NBA Playoff Odds 2012: New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat

The New York Knicks and Miami Heat will begin their respective journeys through the 2012 NBA playoffs on Saturday afternoon at American Airlines Arena, with the opening tip scheduled for 3:30 ET on ABC.

Pinnacle Sports has established the Heat as 8.5-point home favorites in Game 1 of this Eastern Conference best-of-seven series, while the total stands at 187.

Miami coasted down the stretch after losing out on the chance to capture the conference's No. 1 seed to the Chicago Bulls, posting a 9-7 mark in April to finish out a shortened regular-season schedule due to the offseason lockout.

The Heat are still dangerous as the No. 2 seed and are looking to reach the NBA Finals for a second consecutive season, after falling just short against the Dallas Mavericks last year.

Forward LeBron James led the team offensively throughout the season, averaging 27.1 points per game and shooting a career-best 53.1 percent from the field. 

Sports bettors will find that the Heat are 4-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last five playoff games as a favorite of 5.0 to 10.5 points, while the "over" is 5-0 in that situation.

New York is certainly up against it in facing a team that was 28-5 at home during the 2011-12 campaign, but the franchise has overcome some major hurdles over the course of the season, including a mid-season switch on the sideline.

Interim coach Mike Woodson replaced the departed Mike D'Antoni in mid-March, providing the necessary lift to land the No. 7 spot in the East with an 18-6 record to finish out the season.

The Knicks lost all three regular-season meetings versus the Heat, including both meetings in Miami by double-digit margins. It's still important to note that the road team has covered seven of the last nine games in this series, with the "under" going 3-0-1 in South Beach.

Miami is currently a -865 betting favorite to advance past the opening round, with New York (+680) being offered at an enticing price.