Last year was a weird one for the NBA. Play was halted in early March, as the health of all the players and league officials took precedence.
And when they came back, eight teams were completely left off the list. Those teams were not playoff-bound in any scenario, so they were told not to partake.
As a result, none of them were able to hit the over on the preseason win projections. Most of the bubble teams had the same fate, with 10 fewer games played than the norm.
Over/Under Totals Were One-Sided
Twenty-three out of 30 NBA teams failed to reach the “over” in the number of games they were projected to win. Nobody played more than 73 games, so it doesn’t come as a shock. But it is certainly a shock to the system of all those who believed in the over.
Most surprising among the seven that did go over were the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers. The Thunder were expected to finish at the bottom of the Western Conference.
But they finished with a winning record, coming within a game of the second round of the playoffs. It will be a one-year blip with the rebuild now on, but it was glorious.
Oddsmakers expected LeBron James to be slower post-injury, but it never happened. He and Anthony Davis took things over from day one, leading the team to a great season.
For all of the other teams that won fewer games than expected, it probably would not have happened in a full season.
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Miami Was a Big Surprise
If non-Heat fans told their friends when the league resumed that they expected a trip to the Finals, they would have been laughed at. But, it somehow came to fruition.
The Heat were a +1450 underdog to win the East at the time of the first round of the playoffs beginning. Indiana gave them a fight but got swept.
When Miami got to the Bucks, it improved to +830. Those still aren’t great.
The Heat magically took a 3-0 series lead and won the series in five. This set up a series with the upstart Celtics.
After this, the odds jumped up to +110. And from there, the Heat managed to win in six, making it to the NBA Finals.
The chances of shocking the Lakers were set at +290 but was always going to be unlikely. Most folks expected a sweep, but it took the Lakers six games to win the title.
Anybody who took the Heat taking the Finals that deep cashed in significantly.
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Denver Let Them Know
Though they lost in the conference finals, it was a magical run for the Nuggets. Their chances of winning the title were set at +4000 when they entered round two against the Clippers.
But they found a way to rally from 3-1 and beat them, showing that a series is never truly over.
Folks won’t doubt them as much anymore, but last year, they sure did. And paid for it dearly.
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