Gambling: What to know to bet the long NBA season ahead



The NBA landscape shifted seismically the day LeBron James took his talents back to Cleveland, and the futures odds for the NBA title reflect that. The Cavaliers, at 5-to-2, are the favorite to win the NBA championship, according to the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook.

The NBA landscape shifted seismically the day LeBron James took his talents back to Cleveland, and the futures odds for the NBA title reflect that. The Cavaliers, at 5-to-2, are the favorite to win the NBA championship, according to the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook.

Before James chose Cleveland, the Cavaliers were 60-to-1 to win the title. After the decision β€” and the addition of All-Star forward Kevin Love β€” Cleveland became the favorite. "And they're still being supported at those odds," said Jeff Sherman, assistant manager of Westgate's sportsbook.
Golden State, whose home opener is Saturday, is 25-to-1, relatively long odds for a team that won 51 games last year and didn't suffer any major talent losses, but Sherman says there aren't too many teams ahead of them. "When you have strong favorites," Sherman said, some "very competitive" teams, like the Warriors, typically have longer odds.

The L.A. Clippers, who knocked Golden State out of the playoffs last season, are 8-to-1 to win the title at Westgate. Defending champ San Antonio is 3-to-1 to win it all; the Oklahoma City Thunder are 9-to-2. Miami, now entering the post-LeBron era, is 40-to-1. Sherman noted that when James missed games last year due to injury, Miami was ordinary and that his absence will "drastically affect things."

Here are tips from Sherman for betting on basketball. Sports betting is illegal in California but legal in Nevada, and betting online has become popular.
Watch your back-to-back: The NBA game is high energy, so if a team has consecutive games it may falter. And when a team plays four games in five days, that fourth game can be when it underperforms.

Good teams can win on the road:Most squads play much better at home, but top teams can do very well on the road. The Spurs were 30-11 away from San Antonio last year; Golden State was 24-17 away from Oakland.

Consider the spread:You can bet with the point spread (give or get points) or you can make a money-line wager (pick the winner). If you like a favored team to win but don't feel confident it will cover the spread, bet the money line. Your payoff will be less, but you'll win if your team does.

Futures bets can be made all season:The season has just started, but you don't have to make title bets now. You can watch teams for a few weeks, or even months, and then place a bet. Odds will fluctuate depending on team performances.

This is a reprint from sfgate.com. to view the original, click here.


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