Earlier this season, an NBA bettor placed a bet on the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers to face off in the NBA Finals, which had insane odds at the time.
When the bet was placed, it was at odds of +50,000 with the Lakers sitting out of the play picture and the Heat battling for sixth place in the East. The implied probability of this match occurring when this bet was placed was 0.2%.
Both teams ended up in the tournament play but are now one string away from winning too far to allow this bettor to cash in big time. Miami will take on the Boston Celtics-Philadelphia 76ers series winner, while the Lakers will battle it out with the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.
Both teams played in the 2020 NBA Finals, but there’s more than just a rematch at stake this time around. If both teams win and advance, that bettor wins $250,000!
Odds for the Los Angeles Lakers to reach the NBA Finals
The Lakers are set as underdogs against the top seeded Nuggets, but Los Angeles has already beaten the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors in this playoff.
Both series lasted just six games, and Los Angeles was a perfect 7-0 at home from the start of the tournament.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis are as good as the two remaining in the playoffs, and Davis is one of the few players who might be able to trouble Nikola Jokic.
The Lakers have an implied probability of 45.45% of reaching the NBA Finals at this point in the playoffs.
Odds of the Miami Heat qualifying for the NBA Finals
Miami has made it to the Conference Finals more improbably than the Lakers.
The Heat lost their first game of play against Atlanta, but ended up surviving against the Chicago Bulls to claim the No. 8 seed. From there, the Heat beat the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round in just five games before defeating the New York Knicks in six games in the final. the second floor.
Jimmy Butler was one of the best players in the postseason, but Miami still +330 to make it to the NBA Finals, which shows odds makers think they’re going to lose to Boston or Philadelphia.
The Heat’s implied probability of making it to the Finals is 23.26 percent, which seems like a lot of value considering their impressive play in the playoffs.
The fact that this bet is still alive is very impressive considering where each team was when it was placed. Who endorses this for criticism?
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Odds are updated periodically and are subject to change.