Fact or Fiction
February 28, 2014
Up until this point in the season, there was no certainty as to who was going to be on any roster on any given night. Now that the trade deadline has come and gone, we know what those rosters are going to look like for the rest of the campaign. Today, we'll look at the truths and the untruths for NBA betting fans about the deadline which just passed.
FACT
The Los Angeles Clippers Made Themselves Much Better With Buyouts: Picking up F Glen Davis and F Danny Granger is really going to help the Clips out come playoff time. Don't expect either to make a massive splash right now, but both are veteran presences who have led playoff teams in the past, and in the West, when you can bring those guys off of the bench, you know you've done your overall depth a major solid. The fact of the matter is that head coach Doc Rivers, when his team is healthy, will have G Jamal Crawford, G Darren Collison, F Jared Dudley, F Hedo Turkoglu, Davis, and Granger to choose from off of his bench. That's simply amazing, even if neither Davis nor Granger turn out to be studs as they were in their previous locations.
Tanking Is Happening in the NBA: Commissioner Adam Silver doesn't want to hear it, but he just has to look at the 76ers to see just how badly teams are tanking this year. The Sixers gave up 130 points to the BUCKS for crying out loud. They've lost 12 straight games by an average of 19.5 points per game, and that's just inexcusable when you're talking about professionals. Philly is tanking as quickly as it can, and there is just no way around that fact. This won't be the worst team in NBA history, but it might be the worst streak the league has ever seen when it is said and done with.
The Time is Now for the Portland Trail Blazers To Make Their Move: It's a move which is there for the taking. Portland is three back of the Thunder for the best record in the West, and what's coming up are three games in a row which should all be easy wins, even with all of the injuries the team has recently incurred. If the Blazers can just get F LaMarcus Aldridge back next week and get back to playing their game, they should have seven wins in a row and could find themselves just a game or two in back of the recently struggling Thunder.
FICTION
The Oklahoma City Thunder Are Going To Be Fine Eventually: One is an accident. Two is a trend. Three, and Lucy, we got a problem. The Thunder have lost three straight at home, and they have lost all three as favorites, most recently by 10 and 15-point chalk against the Cavs. The fact of the matter is that this club has completely fallen out of its groove, and it's really thanks to the loss of C Kendrick Perkins to injury and the return of G Russell Westbrook. However, we aren't all that sure that this Thunder outfit has the time to get it right again. There are just too many great teams in the West to make me believe that this chemistry issue will be rectified any time soon. We think that OKC is a quick out in the postseason this year unless KD and Westbrook can figure out a way to succeed with each of them on the hardwood at the same time. I read somewhere about how great a swap Westbrook for Rose would be. Think about that for a second…
The Miami Heat are Going to Be the #1 Seed in the East: Everyone is just assuming that the Heat with their newly masked LeBron James will end up overtaking the Pacers in the East. I just don't see it. Indiana's next four are all games in which it will be favored in, and then after going through Houston and Dallas, what's next are games against Boston, Philly, Detroit, Philly again, and New York. The only road game left against one of the best five teams in the league is a game at Miami on April 11th, and by that point, the Pacers very well could have the top seed in the East all but wrapped.
A Porous Defense is Going To Do In the Dallas Mavericks: The Mavs are 13-games above .500, and there is a good chance that they are going to end up getting into the playoffs in the rough and tumble Western Conference this year. Many are going to assume that getting into the second season and winning there is going to require a great defensive mindset. However, with the way this team is built, especially with F Dirk Nowitzki and G Monta Ellis as the two main features, defense can be optional. The Mavericks have an offense shooting 47.4 percent from the field, and the team is good for an effective shooting percentage of over 53 percent, which is downright nuts. That's why the Mavericks are okay allowing teams to score 102.1 points per game, and though they aren't going to necessarily end up winning the whole enchilada with this formula, the defense isn't going to be their ultimate demise.
February 28, 2014
Up until this point in the season, there was no certainty as to who was going to be on any roster on any given night. Now that the trade deadline has come and gone, we know what those rosters are going to look like for the rest of the campaign. Today, we'll look at the truths and the untruths for NBA betting fans about the deadline which just passed.
FACT
The Los Angeles Clippers Made Themselves Much Better With Buyouts: Picking up F Glen Davis and F Danny Granger is really going to help the Clips out come playoff time. Don't expect either to make a massive splash right now, but both are veteran presences who have led playoff teams in the past, and in the West, when you can bring those guys off of the bench, you know you've done your overall depth a major solid. The fact of the matter is that head coach Doc Rivers, when his team is healthy, will have G Jamal Crawford, G Darren Collison, F Jared Dudley, F Hedo Turkoglu, Davis, and Granger to choose from off of his bench. That's simply amazing, even if neither Davis nor Granger turn out to be studs as they were in their previous locations.
Tanking Is Happening in the NBA: Commissioner Adam Silver doesn't want to hear it, but he just has to look at the 76ers to see just how badly teams are tanking this year. The Sixers gave up 130 points to the BUCKS for crying out loud. They've lost 12 straight games by an average of 19.5 points per game, and that's just inexcusable when you're talking about professionals. Philly is tanking as quickly as it can, and there is just no way around that fact. This won't be the worst team in NBA history, but it might be the worst streak the league has ever seen when it is said and done with.
The Time is Now for the Portland Trail Blazers To Make Their Move: It's a move which is there for the taking. Portland is three back of the Thunder for the best record in the West, and what's coming up are three games in a row which should all be easy wins, even with all of the injuries the team has recently incurred. If the Blazers can just get F LaMarcus Aldridge back next week and get back to playing their game, they should have seven wins in a row and could find themselves just a game or two in back of the recently struggling Thunder.
FICTION
The Oklahoma City Thunder Are Going To Be Fine Eventually: One is an accident. Two is a trend. Three, and Lucy, we got a problem. The Thunder have lost three straight at home, and they have lost all three as favorites, most recently by 10 and 15-point chalk against the Cavs. The fact of the matter is that this club has completely fallen out of its groove, and it's really thanks to the loss of C Kendrick Perkins to injury and the return of G Russell Westbrook. However, we aren't all that sure that this Thunder outfit has the time to get it right again. There are just too many great teams in the West to make me believe that this chemistry issue will be rectified any time soon. We think that OKC is a quick out in the postseason this year unless KD and Westbrook can figure out a way to succeed with each of them on the hardwood at the same time. I read somewhere about how great a swap Westbrook for Rose would be. Think about that for a second…
The Miami Heat are Going to Be the #1 Seed in the East: Everyone is just assuming that the Heat with their newly masked LeBron James will end up overtaking the Pacers in the East. I just don't see it. Indiana's next four are all games in which it will be favored in, and then after going through Houston and Dallas, what's next are games against Boston, Philly, Detroit, Philly again, and New York. The only road game left against one of the best five teams in the league is a game at Miami on April 11th, and by that point, the Pacers very well could have the top seed in the East all but wrapped.
A Porous Defense is Going To Do In the Dallas Mavericks: The Mavs are 13-games above .500, and there is a good chance that they are going to end up getting into the playoffs in the rough and tumble Western Conference this year. Many are going to assume that getting into the second season and winning there is going to require a great defensive mindset. However, with the way this team is built, especially with F Dirk Nowitzki and G Monta Ellis as the two main features, defense can be optional. The Mavericks have an offense shooting 47.4 percent from the field, and the team is good for an effective shooting percentage of over 53 percent, which is downright nuts. That's why the Mavericks are okay allowing teams to score 102.1 points per game, and though they aren't going to necessarily end up winning the whole enchilada with this formula, the defense isn't going to be their ultimate demise.
