Detroit, chalk city
Playoffs? Playoffs?!
OK, former Detroit Lions coach Jim Mora’s oft-repeated quote has been played out worse than ‘90s catchphrases "Show me the money!" and "Wazzzzzzup?". Nonetheless, it is playoff time already in the NBA. Didn’t the San Antonio Spurs just beat the Detroit Pistons for the championship? It’s amazing how quickly time flies when you’re distracted by things like Vince Carter’s dunkathons, shiny throwback uniforms and exotic dancers masquerading as cheerleaders.
Not that I’m complaining. The regular season is just an appetizer for the succulent main course the playoffs consistently deliver. Although the first round of the postseason differs greatly in quality depending on what series you’ve got on the table. Six of the eight opening-round matchups look reasonably competitive. And then you’ve got the Pistons versus the Milwaukee Bucks. The 2003-04 champions are favored by –5000 to beat the +3000 Bucks into a fine paste.
It’s understandable that nobody except the staunchest of Bucks fans gives Milwaukee a snowball’s chance in Baghdad against the powerful Pistons. The Bucks do have some talent, most notably the backcourt of T.J. Ford and Michael Redd. But the Pistons are easily the class of the Eastern Conference. The same can’t be said quite as emphatically for this year’s No. 1 seeds in the West. The Spurs are still an elite club, and it wouldn’t surprise anybody if the NBA finals give us the sequel to last year’s dramatic San Antonio-Detroit instant classic. But the No. 8 Sacramento Kings might have something to say about it.
The Kings are definitely not the same moribund team that limped into February at 19-26 straight up and 20-25 against the spread. That was before Ron Artest came to Sacto in exchange for Peja Stojakovic. Artest was a risk worth taking for the Kings. He brought them defense, effort and leadership in spades, enough to get Sacramento into the playoffs with a 25-12 SU and 23-11-2 ATS second half. Considering the fact that Tim Duncan has been injured enough to post his worst numbers since he joined the league in 1997 (18.6 points, 11 rebounds per game), the Spurs at –1400 might be too pricey against the +800 Kings.
The other series getting big chalk sees the Miami Heat listed at –900 to eliminate the +600 Chicago Bulls. This could get ugly. The Bulls went on a 10-1 SU (9-2 ATS) tear down the stretch to grab the seventh seed in the East. And the Heat aren’t exactly the picture of health. Among the people who have spent time on the shelf recently are MVP candidate Dwyane Wade, centers Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning, and backcourt stalwarts Gary Payton and James Posey. But all five are available for the playoffs, and if they are anywhere close to healthy, especially Wade and O’Neal (both of whom played hurt at this time last year), the Heat should have no problem against the inexperienced Bulls.
All the remaining series have their share of intrigue. That Stojakovic-Artest trade has also paid dividends for the Indiana Pacers, who are reasonably close to full strength as they prepare to face the New Jersey Nets. Indiana was nearly as lost as Sacramento going into February, barely surviving at 21-22 SU and 20-20-3 ATS. Although the Pacers finished the season not much better at 41-41 SU (39-39-4 ATS), much of that second half was played without top scorer Jermaine O’Neal. Now that he’s back, Indiana looks like a dangerous team at +265 to upset the –325 Nets.
Speaking of injuries, the Phoenix Suns were hoping to have Amare Stoudemire back in the lineup for their postseason run. That didn’t quite work out; now the shorthanded Suns have to face Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. We’ve seen Phoenix blow through the regular season at 54-28 SU and 44-37-1 ATS despite missing both Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas in the middle. The Suns have succeeded with an unorthodox European flavor, putting Boris Diaw in the middle and letting point guard Steve Nash and power forward Shawn Marion do their thing. These are three very talented players, each unique at his position. But will their stuff work in the playoffs? The odds list says yes: Phoenix is pegged at –320 to dust off the +260 Lakers. But as confusing as the Suns are, the Lakers are even harder to get a handle on. If Kobe can get into the postseason with a supporting cast of Lamar Odom and a cast of capable but unheralded role players, who knows what kind of havoc they can wreak in April.
The remaining first-round series feature the Cleveland Cavaliers (-235) against the Washington Wizards (+195), the L.A. Clippers (-230) versus the Denver Nuggets (+190), and the Dallas Mavericks (-325) facing the Memphis Grizzlies (+265).
Playoffs? Playoffs?!
OK, former Detroit Lions coach Jim Mora’s oft-repeated quote has been played out worse than ‘90s catchphrases "Show me the money!" and "Wazzzzzzup?". Nonetheless, it is playoff time already in the NBA. Didn’t the San Antonio Spurs just beat the Detroit Pistons for the championship? It’s amazing how quickly time flies when you’re distracted by things like Vince Carter’s dunkathons, shiny throwback uniforms and exotic dancers masquerading as cheerleaders.
Not that I’m complaining. The regular season is just an appetizer for the succulent main course the playoffs consistently deliver. Although the first round of the postseason differs greatly in quality depending on what series you’ve got on the table. Six of the eight opening-round matchups look reasonably competitive. And then you’ve got the Pistons versus the Milwaukee Bucks. The 2003-04 champions are favored by –5000 to beat the +3000 Bucks into a fine paste.
It’s understandable that nobody except the staunchest of Bucks fans gives Milwaukee a snowball’s chance in Baghdad against the powerful Pistons. The Bucks do have some talent, most notably the backcourt of T.J. Ford and Michael Redd. But the Pistons are easily the class of the Eastern Conference. The same can’t be said quite as emphatically for this year’s No. 1 seeds in the West. The Spurs are still an elite club, and it wouldn’t surprise anybody if the NBA finals give us the sequel to last year’s dramatic San Antonio-Detroit instant classic. But the No. 8 Sacramento Kings might have something to say about it.
The Kings are definitely not the same moribund team that limped into February at 19-26 straight up and 20-25 against the spread. That was before Ron Artest came to Sacto in exchange for Peja Stojakovic. Artest was a risk worth taking for the Kings. He brought them defense, effort and leadership in spades, enough to get Sacramento into the playoffs with a 25-12 SU and 23-11-2 ATS second half. Considering the fact that Tim Duncan has been injured enough to post his worst numbers since he joined the league in 1997 (18.6 points, 11 rebounds per game), the Spurs at –1400 might be too pricey against the +800 Kings.
The other series getting big chalk sees the Miami Heat listed at –900 to eliminate the +600 Chicago Bulls. This could get ugly. The Bulls went on a 10-1 SU (9-2 ATS) tear down the stretch to grab the seventh seed in the East. And the Heat aren’t exactly the picture of health. Among the people who have spent time on the shelf recently are MVP candidate Dwyane Wade, centers Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning, and backcourt stalwarts Gary Payton and James Posey. But all five are available for the playoffs, and if they are anywhere close to healthy, especially Wade and O’Neal (both of whom played hurt at this time last year), the Heat should have no problem against the inexperienced Bulls.
All the remaining series have their share of intrigue. That Stojakovic-Artest trade has also paid dividends for the Indiana Pacers, who are reasonably close to full strength as they prepare to face the New Jersey Nets. Indiana was nearly as lost as Sacramento going into February, barely surviving at 21-22 SU and 20-20-3 ATS. Although the Pacers finished the season not much better at 41-41 SU (39-39-4 ATS), much of that second half was played without top scorer Jermaine O’Neal. Now that he’s back, Indiana looks like a dangerous team at +265 to upset the –325 Nets.
Speaking of injuries, the Phoenix Suns were hoping to have Amare Stoudemire back in the lineup for their postseason run. That didn’t quite work out; now the shorthanded Suns have to face Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. We’ve seen Phoenix blow through the regular season at 54-28 SU and 44-37-1 ATS despite missing both Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas in the middle. The Suns have succeeded with an unorthodox European flavor, putting Boris Diaw in the middle and letting point guard Steve Nash and power forward Shawn Marion do their thing. These are three very talented players, each unique at his position. But will their stuff work in the playoffs? The odds list says yes: Phoenix is pegged at –320 to dust off the +260 Lakers. But as confusing as the Suns are, the Lakers are even harder to get a handle on. If Kobe can get into the postseason with a supporting cast of Lamar Odom and a cast of capable but unheralded role players, who knows what kind of havoc they can wreak in April.
The remaining first-round series feature the Cleveland Cavaliers (-235) against the Washington Wizards (+195), the L.A. Clippers (-230) versus the Denver Nuggets (+190), and the Dallas Mavericks (-325) facing the Memphis Grizzlies (+265).