All is set for a new NBA season and for the betting to begin! The World’s Best Basketball League is the National Basketball Association. Players from the United States, Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and even Oceania demonstrate their talent on the court and seek the glory of winning the league.
In the last NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors (West champions) defeated the Boston Celtics (East champions) 4-2 in six games, thus winning their seventh championship, with Stephen Curry raising the Larry O’Brien Trophy for Champions and the Bill Russell Trophy for Finals MVP.
The 2022-2023 NBA season will begin in October and end in July when the NBA Finals are played. On February 19, 2023, the All-Star Game will be held at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Below, we will let you know what you should expect from this season’s NBA playoffs and finals to help prep you for the NBA finals odds:
NBA Playoffs and Finals Schedule
Sixteen teams play the playoffs for the title — 8 from each Conference — and it usually begins in mid-April and lasts for approximately two months until the conclusion of the NBA Finals. In June, the NBA finals are always played between the Eastern Conference champion and the Western Conference champion.
- Mid-April: Usual playoff start date
- Early June: Start of the NBA Finals
With the NBA playoffs approaching, fans have to buy NBA tickets from now onwards as the tickets will be in short supply due to high demand.
The NBA 2022-2023 Competition Format
As far as competition formats are concerned, eight teams per side advance to the playoffs; six of them are the winners of each division (those that finished the regular season with the best record), and the rest are the following teams with the best records. However, there is a particularity to define the last two tickets to the postseason by the side.
As in the last three competitions, there will be a play-in, that is, a format in which four teams from each Conference (two from the East and two from the West) will meet to define the seventh and eighth tickets, as long as there is no difference of four or more games between contestants.
The teams with the 7th and 8th best wins in terms of percentage in the respective Conferences will get two opportunities to play and win a game and secure their spot in the NBA playoffs.
On the other hand, the teams with the ninth and tenth-best wins in terms of percentage in each Conference will have to win two in a row to earn a postseason berth.
At the end of the regular season of the Best Basketball in the World, the seventh place in each Conference will be local versus the eighth place in a Play-in Game. The matchup’s winner on each side will be the seventh seed in the playoffs.
9th place will receive 10th place in another Play-in match. The loser of the duel between the seventh and the eighth will be local to the winner of the ninth and tenth, and the winner of that match will be the eighth classified.
This is how the playoffs are played: the first seed goes against the eighth, the second against the seventh, the third against the fifth, and the fourth against the fifth. It will be advanced by series to the best of seven games (the first to win four times) using a predetermined bracket. The winners of each side will dispute the title in the Finals.
The Favorite Team for the Finals—the Lakers!
But even before going through these two crucial stages, some think of the 2023 title. In Las Vegas, the bookmakers have directly set to work to establish the odds for the next playoffs, and the ranking is quite surprising. Indeed, the Nets and the Lakers, who have experienced the same galley season, do not find themselves in the same position. It’s LeBron who will be sulking.
Coming out the odds for the 2023 title when the Draft and the Free Agency haven’t yet shaken up the roster doesn’t make sense, but according to the bookmakers, the Warriors are the most likely at the moment to win the Larry O’Brien trophy in a year. The Celtics, unfortunate finalists, logically follow them, then by the Nets, who still fascinate as much.
On the other hand, it’s a cold shower for the Lakers since Darvin Ham’s men are only in 9th position, according to the bookmakers. They are behind the Clippers neighbours and the Mavericks and the Nuggets, two teams that have not necessarily proven themselves at the highest level. LeBron James and Anthony Davis will no doubt be keen to make everyone lie at the start of the school year!
After such a failed season, it makes sense that the Lakers are far in the title race. More than anything else, these ratings must motivate this group which will undoubtedly be very revengeful. LeBron James likes to take up challenges; here is a beautiful one.
Final Thoughts
The new NBA season will soon kick off, which certainly means more fun. There are many favourites from each Conference, and we think this upcoming season won’t be easily decided. Thanks for reading!
