The 2013 NBA Finals are just about set to get started, and we’re going to be taking a look at the best players that are going to be on the court and analyzing their odds to win the NBA Finals MVP award. The Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs are set to do battle, and there could be as many as seven Hall of Famers on the court at the same time in these games, so handicapping the NBA odds for this prop most certainly won’t be easy.

Of course, when you talk about this Miami team, there really is only one man that has the ability to be the game’s MVP, and that’s LeBron James (Odds To Win the NBA Finals MVP Award: 4 to 9 at Bovada Sportsbook). LeBron has averaged 26.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game here in the postseason so far, and we figure that his numbers are going to only end up going up in the Finals, where there should be more points scored than there were in the last two series that the team played against the Chicago Bulls and the Indiana Pacers. James is simply the heart and soul of this team, and there isn’t anyone else who is going to have any chance whatsoever to be the MVP of this series if the Heat ultimately win it all. Dwyane Wade is a nice story. Chris Bosh is a good player. But both have really slacked off in the playoffs. This is James’ team, and there is no one that would stop him from claiming the Finals MVP Award if the Heat were to claim their second championship.

Where it gets interesting is if the Spurs end up winning it all. The logical selection would be Tony Parker (NBA Finals MVP Award Lines: 9 to 2 at Bovada Sportsbook). Parker scored 37 points in the close out game against the Memphis Grizzlies, and he has been the best player in these playoffs by a country mile for the Spurs as well. Parker has averaged 23.0 points and 7.2 assists per game, and he has been shooting the ball remarkably well throughout this postseason. If we had a concern about Parker though, it is that he hasn’t faced a defense quite like this here in the playoffs. The Grizzlies had a great defense, but their defenders that were MVP type of stars were all big men. Don’t be shocked to see some of LeBron guarding Parker at points in this series if the point guard starts to really take things over. Even the matchup against either Wade or Mario Chalmers won’t be an easy one by any stretch of the imagination.

We know that Tim Duncan would be the sentimental choice, knowing that he is averaging 17.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, and he has been the veteran leader for a number of these championship teams that San Antonio has put together. However, we would rather take a shot on Any Other Spurs Player (NBA Finals MVP Award Odds: 30 to 1 at Bovada Sportsbook). It’s a tough call for that to happen, knowing that the “Big Three” of Parker, Duncan, and Manu Ginobili are all taken up, as is Kawhi Leonard. The Spurs though, always utilize a number of players on a nightly basis, and all it takes is one catching some fire to all of a sudden give us a lot of options for the man that could be the MVP of this series. We haven’t heard a ton out of Danny Green or Tiago Splitter in the postseason, and if DeJuan Blair finds a way to get some extended minutes, he could be the man of the hour as well. Remember that the NBA Finals MVP Award isn’t always necessarily handed to the man that has the best stats, but the biggest impact on the series. Green in particular is hitting 43.1 percent of his shots from the outside, and if he can have a few 20+ point games, which we know that he is clearly capable of putting together, he could be the man that steals this award if San Antonio does go on to capture its fifth title in franchise history.

Current 2013 NBA Finals MVP Betting Odds @ Bovada Sportsbook (as of 6/5/13):
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LeBron James 4 to 9
Dwyane Wade 8 to 1
Chris Bosh 20 to 1
Chris Andersen 99 to 1
Any Other Heat Player 35 to 1
Tony Parker 9 to 2
Tim Duncan 7 to 1
Manu Ginobili 20 to 1
Kawhi Leonard 30 to 1
Any Other Spurs Player 30 to 1

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Dirk Nowitzki Over/Under 26 Points – It’s no real surprise that the ball is running through the hands of Dirk when the Mavericks have possession. In the Western Conference Finals, he had three games with more than 26 points, one with less than that, and one with exactly 26 points. Nowitzki has really been incredibly dominating at times, especially down the stretch in close games. There is no way that Head Coach Rick Carlisle is going to take the ball out of his hands as long as the game stays competitive, and as long as you’re a believer that this one will be interesting down to the wire, there is no way that you can do anything but go with Nowitzki Over 26 Points -115 @ 5Dimes Sportsbook

Tyson Chandler Over/Under 16.5 Points + Rebounds – Chandler had a heck of a tough battle in the second round of the playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even still, he had at least 13 rebounds in two of the five games, and he had no fewer than eight in the series. Offensively, thing were tough with Kendrick Perkins and Nazr Mohammed on his backside, and his point production was slashed. Sure, we know that Chandler isn’t one of the top options on the floor, but he does have a lot easier time going into the paint against Joel Anthony and some of the other Miami bigs than he did in the last series. He had at least 18 points and rebounds combined in three of the final four games against the Thunder, and there is no way that we can see him not going past this number. Our NBA prop picks on this one are calling for Chandler Over 16.5 Points + Rebounds -115 @ 5Dimes Sportsbook

Shawn Marion +7.5 Points vs. Chris Bosh – This is quite the interesting prop, because we know that Bosh has had a ton of consistent games over the course of these playoffs, whereas Marion has really been hit or miss. But let’s dig just a tad further. We have seen Marion get to at least seven points in the last six games in the postseason, and we know that he averaged over a dozen points per game in the regular season. Bosh has had at least 20 points in four out of five games, and at home in these playoffs, he has really been absolutely remarkable. The difference here though, is that he is going to have his hands full with the likes of Chandler and Nowitzki in the paint. We do tend to believe that Bosh will outscore Marion, but if the vet starts to catch fire from the outside, Bosh stands no chance on this NBA prop pick. Go with Marion +7.5 Points vs. Bosh -125 @ 5Dimes Sportsbook

The stars will certainly be shining in the NBA Finals this year, but only one can be named NBA Finals MVP when push comes to shove. Check out our NBA Finals picks for MVP for this year’s finals starting on Tuesday!

It should really come as no surprise that the favorite to beat the NBA Finals MVP odds is LeBron James (Current NBA Finals Odds: 1 to 1 at Bodog Sportsbook). This is definitely a series that is fit for a King, but it definitely isn’t the first time that he has had this opportunity. James knew that he was the favorite to win on the NBA Finals MVP lines a few seasons ago with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but his team was swept by the San Antonio Spurs. James hasn’t put up the same type of numbers that he did that year in these playoffs, but there is no doubt that he has been absolutely remarkable. James has averaged just under 44 minutes per game in the postseason, and he has averaged 26.0 points, 8.9 boards, and 5.5 assists per game. He’s got a great chance to win this honorable award, but obviously, he is going to need his first NBA Championship to be able to do that.

Of course, James also has to overcome a man that has already won this award once before. In fact, Dwyane Wade (NBA Finals MVP Lines: 7 to 2 at Bodog Sportsbook) is the only player on either side in this game that has ever won the NBA Finals MVP award in his career. He did so against these Mavs in a series in which he was absolutely remarkable in five years ago. Wade isn’t asked to do quite as much as he has over the past few years since Shaquille O’Neal has aged and left town, but he definitely has the best supporting cast that he has had at least since that point, if not ever before. The man they call “Flash” has averaged 23.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.

List Of Past NBA Finals MVPs (Since 2000)
2010 NBA Finals MVP: Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
2009 NBA Finals MVP: Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
2008 NBA Finals MVP: Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics)
2007 NBA Finals MVP: Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs)
2006 NBA Finals MVP: Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat)
2005 NBA Finals MVP: Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs)
2004 NBA Finals MVP: Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons)
2003 NBA Finals MVP: Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs)
2002 NBA Finals MVP: Shaquille O’Neal (Los Angeles Lakers)
2001 NBA Finals MVP: Shaquille O’Neal (Los Angeles Lakers)
2000 NBA Finals MVP: Shaquille O’Neal (Los Angeles Lakers)

Of course, if you’re looking at players on the Dallas Mavericks, the conversation has to start and essentially end with Dirk Nowitzki (Odds to Win NBA Finals MVP: 2 to 1 at Bodog Sportsbook). Nowitzki has really had the best season of his career both in the regular season and in the playoffs. Sure, we’ve seen Dirk put up better statistics than this in his life, but 28.4 points per game in a season in which he averaged 23.0 points per game. Nowitzki has really done a tremendous job in the postseason, taking games over single handedly at times against some of the best and brightest that this league has to offer.

The only other man that we can see getting the job done for the Mavs is Jason Terry (Current NBA Finals MVP Odds: 12 to 1 at Bodog Sportsbook), and even that would be a huge surprise if he were the one to end up winning the award. For a man to win this award off of the bench would be truly remarkable, but Terry plays the role of a starter even though he’s not on the court when the tipoff happens. Terry averaged the third most minutes in the playoffs for any Maverick at over 32 minutes per game, and he has the ability to catch fire in a ridiculous way from beyond the arc. “The Jet” shot 47.1 percent from the floor and 46.3 percent from downtown on the campaign, and he averaged 17.3 points per game. In the playoffs, this is the man that can really make a difference in a hurry for Dallas, and if it wins this series, there is no doubt that he is going to be the man that has to play above and beyond all expectations.

NBA Finals MVP Odds @ Bodog Sportsbook (as of 5/29/11):
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LeBron James 1.30 to 1
Dirk Nowitzki 1.60 to 1
Dwyane Wade 4.50 to 1
Chris Bosh 13 to 1
Jason Terry 17 to 1
Shawn Marion 28 to 1
Tyson Chandler 30 to 1

2011 NBA Finals MVP Odds @ Oddsmaker Sportsbook (as of 5/29/11):
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LeBron James 1.10 to 1
Dirk Nowitzki 1.30 to 1
Dwyane Wade 4 to 1
Field (Any Other Player) 8 to 1