Betting on NBA Finals futures

NBA Finals futures are one of the most popular NBA betting markets. These wagers span a lengthy period of time, allowing bettors to wager on the most significant outcomes of the campaign.

NBA Finals futures odds are announced prior to the start of the season, and updated throughout the offseason as players move around with new signings and trades. Once the season begins, NBA Finals futures odds will almost certainly change on a daily basis, as teams win and lose games and more players are injured or traded.

When placing an NBA Finals futures wager, there are numerous things to consider. One thing to keep in mind is the conference in which a team competes, as they must win their conference before competing for the NBA Championship. While the Western Conference has long been considered superior, the Eastern Conference is regarded to have improved its elite team depth in recent years.

Additionally, consider the impact of a potential injury on a futures wager. If the Milwaukee Bucks were heavy favorites to win the Eastern Conference and thus a contender to win the NBA Finals, their odds would almost definitely be affected if their main star Giannis Antetokounmpo was injured. In that case, a futures wager on another strong Eastern Conference team could become valuable.

There are various types of futures bets available for the NBA, such as whether a team will make the playoffs or win their division or conference title, but NBA futures bets are most commonly placed on a team to win the NBA Finals.

For instance, before the season begins, the Miami Heat may have odds of +450 with a sportsbook to win the NBA Finals that season. If you placed a $100 bet on this and they then won the NBA Finals, it would return a payout of $550 (your original $100 bet plus $450 in profit).

If it is nearer the end of the regular season or during the playoffs and a certain team has looked particularly dominant, they may even be available for this market with negative odds. For instance, if the Los Angeles Lakers had comfortably won the Pacific Division before winning both of their first two playoff series in four games, ahead of the Western Conference Finals they would likely be considered strong favorites to also win the NBA Finals.

The NBA Finals are played in a best-of-seven-games format, meaning that the first team to win four games is the winner of the series. Sportsbooks let bettors wager on how many games will be played during the Finals (or in other words, how many games up to seven the Finals will be decided in).

This is often listed as a total or over/under market, so bettors have to predict whether they think the NBA Finals will be decided in over or under a specified number of games. Sportsbooks often provide odds for the Finals to be decided in over or under 4.5, 5.5, or 6.5 games.

For instance, if you placed a $100 bet on the Finals to be decided in under 5.5 games, the champions would have to win the series in either four or five games for the bet to win.