Ball Arena, Thursday 8:30pm (ET)

We’ve seen an NBA playoffs like no other. Literally. For the first time ever, we’ll have a #1 seed and a #8 seed battle it out in the NBA Finals. It’s the Denver Nuggets representing the West and the Miami Heat representing the East.

The west representatives have taken the easier route, at least in terms of games played. The Denver Nuggets took care of their three opponents in a combined 15 games, with their toughest test clearly being the Phoenix Suns in the second round.

The east representatives on the other hand, have played two Play-In Tournament games and a further 18 playoff games to reach this point. Most notably, they recently finished a seven-game battle against the Celtics on Monday night.

Clearly, the Nuggets have had a lot more rest of the pair. An extra week to be exact. Although not only have they had the rest, but they’ve also had the seven days to scout their opposition which is an underrated factor, especially heading into their first contest.

With rest, scouting, and home court advantage on their side, I’m not surprised the Nuggets are the overwhelming favorites to take care of business in Game 1.

The Nuggets were a tough team to beat in the regular season, boasting a 34-7 record at Ball Arena, and have been even tougher to beat during the playoffs where they’re currently perfect.

Needless to say, the Nuggets represent value in the spread market in Game 1 and I’m happy to go a step further and back them in to win by 11+ points.