Tuesday, March 16, 2010

NBA Picks for March 16

.....

Disappointing. Absolutely gutted. 0-3 last night against the spread. Dont know what else to say. Shows over folks. Turn out the lights, the party's over.












Naw, just being melodramatic. But in all seriousness, a little disappointed in the way my picks went. But, cant fret over it too much. Time to get back on the horse and pick some winners. Here they be!

Charlotte -2 vs Indiana ==> Give me the Bobcats on the road
Cleveland -9.5 vs Detroit ==> Give me the Cavs on the road by double digits
LA Lakers -6 vs Sacramento ==> Give me the Lakers on the road

3 Games. 3 road favorites picked. Yes, a tad bit risky, but I like the picks based on the talent disparity between the road and home teams.

I like the Bobcats to win in Indiana. The Bobcats, although a better team at home than on the road and with Gerald Wallace a bit banged up, are playing good basketball of late as evidenced by their victory over the Magic last week. They play a team that will also look to get up and down the court and because of that, I like the depth that the Bobcats hold on their bench. So long as they can keep Pacers forward Danny Granger in check, they should be able to win the game and ultimately the bet.

I like the Cavs to win big on the road in Detroit. The Pistons just have not looked good as of late and were on the receiving end of a drumming last night in Boston. They made look to rebound with a better performance tonight, but with the way that Cleveland and Lebron James have been playing of late, I just think the Pistons will be able to keep the game within single digits. There will be a period in play where the Cavs defense become suffocating or Lebron dominates the game on offense (which has happened before, see 2007 NBA Conference Finals) that it'll create a lead that the Pistons wont challenge again during the game.

Finally, I like the Lakers to win in Sacramento. Granted, this is a bit risky for a couple of reasons - the Lakers played a tough game last night and have not been playing dominant basketball of late. I chose this game for one particular reason - I think that because the team played last night, they want to have an early night tonight. I think the Lakers are a little disappointed in the way they played last night and want to put on a good effort against the Kings, who wont put up too much resistance on defense. I expect Kobe and company to come out guns blazing and to win by double digits as they look to correct their underwhelming play of late.

So there be the picks: Bobcats/Cavs/Lakers all covering their respective spreads.
Until Next Time!

-TheZar

61-43-1 NBA Spread Pick Record

Monday, March 15, 2010

Well, 1-2 on Thursday, but was beaten by the spread by a point on the two losses so its not all that bad I guess. Still, looking for winners tonight and Im hoping to deliver. Here are the picks!

Denver -2.5 vs Houston == Give me the Nuggets on the road to cover 3 points
LA Lakers -8 vs Golden State == Give me the Lakers on the road by double digits
New York vs Philadelphia -3 == Give me the Sixers at home by 4

I like the Nuggets on the road. They match up well against the Rockets with Chauncey Billups able to guard Aaron Brooks all night. So long as the Nuggets are able to contain production by Kevin Martin, Im not all that too concerned with what the Rockets can do. Granted, Carmelo Anthony will have a tough scoring night against Shane Battier and the Rockets defense, but I think the Nuggets win on the road and with the spread being so small, I choose to ignore it here.

I like the Lakers on the road in Golden State. Again, its all about the matchups and the Warriors just dont have the big men inside to contain the likes of Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom. So long as the Warriors go insane behind the 3-point line, I dont like the Warriors tonight.

Lastly, I like the Sixers at home by 4. Sixers are playing for a playoff spot. They have to control the 3-ball against the Knicks along with David Lee around the rim, but given the likes of Sam Dalembert and their athletes on the perimeter, the Sixers should be able to contain the scoring of the Knicks.

Well, there be the picks! Until next time!

61-41-1 NBA Record against the spread

Thursday, March 11, 2010

NBA Picks for March 11th

2-1 last night with my picks. Only 3 games on the slate tonight in the NBA so theres no room to pick and choose. Here are the picks:

Atlanta -7 vs Washington ==> Give me the Hawks on the road to cover the spread
Chicago vs Orlando -13 ==> Give me the Magic despite the big spread
Portland -6 vs Golden State ==> Give me the Blazers on the road

Three games and Im picking all three to cover (not good, not good at all lol). But in all seriousness, I like the favorites in each of these games as they face weak competition.

In the Hawks/Wizards game, I like Atlanta to cover the 7 points on the road. Main reason? I like the matchups that the Hawks have against the Wizards. The primary threat for Washington since the trade deadline has been Andray Blatche and I think the Hawks will counter him on defense with Josh Smith, who has great size and athleticism. I expect Smith to be able to keep Blatche in check and if they do that the Wiz just wont find the points elsewhere on the floor.

In the Bulls/Magic game, I like the Magic to cover despite the 13 point spread. The Bulls just dont match up well against the Magic, especially inside with Dwight Howard. With Joakim Noah of the Bulls out with injury, there just isnt a player on the Bulls roster who will be able to keep Dwight in check. As a result, I expect Dwight Howard to have a big game for the Magic and to cover the 13 point spread. The only concern for me, on a betting/spread standpoint would be that the Magic are ahead by a large margin early in the 4th, the Magic pull their starters, and the Bulls are able to beat the spread late as a result.

Lastly in the Blazers/Warriors game, I like the Blazers to win comfortably on the road. The Warriors remain without their primary scorer in Monta Ellis, out with injury. As a result, the Warriors have been leaning heavily on their rookie point guard, Stephen Curry. But because the Blazers tend to play well defensively on the perimeter and only have to focus their attention on Curry (who only put up 9 points in their last meeting), I like the Blazers to win on the road, by about 8-10 points.

There be the picks! Until next time!

60-39-1 in NBA Picks against the spread (.600 win percentage)

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

NBA Picks for March 10

2-1 last night and looking for more this week. Lets grab some more:

Charlotte vs Philadelphia -1.5 ==> Give me the Bobcats on the road
Denver -7.5 vs Minnesota ==> Give me the Nuggets on the road by double digits
Toronto vs Sacramento -1 ==> Give me the Raptors on the road

All games chosen featured today are road teams, but I think each of them are better overall squads than the teams they are facing. Surprised about the 8 point handicap that the Nuggets are getting over the Wolves since the Timberwolves are just a poor team. Not much to really say in terms of insight into my picks. I just like the road teams in these games since theyre more talented than theyre home opponents and the handicap spread given is pretty small.

There are the picks. Until next time!

58-38-1 in NBA Handicap Picks

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

NBA Picks for March 9

One step forward, one step back. Looking to rebound once again after going 1-2 last night. Here are the picks:

Houston -4 vs Washington ==> Give me the Rockets to win and cover the points
Miami vs Charlotte -3.5 ==> Give me the Bobcats at home to cover 4 points
Philadelphia vs Indiana -2 ==> Give me the 76s on the road with the points

I like the Rockets and the Sixers on the road going up against two of the weaker teams in the league. Houston are playing a Wizards team that has lost three straight games and although they have been struggling themselves lately (4-6 record in the last 10 games), I dont think Houston has too much problems with Washington looking to rebuild. So long as the Rockets can keep Andray Blatche in check (20-10, nothing more), the Rockets should be able to win this game.

I like the Sixers on the road against Indiana. Theyre the more talented team and are still in the playoff hunt, so this game is huge if they still hold those aspirations. Plus, theyre entering the game as the underdog (albeit a small one) and anytime you can get points on a game, I'll take it.

Lastly, I like the Bobcats at home against the Heat. They are a much better team at home than on the road (22-8 at home, 8-23 away). Their up and down style does work for Dwayne Wade of the Heat, but Im willing to bet the all-around assault that the Bobcats and their roster provide will be able to off-set the production that Wade will be able to put out.

Until next time! A Bientot! See you soon!

56-37-1 in NBA Picks against the Spread (.596 winning percentage)

Monday, March 8, 2010

NBA Picks for March 8

2-0-1 last night and looking to build on the momentum. Here are the picks:

San Antonio vs Cleveland -5 ==> Take the Cavs at home to cover 5 points
Dallas -6.5 vs Minnesota ==> Give me the Mavs to cover 7 points on the road
New Jersey vs Memphis -8.5 ==> Give me the Grizz at home to win by double digits

In the first game, I like the Cavs to win at home. San Antonio will be without one of its stars as Tony Parker suffered a broken hand over the weekend and looks to be out until the playoffs. The Cavs are awesome at home (only 4 home losses) and considering the loss of Parker for the Spurs, the Cavs should be able to win this game late.

In the other two games, I like the Mavs and the Grizz to beat up on two of the lower ranking teams in the league in the Timberwolves and the Nets. Nothing more to say than that I guess. The picks are just good teams going up against really bad teams.

There be the picks! Until next time!

55-35-1 in NBA picks against the spread (.604 percentage)

Sunday, March 7, 2010

NBA Picks for March 7

Sorry for the briefness in today's post, gotta get the picks in before the games start. 1-2 last night, so looking for a rebound day today. Here are the picks!

Oklahoma City -3.5 vs Sacramento ==> Give me the Thunder to win and cover on the road
LA Lakers vs Orlando -2 ==> Give me the Lakers on the road with the points
Portland vs Denver -6.5 ==> Give me the Nuggets at home to cover 7 points

Until next time!
-TheZar

54-37 with NBA Picks against the spread