playoffs
After a tremendous outing in the 2021-22 NBA season that saw the Miami Heat make an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals, there were high hopes for them going into the 2022-23 season and they have done everything but live up to those expectations.
Miami went into the season with 1600 odds to win the NBA Finals, 800 odds to win the Eastern Conference championship, -155 odds to win the Southeast division, a 49.5 win total for the year, and -1100 odds to make the playoffs.
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Since their odds opened, things have taken a major turn for the worst as their NBA Finals odds have more than tripled to 6000. Their Eastern Conference Finals odds went to 2200.
They remain the favorite to win the Southeast Division at -250 as they sit with the best record of the other four teams.
They are also pushing the under on their win total as they sit with a 32-29 record and would need to win 19 of their 21 games remaining to hit the over.
| W – L | L10 | STRK | |
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One main concerning aspect of the Heat’s season has been their 108.1 ppg which is the lowest in the league. Holding them up is their second-best defense that allowed 108.6 ppg but leaves a true 50/50 toss-up in all of their games.
Miami also has the worst record against the spread at 21-37-3 and are failing to cover by -0.5 points and averaging a -2.6 losing margin outright.
The Heat have struggled all season long and the fact that they failed to make a move at the trade deadline worsened their outlook on the season even more.
It is clear that Kyle Lowry doesn’t fit the mold of what Miami is looking for in a point guard and they have resorted to starting Gabe Vincent, who is putting up under 10 ppg, and less than 3 rebounds and assists per game as well.
There could be some reinforcements coming in for Miami as they did sign both Kevin Love and Cody Zeller to help them on the rebounding and shooting end to an extent.
However, in the two games that Miami has played with Love and Zeller, they’ve gone 0-2 and have fallen from the sixth to the seventh spot in the East, and are in jeopardy of playing in the play-in game.
Miami also has the sixth toughest schedule remaining on the season with teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Memphis Grizzlies, and Dallas Mavericks still to come.
After clearing waivers, Kevin Love plans to sign with the Miami Heat, his agent Jeff Schwartz of @Excelbasketball tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/c1Ff4tLfKP
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 19, 2023
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| Title: Are The Miami Heat Worth Betting On To Win The NBA Finals?
| Author: Sam Profeta
| Date: Feb 28, 2023