5 Reasons To Use An NBA Handicapper
In my 23 years actively betting and following all major sports, I can easily say that there is nothing more time consuming, in the capping’ world than playing the NBA. Before all my football handicapping buddies angrily email/text/tweet their dismay, I need to make it clear that being a successful pro handicapper is very hard work, regardless of the sport/league! Because of the time consuming nature and intricacies of the league, it makes perfect sense to use a pro – assuming you cannot quit your day job.
Ok so here is my case.
1. THE SCHEDULE IS EVERYTHING
Much more so than in football or baseball the success of an NBA team on any given day is is heavily based on their travel schedule and their previous and next opponent. You essentially need to not only research the current match up but also what occurred the prior night- who played how many minutes, what was the outcome, when did the game end ( travel), when do they arrive, what the coaches plans are for playing time, who they play next..that aspect alone is exhausting.
2. PLAYERS REST
Yeah Popovich, we are talking to you! Ok ore and more coaches are realizing that you simply cannot play your stars every game. It’s a marathon, not a sprint which is partly why we love football and are often bored with some of the NBA regular season. The games simply don’t mean as much. The killer with this aspect of NBA handicapping is the coaches often don’t day who they plan to rest. It’s never fun to bet the Spurs and find out the “big three” played 0 minutes! Pro basketball handicappers are on top of this as they actually have sources within the league to keep them more apprised of this stuff than most people.
3. EVERYONE MAKES THE PLAYOFFS
Ok, it’s a bit of an exaggeration but you get the idea. Think about how hard it is to handicap week 17 in the NFL. It’s difficult determine who is going to put in max effort and go for the kill. The NBA is like this on almost a nightly basis. Since a good team is going to make the playoffs, there is simply much less urgency. A big part of handicapping the NBA is determining motivation. Good handicappers are generally excellent at exploiting motivation for their advantage.
4. MEANINGLESS FREE THROWS
Good professional handicappers actually understand that you have to factor in late fouls and meaningless ( not to us) points. There are many ways to do this and every hoops capper has their own methods but a common way is to study the coaches and what at point margins they intentionally foul. Some coaches will follow up until it is a 3 possession game whilst some will cry “uncle” much easier. As annoying as it is to get beat on garbage time free throws or uncontested layups, it’s no fun figuring out a “good number” with all this factored in either!
5. BE HONEST. YOU ARE STILL FOCUSED ON FOOTBALL
There are only so many hours in the day. If you can spell Antetokounmpo and know he plays for the Bucks, disregard everything I have written. A pro handicapper spends his days preparing for the NBA season and closely watching all new meaningful acquisitions. I don’t know about you, but I can barely keep up with the NFL playoff scenarios and keep a girlfriend 🙂