NBA Finals Betting: Who Will Win The NBA Finals

The NBA Finals 2023 are set to be an exciting culmination of what has been an incredible postseason. While the two teams that are going to compete have yet to be determined, bettors are already looking ahead.

In this guide to NBA Finals betting, we’re going to explore everything you need to know to wager on the upcoming final series of the NBA season. As the last four teams duke it out in the Conference Finals, this guide will provide you with betting tips, NBA Finals odds, insights into the teams competing, and a host of other information to ensure your NBA betting is a slam dunk.

At the time of writing, the NBA Finals have pretty much been decided. While a miracle could happen, no team has ever surmounted the deficit two teams in the Conference Finals find themselves in.

With the NBA winner odds very clearly indicating the likelihood two teams have of progressing, let’s explore the likelihood of the four teams remaining winning the NBA Finals.

The favourites

• Denver Nuggets (-220): There is no question that the Denver Nuggets are the presumptive favourites to win at this point. They currently have a 3-0 stranglehold on the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference. Led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets have an incredible offence with elite shooting and passing. Jamal Murray has stepped into a starring role in the playoffs, and Michael Porter Jr. is an excellent third option. And with defensive aces like Aaron Gordon, Bruce Brown, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, they can handle anyone. They seem likely to cap off their big year with a first-ever NBA Finals victory.
• Miami Heat (+260): No one could've seen this one coming. The Miami Heat were a play-in team and then matched against the mighty Bucks as the eighth seed. But a masterclass by Jimmy Butler and coach Erik Spoelstra has put the Bucks up 3-0 on the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals and has them on the brink of their second finals with Butler. Thanks to a strong defence led by Bam Adebayo, the hero scoring of Butler, and an unheralded supporting cast with Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, and Caleb Martin, the Heat are on the brink of glory.

The underdogs

• Boston Celtics (+1200): It wasn’t supposed to go like this for the Celtics. After an NBA Finals run last year, the core of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown looked poised for another year of excellence. However, the Heat have jumped all over them, and the Celtics now face historic odds down 0-3. Can they pull off the improbable and make it to the finals?
• Los Angeles Lakers (+3200): LeBron James and Anthony Davis have surpassed expectations to make the Conference Finals, but it appears Jokic and the Nuggets are too much. They are now down 0-3, and LeBron will have to pull off the most miraculous trick of his Hall of Fame career to give the team any chance at another ring. It is highly unlikely but not impossible.

The NBA Finals marks the end of the season, as the last team remaining in the Eastern and Western Conference square off. These two battle-tested squads duke it out for their spot in history, and bettors wager enthusiastically on one of the most exciting spectacles in sports. NBA Finals betting is a popular pastime, with bettors placing bets on an array of NBA Final odds. There's much to know about betting on this all-important series; below, we'll explore some key details.

Popular Markets and Betting Types

There are a lot of different ways bettors can choose to wager on the Finals. There are NBA Championship odds that cover a large number of betting options, so let's look at some of the top markets and types of bets bettors can expect to see on their favourite sportsbooks.

• Moneyline: Moneyline betting is a wager on the direct outcome of a Finals game. If you pick a team on the Moneyline, that means you’ve bet them to win their game.
• Point Spread: The Point Spread is a line oddsmakers create to represent the projected differential in a game. Bettors can bet for the spread, meaning the favoured team exceeds that differential, or against it, meaning they don't meet the projected differential.
• Totals: Totals are a line that oddsmakers create to represent the projected total amount of points in a game between both teams combined. Bettors can choose to be the over, meaning the teams will combine for more points, or the under, meaning they will combine for less.
• Futures: Futures are long-term bets. By the time the NBA Finals betting rolls around, the only futures markets left are which team will win the championship and which player will win Finals MVP.
• Live Betting: Live Betting is when bettors wager on a game that is already underway. An algorithm adjusts the odds according to what is happening during the game, so if a team goes on a 10-0 run, their likelihood of winning increases.
• Parlays: Parlays are when bettors combine multiple bets into one, with each bet within the parlay needing to hit for the bet to cash. During the NBA Finals, bettors can parlay multiple bets within a single game or parlay Finals bets with other sporting events.

NBA Final Prop Bets

One of the most popular methods of NBA playoffs betting is prop wagers. Prop betting is a form of betting that is based on outcomes within the game that don't necessarily impact the final score. There are two kinds of prop bets; let's look at what they are.

• Game Prop:  A game prop bet is a wager on a team-related outcome within a game. It can be something like how many three-pointers a team will hit in a game, how many fouls there will be in total, and so on.
• Player Prop: A player prop is a wager on an individual’s performance. With NBA Finals betting, it can include things like how many points a player will have, how many rebounds they will snag, and how many assists they will dish out.

Odds

There are many markets available for the biggest series in the sport. Bettors will find an array of NBA finals betting odds online. These odds show bettors the projected likelihood of an outcome occurring and indicate how much a bettor would make if they wagered on it.

The most common odds type you’ll see for NBA title odds is American. American odds indicate how much profit a bettor would make on a bet. If a bet is +, that shows how much profit a bettor would make on a $100 bet.

For example, if a bettor wagered $100 on +200, they’d make a $200 profit.

On the flip side, - bets show bettors how much they'd need to wager to make a $100 profit. For example, if something is -200, a bettor would need to wager $200 to see a $100 return.

While a lot of betting comes down to luck, and there is no way to guarantee a win, there are tips and strategies bettors can employ to ensure they are being as practical as possible.

If you are wagering on the NBA Finals, you're going to want to consider a few strategies before you begin. Let's look at a couple of tips you should employ before you start laying down wagers on this year's upcoming Finals.

• Shop for Odds: There are a lot of sportsbooks out there, each offering different odds for bettors. If you are convinced that one team is going to win the Finals, look around at their odds to win NBA Championship on different sportsbooks and pick the one most favourable to you.
• Look to the Favorite: In the NBA Finals, the favourited team typically wins. We'll explore the numbers behind that later, but if you want to have the best result, betting the favourite is what will likely help you end up with a win.
• Compare Strengths and Weaknesses: Every team is different, each having different play styles, strengths, and weaknesses. Learn how each team plays, whether they are a fast-paced team that loves transition offence and scores in bunches or more of a slow-it-down, grind it out, defensive squad.
• Health is a Major Factor: Player health often plays a major role in dictating who wins and who loses the NBA Finals. Do research to see which players are healthy and which might be slowed down by injuries.

There are hundreds of betting sites that Canadians have access to. Finding the right one to enjoy your betting experience with will come down to what you like in a website and your own individual preferences.

Below, we’re taking a look at some of the top websites for betting on the NBA Finals 2023. These are top sportsbooks, thanks to their elite NBA title odds, fun features, and great interfaces.

The NBA Finals first began in the 1940s, part of an unheralded sport and league no one paid much attention to. It has transformed into a global phenomenon watched by people on every continent, with some of the biggest superstars in sports competing.

Over the course of the NBA Finals’ long history, there have been so many incredible events and moments that bettors and fans should be aware of. The past can help us with intriguing insights into the future, and a look back through the NBA Finals history can help bettors win big on their NBA Finals betting this year.

Let's look back at some of the important trends and historical results that bettors and fans should know about the NBA and the NBA Finals.

Past NBA Championship Winners

Over the past ten years, we have seen some genuinely awe-inspiring victories in the NBA Finals. To brush up on the recent history of basketball’s greatest spectacle, let’s look at the last ten winners of the NBA Finals.

Year     Team That Won

2022     Golden State Warrios

2021     Milwaukee Bucks

2020     Los Angeles Lakers

2019     Toronto Raptors

2018     Golden State Warriors

2017     Golden State Warriors

2016     Cleveland Cavaliers

2015     Golden State Warriors

2014     San Antonio Spurs

2013     Miami Heat 

NBA teams with the most championships

Certain teams have had more consistent success in the NBA Finals than others, with a few teams dominating their eras and winning the most NBA victories. Let’s look at the NBA teams with the most championships.

NBA Teams That Have Never Won a Championship

While teams like the Lakers and Celtics have a track record of playoff glory, for other teams, it is just the opposite. There are some teams that have been around for decades, competed in the playoffs numerous times, and yet, don't have an NBA Finals to show for their efforts.

Let's look at the teams that have competed in the playoffs the most yet have never won the NBA Finals.

NBA trends

Certain trends have defined the sport for decades if not centuries. If you are wagering on the NBA Finals this year, let's look at some of the biggest trends to know.

• No team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs. Teams are 0-110 in this position since 1984.
• Only one team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.
• The favourite has won in the Finals in seven of the past ten years.
• Excluding the 2020 playoff, which was played in the bubble, 54 of the 75 teams with home-court advantage won the NBA Finals.
• Teams with a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals have won the series 69.7% of the time.

The NBA Finals is the culmination of the NBA season and playoffs. If you are a beginner looking to get into NBA Finals betting and wondering how it all works or just want a refresher, we are here to help. Below, we'll provide a quick look at how the NBA Finals works.

The NBA playoffs begin after each team has played 82 games. There are 15 teams in each conference, the Eastern and Western conferences. The top six teams in each conference advance to the playoffs, while the seventh through tenth teams make the play-in. The play-in teams compete for the final two spots in the playoffs.

Once the playoffs begin, the teams in each conference are seeded one to eight, according to their record. The one team plays the eighth team, the two team plays the seventh team, the three team plays the sixth team, and the five team plays the four team. The teams compete in a best-of-seven playoff series, with the winner advancing.

Eventually, there will be one team left in each conference. These are the two teams that will compete in the NBA Finals. They will square off in a series, with the first team to win four games becoming the NBA champion.