Those men are lying. Make no mistake about it, it is tough to make a living as a professional sports bettor. Anyone who claims it is easy is not a pro at all. However, there are certain subjective factors that can contribute to a valid opinion, even very early in the going, before stats can give you a starting point. Younger teams tend to do better than older teams.
Basketball requires extreme durability.
It doesn't take long for too many Big Macs to effect a basketball player's performance. Early-season games figure to be lower scoring than many people expect. For all the same reasons we think younger teams will do better than older teams, the average early game will tend to be lower scoring than games later in the year. With all the extra calories on the court, look for a lot of second-stringers to get plenty of playing time, and expect games to slow down, especially late in the second half. Teams with the most new starters figure to make the most mistakes.