Yes- I have been battling this myself in the NBA. I love the game and do all that you mentioned above along with coaching kids in that AAU age. Not enough time to go on with whats going on with that...
The only logical way I can see to handicap it is by betting on the inferior team in spots here the "better" teams and players just came off a game where they may have actually put forth an honest effort....
For example, I watched/bet the Suns at Philly on Monday. Suns were on a 3 game skid, read quotes on how they were pissed and they came out and won. But now they were on the B2B, LAST NIGHT, at New Orleans and laid a complete egg against a 7 win team and lost. Poor rich cry babies had to travel and "work" 2 night in a row...wah wah.
Saw it in person last year as well when I watched the Suns play in Milwaukee...Last leg of a long road trip for Phoenix. KD absolutely mailed it in as we watched it live and could see everything that TV does not show. He barely made it down the court most times and looked like me cherry picking in YMCA league.
Think the only time to bet NBA is in that tourney or in the playoffs. It sucks bc its fun to bet when it was real.