value going agianst teams not playing for anything?

[Crayzee]

last night-portland +14-1/2 over dallas
it was a sweatjob but prevailed
today:
charlotte+9
atlanta+9-1/2
maybe:
sac+2-1/2
don't think miami can move up or down in standings
likewise houston?
philly and atlanta just playing out the string

we should be on the lookout for these the rest of the reg season

[Crayzee]

houston fighting for 4th place/home advantage
not good to go against tonight i think

[imgv94]

It's a catch 22 man..

[Crayzee]

we have about a week left to pound these suckers
lets get em!

[The HG]

There is value going against teams not playing for anything, BUT, just because their playoff or draft position might be set doesn't necessarily mean they don't have something to play for. There are a million other "things" teams have to play for, and these guys are NBA pros after all, so they'll always be playing near the top of their game no matter what.

A good example might be a team that has its position set, so they start playing younger guys or subs a lot more. Now the team itself might have nothing to play for, but those players themselves have a ton to play for - they might be getting their first chance to prove themselves at the NBA level, so they might be playing harder than they ever have in their lives.

So the point is yes, teams that have "nothing to play for" are good bets against in general, but you have to look at the enitre picture of the game to know exactly who is likely to be playing, and what for.