to follow his example. The Lakers keep coming at you on offence and work hard together as a team on defence.

They have championship pedigree in many of the players who make up their roster. Guard Rajon Rondo won a championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008, Danny Green won the NBA title last season with the Toronto Raptors having previously won it with the San Antonio Spurs, JaVale McGee has won twice with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018, Quinn Cook was his teammate on that 2018 Golden State team. J. R Smith has won a chip with LeBron in Cleveland in 2016. On the bench lead assistant coach Jason Kidd clinched the 2011 NBA title as a player and Phil Handy was an assistant coach with the Cavaliers and Raptors when they won.

There are winners up and down this storied franchise. For every person who has won before there are players eager to earn their first title, Dwight Howard for one will be licking his lips. The 8-time All-Star looked destined for greatness early in his career and led his Orlando Magic team to the NBA Finals in 2009 only for them to lose to the Lakers.

He would go on to join the Lakers and Kobe Bryant a few seasons later, but that didn’t yield any silverware. Since then his career has seen him bounce from franchise to franchise as he ran out of chances to win the big one. Now Howard has the opportunity to seal the deal and many of the younger players will be looking up to him as he works hard for Laker Nation. The blood runs deep in this one and the Lakers are the overwhelming favourites.

The Case for The Heat

There is a lot that links Miami with LA in this series. LeBron won two titles in South Beach with the Heat under coach Eric Spoelstra. Miami president of basketball operations Pat Riley is one of the Lakers most successful coaches, having won a championship in Hollywood as a player and then four times as a coach. All of that aside, the Heat are the underdogs in this matchup and they thrive in these types of conditions. These Playoffs they weren’t expected to make light work of the Indiana Pacers but they swept them 4-0. Analysts didn’t give them a chance against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, that ended in tears for the Bucks as the Heat stifled them and put them out of their misery. Then came the Boston Celtics who had more talent in their ranks compared to Miami.

Again, Spoelstra’s side outworked and outplayed the Celtics to win that series 4-2. The Heat have been overlooked, much like their star player Jimmy Butler has been for most of his career. They do have some winning pedigree as well. Riley in the boardroom sets the tone as the winner-in-chief, he’s followed by Spoelstra who coached LeBron to two titles. On his staff is Dan Craig who has had a similar career trajectory to Spoelstra, starting as a video coordinator in Miami. Craig has been at the Heat for all of their championships, winning as an assistant coach in 2012 and 2013. Octavio De La Grana was one of the assistants on that 2012 Heat team, so their consistency will be in their favour.

On the court, there are only two players who’ve won championships before, 40-year-old Udonis Haslem and 36-year-old Andre Iguodala. Haslem has won all three of his titles with the Heat, Iguodala won his three with the Warriors. Haslem isn’t expected to play and is part of the team to provide support and guidance to the younger players. Iguodala is expected to contribute valuable minutes in these Finals as a defender and scorer. He won the Finals MVP in 2015 for his hard work against LeBron James and the Cavs.

The odds are definitely stacked against the Heat here. However, Miami don’t see it that way. They have beaten good and even great teams to get to this Finals. They have fearless players on their roster who will give it their all and dig deeper to find something in reserve. Butler will be the vocal leader who keeps the heads up and the spirits high. He will do whatever is needed for his team to win. Following him will be one of the revelations of this season in Bam Adebayo the Nigerian-American centre that has improved with every series. Adebayo is critical to any hopes that the Heat have, his defensive work and his rebounding skill are a massive asset.

Goran Dragic the veteran point guard will use all of his skill and guile to score and to find open teammates. Tyler Herro the rookie shooting guard will be one of the 3-point and scoring weapons that Miami rely on. Duncan Robinson will be the other shooter who could get the Heat going. There are options for Spoelstra if he needs someone to show up. The Heat believe that they can spoil the party and take home the prize, no matter what anyone else thinks.

Prediction Time

On paper, this looks like a no-brainer. It is the Lakers’ series to take and the Nuggets will probably only be there to make up the numbers. It is precisely in this type of situation that Denver has flourished this season. Every time they were counted out, they found another gear to rise to. They knuckled down and worked hard to win. This will likely be too tough an ask for the Nuggets, but they will go down swinging as they have nothing to lose. In sport they say, never say never, in basketball they say, don’t bet against LeBron James.