One of the biggest sportsbooks in the world, Caesars Entertainment, has released their win total over/unders for the Miami Heat and the rest of the NBA.
As win total season winds on in the dog days of the NBA offseason, one of the biggest and most reputable sportsbooks has weighed in. On Thursday, Caesars Entertainment released their over/under win totals for the Miami Heat and the rest of the NBA.
The Heat are at 43.5 wins on Caesars’ board which would place them seventh in the Eastern Conference, behind the Raptors and Nets in the bottom half of the playoff bracket and ahead of the Orlando Magic.
Last season the Heat won just 39 games, so finishing around this win total would represent a four win improvement. Winning 10 percent more games than the season before is certainly a step up, but it’s unlikely to be what team president Pat Riley is looking for after drafting Tyler Herro and trading young stud Josh Richardson for Jimmy Butler.
Of course, these win totals are just starting points and public money can over time influence lines, but there’s nothing wrong with being underestimated.
Particularly in a new era where the power structure is so unclear with the Golden State Warriors being dethroned and gutter, the LA Clippers likely to have both of their superstars, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, miss time with load management and injury recovery. In the Eastern Conference the defending champion Toronto Raptors are deflated after losing Leonard, so it’s never been so wide open for a projected middle seed to make a charge for the top especially out East.
It’s a new-look Miami Heat team, and their upside may be considerably higher than these 43 wins, but only time will tell if they are in fact destined to become a stunning overachiever or merely exist in the middle for yet another season.