After a long seven-ish weeks of postseason basketball, it all comes down to this.
The NBA Finals have arrived, and this series certainly does not lack storylines. Kyrie vs. Boston. Porzingis vs. Dallas. The Jays vs. Luka. A redemption arc for the Celtics. An almost impossible title run for the Mavericks.
In this article, I’m going to break down my favorite futures on DraftKings Sportsbook for the NBA Finals. Without further ado, let’s get into it.
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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Quite frankly, I think this series will be over in five or fewer games.
The Celtics are a nightmare matchup for Dallas. As we’ve seen over the last two rounds in the West, the Mavericks are capable of racking up around 120 points at times, but they really want to win ugly, grind-it-out games in the 100s.
That won’t get the job done against Boston, who boasts one of the most prolific offenses the NBA has ever seen. If the Celtics shoot the long ball anywhere close to their season average, Dallas will get sped up trying to match it, and that’s where things get really dangerous for the Mavs.
Boston has won the last four meetings between these squads, including two easy victories this season. As we heard earlier Tuesday, Kristaps Porzingis is expected to be back in action for Game 1 on Thursday. His presence is massive for the Celtics.
Not only will Porzingis stretch out Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively to open up the paint for the Jays and bully ball king Jrue Holiday, but he also provides a tremendous interior defensive presence.
I believe the Celtics will secure this championship in five or fewer games, but I like the value of buying an extra insurance game at plus-money with the -1.5 spread.
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Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Boston’s superstar has drawn much undeserved criticism throughout the course of the postseason. In the Eastern Conference Semis against Cleveland, Tatum became just the second player since 1974 to lead all players in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks in a playoff series.
The other player who did that? LeBron James in the 2016 NBA Finals, which is widely considered to be the greatest playoff performance of all time.
The 26-year-old wing followed up said outing by dominating the Pacers, averaging 30.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists in the Conference Finals. Now, it’s time for him to silence the doubters once and for all.
Tatum’s only prior Finals appearance didn’t pan out the way he was hoping. The superstar dealt with a serious wrist injury for the entirety of the series and subsequently shot the ball horribly, letting it affect every aspect of his game. Two years later, he gets a chance at redemption, and Dallas is a fantastic matchup to achieve it.
Tatum has absolutely destroyed the Mavericks lately. Over his last four games against Luka Doncic and company, he’s averaged a whopping 34.3 points and 11.5 rebounds. All it takes is a quick look at Dallas’ roster to see that Jason Kidd has no one at his disposal capable of guarding Boston’s best player.
I expect that trend to continue in this series as Tatum and the Celtics make a run at basketball immortality.
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Those are my favorite futures for the NBA Finals! Stay tuned for some game-specific player props over the next few weeks.
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
The contents contained in this article do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment.