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What the start of the NBA pre-season can show Basketball fans

August 3, 2023 By khansa

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The NBA pre-season has now begun in full flow. The first games took place on October 3rd. 

We have already seen some valuable basketball action. The rest of the preseason games are sure to have a significant bearing on what will follow. 

Preseason is essentially a series of exhibition games that showcase the depth of the squads going into competition. Exhibition games allow the coaching staff to try out new line-ups and tactics before the main series kicks off. 

The 30 NBA teams are required by the division to play a series of preseason games. The amount varies from year to year, but the purpose is always the same – to test out players and build anticipation for opening day.

What does the pre-season show us?

While some may claim that preseason cannot possibly count all that much as the games do not affect the overall standings in the main season, there are undeniable things that the games can showcase.

It has been demonstrated in the past that teams shooing above-average point scoring in preseason continue to score highly in the main season.

In the most basic terms then, a team doing well during pre-season is more likely to do well in the main season than one that did not. 

This makes taking in the statistics and individual player performances of the preseason valuable information for fans. It will make testing out predictions stronger than going into the season blind.

The official season starts on October 19. But before that, there are a whole host of games to take in. 

Top pre-season fixtures to look out for

Mavericks vs Bucks

One game that many fans won’t want to miss is the return of the current NBA champions, the Milwaukee Bucks. The Dallas Mavericks visit the Bucks on October 15. 

A big talking point about the game is sure to be the visit of the Mavs coach Jason Kidd, who left the Bucks back in 2018. 

Since Kidd and the Bucks parted ways, the team have been edging closer to the title before finally completing the challenge last season. The return of their former coach will be an intriguing matchup for neutrals and fans alike. 

The match promises to be a valuable indication of how both sides might compete in the upcoming full season. 

Rockets vs Raptors

An essential preseason game for many NBA fans in Canada is sure to be the visit of Houston to the Toronto Raptors Scotiabank Arena on October 12.

The exhibition game will be sure to be a solid test for the raptors. Their supporters will look on hoping for some insight into how their team will perform later in the main season.

Wizards vs Knicks

The Wizard and Knicks are set to go head-to-head twice in the pre-season on October 9 and October 15.

The matches will be played so both teams get to play at their home ground, adding to the excitement of this matchup. Both teams are well known for having star NBA players and it could be a close call on who comes out on top.

The popularity of the NBA

NBA is intensely popular throughout the United States, and despite only one Canadian team participating in the league, the NBA is also popular in Canada. While the appeal of placing wagers while watching NBA has been historically stronger in the USA, Canada is steadily catching up. 

Both the USA and Canada have seen recent relaxations in gambling laws. New opportunities in Canada for both sports betting and online gaming have heralded a new era in how the industries progress and develop. This is similar to the law changes in the States.

Once the various governments around the world realised the potential profitability there is in sports betting, new legal structures took shape. 

This has also been true in Canada, where a recent overturning of a ban on single match betting has resulted in more interest in the industry. Indeed, it is expected that sports betting and drive forward in Canada. 

15.2 billion Canadian dollars was spent on sports betting in Canada during 2020. It has been predicted that this spend will grow to 28.1 billion by 2026. This represents a massive growth in the profitability of the country’s sports betting.

As in the States, Canada has seen the impact of the sports betting industry’s’ growth rate. Many advantages from relaxed gambling laws can be seen in both countries. Nations, provinces and regional districts can benefit from more jobs, money and profitability provided by the gambling industry. 

This major change has also impacted how fans and spectators watch the games like the NBA matches themselves. Interactive elements in in-game apps on mobile devices have added a smart mobile edge to watching a basketball game. 

This kind of interactive viewing with statistics and extra information on hand also offers a valuable experience during preseason. 

NBA fans can test their knowledge and prediction skills by viewing the games on devices while staying up to date with the latest news, injuries and rumours.

Preseason is a valuable period for sports fans to take a useful look at players that might breakthrough into the starting lineups. The games operate as an insight into what the coaching staff are hoping to achieve before the big opening day.

By carefully watching and analysing the decision that coaches have made in regards to starting players, tactics and changes, fans can make predictions about what might happen later on. 

An identification of the teams that are looking in good shape could assist a fan looking to make a prediction on the eventual outcomes of the full NBA competition. 

An indication of the teams that might make the playoff or even win could be provided by taking in the preseason in all its variety.