Tweet
Portland -2 at Philly
If Portland would have lost against Boston, I would take Philly here. However, they beat the Celtics and are oh so close to that precious 8th and final playoff spot. Mo Cheeks has this squad believing in themselves again. Granted, the 76ers have been playing good lately (hey wait, didn't we say the same thing about the Celtics?? and didn't they lose and not cover?) but they don't have AI, and like always they still don't have Glenn Robinson or Derrick Coleman. Look at it this way, are you going to tell me that Aaron McKie, Eric Snow, Sam Dalembert, and Kenny Thomas are going to be able to beat Zach Randolph, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Damon Stoudamire, Darius Miles, and Derek Anderson? Add in the steady contribution of Ruben Patterson and the inside defense of Theo Ratliff, and you've got yourself an overpowering Blazers squad. Darius Miles scored a career high 31 points against the Celtics, if he can continue to realize his potential he could kill the 76ers. Also, Portland turned the ball over 22 times, WOW! I definitely look for that number to drop to about 14-15. Stoudamire and Anderson are too good ball handlers to turn the ball over as much as they did against Boston. Philly's balanced attack will not work, because no one is good enough to step up against this Trail Blazer squad. I know Portland is playing their 3rd game on the road in 4 days, but they know this is the make-or-break part of the season. They need this win worse than Philly since the race in the West is tighter. Plus, I'll go with the angle...
1) Team's first game without a huge star, play them
2) Team's 2nd game without a huge star, fade them.
Part one came through as the 76ers beat the Warriors to death, now I fully expect the 2nd part to occur as well. Blazers roll here, by 7-8 points.
Mavs -5.5 against the Kings
SMALL play here, after seeing the Kings get creamed by the Spurs, I figure...why not right? The Mavs are once again playing their style of ball, run and gun...then run and gun some more. Normally I would say, maybe the Kings can keep up with their offense and then slow the Mavs down a bit. BUT the Kings are in complete disarray. Players are hurt, and players that are playing need to get hurt in order for the team's chemistry to be restored. Bobby Jackson has his cramps and Brad Miller has a boo-boo on his elbow. Chris Webber, did the doctor's forget a syringe in your knee or something? Where's the athleticism? Peja and Bibby will not be enough for the Kings here, and Vlade's body I think is finally breaking down a bit (meaning Adelman better save him for the playoffs). Small play on the Mavs, they should roll the Kings by DDs as long as they play with intensity all game!
If Portland would have lost against Boston, I would take Philly here. However, they beat the Celtics and are oh so close to that precious 8th and final playoff spot. Mo Cheeks has this squad believing in themselves again. Granted, the 76ers have been playing good lately (hey wait, didn't we say the same thing about the Celtics?? and didn't they lose and not cover?) but they don't have AI, and like always they still don't have Glenn Robinson or Derrick Coleman. Look at it this way, are you going to tell me that Aaron McKie, Eric Snow, Sam Dalembert, and Kenny Thomas are going to be able to beat Zach Randolph, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Damon Stoudamire, Darius Miles, and Derek Anderson? Add in the steady contribution of Ruben Patterson and the inside defense of Theo Ratliff, and you've got yourself an overpowering Blazers squad. Darius Miles scored a career high 31 points against the Celtics, if he can continue to realize his potential he could kill the 76ers. Also, Portland turned the ball over 22 times, WOW! I definitely look for that number to drop to about 14-15. Stoudamire and Anderson are too good ball handlers to turn the ball over as much as they did against Boston. Philly's balanced attack will not work, because no one is good enough to step up against this Trail Blazer squad. I know Portland is playing their 3rd game on the road in 4 days, but they know this is the make-or-break part of the season. They need this win worse than Philly since the race in the West is tighter. Plus, I'll go with the angle...
1) Team's first game without a huge star, play them
2) Team's 2nd game without a huge star, fade them.
Part one came through as the 76ers beat the Warriors to death, now I fully expect the 2nd part to occur as well. Blazers roll here, by 7-8 points.
Mavs -5.5 against the Kings
SMALL play here, after seeing the Kings get creamed by the Spurs, I figure...why not right? The Mavs are once again playing their style of ball, run and gun...then run and gun some more. Normally I would say, maybe the Kings can keep up with their offense and then slow the Mavs down a bit. BUT the Kings are in complete disarray. Players are hurt, and players that are playing need to get hurt in order for the team's chemistry to be restored. Bobby Jackson has his cramps and Brad Miller has a boo-boo on his elbow. Chris Webber, did the doctor's forget a syringe in your knee or something? Where's the athleticism? Peja and Bibby will not be enough for the Kings here, and Vlade's body I think is finally breaking down a bit (meaning Adelman better save him for the playoffs). Small play on the Mavs, they should roll the Kings by DDs as long as they play with intensity all game!