NBA Playoffs & Finals Betting Odds

Online sports betting is not yet active in Florida. This page will be updated with the latest promos, news and odds once Florida sportsbooks launch.

The Miami Heat are perennial contenders in the East. Despite holding a bit of a fire sale throughout the 2020-21 NBA season, the Orlando Magic have proven to be a franchise that can turn things around rapidly. In short, Florida’s NBA teams are good and always getting better. With a huge and passionate NBA following throughout the state, betting on these squads should be fun now that legal sports betting could be coming to the Sunshine State.

NBA betting is already big, but it gets even bigger in the postseason. Is there a science to betting on the NBA playoffs or NBA Finals versus the regular season? Where can you get the best NBA Finals odds in Florida? Find the answers to these questions and more in this guide to betting on the NBA playoffs and NBA Finals in Florida.

NBA Finals/playoff odds

Here’s a look at the NBA futures markets in Florida, including the latest team NBA odds to make the playoffs and win the title:

Playoff odds for the Heat and Magic

The Miami Heat still have former Toronto Raptors All-Star and 2019 NBA champion Kyle Lowry. Plus, they re-upped Jimmy Butler recently. South Florida’s NBA team is gearing up for another run at the NBA Finals in 2021-22. For everything you need to know about betting on the Heat, check out our Miami Heat team page.

The Orlando Magic are more of a work in progress. But with 2020-21 rookie of the year candidate Cole Anthony here and former Gonzaga star Jalen Suggs, things are looking up. For more about betting on the Magic, check out our Orlando Magic team page.

Here are the latest odds on the Heat and the Magic to make the playoffs and win the NBA Finals.

How do NBA playoff odds work?

The NBA playoffs see the league’s top 16 teams compete for the championship. Basically, it’s a four-round elimination tournament full of seven-game series contested by the top eight teams each from the NBA’s Eastern and Western Conferences. However, each conference has added a play-in tournament in recent years to decide the seven and eight seeds.

Teams fight for seeding throughout the 82-game regular season and the play-in tournament. After the play-in tournament, the eight-team bracket begins in each conference, with the No. 1 seed playing No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6, and No. 4 vs. No. 5. The winner of the 1 vs. 8 matchup faces the winner of 4 vs. 5. The winner of the 2 vs. 7 matchup faces the winner of 3 vs. 6. Then, the winners of these seven-game series meet in the Conference Finals. The conference winners go on to meet in the NBA Finals with the NBA title and Larry O’Brien Trophy on the line. Each series follows a 2-2-1-1-1 home and away format, with home-court advantage going to the team with the better regular season win-loss record.

Betting on the NBA playoffs can start in the offseason, with futures markets allowing you to bet on any team to make the playoffs or even win the NBA Finals. Of course, NBA playoff betting odds will shift up and down throughout the year alongside each team’s chances and current record. That means the odds on true contenders are likely never better than the offseason or early season. By the time any team looks like a favorite to win it all, the NBA Finals betting odds drop so dramatically that you would have to lay big money to win just a little.

Once the NBA playoffs start, the online basketball betting opportunities ramp up, as you can bet on the playoffs as a whole, every series and every game. Here’s how:

Types of NBA playoff bets 

• NBA playoff futures/outrights: NBA futures, where you can bet on a team to make the playoffs, win a division, conference or the NBA Finals, for instance, become an outrights market where you bet on teams to win it all once the playoffs start.
• NBA playoff game lines: Including moneylines, where you pick straight-up game winners and lock in the odds as they are currently posted; spreads, where you pick game winners with a line that the sportsbook has set factored in; and totals, where you bet on whether a total combined game score will land over or under a line the sportsbook has set.
• NBA playoff props: Bet over/unders on team and player stat lines in every game of the NBA playoffs.
• NBA playoff live betting: Live, in-game lines and props you can bet on during every NBA playoff game at odds that change with the action.
• NBA playoff series bets: Bet basic moneylines on teams to win a series or boost the odds by picking specific series game spreads.

Learn more about sportsbook house rules for NBA betting.

Best NBA playoff odds boosts/promos

Online betting sites in Florida likely will run various promotions surrounding the NBA playoffs and NBA Finals, particularly if the Heat and Magic are involved. That means reload bonuses matching your deposits come playoff time and top Florida sportsbook promos offering big odds on bets where your side may only need to accomplish something as simple as hitting a 3-pointer. It also means odds boosts, where the sportsbooks bump up the odds on a popular bet, often turning a favorite into an underdog, and bonus bets or at least bonus bets.

Some examples from 2021 include DraftKings Sportsbook offering 100-1 on $1 series bets for all four Eastern Conference and Western Conference Finals teams, or BetMGM Sportsbook giving you a chance to bet $20 to win $100 if your playoff team made just a single three in the game. PointsBet Sportsbook also offered $200 on a $20 bet if Giannis Antetokounmpo scored just a single point in an NBA Finals game, and FanDuel Sportsbook offered the chance to bet $5 and win $150 on any NBA playoff game.

Bet on NBA Playoffs & NBA Finals futures

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: You can bet on the overall NBA playoffs and the NBA Finals before either one begins. You can even bet on them before the season begins. That may be the best time to do it.

NBA futures odds allow you to bet on any team to make the playoffs, win a division, conference final or the NBA Finals. These bets are open nearly all year, with odds coming out well before the next season starts. You lock in the currently posted odds on any bet when you place it, and those odds are the longest they’re ever going to be on the favorites before the season starts. That means the earlier you get a bet down, the better the odds are likely to be.

You can probably get a bet down on the Heat to win the title at +2400 ahead of the season. However, should they run away with the East, heading into the playoffs you’ll have a tough time finding them at better than +240.  Likewise, the same shortening odds will apply to futures betting on the Orlando Magic.

NBA Finals results for the past 10 years

Here are the results from the past 10 NBA Finals:

• 2012: Miami Heat 4-1 over Oklahoma City Thunder
• 2013: Miami Heat 4-3 over San Antonio Spurs
• 2014: San Antonio Spurs 4-1 over Miami Heat
• 2015: Golden State Warriors 4-2 over Cleveland Cavaliers
• 2016: Cleveland Cavaliers 4-3 over Golden State Warriors
• 2017: Golden State Warriors 4-1 over Cleveland Cavaliers
• 2018: Golden State Warriors 4-0 over Cleveland Cavaliers
• 2019: Toronto Raptors 4-2 over Golden State Warriors
• 2020: Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 over Miami Heat
• 2021: Milwaukee Bucks 4-2 over Phoenix Suns
• 2022: Golden State Warriors 4-2 over Boston Celtics

How to find the best NBA Finals lines in Florida 

Lines change, and if betting forces a sportsbook to move a line, only the sportsbook that took the big bet or bets makes that change. That’s one reason why you should always shop around for the best price on any bet you want to place, NBA Finals included.

All you have to do is look around at the sports betting lines at various sportsbooks. You can even use the lines feed above to help you do it. Getting a better price on a bet isn’t going to help you win it, but it will improve the bet’s profitability if you do win. Do it enough times, and your betting bankroll will see a boost.

How to register a new online sportsbook account in Florida

You have to register for an account with an online sportsbook here in Florida before you can bet on the NBA playoffs. Start by heading to the website of the sportsbook of your choice. You can register for an account on the website or download the app for Android or iOS and do it there. You’ll need to input some personal and account information, including your name, address and the last four digits of your Social Security number, but it won’t take long.

You may need to install a geolocation app so the sportsbook can verify your location, though most sportsbook apps already include this. Finally, you’ll need to deposit money to your account to bet with. Available deposit methods should include ACH bank transfers, electronic wallets like PayPal, Skrill and Neteller, and some credit and debit cards. Make a deposit and you’ll be ready to browse through the available NBA Finals betting markets and bet on whatever tickles your fancy.

Best NBA Finals betting app

DraftKings Sportsbook is among the best online sportsbooks for betting on the NBA playoffs. The lines are competitive, they’re all there, and DraftKings’ software makes them easy to find.

Add in various promos, like the 100-1 on $1 series bets for all four conference finals participants that DraftKings had in 2021, and there is some great value there, too. Sign up for a new account with DraftKings Sportsbook, and you’ll get a bonus bet worth $50 when you deposit. Plus, you’ll get an additional bonus on that first deposit for up to $1,000, all of which you are free to use to bet on the NBA.