My Favorite NBA Finals Futures
Glenn James. Getty Images.The NBA Finals starts tonight and here are my favorite futures for the series:
*All odds via DraftKings
Luka Doncic to be the series leader in 3-pointers made (+100)
He's averaging 3.4 3-pointers made/game this post-season, but was hampered with a sprained knee early on that affected his shooting. He's been scorching hot the past seven games making 4.6 shots from downtown/game on 10 3PTAs/game.
Derrick White is next up with 3.4 3PTMs/game this post-season. But looking closer, a whopping 20 of those made 3s came in an insane 3-game stretch where he went 20/37 from downtown in Games 4 & 5 against Miami and Game 1 against Cleveland. Since then, he's come back down to Earth with 2.5 3PTMs/game on 7.8 3PTAs/game.
The only guys averaging over 2 3-pointers made are: Kyrie Irving (2.6), PJ Washington (2.4), Jayson Tatum (2.1), Al Horford (1.9). So I love Luka in this spot.
Some other plays that are certainly worth fliers in my mind:
Series Exact Games: 6 (+230)
I think Boston wins this series. But a win tonight by Dallas could certainly change my mind, so I'm staying away from team specific outcomes and focusing more on the number of games. Last year, the Nuggets beat the Heat 4-1, but the prior four seasons were all six game NBA Finals:
2022: Warriors over Celtics 4-2
2021: Bucks over Suns 4-2
2020: Lakers over Heat 4-2
2019: Raptors over Warriors 4-2
I don't think either team has a giant advantage like last year's Nuggets team over their Miami opponent. I see this more of a close series, but not fully going the distance. The last NBA Finals that went seven games was 2016's classic of Cleveland over Golden State 4-3. So I like this series to end in six.
Buzzer Beater this series? Yes *Has to be a Field Goal made to end regulation, so much so that the other team cannot get another shot off (+2500)
This is more of a light sprinkle/just for fun play, but when you think about it, there are a lot of big time, clutch players on both teams. Would you be surprised if Luka or Kyrie hit a buzzer beater this series? What about Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, or Derrick White? At 25:1 this is a 0.4 unit play for me to just root for the funnest possible outcome.
Jaylen Brown to be Finals MVP (+650)
Jaylen Brown just won Eastern Conference Finals MVP, so why can't he do it again? The media has amped up the pressure cooker on Jayson Tatum to win, but much like in the series vs. the Pacers, JB just made more plays. I do think Boston wins and I like six games, but Jaylen Brown has every bit as good of a shot to win it as Tatum and I think at +650, that's great value considering Tatum is -115.
So in summary:
