Jim Feist
It's been a long haul, this 82-game NBA regular season, but it's winding down, which means the playoffs are just around the corner. This week it's the best of the West, the conference that has won seven of the last nine NBA titles.
Hornets: Where did these kids come from? At age 22, Chris Paul is the most electrifying guard in the league, with 21 points and over 11 assists per game. He runs fits around opposing defenses with his quickness and playmaking ability. David West (20 ppg, 9 rpg) and Tyson Chandler (11 ppg, 12 rpg) are rebounding machines in the low post.
Veteran Peja Stojakovic (16 ppg) has stepped into a good situation and adds the outside game. Many thought they would slip after a hot start, but it never happened. New Orleans is a sizzling 25-12 SU, 23-13 ATS on the road and 12-9 SU, 13-8 ATS as a dog. If you win with defense, note that the Hornets allow 95 ppg, 5th best in the NBA.
Suns: Phoenix took a lot of criticism for changing in midseason, trading Shawn Marion for an aging Shaq. They wanted Shaq in a limited role, to play defense and pound the boards if opponents wanted to slow the pace down. On offense, they wanted to do more pick and roles with Shaq and still maintain their uptempo attack. Phoenix had another winning ATS season away from home, and the last four years they are 95-73 ATS on the road.
25-year old, 6-10 Stoudemire has been healthy, leading the Suns with 25 points and 9.3 boards per game. Steve Nash just turned 34 but doesn't show it, leading the break with 11.2 assists and over 17 points per contest. Phoenix is third in the NBA in scoring (110 ppg), tops in shooting (50%) and three-pointers (39%). After a struggling start together, the Suns have begun to click, on a 12-4 SU, 11-4-1 ATS run. It's best to be playing your best ball this time of the season.
Lakers: The question with LA is not how good they are, but how healthy are they? 7-foot center Andruw Bynum averaged 17.3 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots in six games in January before getting hurt. They hope he can return for the playoffs. Paul Gasol is back from an injury and is rounding into form, though coach Phil Jackson didn't like Gasol's early effort last week against Sacramento.
"He was soft to the ball, he was soft on the rebounds," Jackson said. "He acknowledged that he wasn't quite ready to play in that game. He came back in the second half and played well." Combined with Kobe Bryant (28.7 ppg), Lamar Odom (14 ppg, 10.5 rpg), and outstanding role players in Derek Fisher and Luke Walton, this is a talented, young team in LA -- when healthy. The Lakers are 15-6 against the spread as a dog.
Jazz: The kids in Utah are getting better as they grow up. Utah has a dynamite one-two punch of workhorse Carlos Boozer (21.4 ppg, 10.5 rpg) and lightening quick Deron Williams (19 ppg). There is excellent depth with Mehmet Okur (14.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg), and role players like Ronnie Brewer, Andrei Kirilenko and Paul Millsap.
Utah is nearly unbeatable at home, starting 35-4 SU and 27-12 ATS. On the road, however, all that youth still struggles, starting 16-22 SU, 15-23 ATS. You've got to be able to bring your 'A' game on the road in the postseason if you want to advance.
Spurs: San Antonio knows what it takes to play championship basketball in the postseason, having won titles in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007. Defense is their calling card, allowing 44% shooting by opponents, fifth-best, and 90 ppg, tops in the West. This is a veteran team with defensive stalwarts Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen.
They have offensive stars in Duncan, sparkplug Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and role players in Brent Barry and Michael Finley. They appeared to coast in midseason while battling injuries, but are healthy now and on a roll, at 9-1 SU, 7-3 ATS. The last three years in the Alamodome, the Spurs have gone 27-20, 27-15 and 21-15 under the total. The NBA title must go threw San Antonio, but note they are 5-10 SU, 6-9 ATS as a dog.
Mavericks: No one knows what to make of Dallas. A year ago, they were the favorites to win the title after a dominating regular season. Then came another playoff flop, this time to Golden State in the first round. They really haven't recovered, even going so far as to shake things up in midseason by trading away youth and depth for veteran Jason Kidd.
Dallas has star power behind 7-foot Dirk Nowitzki (23.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg) and Kidd, a quick guard in Jason Terry (15 ppg), sparkplug Josh Howard (20 ppg) and sixth-man Jerry Stackhouse. There's enough talent to be a great team, but there appears to be something missing. They don't step up as a dog, at 4-10, and Dallas is a poor 17-22 SU, 18-21 ATS on the road. They are the only team you wouldn't be shocked if they got to the Finals, or got swept in the first round.
|
Jim Feist is the recognized leader in the sports information and sports gaming industry. For more than 20 years his acclaim has become unparalleled. He is the publisher of numerous books and publications including the Jim Feist Pro and College Football Annuals. His football, basketball and baseball schedules are the true source of the Official Nevada Rotation and are considered the standard by pr ...