The National Basketball Association, or NBA, has been at the pinnacle of American leagues since the 1970s. The famous rivalries of the Lakers and Celtics during the 80s helped popularise it immensely, and, more recently, superstars like Kobe Bryant; LeBron James; and Michael Jordan have served to catapult the game to new heights in both the United States of America and the rest of the world.
The NBA’s meteoric rise in regard, especially in terms of its growing international renown, has only been helped by the proliferation of online betting markets for the games. The ease of access to these has increased dramatically since online betting first became an option for punters, and the league currently holds tickets to some of the hottest betting in town.
Details on the History and Season of the NBA
The NBA originated in the year following after the Second World War finally ended, 1946, and debuted under the name Basketball Association of America, or the BAA. Three years later, in 1949, the BAA absorbed the newly created National Basketball League, or NBL, and thus was the NBA born.
The NBA had just eight franchises when it began, but it rapidly expanded to eleven by 1950. Many of these original teams are in fact still part of the league today, with the New York Knicks; Boston Celtics; and Los Angeles Lakers able to trace their roots back more than 50 years.
The NBA currently has 30 teams which participate in a season of 82 games. Each team will play 41 home games, and the same amount of away games, and these teams are divided into two conferences, the Western and Eastern.
Although the majority of the games that the teams play will be against teams that are within their conferences and divisions, each team will play every other one at least twice over the course of a season. When this season draws to a close, the playoffs begin, with eight teams from each of the conferences who have made it through to these being seeded from one through to eight as a result of their season record.
Each series is a best-of-seven run of games, with the team winning four games advancing to the next round and the loser being eliminated. The winning teams of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals will ultimately face-off during the Championship Finals, the biggest event of the basketball betting year.
Popular Bets for Punters Interested in the NBA
The most popular wagers for punters to lay on the teams of the National Basketball Association play are point spreads (known with same name at https://mobilebetting.net.nz/iphone); moneylines; totals; parlays; teasers; futures; proposition bets and live betting options.
The degree of range of live betting options will depend very heavily on which sportsbook the punter has selected, but the majority will offer updated live odds on the total and spread, along with a number of other proposition bets for the punter to take advantage of as he or she watches the game’s action unfold onscreen in real time.
