Bet on Florida NBA Teams
The NBA league consists of 30 teams that are split into two separate conferences:
- The Eastern Conference
- The Western Conference
Each conference has three divisions. Each division consists of five teams. The Florida based squads fall under the Southeast division in the Eastern Conference.
The regular season takes place from October to April. Every team plays a total of 82 matches. Playoffs start in April and continue until June.
Two NBA teams calls Florida their home. These teams are Miami Heat and Orlando Magic. Their fierce competition is known as the Sunshine State rivalry.
These two teams met in the playoffs for the first time in 1997, with Orlando Magic winning the series. They have never met in the playoffs since.
Miami Heat
Miami Heat began playing in the NBA in 1988 under the coaching of Pat Riley. Riley is now known as one of the best NBA coaches of all time, and later was taken over by Eric Spoelstra while Riley stayed on as the team’s President and General Manager.
The Heat, the teams’ original name, did not do very well when they started. They reached the playoffs twice in the first eight years of being in the NBA.
Much has changed since the Heat started. They’ve become a powerhouse team that we recognize today. The Miami Heat have been one of the top NBA teams for years and have won the NBA Championship three times.
Over the years, Miami Heat has been home to basketball legends like Lebron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Dwayne Wade, and Lamar Odon, and have made it to 17 NBA playoffs.
Florida sportsbooks usually offers very good betting options on the local teams in the sunshine state.
Meet the Miami Heat Team
Going into the 2022 season Miami Heat has seen a lot of new additions as well as some losses.
Jimmy Butler joined the team a few years after Heat traded Josh Richardson to Philadelphia as well as acquiring Meyers Leonard after trading Hassan Whiteside to Portland.
Young talent on the team includes Tyler Herro (22) who were new to the Miami squad a few seasons ago but show immense potential and talent already.
The 2022 – 2023 Miami Heat roster is as follows:
| NAME & number | POS | AGE | HT | WT | SALARY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bam Adebayo 13 | C | 25 | 6′ 9″ | 255 lbs | $30,351,000 |
| Jimmy Butler 22 | SF | 33 | 6′ 7″ | 230 lbs | $37,653,000 |
| Jamal Cain 8 | F | 23 | 6′ 7″ | 191 lbs | — |
| Dewayne Dedmon 21 | C | 33 | 7′ 0″ | 245 lbs | $4,700,000 |
| Udonis Haslem 40 | PF | 42 | 6′ 8″ | 235 lbs | $1,836,000 |
| Tyler Herro 14 | PG | 22 | 6′ 5″ | 195 lbs | $5,722,000 |
| Haywood Highsmith 24 | F | 25 | 6′ 7″ | 220 lbs | $1,752,000 |
| Nikola Jovic 5 | F | 19 | 6′ 11″ | 223 lbs | $2,239,000 |
| Kyle Lowry 7 | PG | 36 | 6′ 0″ | 196 lbs | $28,333,000 |
| Caleb Martin 16 | SF | 27 | 6′ 5″ | 205 lbs | $6,479,000 |
| Victor Oladipo 4 | SG | 30 | 6′ 4″ | 213 lbs | $8,750,000 |
| Duncan Robinson 55 | SG | 28 | 6′ 7″ | 215 lbs | $16,902,000 |
| Dru Smith 9 | G | 24 | 6′ 3″ | 203 lbs | — |
| Max Strus 31 | SG | 26 | 6′ 5″ | 215 lbs | $1,815,000 |
| Gabe Vincent 2 | PG | 26 | 6′ 3″ | 200 lbs | $1,815,000 |
| Omer Yurtseven 77 | C | 24 | 6′ 11″ | 255 lbs | $1,752,000 |
Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic began alongside Miami Heat in 1989. The team started slow, losing most of the games up until 1992 when Shaquille O’Neal was selected to join the team.
They have made it to the playoffs 15 times since its inception. Orlando Magic reached the playoff finals twice – once in 1995 and again in 2009.
Orlando Magic has seen some notable all-stars play for their team, including Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard.
In the 1993 – 1994 NBA season Orlando Magic qualified for the playoffs for the first time, and then again the following year (‘94-’95), mostly due to O’Neal who brought the team to an extra 20 wins from the past seasons.
After the ‘95 – ’96 season, Magic lost O’Neal to the Los Angeles Lakers and then suffered a huge loss in the ‘03 – ’04 season causing them to fall to the very bottom of the league.
Dwight Howard was drafted years later, who along with Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu, took the team to the NBA Championship playoffs in ‘07 – ‘08, and then into the finals the following year.
Throughout the seasons Orlando Magic saw highs and lows but hit their lowest point in the ‘12 – ‘13 season when the team finished last five times in a row.
Steve Clifford was appointed as the new head coach for Magic in 2018 after coaching the Hornets. He led them to the playoffs in 2019.
Meet the Orlando Magic Team
2018-19 season was a big one for the Orlando Magic team as they made NBA playoffs for the first time in 7 years. Thanks to all-star player Nikola Vucevic, and head coach Steve Clifford, the team has seen recent great success.
However, after making the playoffs two years in a row, they haven’t got a playoff spot in the last two seasons.
Other notable players include Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon, both talented young players getting ready to hit their stride.
The 2022-2023 Orlando Magic roster is as follows:
| Name and number | POS | Age | Height | Weight | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Anthony 50 | PG | 22 | 6′ 3″ | 185 lbs | $3,613,680 |
| Mo Bamba 11 | C | 24 | 7′ 0″ | 231 lbs | $10,300,000 |
| Paolo Banchero 5 | PF | 19 | 6′ 10″ | 250 lbs | $11,055,120 |
| Bol Bol 10 | C | 22 | 7′ 2″ | 220 lbs | $2,200,000 |
| Wendell Carter Jr. 34 | C | 23 | 6′ 10″ | 270 lbs | $14,150,000 |
| Markelle Fultz 20 | PG | 24 | 6′ 4″ | 209 lbs | $16,500,000 |
| R.J. Hampton 13 | PG | 21 | 6′ 6″ | 190 lbs | $2,412,840 |
| Gary Harris 14 | SG | 28 | 6′ 4″ | 210 lbs | $13,000,000 |
| Kevon Harris 7 | G | 25 | 6′ 6″ | 216 lbs | — |
| Caleb Houstan 2 | F | 19 | 6′ 8″ | 205 lbs | $2,000,000 |
| Jonathan Isaac 1 | PF | 25 | 6′ 10″ | 230 lbs | $17,400,000 |
| Chuma Okeke 3 | PF | 24 | 6′ 6″ | 229 lbs | $3,433,320 |
| Terrence Ross 31 | SG | 31 | 6′ 6″ | 206 lbs | $11,500,000 |
| Admiral Schofield 25 | SF | 25 | 6′ 5″ | 241 lbs | — |
| Jalen Suggs 4 | SG | 21 | 6′ 5″ | 205 lbs | $6,922,320 |
| Franz Wagner 22 | SF | 21 | 6′ 10″ | 220 lbs | $5,258,280 |
| Moritz Wagner 21 | C | 25 | 6′ 11″ | 245 lbs | $1,878,720 |
Bet on The NBA Playoffs: Where the Best Teams Meet
The playoffs are the destination to aim for during the regular season. This is where the best teams meet in an attempt to reach the playoff finals and lift the coveted Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
The playoffs consist of the top eight teams from each conference and take place in a tournament format. This format consists of two sides who meet and play a “best of seven” series.
The winner of the series moves onto the next round. Until finally, in June, the top two teams play in the playoff finals. Again, in the “best of seven” format.
The Boston Celtics have won the playoff finals a record 17 times, the same amount as the Los Angeles Lakers. So it is a hard battle between those teams regarding who can call themself the best team in NBA history.
NBA Playoff Brackets:
| Stage | Round | Team Match-Up |
| Quarter-Finals | Round 1 | First seed vs. Eight seed Second seed vs. Seventh seed Third seed vs. Sixth seed Fourth seed vs. Fifth seed |
| Semi-Finals | Round 2 | 1-8 vs. 4-5 winners 2-7 vs. 3-6 winners |
| Conference Finals | Round 3 | Semi-Final winners |
| NBA Finals | Round 4 | Conference winners |
Best NBA Teams to Bet on!
Let’s take a look at some factors to focus on when trying to find the best NBA teams to bet on, except finding the best odds and understanding the basic NBA rules. These factors include previous history, the number of all-star players on a side, the teams’ current form, as well as predictions from some expert punters.
Based on Previous History
If you only base your bets on the history of a team, then the Boston Celtics and LA Lakers are the most attractive teams to wager on. They have both won the most NBA playoff final wins – seventeen wins in total.
But, this wouldn’t be a sound betting strategy as these titles from Boston Celtics took place decades ago, with the most recent win being in 2008. LA Lakers, however, won a few years ago and they have managed to win a lot NBA championships after the year of 2000.
Picking a team with a fantastic history is a great way to find the best teams. But, it shouldn’t be your sole criterion when choosing the next potential championship winner.
Based on the Number of All-Star Players
The presence of all-star players in a team can hugely impact the team’s results. Notable stars such as Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant gave their teams that extra ingredient to the winning recipe.
The mindset of the team not only improves but the intimidation towards other sides increases. In the NBA, there is nothing more lethal than a team playing a mind game as well as great basketball.
Based on Current Form / Prediction From Experts and Tipsters
You should always consider the current form of teams when picking a season hopeful. Past season performance can often give you an insight into how they will play the following season.
You can see this clearly in the Golden State Warriors. They’ve won the championship six times, with their most recent wins in 2015, 2017, and 2018. They were runners up in 2016 and 2019. This means the Warriors reached the playoff finals five times in a row. Not only is that a fantastic achievement, but also a recent achievement.