Miami in Must Win Situation in Game Four?
Chris Bosh needs to step up in Game Four
The Miami Heat needs a win in tonight’s Game Four of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. But, all is not lost if the Spurs win. Miami knew after they lost Game One that they were going to have to win at least once in San Antonio. It doesn’t matter which game they win, they just need one to get the series back to Miami for Games Six and Seven. But the Heat would surely like to even the series up tonight at 2-2. 3-1 is a deep hole to try to dig out of, and another loss tonight would be Miami’s fourth in a row on the road in these playoffs. That would not instill much confidence facing a do-or-die Game Five in San Antonio.
Could the Heat come back from a 3-1 deficit should the Spurs win Game Four tonight? Sure they can. This team won 27 games in a row at one point. They can win three in a row. But they would sure like to start a three-game win streak now rather than with their backs to the wall. Plus, if they start it now, they have that one mulligan they can use in case they don’t get it.
After the complete second half meltdown in Game Three it would be very easy to jump off the Heat’s bandwagon. But, before doing that, remember the Indiana Pacers gave them a good beating in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat came back and put a whipping on the Pacers in Game Seven. The Pacers also gave them a good thumping in Game Four only to watch the Heat rebound in Game Five. Miami has yet to lose two in a row in the playoffs. But, they were at home following all the other losses except for Game Three against the Pacers after losing Game Two. They gave the Pacers a spanking in that game as well, which shows they can do it on the road.
For the Heat to win Game Four tonight, they need some more help from Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. Lebron James is a great player, but he cannot beat the Spurs all by himself. It would also help if they could something from Shane Battier. He has all but disappeared in these playoffs. Mike Miller was red-hot in Game Three, but it didn’t help a lot because the Spurs were equally hot from three points. They made an NBA Finals record 15 three-pointers as Gary Neal and Danny Green drained one after the other. Miami had better do a lot better job defending the three ball tonight.
Bookmaker has Miami and San Antonio dead even for tonight’s game. Both teams are PK -110 ATS. Over/Under is 186.5 with over and under both -110. Moneyline has both at -110. Miami has 65% on the point spread and 77% on the moneyline. That is interesting since the odds are the same either way. It is also interesting that with so much money on Miami that they have not given the Spurs better odds. If you want to bet on Miami, do it now. If you want to bet on the Spurs, you may want to wait until closer to tip-off. The line may start to favor the Spurs a bit the closer we get to game time.
We like the Heat to win and we like the under.
