The Boston Celtics drew motivation throughout the postseason from all the people who doubted them, and Jaylen Brown even kept a receipt.
Brown was named NBA Finals MVP after the Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 on Monday night at TD Garden in Boston, Mass. On Tuesday morning, Brown shared a screenshot on his Instagram story with a graphic showing that 89% of the bets for the winner of the Finals were on the Mavericks.
Those who understand sports gambling know that the 89% figure is a bit deceiving. There is a big difference between the total number of bets on a side and the total dollar amount that is wagered. For example, if you are looking at a pool of 10 wagers, 9 of them could be $10 bets on the Mavericks. The lone bet on the Celtics could be for $100, which would mean more money is bet on Boston even though 90% of the bets are on Dallas.
As expected, the total money that was bet on the Mavericks and Celtics was more evenly split. Professional — or “sharp” — bettors are more likely to wager large amounts on a team that is favored, which Boston was at -225. That means you would have had to bet $225 for a potential profit of $100 if you bet on the Celtics to win the Finals. Dallas was +180, which means a $100 wager would yield a potential profit of $180.
In any case, Brown obviously took offense to so many people betting on the Mavericks. He clearly used that and some criticism from others to fuel him, and the end result could not have been better for the Celtics.
