The NBA season is a long and strenuous one that can take a lot out of a player. It takes a toll on the body as well as the mind. Leaving Boston after a game at midnight, traveling across country to Denver where you get a couple hours of sleep and then have to play again that night.

It takes a whole team including masseuses, and most importantly; a strong coach to be able to get the players riled up to be able to play at their best for a full nearly hour long game. Taking a look at the win/loss numbers from the past two seasons, it’s pretty clear that the NBA has the best home court advantage, even more so than football or baseball.

An important tip to remember for your sports betting strategy is that home teams win around 59% of the time and that the games seem to be put on a more level playing field when a team is forced to enter into enemy territory.

Why exactly do home teams have a better advantage than the visiting team? 1 possible reason might be that there are just so many games played during the year so there is such little rest between matches, and constantly traveling is hard on anyone; NBA star or not. When we’re talking about the players on an individual level, it’s all about their own psychology. They are being made to travel into unknown territory on a regular basis which can be difficult emotionally and physically; think about this when working on your sports betting strategy as well.

The home team is always going to be more comfortable and seemingly has less to worry about than someone who knows he will be going home to his family at the end of the game. Additionally, having your home fans cheer you on rather than booing has to have a positive effect on their spirit and egos. If you’ve ever met, or simply saw an interview with an NBA star, you’ll know these player have some of the biggest egos on the planet.

Therefore being cheered on by 15,000+ people feeds into that ego and gives a player that extra boost he may need to hit that foul shot, or play stronger defense. Just like Popeye needs his spinach, and Charles Barkley needs his gambling, NBA players need to be loved and adored by the crowd they are playing in front of.

To play devil’s advocate, there indeed are other people being affected by the roars of the crowd in an NBA arena; the refs. Even though they won’t admit it, NBA referees are affected by reactions from the audience. This might be because of the closeness the audience has to the court unlike other sports….if you are open to spending nearly 3k for a ticket, you can smell the aftershave the referee is wearing that night!

NBA refs must make calls objectively in a short amount of time. Their decisions are often fueled by the roars of the crowd. Keep these thoughts in the back of your mind when you are putting your own sports betting strategy together.

Rich Allen is an expert in Sports Betting Strategy and has worked for Las Vegas and Atlantic City books. His Sports Betting Professor Systems have sold over 250,000 units and cover all major sports including horse racing. Download a FREE copy of The Sports Betting Insider’s Guide at: http://richallensports.com/sports-betting-strategy