By Betmaker Team
The NBA Finals rivals the World Series as the second most popular major professional sports championship series in North America. Only the Super Bowl ranks higher as the king of all sports championships. The NBA Finals merges everything that sports executives like. First, the NBA Finals are relentlessly promoted on ESPN under the beard of "news." ESPN is part of the Disney Umbrella that includes ABC TV. This relationship gives ESPN the incentive to manufacture as many "news" stories on the NBA Finals that are really nothing more than free publicity. This publicity serves to drive up the betting action far beyond most other sports.
It would surprise many fans and gamblers that the NBA has a more extensive Twitter following than the NFL. The NBA has long targeted younger fans as its clientele, and social media is an integral part of that strategy. Younger fans turn that pro basketball interest into betting on the Finals.
Pop culture is another NBA advantage, especially with younger gamblers. Celebrities love to associate with the NBA, its teams, and star players. Big names from film, TV, music, and related all flock to social media to comment on the NBA Finals. Even if the celebs don't care about the series, they realize the business importance of commenting on the NBA.
NBA Finals Futures
Futures betting is the most basic kind of wagering for the NBA Finals. Futures betting is most often associated with wagers made before the season starts. However, you can bet on NBA Futures before or during the regular season. You can also bet futures as the NBA Playoffs progress. And then when the NBA Finals begin, you can still bet futures on the champion team, and then continue to bet futures as the NBA Finals progress. The odds are updated on a daily, game by game basis.
Sides
Sides are another essential and popular bet for the NBA Finals. With sides betting, you will lay points with the favorite or take points with the underdog.
Totals
Wagering on totals is another basic bet that gamblers are quite familiar with. With totals, you bet on whether or not the two teams' total combined score will go over or under a set number.
Money Line
The money line is an excellent alternative for gamblers wanting action on the NBA Finals but don't want to deal with pointspreads. Many gamblers who have a strong opinion on the favorite in a game will play the money line instead. With the money line, you lay odds on the favorite or take odds on the underdog.
A great example of the money line difference comes from game five of the NBA Finals. The Los Angeles Lakers were 7.5-point favorites over the Miami Heat. The Lakers won the game 102-96 and, thus, failed to cover the spread. But gamblers that played the money line on the Lakers still won the game. Instead of laying the 7.5-points, gamblers laid -350 to win $100 and were paid. Gamblers that hate picking the winner but losing the spread bet will use the money line for this very reason.
So too, is the money line ideal for gamblers that believe the underdog will win the game straight up.
Quarters, First and Second Half Betting
Half time betting is popular because it is strategic. Some gamblers have gotten to the point where they prefer the half time odds to the full game lines. These gamblers like to compare second-half lines to the full pregame line and shop for the most significant differences. Half time lines odds include pointspreads, totals, money lines, and props. You can bet on the first or the second half of any NBA Finals game that you like. Remember, if you bet on quarters or halves, your wager only pertains to the quarter or half that you bet on. All other quarters and halves, as well as the entire game, are irrelevant.
Live In-Game Betting
Perhaps no form of NBA Finals gambling has increased in popularity more than live in-game betting. Live betting features odds that are continuously updated while the game progresses. Gamblers love the changing dynamics and strategy offered with the live betting option. It is best to be selective with live betting.
