Heat still slight favorites to win NBA Finals despite being down 3-2 to Spurs

LeBron James and the Heat will look to take Game 6 of the Finals tonight in Miami. (Greg Nelson for Sports Illustrated

A 3-2 deficit isn't discouraging oddsmakers, who still list the Heat as slight favorites in the NBA Finals versus the Spurs. Bovada.lv has Miami, which fell to San Antonio 114-104 in Game 5 on Sunday, at -130 to win the Finals despite the fact that the Spurs can close out the series in Game 6 tonight in Miami.

Game 6 and 7 of the Finals will be played in Miami, a fact which no doubt figures into the Heat's odds. LeBron James and Co. went 37-4 at home during the regular season and have gone 8-3 at American Airlines Arena in the playoffs. The Spurs were above-average on the road in the regular season (23-18) and have compiled a 7-2 record away from San Antonio in the postseason. The 2-3-2 Finals format, adopted in 1985, gives the Heat this advantage.

As the Point Forward's Ben Golliver noted, the Heat haven't won two games in a row since a closeout Game 5 win against Chicago in the conference semifinals and an overtime victory over Indiana in Game 1 of the conference finals. The Heat will need to win two straight games in Miami to capture the title.

“We can’t worry about a Game 7,” James said after Game 5. “We have to worry about Game 6.”

Tip-off for Game 6 is 9 p.m. ET at Miami’s American Airlines Arena.

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