Posted on
4/10/2008 7:34:13 PM
NBA Basketball Betting – Power Poll Week 24 - Part One
By Mike Rose
(CURRENT) (TEAM) (W/L OVERALL & W/L FOR WEEK) (ATS RECORD) (LAST WEEKS RANK)
1) Boston Celtics (62-16/2-1) (48-28-2 ATS) (LW: 1) The Celtics are just going through the motions right now until the post-season begins. There really is no need for this club to compete throughout the rest of their games as they’ve locked up home court advantage throughout the second season. Their final four games of the season are all against losing teams, but be wary of laying any points with these guys as Head coach Doc Rivers has already exhibited no problems resting his big three for the second season.
2) New Orleans Hornets (55-23/3-1) (48-28-2 ATS) (LW: 2) I’m not sure what the Hornets were thinking throughout their home game against the Jazz last week, but it certainly wasn’t about making their jobs easier to clinch the top spot in the Western Conference. The 77-66 home defeat was putrid to say the least, but they currently hold a comfy two-game lead on San Antonio and LA for the top spot in the West. However, the final week of the season will be tough with games scheduled to go against Lakers, Kings, and Mavs on the road along with a home date with the Clippers. They should be alright with a split of the four games, but taking two of three will almost guarantee them home court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs.
3) LA Lakers (53-25/2-1) (44-32-1 ATS) (LW: 3) The Lakers won two of three SU this week, but only went 1-2 ATS making them 3-7 ATS their L/10 overall. The ATS moneytrain that used to be the Lakers seems to have derailed. That said, they’re only two games in back of New Orleans for the top spot in the West, and they get to host the Hornets this week along with the Spurs, Kings, and Clippers. The losses to Memphis, Portland, and Charlotte over the last couple weeks have reared their ugly heads as predicted, and it will be tough for Kobe and company to move up in the standings because of it.
4) Utah Jazz (52-26/2-0) (43-35 ATS) (LW: 5) The Jazz let it be known they’re a force to be reckoned with in the West this past week after they humiliated the Spurs at home 90-64 cashing easily as three-point home chalks, and then going into New Orleans and holding them to their lowest point total of the season (66) in their 11-point road win and cover. Head Coach Jerry Sloan and his staff have done a tremendous job with this club, and they could reach the 60-win plateau if they’re able to get the best of Dallas, Denver, Houston, and San Antonio.
5) Phoenix Suns (53-26/3-1) (38-38-3 ATS) (LW: 7) The Suns churned out another 3-1 SU mark this past week and covered 4 of their 4 games to finally even up their season long ATS mark to 38-38-3. It only took all year guys! They made up for giving one away to the Mavericks earlier in the week by going into San Antonio and taking it to the Spurs in a most impressive fashion. Now they’ll look to improve the seeding over the next week with games slated to go at Houston, and then back at home against Golden State and Portland to close out the regular season.
6) San Antonio Spurs (53-25/1-2) (35-341-2 ATS) (LW: 4) The defending champs couldn’t have picked a worse time to lose a couple games, and what made it sting more was that they killed their backers losing all three of their games ATS. The shellacking they absorbed from Phoenix Wednesday night might just be the tall tale sign that this year’s version of the Spurs just doesn’t have the firepower on both ends of the court to compete with the faster paced Western Conference. Their legs look heavy, and there was a reason injuries played a role in their 2007-08 campaign. These guys aren’t getting any younger. They’ll need to run the table against Seattle, LA, Sacramento, and Utah and hope New Orleans falters just to grab the #1 seed in the West. Not happening!
7) Detroit Pistons (55-23/2-2) (41-36-1 ATS) (LW: 6) The Pistons rolled along this week as Head Coach Flip Saunders experimented with his rotations for the post-season, and gave a couple of his stars nights off as well. The Pistons have been happy with the #2 seed for weeks, as there’s just no shot of catching the Celtics. They covered in both of their wins this past week (NJ/Miami), but didn’t in their SU losses to both Philadelphia and shockingly New York. Look for them to fine-tune their game this week with three at home before traveling to Cleveland to take on Lebron and company in the regular season finale.
8) Houston Rockets (53-25/4-0) (45-31-2 ATS) (LW: 9) The Rockets reached way down deep and pulled out a perfect 4-0 mark both SU and ATS this past week. They even got the best of Seattle without All Star Tracy McGrady who rested his injured shoulder. They currently hold the fifth spot in the west, but they could improve upon that seeding if they’re able to get the best of Phoenix, Denver, Utah, and the Clippers this week.
9) Dallas Mavericks (49-29/2-1) (34-40-4 ATS) (LW: 10) The Mavs were on the verge of missing the playoffs altogether before Dirk returned to the line-up, but now the Mavs look to be a shoe in to qualify for the post-season after winning two of their three games both SU and ATS this past week. They have two at home against Utah and New Orleans this week along with road dates with Seattle and Portland, so it would be a meltdown of epic proportions if indeed the Mavs failed to qualify for the second season.
10) Orlando Magic (49-29/2-1) (47-28-5 ATS) (LW: 11) The team everyone loves to dismiss in the East picked up two more wins and covers for their backers this past week. The Magic relish the fact that they’re being completely overlooked to do much of anything in the post-season, so don’t be shocked if this group gives one of the big two a real scare. They can’t do anything to improve upon their #3 seed over the next week, so look for Head Coach Stan Van Gundy to rest his stars and give his bench and role players plenty of “pt” against this weeks opponents.
11) Denver Nuggets (47-31/1-2) (42-36 ATS) (LW: 8) Posted last week: They’ll host the Kings to start the week, but then hit the road for four starting with the Sonics before visiting the Clippers. This road trip is crucial for the Nuggets if they expect to qualify for the second season, so hopefully AI and Melo have enough left in their tanks for a winning road trip. They didn’t and the Nuggets are currently on Playoff life support. Thursday night’s TNT match-up with the Warriors is huge for them, and if they win they’ll hold the tiebreaker with a 3-1 series advantage.
12) Golden State (47-31/2-1) (34-44 ATS) (LW: 13) The Warriors might be a fun team to watch, but this club has been one of the biggest ATS disappointments the league had to offer this season. They can’t cover a game at home to save their lives, and they failed to do so once again this past week against Sacramento. Thursday night’s home match-up with the Nuggets is a must win to even up the season series, and then they’ll look to grab the final seed in the West against the Clippers, Suns, and Sonics.
13) Washington Wizards (41-37/3-0) (44-34 ATS) (LW: 16) The Wizards bounced back tremendously from last weeks brutal stretch winning all three games SU and going 2-1 ATS. They took care of the Celtics for the third time of the season to close out the week, and are now the rightful owners of the 5th seed. They’ve already clinched a spot in the second season, but where they’ll end up is the million-dollar question. It most likely won’t be the 8th seed, so we’ll have to hope for a first round win by the Wizards to see what exactly Boston does to them. That said, this club could be dangerous in the second season since they proved to be resilient all season long with their superstars out for long stretches.
14) Philadelphia 76ers (40-38/2-1) (43-32-3 ATS) (LW: 12) The Sixers opened up the week by qualifying for the playoffs by knocking off the Hawks in Atlanta by a 109-104 final count. They then lost the rematch at home the following night, and then got the best of a disinterested Pistons squad to close out the week’s action. The Sixers might be a sexy pick by some to pull off an upset in the post-season, but this club can’t shoot the three, and they’re woeful from the charity stripe. Their best bet is to hook up with Washington, Cleveland, or Orlando in the first round since none of those clubs play the type of “D” the first two seeded clubs do.
15) Cleveland Cavaliers (43-35/1-2) (36-42 ATS) (LW: 14) Looks like ESPN has revved up the excuse machine making it widely known that Lebron is suffering immensely from a back injury. How many times do you think we’ll have to hear about it in the post-season? Woe is me! That said, Cleveland’s all but locked into the 4th seed in the East unless they fall flat on their faces and lose all four this week. It looks highly inconceivable with Miami and Chicago on the schedule, but anything’s possible with this Cavs team that really hasn’t impressed all season long.
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