NBA Props Betting – What Kind of Night Will LeBron Have?

As he returns to Cleveland as a member of the enemy squad, what kind of night will LeBron James have, and what does that mean to NBA props bettors? That’s the question we are concerned with here, as we evaluate his possible performance for the game that will begin at 8 PM ET on Thursday night at the Quicken Loans Arena. The Heat are 5.5-point favorites, but more importantly to LeBron, the NBA props over-under on his own scoring is set at 26.5 points, with the over at -125.

NBA Basketball Betting

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Miami Heat (11-8 SU, 5-13 ATS) at Cleveland Cavaliers (7-10 SU, 8-8-1 ATS)

Live at Quicken Loans Arena

Cleveland, O.

Thursday, Dec 2 – 7:30 PM ET

NBA Betting Odds:  Miami -5.5, Cleveland +5.5, Total 191

Why do I tend to get on LeBron’s case? Well, the same reason everybody outside the city of Cleveland is on LeBron’s case right now. I am not so sore that he left town, although as a south Florida resident I grew tired of hearing about how invincible the heat were going to be.

What bothers me is that here was a supposed superstar whose rhetoric was that he wanted to blend in as a complementary part; that he was about "team" and "family" yet made his "decision" in such a way that was pre-meditated specifically for the purpose of calling extra attention to himself as an individual. The whole thing smacked of B.S., and the benefit that went to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greenwich, CT, a town that has the highest median household income in the U.S., was an insult.

NBA Props Betting

LEBRON JAMES – TOTAL POINTS     

Over  26½  Points         -125

Under  26½  Points       -105

LEBRON JAMES – TOTAL REBOUNDS AND ASSISTS

Over  14½  Rebs+Assists         -135

Under  14½  Rebs+Assists       +105

One of the problems with the Miami Heat is that each of the members of the "Big Three" were, by far, the #1 offensive options on their respective teams. With the exception of Wade, who won a title in Miami with Shaquille O’Neal at center, they never had to learn how to work off other individuals, and never did they sacrifice any part of their game for the sake of a teammate. Now it gets rough, because all of them, deep down, want to be "the man." That’s the NBA culture these days.

One of the things about working with teammates is that you understand that the ball isn’t going to be in your hands all the time. Therefore, you have to learn how to move without the ball, and that is something these guys, including LeBron, don’t have a lot of experience with. Then you start blaming the coach for things, which James has privately done. To pacify him, and because Miami can’t afford a high-quality point guard, LeBron has been taking the ball up the court. He simply has to have the ball in his hands, and that plays a factor in our NBA props betting.

There are people around the NBA who think it’s a silly thing that LeBron James is operating essentially as a point guard, but that’s the way the Heat’s offense is going to work. It might hurt them in the long run, but for the time being it is going to facilitate him getting his numbers. Personally, as I think of the NBA props that are on this game, I can see the guy having a huge statistical night (it’s in his nature), while his team loses. That might wind up being his true legacy in the NBA before all is said and done.

JAY’S PLAYS:  OVER 26.5 POINTS (-125) ** and OVER 14.5 REBOUNDS + ASSISTS (-135) ***

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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