The 2014 NBA and NHL Finals roll on! After our last double header preview the Miami Heat made good on my prediction to rebound (pun intended) from LeBron James cramping up in game one, picking up a close 98-96 win over the San Antonio Spurs on their home court. Meanwhile the Los Angeles Kings used resilience and a lack of good officiating to force a double OT and beat the New York Rangers 5-4 in game two. Skating off the momentum of two straight wins, the Kings found their form in game three and blanked the Rangers 3-0, setting up a potential Stanley Cup clincher on Wednesday night. Let’s talk about the NBA Finals first though as game three airs tonight at 9 PM Eastern on ABC. After their improved performance in game two and a much needed return to the American Airlines Arena, it looks like the odds are shifting in the Heat’s favor. Right now Miami is a -200 favorite on the money line, with the Spurs +170 to knock off the Heat at home. The odds on overtime are as usual for these playoffs very heavy in either direction with -2300 chance of no extra time and +1350 to need at least one extra period. Maybe you wouldn’t bet the farm on the favorite with so little to gain, but given how close game two was the dog might hunt. If James can turn in another 35 point performance he can undoubtedly lift his teammates to victory though especially in front of a very supportive home crowd. The Heat have a small edge in the best of seven series odds now at -148 with the Spurs coming in the dog at +128. Meanwhile our potential Stanley Cup Finals clincher comes Wednesday night at 8 PM Eastern on the NBC Sports Network. If the Kings want to make it a clean sweep they’re going to have to do it in hostile territory at the famed Madison Square Garden arena. As you might expect the best of seven series line is now a pretty wide spread, with the Kings now a -2300 favorite against the Rangers now a +1350 dog to dig themselves out of the 3-0 hole they’re currently in. They’ve got a fair to coin flip chance on the money line for Wednesday’s game though as a -140 to +120 favorite. While the Rangers are far from a big favorite on that line you’d have to like their chance of winning at least ONE game in this series, especially skating on home ice. Even though Jonathan Quick pitched a shutout in game three (if you’ll forgive mixing the hockey and baseball metaphors), with 2 out of 3 games going to OT you might want to check on a line for that possibility. Personally I’m going to favor Henrik Lundqvist being the one to pitch a shutout this time, as he usually has a strong game following any outing where multiple picks skip by him to find the net. Please remember that all previews are for entertainment purposes and to only bet what you can afford. Enjoy the NBA and NHL Finals!
