This NBA season has been the most profitable for sports bettors in recent history. Most of the predictions made during the lockout have not panned out. Handicappers and bookmakers are scratching their heads wondering where they went wrong while many basketball bettors are raking in the cash on a weekly basis. Not everyone is winning though, and if you are new to betting we can recommend the Sportsbets.net Basketball Guide.
If you had placed any wagers on teams like the Lakers you are probably not too fond of their performance thus far. On the other hand if you took a 60:1 futures bet on the 76ers you will likely have a positive outlook. This season has been very strange and during times like this bettors, even inexperienced bettors, can win a lot of money. This post will cover the current NBA standings but the focus will be on how these rankings related to the predictions made during and immediately after the lockout.
NBA Standing & Predictions
The Chicago Bulls (19W, 6L) are currently the team to beat in the NBA. I live in the south suburbs of Chicago and I grew up watching Jordan and Pippin so you can be sure that I’ve done very well thus far. Hopefully after you get done reading this post you will also win some money. Oklahoma City Thunder is currently in 2nd place with 18 wins. Many bookmakers put Chicago at 4th and the Thunder at 3rd during the lockout so this really isn’t shocking. The real shocker this NBA basketball season had been the 76ers.
They were loosely ranked at 15th by most major bookies after the lock out ended but they have surprised everyone. Some basketball sports books are offering 60:1 futures odds a team that is tied for 3rd place with Miami, the favorite to win the playoffs in 2012. Both teams lead their division with 17 wins.
The two L.A. teams are tied with 14 wins a piece but the Lakers were expected to be the #2 team. Futures odds for the Lakers and the Clippers at one bookmaker are 11/2 and 75/1. That is a massive difference when you consider the fact that these two teams are tied.
Another terrible basketball team to bet on it New Orleans. They are the second worst team in the NBA but they were ranked in the middle at the beginning of the season.
The Utah Jazz has been having a pretty good season. Most sports books ranked them as the 5th worst NBA team and offered futures odds that average around 100:1. They have 13 wins thus far so they are playing about as good as the Lakers. No one could have predicted something like that but many bookmakers seem to be having trouble accepting this fact. You can get very good point spreads when you bet on the Jazz.
It seems like the people who issue the lines and odds for online sports books are stuck in the 2010-2011 NBA season. Even though the proof is staring them right in the face each week they cannot seem to adjust their lines with the new reality of the NBA. The lockout really shook up the NBA and continues to do so to this day. Basketball bettors have a unique opportunity to win a lot of money this season. If you want to start betting please check out this list of the top 3 basketball betting sites.
