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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Erik García Gundersen

Lakers news: LeBron James’ team favored in NBA Finals for first time since 2013

LeBron James is back in the NBA Finals and his Los Angeles Lakers are big favorites to win the series against the Miami Heat, LeBron’s former team. It was also with the Miami Heat that LeBron James was last a favorite in the NBA Finals, all the way back in 2013.

LeBron’s teams have only been favored to win the Finals three times out of the 10 times that his teams have made it to the NBA Finals. According to BetOnline.Ag, the Lakers at -350 make LeBron a bigger favorite than he’s ever been in the NBA Finals, according to data collected by OddsShark. The next closest was when the 2013 Miami Heat were-240 favorites against the San Antonio Spurs, a series that went 7 games.

NBA Finals: Miami Heat vs the Los Angeles Lakers

Miami Heat                                +280     (14/5)

Los Angeles Lakers                   -350     (2/7)

LeBron James and the Lakers were viewed as a potentially vulnerable team going into the first round of the playoffs, now LeBron is leading the team everyone expects to win the championship. And the odds believe he has the biggest advantage ever head into this matchup with the Heat. However, the Heat have been monsters against the spread and have consistently overcome the odds of being underdogs in each of the last two series to make it to the Finals for the first time since LeBron James left in 2014.

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