🏀 It's Hard Not To Love Heat's Underdog Story

Even Jimmy Butler, Miami's heartbeat, is a kind of underdog among superstars. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider with Martin Rogers: The Miami Heat are an underdog we all can love and root for as they enter the finals against the Nuggets … The Lions are now the favorites in the NFC North, but how did they get to this spot? … and more! The Miami Heat are in the NBA Finals – so let's go, honest responses only, hands up please if you saw this coming. OK, Jimmy Butler, I see you over there. You were right, and I'm sure it feels pretty darn good. No one else? That's fine, me neither. This time last year, Butler sat nursing the sting of a Game 7 home defeat to the Boston Celtics and promised that redemption would come. Few believed him then, and certainly any public faith had long since evaporated by the time the Heat stumbled into the 8-seed on the back of a 44-38 record this season that saw them score the fewest points in the NBA. And yet here we are, one fairytale run later, as a squad accidentally manufactured to become perhaps the most enjoyable story in sports right now, has survived its way through a postseason gauntlet not for the faint of heart. Game 7s are their own animal, and the Heat turned the tables on the Celtics on Monday night, as the Eastern Conference finals came to its conclusion. Erik Spoelstra's group avoided becoming the first team in NBA history to squander a 3-0 advantage, and did so because they fought harder, wanted it more, stayed calmer and responded better to the finality of the opportunity. They also, a decade removed from a title triumph by a star-packed Heat team spawned when LeBron James took his talents to South Beach, did it with a bunch of guys given up on at one or more moments in time. For the rest of the story, [click here.]( [STORY IMAGE 1] [IN OTHER WORDS] - The Lions are the odds-on favorites to win the NFC North. Carmen Vitali goes through [how they got to this point]( where the team excels and what needs to go right. - For this week’s Power Rankings, Rowan Kavner looks around MLB at [which players have performed the best]( for their teams through the first 50-plus games. - After failing to make the NBA Finals, Brad Stevens will be forced to take a [hard look at his superstar pairing]( and his young coach this offseason, writes John Fanta. - Denny Hamlin didn't mince words while accusing Chase Elliott of [intentionally wrecking him]( during an action-packed Coca-Cola 600. Bob Pockrass recaps the event. For the latest news and updates, [click here.]( [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Chicago Sky at Atlanta Dream (TWITTER, 7 p.m. ET) The Sky aim to win their third straight road game when they head to Atlanta to clash with the Dream. Minnesota Lynx at Dallas Wings (ESPN3, 8 p.m. ET) The Wings hope to maintain their perfect home record when they welcome the Lynx to Dallas. New York Yankees at Seattle Mariners (MLBN, 9:40 p.m. ET) The Yankees send Nestor Cortes to the hill to battle with Logan Gilbert and the Mariners in Seattle. For all of today's games and scores, [click here](. [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Houston Astros to win AL West (-150) From FOX Sports Betting Analyst: Sam Panayotovich We all know Houston is winning the division, right? The reigning World Series champs were a $2 favorite (-200) on Opening Day, which made a ton of sense. Aside from the super-sexy Seattle Mariners, a team everybody was fawning over, there weren't supposed to be many challengers in the West. Well, Seattle is currently .500, but the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels have overachieved — currently making Houston cheaper to win another division title. But the Astros are still the clear-cut favorite, and most betting models have them winning over 95 games. Hell, I think they might win 100. So I’ll gladly lay -150 with expectations that the Astros will be -300 by September when the Angels, Mariners and Rangers fade. For the latest betting odds, [click here](. [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download FOX Sports App: [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [Google Play]( [App Store]( [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [App Store]( [Google Play]( Also available on these devices: [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV | Vizio | LG Smart TV] [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV | Vizio | LG Smart TV] Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2023 Fox Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. If you do not wish to receive emails like this in the future, please [unsubscribe](. FOX Sports respects your privacy. Click [here]( to view our Privacy Policy. Fox.com Business & Legal Affairs - Manager Digital Media P.O. Box 900 Beverly Hills, California 90213-0900