The 2016-17 season is a season of departures. Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant have departed from the game, Kevin Durant has left Oklahoma City, and Dwayne Wade even said goodbye to the franchise that had been his home ever since he stepped foot in the league. Of course, whenever one legendary player leaves a team, no online NBA betting fan is sure how that team will fare. So far we’ve seen the Warriors already lose more than half as many games as they did last season – despite the addition of new talent, we’ve seen the Spurs be dominant despite the loss of Duncan, but how have the Thunder and Heat been handling their losses?
This past Monday night, online NBA betting fans got to witness a contest that would supply an answer to that very question. On Monday night, the Miami Heat faced the Thunder in Oklahoma’s backyard. As aforementioned the Thunder were contending with the loss of Durant – one of the top three players in the game, while the Heat have been trying to deal with the loss of their future Hall of Famer, Dwayne Wade. When they faced each other Monday night, it was evident that Oklahoma City is much better prepared to deal with the loss of their superstar than the Heat. Not only did the Thunder triumph over Miami 97-85, they did so without breaking a sweat. With this win Oklahoma advanced to a franchise best 6-1 start, which is infinitely better than how the Heat started the season. After Monday’s loss Miami fell to 2-4 and will now have to find a way out of this hole they’ve dug themselves.
Interestingly enough, Miami will now get another chance to prove that life without Dwayne Wade is just peachy this upcoming Thursday, when they face the team Wade fled to. On Thursday, November 10th, the Miami Heat will be welcoming the Chicago Bulls into the American Airlines Arena. Of course, this being such an emotional contest, the NBA has made sure that this game will be broadcast nationally on TNT. The opening tipoff will be at 8:00 PM EST. The Bulls have been one of the more impressive teams and at 4-3 they are likely to be painted as the favorites against the Heat by the majority of basketball betting sites.
Considering that Wade is probably still upset at the disrespect shown to him by Miami, it wouldn’t be surprising to see #3 light up the court. Wade left the Heat to fulfill a lifelong dream; to play for the team that he watched as a young child. Of course, Wade needed subtle motivation to leave the team that embraced him as a rookie, but this past offseason the Heat gave him exactly that when they refused to offer the legend the money he rightfully deserved. Of course, Miami was holding out to make an offer for Durant. But since that deal never came to fruition, the Heat’s decision now looks like pure arrogance. With the chip still fresh on Wade’s shoulder, there’s little hope for the Heat to deliver this week’s online NBA betting upset.
