The odds have been stacked against the Miami Heat for the entire postseason. They entered the playoffs as the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, and were fortunate to even sneak in. Before the first round began, some sports books had the Heat at a +15000 designation to win the NBA Championship. They had 12/1 odds just to win the opening series.
Miami Heat Have Defied All Odds Thus Far
Updated NBA Championship odds:
Denver Nuggets -115
Boston Celtics +340
Miami Heat +400
Los Angeles Lakers +700The Heat are finally getting some respect from the books 👀 pic.twitter.com/gVyHW6RoH5
— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) May 20, 2023
But Miami has been on fire ever since. They were able to take down the team that was favored to win the NBA Championship in the first round, and made somewhat quick work of the Knicks in round 2. But despite their run, they were never thought of as legit championship hopefuls. Until now, at least.
The Heat are now up 2-0 against the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, a commanding lead before playing the next two games in Miami. As it stands today, Jimmy Butler and company are listed at +375 to win it all, which is still third best of the four teams remaining. But it is certainly a far cry from the +15000 that they began the playoffs with.
It has taken the efforts of the entire roster, but there is no denying that Butler has been the catalyst for Miami’s run. “Playoff Jimmy” is a myth that the player denies is even a “thing”, but it is hard to ignore the uptick in production and dominance when the lights are brightest.
This really is an incredible picture. pic.twitter.com/SLXn2sPTHj
— Will Manso (@WillManso) May 20, 2023
The lights may have been a bit too bright for Grant Williams during Friday’s Game 2. The Celtics forward got into a war of words with Butler during the fourth quarter, when his team was up by 9 points with 6 minutes left. After hitting a big shot, he seemed to antagonize Butler a bit, who responded with a tough bucket himself before going forehead to forehead with Williams before the tussle was broken up.
What followed was vintage Playoff Jimmy. The Heat used the altercation as motivation, as Butler and others hit clutch shots down the stretch in their attempt at a comeback. The Celtics were unable to stop the brigade, and Miami wound up winning 111-105.
Despite now being the favorites to win the series, the Heat are somehow still behind the Celtics in the championship odds listings. The Denver Nuggets are currently the outright favorites, being listed at -110, though the lines are subject to change with each passing game.
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