When searching for the best value bet to win the Eastern Conference this season, we aren’t looking for the favorite. We are after the team with favorable odds that has a realistic chance of advancing to the NBA Finals.
This eliminates the Brooklyn Nets, for example. Betting on a seventh seed who is only getting +460 doesn’t make sense. Sure, they have star power. Kevin Durant and company have also consistently disappointed throughout the 2021-22 season.
It should be noted parity in the Eastern Conference this season was at an absurd level. The second, third and fourth seeds all finished with a 51-31 record. The Miami Heat nabbed the top overall seed finishing 53-29. There is not a lot separating any of these sides which brings us to the Philadelphia 76ers.
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Why are the 76ers the best value bet to win the Eastern Conference?
We’ve previously been burned wagering on Philadelphia in the NBA Playoffs. But that doesn’t matter here. They are the best value bet to win the Eastern Conference at +600. Some out there will be turned off by the team swapping one postseason choke artist (Ben Simmons) for another (James Harden), but that is still an upgrade.
The Sixers have also been very good since the All-Star Break going 16-8. Going back further, they started the season 16-16 and closed with a 35-15 record. This isn’t a side stumbling into the playoffs. It’s a basketball team playing just as well as any other in the Eastern Conference.
What’s more, Philadelphia has all the elements required to advance in the postseason. Head Coach Doc Rivers has experience, the team has star power and there are solid role players who can step up. Betting on Danny Green is never a bad proposition.
There are numerous things that can go wrong for the 76ers, but they are undoubtably the best value bet to win the Eastern Conference. A $10 wager nets you $60 if they advance to the NBA Finals.
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