EASTERN CONFERENCE
INDIANA PACERS (1 seed) VS. MIAMI HEAT (2)
(Miami wins series 4-2. This is Miami's fourth consecutive Eastern Conference Championship. The Heat are only the third team in NBA history to do this, in either conference. The Celtics won the Eastern Conference for a solid decade, with 9 titles between 1957 and 1966. The Lakers won the Western Conference every year from 1982 to 1985, winning two titles in those four years.)
Game 1 (May 18): Indiana 107 - Miami 96
Miami was the favorite, 2 - 2.5 at most places, 1.5 at the Wynn, 3 at the Papermill. (UPSET)
O/U: 181.5 - 182.5 183 at the Atlantis. (OVER by 20+!)
Free Throws: Indiana 29-37 Miami 10-15
ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME???
This is either a wildly-deliberate means to extend the series, a massive mind-fuck on Vegas (who was big on Miami), or something else is going on here.
Game 2 (May 20): Miami 87 - Indiana 83
Miami was a 2 - 3 point favorite. (COVER)
O/U: 184.5 - 185.5 with 186 at Jerry's Nugget. (UNDER)
Free Throws: Miami 11-18 Indiana 10-15
Wow. 22 less free throws for Indiana, and the series goes tied. What a coincidence!
Game 3 (May 24): Miami 99 - Indiana 87
Miami was a 6 - 6.5 point favorite. (COVER -- was coming down from 7, so money was the wrong way.)
O/U: Anywhere from 182 to 183.5, depending on where you got it. (OVER)
Free Throws: Miami 15-20 Indiana 19-25
Game 4 (May 26): Miami 102 - Indiana 90
Miami was a 6 - 6.5 point favorite. (COVER)
O/U: 182 - 183. (OVER)
Free Throws: Miami 30-34 Indiana 11-17
Three-peat train a-rolling...
Game 5 (May 28): Indiana 93 - Miami 90
Many books had this game a Pick, but those that didn't had Miami by 1 - 1.5. (UPSET at those.)
O/U: 183 at some books, but 183.5 - 184 at others. (PUSH at 183, UNDER at 183.5-184.)
Free Throws: Indiana 13-22 Miami 7-8
OH!!!! So 54 free throws in Miami for Games 3 and 4, EIGHT in Game 5, a game Miami bolted to a large run to get a decent halftime lead. YEAH RIGHT!!!
And LeBron doesn't take the final shot to try to get it to overtime. 7 points, and 5 fouls in 13 minutes. Yeah, they didn't want a Game 6...
Game 6 (May 30): Miami 117 - Indiana 92
Miami was a 8 - 8.5 point favorite, with a 7.5 at the Mirage. (BIG COVER)
O/U: 182.5 - 183.5. (BIG OVER)
Free Throws: Miami 18-21 Indiana 18-24
Series in Review: Miami makes it four straight Eastern Conference titles, just three games over the minimum. And anyone paying attention knows the two in this series were both gift-wrapped Indiana home wins, so it was clear from Jump Street that Miami had no real competition in the first place, and pretty much waltzes to a fourth consecutive NBA Finals.
But as of about 10 PM Pacific time, as I formulate the rest of this, some joker on Wikipedia actually had, on the NBA Champions page, Oklahoma City defeating the Heat in seven games. Let's see how long that stays up. (ETA 5/31/14 1557: Since removed.)
Miami covered the four games it won, they were the favorite in all six games. (Favorite 4-2 SU and ATS.)
Over was also 4-2.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
SAN ANTONIO SPURS (1 seed) VS. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (2)
(San Antonio wins series 4-2. Two in a row for the Spurs (last year's Finals went seven). Sixth Western Conference title since the Jordan Rules finally shoved Foolish and Wretched Ballhog out the door.)
Game 1 (May 19): San Antonio 122 - Oklahoma City 105
San Antonio was a 6 point favorite on most of the Strip, 5.5 at the Stations and the Wynn (BIG COVER)
O/U: 208.5 - 209.5 with 210 at the South Point and the Golden Nugget (OVER)
Free Throws: San Antonio 13-17 Oklahoma City 19-23
Game 2 (May 21): San Antonio 112 - Oklahoma City 77
San Antonio was a 5 - 5.5 point favorite. (BIG COVER -- money was coming in the wrong way!)
O/U: 210.5 - 211 (UNDER)
Free Throws: San Antonio 21-23 Oklahoma City 5-10
Is the MVP run over, or are we going to see something like the 2006 Finals later in the series?
Game 3 (May 25): Oklahoma City 106 - San Antonio 97
Oklahoma City was a 2.5 point favorite, with a 2 at the Golden Nugget. (COVER)
O/U: Again, depending where you got it, anywhere from 208 to 209.5. (ALL UNDER)
Free Throws: Oklahoma City 26-31 San Antonio 15-16
I guess not!!
Game 4 (May 27): Oklahoma City 105 - San Antonio 92
Oklahoma City was a 2 -2.5 point favorite. (COVER)
O/U: Again, depending where you got it, anywhere from 207.5 to 209. (ALL UNDER)
Free Throws: Oklahoma City 24-31 San Antonio 17-22
Game 5 (May 29): San Antonio 117 - Oklahoma City 89
San Antonio was a 5 point favorite, 5.5 at the Peppermill. (BIG COVER)
O/U: 206.5 - 208 (UNDER -- SUCKERS bet it off the push at 206!)
Free Throws: San Antonio 26-30 Oklahoma City 13-20
This series is so obviously going seven. The league has it's hands around this series' throat.
Game 6 (May 31): San Antonio 112 - Oklahoma City 107 (OVERTIME)
Oklahoma City was a 3-4 point favorite. (UPSET)
O/U: 206.5 - 207 with a 206 at the Atlantis. (OVER with the overtime, needed it, as regulation was 101-101.)
Free Throws: San Antonio 25-34 Oklahoma City 29-33
Series in Review: The NBA had it's pulse on this series the whole time, and, basically, the team-wide strength of San Antonio as the NBA's star power in the Post-Ballhog Era won out over Kevin Durant's first NBA MVP award.
Favorites were 5-1 against the number, four of them quite large victories against the line.
The over was 2-4.
Game 1, Thursday night, in San Antonio.
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