The regular season is finally here!!!! Finally no more poop NFL and MLB to struggle through. One nice thing I have been missing in the preseason is the ability to do "teasers". If you are unfamiliar of what a teaser is, from wiki -

"A teaser (or a "two-team teaser") is a type of gambling bet that allows the bettor to combine his bets on two different games.[1] The bettor can adjust the point spreads for the two games, but realizes a lower return on the bets in the event of a win.

A teaser is a type of wager used in sports betting, most commonly in basketball and football.[2] This wager is a multi-team wager, allowing the bettor to choose a minimum of two teams up to, in some cases, 15 teams. The bettor will get points on his favor to add or subtract to the teams chosen to improve the point spread chosen. "

For a detailed example

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teaser_(gambling)

I like these types of bets in the NBA for a couple different reasons. The guys who come up with the NBA lines on a daily basis are scary good at getting the line exactly right or being extremely close. Part of the reason being is there are sooooo many possessions in the NBA, so it is much easier to predict than the NFL. The chances for high variances plays are also less in the NFL. If a QB throws a pick 6 in the red zone, that is a huge swing in the outcome of the game. There is no single play in the NBA that is an equivalent.

So with that in mind if you can get +5, +8, +10, or even +14 points towards an out come of a game, even if you are wrong on the direction, you can sometimes be ok because the Vegas guys aren't consistently way off in their predictions.

Which brings me to my first bet of the 2016-2017 season.

Basketball - 502 Cleveland Cavaliers -1½ for Game
Basketball - 505 San Antonio Spurs +17 for Game
Basketball - 505 San Antonio Spurs/Golden State Warriors under 221 for Game

For $100 -115

So again to explain to some people who might not understand what this means. I need all 3 of the above scenarios to happen. This bet added +8 to my picks. The other part of my reasoning for liking teasers is there are some scenarios in which I think it will be extremely unlikely to happen.

Pop isn't going to allow his team to lose by 18 points. Even if they are down big, he will make his team play hard and finish strong. Plus who the fuck is going to guard Aldrige? Zaza? Please. Same for the Spurs defense, they were the best defensive team of all time last year. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't have a single game go over 221 last year. And the Knicks are way overrated in general and aren't going to win on the Cavs ring ceremony night

There is another way to describe the above bet - a "sweetheart" bet. Meaning it is a pussy bet. There are a lot of people who think this is a losing strategy over time. I don't disagree that it is a pussy bet. It is much tougher making straight up bets. Having said that, I think in the NBA, you can pick spots where it can be effective.

Basketball - 502 Cleveland Cavaliers -1½ for Game

Basketball - 503 Utah Jazz/Portland Trail Blazers over 185½ for Game

$50 to win $21 aren't great odds, but it's OK to make these types of bets if you feel strongly on them. Feels like a gimmie.

Basketball - 505 San Antonio Spurs +10½ -145 buying 1½ for Game

Basketball - 505 San Antonio Spurs/Golden State Warriors under 215½ -142 buying 2½ for Game

$30 to win $55 Adjusted 2 team teaser

Basketball - 505 San Antonio Spurs +9 -105 for Game

Basketball - 505 San Antonio Spurs/Golden State Warriors under 213 -105 for Game

And then I made 2 straight up bets for $40 each to prove to myself I'm not a pussy!

When I first made these bets I really liked the Spurs. After I got done betting on them several different ways, I realized something: these bets on the Spurs might have been a subconscious hedge on the NBA season.

Let me explain: I think the Spurs are the 2nd or 3rd best team in the league. (Clippers being better is nonsense) Losing to OKC last year has thrown everyone off their scent a bit. They are going to be amazing once again this year. So when I saw that the Warriors were favored by 9 points, I was flabbergasted. This is the 2nd best team in the conference, and the Warriors are still favored by 9 points? Jesus Christ. If the Warriors come out and just lay the smackdown on the Spurs tonight, this season will truly be lost and meaningless. And maybe subconsciously my brain didn't want this to happen. Either way, if the Warriors blow out the Spurs I'll be double pissed that I lost a bunch of money and that the season is useless. And I'll be triple pissed because Durant and Green are douchebags.