Gonna start adding some insight on my plays here I believe I know a bit about basketball and get some good reads on games but am impatient at times which causes me to make some bad moves.
Rockets -8.5 3 units (CHANGED TO NO PLAY)
If Howard wants to put the embarrassment of the last two games behind him and play some ball Valuncias and Derozan should have trouble in the paint. Houston's #1 problem (defense) will be aided by Gay who likes to take a lot of shots anyway. Also using a trend I found here where a home team coming off 2 straight losses and a day off covers the spread very often. Strong play.
Orlando +3 1 unit
I think Orlando has proven to be the better team so far, Boston has a lot of fight in them but they lack talent, and after a big win in Miami they are due for a letdown. I have Orlando winning straight up but this game might be close and getting 3 points is very nice in this spot.
Chicago -8 1 unit
I think Chicago had a rusty start because Rose was away from the team so long but as the season goes they will get better. They are one of the best defensive teams in the league and so far Cleveland's offense is one of the worst. What Cleveland also lacks that Chicago doesn't is effort. They look like utter shit when they play and on the road this one could get ugly unless they decide to bring their A game. Most likely going to be a 1 unit play.
Spurs -6.5 and maybe ML (NO PLAY)
Philly is cute. They were projected to be the worst team in the league this year which they clearly aren't. Their talent level was underestimated which I believe to be the cause for the disparity in expectation and performance but against a real coach like Gregg Popovitch they will be dissected and exposed as a team. ML may be a very strong play because Pop counts his wins and will not let a team like this get him. Still not decided how much to play on this.
Thoughts? Questions? Please give me your input.
Rockets -8.5 3 units (CHANGED TO NO PLAY)
If Howard wants to put the embarrassment of the last two games behind him and play some ball Valuncias and Derozan should have trouble in the paint. Houston's #1 problem (defense) will be aided by Gay who likes to take a lot of shots anyway. Also using a trend I found here where a home team coming off 2 straight losses and a day off covers the spread very often. Strong play.
Orlando +3 1 unit
I think Orlando has proven to be the better team so far, Boston has a lot of fight in them but they lack talent, and after a big win in Miami they are due for a letdown. I have Orlando winning straight up but this game might be close and getting 3 points is very nice in this spot.
Chicago -8 1 unit
I think Chicago had a rusty start because Rose was away from the team so long but as the season goes they will get better. They are one of the best defensive teams in the league and so far Cleveland's offense is one of the worst. What Cleveland also lacks that Chicago doesn't is effort. They look like utter shit when they play and on the road this one could get ugly unless they decide to bring their A game. Most likely going to be a 1 unit play.
Spurs -6.5 and maybe ML (NO PLAY)
Philly is cute. They were projected to be the worst team in the league this year which they clearly aren't. Their talent level was underestimated which I believe to be the cause for the disparity in expectation and performance but against a real coach like Gregg Popovitch they will be dissected and exposed as a team. ML may be a very strong play because Pop counts his wins and will not let a team like this get him. Still not decided how much to play on this.
Thoughts? Questions? Please give me your input.
Thanks for the info guys, however I still believe they will cover the spread whether Harden plays or not. My basis for such a big play is that they are at home coming off two losses with a day off. Games like that inspire confidence in players and the crowd, as silly as it may sound. I expect it to be a relatively close 2 to 3 possession game for the most part with the Rockets pulling away at the end.