Posted on
2/29/2008 11:47:57 AM
Basketball Betting - NBA Power Poll Week 18
By Mike Rose
(CURRENT) (TEAM) (W/L OVERALL & W/L FOR WEEK) (ATS RECORD) (LAST WEEKS RANK)
1) LA Lakers (40-17/3-0) (36-19-1 ATS) (LW: 1) By knocking off the Clippers, Sonics, and Blazers this past week, the Lakers have now rattled off 9-straight victories and continue to be the talk of the league. Pau has fit in perfectly within LA’s attack, and their roster looks to be set up for a formidable charge throughout the post-season. The Lakers had been cleaning house ATS as well covering 8 straight before falling a buck short of the spread in their last outing against Portland. The road looks tougher this week however with games scheduled to go against Miami, and Dallas at home with road trips to Sacramento and Portland.
2) Boston Celtics (44-12/3-1) (33-21-2 ATS) (LW: 3) The Celtics got back to their winning ways this past week after dropping a low scoring affair in the desert against the Suns. They bounced back to beat Portland in the Rose Garden and the Clippers in the Staples Center before returning home to take on Lebron and the Cavs. They knocked Cleveland off by a 92-87 final count to even up the season series at two games a piece with each club protecting its own house. The Celtics get four more at home against Charlotte, Atlanta, Detroit, and Chicago before hitting the road again. KG and company haven’t been as lethal over their last 10 games, but I suspect their taking it a bit easy with a comfortable 12-game lead over Toronto in the Atlantic.
3) Detroit Pistons (42-16/3-1) (33-24-1 ATS) (LW: 4) After struggling out of the gates by dropping two in a row after the break, the Pistons got back to business this past week by demolishing Milwaukee at home 127-100 and pasting the Suns by a 116-86 final count Sunday afternoon. I thought they’d run into trouble in Denver, but they escaped the Pepsi Center with a solid 98-93 road win and cover and handed the Nuggets just their 7th home loss of the season. They played their tails off in Utah looking to snap a 5-game losing streak to the Jazz, but fizzled late and fell by 8-points. It was a game they let get away from them, and it certainly won’t sit well with this veteran group. I feel sorry for both the Clippers and Sonics who get the displeasure of squaring off against them this week.
4) San Antonio Spurs (38-17/3-0) (27-27-1 ATS) (LW: 6) Don’t look now, but the defending champs have gotten healthier and turned their level of play up a couple notches over the last couple weeks. Since dropping back-to-back road affairs to the Jazz and Sonics, they’re 10-1 SU and 8-3 ATS. They survived a major scare in Minnesota against a Timberwolves team that’s played everyone tough at home of late, but then picked a game up on the division leading Hornets when they upended them by a 98-89 final score. They kick this week off with a big game against division rival Dallas on TNT playing a couple of Eastern Conference wannabes in Milwaukee and New Jersey to close out the week.
5) Utah Jazz (37-21/2-2) (30-28 ATS) (LW: 5) The Jazz reverted back to its earlier season form this past week when they were monsters at home and midgets on the road. They picked up a non-covering home win over Atlanta, and then put forth a huge second half rally to upend the Detroit Pistons and in the process cash my 7* Game of the Month on them. However, the story on the road was much different as they inexplicably lost to both the Clippers and Timberwolves who are a combined 31-80 SU this season. Still they hold a 2.5-game lead in the Northwest Division and seemingly only have to worry about Denver now since Portland will be without Superstar Brandon Roy for an undetermined amount of time. That said, three of their next five come on the road (New Orleans, Memphis, Phoenix) so Head Coach Jerry Sloan better have them on the up and up if they want to continue being the division leaders.
6) New Orleans Hornets (38-18/1-3) (33-22-1 ATS) (LW: 2) The Hornets stumbled terribly at the beginning of the week by losing crucial contests against Southwest Division members Houston and San Antonio. Monday nights last second loss to Washington on a Deshawn Stevenson heave was even worse, but the club bounced back nicely with a commanding win over Nash and the Suns on Wednesday night. This club’s still getting used to some of the new guys that they brought in before the trade deadline, and we should see this club bounce back nicely this week with games slated to go against Utah and Atlanta at home with roadies at Washington and NY.
7) Houston Rockets (37-20/4-0) (32-24-1 ATS) (LW: 9) Just when it looked like the Rockets looked to be a serious contender….boom, another injury reared its ugly head. This time it’s Yao who will miss the rest of the season with a stress fracture in one of his feet. This is just terrible news for this Rockets club that’s rattled off 13 wins in a row. They currently sit just 2-games out in the Southwest, but look for that number to increase without their big man in the lineup. They’re at home for three against Memphis, Denver, and Indiana this week before taking a trip to Dallas for a huge divisional contest. Hopefully T-Mac stays healthy enough for this club make it to the second season.
8) Dallas Mavericks (38-19/3-0) (21-30-3 ATS) (LW: 10) Posted last week: Luckily, the week looks brighter with what should be W’s against Memphis, Minnesota, and Chicago. They did exactly that as the Mavs offense blew up scoring 98 vs. Memphis, 99 vs. Minnesota, and 102 vs. the Bulls. Jason Kidd has lit a spark under the attack that will be put to the test this week with games slated to go against a bunch of heavy hitters that includes the Spurs, kings, Lakers, Jazz, and Rockets. This is a crucial week for Cuban’s crew in terms of jockeying for playoff position, and we’ll really get to see if Kidd was the missing ingredient to get this club over the hump in the extremely competitive Southwest.
9) Phoenix Suns (39-19/2-2) (26-30-2 ATS) (LW: 7) The Suns started the week off magnificently with a solid home win and cover against the Boston Celtics. The game showed that Phoenix can play a defensive minded game, but that all went for not in their next contest against Detroit. The Pistons flat out embarrassed these guys from the opening tip, and they found themselves on the short end of a 116-86 beatdown when it was all said and done. They bounced back with a road win and cover at Memphis, but then lost to New Orleans for the fourth time this season Wednesday night. This club just hasn’t looked right since they brought Shaq over from Miami, but I’m hoping it’s only a matter of time before they finally start to gel. They have 20+ more games to get it right before the Playoffs come a calling.
10) Golden State (34-22/1-1) (23-33 ATS) (LW: 8) Another 1-1 SU week for the Warriors with a home split vs. Atlanta and Seattle. These guys have had to deal with a strange February schedule that’s seen them have breaks of at least four days three times, and I have a feeling that’s toyed about with their consistency. They’ll finally get an honest weeks work in now with games slated to go at home vs. Philly and Portland before heading east to take on the Hawks and Bobcats. Even though their 7-3 SU their L/10, they’ve killed their backers ATS by posting a 3-7 mark during that stretch. Hopefully they’ll do right by their backers this week against this laundry list of losers.
11) Toronto Raptors (32-24/3-1) (32-23-1 ATS) (LW: 13) The Raptors churned out a solid week by going 3-0 both SU and ATS with wins over Minnesota, Indiana, and NY. They’re 4-1 SU & ATS since the break, but this club has suffered from inconsistent play all season long and will be put to the test this upcoming week with three of their next four scheduled on the road.
12) Orlando Magic (37-23/3-1) (37-22-1 ATS) (LW: 14) Orlando got off to a roaring start this week with home win and covers against Philly and Sacramento, and followed those efforts up with another road win and cover at New Jersey. However, the wheels fell off in their rematch at Philly who blew them out by a 101-89 final count. The Magic are the Eastern Conferences wild card club that could pull off an upset or two in the post-season. That being said, they’ll have to force themselves to stay sharp considering they play in one of the worst divisions in the NBA.
13) Denver Nuggets (34-23/1-3) (29-28 ATS) (LW: 11) Think the Nuggets were a bit frustrated when they took the court against the Seattle Sonics on Wednesday night? The 138 points they put on the board was the highest point total the league’s seen this season, and it came after they dropped embarrassing decisions at Chicago (135-121), at Milwaukee (115-109), and at home to Detroit (98-93). Until this club figures out that they must play on the defensive end of the court, they can’t be taken seriously as a viable Western Conference championship contender.
14) Cleveland Cavaliers (32-26/2-2) (27-31 ATS) (LW: 12) The Cavs pulled off a blockbuster trade right at the deadline that now has their line-up sporting a bunch of new faces. Many believe the trade now makes them the team to beat, but I’m not so sure. The new era of Cavs basketball started off nicely with a dominating home win and cover over Memphis, but they went on to lose at Milwaukee and Boston to close out the week. However, look for Lebron and company to get back on track this week with games slated to go against Minnesota, Chicago, and New York.
15) Philadelphia 76ers (26-32/2-1) (30-25-3 ATS) (LW: 15) The Sixers dropped this weeks opener to Orlando in embarrassing fashion, but managed an OT win at Miami to avoid being one of the Heat’s 10 victories on the year. They then returned home and avenged their Friday night loss to the Magic in convincing fashion. This Philly club has been playing some excellent ball of late and now find themselves right back in the thick of the playoff race. This week will be tough for the Sixers with a 3-game Western Conference roadie ahead of them, but they’ve held their own against this year going a combined 11-11 ATS both home and away.
16) Sacramento Kings (26-31/1-3) (30-27 ATS) (LW: 16) The Kings lone victory of the week was a 1-point OT win at Charlotte, but they then went on and got pounded by the rest of the Southeast Division. The Kings boast a ton of young talent that should get plenty of experience the rest of the way to have them competitive for the 2008-09 season.
17) Portland Trailblazers (30-28/2-3) (29-29 ATS) (LW: 18) Man oh man!!! What has become of this Blazers outfit?? Just a flash in the pan, or has the rigors of the NBA schedule gotten to this young club? Either way, the Blazers just aren’t there yet evidenced by the way they’ve struggled to win games over the last month and a half. On top of that, they’ve sent their backers to the poorhouse as they’ve only managed an ATS win in 3 of their L/17 overall. Yikes!!!!!
18) Atlanta Hawks (24-32/2-2) (27-28-1 ATS) (LW: 19) The Hawks managed to pull out a surprising win at Golden State to secure one victory over the course of their 6-game road trip, but then returned home to beat Sacramento to allow Mike Bibby to get the best of his former mates. This club’s success is predicated by the play of its defense that’s slipped up of late, and it needs to tighten the screw on that end of the court if they expect to remain in the playoff hunt.
19) Washington (27-30/2-2) (33-24 ATS) (LW: 20) The Wizards are still hanging around even though they’ve been without the services of All Star guard Gilbert Arenas all season and Caron Butler for the L/10 games. They churned out another 2-2 mark this past week and should find themselves in the thick of the Eastern Conference race if they continue to tread water until Arena and Butler return.
20) New Jersey (25-32/1-2) (22-34-1 ATS) (LW: 17) I think Nets management made a big mistake by not blowing up this team fully. Sending out Kidd wasn’t enough. The often injured Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter will get you wins on occasion, but they’re not enough to turn the Nets back into a contender like they once were. They have done an excellent job between the two of them since the trade, but I don’t see any other growth taking place…
21) Chicago Bulls (23-34/2-2) (25-32 ATS) (LW: 23) The new look Bulls played some very competitive ball this past week. The win over Denver was a joy to watch as they set a new high for points scored this season with 135, and I liked the way they looked against Southwest members Dallas and Houston. The win over Indiana was Larry Hughes coming out party as a Bull as he torched the twine for 29 points, and it looked as if he all but sealed Kirk Hinrich’s fate in the “Windy City”. Sitting only two games out of a playoff spot, the Bulls look to be in great shape to make it with their revamped roster. They get the benefit of playing Cleveland and Washington this week who both sit ahead of them, so look for HC Boylan’s squad to give it their all this upcoming week.
22) Milwaukee Bucks (22-35/2-01) (26-30 ATS) (LW: 25) The Bucks got beat up in their revenge bout with the Pistons, but they returned home and earned a pair of solid victories over Cleveland and Denver. I’m not sure what’s in the water the Bucks have been drinking lately, but they don’t look anything like the worthless unit they did right before the break.
23) Minnesota Timberwolves (12-44/1-3) (27-29 ATS) (LW: 24) The Timberwolves took on a very tough schedule this week and did a solid job in my opinion. They almost knocked off San Antonio but covered, got beaten bad by Dallas, beat Utah SU as a 7-point home pup, but then got rolled up in Toronto. Not too shabby to go toe-to-toe with playoff teams and go 2-2 ATS with a SU win!!!
24) Indiana Pacers (22-36/1-3) (26-32 ATS) (LW: 21) The Pacers have been a tough team to read all season long, and it looks as if that will continue throughout the rest of the season. Still, a post-season bid is in the cards playing in the mediocre Eastern Conference.
25) Charlotte Bobcats (19-38/0-3) (22-34-1 ATS) (LW: 22) The Bobcats stink….it’s that simple!!!!
26) Seattle Supersonics (15-42/1-4) (28-28-1 ATS) (LW: 26) Posted last week: PJ’s bunch has been much more competitive of late, but they’re up against it this week with a schedule that includes home and away bouts with Portland, home to the Lakers, on the road at Golden State, and at home against Denver. This club will be running on fumes next week… Well, a 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS mark. Not bad considering the opposition….
27) NY Knicks (18-39/2-1) (28-28-1 ATS) (LW: 30) I was thinking to myself the other day how much I miss the Knicks. Where have they gone?? What’s this you say, they’re still in the league!!! You must be out yo mind!!!
28) Miami Heat (10-45/1-2) (19-35-1 ATS) (LW: 27) Finally!!! They did it!!! The Heat have reached double-digit victories for the season….yeah!!! Seriously though, the Heat have played in a number of close games since the trade. Now that they finally got the first victory under their belts with the new crew, look for them to crack the win column more often to close out the season.
29) LA Clippers (19-36/1-3) (24-31 ATS) (LW: 28) There should be a rule made just for the Clippers that if the Lakers have twice as many wins as them after the All Star Game, they can just halt the rest of their season and cheer the Lakers on in their remaining home games!!!!
30) Memphis Grizzles (14-43/0-3) (24-32-1 ATS) (LW: 29) The Grizzlies were the Grizzlies last week and they’re still the Grizzlies this week….nothing else.
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