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Posts Tagged ‘odds to win NBA Finals’

October 28th, 2012 By Andrew Ryan
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The 2012-13 NBA season is just about set to tip off, and here at Cappers Info, we are taking a look at the best NBA odds on the board. These NBA betting lines, courtesy of JustBet Sportsbook, are some of the best that you will find on the internet, and we are going to be doing our best to find the best NBA Finals odds out there for you to bet on basketball!

2012-13 NBA Finals Odds (Updated 10/28/12)

Atlanta Hawks +8500
Boston Celtics +2300
Brooklyn Nets +2800
Charlotte Bobcats +50000
Chicago Bulls +1600
Cleveland Cavaliers +20000
Dallas Mavericks +3700
Denver Nuggets +3000
Detroit Pistons +20000
Golden State Warriors +15000
Houston Rockets +15000
Indiana Pacers +3000
Los Angeles Clippers +2000
Los Angeles Lakers +200
Memphis Grizzlies +3000
Miami Heat +200
Milwaukee Bucks +12000
Minnesota Timberwolves +9000
New Orleans Hornets +15000
New York Knicks +2800
Oklahoma City Thunder +350
Orlando Magic +15000
Philadelphia 76ers +4500
Phoenix Suns +17500
Portland Trail Blazers +10000
Sacramento Kings +25000
San Antonio Spurs +1200
Toronto Raptors +25000
Utah Jazz +8000
Washington Wizards +22500

2012-13 NBA Finals Pick #1: Miami Heat (+200 at JustBet Sportsbook): It is undeniable that the Heat are on their way to the NBA Finals once again as long as they stay healthy. The combination of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh is just too good, and all of these players have the ability to go off, not just for double-doubles, but triple-doubles when push comes to shove. What was missing from last year’s team at times was a lethal assassin off of the bench. Now, Miami has Ray Allen to do that deed as either a starter or a clutch bench player. Head Coach Erik Spoelstra is going to have the ability to get the job done with this team in easy form, though he has to make sure that he doesn’t run his team into the ground over the course of the first 82 games of the season. There is no reason that LBJ, D-Wade, and Bosh should average more than 30 minutes per game in the regular season, but they all will average over 35 in all likelihood.

2012-13 NBA Finals Pick #2: Los Angeles Lakers (+200 at JustBet Sportsbook): There is no team that was better built for a run in the playoffs than this one. The Lakers have the consummate star in Kobe Bryant, the best defensive enforcer in the league in Dwight Howard, a playoff savvy points guard in Steve Nash, and a power forward that can really clean up on the inside in Pau Gasol. Of course, the trip through the Western Conference playoffs is going to be a bit tougher than going through the East, as there are more potholes to potentially deal with. Still, we don’t see a team right now that the Lakers wouldn’t be favored over in a short series regardless of home court advantage, so we think that LA should be smart with its newest commodity, D12, and let him successfully come all the way back from his back injury that cost him the end of last season with the Orlando Magic, who are a train wreck now that he has left.

2012-13 NBA Finals Pick #3: Dallas Mavericks (+3700 at JustBet Sportsbook): Dallas might be a bit of a forgotten team this year. However, this is a squad that has some real depth and could be dangerous when push comes to shove. Dirk Nowitzki is obviously a proven winner, and he is going to be the man that takes the final shot when it is needed. Jason Terry is gone, but Darren Collison is in, and he is one of the best young point guards in the league. Grabbing OJ Mayo in the offseason might look like a steal when push comes to shove, and we all know just how talented Chris Kaman really is. Elton Brand and Vince Carter are both nice veterans to bring off of the bench, and Shawn Marion can still be a contributor, especially on the defensive end of the court. With the Spurs aging, the Rockets really never finding their big time star, and the Grizzlies never seeming to totally put it together in the regular season any given year, this might be the time for the Mavericks to quietly make themselves legitimate NBA Finals contenders once again this year.

2012-13 NBA Finals Pick #4: Washington Wizards (+25000 at JustBet Sportsbook): Alright, so the Wizards really don’t stand all that much of a chance of winning it all this year, but we like the pieces that they are assembling together to be able to make a run at the playoffs, which definitely aren’t out of the question. John Wall is electric, and Bradley Beal was brought to the team to fill out a backcourt that has some tremendously lethal scoring potential. A frontcourt of Nene, Emeka Okafor, and Trevor Ariza is definitely going to be able to get some rebounds and get out and run, and that’s exactly what the team is going to hope to do this year. Remember that a bunch of games against the likes of the Magic, Hawks, and Bobcats await, and that could really make this team one that could find its way to 40 wins this year when push comes to shove. Don’t sleep on the Wizards, especially if you’re looking a team from the bottom of the NBA pack that could become a middling club with a fighting chance in the second season.

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May 29th, 2011 By Andrew Ryan

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Back in 2006, the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks squared off in a terrific NBA Finals that ended up landing the Heat their first championship. Can they do it again, giving LeBron James his first ever title, or will Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs beat the NBA Finals odds for the first time in team history? Check it out our NBA Finals picks right here at Cappers Info!

How the Heat Can Win This Series
Boy, are the Heat just on fire right now! It seems like every game that comes down to the wire, they find a way to win. Miami closed out the Chicago Bulls in come from behind fashion twice in the Eastern Conference Finals, and they really have taken over games in spite of the fact that they really don’t have the size and bulk on the inside to be able to compete with the likes of the Bulls and the Boston Celtics, both of which they blew through in just five games.

Of course, this is a series that is hopefully fit for a King, if you’re a Heat fan. LeBron James came to South Beach to win a title — multiple titles in fact. This is a fantastic shot for him to put away the demons of the past failures with the Cleveland Cavaliers and to validate his career once and for all even though he still has a number of years still to dazzle us. James averaged 26.7 points per game during the regular season, and he isn’t that far off of that number here in the playoffs at 26.0 points per game. He’s also stuffing the stat sheet with 8.9 boards, 5.5 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game to boot. Sure, these numbers aren’t near what he had with the Cavs back in the day, nor has he been as outstanding in terms of dominance (though he certainly has had his moments), but James has still given the Heat 44 outstanding minutes per game.

Of course, no King would be fit to win a title without the rest of his court. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are proving to be worthy subjects to help out the King. Wade has been outstanding down the stretch in games, and he is averaging 23.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in the playoffs. Bosh hasn’t always been fantastic, but he has had some absolutely remarkable games. The former member of the Toronto Raptors has never felt pressure like this before, and we might be afraid of him cracking when push comes to shove, but he has some great numbers at 18.6 points and 8.9 rebound per game.

How the Mavericks Can Win This Series
The Mavs know that they can beat the Heat on a regular basis, as they did so twice this year. Dallas has struggled at times against teams that it perhaps shouldn’t have, but against some of the best teams this year, the Mavericks have been outstanding; look no further than the sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the playoffs for proof of that.

Of course, the playoffs have always been difficult for Dirk Nowitzki. He might be one of the best players to never win a title in league history, and that’s a distinction that no player wants to have in his career. In years past, the German national star has been able to score boatloads of points, but he hasn’t been able to come up with the big points when it matters down the stretch of the biggest games in the playoffs. He has no such problem anymore. Just ask the Oklahoma City Thunder how well Dirk has played in these playoffs. Nowitzki has averaged 28.4 points per game in the playoffs, over five points per game more than he averaged in the regular season.

Just like James though, Nowitzki would be nowhere without some help from his teammates. Jason Terry has had his moments of brilliance off of the bench, and he has averaged 17.3 points per game in the playoffs. Shawn Marion has been good for 11.2 points per game, while Jason Kidd has done a little bit of everything with 9.9 points, 7.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game. Do look out for some great players off of the bench like Jose Juan Barea and Peja Stojakovic, both of which have been lethal from beyond the arc at times.

The Last Word – The Heat just seem like they’re the better team in this series, and that’s really undeniable. Sure, the Mavs have done great in their time in the playoffs, but they just aren’t going to be able to get the job done when push comes to shove. Don’t be afraid to go with the Heat to top Dallas on the NBA betting lines for the second time in the last five years between these two behemoths of the NBA betting world. NBA Playoffs Picks: Heat in 6

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May 16th, 2011 By Andrew Ryan

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The Western Conference Finals was definitely setup in weird fashion this year, as one series ended in a sweep, while the other ended in the only seven game series thus far i the playoffs. Here at Cappers Info, we have all of our NBA picks and our Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks series predictions!

How the Thunder Can Win This Series
It’s pretty clear that the Thunder are essentially revolving around two players right now. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are clearly the heart and soul of this team. When they’re on, Oklahoma City is tough to beat. When they’re off, they’re in a whole heck of a lot of trouble.

So far in the playoffs, Westbrook has taken more shots than Durant, but he doesn’t have the bigger statistics. Westbrook has put up great numbers though at 23.9 points, 7.0 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game. The problem has really come in the form of turnovers, and those 4.5 blunders per game badly need to be cut down. Durant has been great too, averaging 28.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, though we would love to see that 45.8 percent shooting percentage creep up just a tad.

The rest of the team doesn’t have fantastic stats, especially since there are only two other players on the team that are averaging even six points per game. However, the contributions of players like Nazr Mohammed, Serge Ibaka, and Kendrick Perkins in the post just cannot be ignore. These three have really helped transform this team into one that plays a heck of a lot more defense and is a lot less inclined to just try to run and gun with whomever the opposition is.

Still, Oklahoma City needs to at least pick up the pace just a tad in this series to make sure that the Mavericks don’t get locked in defensively. If Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and the two time defending NBA champs, the Los Angeles Lakers were stymied by this defense, we can only imagine what Oklahoma City could end up falling victim to if it isn’t careful.

How the Mavericks Can Win This Series
There is no team in the league that has been more impressive thus far in the postseason than the Mavs. They not only stormed through the Portland Trail Blazers, a team which many thought would be a relatively trendy upset choice, but they also absolutely destroyed the aforementioned Lakers in arguably the most important series in the history of the franchise.

The question is whether this team can really get over the hump or not. Many think that Dirk Nowitzki might be one of the, if not the best player to never win a championship in the history of the league, and almost certainly is the greatest player of our time to not have a ring yet. Dallas has had a history of choking deep in the playoffs, and even in the NBA Finals after taking a 2-0 series lead against the Miami Heat from a few years back.

Dirk has really looked like a man on a mission in this postseason, though. He has averaged 26.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, and he is doing all of the clutch playoff things that he historically hasn’t been able to do. Dirk is shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 60.0 percent from long range. Speaking of devastating long range shooting though, look at what Jason Terry has done! He has knocked down just a slew of triples, and he is shooting a dead even 50.0 percent from the land of trey in the postseason.

The defense has been second to none in the playoffs, though. Teams are only averaging 88 points per game against the Mavs this year, and if all of that keeps up, this too, could be a relatively short series.

The Last Word – There is definitely some potential complacency here for the Mavericks having just knocked off the champs, but this is the first time that the Thunder have been in this spot in their brief history since moving from Seattle. In the end, three point shooting will probably be the difference in this series, and we just think that Dallas is playing a lot better right now overall than are the Thunder, who really had to struggle to take care of a game bunch of Memphis Grizzlies. It won’t be the prettiest series in the world, but it is certainly going to be competitive and could come down to that very last game. The Mavs have fought hard to get to this spot and to earn that home court advantage in Game 7, and they’ll make it pay off just as Oklahoma City did on Sunday. NBA Playoffs Picks: Mavericks in 7

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May 14th, 2011 By Andrew Ryan

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The NBA betting world has finally gotten what it has wanted in the Eastern Conference. The Miami Heat, the de facto big bad wolves of the NBA, are going to take on the up and coming team in the league, the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. There aren’t all that many expert NBA handicappers that think Chicago is going to win this series in spite of the fact that it won all three games in the regular season meeting, but this could be one heck of a series regardless.

How the Heat Can Win This Series
Miami really is going to need some help from some players aside from its “Big Three” to win this series. We know that Chicago has a heck of a defensive team, and it is no secret to anyone out there that the ball is going to be going through the hands of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. Wade and James continue to do their thing with all of their big time stats. “Flash” has averaged 26.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game, and he is accounting for 3.0 steals and blocks combined per game. James is at 26.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game in the playoffs as well.

Bosh has really been a bit of an enigma in the playoffs. He has had some great games and some absolutely horrible ones, and if he thinks that the crowd at the TD Garden gave him a hard time, wait until he sees the hell of earth that the United Center is going to be unleashing on him. Still, he has averaged 16.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game in the playoffs, and though those aren’t the same type of numbers that he was accustomed to with the Toronto Raptors, they’re still big time stats that cannot be overlooked.

Again, the trick though, is to get some help from some other players. We give James Jones and Mario Chalmers a lot of credit. These two have really played well, combining for 13.8 points per game, and when they are asked to, they are knocking down their shots. Aside from that, though? Forget about it! Udonis Haslem came back to the lineup, but he is completely ineffective. Mike Miller is proving to be a waste, and Mike Bibby really isn’t proving to be the answer as the team’s point guard either. Some of these names are going to really need to step it up, or Chicago is going to roll in this series.
How the Bulls Can Win This Series
The Bulls did a great job at home this year, going 5-1 in the playoffs and 36-5 in the regular season. Simply put, if Chicago holds serve in the Windy City this year, it is going to be just fine. The truth of the matter though, is that for the time being, the Bulls are in the heads of the Heat. Winning the first two games in this series are going to be the key to put Miami away as much mentally as physically.

Head Coach Tom Thibodeau knows that his team hasn’t played its best ball yet. After all, just look at the shooting numbers. Derrick Rose is only shooting 41.8 percent from the field, Luol Deng is only at 42.9 percent, Carlos Boozer at 44.5 percent, Joakim Noah at 45.8 percent, and so on and so forth. The rebounding edge hasn’t been what Chicago has been used to either, and this has been against some iffy postseason teams like the Atlanta Hawks and the Indiana Pacers.

Still, we know that the Bulls are a scrappy team. They really know how to do all of the dirty work and all of the little things to win games. Just like the Heat need to get some production from men that aren’t out of their “Big Three,” the bench for the Bulls really needs to be big as well. We know that men like Kyle Korver and Taj Gibson are fantastic and have had great postseason runs, accounting for almost 14 points per game between them.

The Last Word – We just don’t see how the Heat are going to get over this hump in this series without winning the very first game. Chicago has been a quick starting team almost all season long, and just as the Bulls were able to put the Hawks down in games in which they jumped out early, we might see the exact same situation here for the Heat. Don’t be shocked if the Bulls end up winning this series in a lot easier fashion that you are probably expecting to see. NBA Playoffs Picks: Bulls in 5

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May 1st, 2011 By Andrew Ryan

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The Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks are two of the most evenly matched teams in the playoffs this year, and it should be absolutely remarkable to see these two go at it for what could be an absolutely remarkable series.

How the Mavericks Can Win This Series
Dallas needs to shake this mantra that it can’t win it all. Sure, we know that the Mavs have only been to one NBA Finals in team history, and we know that Dirk Nowitzki is a notorious loveable loser in Big D, but there has to be a point that everyone has to believe that it is good enough to knock off the two time defending champs.

There was definitely the good, the bad, and the ugly for the Mavs against the Portland Trail Blazers. The good was certainly none other than Nowitzki, who averaged 27.3 points per game in the first round. The bad came from the likes of Tyson Chandler, who averaged just 6.5 points per game, and Jose Barea, who averaged 5.2 points per game. The ugly was that big time bomb dropped at the end of Game 4 in which a 20+ point lead was blown.

At some point, Caron Butler might be available in this series, and if he is, that could make a big time difference. The man that really stepped up in the scoring effort in Round 1 was Jason Kidd, who averaged 11.7 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game. Jason Terry was a fantastic sixth man, shooting a team best 48.8 percent and coming up with 17.3 points per game. Similar is going to be required out of these two, but the rest of the role players need to step up to the table to be able to beat the Lakers.

How the Lakers Can Win This Series
Sometimes it seems like everything that Head Coach Phil Jackson touches turns to gold. After all, these two have three handfuls worth of rings between them, including a slew of them together. Bryant just seems to always have the right stuff to win it all, and he can go off for 80 points in a game if he is really given the chance. Bryant averaged 22.5 points per game in the first round, something that is really not very Kobe Bryant-esque. He’ll inevitably do better in this series.

Pau Gasol really didn’t do much in the way of scoring or rebounding ,at least by his standards, and without him stepping up to the table to be the big time second scorer and top glass cleaner on this team, the Lakers could be in some trouble. Gasol averaged 13.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in the first round of the playoffs, and the truth of the matter is that Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom were the ones that picked up the slack for him. These two combined for 27.2 points and 16.3 rebounds per game against the Hornets.

The other key to this might be the play of Derek Fisher. Fisher averaged 9.3 points per game over double what he averaged in the regular season this year, and if he can shoot 52.6 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from three point land like he did over the course of the last two weeks, it would really be a tremendous help for Jackson and the gang. Ron Artest also averaged 11.8 points per game in the first round.

The Last Word – For as good as the Mavericks are, and for as even as the 57 wins that both of these teams had in the regular season seem to put them, the Lakers are the better team, and they’re certainly the better side in the postseason. Bryant and the gang just have all of the right stuff, and that’s not something that Nowitzki and his band of Mavericks can boast about. It’ll be another painful crash out of the playoffs for Dallas, as the Lakers maintain a stronghold on the Western Conference and move just one step closer to the grandest stage of them all yet again. NBA Playoffs Picks: Lakers in 6

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May 1st, 2011 By Andrew Ryan

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The 2011 Eastern Conference is really expected to be just a three horse race. However, that being said, the Atlanta Hawks are hoping to spoil in party on the NBA Finals odds over the course of the next two weeks, as they take on the top seed in the conference, the Chicago Bulls.

How the Hawks Can Win This Series
Atlanta really did everything in its power to make sure that it beat the Orlando Magic and avenged last year’s loss in the first round of the postseason by a whopping 111 points in four games. Unfortunately for the Hawks, that series went six games and looked like it took a boatload out of them. It’s going to take an even bigger effort with even fewer mistakes and even more luck to be able to take care of the Bulls, and it’s a real question whether any of that is even remotely possible.

Atlanta really shot the rock well over the course of that series against the Magic, at least relatively speaking to what Orlando was capable of. The five main players in the rotation all scored at least 10 points per game for the Hawks, led by the 20.5 points per game of Jamal Crawford off of the bench. Joe Johnson knocked down 18.0 points per game, while Josh Smith and Al Horford combined for 26.3 points and 18.4 rebounds per game between them.

The big concern right now is the health of Kirk Hinrich. Hinrich is really the team’s only point guard, and his hamstring injury suffered in Game 6 against Orlando really couldn’t have been more ill timed for the Hawks. If he can’t go (and he’s not expected to in Game 1), there is going to be a lot of pressure on a lot of different men to handle the basketball, and that might even including seeing more of Crawford or Johnson running the point position, something that really can’t be sitting well with Head Coach Larry Drew coming into this series.

How the Bulls Can Win This Series
The Bulls are the bigger, badder team in this series, and they certainly have all of the intangibles that you are looking for in a team to put away an iffy squad like the Hawks. Chicago didn’t really play at its best at any point in this first round series against the Indiana Pacers, but getting the job done in five games was certainly good enough for the fans in the Windy City.

The question mark again is health, but in this case, though the star is bigger, the effect on the team might not be as bad. It’s not like Chicago didn’t have to play half of the season without Carlos Boozer in the lineup anyway, so the team knows what it is like to be without one of its stars. Boozer is nursing a turf toe, and he really didn’t play all that well in the opening round series against the Pacers anyway. Like we said, there are plenty of other bigs like Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, and the likes that can pick up the slack offensive and on the glass, and the truth of the matter is that Atlanta really doesn’t have the bigs to worry us all that much even in Boozer does miss any time with this injury.

Oh, and have we forgotten to mention the league’s soon to be MVP, Derrick Rose? Rose really took over the entire series against the Pacers at times, single handedly winning Games 1 and 2. He averaged 27.6 points, 6.0 assists, 4.6 boards, 2.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game in the first round, clearly making him the MVP of that series as well. Again, especially if Hinrich doesn’t play, Rose has an absolutely tremendous advantage at the point guard spot in this series.

The Last Word – Atlanta is just out of gas in this one. If the Hawks even win a game in this series, it should be considered a triumph. We know that it won the first meeting of these two teams this year, but when push came to shove, the Bulls posted a brutal blow out in the last two meetings. Expect to see a very, very lopsided series in the end. NBA Playoffs Picks: Bulls in 4

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April 30th, 2011 By Andrew Ryan

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It was awfully unpredictable to think that the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies would be playing each other in the second round of the playoffs, but that’s where we are at. One of these two will beat the NBA playoffs odds and make it to the NBA Finals, and we have our postseason NBA picks for this crucial series.

How the Grizzlies Can Win This Series
The Grizz have really had a very predictable formula for beating the NBA odds thus far in the playoffs. They’re just going to work really, really hard, win all of the hustle stats, make a few timely shots, and come up clutch in the end. That was the only way that they were able to beat a San Antonio Spurs team that truly outclassed them in the first round of the playoffs, yet the series really never was all that close.

The question is whether the stars are going to be there to keep up with the scoring prowess of the Thunder. Zach Randolph could get away with 20-25 point games making him the top scorer against the Spurs, but that just won’t be the case against the Thunder. We really don’t see anyone else being able to step up and knock down 10 shots in a game on a regular basis, which really puts a lot of pressure on the man in the middle. In fairness, Randolph did have 31 points in the close out game against the Spurs, so he definitely is capable, but pulling it off again and again against Oklahoma City is a different story.

Mike Conley Jr. did just about everything for the Grizz in the first round, accounting for right around 14 points, six assists, and four boards per game. Marc Gasol was the double-double machine with just over 14 points and a dozen rebounds on the average night. These two will have to be clutch, and someone else will have to come forward on a regular basis, whether it be OJ Mayo, Darrell Arthur, Sam Young, or an unheralded hero for Memphis to march on to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in team history.

How the Thunder Can Win This Series
The equation is now absolutely right for the Thunder. Sure, looking at the stats for Kendrick Perkins and Nazr Mohammad isn’t all that impressive, but these two really have brought a toughness to the defense for Oklahoma City in the paint, and the end result was holding one of the best offensive teams in the game below its scoring average in five straight games.

Last season, there was really only Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in the playoffs. Sure, Jeff Green and James Harden did their thing from time to time against the eventual champs, the Los Angeles Lakers, but if Westbrook and Durant didn’t get the job done, no one was really able to. Now, it’s true that these two are the big time heroes of this team once again. Durant averaged 32.4 points per game, while Westbrook was at 23.8 points per game against the Nuggets. However, they were definitely not the only stars that were able to shine.

Serge Ibaka was really the man that came up big, and if he dominates both on the glass and in the blocks department the same way that he did against Denver, it’s all over but the crying for the Grizzlies. Ibaka scored 10.2 points, brought down 11.0 boards, and blocked 4.8 shots per game in the series against Denver.

The Last Word – Memphis definitely has the ability to compete in this series, and it will find itself favored in games on its home court assuming that the Thunder don’t just absolutely roll with two easy wins in the Sooner State to get started. Don’t be shocked if this ends up being a heck of a lot better of a series than it is billed for. Both of these teams are going to fight tooth and nail, but in the end, it’s home court advantage that will rule the day. NBA Playoffs Picks: Thunder in 7

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April 29th, 2011 By Andrew Ryan

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The Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics are two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, and they are going to really be going at it for what could be an epic second round series in NBA betting action.

How the Celtics Can Win This Series
Boston badly needs to be able to shore up its defense in this series better than it was in Games 1 and 2 against the New York Knicks. However, Head Coach Doc Rivers has a veteran team which really knows how to keep the energy turned up when push really comes to shove. The ‘D’ allowed just 89 points in Game 4 against New York, but this was a significantly better game than the stats really suggest.

It would really help if someone is able to step up to help out the veteran players for Boston. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, and Kevin Garnett all had absolutely remarkable series again the Knicks. Pierce was good for 22.2 points per game in the first round, while Allen was just behind at 22.0 points per game. The man that really made the offense go was Rondo at 19.0 points, 12.0 assists, and 7.2 rebounds per game. Garnett averaged a double-double as well at 15.5 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. Glen Davis and Jeff Green only contributed a dozen points between them on average. Their contributions weren’t needed against New York, but you can bet that they will have to be against the Heat.

The big question is whether there is going to be a big man that can help out in the paint. KG can only do so much, and Big Baby Davis just isn’t quite there. Jermaine O’Neal only averaged 5.5 points and 4.0 boards per game, and Nenad Krstic really didn’t make any contributions against the Knicks either.

How the Heat Can Win This Series
Miami might have needed five games to take care of the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs, but we tend to believe that this was a better series for its long term health in the playoffs than the short series was for the Celtics. Again, defense is going to be key, as the Heat really didn’t play all that well on this side of the ball at all times against Boston this year.

The Heat are also going to have to get over their own problems of playing against teams that were legitimate contenders to beat the NBA Finals odds. They really didn’t play well against teams like Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, and the likes on this season.

Just like Boston though, the Heat are really struggling trying to get production outside of their biggest scorers. Of course, there isn’t a much more talented trio in the league than LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. The three combined for over 65 points, 28 boards, and over 12 assists per game. James Jones and Mario Chalmers both averaged right around seven points per game, while Joel Anthony and Zydrunas Ilgauskas had decent contributions as rebounders and blocked shot artists.

The Last Word – Home court advantage is going to be absolutely key in this series. We tend to believe that both teams can steal one game on the road, but when push comes to shove, Rivers and company are really going to kick themselves for giving up in those last few games of the season when they could have earned Game 7 at home. The Heat will just barely live to tell about a series with the defending conference champs. NBA Playoffs Picks: Heat in 7

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April 14th, 2011 By Andrew Ryan

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Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers – Let’s be real here. Derrick Rose is the MVP. Joakim Noah is probably one of the best offensive rebounders in the game. Carlos Boozer is probably one of the best defensive rebounders in the game. Indiana has Danny Granger… and a sub-.500 record. There’s just no way that the Pacers are even pulling out a game in this series. NBA Playoff Picks: Bulls in 4

Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers – Philly played some respectable ball this season, and this is a team with all sorts of playoff experience. Of course, none of that playoff experience has ever seen the second round of the playoffs. This is where the real tests begin for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, as this is where they will be measured for success. Anything less than an NBA Championship just wouldn’t do. Even though the Sixers were swept in games that just were not close in the regular season, we’ll give them the nod… for one game anyway… NBA Playoff Picks: Heat in 5

Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks – This is probably going to be one of the more intriguing matchups in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks now have stars in Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, and Chauncey Billups, and we know that they still haven’t quite figured out how to gel as a team yet. Here’s the thing, though. Boston really just doesn’t have the look of the same team that was in the NBA Finals last year. We tend to believe that Head Coach Doc Rivers and company will figure it out over the course of seven games, but it wouldn’t surprise us if this one ends up surprisingly going the distance. NBA Playoff Picks: Celtics in 7

Orlando Magic vs. Atlanta Hawks – Last year, these two teams met up in the second round of the postseason, and Orlando laid the biggest smack down that the NBA playoffs have ever seen. Atlanta won the regular season series, but it comes with an asterisk this year. One of the wins came in the first game after the trades that the Magic pulled off with the Washington Wizards and Phoenix Suns, while one came just a couple of weeks ago when both teams knew that the game didn’t mean a thing. Orlando won’t do what it did last year, but it should make relatively short work of the Hawks. NBA Playoff Picks: Magic in 5

San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies – The Spurs won 61 games this season and have won a number of NBA Championships with Tim Duncan at the helm. The Grizzlies won 46 games in the regular season and have won a grand total of zero championships, zero series, and zero playoff games. Any guesses as to how many games they’re going to win this year? Zero. NBA Playoff Picks: Spurs in 4

Los Angeles Lakers vs. New Orleans Hornets – Memphis might have stood a fighting chance against the Lakers, but the Hornets just don’t, especially without David West in the fold. The defense for New Orleans is good, but there just isn’t enough overall talent there to compete with the defending champs. We’d be shocked to see the men from the Crescent City take even one game in this series. NBA Playoff Picks: Lakers in 4

Dallas Mavericks vs. Portland Trail Blazers – We just want to fall in love with the Blazers in this series, but we just don’t see it. To Portland’s credit, it really has tried like the dickens over these past couple seasons to rebuild a team that was totally broken, and it nearly did so last year against the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the second season. Dallas is going to be in for a fight for sure, especially with as well as Gerald Wallace has been playing. However, when push comes to shove, Dirk Nowitzki and company are just a significantly better team, and in the end, the Blazers will fall. NBA Playoff Picks: Mavericks in 6

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets – No one wanted to see the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs, but we really don’t think that the Thunder are all that scared of them. Sure, Denver will run up and down the court, and the games will all be really exciting, but Oklahoma City definitely learned some big time lessons last year in that loss in the postseason to the eventual champs. OKC took the last two meetings of these teams in the regular season, something that is incredibly relevant considering how different Denver looks now from where it was a few months ago. This series could produce five relatively tight games, but we trust Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in the long run. NBA Playoff Picks: Thunder in 5

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