The NBA Central Division may just be one of the most interesting out there and whilst the Cleveland Cavaliers are everyone’s favourites, the Chicago Bulls won’t make life easy for LeBron James and co. Read on as we take a look at the outright winner betting for the NBA Central Division and reveal our 2015-16 betting tips and predictions, as well as highlighting the best betting odds available.
The Cavs top the outright betting for the NBA Championship so, of course, it is no surprise to see them as hot favourites here in the Central Division. Last season their record against their Central rivals was 11-5, compared to a next-best stat of 8-8 for both the Bulls and the Pacers. That dominance helped them to a successful 53-29 season with home success central to that, with 31 wins coming at the Quicken Loans Arena.
In LeBron James they have a true all-time great of the NBA but it would be very wrong to think of them as a one-man team and even at odds as short as just 1/4 (with William Hill) there are sure to be many punters including an outright bet on Cleveland as Central Division winners in their seasonal parlays.
However, for us, as readers of our previews on the entire NBA season and the Eastern Conference will know, we feel those odds are just too short and there is better value to be had by opposing the Cavs in the outright winner market.
For us the value in the outright winner betting of the Central Division lies with the Chicago Bulls, who we feel can go all the way in the NBA this year and spark a return to the glory days they enjoyed in the 1990s. The Bulls can be backed at 9/2 with Bet365 to win the Central and that looks like brilliant value to us, certainly in comparison to the parsimonious odds being offered on their main rivals.
With Milwaukee, Indiana and Detroit all at 20/1 bar in the divisional outright we will disregard them altogether and simply explain why we think new Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg, formerly with Iowa State, can cause a major NBA upset.
First off, it’s worth noting that the Bulls are no mugs. They had a solid season last year, finishing with a record not too far behind the Cavs and they have plenty to build on. Last year’s winning 50-32 record was impressive and if they can become a little more dominant at home, starting with a good show in the first game of the season against the Cavs, they can definitely upset the odds here and land a huge return on outright bets for them in the Central.
Letting Tom Thibodeau go after his performance last season may seem harsh but we feel the appointment of the young, hungry and ambitious Hoiberg can bring fresh ideas and a slightly new direction to the Bulls. They lost in the Conference semi-finals to the Cavs last year but at really generous odds we think they can certainly do better this time around, aided by a return to full fitness and top form of captain Derrick Rose.
On paper we accept that the Cavs are worthy favourites in the outright betting but for us they are just too short and a resurgent Chicago have to be our main betting tip here in the Central Division.