Betting the Second Half of the 2016 NBA Season: Outlook and Predictions
Our friends at BetOnline have put together a betting analysis and some of their own predictions for the second half of the 2016 NBA season.
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The second half of the National Basketball Association season is set to begin later this week. It’ll be quite an interesting second half of the season, with a lot of noteworthy stories. Let’s take a look at several different bets to make with some NBA 2nd half season predictions.
Cleveland Should Take the East
The Eastern Conference is much better than it has been in the past. The Eastern Conference is once again led by the Cleveland Cavaliers, with a 38-14 record. The Toronto Raptors come into the second half of the season just 3 games behind. The Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks trail, followed by Miami, Indiana, Chicago and Charlotte. Out of the playoffs race is Detroit, Washington, Orlando, New York, Milwaukee, Brooklyn and Philadelphia. It’s hard to pick any other team than the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Bulls were a pick early in the season, but they have been poor in the first half. Cleveland is listed at 1/5 with the Raptors and Bulls at 8/1. The Toronto Raptors are the only team that could compete with Cleveland in a postseason series. In the end, betting Cleveland 1/5 is the only logical bet.
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Can Anyone Knock Off the Warriors?
In the Western Conference, how crazy good are the Golden State Warriors? The San Antonio Spurs are 45-8, and still trail Golden State by 3.5 games. Oklahoma City is red hot as well. Those three teams are really the only teams in the Western Conference with any chance of getting to the finals. The Spurs may break the regular season record for wins. They head into the second half with a 48-4 record. Golden State is listed 10/19 to win the Western Conference. Following them, the Spurs are at 9/5, while the Oklahoma City Thunder are 7/1. Why not? Someone may be able to knock the Warriors off. Tough to predict, but worth the risk. Take the Oklahoma City Thunder with the duo of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, at 7/1 to win the Western Conference Finals.
NBA Finals Future Bets
To win the NBA Finals; of course Golden State is the big favorite, with Cleveland, San Antonio and the Oklahoma City Thunder following. Do any other teams have a chance to win this thing? The Golden State Warriors are listed as the big favorite at 4/5 with Cleveland listed behind them at 3/1, while San Antonio is at 16/5 and the Thunder are 12/1. Again - why not with Durant and Westbrook? Those two guys are terrific, and worth a bet. Take the Oklahoma City Thunder at 12/1 to win the NBA Finals.
A Look at MVP and Rookie of the Year
As we know - the Most Valuable Player award in the National Basketball Association is based off the regular season. This is going to be tough to bet anyone other than Steph Curry. Curry is the huge favorite, listed at -400, with LeBron James coming in second at +900. In case the second half goes crazy, a couple names to look at for this award - Kevin Durant at +1500 and Russell Westbrook at +2500. Kawhi Leonard is also in the Top 5, at +1400. The bet for this has got to be the best player in the game, and the defending champion. Steph Curry, despite being listed at -400 is the way to go for this one.
Another fun award is the Rookie of the Year in the National Basketball Association. This is going to be a little tougher than the MVP award. There are five good choices right now, with Karl Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves being the favorite. After him, popular choice out of New York is Kristaps Porzingis. After those two, Jahlil Okafor, Emmanuel Mudiay and DeAngelo Russell are next. Anthony Towns is listed at -250, with Porzingis at +210. Okafor is third at +650, and he is the guy we are going to side with. Look for a big second half from the big man from Duke. Taking Jhalil Okafor to win the 2016 Rookie of the Year at +650 is a good bet.
There you have it. There are five good NBA 2nd Half Season Predictions. Tune in as we approach the postseason, and take a look at the current odds, and the favorites heading in. Best of luck!
