NBA Finals 2012: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Miami Heat, Game 5 Odds

LeBron James is proving that he made the right decision to leave Cleveland and take his talents to South Beach, as his Miami Heat teammates picked him up in a big way on Tuesday night in a 104-98 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 of the 2012 NBA Finals.

The Heat have been sent out as 3.5-point home favorites in Game 5 of the best-of-seven series (courtesy of SBR Forum), as the total stands at 193. 

James scored a team-high 26 points, but spent the final moments of Game 4 on the sidelines due to a leg injury, which appeared to be cramping. The 2012 NBA MVP is just a win away from winning his first-ever championship.

The Heat have a great opportunity to close things out in Game 5 on Thursday night inside the American Airlines Arena, considering they've won all five games this year when favored by 3.5 to six points, while the Thunder have dropped four of five games when being placed as an underdog in the same range.

Oklahoma City is going to need the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year to step up in order to send this series back to Chesapeake Energy Arena, as Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook can't do it all on their own. James Harden has scored just 17 combined points in the last two games in Miami.

The natural progression of the NBA is starting to come to light in this series, with the more experienced team making more plays down the stretch.

James' haters better start creating a new script over the next 48 hours, as he'll likely be celebrating with his teammates at this time on Thursday.

I predicted the Heat to win this series in seven games, but I'll settle for five.

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