Tonight the new season of the top American basketball championship starts: the NBA!
All on the hunt for the Los Angeles Lakers champions. Let’s examine together the ante-post bets proposed by bookmakers to give you a complete picture of the situation.
NBA 2020/2021, DATES AND CALENDAR
In the hope that the covid19 pandemic does not affect this year too, after last year it was interrupted and then resumed in the Orlando “bubble”, the season was set with the standard number of games per team, that is 72 in the regular season plus any playoffs.
Regular season starting today December 22nd and ending May 16th. From 18 to 21 May the play-in tournament will be played, a sort of wild cards to decide the last teams that will enter the final phase. Real playoffs that will begin on 22 May while game 1 of the finals is scheduled for 8 July with eventual game 7 on 22 July.
NBA – THE FAVORITES
As with last year, the top two favorites to the title are the two Los Angeles franchises, the Lakers and the Clippers. But if in the last season the odds of the two teams were very close, today the gap between the reigning champions led by Lebron James and Anthony Davis and the new Clippers of coach Tyron Lue is evident given that the cousins have the unknown of a new technical project.
Behind the two favorites to win the western conference, there are the first two of the class (at least according to the quotes) of the east coast, namely Brooklyn and Milwaukee. After accessing the playoffs last year, the Nets will have an extra Kevin Durant and it is therefore right to put them in the front row but to even see them ahead on a consolidated rosters like that of the Bucks (in which we remind you of a certain Antetokounmpo or the finalists of the eastern last year, Celtics and Heat, seems at least risky to us. The widespread idea among insiders is that therefore the ring, in a less crazy season and with fewer unknowns (hopefully) than the past one closed at Disneyworld , see these 5 teams in front of all.
OUTSIDERS OF THE SEASON
What is certain is that in a season as long as the NBA, anything can happen and it is therefore right to keep an eye on those teams that start in the second row but have all the potential to be able to climb the hierarchies. In order of altitude we start from the Sixers who after the disappointment of last season have signed a highly motivated Doc Rivers as coach, called to act as the glue between the various top players of the team (from Embiid to Howard ending up for Simmons).
With the same chances as Phila there are Houston and Denver: Rockets who once again hang on to the leader Harden (top scorer in the last regular season while the Nuggets, vice champions in the western, are definitely more team and not only have Jokic to rely on. Finally we close the list of teams that could enter the title fight by citing the Warriors of Curry (but also of Luca Mannion Italian-American ready to amaze), the Maveriks of the Doncic phenomenon and the Raptors champions in 2019 who seem not to have lost the fire. of the desire to win and will once again be carried away by Van Vleet and Siakam.
MVP AND ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, WHO WILL WIN?
Among the antepost bets dedicated to individual players, fans of betting on the NBA can play on the best player of the season and on the best rookie, prizes that ended last year in the hands of Antetokounmpo of the Bucks and Ja Morant of the Grizzlies respectively. The race towards the 2021 MVP title currently sees four big favorites: the first is Luka Doncic who at just 21 years old and with only 2 NBA seasons behind him has become one of the best prospects in the league.
Behind him are 3 established and experienced stars such as Antetokounmpo (who however awaits the consecration in the playoffs), Lebron James and Anthony Davis, respectively the best assistman and top scorer of the Lakers last season.
In the second row we find level people like Curry, Durant, Lillard and Harden above all. Obviously, it is logical to think that much will depend not only on the contribution of the individual but on what the respective franchises of these great champions will be able to put as a side dish. We close with the title of rookie of the year which often does not end up in the hands of the first choice (last year Williamson penalized by the injury at the beginning of the season.
This year, Edwards, chosen as number one by the Timberwolves, is the second favorite, very close to Lamelo Ball, brother of Lonzo and LiAngelo and a member of the Hornets. Among those who could do battle we also point out Wiseman, Toppin and Hayes.
OUR FORECASTS:
Western conference winner: Los Angeles Lakers
Eastern conference winner: Boston Celtics
NBA winner: Los Angeles Lakers
MVP: Lebron James
Rookie of the year: Wiseman