Since everyone has been good little boys and girls, the NBA has gifted us with a Kobe-LeBron matchup on Christmas Day, part of a five-game slate for everyone to play with. And the good news is you don't need batteries or have to put up with complicated instructions for how to assemble this toy. Just turn on your television set, switch the channel to either ABC or ESPN, then sit back with your glass of eggnog.
What’s better than a Christmas Day NBA tripleheader? A Christmas Day NBA quintuple-header, of course.
Once again, ABC and ESPN are pooling their Disney resources together to present us five games in a row, depriving megastars like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant from spending the holidays with their loved ones. I’m sure they’ll get over it, somehow.
Meanwhile, the rest of us have something to do this weekend besides eat fruitcake. Our weekend betting preview takes us to Los Angeles, where rumor has it there are actually two NBA teams who call the Staples Center home. We’ve sent our spies out to report on this strange phenomenon.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Los Angeles Lakers Friday - 5:00 p.m. (ET) ABC
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – if you’re a Lakers fan. The defending NBA champions are the No. 1 tenants at Staples and the No. 1 team in the standings at a breathtaking 23-4 (12-15 ATS). And they’re only getting started.
The Lakers had to scrape by without Pau Gasol for the first three weeks of the season; they’re 15-1 SU and 8-9 ATS with their big Spaniard back in the lineup. And what a lineup it is:
Player Efficiency Rating doesn’t pick up well for defense, which is where Fisher (minus-0.9 Roland Rating) and especially Artest (plus-13.0) come in handy. Otherwise, you have two viable MVP candidates in Bryant and Gasol, plus an All-Star in Bynum – provided he stays healthy and doesn’t get burned by the voters. Which is a toss-up at best. For now, the post combination of Gasol and Bynum is working like a charm.
If only Cleveland had the same chemistry. The one thing the Cavs (22-8 SU, 15-15 ATS) are missing is a reliable 4-5 combo, and that can be expected with Shaquille O’Neal (15.18 PER) still trying to “blend in.”
Cleveland has been giving more and more minutes to Anderson Varejao (14.07 PER) off the bench, and rightly so, with occasional contributions from Zydrunas Ilgauskas (12.83 PER). That depth will come in very handy during the playoffs, but not as much in a one-game scenario. The betting odds have the Lakers listed as 6-point favorites with a total of 194.
Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Clippers Sunday - 9:30 p.m. (ET)
Our agents have identified the B-Team in Los Angeles as the “Clippers” (12-16 SU, 10-17-1 ATS), who have been to the playoffs four times since relocating from San Diego in 1984. That includes just once (2005-06) in seven seasons with Mike Dunleavy as their coach. We presumably can’t blame Dunleavy, though, for all the injuries that vex the Clippers from year to year.
Exhibit A: Blake Griffin, the runaway Wooden Award winner and No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft. He’s still about three weeks away from making his NBA debut because of a stress fracture in his left kneecap.
Shooting guard Eric Gordon (16.65 PER) also missed two weeks in November, but appears to be healthy again, providing a big upgrade over Rasual Butler (9.90 PER). The Clippers are 9-10 SU and 8-10-1 ATS this year when Gordon plays. He’s also got the highest Roland Rating on the team at plus-7.2.
Put him in the starting lineup with Baron Davis (18.64 PER), Marcus Camby (19.70 PER) and Chris Kaman (17.63 PER), plug in either Butler or Al Thornton (13.17 PER) at small forward, and you have a competitive basketball team. Too bad they can’t all play 48 minutes a game.
Depth is starting to become an issue with the Celtics (22-5 SU, 12-15 ATS) now that Paul Pierce (19.02 PER) is out because of an infection in his knee that required draining. It could be two weeks before Pierce makes his return. Marquis Daniels (9.84 PER) is on the shelf until the All-Star Game with a wrist injury, so Boston is going to have to try something different at small forward for the first time this season.
We’ll get a preview on Christmas Day when the C’s visit the Orlando Magic at the O-Rena. Temper your expectations accordingly. And have a very Merry Christmas.
Last edited by SBR Jonelyn; 04-09-15 at 02:24 PM.
Reason: image does not exist
SBR Top-Rated Sportsbooks
Kobe, Lakers host Cavs to tip NBA weekend
Reply With Quote