It is a rough time for basketball bettors. The Phoenix Suns have clinched the Western Conference and we are a game or two away from getting an Eastern Conference opponent for them. Friday is only the second dark day without an NBA game since the playoffs started. That does not mean we do not have opportunities to bet on basketball, just that the opportunities are slim.

Will the Suns win the NBA Championship?

Before the season started the Suns were 55-1 to win the NBA championship. As the season moved on, that number dropped all the way down to 15-1, or lower, by the time the playoffs rolled around. Currently, without even knowing who their opponent will be, the Suns are -210 to win the whole thing. At those odds (-210,) the implied probability of winning is over 67%. Whichever team ends up coming out of the east will be +200 or better. The question is can they win? Both of those teams have injury issues. Losing Giannis Antetokounmpo is massive for Milwaukee. Anytime a former MVP and top defensive player is out it is tough. The Atlanta Hawks have a slew of guys gutting out injuries of their own, including key pieces such as Trae Young, Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic. None of them are even close to 100% right now. I hate to say it, but the value on the Suns is long gone. At this point, they are the likeliest NBA Champion, but taking them at -210 is just not a friendly enough price to get anyone excited about it.

Can we find any betting value left in the NBA finals?

The answer to this question all depends on where you look and what books you have access to. Currently, the Suns players are insanely short prices to win the Finals MVP. At least the main two guys are in Chris Paul and Devin Booker. If we assume they win, which is a safe assumption given the 67% chance to do so based on the odds, then it is likely the MVP comes from their team. Booker is +175 right now and Chris Paul is +200. During the last series, you had a much wider spread between the two and much juicier odds, but remember those odds were based on them beating the Clippers, then playing in the finals, so both or either guy even had the chance to win the award. Booker was always the shorter price, closer to +350 at the start of the Western Conference finals to be the NBA Finals MVP. Chris Paul was just short of +600 in most spots, so it was actually less than double Booker’s Odds. Right now, Paul is being given a 33% chance to win it and Booker a 36% chance. Both of those numbers are likely a tad high. That means we can look for value in one of two places. Either one of their teammates or going a completely different route and taking someone on the Bucks or Hawks. The latter argument is tough to make as the two main guys you would consider are Giannis Antetokounmpo and Trae Young, neither of them being healthy right now. Plus, you never know how these final game(s) in that series are going to go. You might be wasting money on a finals MVP ticket that may not even get there and may not even play if he does.