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October 28th, 2012 By Andrew Ryan

NBA Basketball Power Ratings

Our staff has developed NBA basketball power ratings with up to date rankings and how we as handicappers see these teams. We will list our NBA team rankings on a week by week basis and as much as possible. You can check this page for up to date NBA power ratings from Cappersinfo Sports Handicapping. Thanks for visiting and don’t forget to check out all the free sports picks in the forums and free picks monitor, other sports betting information, and NBA basketball predictions for sports handicappers!

Cappersinfo Current NBA Power Rankings
(2012-13 Preseason Power Rankings)

1: Miami Heat (0-0) – It is clear that the Heat are going to be the team to beat this year in the Eastern Conference. LeBron James is one of the favorites on the odds to win the MVP Award, and he is going to be joined by Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh as well. This is the best threesome in the league in all likelihood, and when you add in there the newly acquired Ray Allen, it is possible that this team is even better than it was last year when it won the whole enchilada.

2: Los Angeles Lakers (0-0) – The Lakers went out and made the bold move of the offseason, finding a way to get Dwight Howard to Tinseltown. Sure, the truth of the matter is that giving up Andrew Bynum will hurt, but this is really a big time acquisition. Steve Nash is here to try to get his first NBA Championship, and he is going to be hoping that this is the stop that he needs to find in order to finally win it all. In the end, this is still a team that belongs to Kobe Bryant, who is going to be shooting for yet another championship this year.

3: Oklahoma City Thunder (0-0) – Oklahoma City certainly didn’t end up doing itself any favors in all likelihood when it was more or less forced to trade James Harden to the Rockets. Now, the Thunder are really going to be relying upon just Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, who are going to be two of the best scorers in the NBA this year. It definitely isn’t a given to think that Oklahoma City is going to be back in the Western Conference Finals for the third straight season. Still, this is one of the best teams in the NBA for sure.

4: San Antonio Spurs (0-0) – The Spurs are a tough team every single year, and last year’s 50-16 effort was definitely not one to forget. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker are at the tail end of their careers, but this is a team that is rebuilding and reloading all at the same time. The rest of the Southwest Division is improved, but in our eyes, this is clearly team that is the best in the bunch in that division.

5: Los Angeles Clippers (0-0) – We have to remember that Chauncey Billups is going to be back, and the veterans that were picked up are going to be great additions to the club. Lamar Odom can’t do any worse than he was last year in Dallas, and Grant Hill can clearly still play. Jamal Crawford was a nice addition as well. If this team can stay healthy this year, the Clip Joint could be competitive.

6: Chicago Bulls (0-0) – The rest of the East is in a heck of a lot of trouble with the way that the Heat are this year, but the truth of the matter is that the Bulls might be able to give them a fight. Derrick Rose isn’t going to start off the season healthy, but he is going to be back by the playoffs one would think, and this is still a solid team even without him.

7: Dallas Mavericks (0-0) – We really like what the Mavs have done this year by bringing in some notable pieces around Dirk Nowitzki. Darren Collison was able to get the Pacers into the playoffs last year as a competitive team, and this might be exactly what he is able to do this time around as well with his new team. The Mavs only won 36 games last year and petered out the playoffs relatively quickly as well, but this could be a big time year for a team in a division that has improved, but still isn’t all that remarkable.

8: Brooklyn Nets (0-0) – The Nets have finished their rebuilding, and they are going to be going at it with the four stars of Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace, Brook Lopez, and Joe Johnson. Kris Humphries will lead a team that is solid on the bench as well. The Atlantic Division might be the best from top to bottom in the league this year, but that doesn’t mean that there really are any remarkable teams. There just aren’t. This is a big time statement year for the Nets, and they really could be one of the favorites in the East this year.

9: Boston Celtics (0-0) – The Celtics have tried to get their team renovated in the offseason. They gave up on Ray Allen, who is now in Miami, and they drafted two big men in Fab Melo and Jared Sullinger, who should help out Kevin Garnett when he needs a blow. Rajon Rondo is considered an MVP candidate this year, and for good reason. He is a triple-double threat every single game. Remember “The Captain” as well, as Paul Pierce hasn’t gone anywhere and can still light it up when he is given the chance. Still, this is a team that is way behind the rest of the big boys in the East.

10: Denver Nuggets (0-0) – Denver gave up on Nene, but it did pick up Andre Iguodala, a man that finally gives the team a shooting guard that it can rely upon. Kenneth Faried proved last year that he can be a legitimate power forward in this league, and Danilo Gallinari can still shoot the ball from all over the place on the court. There are enough scorers to make the Nuggs contenders this year, but if they are going to go anywhere in the playoffs, they’ll need to play some better defense, and Iguodala was a crucial piece to the puzzle.

11: Memphis Grizzlies (0-0) – The Grizz are basically rolling with the exact same team that won 41 games last year. That’s a good thing for the sake of consistency, but it isn’t all that great knowing that strides upon strides of improvement really had to be made to get this team to the verge of the NBA Finals once again. Perhaps getting a full year out of Zach Randolph will help… but then again, maybe it won’t when push comes to shove.

12: Philadelphia 76ers (0-0) – Philly traded away arguably the face of its franchise in Andre Iguodala, but it did pick up a big man in Andrew Bynum that could be a difference maker in the East with Dwight Howard now playing in the West. However, Bynum has to be healthy for him to make an impact, and he just isn’t there at this point and has always been a problem in his career. The Sixers are only going to be as good as their team defense turns out to be.

13: Indiana Pacers (0-0) – Some have a lot of confidence this year in the Pacers, but call us pessimists. We just don’t think that they are going to be able to keep up with the Bulls, and though there are plenty of wins to be had in the Central Division, the rest of the East as a whole is probably better than it was last year. A first round date in the playoffs with a team that had no business being in the second season at all won’t happen again this year, and unless Danny Granger really steps it up and becomes the MVP of the league, this isn’t a team that is going to win more than about 48 games or so, and that won’t be good enough to be a legitimate contender in the East.

14: New York Knicks (0-0) – We really have the same sort of feeling here about the Knicks in the Atlantic Division. Carmelo Anthony is great, and bringing in Raymond Felton was the right move at the point guard spot. Amare Stoudemire can score and rebound, but he is an overrated player that is eating up far too much of the salary cap as we speak. Head Coach Mike Woodson had the team playing well at times last year, but this is a different team and one that probably isn’t going to ultimately do all that much when push comes to shove. The playoffs? Yes. Anything more than perhaps the second round of the playoffs? Absolutely not.

15: Utah Jazz (0-0) – The consummate “team” concept rules the day in Utah, as there really aren’t any bona fide stars to take the lead role. That’s the problem when it comes to be the playoffs, but it is a concept that works and works well in the regular season. It should be another great year for Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap in the paint, but the backcourt really remains void of stars. The team just never really got back optimal value for Deron Williams two years ago, and though there are some nice pieces to the puzzle, there aren’t any championship forming players back there.

16: Houston Rockets (0-0) – Give the Rockets credit for trying absolutely everything imaginable in the offseason. They positioned themselves to have three picks in the first round of the NBA Draft this year and were ready to trade those to get Dwight Howard. They failed. They made the big time offers to Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin, both of which were accepted. Now, they’ve gone out and dealt for James Harden from the Thunder. Still, when you really look at this club, this is what you see… Jeremy Lin, James Harden, Chandler Parsons, Patrick Patterson, Omer Asik, Marcus Morris, Royce White, Terrence Jones, Carlos Delfino. That really doesn’t excite us all that much, and we aren’t that sure that Houston really went in the right direction this year at all.

17: Phoenix Suns (0-0) – Always mired in mediocrity, this season is no exception for the Suns. Steve Nash is gone, but the truth of the matter is that he was holding up the progression in the career of Goran Dragic. Luis Scola was a nice pickup from Houston, and Channing Frye and Michael Beasley can both knock down a ton of shots from the outside. Marcin Gortat is still proving that he is one of the better evolving centers in the game as well.

18: New Orleans Hornets (0-0) – Alright, maybe we’re crazy for putting the Hornets up this year, but again, we like what we see. There was no way that this team was 21-45 bad last year, even after trading Chris Paul to the Clippers. Austin Rivers can run the point, and Anthony Davis gives this team that oomph in the middle defensively that it badly needs. Adding Ryan Anderson from the Magic should pay off as well, as he is a force on the outside and can do some rebounding when needed as well. Playoffs? Don’t count the Hornets totally out of it if Davis and Rivers can step in and be legitimate NBA starters.

19: Atlanta Hawks (0-0) – The Hawks might very well rue the day that they traded Joe Johnson to the Nets. They clearly are trying to make a run at some big time free agents down the line, and that means opening up some cap space. That’s what they did when they dealt Johnson, but trading the face of your franchise isn’t always the best idea in the world. Atlanta might be a playoff team in the East, but then again, it might not either.

20: Golden State Warriors (0-0) – We’re buying what the Warriors are selling this year under second year Head Coach Mark Jackson. The trade for Andrew Bogut was something that was genius in our eyes, and Harrison Barnes brings more depth and length to a team that badly needed some of it. Factor in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and their abilities to shoot the ball from all over the place, and David Lee doing his job in the paint, and the abilities are definitely there for this team. However, defense is still an issue. If Jackson can get this club rolling in the right direction, the Warriors could become a playoff team very quickly.

21: Minnesota Timberwolves (0-0) – Health is really the big problem here for the T-Wolves this year. Kevin Love is going to miss the first month of the season after breaking his hand, and it is anyone’s guess when Ricky Rubio is going to ultimately be able to come back in the lineup. When those two things happen though, Minnesota can play. Remember that Brandon Roy might be able to provide this team with a spark if he can get back to the form that he was in a couple of years ago with the Blazers, and Derrick Williams is only going to get better with his increased minutes in Love’s absence.

22: Portland Trail Blazers (0-0) – Portland picked up Damian Lillard in the NBA Draft, and he might prove to be one of the best point guards that the league has seen add in quite some time. Nicolas Batum and LaMarcus Aldridge are going to have to lead the way in the scoring department, and Wesley Matthews has to continue to step up. The core is here for the Blazers, but the fact of the matter is that they are just miles behind a ton of other teams in the Western Conference.

23: Toronto Raptors (0-0) – Toronto gave up a ton to get Kyle Lowry, but he immediately comes to the Great White North and might make the Raptors somewhat relevant again. Andrea Bargnani has actually evolved into a player, and Terrence Ross hopes to come in and prove that he can play right away in this league. The team isn’t particularly deep though, and that could be a cause for concern going forward for a team that doesn’t have a first round draft pick this coming year.

24: Milwaukee Bucks (0-0) – Now that the Bucks have had the offseason to groom Monta Ellis with Brandon Jennings, they are going to have a shot to get back in the playoff race in the back end of the Eastern Conference. Not that that’s saying a whole heck of a lot, because the No. 8 seed knows that it has just four games to play before getting sent packing once again. We’d rather be in the NBA Draft lottery instead.

25: Washington Wizards (0-0) – The backcourt that the Wizards have put together might be one of the best in the league, knowing that both John Wall and Bradley Beal can score from all over the court. Is the frontcourt even remotely worthy, though? That’s the real question. The godsend for Washington is that the rest of the Southeast really stinks, and it might even be able to sneak into the back of the playoffs if the Hawks prove to be horrid as well.

26: Cleveland Cavaliers (0-0) – The Cavs are going to be a fun team to watch grow this year around Kyrie Irving. There are a bunch of youngsters that are coming in to try to help, but Tyler Zeller and Tristan Thompson aren’t likely there yet to be able to get this team very far out of the gutter in the Central Division. The good news is that there are some atrocious teams in the Central, so even finishing third isn’t out of the question. But that doesn’t mean that there are going to be more than 30 wins.

27: Detroit Pistons (0-0) – The Pistons have been woeful for years, and this season isn’t going to be all that much different. Brandon Knight and Rodney Stuckey in the backcourt is a decent start, while Greg Monroe is a force in the middle, but the team isn’t all that deep and really doesn’t have any stars to speak of whatsoever.

28: Orlando Magic (0-0) – When the faces of your franchise are Jameer Nelson and JJ Redick, you’re in trouble. Orlando really blew apart its whole team in the Dwight Howard trade, and the effort is now there to ultimately rebuild two or three years into the future. As a result, this is going to go from a team that really wasn’t all that far from a title to one that is going to be a train wreck of epic proportions.

29: Sacramento Kings (0-0) – More young pieces have come together in Sacramento, but does the team really have the goods to ultimately be even remotely competitive game in and game out? Probably not. DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans should be the start of a great team one would think, but closer analysis shows that this club just doesn’t play like a team. If that doesn’t change, there is no way that the Kings are going to win even 30 games.

30: Charlotte Bobcats (0-0) – The Bobcats just can’t be any worse than they were last year, but they don’t have nearly enough pieces to the puzzle to make up for a team that literally finished off as the worst team in the history of the NBA last year at just 7-59. Getting to 25 wins would be an accomplishment for the Cats.

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June 10th, 2012 By Andrew Ryan
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And then there were two… The Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to be battling it out on the NBA Finals odds starting on Tuesday night. These are two of the most talented teams that we have seen in the league this year, and in this marathon of a season comes to a close, it is clear that one of these clubs is going to be well deserving champions.

#2 Miami Heat vs. #1 Oklahoma City Thunder Series Preview & Pick

We hate to think of this game as the “old guard” against the “new guard,” but that’s almost what this looks like. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James were here with the Heat last year, and these stars are in the middling stages of their careers. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, and James Harden have all been growing up together over the course of the last few years, and the team is now just four wins short of the ultimate reward, winning the NBA Championship. Remember that this team was atrocious just four years ago. Then came the first round of the playoffs. Then came the Western Conference Finals. And now, the Thunder are here in the NBA Finals for the first time since moving to Oklahoma City and the second time in the history of the franchise.

The Heat are clearly one of the best teams in the league and have been the favorites to win the NBA Finals for really the last two years. Of course, getting the Super Friends together was supposed to be the key to winning title after title in South Beach, but in the end, if this is the second straight year that Miami gets into the NBA Finals, only to lose, there would be a lot of explaining to do.

LeBron is coming off of a big time end of this series against the Boston Celtics. He scored 45 points against the C’s in Game 6 on the road, and then he came home and scored 31 points and had 12 boards in the series-clinching victory. D-Wade had a much better go of it in Game 7 than he did in Game 6, scoring 23 points, and Bosh had 19 points and eight boards off of the bench. That being said, the rest of the role players for this team just haven’t been all that remarkable, and that was what really killed the Heat last year. Will Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem, Shane Battier, Mike Miller, James Jones, and the likes be able to step up their game and help this team out? That might be the big question right now in this series.

Meanwhile for Oklahoma City, the key is going to be the help around Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. These three are the key cogs for this roster, and they do the majority of the scoring for the club, but what we have seen here in the playoffs is all sorts of other players stepping up to the task. Thabo Sefolosha, Serge Ibaka, and Kendrick Perkins did tremendously against the Spurs, and it can’t be underestimated just how important Derek Fisher has been to the club as well.

This really should be a fantastic series. Both of these teams have the ability to get the job done, but in the end, we think that home court advantage is going to work to the edge of Oklahoma City. Take the Thunder in a relatively long series.

Oklahoma City Thunder in 6 (-165)

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May 27th, 2012 By Andrew Ryan
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The Eastern Conference Finals is set to get underway, and it is clear that two of the best teams in the conference, the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics are going to be involved in the soiree. This should be a fantastic series, and many think that the winner of this series is going to go on to win the 2012 NBA Championship. Don’t miss out on all of our Boston vs. Miami picks for the postseason!

#4 Boston Celtics vs. #2 Miami Heat Series Preview & Pick

The Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics clearly don’t like each other. The Celtics were formed by bringing all sorts of big time names together for a run at glory, and they were able to get the job done. That’s why the Heat wanted to get their trio of stars together. Now, Boston is clearly at the tail end of its domination, while Miami is just trying to make its run for its first title. The two would love nothing more than to be able to end the other’s season in the Eastern Conference Finals.

With all of the big time names that are in the playoffs right now, the one that might be the MVP of the bunch is Rajon Rondo. Rondo was more or less just “that fourth guy” that was the glue to Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce and their stardom, but he has rounded into the most important player on the team. Head Coach Doc Rivers called Rondo the quarterback of the club for good reason. He is third on the team in scoring here in the postseason, and he is averaging over a dozen assists and nearly seven rebounds per game as well. Rondo’s Game 7 triple-double against the Philadelphia 76ers was one of the best and most important games that a Celtic has ever had, and it marked his ninth career playoff triple-double. Pierce and Garnett are both doing well in the postseason as well, averaging 19.3 and 19.2 points per game between them, but the rest of the team just seems to be full of liabilities. Allen looks old and slow, and with Avery Bradley out for the rest of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery, defense could be a big problem now that Boston is running into a solid offensive club with superstars on it for the first time in these playoffs.

The Heat have officially woken up. They were down 2-1 in the series to the Indiana Pacers a week and a half ago, and they were coming off of a stretch of five games in which they were beaten three times and nearly beaten a fourth. However, without Chris Bosh in the fold, Miami has gone on a great run, winning three straight games in dominating fashion to get to this point. The question though, is who will take over for Bosh in the paint? Udonis Haslem is the most likely candidate, but the better hope is that Bosh will be able to come back from this abdomen injury at some point in this series. We just don’t know if it is going to happen, though. That being said, LeBron and D-Wade are averaging over 50 points per game between them, but beyond those two and Mario Chalmers, no one on the club is averaging more than the 5.3 points per game of Mike Miller.

These two teams really just don’t like each other, and it is going to show once again over the course of the next two weeks. The lack of off days is going to come back to really hurt Boston though, as the more youthful legs of the Heat should be able to get through this series and all of the travel that is necessary a heck of a lot better. We know that the Celtics were able to win the final three games that these teams played in the regular season this year, but this is a different looking Miami team. This series might look a heck of a lot like last year’s series in the second round, when the Heat disposed of the C’s in five games.

Miami Heat in 5 (-500)

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May 24th, 2012 By Andrew Ryan
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The Western Conference Finals is set to get underway, and it is clear that the two best teams in the entire playoffs, the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to be involved in the soiree. This should be a fantastic series, and many think that the winner of this series is going to go on to win the 2012 NBA Championship. Don’t miss out on all of our Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio picks for the postseason!

#2 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. #1 San Antonio Spurs Series Preview & Pick

The old guard vs. the new guard. The value of depth vs. two of the biggest stars in the game. These are all ways that we can bill this series between the Spurs and the Thunder. They clearly are two totally different teams, but both excel at what they do to the highest of levels.

We’ll start with the Thunder. They have had to play in some tight games over the course of the first two rounds of the playoffs, particularly at home. Oklahoma City has won all five of its games played in front of its hometown crowd, but three of those games really came down to the wire. There is just one loss here in the playoffs for the Thunder, an almost predictable Game 3 loss at Staples Center against the Los Angeles Lakers. Still, there is no shame whatsoever in the fact that the Thunder have gone through the defending NBA champs, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Lakers in a total of just nine games. Kevin Durant is averaging 26.7 points per game, and Russell Westbrook is good for 24.1 points per game. James Harden has been off just a bit at 17.0 points per game, while Serge Ibaka doesn’t quite have the numbers that we are expecting either at 9.8 points, 6.1 boards, and 3.7 blocks per game. Still, it’s all going right at the moment for Oklahoma City, and it is tough to ignore just how talented this team really is when push comes to shove.

The Spurs were the most dangerous offensive team in the game this past season, and they did it with their depth. They know that they can count on any number of players, even here in the playoffs, and true to their form, the Spurs have had nine different players average at least 5.6 points per game here in the postseason. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili know what it takes to win a title, and they are still the three leading scorers on this team, though all of them have had their minutes cut just a bit over the course of the first two rounds of the playoffs. It’s working though, as there really has only been one close game in the postseason. San Antonio is 8-0 SU and 7-1 ATS in the playoffs, and it is now 18-0 SU and 15-2-1 ATS dating back to the regular season. We haven’t seen a run the likes of this in quite some time in the NBA, and especially in this condensed season, this has been a remarkable feat. The Spurs have had the easier of the two roads to the Western Conference Finals for sure, going through the Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz, but as the No. 1 seed in the West, they deserved that easier road.

Last year, the Thunder just didn’t have enough to figure out how to get through the Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. This year, we think that they are going to really suffer a similar fate. The Spurs are just playing too well right now, and they have too many more options to turn to. If Oklahoma City doesn’t take one of these first two games in the Lone Star State, this series could be over relatively quickly, and though we think that most of the games are going to be tight when push comes to shove, we also think that the Spurs are going to ultimately win this series in just five games.
San Antonio Spurs in 5 (-210)

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April 28th, 2012 By Andrew Ryan
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The eight series in the NBA playoffs get underway this weekend with a slew of action on the hardwood. Check out how we stack up the NBA series prices and the NBA futures odds that are on the board for this weekend!

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Chicago Bulls Series Preview & Pick

The Bulls are clearly the better team in this series, and the only question is whether the series is going to end up being a sweep or not. The 76ers just don’t have the offense to be able to keep up with a team that has a ton of talent on both sides of the court. Derrick Rose being back in the fold is going to make a heck of a lot of a difference in this series, and even if he only averages 25 minutes per game, it should be more than enough for Chicago to make quick, quick work of the worst team in the playoffs as we see it.

Chicago Bulls in 4 (-1350)

New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat Series Preview & Pick

The Heat really can’t like the fact that they are stuck in this draw against the Knicks, knowing that they are facing a team that has the talent to be one of the best teams in the league. Carmelo Anthony is just on fire at the moment, and the Knicks are playing great team defense with Tyson Chandler manning the fort in the paint and Iman Shumpert doing the guarding on the outside. In the end though, we do think that Miami is going to find some way, whether by hook or by crook, to get the job done in this series, though we do think that New York is going to put up a heck of a lot more of a fight than most think.

Miami Heat in 6 (-900)

Orlando Magic vs. Indiana Pacers Series Preview & Pick

Many are just writing off the Magic at this point, knowing that they are coming into this series without Dwight Howard, the heart and soul of their team. That being said, we think that Head Coach Stan Van Gundy is one of the best coaches in the NBA, and he can find a way to tighten the ropes around the Pacers, who are really playing for the first time in the playoffs as the “favored” team since Reggie Miller retired. Indiana has had no luck over the course of the last two years or so with Orlando, granted, with Howard playing in the lineup. That being said, the sharpshooters that the Magic have at their disposal might be able to win this series by themselves. Against better competition, this theory won’t work, but against Indiana, there is definitely a real chance that Orlando finds a way out of this series.

Orlando Magic in 7 (+600)

Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Series Preview & Pick

Last year when these two teams met, the Thunder were the slight favorites to win the series and move on to the NBA Finals. Little did we know that Dallas’ defense was going to carry the way once again past the Lakers and the Thunder and all the way to the team’s first ever title. This is a different year, though. Fortunately, James Harden is healthy after taking that wicked elbow from Metta World Peace just a week ago, and he, Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Durant make up the best scoring trio in the league. The experience that this Oklahoma City team has picked up over the course of the last two years should serve it well. We just don’t think that Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks have the horses this year to get the job done.

Oklahoma City Thunder in 5 (-500)

Utah Jazz vs. San Antonio Spurs Series Preview & Pick

The Spurs made the mistake last year of losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Grizzlies as the No. 1 seed, and we just don’t see how they are going to be making that same mistake again. The Jazz are a very young team, and many of the players that are going to be on the court are going to be playing in their first playoff series. Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan aren’t going to let San Antonio fail again, and even if they aren’t at their best, there are just too many players that have the ability to go off for big time scoring games to keep this team down. The strength in numbers is there for the Spurs, and though Utah has had a good history of sticking around with this team, we just don’t see it happening this time around.

San Antonio Spurs in 5 (-2150)

Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers Series Preview & Pick

The Lakers are certainly not a lock to get out of the first round of the playoffs this year. Metta World Peace is going to be sidelined for the first six games of this series after throwing that elbow at James Harden last weekend, and that is going to make the supporting cast for Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum. The Nuggets are going to use their depth to try to counter the Lakers, and as we have seen in the past, it is possible to frustrate the heck out of this team, even here in the playoffs. We do think that LA is going to survive, but in the end, it is going to be a very tough series that goes the distance.

Los Angeles Lakers in 7 (-240)

Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks Series Preview & Pick

What an odd series this is! The Celtics are the better of these two teams, and they are the higher seed, but the Hawks are going to start off at home after finishing with a better record. This is really the closest thing to a tossup series that we have in the first round, and we still believe that the Hawks can find their way to three victories out of four games at home, along with scratching out a ‘W’ on the road at some point. The C’s have played a lot better ball in the second half of the season, but we think that window of opportunity for another title for Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce gets slammed shut at some point over the course of the next two weeks.

Atlanta Hawks in 6 (+165)

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Memphis Grizzlies Series Preview & Pick

The Grizzlies and Clippers fought it out for the No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5 seeds right until the end of the season, and in the end, the Grizz got the best of the Clips to get home court advantage. This has been a brutal travel schedule for LA, which has had to go from New York back to LA, and now over to Memphis in a relatively short stretch of time. To make matters worse, Blake Griffin, a man who really isn’t a great defender, is going to have to deal with Zach Randolph and the rest of the bigs for the Grizz in the paint. In the end, this just doesn’t look like a pretty series for Los Angeles, knowing that it has had an absolutely atrocious time trying to win big games on the road this year.

Memphis Grizzlies in 5 (-210)

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February 25th, 2012 By Andrew Ryan

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We are at the halfway point of the NBA betting campaign, and there are season win totals that are posted once again that we are analyzing.

Atlanta Hawks Over 37.5 Wins at SportBet.com: The Hawks need 18 wins over the course of the rest of the season, and we tend to think that they are going to get the job done. The Orlando Magic probably aren’t going to be as good after trading Dwight Howard (assuming that’s what happens), and Atlanta still has plenty of games left against the likes of Charlotte and Washington. Al Horford could be back in the lineup at the end of the year, and that might only help out. This is a team that has been through a heck of a lot this year, and we think that this is a team that is going to win 40 games this year.

Houston Rockets Over 35.5 Wins at SportBet.com: The Rockets have already won 20 games this year, and we tend to think that asking them to win just 16 games in the second half of the season shouldn’t be all that much. This is a team that is dominating at home at times, and there are some big time road wins as well. Head Coach Kevin McHale has done an awesome job keeping this team together in spite of all that could have gone wrong after an offseason in which seemingly half the team was set to get shipped out of town as a part of the Chris Paul deal.

Los Angeles Clippers Under 43.5 Wins at SportBet.com: Getting the Clippers to win 44 games in a regular 82 game season is hard as it is, but in this shortened campaign, matters are even harder. The team only won 20 games in the first half of the season, and the team has only played 15 games this year on the road with just about a .500 mark. Without Chauncey Billups in the fold for the second half of the year, the Clippers probably aren’t getting much beyond the 40 win mark this year in total.

Minnesota Timberwolves Over 29.5 Wins at SportBet.com: Ah, why not? The T’Wolves have 17 wins already on the season, and they are only going to need to win 13 in the second half of the year to get the job done. Call us crazy, but even in the stout Western Conference, we think that the Wolves have a great chance of finishing .500 on the campaign and might be able to even challenge for a playoff spot. Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio are going to bring this team into the future with gusto.

Orlando Magic Over 37.5 Wins at SportBet.com: Blah. We really don’t like the Magic this year, knowing that they really should trade Dwight Howard, but in the end, GM Otis Smith has proven that he is an idiot of a general manager and might make the huge mistake of not trading the cornerstone of his franchise at the deadline. We aren’t writing this team off even if Howard does get traded, knowing that there are going to be some big time pieces of the puzzle coming back. Don’t discount the possibility of the team trading for Deron Williams as well to pair with Howard in O-Town, and if that’s the case, this is a team that could win 45 games this year.

Sacramento Kings Over 21.5 Wins at SportBet.com: The Kings won 11 games in the first half of the season, and they played nine more games on the road than they did at home. This team also played a heck of a lot better ball once Paul Westphal was kicked out of Sacramento. Don’t think that the Kings are going to be a playoff team this year, but asking this team to win just 11 more games in the second half of the season shouldn’t be all that difficult, especially knowing that they are a team with a winning record at home this year.

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June 11th, 2011 By Andrew Ryan

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NBA Finals betting action could be all said and done on Sunday night in South Beach. If those NBA Finals picks are accurate, the Dallas Mavericks will be celebrating, as they have the 3-2 series lead. The hosts, the Miami Heat, are going to hope to extend this series by beating the NBA Finals odds on Sunday night.

NBA Playoffs Preview: Dallas Mavericks @ Miami Heat Game 6
Date: Sunday, June 12th, 8:00 ET
Location: American Airlines Arena, Miami , FL
Game Line: Miami -6
Over/Under 187

Mavericks Notes: The Mavericks are right there on the cusp of their first championship for the first time in team history. Dirk Nowitzki, a man who was always was berated by the media for his lack of production in the fourth quarter of big games, has put all of those myths to rest once and for all. Dirk came up with 29 points in spite of the fact that he has been battling both a finger injury and an illness in Game 5. It really has felt like every time the Mavericks have needed a big shot in these playoffs, Nowitzki has been the man knocking it down. He has scored at least 20+ points in eight straight games now, and he is going to be expected to keep that up. The key though, has been all of the other players that are stepping up their game. DeShawn Stevenson has become a great role player off of the bench in his brand new role, while the man that stepped in for him, Jose Barea, came up with 17 points for his second straight double digit scoring game on Friday night. Shawn Marion was pedestrian in Game 5, but he has had a few big time games in these playoffs of 20+ point performances. Jason Kidd had 13 points and has been a calming influence in the offense the entire postseason. Tyson Chandler has been up and down, and it really seems like when he plays well offensively, Dallas wins. Jason Terry just had the best game of his Finals to date in Game 5, coming up big with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting.

Heat Notes: Miami has officially been hit with the best shot of the Mavericks. We’ve continued saying for this entire season (and the entire postseason for that matter) that the combination of the big time scorers and a few contributions here and there from some role players is the key for victory for the Heat. Over the course of the season, the problem has been the role players. Now, Mario Chalmers is playing like a star off of the bench, knocking down multiple three pointers in four of the five games thus far in this series. The problem is actually LeBron James. The former son of the Cleveland Cavaliers came to South Beach to have a better supporting cast around him. However, when push comes to shove, he is the problem child right now. He didn’t have a 20+ point scoring game in the three games played in Dallas in this series, including an eight point dud in Game 4. Sure, after he said that it was “go time” in Game 5, he put up a triple-double, but 10 boards, 10 assists, and 17 points on 8-of-19 shooting just isn’t going to cut it, especially in a game in which there were over 210 points put on the board. Chris Bosh is definitely the third star of this bunch, and it’s hard to argue with him putting up 19, 24, and 18 points over the course of the three games on the road in this series. He’s only had one double-double, which is a bit questionable for a man who averaged 8.3 rebounds per game in the regular season, but Head Coach Erik Spoelstra can’t count on any more than that. Dwyane Wade has been great in this series and is sure to be the MVP if Miami comes back to win it all. He is battling all sorts of injuries, including a hip which kept him out of the first half of the third quarter on Friday night.

The Final Word: Miami just looks like the walking wounded out there right now. LeBron looks mentally hurt. Wade is definitely physically hurt. And the truth of the matter is that Bosh was never carrying a team to a title, which is why he left the Toronto Raptors. Meanwhile, it seems like Barea, Terry, Nowitzki, Kidd, and so many other stars could step up for the Mavericks, and the way that things are going right now, we are a tad puzzled as to why the Heat are favored by this many points. Miami might win, but we are going to stick with the Mavs to lock up the title for the first time in team history on Sunday.

Free NBA Playoffs Picks: Dallas Mavericks +6
Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks Prediction: Dallas 91 – Miami 87

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June 8th, 2011 By Andrew Ryan

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The pivotal Game 5 picks for the NBA Finals will be made here at Cappers Info, as the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat engage in a battle to beat the NBA Finals odds. The winner of this game will break the 2-2 series deadlock and determine which team will be fighting for the right to win the title this weekend in South Beach for Game 6.

NBA Playoffs Preview: Miami Heat @ Dallas Mavericks Game 5
Date: Thursday, June 9th, 9:00 ET
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Game Line: Dallas -1
Over/Under 184.5

Heat Notes: The man that is going to be taking all of the heat in the world for Miami over the course of the rest of this series is LeBron James. The man that was the “Chosen Boy” for the Cleveland Cavaliers was never quite able to get the Cavs all the way through the Promised Land, and now, he is coming off of one of the worst performances of his entire career with a chance to really stamp the NBA Finals on the line. James shot just 3-of-11 from the floor and scored eight points. He had more turnovers (4) than made baskets (3), and that really erased the fact that he had a ton of assists (7) and rebounds (9). Of course, the 86-83 Game 4 loss also marked the first time in this series that no one was really able to step up off of the bench or in an unexpected role to help out the Heat. Mario Chalmers didn’t hit a single three point basket and only had five points, and Mike Bibby was held scoreless. Mike Miller did hit two three pointers, but he was really the mass majority of the production for the bench. As always, the game really belonged to Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. Bosh scored 24 points and had six rebounds, while Wade accounted for 32 points on 13-of-20 shooting from the floor. Still, Miami held a big lead in the fourth quarter before the Dallas comeback, marking the second time this series that it was able to fight all the way back in a game late on. The Heat need to clean up their sloppy play late in games, or they’re going to lose a championship series in which they were clearly the better team.

Mavericks Notes: The job isn’t nearly done yet for the Mavericks, but they’re certainly working on improving themselves for the rest of this series. For the mass majority of this series, they have been outworked and outperformed by the Heat, but they still sit level after four games and are the same two steps away from a title that Miami is. For the second time in this series, Dirk Nowitzki really didn’t have a great game. After all, he only shot 6-of-19 from the field and scored just 21 points on Tuesday night in Game 4. However, this was the second time in which he was held to relatively iffy numbers on the stat sheet (relatively speaking, anyway), and the second time in which he was huge down the stretch to prompt a big time comeback to spark a Dallas victory. Head Coach Rick Carlisle also deserves some credit for the way that he handled his starting lineup. DeShawn Stevenson didn’t look good as a starter, and Carlisle moved him to the bench instead. Stevenson came off of the bench and knocked down three big time triples in 26 minutes of action, and he looked to play a lot better with Jason Terry off of the bench than he was as a starter. Jose Juan Barea scored eight points as a starter. Again, Tyson Chandler had a big game in the point. He scored 13 points and had 16 boards, including just a dominating performance on the offensive glass, accounting for nine rebounds on the offensive end of the court. Still, it has to be concerning that the Mavs only shot 39.7 percent from the field and had just 13 assists in total for the game.

The Final Word: We’re not all that concerned about the fact that Nowitzki is battling an illness right now, but we are concerned that we just don’t feel as though Dallas has the better team in this series. The Heat know that there is little pressure on their shoulders right now, as they just need to hold serve at home to be able to win the title. They’ll get the job done on Thursday night though, amidst a raucous crowd in Big D, and LeBron and the crew will rebound to move within one step of the NBA championship.

Free NBA Playoffs Picks: Miami Heat +1
Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks Prediction: Miami 89 – Dallas 86

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June 6th, 2011 By Andrew Ryan

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The Miami Heat have swung home court advantage back in their favor by winning Game 3 of NBA Finals betting action. Now, the Dallas Mavericks pretty much have to make for great NBA picks in Game 4, or they’ll have to win three games in a row against one of the hottest teams in the league.

NBA Playoffs Preview: Miami Heat @ Dallas Mavericks Game 4
Date: Tuesday, June 7th, 9:00 ET
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Game Line: Dallas -3
Over/Under 187

Heat Notes: It’s amazing that the Heat are still talking about having turmoil about who the “star” of the show really is in South Beach in spite of the fact that they are just two games away from winning their second championship in team history. LeBron James has largely been accepted as one of the biggest stars in the game to never win a title, and that’s why he brought his trade to Miami. He didn’t have the greatest game in the world on Sunday night, accounting for just six made baskets. LeBron had 17 points, nine assists, and three rebounds, and he was largely MIA down the stretch. The truth of the matter though, is that this is Dwyane Wade’s team, and it really always has been. Even the recently retired Shaquille O’Neal admitted that this team belonged to the “Flash” when the Heat won the title all those years ago against these Mavericks. Wade had the big time game on Sunday night, coming up with 29 points, the highest for all Miami scorers, and he had 11 boards as well. Chris Bosh, who was marred with foul trouble and had a horrible time defensively, hit some big shots down the stretch and had 18 points to boot. Mario Chalmers again came up big from beyond the arc, knocking down four three point baskets to turn up with a dozen points in his third straight big time game in this series. Miami shot just 43.6 percent from the floor, but it did have double the amount of assists (20) as turnovers (10). It overcame accounting for no more than 21 points in any of the final three quarters after jumping out to the 29-22 lead at the end of the first.

Mavericks Notes: If you’re a fan of the Mavericks, you just have to wonder whether Dirk will ever have his day or not. Dirk Nowitzki did everything that anyone ever could have asked of him in Game 3, going off for 34 points and 11 rebounds. However, when push came to shove, he missed the shot at the gun that could have sent the game to overtime instead of Dallas fans suffering a crippling 88-86 defeat. Still, it’s really hard to argue with the man that is top scorer in this series. Jason Terry really needs to step it up. He has put together some decent games, but he hasn’t had that huge game like he did here on this court against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals. He scored 15 points in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, but he definitely needs to do better than this and to blow up for the Mavs to come back and win this series. Tyson Chandler had a nice Game 3 on the glass with 11 boards, but he just wasn’t an offense threat at all, accounting for just five points. He is going to need to come up with more than this to be able to make the big time difference in the series. Shawn Marion, who had a huge second game of this series, only scored 10 points and four boards in his third ever NBA Finals duel. Dallas did outrebound Miami 42-36 in this game, but it only shot 40.0 percent from the field. Fourteen turnovers were just too many over the course of this game, especially when the Mavericks only forced 10.

The Final Word: The Mavericks really badly need this game, but this is a chance for the Heat to stick their foot on their foes’ throats. Miami lives for this moment, and after days and days about hearing how this is D-Wade’s team, we tend to believe that this is the moment that LeBron steps up and shines. Don’t be shocked if he puts on an absolutely remarkable outings, and when push comes to shove, he’ll be the one to outshine Dirk once again to give the Heat the crucial fourth game of this series. In series that were tied at one game apiece in the NBA Finals, the road team has gone on to win the third game 11 times before. They’re 11-0 in the Finals.

Free NBA Playoffs Picks: Miami Heat +3
Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks Prediction: Miami 91 – Dallas 85

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June 4th, 2011 By Andrew Ryan

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The 2011 NBA Finals are ready to rock and roll here at Cappers Info, and we have our NBA picks for the third duel between the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat.

NBA Playoffs Preview: Miami Heat @ Dallas Mavericks Game 3
Date: Sunday, June 5th, 8:00 ET
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Game Line: Dallas -2.5
Over/Under 189

Heat Notes: The Heat haven’t run across a whole heck of a lot of adversity in their run in the postseason to date. They won all three of their series in five games, and save for a blip on the screen in Game 1 against the Chicago Bulls, they haven’t trailed any of the three teams that they have faced. Now, they certainly have their adversity. Miami had a huge 15 point lead with just seven minutes to play before collapsing down the stretch. It couldn’t make free throws. It wasn’t driving the ball to the basket. It wasn’t getting any help from the supporting cast. Simply put, nothing was going right. The Heat did shoot 46.6 percent from the floor for the game, but when you consider the fact that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade must have had a half dozen dunks or easy lay ins between them, that shooting percentage doesn’t seem all that great. Shooting 16-of-24 from the charity stripe proved to be a killer. Give Wade and James credit, though. For the majority of 40 minutes, they were both aggressive with the basketball and got the ball to the hoop. Whereas it was the combination of Mario Chalmers and Mike Miller that really got the job done from the three point line in Game 1, it was Mike Bibby in Game 2 who had four three pointers. Wade ended the day with 36 points, six assists, five boards, and three steals, as he once again really stuffed the stat sheet. James had 20 points, eight boards, and four steals, but he also turned the ball over five times. Chris Bosh really hasn’t looked right in this series, as he is shooting just 9-of-34 from the field. He scored just 12 points in Game 2, numbers which just aren’t going to cut it for a man as important as this in this series.

Mavericks Notes: Dirk Nowitzki has now proven himself a worthy battalion in these playoffs. Against the Oklahoma City Thunder, he led the 15 point comeback in just four minutes that ended up breaking the backs of the new kids on the block in the Western Conference Finals. Sure, that was a fine display, and it was as good of a showing as we have seen since LeBron took over against the Detroit Pistons in 2007 and basically played them 1-on-5 on the road at the Palace of Auburn Hills. However, this one was even better and even more important for Nowitzki. The German national star looked like he was really struggling the entire night in Game 2 with his shot, perhaps being hampered by his newly injured finger with some ligament damage. However, he scored nine points in a row down the stretch, including a three pointer that capped the huge comeback to give Dallas a lead that it would never relent. Five years ago, Nowitzki was the man that the finger was being pointed at for the Mavs blowing that 2-0 series lead going back to Miami. Now, he knows that he needs just three more wins, all of which can come on his home court, to erase all of those memories and to finally bring a title to Dallas in something other than football. Of course, it wasn’t just Nowitzki that was big for Dallas. Jason Terry came off of the bench, and in a tough assignment against James, scored 16 points, while Tyson Chandler had a huge game with 13 points and seven rebounds. Shawn Marion was outstanding as well, and he was really the unsung hero on the day, scoring 20 points and coming down with eight boards. DeShawn Stevenson also hit a trio of three pointers to help out the Mavericks to boot.

The Final Word: Miami needs to be very, very careful over the course of these next two games especially. The Heat really can’t afford to fall behind 3-1, knowing that there is a do or die Game 5 that will also be played in Dallas. We definitely believe that the Heat are the better team, and we do certainly think that this series is going to end up going back to South Beach. However, on this night for Game 3, we tend to believe that Dallas is going to ride the wave of emotions over arguably the best chance that the team has ever had to win a title, and parlay that into a Game 3 romp.

Free NBA Playoffs Picks: Dallas Mavericks -2.5
Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks Prediction: Dallas 101 – Miami 84

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June 1st, 2011 By Andrew Ryan

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The Miami Heat are just a few games away now from beating the NBA Finals odds for the second time in team history. They’re going to be back at it again on Thursday night in NBA betting action against a Dallas Mavericks team that badly needs a pick me up after a bad 92-84 loss on Tuesday.

NBA Playoffs Preview: Dallas Mavericks @ Miami Heat Game 2
Date: Thursday, June 1st, 9:00 ET
Location: American Airlines Arena, Miami , FL
Game Line: Miami -4.5
Over/Under 186.5

Mavericks Notes: The Mavericks picked a really, really bad time to have their worst shooting game of the postseason. Game 1 of NBA Finals betting action was a disaster for them, as they shot just 37.3 percent from the field and knocked down just 16 shots from inside the three point line. In fact, it’s truly amazing that Dallas had a better shooting percentage from the outside at 40.9 percent. Tyson Chandler was definitely missing in action. No, he isn’t the most athletic player on the court, but he definitely is one of the more physical bodies out there. He only had four rebounds for the game, and he spent plenty of time on the bench in foul trouble. Nine points won’t cut it either if the Mavs are going to win the NBA title, and Head Coach Rick Carlisle knows that he needs more out of his big man in the middle to be able to beat the Heat. Jason Kidd only had nine points as well, while for Jason Terry, a dozen points on 3-of-10 shooting was awful. In fact, the whole bench only shot 4-of-22 for the game, and we know that that just won’t get the job done. To make matters worse Dirk Nowitzki ended up hurting his finger in the first duel of these two titans, and though he won’t end up missing any time with the injury, his shooting could definitely be harmed. He only shot 7-of-18 from the floor in a relatively bad effort, but he did knock down all 12 foul shots that he attempted and ended the game with 27 points, a game high. Shawn Marion had a nice game with 16 points and 10 boards, but it wasn’t nearly enough to lead Dallas to a Game 1 win, marking its fifth straight loss in the NBA Finals, all of which have come against Miami.

Heat Notes: The King is really starting to look like he is ready to accept his crown as the man sitting atop the NBA betting world. LeBron James knocked down nine of his 16 shots, including 4-of-5 from long range to lead the way for Miami with 24 points. He also had nine boards and five assists, but most importantly, he only turned the ball over once. Dwyane Wade was the second player that caused double the trouble for the Mavericks in terms of their defense. Wade scored 22 points and 10 boards, and six assists, the latter two of which were game high and team high numbers. However, we know that it is going to take more than just these two to be able to win it all, as all of the best teams in the history of this league have had role players to go with their stars. Chris Bosh had a great showing against Chandler and the rest of the Dallas bigs in Game 1, scoring 19 points and accounting for nine rebounds, and he had the best +/- for the game of any player on either side at +11. Off of the bench, Udonis Haslem scored seven points and had six boards in spite of the fact that he battled foul trouble all night, while Mario Chalmers and Mike Miller proved to be sparks with five triples made between them. If the defense for Miami can keep up like this and Dirk has problems with his hand though, this really could be a short series, and Head Coach Erik Spoelstra knows that this is truly the key to victory.

The Final Word: What we found out in Game 1 is that the Heat and the Mavericks just don’t belong on the same court together. Miami has hit its stride at the right time this season, and there is nothing that is going to deny it from being a champion. The Heat are the real deal, and they’re going to once again make relatively short work of a Dallas team that doesn’t have enough talent, doesn’t have enough confidence, and doesn’t have enough willpower to win a game on the road in this series. Don’t be shocked if this series is half over by the time that Thursday night’s NBA betting festivities are said and done with.

Free NBA Playoffs Picks: Miami Heat -4.5
Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks Prediction: Miami 91 – Dallas 80

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May 30th, 2011 By Andrew Ryan

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The 2011 NBA Finals are ready to rock and roll here at Cappers Info, and we have our NBA picks for the first duel between the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat.

NBA Playoffs Preview: Dallas Mavericks @ Miami Heat Game 1
Date: Tuesday, May 31st, 9:00 ET
Location: American Airlines Arena, Miami , FL
Game Line: Miami -4.5
Over/Under 187

Mavericks Notes: After several days off, the Mavericks are going to be back in action in South Beach on Tuesday night. They really did play well this year against the Heat, winning both games, including the one here at the American Airlines Arena. In fact, Dallas really has played well against Miami over the course of the last several seasons. The Mavs haven’t lost a game to the Heat outside of the 2006 NBA Finals since 2004, and they have gone 3-1 ATS in those games as well. The road team is 19-7 over the course of the last 26 meetings between these two teams, which also has to help out the confidence of this bunch going forward. Dirk Nowitzki has been fantastic this year, but he has especially been outstanding in the playoffs. He has averaged 28.4 points per game on the postseason, and he has really taken over some games late on that are incredibly close. He was probably on pace to be the MVP of the NBA Finals in 2006 after two games against Miami, both of which ended in victory, but when push came to shove, he wasn’t able to close the deal, and the Mavericks lost the last four games. Do keep a close eye on Tyson Chandler in this game. Play on the inside is going to be crucial, and Chandler has double-double potential every single night on the court. If he can get the best of the likes of Joel Anthony, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Udonis Haslem, Chandler could become the most unheralded star in this series.

Heat Notes: This is the game in which LeBron James really needs to step up. The man they simply call “The King,” isn’t brand new to the NBA Finals, but he still hasn’t broken his maiden in terms of winning a game. The Cleveland Cavaliers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in James’ first visit to the NBA’s version of the Promised Land, and he came to Miami to prove that he can win it all with the right pieces in place. Giving up home court advantage would be horrible for the Heat, as they haven’t lost a game in the playoffs at the American Airlines Arena, and they have only won one game in Dallas since 2002, that being Game 6 of the NBA Finals. James has averaged 26.0 points per game in the playoffs this year, and he is also the team’s top rebounder with 8.9 boards per game. Chris Bosh is going to have to be the man that has to get the job done in the paint as well. He is right there with James at 8.9 rebounds per game, but he is obviously not quite the same scorer at 18.6 points per game. Bosh knows that he has the ability to have some absolutely remarkable games in these playoffs, as he did against the tremendously athletic Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. And of course, there is the one man that has not only won a title, but has an MVP of the NBA Finals to boot, Dwyane Wade. Wade has come up with 23.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game here in the playoffs, but he needs to do better from beyond the arc, where he is shooting just 24.1 percent.

The Final Word: Dallas just doesn’t feel like a team that is going to win it all this year, and we really don’t see how things are going to look that great in South Beach for it either. The Heat are just playing too well on their home court, and they are covering spreads left and right to show for it. The Mavericks will keep this series competitive, but with as hot as Miami is right now, we don’t see it getting the job done in Game 1.

Free NBA Playoffs Picks: Miami Heat -4.5
Chicago Bulls vs. Dallas Mavericks Prediction: Miami 95 – Dallas 88

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