I'm going to carryover my record here from the challenge thread, since BWM is obviously gone.
Record: 6-3
Tonight's game between Atlanta and Portland should be a fun one. Portland comes in having won 7 of their last 8, with the sole loss being at home to Atlanta. Atlanta on the other hand has had recent impressive wins over both Boston and Denver and is playing great basketball right now.
Portland's success complete relies on the performance of All-Star Brandon Roy and his twin towers, Oden and Aldridge. The problem with this is that both towers are incredibly susceptible to foul trouble, average 4.1 and 3.2 fouls/game respectively. While Al Horford may not be all that big, he makes up for it with his aggression and fearlessness, and that spells trouble for Portland. Furthermore, Josh Smith has made a concerted effort towards attacking the basket more this year and it has paid off better than expected as he is shooting an amazing 59% from the field. Expect to see Smith and Horford attacking the basket early and often tonight, with Oden watching most of the game from the sidelines. Add in the fact that Atlanta is a great home team and this game becomes an easy decision.
Pick: Atlanta -3
Ps- Full disclaimer: I never make picks based on trying to read the minds of the linesmakers. I make my picks based solely on basketball reasons.
Record: 6-3
Tonight's game between Atlanta and Portland should be a fun one. Portland comes in having won 7 of their last 8, with the sole loss being at home to Atlanta. Atlanta on the other hand has had recent impressive wins over both Boston and Denver and is playing great basketball right now.
Portland's success complete relies on the performance of All-Star Brandon Roy and his twin towers, Oden and Aldridge. The problem with this is that both towers are incredibly susceptible to foul trouble, average 4.1 and 3.2 fouls/game respectively. While Al Horford may not be all that big, he makes up for it with his aggression and fearlessness, and that spells trouble for Portland. Furthermore, Josh Smith has made a concerted effort towards attacking the basket more this year and it has paid off better than expected as he is shooting an amazing 59% from the field. Expect to see Smith and Horford attacking the basket early and often tonight, with Oden watching most of the game from the sidelines. Add in the fact that Atlanta is a great home team and this game becomes an easy decision.
Pick: Atlanta -3
Ps- Full disclaimer: I never make picks based on trying to read the minds of the linesmakers. I make my picks based solely on basketball reasons.
Thank the refs.