San Antonio at Miami

The Miami heat looked dead and buried in Game Six, but overcame the odds to force overtime. They ultimately came out with a hard-fought 103-100 win (with a little help from the refs) to force a decisive Game Seven. This has been a great series, with each team exchanging blows. It is fitting that this series has become just the 7th NBA series to go seven games over the last 38 years. While this game probably goes to the Heat, anything can happen and I'm staying away from picking a side. The one thing that has stood out in the three Game Sevens in the Finals since the 87-88 season is defense, and nerves. There is so much at stake, that teams lay it all out, and the result has been limited scoring, and the ultimate chess match. The last three Game Seven champions were the Lakers, Spurs, and Rockets. The final scores were 83-79, 81-74, and 90-84. They represented defense, and game sevens are usually lower scoring as a rule. This season when facing a team that averages 100+ ppg, the Spurs are 17-5 to the first-half UNDER. In the Popovich era, this team is 130-81 UNDER in the first-half of playoff games. These teams are matched up closely, and there could be an extension of a close game late with a lot of fouls, or perhaps even another overtime. But, the first half total looks like a very solid UNDER opportunity. Play the first half UNDER.