A new season in the NBA starts up on Tuesday, Oct. 22, with a marquee matchup between the top two favorites to win this year’s league title. Each team happens to be from Los Angeles to add even more intrigue to that game.
While the early focus will be on the Clippers as +400 favorites to win it all and the Lakers as +450 second-favorites on BetOnline’s NBA futures board, there is still quite a bit of uncertainty as to which of the 30 teams will actually win this season’s championship.
Now is the time to get out your crystal ball and make a few bold predictions and even bolder bets on a few 2020 NBA Championship props.
California NBA Championship
The prop bet odds that a team from California wins this year’s NBA title are set at +140 for YES and -160 for NO.
You already have the Los Angeles teams as the top two favorites. Add in the Golden State Warriors as the sixth team on the list at +1000, and there is some value in the plus-money odds for this prop. Sacramento’s odds to win the title are long at +15000, but consider that a bonus.
The hype surrounding both the Clippers and Lakers is just that. Neither team has proven anything yet on the court, and the gap between these teams and the next set of elite contenders is rather thin.
However, when it comes to betting this prop, going with the four California teams against the field at +140 would still be the value pick.
Top-Seed Wins NBA Title
You can also bet that the No. 1 seed from either the Eastern or Western Conference wins the NBA Finals. The betting odds on the board for this prop actually favor NO at -200. The money line odds for YES in this prop are set at +170.
These odds are rather surprising given the fact that you get two shots to win with the best team from the East and West. This goes to show just how wide open things may be this season. After watching the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers from the East battle No. 1 Golden State out of the West for so many years, there are a few legitimate championship contenders in each conference this year.
I would still take the plus money in this prop. If you are getting the No. 1 team in each conference against the field heading into the playoffs at +170 odds, it is hard to turn that bet down.
NBA Championship Winning Conference
Right now, the odds for which conference wins the 2020 NBA title leans heavily towards the West at -260. You can get +220 odds that a team from the East wins the 2020 NBA Finals.
The West has been the dominant conference for quite some time. Golden State’s dynasty the past five seasons alone, most of the best teams in the NBA do play out west.
Betting this prop is all about current value. While the NBA future odds to win the West suggest that as many as six teams have a chance to win the conference title, it appears to be a two-team race in the East between the Milwaukee Bucks as +175 favorites and the Philadelphia 76ers as +200 second-favorites on the list. The Boston Celtics are still in the picture as +700 third-favorites.
The Bucks alone add some serious value to the +220 odds. They posted the best record in the NBA last season with 60 wins behind the league’s MVP, and their roster remains basically intact heading into this year’s campaign.
