Heat Begins Quest for Three in a Row
Could the Spurs *really* steal this series from the Heat?
Now is when the NBA season really gets cranked up. It is the start of the NBA Playoffs and the Miami Heat is now 0-0 like everyone else. They limped home losing their last three regular season games to end up in the #2 spot in the Eastern Conference. None of that matters now as the prepare for Game One tonight at home against the Charlotte Bobcats. They are now the team to beat.
Miami has won the last three Eastern Conference Championships and the last two NBA World Championships. So even though they will have a chance at losing home court advantage in the Eastern Conference and NBA Finals, the pressure will still be on their opponents. You are the champions until somebody beats you. So until the Heat is eliminated, they have to be the favored team to win it all.
Charlotte has to be the “feel good” story of this NBA season. This is a franchise that won only 7 games two seasons ago while losing 59. Now they are one of four NBA Southeast teams to qualify for the post season. Even though the Heat ran away with the division again, the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks also made the playoffs from this division.
Miami is a heavy favorite to dispatch the seventh seeded Bobcats and the Hawks are huge underdogs against the top seeded Indiana Pacers. The Wizards though are not a heavy underdog against the fourth seeded Chicago Bulls. They go into Game One only a 2.5Â point underdog. So we know at least one Southeast team will advance to the next round, with a possibility of as many as three. That will not happen, but two is a possibility if the Wizards knock off the Bulls.
BetDSI has the odds on the Southeast Games:
Atlanta at Indiana– The Hawks are +8 -110 and the Pacers are -8 -110. Moneyline is Atlanta 310 and Indiana -380. we are going to go with Indy to cover. The Hawks are a bad road team.
Charlotte at Miami– Charlotte is +10 -110 and Miami is -10 -110 ATS. Moneyline is Charlotte +450 and Miami -600. We like the Heat to cover.
Washington at Chicago- The Wizards are +4.5 -110 and the Bulls are -4.5 -110 ATS. Moneyline is Washington +160 and Chicago -190. We are going to take the Wizards +160 to win. Somebody will win on the road and Washington seems the most likely.
