NHL Playoffs vs. NBA Playoffs: What are You Watching?

Hockey and basketball go head to head. Which one is your best bet?

The first rounds of the NHL and NBA playoffs are both best of seven affairs. Do we really need to see THAT much hockey or basketball that early on? Really? Maybe?

Let's get real. The NBA playoffs don't really get going until the second round. In the NHL? First-round upsets are pretty much a given and make for some pretty exciting television. But then by the time the conference final champions are decided (and most of the good teams have been eliminated) and the Stanley Cup Finals matchups are set, the two remaining teams are beat (up) and it becomes a test in stamina. May the team with least amount of injuries win.

What are the TV ratings like?
In the NBA? It's all about the conference finals -- and the championship game. And the cheerleaders. (There are no cheerleaders in the NHL.) So who's watching hockey? Despite the changes made to the NHL (and that year off didn't help matters), Canadians are still tuning into the playoffs. Then again, the NBA playoffs are barely on the radar up in Canada. (TSN's two playoff games have averaged a paltry 67,500. Rogers Sportsnet has carried three games, averaging 55,000 viewers. The Score's average for its first five broadcasts is 21,000. )

In the US, ratings for NHL games on NBC are down 21 percent compared to the ratings ABC was getting two years ago. In Canada, the playoffs are doing okay, but without the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Vancouver Canucks (two of their bigger markets), the numbers aren't quite as high as they could be.

So what does this mean to you, the bettor?
If fewer people are watching the NBA playoffs and the NHL playoffs, then that should mean more betting opportunities for the educated bettor. Watch the NBA playoffs. Watch the NHL playoffs. Then go to Bodog Sportsbook and bet on your favorite teams.

Get all your NBA playoffs odds and NHL playoffs odds at Bodog Sportsbook!