Betting on the NBA Playoffs

There’s little doubt that the NBA playoffs are the most exciting part of the whole season. The best teams in the league face each other in an intense battle to determine the champion.

The NBA playoffs are a real feast for the fans and a fitting finale to the strongest basketball competition in the world. They also bring countless opportunities to make money by betting on the NBA playoffs.

You can place advance wagers on which teams are going to make it to the NBA playoffs each season, and then you can be on individual games and series once the postseason starts.

This guide to NBA playoffs betting includes strategy tips, useful stats and trends, and details of where to bet on the playoffs online. We also keep you updated on important news and developments, including the latest odds and our own predictions.

We basically provide you with all the tools you need to bet on the NBA successfully.

There are several changes in the NBA playoffs for the 2020-21 season that must be considered if you are going to bet on the postseason.

The 2021 NBA playoffs begin on May 18 which is what you would expect from a normal campaign. But with the delayed start of the season, the league had to cut the regular season to 72 games instead of 82 to achieve that.

This means a decreased load for teams and players, and veterans in particular should benefit from the lighter schedule.

It’s also worth noting that the NBA decided to keep the play-in tournament from last season but in a different format. The seventh best team in each conference will face the eighth best in the first round and the winner will earn a seventh seeding for the playoffs.

The loser from that match will play against the winner of the clash between the ninth best team and the tenth best team for the last spot in the 2021 NBA Playoffs.

Once the play-ins are done, the rest of the postseason will continue under the standard best-of-seven format. The NBA Finals should begin no later than July 8 and the last game will take place no later than July 22.

We will be offering odds, predictions, and picks for the 2021 NBA playoffs just as soon as we can possibly can. Keep checking back for the latest updates, or you can follow our NBA blog instead.

Here are some of the latest posts for now.

Here are the best NBA playoffs betting sites for those of you who would like to jump to action right away.

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These recommended sites for betting on the NBA playoffs online have proven that they can be trusted thanks to their legit gambling license and strong reputation. They offer competitive odds for the NBA playoffs, too, and a wide variety of betting markets.

Fast payouts, reliable customer support services, and mobile betting apps are also among the reasons to use these sportsbooks. Then there are the bonuses and promotions on offer.

The NBA playoffs attract a lot of betting action, and the top online sportsbooks for basketball know that very well. The gambling sites all want a piece of the action, so they provide plenty of incentives to new and existing customers.

Some of them are regular deals like welcome bonuses that can be used for betting on the NBA playoffs. Others are exclusive for the postseason and could boost your results significantly, which is why you should keep your eyes open.

There are special bonuses, real money contests, and other promotions that can help you make more money when betting on the NBA playoffs.

Our team is always on the hunt for the best NBA playoffs betting offers, so if we notice a good promotion, we will make sure to let you know about it right here. You can also check in on the following page.

You can bet on the NBA playoffs even before the regular season starts. Obviously, there are no individual games from the postseason to wager on, but there are other markets.

Most betting sites offer odds for each team to reach the NBA playoffs. This market is usually available for every franchise both before and during the regular season.

As the season progresses, odds for some teams may be withdrawn. If they’re almost certain to make the playoffs, for example, or if they have no chance.

Many NBA fans like to bet on their favorite team (or teams) to make the playoffs. That can certainly add a bit of spice to the season, but it’s not exactly the best route to making money.

There’s nothing wrong with having a bit of a recreational gamble and throwing a few bucks on a team just because you like them. If you’re serious about making money, though, you need to properly assess this betting market.

This means evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of any team you’re considering backing. You’ll need to analyze the stars, the role players, and the depth of the bench. You should essentially look to dig into anything that will impact how a team is likely to perform.

When your evaluation is complete, you’ll then want to compare that team to the competition. Strong teams can struggle to make the playoffs is there are other much stronger teams in their region. While mediocre teams can make the postseason if their region is fairly weak overall.

Always make sure you take the schedule into account, too. This can have an impact on a team’s overall chances of success across a season.

Once the regular season is over and you know the contestants, another NBA playoffs betting market becomes relevant. You can place wagers on the winner of each series, and this provides some solid opportunities to make money.

It’s important to prepare well here. The best place to start is with the regular season meetings between the two teams in any series you’re betting on. Looking back on those can give you an idea of how they match up against each other.

Top Tip

Don’t expect postseason games to play out exactly the same as regular season games. The whole context is different during the playoffs, and that suits some teams more than others.

The pace of games is usually slower during the NBA playoffs, and the top starts typically play more minutes. There’s generally more of a focus on defense, too, while referees tend to allow a little more physical contact.

These differences from the regular season play to the strengths of some teams, allowing them to thrive. They can have a negative impact on other teams, though. By really digging into this, you can gain a much clearer idea of each team’s chances.

Stats and trends are useful here, too. For example, it’s exceptionally rare to see an eighth seed eliminate a top seed in the first round of the NBA playoffs. That doesn’t mean it can’t happen, of course, but it’s something to be aware of.

One of the reasons the higher seeds win often is, of course, the fact they have been objectively better during the regular season. They also have home court advantage. That can end up being the deciding factor should a series go to seventh game.

Perhaps the best way to make money from NBA playoffs betting is to target the postseason games individually. This is certainly the most popular way to bet on the NBA playoffs, and also the most straightforward.

Practically speaking, betting on NBA playoff games is the same as betting on regular season games. The available wagers are the same (although you may see more props) and they work in the same way.

Top Tip

Check out our general advice for betting on NBA games, as it all applies to betting on games during the playoffs.

Even if all series during the NBA postseason end up being a clean sweep, there will be a total of 56 games played. This means lots of opportunities for finding profitable wagers. As always, though, you need to approach things in the right way.

There are basic rules to follow such as making sure you follow all the team and injury news. You must also properly analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each team, while ensuring that you bet logically and not based on emotion.

It’s important that you recognize the key differences during playoff games, too. We already talked about some of these in the section on betting on playoff series. They apply equally to betting on individual playoff games.

Although the game of basketball is fundamentally the same at whatever level it’s played, there are contextual differences. The overall standard, and the stakes involved, obviously have a part to play.

The standard, and what’s at stake, doesn’t get much higher than during the NBA playoffs. As such, it’s not unreasonable to say that the NBA postseason is unique, even when compared to the regular season.

When you’re betting on the NBA playoffs, you need to understand the unique factors as much as you can. Perhaps the best way to do this is to study the numbers.

There are many, many NBA playoffs stats and trends that you can dig into. When you’re placing real money wagers, the more data you have the better.

Ultimately you’re going to want to do your own research, but we have a few stats and trends for you that are worth considering when betting on the NBA playoffs.

Only five eighth-seeded teams have beaten a top seed in the entire NBA history.

If you are considering a betting on a huge surprise in the opening round of the NBA playoffs, you better have an excellent reason to do so.

Top seeds rarely lose that early, so you should respect that.

No eighth-seeded team has won the NBA Finals and only one has reached the last round.

This is hardly a surprise considering the previous record.

The harsh reality for eighth seeds is that they simply don’t win the NBA Finals and even getting there is nothing short of a miracle.

No seventh-seeded team has ever won the NBA Finals.

While the seventh seeds have a better performance overall, they are also a huge underdog when it comes to winning an NBA Championship.

The Rockets were seeded sixth in the regular season when they won the 1994-95 title, and that’s the lowest you can find up to this point.

The team that has reached the NBA Finals the most times is the LA Lakers with 17 appearances.

If the LA Lakers have a solid roster, you should always consider them as one of the favorites.

 The same applies to the second team in the all-time rankings, the Boston Celtics.

The San Antonio Spurs are the team with the lowest number of consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance (four).

You can usually count on the Spurs to make it to the NBA playoffs one way or another, even if they struggle during large periods of the regular season.

Of the 73 NBA champions since the start of the competition, 71 are among the top three seeds.

This another trend that shows how regular season records are extremely relevant.

The best teams usually win, it’s as simple as that. Perhaps not surprising, but you should consider still that when betting on the NBA playoffs.

We’re sure that if you’re interested in NBA playoffs betting then you’re likely interested in other aspects of basketball gambling.

Assuming that’s the case, then we recommend that you check out the following pages for more information and useful tips on NBA betting.