Latest NBA Finals MVP Odds
What Is The Award
After the conclusion of the NBA Finals, a panel of voters -- consisting in members of the media -- will decide which player is the MVP of the series.
The Odds (Per BetOnline)
Giannis Antetokounmpo: +115
Devin Booker: +275
Chris Paul: +375
Khris Middleton: +800
Paul George +1000
Jrue Holiday: +1800
Deandre Ayton: +2200
Kawhi Leonard: +2800
Trae Young: +2800
Ruling Out Players
1) Kawhi Leonard
Because of his knee injury -- which he claims that the Clipper medical staff misdiagnosed and underestimated the extent of -- it doesn't seem likely that Kawhi will return this season. If he doesn't play, then he can't possibly be the NBA Finals MVP.
2) Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton
Neither player plays a significant enough role in Milwaukee's offense to justify an investment in either of them to be the NBA Finals MVP.
You have to figure that the player who will win this award is somebody who is central enough to his team to play the most significant role over the course of an entire series.
Any player can be the best player in a single game. But over the course of a series, the player that the winning team depends on most will likely earn the reward by leading his team to victory.
Holiday and Middleton continually lack the importance that Giannis possesses. A comparison of usage rate substantiates this claim.
In these playoffs, Holiday's usage rate is 20.7, Middleton's is 26.7, and Giannis' is 31.8.
Because Giannis is a bigger part of the Buck offense, he easily leads the team in this postseason in points per game. He's scoring 29.2 points per game, 6.1 more than Middleton and 12.9 more than Holiday.
3) Deandre Ayton
The same thinking applies to Deandre Ayton, only the disparity in usage rate is even larger. Devin Booker and Chris Paul have much higher usage rates than Ayton.
We've seen early in the series against the Clippers that Ayton can play a big role. But even when he has a strong match-up edge, the Suns tend to go away from him too often.
Paul, as the point guard, and Booker, as the team's most prolific individual scorer, all play consistently bigger roles in the offense.
Plus, if Ayton has to go against the Bucks, he will likely be stifled inside because Milwaukee has one of the best rim protection units in the NBA.
Since the beginning of the playoffs and really since the beginning of the regular season, Milwaukee has displayed its devotion to conservative ball-screen principles and to packing the paint.
Whereas the Bucks are great at limiting opposing field goal attempts within five feet of the basket, their perimeter defense has been relatively vulnerable. But behind the arc is not where Ayton, the team's center, would be likely to thrive.
Strategy
Betting on this NBA future is partially tantamount to betting on a team to win the NBA Finals.
Note for your Sports Betting that, since 1969, no player on the losing team has been named NBA Finals MVP.
So, while Trae Young may seem like a tempting investment at +2800, he is probably not your best option because it doesn't seem likely that Atlanta has the personnel to keep up with either the Clippers or the Suns -- if the Hawks even get past Milwaukee.
If you think Milwaukee to win, Giannis has to be your choice.
If you like the Clippers, then Paul George must be your guy.
George is the team's leader with Kawhi out. He is the guy that the Clippers have been leaning on in the fourth quarter of close games. Fittingly, he is the team's leading scorer by far (overlooking the injured Kawhi).
If you think the Suns will win it all, then you should invest in either Paul or Booker.
Paul has been performing poorly as he remains rusty after suffering a prolonged absence. For your Best Bets, it's important, though, to stay long-sighted. You have to think that, if Phoenix does advance to the Finals, he will have shaken off his rust by then.
My Recommendation
With Phoenix still up 3-2 against the Clippers, it seems hard to imagine L.A. coming all the way back from a 3-1 series deficit. So I rule out Paul George.
The surge in Cameron Payne's performance this playoffs has revealed the depth that Phoenix has at the point guard position, which is Paul's position.
I think Booker is the most important and certainly the flashiest player on that team. He is easily Phoenix's leading scorer and the team's scoring output tends to correspond with his individual efficiency in a given game.
He can draw a lot of fouls inside, be aggressive driving to the basket, attack the mid-range like Paul does, and flourish from behind the arc.
At +275, I think the price is much more reasonable and more attractive than Giannis at +115. He and Milwaukee's offense would be challenged by the Sun rim protection led by Ayton inside and by Phoenix's plethora of good perimeter defenders.
Also, Milwaukee's defensive focus on limiting field goal attempts at the basket makes the defense relatively vulnerable to teams that like to score in the mid-range.
Phoenix loves to score in the mid-range, where the Bucks are one of the worst teams in limiting opposing field goal attempts.
Best Bet: Devin Booker +275 at BetOnline
What Is The Award
After the conclusion of the NBA Finals, a panel of voters -- consisting in members of the media -- will decide which player is the MVP of the series.
The Odds (Per BetOnline)
Giannis Antetokounmpo: +115
Devin Booker: +275
Chris Paul: +375
Khris Middleton: +800
Paul George +1000
Jrue Holiday: +1800
Deandre Ayton: +2200
Kawhi Leonard: +2800
Trae Young: +2800
Ruling Out Players
1) Kawhi Leonard
Because of his knee injury -- which he claims that the Clipper medical staff misdiagnosed and underestimated the extent of -- it doesn't seem likely that Kawhi will return this season. If he doesn't play, then he can't possibly be the NBA Finals MVP.
2) Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton
Neither player plays a significant enough role in Milwaukee's offense to justify an investment in either of them to be the NBA Finals MVP.
You have to figure that the player who will win this award is somebody who is central enough to his team to play the most significant role over the course of an entire series.
Any player can be the best player in a single game. But over the course of a series, the player that the winning team depends on most will likely earn the reward by leading his team to victory.
Holiday and Middleton continually lack the importance that Giannis possesses. A comparison of usage rate substantiates this claim.
In these playoffs, Holiday's usage rate is 20.7, Middleton's is 26.7, and Giannis' is 31.8.
Because Giannis is a bigger part of the Buck offense, he easily leads the team in this postseason in points per game. He's scoring 29.2 points per game, 6.1 more than Middleton and 12.9 more than Holiday.
3) Deandre Ayton
The same thinking applies to Deandre Ayton, only the disparity in usage rate is even larger. Devin Booker and Chris Paul have much higher usage rates than Ayton.
We've seen early in the series against the Clippers that Ayton can play a big role. But even when he has a strong match-up edge, the Suns tend to go away from him too often.
Paul, as the point guard, and Booker, as the team's most prolific individual scorer, all play consistently bigger roles in the offense.
Plus, if Ayton has to go against the Bucks, he will likely be stifled inside because Milwaukee has one of the best rim protection units in the NBA.
Since the beginning of the playoffs and really since the beginning of the regular season, Milwaukee has displayed its devotion to conservative ball-screen principles and to packing the paint.
Whereas the Bucks are great at limiting opposing field goal attempts within five feet of the basket, their perimeter defense has been relatively vulnerable. But behind the arc is not where Ayton, the team's center, would be likely to thrive.
Strategy
Betting on this NBA future is partially tantamount to betting on a team to win the NBA Finals.
Note for your Sports Betting that, since 1969, no player on the losing team has been named NBA Finals MVP.
So, while Trae Young may seem like a tempting investment at +2800, he is probably not your best option because it doesn't seem likely that Atlanta has the personnel to keep up with either the Clippers or the Suns -- if the Hawks even get past Milwaukee.
If you think Milwaukee to win, Giannis has to be your choice.
If you like the Clippers, then Paul George must be your guy.
George is the team's leader with Kawhi out. He is the guy that the Clippers have been leaning on in the fourth quarter of close games. Fittingly, he is the team's leading scorer by far (overlooking the injured Kawhi).
If you think the Suns will win it all, then you should invest in either Paul or Booker.
Paul has been performing poorly as he remains rusty after suffering a prolonged absence. For your Best Bets, it's important, though, to stay long-sighted. You have to think that, if Phoenix does advance to the Finals, he will have shaken off his rust by then.
My Recommendation
With Phoenix still up 3-2 against the Clippers, it seems hard to imagine L.A. coming all the way back from a 3-1 series deficit. So I rule out Paul George.
The surge in Cameron Payne's performance this playoffs has revealed the depth that Phoenix has at the point guard position, which is Paul's position.
I think Booker is the most important and certainly the flashiest player on that team. He is easily Phoenix's leading scorer and the team's scoring output tends to correspond with his individual efficiency in a given game.
He can draw a lot of fouls inside, be aggressive driving to the basket, attack the mid-range like Paul does, and flourish from behind the arc.
At +275, I think the price is much more reasonable and more attractive than Giannis at +115. He and Milwaukee's offense would be challenged by the Sun rim protection led by Ayton inside and by Phoenix's plethora of good perimeter defenders.
Also, Milwaukee's defensive focus on limiting field goal attempts at the basket makes the defense relatively vulnerable to teams that like to score in the mid-range.
Phoenix loves to score in the mid-range, where the Bucks are one of the worst teams in limiting opposing field goal attempts.
Best Bet: Devin Booker +275 at BetOnline
