Posted on
3/7/2008 4:20:09 PM
NBA Betting Power Poll Week 19 Part 1
By Mike Rose
(CURRENT) (TEAM) (W/L OVERALL & W/L FOR WEEK) (ATS RECORD) (LAST WEEKS RANK)
1) LA Lakers (43-18/3-1) (38-21-1 ATS) (LW: 1) The Lakers had their 10 game winning streak snapped this week, but still churned out a 3-1 SU mark to hold onto the top spot of this poll. Pau Gasol has fit in extremely well, and Kobe has been really filling it up of late. The Lakeshow will be in LA LA Land for their next three with games scheduled to go against the Clippers, Kings, and Raptors.
2) Boston Celtics (47-12/3-0) (34-23-2 ATS) (LW: 2) Another perfect week at 3-0 SU for KG and crew, but they dropped 2 of 3 ATS to continue their ATS slide. They might be getting the job done in the win column, but Boston has turned into an awful proposition against the spread of late. They’re just 3-6-1 ATS their L/10 overall. Busy week ahead for the guys from Beantown with four games in six days, but the competition isn’t stellar and at worst a 3-1 SU mark is expected.
3) San Antonio Spurs (43-17/5-0) (28-30-2 ATS) (LW: 4) 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 15-1 SU and 9-6-1 ATS. They upended Dallas to take a 2-1 series lead at the beginning of the week, and survived the Bucks in the Bradley Center a couple nights later. This club is really starting to fire on all cylinders at the perfect time as they’ll face a much tougher slate of opponents this week.
4) Detroit Pistons (44-17/2-1) (34-26-1 ATS) (LW: 3) A 2-1 SU mark for the Pistons, but they failed to cover two of those three games and now sit at 5-5 ATS their L/10. They dropped their bout with the Celtics in the Garden by a 90-78 final count to give Boston a 2-1 series advantage for the year. They’re off to the “Big Apple” Friday night then return home for five against some solid opposition.
5) Utah Jazz (40-22/3-1) (33-29 ATS) (LW: 5) Solid week for the Jazz as they put forth a 3-1 SU and ATS mark by taking care of Memphis, Dallas, and Minnesota but losing at New Orleans. They made their backers happy in the process by covering three of those four games and come into this weeks play winners in 4 of their L/5 ATS. The Jazz are really going to have to step up their play on the road with five of their next six games scheduled away from Salt Lake City.
6) New Orleans Hornets (41-19/3-1) (36-23-1 ATS) (LW: 6) The Hornets bounced back from their 1-3 SU mark last week with a 3-1 SU ATS mark this past week. For some reason though, Washington just has their number after stealing one in NO two weeks ago and then winning the rematch in DC SU as 7.5-point underdogs. They get NJ at home Friday night, but then their schedule gets real tough with games slated to go against the Spurs, Rockets, Lakers, and Pistons.
7) Houston Rockets (41-20/4-0) (36-24-1 ATS) (LW: 7) You have to hand it to the Rockets who’ve kept their winning streak alive even though they’ve been without the services of Yao for the past week. With Thursday night’s commanding win at Dallas, the Rockets winning streak is now at 17 and they’ve covered the spread in nine straight. These guys haven’t lost a game since January 27th, and two of their next three games come in the comfy confines of their own arena this week. Can they extend the streak to 20?
8) Golden State (37-23/3-1) (25-35 ATS) (LW: 10) The Warriors had its four game winning streak snapped its last time out at Charlotte, but they churned out a solid 3-1 SU mark overall and 2-2 mark ATS for the week. This clubs done an excellent job of avoiding multiple game losing streaks all season long, and that’s exactly what you have to do in this traffic jam of a conference. They’ll close out the rest of their road trip this week before returning home to host the Toronto Raptors.
9) Phoenix Suns (40-21/1-2) (27-32-2 ATS) (LW: 9) The Suns just aren’t the team they’ve been over the last couple years, and the Shaq trade doesn’t seem to have made them any better. Normally a powerhouse at home, the Suns have dropped 3 of their L/5 in the desert and they’ve only covered the spread in 5 of their L/10 overall. However, they’re at home for their next five and will welcome in three teams jockeying for Playoff positioning. If they come out of this week with a losing mark, it’s all but done for Nash and company.
10) Dallas Mavericks (39-23/1-4) (25-33-4 ATS) (LW: 8) The Mavs effort this past week clearly shows they’re just not up to snuff with the rest of the Western Conference. Their lone win came against Sacramento at home, but they lost to the Spurs, Lakers, Jazz, and Rockets. All four of those teams are ranked ahead of them in this poll, which tells me this current version of the Mavs just doesn’t have the tools on hand to be considered a serious contender for the NBA crown.
11) Orlando Magic (40-23/3-0) (40-22-1 ATS) (LW: 12) Orlando got off to a roaring start this week with home win and covers against Toronto and New York, and followed those efforts up with a commanding road win and cover at Washington. 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 continue to force themselves to stay sharp considering they play in one of the worst divisions in the NBA.
12) Denver Nuggets (36-24/2-1) (30-30 ATS) (LW: 13) The Nuggets bounced back with a winning mark this week after dropping 3 of 4 last week. This clubs been flat out deadly in the Pepsi Center all season long, but they’re going to have to turn their play up a couple notches on the road if they plan on qualifying for the playoffs. They currently sit one game behind the Warriors for the 8th seed, and have a tough week ahead of them with two against the Spurs (home/away) and one at Utah where the Jazz have won 16 in a row. This could be considered a make or break week for this club with the season winding down.
13) Cleveland Cavaliers (35-27/3-1) (29-33 ATS) (LW: 14) Lebron put forth his best MJ impression Wednesday night when he dropped 50 on the Lakers, but the effort took too much out of him to lead the Cavs over the Bulls in the teams second meeting since the big trade. Still, a 3-1 SU & 2-2 ATS mark for the defending Eastern Conference champs. The upcoming week looks very ordinary with games scheduled against Indy and Portland at home followed by road dates with NJ and Washington. Should be another solid week for the Lebron’s.
14) Toronto Raptors (33-27/1-3) (33-26-1 ATS) (LW: 11) It was a terrible week for the Dinos and their backers as they went 1-3 both SU and ATS. They also lost big man Chris Bosh for an extended period of time with another injury. This dude is such a china doll!!! Anyway, they probably won’t feel the effects of his absence vs. Washington and Seattle to start the week, but they’ll be clamoring for his return once they begin their 5-game road trip on the west coast.
15) Philadelphia 76ers (28-33/2-1) (32-26-3 ATS) (LW: 15) The Sixers continue to play winning ball with every passing week, and that’s exactly what they have to do in order to hold on to the 7th seed they currently own. They put forth a solid showing of themselves with SU wins and covers at Phoenix and LAC, and should get off to a good start this week with games slated to go against Milwaukee and Seattle.
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