The Miami Heat were fourth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 41-24 when the 2019-20 NBA season was suspended. Below, we look at the BetMGM betting odds of the Heat winning the NBA Championship once play resumes with a 22-team format in Orlando, Fla., later this summer.
Miami Heat season recap
The Heat sat atop the Southeast Division when play was paused. They were likely going to be in good shape as far as home-court advantage was concerned in at least a round or two of the playoffs.
Miami featured a sparkling 27-5 record at home, the third-best mark in all of the NBA. But now, there will be no home-court advantage as the 22 teams will be playing in the O-Town bubble. So, the absence of Miami’s raucous fans at the American Airlines Arena will be sorely missed for the Heaters.
Miami was also fourth in the Eastern Conference in terms of point differential, posting 112.2 points per game offensively, while yielding 108.9 defensively. That was good for a plus-3.3 differential, eighth-best overall in the league, too.
PF Bam Adebayo and SF Jimmy Butler proved to be quite a nice, and unexpected, one-two punch for Miami. Add in the fact that this team is deep with young talent in the form of SF Derrick Jones Jr. and SGs Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn and Duncan Robinson, and the Heat are a bit of a wild card in the East. They also have playoff-tested SG Andre Iguodala, added at the trade deadline, to give the younger players guidance and leadership.
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Miami Heat NBA Championship odds
Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday, June 9 at 9:30 a.m. ET.
The Heat (+2500) are listed with the eighth-best odds in the NBA to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy, tied with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Heat definitely have a strong corps of young players, but the lack of playoff experience will work against them. However, the fact that NBA players are creatures of habit, and some of the veterans on others teams might be thrown off their game from the unconventional restart and strange situation might negate some of that newness. Still, it’s best to AVOID betting on Miami winning it all.
Miami Heat Eastern Conference odds
The HEAT (+1000) have rather short odds in the East, which is considered wide open after the heavily favored Milwaukee Bucks (-159). If the favorite should stumble, then why not the Heat? They have a good mix of rookies and veterans, and the leadership of Iguodala will be beneficial. The HEAT (+1000) ARE WORTH A SMALL-UNIT PLAY, just don’t get carried away.
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