Odds and Bets: Miami Heat Disrespect, Manchester City, Blue Jays

It’s hump day and we’re thick in the middle of tons of sports action. Although the NHL conference finals won’t begin until Thursday, there are still plenty of intriguing propositions on the table today. Let’s get started.

Miami Heat vs Celtics Game 1: Miami Covers

The NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals commence tonight. It’s a rematch of last year’s encounter between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics. This year the roles are reversed insofar as Boston holds home-court advantage. It marks the third time in four years these clubs are the last two left standing in the East. Miami claimed the 2020 bubble conference final and Boston took last year’s. Regular season results were fittingly split this season 2-2, with each side defending home-court once and taking one game as the visitors.

Boston is viewed as a -8.0 favourite in Game 1 in the NBA odds. This comes as a mild surprise. The Heat were supposed to lose to the Bucks yet won 4-1. They were the underdog against the Knicks, at least as far as home-court advantage was concerned, and won 4-2. For all the talent on the Celtics roster, they don’t have a Jimmy Butler. Marcus Smart can hustle, Al Horford has his moments, and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are a great duo, but Jimmy Butler can command a game unto his own. Honestly, +8.0 feels a little disrespectful.

Best Bet: Take the Heat with the +8.0 spread.

Manchester City vs Real Madrid: City Makes the Final

Football fans eagerly await the second leg of the Champions League semi-final between Manchester City and Real Madrid. The teams played to a tense 1-1 draw last week at the Bernabeu, making this second match all the more arresting. Who will go through? The historically amazing – and still very good – Real Madrid or Manchester City, the current behemoth that has yet to taste European glory?

Had last week’s contest concluded with a Madrid victory (which this author foolishly predicted 2-1), the entire complexity of the return leg would be different. All that experience, all those great players, entering a big game with a lead? That would sound nice. At 1-1, City can and should believe it’s their turn. They rested Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Jack Grealish over the weekend for this moment. Manchester City have plastered teams all year at home. Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Leipzig. All came to the Etihad and were disintegrated. Will Real Madrid get embarrassed? No, but:

Best Bet: Manchester City defeats Real Madrid and reach the Champions League final

Yankees vs Blue Jays: Toronto Avoids the Sweep

This little three-game set has had a lot more storylines than anyone would have predicted, beyond the inherent division rivalry tensions. What was Aaron Judge looking at before smacking that home run on Monday night? The Jays are annoyed with New York’s third base coach. Yankees starter Domingo German was ejected on Tuesday night. So much fun. By the way, New York has taken the first two games of this set.

Toronto is experiencing a curious stretch of results. A couple of weeks ago they travelled to Boston for four nights and were swept. They went to Pittsburgh and swept the Pirates. The Phillies took both games in a quick two-game set. Toronto returned home to win all three matches versus the Braves and has now lost the first two against the Yankees. Can this be the fifth consecutive series involving Toronto that concludes with a sweep? The Yankees are sending Gerrit Cole to the mound, so it’s tempting to say yes. Toronto is talented, probably a little angry with themselves for how the first two games have gone and need the win to distance themselves anew from the Yankees.

Best Bet: Toronto Blue Jays on the runline