Posted on 4/11/2008 6:50:02 PM

NBA Free Picks 2008 – Atlanta Fighting For Playoff Chance

By Tim Furious

Atlanta Hawks (36-42) vs. New York Knicks (23-56)

Friday, April 11th --- Madison Square Garden, NYC --- 7:30pm EST

NBA Betting Line: Atlanta -5.5 (209.5)

What a conflict of interest. Here come the Hawks, our favorite NBA online betting line team of the last two months taking on my favorite NBA bet of the six months prior. The Knicks have somehow returned to betting prominence. Isiah’s boys have gone 5-17 SU in their last 22 games, but are 7-1 ATS in their last eight.

On top of all that, Atlanta has struggled when visiting Madison Square Garden. They’re 2-15 SU in their last 17 visits to New York. Atlanta may be 6-2 SU over their last 8 games, but they’ve still been troublesome and unreliable on the road from a betting standpoint. Despite all the hype surrounding the Hawks, they’re still 5-16 SU in their last 21 roadies.

The Knicks are also on a three-game winning streak which has a lot of us scratching our heads. Do they not want a shot at Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley? Do they actually want Isiah to stick around as head coach? As much as I love New York at home, I’m going with my “bubble burst” theory here.

The Knicks are on an inexplicable three-game winning stride, and that has to stop. And, for me, there’s no better way for them to burst that momentum bubble than by losing to the Hawks, the team that replaced them as a great betting underdog.

NBA Free Picks: Atlanta -5.5 (OVER)

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