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How to Bet on the NBA Finals

The NBA Finals is the series of games that decide the title of NBA champion. In them, the Eastern Conference champion faces off against the Western Conference champion. They have been held since the first season of the NBA, then called the BAA, in 1947. The champion team receives the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

A best-of-seven 2-2-1-1-1 format is used. The team with the best win-loss balance in the regular season has the home-field advantage; the first two games, the fifth and seventh of the Finals, are played at home. A total of 19 franchises have won the NBA Finals, with the Golden State Warriors winning the most recent title in 2022. The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics hold the record for the most victories, having both won the competition 17 times. The Boston Celtics also won the most consecutive titles, winning eight in a row from 1959 to 1966.

NBA Finals Betting

There are a huge number of betting options when it comes to the NBA Finals and here we will explain the most popular types of bets.

Outright Bets

Outright bets are bets where you select who you think will be the winner of the tournament. They are long-term bets since the winner isn't known until the competition is over. They are usually made before the start of a tournament, but they can also be placed while it is progress.

For example, if you bet that the Golden State Warriors will win the NBA Finals, then you will win your bet once they have won 4 or the 7 possible games.

Game Results

Game results bets are simply on the winner of the game. In basketball, there is also no draw, so you only have two options. For example, if Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards play, you can bet on either of the teams.

Game Handicap

These bets are designed to provide more attractive odds on the favorite team. For example, if Golden State Warriors, the current champion, faces Houston Rockets, the Golden State Warriors are the clear favorite to win. Therefore, they can be assigned a point handicap, such as -10.5. This means that if you were to bet on the team, they must win the game by at least 11 points for the bet to win. It is also possible to give a team a positive points handicap, and this will shorten the odds on them considerably.

Game Winning Margin

This is a bet on how many points the game will be won by. For example, in a LA Clippers vs Phoenix Suns game, you could bet that the winning margin will be between 5 and 8 points. If the final score was finally 80-74, the LA Clippers would have won by 6 points and the bet would be successful.

Half-Time/Full-Time

In this bet, you need to predict who will be ahead at half-time and who will win the game. For example, in a game between the LA Clippers and Phoenix Suns, you could bet on the Suns to be ahead at half time but for the Clippers to win the game.

Total Points

This is a bet on the total number of points scored by both teams during the match. You are betting on whether the total points will be above or below a given number, for example, 156.5. If a game between Dallas Mavericks and Orlando Magic ends 80-75 and you bet the total points will be above 156.5, you would lose the bet as the total number of points was 155.

Player & Game Props

Player & Game Props are bets specific to a certain players and match statistics. For example, you can bet on the number of free throws, how many fouls there will be, how many 3-pointers will be scored, or how many points a specific player will make.

Live Bets

Live Bets are all the bets you can place after a game has started. Many of the bets explained above can be made live, but keep in mind that once the game has started, the odds will fluctuate depending on the action. You can also bet on the next thing to happen, such as the next player or team to score.