In the premier matchup of the first round of these NBA playoffs LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and their Miami Heat go up against Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and the New York Knicks.
Some online sportsbooks are listing the Heat as eight-point favorites for Saturday's series opener (3:30 pm Eastern, ABC).
WilliamHill.com is listing Miami as a -125 favorite to win the Eastern Conference, and as a +200 favorite to win the NBA title, while New York is getting +2,000 to win the East and +4,000 to win it all.
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Miami won the Southeast Division again this season by going 46-20, but didn't exactly burn it up down the stretch, going 6-5 over its last 11 games. So the Heat enter these playoffs as the two seed in the East. [ Knicks Heat Game 1 Matchup ]
On the other side of this matchup New York won 18 of its last 24 games to earn the seven seed. The Knicks endured some early-season struggles, several injuries, a coaching change and the roller-coaster ride that was Linsanity to eventually finish at 36-30.
Head-to-head the Heat swept three games from the Knicks during the regular season by an average of 11 points. And all three of those games played 'under' on the totals.
Miami tied San Antonio for the best straight-up home record in the league this season at 28-5, and went 18-15 against-the-spread at American Airlines Arena. The Heat also went 18-15 SU but 14-19 ATS on the road.
New York went 14-19 SU and 15-18 ATS on the road, but 22-11 SU and 21-12 ATS at Madison Square Garden.
On the injury front Miami F Chris Bosh missed the last five games of the regular season with a bad hamstring, but he's listed as probable for Saturday's series opener.
And Wade, who missed the last three games with a dislocated finger, is also expected to be ready to go. Meanwhile New York G Jeremy Lin is out for this series with a knee injury, although he could return to action if the Knicks advance past the first round.
The Heat and Knicks combined to go 52-78 on the 'over/unders' this season.
Knicks vs Heat Prop Odds from Sportsbook:
Series Price
New York Knicks (Series Prices) 13/2 (+650)
Miami Heat (Series Prices) 1/9 (-900)
Exact Series Result
Miami Heat 4-0 25/4
Miami Heat 4-1 8/5
Miami Heat 4-2 9/2
Miami Heat 4-3 11/4
New York Knicks 4-0 50/1
New York Knicks 4-1 25/1
New York Knicks 4-2 9/1
New York Knicks 4-3 12/1
Total Games in Series
Over Games O 5½ 10/13 (-130)
Under Games U 5½ 1/1 (EVEN)
Total Games in Series
4 23/4
5 31/20
6 12/5
7 21/10
Series Game Spread
Miami Heat +1½ 1/12 (-1200)
New York Knicks -1½ 13/2 (+650)
Series Game Spread
Miami Heat -1½ 5/8 (-160)
New York Knicks +1½ 13/10 (+130)
Where will the Series be Decided?
American Airlines Arena, Miami 20/33 (+135)
Madison Square Garden, New York 27/20 (-165)
Player Props
Average First Round Points Per Game - LeBron James
Over/ Under 27.5
Average First Round Rebounds Per Game - LeBron James
Over/ Under 8
Average First Round Assists Per Game - LeBron James
Over/ Under 6.5
Average First Round Points Per Game - Dwyane Wade
Over/ Under 23
Average First Round Points Per Game - Chris Bosh
Over/ Under 17.5
Average First Round Rebounds Per Game - Chris Bosh
Over/ Under 8
Average First Round Points Per Game - Carmelo Anthony
Over/ Under 24.5
Average First Round Points Per Game - Amare Stoudemire
Over/ Under 17
Average First Round Rebounds Per Game - Amare Stoudemire
Over/ Under 8
Average First Round Points Per Game - Tyson Chandler
Over/ Under 12
Average First Round Rebounds Per Game - Tyson Chandler
Over/ Under 10
