Celtic Pride Or Gold-Blooded?
As it turns out, there is no need to fear the deer, Dallas is not in, the valley did not rally, and the playoffs were not white-hot for the Miami Heat. But we will meme-this, Memphis (or gif). Phila unite— yeah, I got nothing for that one. But if you have Celtic Pride or are Gold-Blooded, you must be excited for tonight.
Why? Because the NBA Finals kick off with Game 1 in San Francisco. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 PM ET.
You have time to get your bets in for Game 1, on a series winner, or one of the many markets sportsbooks are offering. If you need some help sifting through them—well, that's what we are here for. So, on that note, let's get right to it!
NBA Finals: Public Loves The Warriors
Sportsbooks have the Golden State Warriors listed as the favorite to win the NBA Finals. It is not hard to understand why given how Steph Curry and Co. have been playing throughout the playoffs. According to media reports, the public appears to agree with the odds. Most of the money bet on the Finals at PointsBet is on the Warriors to win the best-of-seven series (87 percent, as of Thursday morning).
But books have been seeing some big bets on the Celtics come in from sharps.
Do you go with the public on this one and assume the Splash Brothers are more than the Boston defense can handle? But the sharps must know something if they are putting big money down on the Celtics to win, right? It's a tough call and one you do not necessarily have to make.
If you don't feel confident about picking a series or Game 1 winner, go with one (or more) of the many prop bets sportsbooks offer. Craig Williams covered some of his favorites in an article posted to GamingToday.com this morning, NBA Finals Game 1 Props, SGP: Who Will Support Splash Bros. Against Stifling Celtics Defense?
NBA Finals: Trends To Be Aware Of
Boston beat Golden State in the one regular-season game the two teams played this season, 110-88. However, Steph Curry only played 14 minutes and left early with an injury.
The Celtics have the best record in the NBA against the Warriors in the Steve Kerr Era, 9-7.
Steph Curry is 11-11 against the Celtics in his career.
Since entering the NBA, Marcus Smart has held Steph to 29 percent shooting from the floor in their matchups.
Steph has averaged 24.1 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds in 10 games versus Smart.
Steph has scored less than 20 twice against the Celtics (when he played most of the game) and scored 30+ three times.
Jayson Tatum has averaged 22.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 10 games against Golden State.
For more on the NBA Finals, check out these articles at GamingToday.com:
NBA Finals MVP Odds: Steph Curry, Jayson Tatum Atop Oddsboards
Sportsbooks Offer Big Sign-up Bonuses for NBA Finals Betting
Odds To Win NBA Championship 2022: Warriors Favored To Beat The Celtics
Celtics vs. Warriors Odds, Game 1 Prediction: Can Dubs Extend Dynastic Run?
Elsewhere In The Wide World Of Sports Betting…
As much as I would love to cover all the significant sports events in-depth, I know you guys only have so much time during the day to read my lovely newsletter. To keep this from becoming the Venmurasu (26,000-page novel published in 2014) of newsletters, I'm going to highlight some of the other events we've been covering at GamingToday.com:
The 2022 NHL Playoffs have reached the Conference Finals. Colorado won Game 1 of the West Finals; will Edmonton tie the series up in Game 2 tonight?
The Rangers took the lead in the East Finals with a dominant win in Game 1. Tampa Bay will look to even that series up with a win in Game 2 on Friday.
Glover Teixeira is the light heavyweight champ but will be the underdog when he defends his title at UFC 275 in Singapore on June 11.
The Dodgers are favored to win the World Series, but don't overlook either team from New York.
Tennessee has dominated college baseball this season, but No. 1 national seeds rarely win the CWS.
Pulver's Parlay: USFL Week 8
My picks stunk once again last week (1-3). I knew I was taking a chance with some of them, but I thought I'd do better than 1-3. So, in the interest of hopefully not giving bad advice, I will be a little more conservative with my parlay picks this week.
Generals to win (-425), Breakers to win (+145), Stars to win (-250), Gamblers +5
These bets combine for +708 odds (at DraftKings) as a four-leg parlay.
The Generals are one of two teams to secure a spot in the playoffs, but I'd be shocked if they rest players for the postseason. Pittsburgh has shown signs of life in recent weeks, but not enough to make me think it can win this game.
The Stallions handled the Breakers in Week 3, 22-13. But New Orleans will get a step closer to locking down a playoff spot with a win over a Birmingham team that has already secured its place in the postseason.
Philly can lock up the second playoff spot in the North with a win over a Panthers team that has struggled all season. They may not cover the spread, but the Stars will win this game.
Houston has been capable all season but has found ways to lose games. I want to believe they can keep this one close enough against Tampa Bay to cover ATS this week—but I am not super confident. The Bandits need a win and a Breakers loss to remain alive for the playoffs.
This Week On The Sports Betting Legal Landscape…
It's been a slow week on the sports betting legal landscape. But we do have news coming out of Colorado. A new bill has been introduced in the Colorado House, HB 22-1402, that would reduce the amount of free play credits sportsbooks could write off on their taxes.
Lawmakers are looking to reduce what sportsbooks can write off to increase sports betting revenue for the state. Earlier this week, Chris Gerlacher covered this development in an article posted to GamingToday.com, New Colorado Sports Betting Bill Set To Reduce Free Play Write-Offs For Sportsbooks.
Sportsbook Promotions: June 2, 2022
With the NBA Finals kicking off tonight, sportsbooks are running quite a few related promotions this week.
DraftKings: Bet on Game 1 Moneyline and win your bet if your team leads by 10+ points at any time, even if they lose the game! *Expires today.
DraftKings: New Users: Bet $5 on the NBA Finals and Get $150 instantly.
FanDuel: Place $5+ SGP Wagers on any NBA Finals Game(s) and if you have a winning bet with the longest odds, get $30K in Free Bets. Plus, earn Free Bets if you don't win but finish in the Top-100.
Caesars: First Bet Insurance up to $1500: Place your first bet with Caesars Sportsbook risk-free.
BetMGM: Place a single first basket scorer prop bet on any NBA Finals game. You'll get your stake back in Free Bets if your wager loses.
BetMGM: If you bet on a team to win in the NBA Finals and they lose in overtime, you'll receive your original stake back, up to $25 in Free Bets.
As always, remember that terms and conditions apply with promotional offers.
Beginner's Beat: Three Common Mistakes
Betting on sports is a lot of fun, especially when you win. But certain mistakes are common among novice bettors. Today, I want to talk about three of them:
Do Not Be A Fanboy: It may feel strange to bet against your favorite team, but betting on a team because they are your favorite is not a wise betting strategy. If you can't set your fandom aside and bet objectively, you may want to skip that game and bet on another one.
Do Not Force A Strategy: Every bettor should have a strategy when placing bets. While you want to stick to it, you do not have to stick with a plan that is not working. You do not want to switch things up after your first loss, but you need to learn from your mistakes without making another one.
Do Not Chase Losses: It is natural to feel like you need to bet a little more a week after losing several games, but resist the urge to do this. Betting more to make up for losses is a surefire way to burn through your bankroll faster than Joey Chestnut burns through hot dogs.
That's it for this edition of the Gaming Today Playbook. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much or more as I enjoyed writing it. If you have any questions or want to request a topic to be covered in a future newsletter, you can reach me via email at travis.pulver@catenamedia.com or via Twitter at @FatManWriting.
This week I'd like to leave you with a quote from Steve Allen, the first host of The Tonight Show:
“I used to be a heavy gambler. But now I just make mental bets. That's how I lost my mind.”
Bet wisely, my friends.
Until Next Week,
Travis Pulver, Sports Betting Writer