Posted on 2/20/2008 5:46:54 PM

NBA Betting Furious Free Picks - Kidd vs. Paul

By Tim Furious

Dallas Mavericks (35-18) vs. New Orleans Hornets (36-15)

Wednesday, February 20th --- New Orleans Arena, NO --- 8:00pm EST

NBA Betting Line: Dallas/NO

The Mavericks will debut Jason Kidd tonight against a team currently boasting the best point-guard in the league – Chris Paul. These two are familiar with each other after playing down the stretch in the 2008 NBA All-Star game, but Paul has a decisive edge over his Dallas counterpart.

First of all, he’s slaying all point-guards with 20.5 points per game and 10.9 rebounds. On top of that he chips in 4.0 rebounds, which is astounding for a point-guard as productive as him. He spearheads an offense that notches 100.4 points per game, while holding teams to 94.7 points against on average. The other advantage is his familiarity with his own team, and his own offense. That is a luxury that Kidd has yet to attain since being acquired yesterday by the Mavs in a deal that is costing the Mavericks their weight in diamond-bedazzled gold bouillon.

This matchup in no way, shape or form, will define whether the Mavs are really going to be that much better with Kidd. I’m not a believer until I see it in action because I liked Devin Harris that much as a Maverick. But expecting Kidd to gel with his new team right away is a tall order, especially against a team that has gone 18-7 ATS in their last 25 games and is currently 13-3 SU over the course of their last 16 games. New Orleans currently has a four-game winning streak to uphold.

Tyson Chandler has been the biggest benefactor from Paul’s emergence as the premier point-guard in the West. Chandler has 12.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game and has been rocking the rim on your friendly, neighborhood highlight reel all season long. The speed CP3 has been impossible to cover, and Kidd is not as spry as he used to be. A sound defender to say the least, handling Chris Paul is a whole other story. Not even Steve Nash could keep up with the Hornets’ point man.

The balance in New Orleans has been terrific. David West has 19.8 points per game, with Peja Stojakovic showing he has plenty left in the tank with 16.3 points per game. The ability to distribute the ball around the perimeter, thinning the lane for CP3 to slash through, or leaving West in isolation has proven to be effective tools for the Hornets.

And balance is what Dallas hopes to achieve with Kidd. They have playmakers in Stackhouse and Dirk, while Jason Terry is a threat to take over the game with deft shooting skill and speed. Dirk leads the way for Dallas with 22.8 points per game, followed closely by Josh Howard with 20.3 points.

But all attention will be on Kidd, who is going to have to burden the beast for Dallas by pulling this maligned contender together in the closing months of the season. Against an efficient, play making monster like New Orleans that will be a tall order. Even for Kidd.

NBA Free Pick: New Orleans

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