Postseason Hoops: Betting on the NBA Playoffs

Postseason Hoops: Betting on the NBA Playoffs image

📖 Published on: April 18th, 2024

✍️ Updated: April 19th, 2024

⏳ 12 mins read

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The NBA Playoffs are finally coming your way in a few days! And we are expecting to see some of the biggest and intense plot twists that will definitely rock the basketball world. No one can deny that this is the most exciting phase of any NBA season that will take your betting experience to the next level! So let’s begin knowing more about the schedule, the specific storyline details for the favorites, and even the top picks to consider.

 

What Should You Know About the 2024 NBA Playoffs?

 

There are a lot of promising games in a single NBA season, but it is different when the Playoffs begin. Everything resets back to zero, and teams are locked with an opponent in a set round to play in a best-of-seven series all the way to the Finals. The first round is slated to begin this April 20th, and will likely conclude by the end of April. The conference semis are originally slated for May 6th or 7th, but will also be eligible to move up to May 4th and 5th depending on the results from the previous series in the first round.

 

NBA Playoffs image

 

The Conference Finals will feature the final four teams battling for supremacy in their respective conference. It is slated to take place either from May 19-20 or 21-22 depending on the results of the semis. We have seen some promising twists and turns in the previous season, such as the Denver Nuggets sweeping its way to the Finals and the Miami Heat nearly giving the Boston Celtics a historic comeback from an 0-3 deficit in any series.

 

The Grandest Stage of Basketball: The NBA Finals

 

The NBA Finals is the the ultimate stage in any postseason, and it is where the best teams of the East and the West meet to battle it out in seven games with the hopes of making history in their franchise. The NBA Finals is scheduled for June 6th, with a two-day interval all the way to Game 4, slated on June 14th. If necessary, Games Five (June 17), Six (June 20th), and Seven (June 23rd) will be added to the schedule. The NBA Finals will be played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the team with the best record having a homecourt advantage for the whole series.

 

NBA Finals image

 

The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers both hold the record for most title wins in the NBA Finals at 17. The Golden State Warriors follow suit with seven titles, having won four in the last eight years. The Chicago Bulls are the only undefeated team in the NBA Finals with at least five appearances on the big stage, earning six titles in the Michael Jordan era. The San Antonio Spurs have a total of five titles in six attempts, only losing once in the 2013 NBA Finals.

 

Who are the Favorites to Win in the NBA Playoffs and the Finals?

 

Now that you have a profound idea about the format and other necessary details in the NBA Playoffs, it is now time for us to dive deeper into the big storylines that are expected to unfold in the postseason from the best teams in the league. Note that these are all predictions and may or may not actually unfold as expected. Still, it is highly likely that the probable champion at the end of the campaign may come from any of these teams.

 

Here are the favorites to make a deep playoff run and possibly win the NBA Finals:

 

Oklahoma City Thunder (1st in West, 57-25 Record)

 

Oklahoma City Thunder image

The Oklahoma City Thunder definitely has a story to tell this season. From missing the playoffs in 2021-22, losing in the Play-In in 2022-23, all the way to securing the 1st seed in the 2023-24 season as the youngest team in NBA history to do so, this gritty squad is going to be in the headlines a lot now more than ever. Some say that they are way too early to be competing for the NBA Finals, but I beg to differ. This has been the Thunder team that has led the league in multiple stat lines, and their team chemistry is off the charts – way better than the KD-Russ-Harden version of OKC that took turns. The trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams are ready to bring Loud City back on the big stage, and this is something you should expect to be fun now more than ever.

 

Boston Celtics (1st in East, 64-18 Record)

 

Make way for the best team in the NBA, they are steamrolling their path towards the NBA Finals this time around, and the Celtics are surely not messing around anymore. While it remains to be seen how the previous losses in the playoffs have shaped their mentality, it will be a challenge for the team to maintain its consistency against the same opponent for four straight games or more. The addition of Kristaps Porzingis will be finally tested in the playoffs, and how well Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will respond to doubts when it comes to their consistency on the playoff stage – which have been lingering issues throughout their campaign in the previous season. All of that will be seen as the Celtics aim to build a finishing touch in one of their best seasons in franchise history.

Boston Celtics image

 

Denver Nuggets (2nd in West, 57-25 Record)

 

Denver Nuggets image

The defending champions are armed well with the same core – with multiple adjustments when it comes to their supporting cast. Nikola Jokic is coming off an MVP campaign, and it is safe to say that Jamal Murray has seen an impeccable upside in his efficiency this year as well. All signs point towards Denver still dominating the Western Conference, even if they didn’t secure the 1st seed in the final game of the season. There’s no denying that this team is still a threat to anyone who stands in their way, and this is why they are still going to be a promising team that everyone else will have to defeat four times to get past them.

 

New York Knicks (2nd in East, 50-32 Record)

 

While the New York Knicks got lucky enough to secure the second seed in the Eastern Conference, it does seem that they are making waves in the 2023-24 season to deliver a promising finish to one of their best campaigns ever. This is the first time that they have won 50 games since the 2012-13 season, and they are definitely at a tough disadvantage with Julius Randle out for the rest of the campaign. However, they are finding ways to win, and this is going to be a test of how far Jalen Brunson’s massive season will carry the Knicks to the promised land for the first time in a very long while.

New York Knicks image

 

Los Angeles Clippers (4th in West, 51-31 Record)

 

Los Angeles Clippers image

The Western Conference can be tough, but this is also the time that the Los Angeles Clippers have been waiting for for many years, and it cannot be denied that they deserve to get their big break in the Playoffs. After all, the Clippers have never reached the NBA Finals since joining the NBA, and it cannot be denied that Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook are all feeling the mounting pressure coming off a successful season of building a superteam in a stacked Western Conference. With a promising chemistry and a fiery ambition to prove their worth in what seems to be forever, the Clippers deserve a chance to show that they have what it takes to win with stars hungry for a title.

 

Honorable Mentions

 

Aside from the five favorites above, different teams are likely to make a deep push in the NBA Playoffs – spicing it up further for fans to enjoy the intense action that will take place over three months. One can say that these teams have made their case clear over the regular season with promising performances and stretches to show that they have what it takes to win as well.

 

Milwaukee Bucks image

The Milwaukee Bucks, for instance, are favorites to win in the NBA Finals after landing Damian Lillard and teaming him up with Giannis Antetokounmpo. While the 2022 Finals MVP will begin the first round on the bench due to his injuries, a composed Bucks under Doc Rivers’ lead will bring out the best in the team.

Cleveland Cavaliers image

On the other hand, the Cleveland Cavaliers are also expected to make up for their poor performances in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, where the “lights were too bright” for the team. Still, Donovan Mitchell has upped his stats at a bigger scale, and this has been the best version of the Cavs since the LeBron Jamer era, which shows a lot of promise and how this team can make some noise on the big stage.

Minnesota Timberwolves image

If wasn’t for their tough stretches of inconsistency, the Minnesota Timberwolves might as well be the best team in the Western Conference. However, the lack of a killer instinct on the squad as a whole remains an issue in their games. Sure, Anthony Edwards has seen some impressive games, but the rest of the team has to follow his lead, with both Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns needing to step it up further if they are going to win in their games.

 

Bet on the NBA Playoffs and Score Huge Winnings!

 

The NBA is about to bring the fiery and intense action that fans have been waiting for all-season long! We are bound to see the blazing finishes, clutch moments, and the promising performances from the best stars in the world, and this is why you should also make the most of your chances by betting on the best teams to win in the NBA Playoffs as the madness is set to begin in a few days’ time.

 

Lucky for you, GambleSpot provides you with the latest information on the NBA and the rest of the sports world! From news, blogs, betting guides, tournament previews, game analyses, and many other sports-related content, you can be sure that you will have the best chance to come up with bigger winning chances and make informed betting decisions with fiery games waiting for you in the NBA!

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