Many gamblers looking at NBA futures and props begin their analysis with how teams faired against each other during the regular season.
The problem with starting with previous matchups when examining basketball futures and props is that they were during the regular season and don’t mean much when the playoffs start. NBA futures and props continue to change as each round of the playoffs concludes. The odds are updated for teams to win the NBA title and new series prices are on the board. When you begin to analyze the odds you have to remember one big fact. You should virtually ignore regular season results. They just don’t mean much when looking at a playoff matchup because things change so much in the playoffs.
Another tip to consider when looking at basketball futures and props is to really consider taking the losing team in their next game. The reasoning is simple as the public usually overreacts to a team’s loss and the losing team puts more emphasis and energy on bouncing back from a loss. This gives value on the losing team in their next game. Sometimes you can even get a better price in the next game and that also helps.
Another tip that many people don’t use as an option is the series bet that we mentioned earlier. Did you know that most sportsbooks offer basketball betting series bets before each playoff series? If you like a team you can bet them to win a series instead of having to bet each individual game. What you can also do that almost everyone forgets is bet the series as it continues. Many sportsbooks will put up an adjusted series price as the series goes along. For example, if Boston beats Miami in the first two games of a series they might go from a +120 underdog to a -200 favorite. If you liked Miami in the series you could now bet them at plus odds. You could also bet Miami now as a hedge bet if you originally bet on Boston. The adjusted NBA series prices give you even more opportunity to win money when looking at the NBA Playoffs.
Remember some of these things as you bet the NBA Playoffs. From the series bet to taking the losing team in their next game, there are some excellent opportunities to make money in the NBA Playoffs.