The NBA playoffs start slow with mediocre No. 8 seeds facing No. 1s, then building to a crescendo as the final survivors battle for a championship. It's a great two-month stretch for fans and bettors with an endless array of marquee TV games. Handicapping the NBA playoffs encompass the same rules during the regular season: gather information and assess versus the Vegas odds. But there are nuances to incorporate, as well, as such defensive capabilities, matchups, rebounding, plus an emphasis on home/road differentials.  There's also less handicapping weight to motivation, as all teams are motivated to play hard and advance, and no back-to-back road situations to consider.  

Why Use Free NBA Playoff Picks

More sports fans are watching which means wagering interest increases. The oddsmakers have an advantage in the NBA playoffs as there are fewer games on the betting board, meaning it's easier to gather all the information that's out there to pare down the most accurate lines. This is why obtaining free NBA Playoff picks will help you hone in on the best wagering advantages. Some teams are primed for a bounce-back effort based on historical trends that differ from the regular season.  Other times the wagering value is not in the side or total but in props, team totals, or moneylines. It's easier for the longtime betting professional to zero in on the best way to wager with far fewer games to examine compared to the regular season.  

Betting Value in Free NBA Playoff Picks

The best defensive squads often stack the NBA playoff seedings. Poor defensive teams, or ones with several defensive deficiencies that they don't have the personnel to address, usually don't even make the playoffs.   If they do, they're probably a low seed. All that can mean a higher number of hard-fought postseason defensive duels with the potential to go UNDER the total. Even First-Halves going UNDER can offer outstanding playoff value betting. In addition, teams that play very well at home but struggle on the road can offer excellent wagering opportunities. They can lose the first two games of a playoff series, even looking really bad, then come home and play like a totally different team. They can win or cover Game 3 even as an underdog offering tremendous plus-Moneyline value.  

Wunderdog Free NBA Playoff Picks

I'm not rooting for one team to have a great postseason run unless I have a future bet on them. My rooting interest is only on the teams and props that I back to cover. I can be on one team in Game 1 and then against them in Game 2. What it takes to win consistently is knowing the information before the game and then applying that to identify the softest odds.   There are various handicapping strategies to the NBA playoffs that differ from the regular season, too. I have over 20+ years of winning insight that I'll share with you for free with my NBA Playoff Picks. It's not luck, but effort and expertise. I don't hope to win on playoff matchups but expect to cash winning tickets.  

Free NBA Playoff Picks vs. Premium Picks

Free NBA Playoff Picks Pros:

  • Helps you adjust your handicapping from the regular season as playoff basketball has different angles
  • NBA coaches are looking to exploit playoff matchups. Serious bettors are in-tune with this while searching to exploit the weakest odds
  • The best value isn't always in sides, but totals, moneylines, or props

Free NBA Playoff Picks Cons:

  • Too much emphasis on regular season wagering trends as the playoffs have handicapping differences
  • The reasons for the pick may fragmentary or nonexistent
  • Be wary of services that fail to reveal all winners, losers, and pushes, focussing only on winners

Premium NBA Playoff Picks Pros:

  • Pro handicappers identify multiple angles on the top plays
  • Someone else is uncovering the essential material so you don't have to
  • Top play should come with the right money management bankroll percentage to wager

Premium NBA Playoff Picks Cons:

  • Stress watching playoff games can cloud your judgment and shake your betting confidence
  • Prices go up only because it's playoff action
  • Forced picks just because it's the only NBA playoff game on TV despite a lack of wagering value

How To Win With Free NBA Playoff Picks

Winning during the NBA playoffs requires teams to bring their game up a notch as the competition gets tougher. Winning in sports betting in the postseason demands the same of handicappers. That's because there are fewer games on the card so less is likely to slip past the oddsmakers.  One advantage is that the odds are based partly on how the average bettor views teams based on perception and the regular season. But professional handicappers don't think like the average bettor. Those edges can be exploited for wagering value, along with other posted odds overlooked by the average bettor, such as props, team totals, and first-half bets.  

Free NBA Playoff Picks Betting Strategy

Defensive Duels

Check the stats on past NBA teams that make it to the Conference Championship round and you'll find that almost all are great defensively or very strong in several defensive categories. Defense wins championships in all sports. And in the NBA, it's the vital one-two punch of defense and star power.  Teams can't really take it up a notch offensively as scoring is about passing, touch, ball movement, and rhythm. But NBA teams can take it up a notch defensively with all-out hustle and defensive intensity for the whole game, even in the early rounds of the postseason. For bettors, that means ample spots to look at UNDER the total.  That would be with two great defensive teams squaring off or with head coaches that prefer to slow the pace down at times. On average, NBA teams have about 2.4 fewer possessions in the NBA playoffs. With the right teams in the right situations, you can even look at betting First Halves UNDER the total as it prevents the possibility of losing an UNDER if the game goes into overtime, a tough betting beat.  

Adjustments

Competent NBA coaches will make adjustments not only during a series but in the course of a game. They recognize that one player is getting burned in a bad matchup and makes an adjustment. Adjustments also can come after a loss or a poor performance, such as double-teaming an opposing star or pushing the tempo to attack the opponent's full-court press. Check the history and prowess of head coaches helps smart handicappers prepare for the next game aiding in locating winning wagering spots with their NBA picks.  

Bounce-Back Blowouts

Really bad NBA teams don't make the playoffs. That means even .500 teams have strengths in several areas or possess at least one star player. Any team that suffers a terrible blowout in the postseason can be primed for an angry bounce-back effort in the next game.  The situation can be even more in their favor if they get blown out on the road in a Game 2 or Game 5, then come home for the next game. During one championship season, the Golden State Warriors suffered their biggest postseason defeat at Memphis, 134-95.   Memphis then had to fly 3,000 miles for Game 6 on the road...and the Warriors looked both angry and at ease at home, winning and covering easily, 110-96.  

Free NBA Playoff Picks Subscription

My picks are derived from an extensive database I've accumulated along with the handicapping knowledge derived from over two decades of winning expertise. My selections come with detailed explanations that allow you to play along with me, or simply to read, learn, and improve your game.   My free NBA Playoff picks also come with the proper money management investment strategy necessary to win over the long haul. It's all about sifting through the information, picking out the essentials, backing the best numbers, and practicing money management discipline.   And you can sign up for my free NBA Playoff picks through a subscription service from a documented professional betting pro at no cost. That's a win, win, win, all around to help you win - and for free!

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