We are hopefully edging towards a resumption of NBA action in the coming weeks, something that fans are getting excited about.
The entire season has been turned upside down, players are now living inside their Disney bubble and it is going to be fascinating how each team responds, as well as their star players. Will some of the lesser teams come to the fore or will genuine quality win the games and will a big team land the Championship?
So far, we haven’t seen too much in terms of a change to the odds on offer, though that will come when teams settle into what is the new NBA and the surroundings that are involved.
Who is Favorite to Win the Western Conference Championship?
The Lakers and Clippers are locked together with the bookmakers as the teams most likely to win the Western Conference championship. The Lakers are the slight favorite with bookmaker Mansionbet, priced at +160 to take the title. In behind are the Clippers, priced up at +180 with the same bookmaker.
Many bookmakers have priced this event up, such as those listed on newbettingsites.uk and at the moment, the opinion seems to be that the Championship is between these two, and the Lakers have a slight edge.
Honorable mentions go to the Houston Rockets, priced up at +700, the Denver Nuggets at +1100, and Utah Jazz at +1400, all with Mansionbet.
What Could Change the Odds?
Under normal circumstances, the odds with bookmakers change when a team plays well and picks up points or when one is playing poorly and losing ground.
That will still impact things when we restart, but there is a lot more involved this time around, which is going to make this a fascinating few weeks and months from a betting point of view.
What gamblers will have to look out for away from the court of play is how teams are coping with their new lives and changes to game day. Are we seeing them focus in practice, and perhaps most important of all, are any players testing positive.
Just one positive test could really disrupt the actual playing of games, but on top of that, it would really impact the team’s morale, especially if the player testing positive is a big leader on the team.
There is a lot going off that players will have to cope with, things they normally wouldn’t be dealing with during the playoffs and that will test character.
Who will cope best while they are away from home for a long period, and away from their loved ones? Will veterans have an advantage, they are generally seen as having a more balanced view, or will younger players cope better because they don’t have the same kind of family left behind as the older players such as kids.
For gamblers, this could prove to be the toughest playoff series of them all to solve, keeping your eye on any news and updates from the NBA is going to be crucial if you want to make things a success.