Posted on 4/8/2008 4:05:07 PM

NBA Sports Book Power Rankings -Dirk + Dallas Back

By D.S Williamson

Did any sports betting enthusiasts know that Dirk Nowitzki was coming back from his supposedly season-ending injuries as soon as he did? I sure didn’t. In the game that Dirk “magically” returned in - - a victory over the Golden State Warriors - - I had a few bucks on the Warriors. Why not? Without Dirk, the Mavs were terrible. Well, not only did Dirk play but he played well. In fact he and the Mavs have been playing well since he “magically” returned.

The reason I bring this up is because Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, should know better. Cuban is on record as saying that he doesn’t see anything wrong with sports gambling. If that’s the case, Mr. Cuban, then you definitely would have known that a lot of us BetUS NBA bettors use information like injury reports - - which stated that Dirk was out indefinitely - - before making our wagers. I understand trying to pull one off on a visiting team, but we’re not just fans. We’re also investors. Important information like whether or not the reigning NBA MVP is going to play in a game does mean something to us.

Now that I’ve got that off my chest, let’s get to the rankings!

NBA Power Rankings

1. Boston Celtics - - The men in green continue their hot streak going 8 and 2 against the BetUS spread in their last 10 games. What’s coming up for Boston? Games versus the Milwaukee Bucks (twice), Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks, and New York Knicks. Nice!

2. New Orleans Hornets - - 7-2-1 against the BetUS spread in their last 10 games. Everybody’s waiting for the Spurs to take over in the Western Conference. It won’t happen because the Hornets keep winning. Since a loss to Boston in late March, the Hornets have won 5 games in a row.

3. San Antonio Spurs - - 7 and 3 against the BetUS spread in their last 10 games, the Spurs are also 9 and 1 straight-up. Too bad the Hornets are keeping pace. The Spurs have games coming up against the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, and Utah Jazz. That could squash their hopes of grabbing the number one seed in the West.

4. Dallas Mavericks - - Since Dirk’s return, the Mavs have gone 4 and 0 against the BetUS spread and 4 and 0 straight-up. 3 out of the 4 victories were against teams nicknamed Warriors, Suns, and Lakers. This team is starting to look like contenders again.

5. Utah Jazz - - 6 and 4 against the BetUS spread in their last 10 games, the Jazz need to find a way to turn that awful against the spread road record around. They’re terrific at home - - bad on the road.

6. Denver Nuggets - - Two straight losses in a row - - against the BetUS spread and straight-up versus the Seattle Supersonics and Sacramento Kings - - means that the question has to be asked, “Do the Denver Nuggets want to go to the playoffs?”

7. Houston Rockets - - 3 straight-up and against the BetUS spread wins in a row means that the Rockets are still fighting. Of course, once the playoffs start this team could be looking at an early exit.

8. Indiana Pacers - - 6 and 4 against the BetUS spread in their last 10 games. That makes them the best team in the Eastern Conference against the BetUS spread after the Boston Celtics. Maybe fighting for a playoff spot has something to do with that.

9. Los Angeles Lakers - - Awful against the BetUS spread in their last 10 games going a tepid 4 and 6, but they’ve won 4 in a row straight-up and do get to face the Portland Trailblazers and Los Angeles Clippers in their next two games. Maybe they turn things around.

10. Detroit Pistons - - They’re 5 and 5 against the BetUS spread in their last 10 games. This team is just coasting until the playoffs start. That makes them a horrible team to wager on. Until, of course, the playoffs start in which case they become one of the top teams to wager on.

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