With the NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat set to get underway on Thursday, the odds for NBA Finals MVP have been released, with the favorite being no surprise at all.
Superstar Nikola Jokic has been, without a doubt, the best player in the NBA playoffs thus far, and that distinction will likely continue in the Finals.
It’s also no surprise that star forward Jimmy Butler is behind Jokic on this list of odds for NBA Finals MVP from FanDuel Sportsbook via Shams Charania of The Athletic.
MVP odds entering the 2023 NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat, per @FDSportsbook: pic.twitter.com/2z2KCm5mSo
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 31, 2023
Jokic took Western Conference Finals MVP honors, also known as the Magic Johnson Trophy, while Butler won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, now called the Larry Bird Trophy.
Although these two stars are no-brainer picks for the best player in the Finals, Jamal Murray and Bam Adebayo might also make a case, while budding star Caleb Martin is also in the running.
With the Nuggets being the favorite to come out on top in the Finals, it would be a safe bet to go with Jokic or Murray, as the award almost always goes to the winner of the series, with Jerry West of the Los Angeles Lakers being the exception back in 1969.
Although Denver is the favorite, and understandably so, the Heat have proven their doubters wrong every step of the way during these NBA playoffs and may be able to do the same in the Finals, which also makes bets for Butler and Adebayo intriguing, as one of the two could just as easily win the award.
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