Opening Game for Teams in NBA Finals

As the leaves here outside my New England home find their way to the ground, it can only mean one thing. The NBA season is upon us once again. Seems like just yesterday the Boston Celtics, and their powerhouse trio of Stars, Garnett, Allen, and Pierce, were the crowned jewel of the NBA for the 2007-08 season. I thought it would be an interesting topic to see how the Champion, as well as the runner-up, LA Lakers in this case, performed on opening night the subsequent year. I have 16 years of NBA data, and decided to share with everyone what I found.

One of the most interesting things I came across was the fact that the NBA Champion Celtics will be the 8th straight Champion to open at home the following year, and the Lakers will be the 5th straight runner-up to open at home as well. So I guess that would be a good place to start, and here are the the NBA betting results.

The Champion has opened at home 11 times over the last 16 years and has played to a 6-5 ATS mark, while the runner-up has played at home 9 times to a 6-3 ATS mark. The totals have shown the Champs playing 9-2 UNDER the NBA odds, while the runner-up has played 4-4-1.

The overall results have shown the Champs play under in 13 of the last 16 following season openers, while the runner-up has played 8 overs 7 unders with 1 push.

The Champs have played 7-6 as a favorite, and 3-1 as a dog, while the runner-up has played 7-4 as a favorite, and 2-4 as a dog, all ATS figures.

So about the only thing that can get your attention is the Champs from the prior year have shown a propensity to play under in game one to the tune of 81.3% of the time over the last 16 years. This is certainly not enough data to make this a stand alone choice, but may show signs of a place to look deeper. Just like the fact that they have played 8 in a row to start the season at home, doesn’t mean an automatic wager, if one existed, that would say bet this year’s Champion to open at home next season. See, that is where short numbers ATS make bettor’s feel comfortable that don’t necessarily carry the value they appear to have, but when it is a betting angle, based on short numbers many often use it as reasoning.

Good luck this coming season, and I am a basketball junkie, and if you reach out for help, please investigate my track record here with my NBA picks, game analysis, and consider me to do just that!

Have a great season!

EAST

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

• Los Angeles Lakers at Orlando Magic: NBA Finals Game 3 Preview
• LA Lakers at Orlando Magic NBA Finals Game 4 Odds

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