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Last year there were numerous players capable of winning Finals MVP between the Spurs and Heat. The list ranged deep before you would see Kawhi Leonard’s name at 20-1. He defended, scored, and rebounded to become the catalyst to be the difference and MVP a season ago.

This year both the Cavaliers and Warriors have the same deep pedigree of talented players. With the Warriors favored to win the series, Stephen Curry(reg season MVP) is also the odds on favorite to win Finals MVP at -175.

While the top of the heap features the expected big names, I’m always one to venture down the list for value purposes. This past NCAA championship I recommended Tyus Jones at 25-1 for Duke. During last year’s NBA Finals I recommended a hedge on the MVP(recommended Spurs to win title at 5-1 earlier in the playoffs) by grabbing Dwayne Wade at 10-1 for Finals MVP. I figured if the Heat had any chance of beating the Spurs Wade would have to turn to his old ways for a series—flashes he did show throughout the end of the regular season and some of the NBA playoffs.

This year we’ve heard people rationalize time and time again that Draymond Green is the key to the Warriors even with how well Stephen Curry has played. Curry fills the stat sheet while Green just does his job. That has somewhat changed as the season has stretched on. Green is becoming more and more involved in the offense.

With Klay Thompson’s status unknown, the shifting priorities of the Warriors and Cavs could play into the hands of Green. The Cavaliers are already a strong defensive team that would be able to shift more focus on the perimeter and on Stephen Curry. This would lead to more opportunities for another Warrior player to step up offensively, and you’d have to think Green would be one of the main options in that department.

Defensively, what he can do guarding various players already has his value as a sleeper MVP warranted.

Currently you can grab Green at 15-1 odds. We’re three days away from the Finals beginning and have yet to hear Thompson’s status. Grab the odds now before they shift on word of Thompson possibly missing game one or more.

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Yesterday I discussed waiting on picking the Heat or Spurs. The Spurs are currently slight favorites thanks to home court advantage. But a shift of odds for the better or worse is likely to occur during the series.

Where the advantage lies currently is deciding on an MVP candidate. The odds on favorites are Lebron James at nearly +150 and Tim Duncan at a little more than 2 to 1.

Before Tony Parker’s injury I likely would have favored him to win. Currently he is still at a little more than 3 to 1.

Money surely is going to flow on those three. Lebron has carried the Heat all season and Tim Duncan has been the Spurs leader forever. Yet my money is going to go on Dwayne Wade at a whopping 10-1.

All year Wade has taking a back seat and been preserved for the NBA Finals. Basically the Heat have been able to coast the regular season and Eastern Conference playoffs by default. Facing the San Antonio Spurs though things will be dramatically different.

Coach Poppovich will attack the Heat’s strengths. Obviously their number one strength is LeBron James. For the Heat to have a chance in this series it will take an old school Dwayne Wade to do so.

I believe the Heat realize that and so does James. Throughout James career he has never been the type of player to hog the spotlight. He’ll gladly had the reigns to Dwayne Wade if it means winning a third championship.

All he cares about our rings, unlike most superstars that have played any professional sport.

For Wade to be at 10-1 is a slap in the face to the type of player he has been. Wade also knows that LeBron James has the option to opt out after this post season. To keep LeBron from even having that thought, I believe Wade will turn his game up to the top level he has done occasionally this season.

Veterans of Wade’s caliber know when to turn the jets on. Sure Wade is 32 but people have acted like he is an after thought to the Heat’s success. I can’t remember a player of his caliber being wrote off so quickly as Dwayne Wade.

The cast of Lebron on the team has jaded people’s perceptions of Wade. The Spurs have the LeBron caliber defenders to limit James’s success. Leonard and Boris Diaw have shown they can do that. But who is their answer for Wade?

The answer is they do not have one. Last year in the NBA Finals the Heat fell down two games to one to the Spurs. In those three games Wade’s averages were just 14 points a game with 1 rebound and three assists.

The series turned and the Heat then won three out of four games. In those four games Wade’s averages jumped tremendously. He averaged a near 24 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks.

James already has two NBA finals MVP’s to go along with his two NBA titles as a Miami Heat member. This Heat team is different than in year’s past and is going to require a leap in Wade’s play to get the job done.

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Weeks ago I wrote an article on capitalizing on the Spurs at future odds of 3-1 and 5-1. Those odds were in the Dallas series. There was only a day that the odds were at 5-1, when they were down 2-1 in the series to the Mavericks.

It’s easy to jump on series odds when it’s down to the final two teams. Action is likely sky rocketing on both the Heat at +105 and Spurs at -125. The fact of the matter is that neither price has great line value right now.

Oddmakers are at your mercy right now. They have the series priced exactly how it should be. The home team Spurs are the odds on slight favorite, but they’re not writing off the possibility of a three peat by the Heat.

The best approach if you did not pick the Heat or Spurs weeks ago, is to wait out two to three games.

This series is projected to go seven games by just about every media outlet. The Spurs want to end a dynasty that’s been around since the late 90’s, and the Heat want to get a coveted three peat.

This will not be a quick series.

As in any type of financial market, the proper time to make money is when the odds become a better buy. If any of these teams gets down one game by losing home court advantage, injuries, or a 2-0 deficit, value is going to shift.

This would be the opportunity to pounce on a future buy.

Hold your reservations on placing your money on the counter. Yes there has been a big gap of NBA rest days from conference championships to the start of the Finals. But action will begin Thursday.

If you’re really looking at getting a solid wager on a future bet in the series, put a play on the series MVP.