The return of the NBA is with us again, for the second time in 2020, and it’s somehow both more and less weird than last time. For those looking to back a winner in NBA betting this season, that’s understandably confusing but Emmet Ryan is here to clear things up
This is not Orlando, unless you’re the Magic. More seriously, the NBA is returning with a schedule approach similar to that of Major League Baseball’s return in the summer. The teams will be observing Covid-19 protocols but they won’t all be housed in one giant basketball house like last time.
We’re not quite all the way back to the basics of betting on NBA games but we are much, much, closer. Travel is still going to be a huge factor. Players may not have to deal with the variables of crowds, in arenas or in airports even, but they are still going to get tired. Road trips matter again and those of you betting on single games again need to bear that in mind.
Then there’s the home away from home issue. The Toronto Raptors can’t play their season in Toronto. Going to the North is a tough, tough, test for any team. This time around, the Raps need to play out of the Amalie Arena in Tampa.
That’s a big switch and they’ll have some fun neighbours during their stay. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski of the Bucs and the WWE, who are using Tropicana Field for the foreseeable future, make for some interesting company. Not having Toronto as home, even if almost the entire team isn’t Canadian, is going to hit as that’s where the lives of the players and staff are for the most part. Look for some wobbles in this residency.
The huge issue in the room is Covid-19, as it has been since March. In short, if baseball is anything to go by, some games are going to need to be rescheduled. For punters, that’s not a big deal. The bigger deal is that some games won’t be rescheduled but players will miss due to the virus. Practically speaking, this shouldn’t impact single game betting all that much. You should know before you bet if a player is going to miss a game. Dez Bryant situations are the exception, not the rule.
Where you really need to factor it in is with the full season in mind but that is a story for another day.
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