Sports Betting Tips and Game Handicapping Picks » Houston Rockets

What can T-Mac do to help the Knicks?

Jeffdstuff — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:59:15 +0000

Great. That’s just what the Knicks needed, another overpaid shooting guard.

After trading Nate Robinson to Boston, you can’t help but wonder, are these guys throwing the 2010 NBA basketball season away already? And what’s even funnier is the fact that the Knicks actually think bringing in a Tracy McGrady who is now merely a shell of his former self, the right move to make.

But when you come to think of it, this is probably a good business decision by New York Knicks gerenal manager Donnie Walsh. We all know the Knicks won’t be competing for the NBA championship this season anyway so the least they can do now is just put more asses inside Madison Square Garden and just like Iverson in Philadelphia, McGrady can be that guy in New York City.

Having a guy like Tracy McGrady can bolster interest to this ailing Knicks franchise. Of course, if they want to have McGrady for the next couple of years, they would have to give up key players within their team like Al Harrington and Eddy Curry at some point just to stay below the cap.

And since the Knicks are trying to clear up some cap space anyway for the highly anticipated 2010 free agency, those guys are as good as gone along with their hefty paychecks.

The first move New York Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh was looking into before the deadline was a three-team deal that involves both the Houston Rockets (obviously) and the Washington Wizards, another team that’s probably giving up already on this year’s title chase and would just want to clear up some cap space for the summer.

In the end, it was Sacramento that made T-Mac’s move to NYC possible, sending Kevin Martin to Houston to let the Rockets give up on T-Mac. Houston ended up getting the best deal of the three, despite the fact that they have finally given up on the guy who was once the team’s leading scorer.

As far as T-Mac is concerned...

The end of Yao Ming playing in NBA?

Jeffdstuff — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:30:48 +0000

Looks like Yao Ming could be out for a long time.

You read it, because there are rumors that claim that this latest injury hitting the seven-foot Chinese giant coming to the 2009 NBA basketball season is so severe that they’re calling it career-threatening.

Apparently, Yao Ming hasn’t fully recovered yet from the broken foot he suffered from during the NBA playoffs. And while the brand new season is still a few months away, Yao’s recovery is so behind schedule that they are already ruling the big guy out for the entire season, or worse, his NBA career.

‘’At this point, the injury has the potential for him missing this next season and could be career threatening,'’ team physician Tom Clanton said.

‘’One of the things we are trying to get is a consensus opinion on that, to make certain there is no option we are overlooking that would provide an earlier return or would be an option for treatment that he would prefer rather than doing additional surgery.'’

Yao Ming suffered a hairline fracture of the tarsal navicular bone of his left foot when his Houston Rockets were playing the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the NBA playoffs. The team initially ruled Yao to be out for eight to 12 weeks but they found out that he could be missing a lot more time after a bone scan revealed that the fracture is not healing properly.

This leaves the Houston Rockets with no choice but to try to salvage their campaign with what they have left for the fourth straight year. However, this time, they’ll do the salvaging even before their campaign officially begins.

Yao Ming missed 21 games back in the 2005-06 season because of an infection in his left big toe. Then he missed 32 games in the 2006-07 season because of a broken leg. During the 2007-08 season, Yao hit the injury list yet again with a stress fracture in his left foot before injuring the same foot again in last season’s playoffs.

To make matters worse, the Rockets have...

Rockets try to force a Game 7 in LA

Jeffdstuff — Thu, 14 May 2009 09:08:09 +0000

Can the Rockets bring it back to LA?

In what is turning out to be one of the most predictable games you can bet on in the 2009 NBA Playoffs, Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals series between the Lakers and the Rockets is on this Thursday and Yao Ming will still be on street clothes, leaving his team prey to the visiting predators from LA.

You read it, after the Los Angeles Lakers literally obliterated the Rockets at the Staples Center 118-78 in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead, another win for the Purple and Gold seems inevitable. After all, the Lakers are coming off a 40-point win. And without Yao Ming to defend the paint for the Rockets, the Lakers should have a field day scoring inside yet again.

After being criticized by Magic Johnson following a humbling loss back in Game 4, the Lakers dominated the Houston Rockets right from the get-go in Game 5. If Magic provided the wake-up call, the Lakers were definitely awake, cranky but awake.

Led by Kobe Bryant who scored 26 points, the Rockets never had a chance. Pau Gasol chimed in with 16 points and 13 rebounds while Andrew Bynum came up with his best performance in the playoffs at last, scoring a playoff-high 14 points.

If the Lakers will always play this way every single time a Hall of Famer like Magic Johnson will describe the Lakers as a disgrace to Laker fans, then by all means, infuriate these Lakers some more. If that’s what it takes to get these Lakers to play at this level, I reckon Kobe Bryant won’t mind.

However, SINCE the Lakers did win Game 5 by a huge margin, what happens if the Lakers are not mad anymore? Will they revert back to that Laker team that lost in Game 4 to the Rockets who were playing without Yao Ming?

Magic Johnson better stand in...

Lakers – Rockets Game 3, it’s Personal

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 08 May 2009 07:37:58 +0000

After the jawing, the technical fouls and the elbows, yes, this series is personal now.

With homecourt advantage in their favor, the Houston Rockets look to take a 2-1 series lead over the Los Angeles Lakers when their best of seven series in the 2009 NBA Playoffs resume for Game 3 in Houston.

After shocking the league with a 100-92 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1, the Houston Rockets were bullied, tossed around and whooped in Game 2 as the Lakers obviously played this pesky Rockets team more physical than any other team they played all year.

The result was a 111-98 win for the Los Angeles Lakers, tying this series to a game apiece as they head for Texas looking to take the homecourt edge back.

Lakers star Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 40 points, including an elbow on Ron Artest that infuriated the Artest we saw who became infamous at the Palace of Auburn Hills a few years ago. And in case you missed the game, Game 2 was more like a brawl than a basketball game.

Emotions boiled over in the second half as Lakers guard Derek Fisher and Rockets forward Ron Artest were both ejected from the game.

Derek Fisher was ejected for throwing a vicious elbow on Luis Scola who was making a pick. Fisher saw the Rockets forward before he went through him with what looked like an uppercut.

Ron Artest, on the other hand, was ejected a few minutes later when he hauled for Kobe’s ass after the Lakers star threw another elbow on him.

You just know that the Toyota Center won’t...

2009 NBA Playoffs Preview: West

Jeffdstuff — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:16:58 +0000

I guess you can call it the wild and wackier side of the postseason.

Yep, unlike the Eastern Conference, seven of the eight seeds in the West for the 2009 NBA Playoffs were not determined yet until they played the last game of the regular season.

While everybody knew the Los Angeles Lakers will remain on top of the field, nobody knew which teams will occupy seeds two to eight. But now that the dust has cleared and the 82-game regular season finally came to a close, we already have the seedings complete.

Playing the top-seeded Lakers are the no.8 seed Utah Jazz. This might be a tougher series than the Lakers expect. Sure, the Jazz have a big problem with winning games on the road this season, but at 33-19 against conference opponents, Utah is still a tough nut to crack in the West. And as good as the Jazz are in the West, they are even better at home.

The rejuvenated Denver Nuggets, led by their court general Chauncey Billups, will take on the New Orleans Hornets as the overall no.2 seed in the conference. Nobody anticipated how good of an impact Chauncey Billups will have on Denver but can he outplay CP3?

Even though the New Orleans Hornets can only muster seed no.7, Chris Paul still remains as a solid candidate for MVP. It’ll be nice watching Chauncey take on CP3. And while Denver appears to be the more talented team on paper, it’ll still be a shocker if they can get past the Hornets to get to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in quite a while.

A good ol’ fashioned shootout in Texas is next as the no.3 seed San Antonio Spurs take on their state rivals, Dallas Mavericks, to kick off their postseason campaign. Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry will be put to the test as they take on arguably the most consistent team in the NBA.

However, as good as the San Antonio Spurs have been in years, they’re starting to show the effects of the wear and tear they accumulated playing in the league together. Can their old wheels still be fast enough to keep up with the run and gun pace of the Dallas Mavericks?

Last but certainly not the least, we have the no.4 seed Portland Trail Blazers playing the no.5 seed Houston Rockets.

The Blazers are arguably one of the most exciting teams to...

NBA Basketball Betting Preview for the 2009 NBA All Star Game

NBA Blogger B — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 10:02:07 +0000

The 2009 NBA All Star Game which will be held at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona is just a few days away. The 2009 All Star Game would be yet another basketball gambling delight as this would feature the NBA’s top basketball players of the year with the exception of players that were left out of the fray.

Kobe Bryant would be appearing in his 11^th All Star Game and is a favourite to win this year’s NBA All Star game MVP award. With the way the Los Angeles Lakers are playing it would not be a surprise if Kobe Bryant goes home with the award.

On the other end of the court would be Kevin Garnett who would be playing in his 12^th NBA All Game, yet would not be a favourite to win the MVP award. LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers is the reigning All Star MVP and is next in line on the polls to take the award.

Notable NBA Players are...

The 2009 NBA All-Star Game is Set

Jeffdstuff — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 08:58:20 +0000

The representatives for both the Eastern and Western Conference were finally determined.

With the 2009 NBA All-Star Game only a few more days away, we finally learned who among the league’s top players will be representing the two conferences for the mid-season classic.

And since this year’s All-Star game will be in Phoenix, let’s start with the two guys who’ll be representing the host city on February 15, Suns forward Amare Stoudemire, who was voted in as a starter, and Suns center Shaquille O’Neal, voted in as a reserve by NBA coaches.

You read it, Shaquille O’Neal is back in the All-Star game, moving past NBA greats such as Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Jerry West to land in second place in the all-time All-Star appearances made by an NBA player. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was selected 19 times, still leads everybody.

The 2009 NBA Western Conference All-Stars will be led by reigning NBA MVP Kobe Bryant. He will be joined by New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul in the West’s starting backcourt.

Rounding up the Western starters are Tim Duncan and Yao Ming, joining Stoudemire in the frontcourt.

Joining Shaq as a reserve for the 2009 NBA Western Conference All-Stars include Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Chauncey Billups, Tony Parker, Brandon Roy and David West. The Western Conference will be coached by the Lakers’ Zen Master Phil Jackson.

For the 2009 NBA Eastern Conference All-Stars, defending NBA champions Boston Celtics will have two representatives with Kevin Garnett starting at the...

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is ON

Jeffdstuff — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:40:05 +0000

It's time for Beijing to heat up the sports world.

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games have finally arrived on the eight day of the eight month of the eight year. August 8, 2008, that date was probably marked all around the globe as people from all walks of life marked that date on their calendar for their personal reasons; be it weddings, opening businesses, birth dates, etc., hoping that the date that comes only once in every hundred years, will bring them good luck.

It was only fitting that the Chinese scheduled the Games of the XXIX Olympiad on the said date as well. But will the date bring good luck to the athletes competing for their country too?

They, after all, need all the luck they can get. The Olympics is the biggest event any sports athlete will have in his sporting career and it is understandable if these athletes feel pressured.

U.S. Olympic swimmer, Michael Phelps, is one dude who’ll feel the most pressure for sure. He has the opportunity to become the Olympian to win the most gold medals in history both for a single Games and for a career. He has to win eight more gold medals, giving him 14 for his career.

U.S. basketball team head coach Mike Krzyzewski and Kobe Bryant should also feel the same pressure. For Krzyzewski, he’s probably the best coach in basketball not working in the NBA, despite that, he still has no gold medal to show for since taking over the U.S. Olympic basketball team.

For Kobe Bryant, he’s arguably the best player in basketball today but, he still has to prove something and that’s win something without Shaquille O’Neal. He was two wins away from achieving that against the...

It’s a wild wild West in the 2008 NBA Playoffs

Jeffdstuff — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 02:08:43 +0000

Yes, the wild wild West is where it's at in the postseason.

With the regular season finally over, the seedings in the West were finally finalized for the 2008 NBA playoffs. And in case you’ve been living under a rock, Tinseltown is back on top after the Lakers won the Western Conference title for the first time since the 2000 playoffs.

That means, the Los Angeles Lakers will enter the playoffs as the no.1 seed. They will face the no.8 seed Denver Nuggets in a best-of-seven, first round series to kick-off their playoff campaign and with Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony killing some of the momentum his team gained after he was charged with DUI, the Lakers are definitely looking quite good to have their way in this playoff match-up.

Of course, Denver Nuggets guard Allen Iverson will still be focused as he prepares himself for a match-up with Lakers star Kobe Bryant. But then again, let’s not kid ourselves with the idea that Denver will actually shock L.A. in the first round.

No.2 seed New Orleans Hornets will face the no.7 seed Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks had a statement game against New Orleans for the final game of the regular season, winning 111-98 when J-Kidd had a massive triple-double of 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Of course, the New Orleans Hornets are hoping for a different tune especially after winning Game 1. But I STILL won’t be surprised to see the Dallas Mavericks knock off the no.2 seed in the first round.

No.3 seed San Antonio Spurs renew their playoff rivalry with no.6 seed Phoenix Suns once they meet again in the first round. The last time they played a series in the playoffs, Suns star Steve Nash was on the receiving end of a shoulder block from Spurs vet Robert Horry. That ended with the Spurs moving on and the Suns taking an abrupt exit from the playoffs.

This time though, the Phoenix Suns will have...

2008 NBA Betting Tips for Feb.21 Games

Jeffdstuff — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:11:08 +0000

The 2007-08 NBA basketball season resumes on Thursday, a day after both Shaquille O’Neal and Jason Kidd made their respective debuts, losing to the Lakers and Hornets respectively.

And while watching Shaquille O’Neal play surprisingly well only to be spoiled by his STILL poor free throws not to mention losing to one of his former teams from Los Angeles, ENTERTAINING to say the least, Shaq’s ex-teammates from Miami are playing on Thursday and watching those guys lose again should be a treat.

Yes people, the Miami Heat will be visiting Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and the rest of the Houston Rockets in Texas.

The Houston Rockets, one of the hottest teams in the NBA this year, have won their last nine games to improve to 18-3 since January 4. NBA oddsmakers put the spread against the surging Rockets –11 against the hapless Miami Heat who have lost their last five games.

Expect the Houston Rockets to cover with Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming leading the way.

Meanwhile, the defending NBA champions, San Antonio Spurs will also be visiting another struggling team, the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Spurs recently added defensive specialist Kurt Thomas from the Seattle Supersonics in exchange for Brent Barry and Francisco Elson. Spurs guard Toy Parker will not play due to a heel injury, while the Timberwolves will...