NBA Finals Odds: Guide for Successful Championship & MVP Betting with Our Expert Predictions

NBA Finals Odds & Lines Guide: Introduction

Betting on the most attractive NBA Finals odds is a definite must for every serious basketball bettor. Knowing how to bet on this majestic sporting event separates the wheat from the chaff in wagering terms. 

That’s exactly why you’ll need to learn the ins and outs of NBA Finals betting. This is a best-of-seven series and the culmination of the season, where the two best teams in the league go head-to-head. Therefore, one might define it as the pinnacle of basketball wagering. As you’d expect, there are opportunities aplenty for both bettors and fans.

In this article we will tell you what kinds of wagers are available and how they work. NBA Finals betting is similar to regular season and playoff NBA betting in many ways, but there are also some unique betting opportunities that are worth looking into.

Don’t be afraid to trust and take advantage of the free NBA Finals predictions delivered by our team of experts. They have dedicated a lot of time and effort to get to their picks and their success rates have proven them right on plenty of occasions.

Let’s start with the NBA Finals odds though and see where the true value lies.

Current NBA Finals Odds

When you’re line shopping, it’s always good to have someone saving you time and effort. As we are perfectly aware of that, our team is hunting for the best NBA Finals odds for the next world champion and serving them on a plate. We are updating them regularly so that you can constantly be able to benefit from the optimal value on the market.

Best 2022 NBA odds to win championship

*Last updated on May 31, 2022

Best 2022 NBA Finals odds for the series correct score

*Last updated on May 31, 2022

Best 2022 NBA Finals odds for series spread

*Last updated on May 31, 2022

Best 2022 NBA Finals odds for when will the series finish

*Last updated on May 31, 2022

The Favorite and The Contender According to Their NBA Odds to Win Championship

Now’s the time to point out the favorites and contenders according to their NBA odds to win championship rings in 2022. At the start of the playoffs we had the absolute pacesetters in Suns, the reigning champion Bucks, the stars-packed teams like the Warriors, Nets, Heat and 76-ers, the rising Celtics, the always dangerous Nuggets, Jazz, Grizzlies, and a bunch of other intriguing teams. Some of them went on their summer vacation quite early.

You can also take a peek at the ESPN BPI Playoff Odds. They are popular for a reason, since they estimate the probabilities for each team to make the playoffs and win the NBA title. Now though, let’s look at the top teams in terms of odds for a title winner through the eyes of the How To Bet experts and let’s make our NBA Finals predictions.

The Favorite

Golden State Warriors (-150): The team with legendary scorers like Steph Curry and Klay Thompson finished the regular season 2nd in DE (106.6) led by Draymond Green on the defensive end. This combination was a guarantee of at least a deep NBA Playoffs run for the Warriors and so far they eliminated teams led by the MVP Nikola Jokic, Ja Morant, and Luka Doncic. This meant advancing to their sixth NBA Finals in eight seasons, a feat no team has accomplished since Jordan’s Bulls, and attacking their fourth World Championship in this span. The supporting cast, formed by Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, Otto Porter Jr., Andre Iguodala, Gary Payton, and Kevon Looney, are also formidable.

The Contender

Boston Celtics (+130): The leap in this team is fantastic. Even with the bad start of the campaign, the Celtics finished the regular season 5th in OE (112.1) and 1st in DE (106.2). After all, 19 of the past 20 NBA champions have ranked in the top 10 in defensive efficiency and Boston leads the way. The suffocating defense is orchestrated by rookie head coach Ime Udoka and is led on the court by Marcus Smart, the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, with the immeasurable help of big men Robert Williams and the eternal Al Horford. The attack is also special under the guidance of versatile wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Because of that, the supposedly problematic playoff road including the Nets, Bucks, Heat, and Warriors is 75% passed by the Celtics who dealt brilliantly with Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jimmy Butler thus far. Who’d be brave enough to bet against them doing the same with Steph Curry?

NBA Finals Predictions from Our Expert Team

The famous FiveThirtyEight model gave the Celtics 76% chance of winning the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June before the NBA Conference Finals, despite sportsbooks giving the Warriors (mere 16% according to FiveThirtyEight) the best NBA odds to win championship rings. The expert team of How To Bet will side with the oddsmakers at sports betting companies here. Sure, Boston are the best defensive team in the league, possess two of the Top 20 players in Tatum and Brown, a hungry for success head coach, and superb supporting cast. What they miss though is something that you can’t have without tasting the battlefield and it’s called experience.

On the benches we have Steve Kerr entering his sixth NBA Finals in the last eight years vs. a rookie in Ime Udoka. Golden State has three titles in this span, while Boston’s last one dates way back to 2008. Also, in their best version the Warriors can break the defensive strategy of even the best opponents in this part of the game with threats from any point on the court. Plus, their own defense is terrific and if Andrew Wiggins is available all the way through the series, he knows how to stifle Jayson Tatum. In the loss in the regular season (balance of 1-1 in the encounters between both teams) Wiggins couldn’t play and Tatum had 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead Boston to a comfortable win.

NBA Finals predictions 2022: Warriors to clinch the World Championship in six games.

Betting on the NBA Finals MVP

Betting on the NBA Finals MVP is a popular option among sports wagering aficionados in the USA. Basketball might be a team sport where the collective effort is decisive but there’s always one player who rises above all to lead his team to the Promised Land and the championship rings. See the favorites according to their current NBA Finals MVP odds here.

*NBA Finals MVP Odds were last updated on May 31, 2022.

Steph Curry is the current favorite for the prestigious award despite never winning it by now while having three championship rings. (In 2015 Andre Iguodola won and Kevin Durant followed suit in 2017 and 2018). Curry did just win the first-ever Western Conference Finals MVP though, so he seems more than ready to make another huge new step in the pursuit of personal accolades. Boston’s leading duo of Tatum and Brown have appealing NBA Finals MVP odds, but the award usually goes to the champions and we’ve already picked the Warriors.

NBA Finals Predictions for the 2022 MVP award: It may look like the lazy pick but nevertheless we’ll back Steph Curry to win it for the first time.

NBA Finals Betting Types

There are a number of ways to bet on the NBA Finals, including many that you may have used when wagering on regular season games. We will explain how to bet on each game as well as how to take advantage of the various other opportunities that are available.

Since the NBA Finals come around just once a year, it would be wise to make the most of them, and this section of the article will show you how.

NBA Finals Betting: Over/Under

If you want to learn how to bet on the NBA Finals, you need to familiarize yourself with NBA Over/Under bets. These are normally concerned with the total number of points that will be scored in an NBA game. That said, an NBA Finals Over/Under market works a little bit differently. In this case, the focus is on the total number of games that an NBA Finals series will go to. 

Let’s use the 2020 matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat to explain this bet:

Sportsbooks will set the odds for each of the results listed above. Not only will you have to correctly pick the winner of the NBA Finals, but you also have to pick how many games it will take. 

Over/Under bets are also available for each game. This is sometimes referred to as a total bet because it deals with the total number of points scored in a game. 

Here is an example:

Phoenix Suns vs. LA Clippers

It’s important to note that most sportsbooks will offer the same odds for both sides of an Over/Under bet, meaning that it will take a $111/109 bet to win $100. In this example, all you have to decide is whether or not the total number of points scored by the two teams will be more or less than 221.5. 

It is worth noting that regular-season games are usually higher scoring than NBA Finals games. 

NBA Finals Betting: Prop Bets

Prop betting might have started with the Super Bowl, but it has now spilled over into other sports as well. Sportsbooks will offer plenty of NBA Finals prop bets, and these are on things other than the final score or winner of a game. 

When betting on the NBA Finals we see many different types of prop bets, they range from more serious player based props. For example:

• LeBron James to get over 29.5 points
• Giannis Antetokounmpo to make over 4.5 blocks
• Steph Curry to make over 8.5 threes

But there are also more wacky prop bets based on other in-game events, such as:

• The color of Gatorade dumped on the winning coach.
• How many technicals will be given.
• Who will make the most three-point field goals.
• How long the National Anthem will be (any game).

As you can see, there is plenty of humor to be found in NBA Finals prop betting markets. Adding one or two modest 'fun wagers' alongside your more serious bets can increase your enjoyment of the series as a whole.

NBA Finals Line: Moneylines

A moneyline bet is the easiest betting market to understand, but it’s not the most common when it comes to betting on NBA Finals games. It simply requires you to pick the winner of each game. The sportsbooks will set betting odds based on their opinion of the most likely outcome. 

For example:

The odds here have the two sides as difficult to split. These odds are very similar and it is more of a 'pick'em' bet. Nets are favorites by a small margin. See live NBA odds here at How To Bet!

NBA Finals Spread

If you have ever heard someone refer to betting against the spread (ATS), they are talking about spread betting. Sportsbooks will set the odds for spread betting based on the probability of a certain outcome occurring. 

The bettor has to not only pick the winner of each game but also predict how big the winning margin will be. Here is an example:

Something to note is that the Nets are the favorites, but only marginally. It is set to be a very close match-up. Spreads that are around 1-3 are usually difficult to predict as the teams are so close in quality.

NBA Finals Betting: Futures

A future bet is one that is placed on something that will happen at the conclusion of an event. In this case, it is predicting what will happen at the conclusion of the NBA Finals. The two most common NBA Finals future bets are:

• Which team will win the NBA Finals
• Who will be named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.

The future bet asking which team will win the NBA Finals is available throughout the regular season. If you want to bet on who will be named the Most Valuable Player, you will usually need to wait until the Finals matchup is set. 

NBA Finals Betting: In-Play Betting

Live or in-play betting has become extremely popular, especially on big events such as the NBA Finals. Sportsbooks will offer live bets for each game of the NBA Finals, and all of the betting types that we mentioned above will be offered. 

Live betting is done quickly, which won't give you much time to conduct any research. However, it does give you a chance to 'hedge' your bets, or make up for losses that you have incurred previously in each game. 

NBA Finals Betting: Parlays

When betting on the NBA Finals online, parlay betting or 'accas' are very popular. This is because they can bring higher odds that seem more likely. A parlay bet, for those of you who are unfamiliar, is basically a stacked up bet. You combine different wagers on one event or many to create higher odds. For the bet to come in every single bet you've stacked into the parlay must be correct. One mistake and the wager is a loss. This can make parlay betting on the NBA Finals a very cruel market to explore.

Here is an example of bets that could be stacked into a parlay.

• LeBron James to get over 29.5 points
• Lakers to win
• Game total over 235.5

How to Bet on NBA Finals with Online Sportsbooks

Sports betting continues to grow in the United States, and online wagering is becoming increasingly available. If you understand how to bet on the NBA Finals, then you know how to do it online. The markets and principles involved are exactly the same.

In order to be able to bet on the NBA Finals online, you will have to be in a state where online sports wagering is legal. If you are, you can enjoy the convenience of making an NBA Finals bet from the comfort of your couch. DraftKings and FanDuel are two of the top online sportsbooks that will have bets on the NBA Finals.

How to Bet on NBA Finals in Vegas

If you want an experience to remember to go along with your NBA Finals betting, then taking a trip to Vegas could be a good move. Sin City has a huge number of retail sportsbooks and casinos that will offer betting on the NBA Finals, and you can watch the game as you wager.

If you plan on live betting the NBA Finals, this can also be done easily while in Vegas.

Of course, if you don’t want to go there, betting at your nearest land-based sportsbook is another option to consider.

NBA Finals Betting: Best Tips and Strategies

If you’ve found appealing NBA Finals odds 2022 and are planning on betting on them, here are some tips and strategies that might prove useful. They are also valid for NBA Playoffs betting so you can use them in the whole postseason.

Do Plenty of Research

This is a betting strategy that you should employ regardless of what sport you are betting on. You always want to be properly prepared before making any bets, and research is vital.

While doing your research, you should be looking for past success in the NBA Finals as well as regular season performance. Also, make yourself aware of any injuries to key players who are set to participate, as those could have a huge impact on their team's chances. All of this will help you make a pretty accurate NBA Finals prediction.

Look at Recent Matchups

Even though teams from the Eastern and Western Conferences don’t play each other a ton during the regular season, those games can give you an idea of how the NBA Finals series will play out. 

Go back a few years, especially if the teams have many of the same players. Recent betting trends can always change, but it is a great place to start. 

Listen to NBA Betting Experts

There are many different ways to accomplish this, but making NBA Finals bets after listening to a podcast is a great way to get some extra information. 

You can also subscribe to services that will deliver NBA Finals betting tips right to your inbox. You still want to do your own research, but listen to the experts as well. The best of them have years and years of experience in delivering winning NBA Finals picks.