The Heat pull a Barbero – Day 2 Picks
WOW… Are they going to have to put the Heat down? Or can they recover and become sperm donors? Alright, lucky for the Heat, this isn’t horse racing, but honestly, 66 points on opening night? Allowing 108 to the Bulls? Hell Dwayne Wade had 25 points, too. It’s not like he was off. But do the math, he had 25, so the entire Heat team, sans D, yes, 41 points. Nice. No other Heat player busted the double digit mark. Not exactly a way to start your title defense now is it.
But lets not belittle those Bulls. Baby or well-tuned, I don’t care what you call them, they came to play, and dominate they did. Athletically, it’s going to be rare when a team matches up with Chicago. They have so many studs, they can get a bad night from Ben Gordon, 6 points on terrible shooting, and still win by 44. My favorite stat from a Bull on Tuesday, Chris Duhon hit 7-8 from the floor, but his 20 points in 17 minutes got my attention. There you go, bad night from Benny, throw CD out there This could be a nice season for Skiles and company.
Don’t think I forgot about you Laker fans out there. LA came out like a pile of dump against the Suns, as Phoenix jumpered out to a 41 point 1st quarter, and a 14 point lead on the Kobe-less Lakers. But it was downhill for the Suns from there as LA managed there way back into the game behind an MVP type game from Lamar Odom (12-24, 13 rebounds, 6 dimes, and 34 points) and two gritty performances from a couple youngsters, Andrew Bynum (18 years old, 7-11, 9 boards, 5 dimes, and 18 points) and Maurice Evans (8-13, 4 boards, and 17 points). Leandro Barbosa rocked the court for the Suns, but his 6 three pointers, 30 points and 4 dimes, wasn’t enough for the Suns as they fell by 9 in LA.
I had the Bulls over the Heat, but have to admit, I definitely had the Suns, with or without Kobe playing. So I was 1-1 on opening night, I’ll take it.
As for Tomorrow’s games, this is how I see my top 5 bets rolling out…
Atlanta (+7) will at least cover against the 76ers in Philly. The Hawks have enough talent and size to give the Sixers trouble all night on both sides of the floor. A couple of early losses could spell shake-up for the Philly boys.
Chicago (+3) should be able to bounce back from last nights game and beat the popular sleeper pick, Orlando Magic, in Orlando. Basketball is definitely a game of streaks, and Chicago can’t be tired from sleep walking through the Heat for at least a half last night. Kirk Heinrich was the only player from Chicago that played more than 29 minutes last night. Rest shouldn’t be an issue.
I like the New York Knicks (+5.5) to cover against the Memphis Grizzlies in Memphis. Call me a sick-o, but I actually think the Knickerbockers have enough talent to compete in a mediocre Eastern Conference. The Grizz are starting a rookie, and see themselves in a basic rebuilding mode. New York should be much better this season under a coach they believe in. Many don’t understand how important that is.
Sacramento (+5) should put up a good fight in Minnesota, even without their team leader, Mike Bibby, who’s out with a thumb injury for the first couple weeks of the regular season. Kevin Martin, who is very underrated, should have a huge first couple weeks with Bibby sidelined. The Kings are a good bet against a Timberwolve squad that has yet to gel. Minnesota will be back in playoff contention this season, but it’ll take a week for them to get on the right track.
And last but not least in Wednesday’s Top 5 Hoop Games….
I’ll roll with the Detroit Pistons (-7) to handle the Milwaukee Bucks with care. Jason Maxielle and Antonio McDyess should do just fine in Ben Wallace’s old roll, when they come off the bench, and if the Piston crew can instill some toughness in Nazr, he’ll do just fine starting in Ben’s place. That being said, I still think the Pistons have the make-up of a champion, so taking them on opening night feels right.
It’s nice having hoops season back. Can’t wait for College Hoops next week. Tune in often for my hoops picks a few times a week. This week, a nice little movie quote for your viewing pleasure… “Your Mamma’s so fat she broke her leg and gravy poored out.” (Can you guess this flick?) – LL