Betting Systems - Overtime Games (NBA)

The NBA (National Basketball Association) is not as long as the other sports seasons. Thus, any addition to normal scheduling messes up the “chi” of most teams. In other words, if a team experiences a change in normalcy, as in overtime games, such a team will be a little off in its next match up. Successful handicappers usually goes against teams off an overtime game.

In the NBA, overtime occurs if both teams are tied after regulation—4 quarters of 12:00 minutes in duration. An overtime period consists of an extra 5:00 minutes added to a game. Teams who come off these types of games usually are not as sharp as a team who did not come off such a game. This situation is heightened if such a team looses or barely wins (equal to or less than 2 points). Such teams barely escaped / lost an emotional game. This then translates to their next game. Back-to-back overtime games is thus equally draining.

Take for example the 2006-07 Lakers. At one point of the season, the Lakers were one of the best teams in the league. After suffering back-to-back home overtime loses, they played the lowly New York Knocks at Madison Square Garden. The Lakers eventually lost the game straight up as a small 3-5 point road favorite. The Lakers did not have that “sharpness” to their game and lost to a mediocre Knocks team.

Emotions also play a big role in handicapping sports, especially, the NBA. Overtime (OT) games are very taxing and quite emotional. Such teams who play in such situations are prone to letdowns in their ensuing games. An adjunct to this are double / triple OT games. As expected, teams who play in these types of games will not be as focused as those who did not play an OT game in their last game.

In summary, overtime games are emotionally draining and teams who play such games should be played against.