Do you love betting at NBA? If so, who are you betting for in this year’s finals? If you’re not sure yet, consider the following information:
In the beginning of 2016, the Golden State Warriors have once again made it clear that they are heavyweight contenders. Just one look at the way that they’ve played this season, especially their 30-point victory over San Antonio last night, and it’s easy to see them sitting on the throne until next year.
That’s certainly the way online sportsbooks are looking at it. In fact, on popular site Bovada, the Warriors have the shortest odds (+125) to be crowned as NBA champions once again. But what’s more surprising is how well they’ve been playing even though their head coach has been missing in action.
Far from a cop out, the talented head coach, Steve Kerr, has been missing because of back surgery that he had over the summer. Because of this, he hadn’t stepped foot behind the bench until just recently and as a consequence associate coach Luke Walton has been thrust into the spotlight. Surprisingly, instead of failing under pressure, Walton has excelled as the team’s acting coach.
It’s hard to imagine how the Warriors can play any better but no doubt team morale will be at an all-time high once Kerr comes back to the sidelines. This boost is sure to increase their chances of taking the Larry O’Brien Trophy home in June.
Other likely candidates for the title are the San Antonio Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and as you can imagine these two teams are also among the betting favorites to win the title next summer. But, there’s some news that may surprise you – Las Vegas bettors are choosing to go another way and are interested in a surprising long shot: the 300 to 1 Los Angeles Lakers. In fact, based on information on Westgate SuperBook, the once great Lakers are the 6th most popular pick to the title, coming in just before LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers.
That wasn’t a typo, fans are betting real money on the Los Angeles Lakers as the underdog to win the title. The Lakers have always been a good team and if this was in their heyday, this betting choice would be completely understandable. But the Lakers won just 21 games last year. Plus, their best player is almost 40 years old and he already missed valuable time in the preseason because he was injured.
While it’s great that so many people are rooting for the underdog, with all the odds against them, placing bets on this team’s ability to win the championship is essentially throwing money down the toilet. The only way that they may have a chance is if D’Angelo Russell is able to put up numbers like the great Magic Johnson did in his rookie season. Aside from that, Kobe Bryant would have to sell his soul to the basketball gods so that he can start in, at the very least, 60 games in the season. But, that’s not all — he would have to score 30 points per game. And while he’s been able to do this within the past five years, it’s highly unlikely that he will be able to pull off such a feat again.
Then, when you factor in the sheer amount of competition in the Western Conference this season, if the Lakers win 35 games it will be a miracle. The longshot odds are excellent, but in order for you to capitalize on them, they also have to be realistic. This is the only way that making the bet is worth it.
No matter who you decide to root for, make sure that you visit 888sport.com to place your bet. It is one of the best sportsbooks on the internet and, in terms of financial security, you would be hard-pressed to find a better option. Plus, as a new customer, you will be given the chance to triple the odds on your first bet.