You will agree with me that basketball offers lots of betting options, whether you are betting on the short term or long term. The NBA Finals winner is among the most popular bet for many pundits.
Now, one of the major dynamics in basketball betting is what the odds say. In every year, there are predictions on which two teams will face off in the finals, and the side that will clinch the title. Ordinarily, some teams are usually the favourites, while the other side is the underdog. In the last decade, most of the pundits’ predictions have passed, but others have not materialized.
2018 NBA Finals
As of May 2018, the odds for the Cavs meeting the Warriors in the finals were +423, and this came to pass as both teams dominated their respective conference, and the odds paid handsomely. Next was the winner of the Finals and the MVP. Considering the dominance, and form of the Warriors, they were the favourites to win the Finals according to most bookmakers, and this came to pass after thrashing the Cavs 4 – 0.
2019 NBA Finals
The Golden State Warriors were making their fifth NBA Finals in a row, and even though they had a better squad, the Toronto Raptors were playing on another level, especially with Kahwi Leonard. For bookmakers, it was obvious that the Raptors were the better side and would pull a surprise, with the Warriors squad marred by injury.
While the above predictions, as well as the bookmakers’ odds prior, were right, there are instances where they got it wrong.
A good example is the 2016 NBA Finals, where the Cavs turned the game around, after a 3 – 1 loss and lifted the title beating the Warriors. The Raptors’ dominance over the Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals was also unexpected.