Back to make some more NBA predictions, and the NBA has a whopping 13 games scheduled for Valentine's Day. Too bad none of us will be watching them.. Anywho! There's some difficult games, and some that I feel are fairly easy calls. I'm going to take shots at some from both categories.
San Antonio (3.5) at Detroit (-3.5)
The Spurs woke up from their road trip nightmare with a cake-walk win over the decimated Nets. Knife or I should have predicted this in the blog, but we were too lazy to post. The Spurs play back to back with a trip to Motor City, but should be fresh having rested their starters in a blow out. Somewhat related, I heard Steve Kerr recently testify that one of the great myths in the NBA is that back-to-back games are a big disadvantage. He said barring injuries, this is not true. The players get to rest the entire second day without practicing, and actually feel more rested at game time. Anyway, I see the Spurs carrying some momentum into this game and perhaps winning in Detroit.
Milwaukie (N/A) at Boston (N/A)
The losing streak ends. Milwaukie is a lame duck team right now with no Michael Redd. Villanueva would have been a weapon for them to use on Boston's weaker interior defense, but he's injured again. Paul Pierce looked to be in form against the Timberwolves, and he should have his way on V-Day. If the Celtics can't with this game, they could certainly threaten that NBA longest losing streak of 23 games. My crystal ball says The Truth will be told : Celtics win by double-digits.
Cleveland (4.5) at Utah (-4.5)
How 'bout those Jazz? No Boozer, no problem. Mehmet Okur is developing into one of the most clutch players in the league. The game: Cleveland is perhaps the easiest team in the NBA to gameplan for. Their offensive schemes are non-existent - give the ball to LeBron and watch him go one-on-one, somebody chuck up a three if he dishes ... ugh. Boring to watch when LBJ isn't throwing it down, too. The Jazz have a two-pronged attack to stick into Bron Bron called Kirilenko & Harpring. AK47 will hound him with his perimeter defense and Harpring will throw his Bron-sized frame into him the rest of the time. Jazz win this game handily.
Portland (7) at Orlando (-7)
The Blazers are a reflection of Nate McMillan right now - scrappy and proud even as they take losses from more mature teams. I contest that this team is a good pick whenever they are heavy underdogs. The Blazers are coming off a double-digit loss to the Heat that was closer than the final score suggests - Wade's Superman act in the fourth quarter of that game blew it out of proportion. Against the Magic (a young team in their own right), the Blazers keep it close and have a chance to win.
Denver (N/A) at Minnesota (N/A)
Two mediocre teams, but this game has huge implications for the Western Conference playoffs race. The X-Factor for this game was Camby, who had been missing time with a sore groin. He played on monday, but didn't appear completely healthy. Still, his presense should be enough to keep Denver in this game. I think it goes down to the wire with both teams laying it all on the line. This game could determine if either of these teams has the will to drive for a playoff seed in the crowded West. I'll stick my neck out and say the Wolves win by a bucket or two at home.
Washington (-1) at Philadelphia (1)
Gilbert Arenas is one strange cat. Having just stuffed his foot down his throat with his "I'm gonna drop 50 on the Blazers" prediction, he should be reining in that monster ego for a bit. He and Eddie Jordan are making nice after their incredibly lame media-mediated cat fight following that loss. I think Washington is far from a good team right now, but they should be able to handle the lowly Sixers. You can tune into Sports Center hoping for some new cryptic riddles from Arenas, but I think all you'll get is some nice dunk highlights from Iguodala and a final score of Washington 105, Philadelphia 100 (oh no he did-int!).
That's a wrap - Jet out.
Image: Brian Babineau (NBAE) via Getty Images
No comments:
Post a Comment