NBA Finals Preview And Odds For Basketball Online Betting Fans

This years NBA finals offer great deals for both Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James, as both franchise players still seek for their first NBA title, making game 1 a blockbuster treat for basketball online betting fans.

The Breakdown

For Lebron, this finals is his best chance to quiet all the critics (especially the Cavs fans who felt betrayed after James left them) and get his first ring. For Dirk, his long awaited rematch after an embarrassing loss in 2006 is right in his doorsteps. It is really imperative for Dirk to come up aggressive this time around, as it would most likely be his final chance.

Both Mavs and Heat have eliminated tough teams during their trip to the finals, with Heat beating their arch nemesis Boston Celtics and the newly revamped squad of NY Knicks while Mavs swept the defending champ LA Lakers and ended OKCs dream of shot to the finals. Both Mavs and Heat also have lost only three times in the playoffs.

I'm pretty confident that we won't be seeing late game collapse like those in other teams and match-ups in the previous round in the playoffs, as both teams are veteran squads, with J. Kidds' leadership and Dirk's clutch performance for the Mavs, and big 3's big shots and defensive stops for the Heat squad.

Mavs won 10 of their past 11 games, and one of the biggest reason for that is Dirk's career performance against the OKC (made 24 of 24 free throw shots). Now, the buzz is about who's going to guard Dirk, and if possible, stop the 7 footer one-hand-one-foot shooter from making and-one plays. Well, I'm a Dallas fan, but I think Miami is not so concerned about Dirk, as they can simply pressure him from the ball or rotate and double-team him from the post. Heat has the younger and more athletic squad, and it won't be that hard for them to solve the Dirk problem. What I want to see from the Mavs is to let its supporting cast step-up for scoring, namely JJ Barea, J. Terry and Peja Stojakovic at the perimeter and Shawn Marion and Stevenson for slashing and Chandler for back-to-basket points, and these are all possible with J. Kidds floor leadership. Dirk is a streaky shooter, and Miami knows that. I expect Bosh to pressure him and D.Wade to come over for double team the moment he makes his move to the paint. But Dirk can score at will, regardless if he's hot or not.

The biggest challenge for Miami right now the rebounding, and we've seen their problem controling the boards in their series against Bulls, as they let Chicago average 14 offensive rebounds per game.

Because unlike Bulls, Dallas have more shooters who will be willing to take long shots after an offensive rebound. For that, I am expecting Mike Miller to be on the much more longer to stretch the defense and Udonis Haslem to contribute with the rebounding.

Heat may have the better first 5, but Dallas certainly have the deeper bench here. Remember how Dallas' bench scored 83 points in their game against the Lakers in the second roud? That was the total output of entire Lakers squad. The longer this series goes, the better for the Mavs. Also, D.Wade will really be banged-up for variety of defenders, and I'm expecting J.Kidd to be in front of him all game long, just like what he did to Kobe in their series.

Caron Butler has a slight chance to play in the finals, and I'm really hoping and praying for that. Though I don't expect for him to play long minutes, the toughness of this guy is enough to push his teammates to their limits.
Chris Bosh will be the X factor for the Heat, and when he's on, he really is a tough nut to crack. But we all know that if he's out, he really is out. So I expect Eric Spoelstra to give the ball to the paint with Bosh and get him going.

But it certainly won't be a walk in the parl for Bosh, at least in the paper, as the twin towers of Mavs (Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood) will make him earn for every shot he makes. Mav's X factor will be Shawn Marion. He's the only legitimate player in Mav's squad to guard LeBron James. His length, fast hands and athleticism should be all over LeBron right from the start. Also, Marion should score from offensive rebounds and put-backs to frustrate Miami's defense.

Game 1 odds? I think I'll for for Miami – 190 in the spreadsheets. Heat will host the Mavs in game 1 and Heat is 8-0 at home in the post-season while Dallas is 5-2 on the road. But that's just for game 1 folks.