NBA Betting - The Playoffs
The NBA season is frantic with regular season games taking place on most days of the week as teams battle it out for a spot in the playoffs. The post-season is what it all comes down to and in this article we are going to breakdown what the playoffs look like and for those of you who have enjoyed betting during the regular season, some advice on how betting on the playoffs varies from regular season NBA.
NBA Playoffs
How many teams?
The playoffs comprises of the top 16 teams. This is split into 8 teams from each conference, the East and the West. Teams are ranked based on their performance during the regular season with the top 6 teams progressing straight into the playoffs.
The teams ranked 7th-10th then compete for the final two spots in the playoffs via a play-in tournament.
How are teams seeded?
Based on their performance within their conference teams are seeded 1-6. The team with the best record will receive the number 1 seed and so on. If after the regular season teams are tied, then the head-to-head record will be used to allocate the number 1 seed.
The 7th and 8th seed for the playoffs is determined by who qualifies via the play-in tournament which came into force in 2021.
How do the NBA playoffs work?
Each play of game forms part of a best of 7 series. Who ever reaches 4 wins first will progress into the next round of the playoffs.
In the first round of the playoffs, the number 1 seed will face the number 8 seed, 2 will face 7, 3 faces 6 and the 4th seed will face the 5th seed.
The team with the highest seed will have the advantage of an extra home game during the 7-game series.
Popular Betting Markets
Series Winner – This is where you are choosing the team you think will progress to the next stage of the playoffs.
Correct series score – This market usually provides bigger odds as you are selecting not only the team you think will progress but also the correct series score.
Championship Winner – This is a bet you can place at the start of the season but is also very popular once the playoff teams have been finalised. You are picking which of the teams you think will go on to win the Championship final at the end of the playoffs.
BettorMind Advice
Research – NBA playoffs come at the end of a gruelling regular season. There is a lot of information you can go through from the regular season which will support your decision making for the playoffs. An important thing to consider is the status of the star players. Injuries can have a big impact during the playoffs and regular checking team updates is important.
Planning – NBA games take place commonly during the early hours of the morning in the UK. Therefore, getting your bets on ahead of time is good practice. If you are planning to have a bet on a game or series be sure to give your self plenty of time to do and avoid betting at times which are deemed unsociable hours.
The NBA season all comes down the playoffs and the 7-game series provide great excitement in the build up to the finals. If you are going to have a bet be sure take note of the advice in this article as well as all of our other content at BettorMind.
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