Bettors hammering Mavericks to upset Celtics in NBA Finals

The Mavericks are getting a ton of love from the betting public ahead of the NBA Finals. 

As a heavy underdog, Dallas (+180) is garnering a massive 85 percent of bets and 80 percent of the handle at BetMGM Sportsbook to win the series over the Celtics, who are a -225 favorite. 

In Game 1, specifically, the Mavericks are getting 65 percent of the handle against the spread as 6.5-point underdogs and 85 percent of the handle on the moneyline at +200. 

Dallas comes into the series as one of the biggest underdogs in recent NBA history. 

Bettors are also expecting Luka Doncic to have a monster series. 

More than 90 percent of the money at BetMGM is on Doncic to be the leading scorer in the series (-175). 

No other player has attracted more than 2.5 percent of the handle. 

Doncic is also the most bet player to win the series MVP as far as money (19.6 percent) and tickets (16.3 percent).

If they can take down the Celtics, The Mavericks would tie the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers as the third-biggest underdogs to win the NBA Finals behind the 2019 Toronto Raptors (+230) and 2004 Detroit Pistons (+500), according to SportsOddsHistory.com.

The Finals, which tip-off Thursday night in Boston, are a continuation of the Mavericks’ long shot status that has followed them all year.  

After opening at +2500, Dallas is just the eighth team in the last 40 years to make the finals after opening the season with 25/1 odds or longer to win the title.

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A championship for the Mavericks would be one of the most unforeseen in NBA history. 

They would become the second-biggest preseason long shot since at least 1985 to win the title behind the 2015 Warriors, who opened the season at +2800.