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NBA Playoff Matchups in the West

Jeffdstuff — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 16:04:10 +0000

Ah, the Western Conference. Some people still say this is where it’s at.

And with good reason too because in the West, it doesn’t matter what seed you are because any one of these Western Conference teams can go on and win the NBA championship. In the 2010 NBA playoffs, it’s more or less the same story.

Heck, Kevin Durant, the youngest player ever to win the scoring title this season, will be playing from the no.8 seed with the rest of the Oklahoma City Thunder. You see, these guys could go on and advance to, probably the second round of the playoffs. The problem is, they will be on a head-on collision with the no.1 seed Los Angeles Lakers.

That’s right, it’s the defending champions for the Oklahoma City Thunder. That’s probably why NOBODY expects them to get past the Lakers in the first round other than them Thunder players and their mommas.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for Kevin Durant and the season he had but when you pit him against Kobe Bryant? They don’t call him the Black Mamba for nothing.

The no.2 seed Dallas Mavericks take on the no.7 seed San Antonio Spurs in what is sure to be an exciting Texas shootout. Some people say the Mavericks, since the All-Star break, have supplanted the Denver Nuggets as the biggest threat to the Lakers in the West but since the Spurs caught fire late in the season, people are starting to reconsider that notion.

I mean, this is the San Antonio Spurs we’re talking about, the model of consistency in the NBA. And with a healthy Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili once again leading the charge, you can’t deny that the Spurs is one team to watch out for.

But if there’s one team that can be considered the team that can be considered the ”darkhorse” if you will to beat the Lakers in the West, it would have to be the no.3 seed Phoenix Suns.

The Suns clicked at the right time and...

Alvin Gentry replaces Terry Porter as Head Coach of the Phoenix Suns

NBA Blogger B — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:15:43 +0000

The Phoenix Suns and their officials held a meeting with Alvin Gentry for him to replace Terry Porter as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns, after a mediocre start to this year’s NBA Regular Season, the Phoenix Suns are looking to rebuild after a blunder of a trade that sent Shawn Marion to the Miami Heat in exchange for Shaquille O’Neal. Alvin Gentry is lead assistant of Terry Porter in the Phoenix Suns corner who also has previously been a head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons and the Miami Heat. Alvin Gentry would most likely be the head coach of the Phoenix Suns for the remainder of the NBA Regular Season. The Phoenix Suns are expected to formally announce the coaching change on Monday.

Terry Porter was hired eight months ago by the Phoenix Suns after tension between earlier head coach Mike D’Antoni and Phoenix Suns General Manager Steve Kerr which ushered Mike D’Antoni to take the head coach position for the New York Knicks. The Phoenix Suns management appointed Terry Porter with rebuilding the team and improving the team on the defensive end and having the younger players take charge of the team namely Amare Stoudemire, however the style of gameplay that Terry Porter brings has clearly brought chaos to the team that was once renowned as a heavy NBA Championship contender.

Terry Porter then focused...

NBA Playoff Betting Preview: Game One San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Hornets

NBA Blogger — Sat, 03 May 2008 16:46:03 +0000

SBG Global Opening Line: Hornets - 3.5 , Total 183.5 The New Orleans Hornets will face the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in game one of the best of seven Western Conference semifinals on Saturday night. The Hornets took out the Dallas Mavericks easily in the first round while the Spurs dispatched of the Phoenix Suns in five games in their opening series. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Spurs on the Road. The matchup in this series should be intriguing as the Spurs are the league’s oldest and most experienced team with 11 players in their 30s. They have star players in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. New Orleans has eight players who are under the age of 30. Their stars are league MVP candidate Chris Paul and David West. The two teams look very evenly matched in this series. They finished the season with identical 56-26 records and they split their four head-to-head meetings. The reason New Orleans got the higher seed was based on their superior conference record but that was only by one game...

NBA Betting News: Shaq For Shawn!

Jeffdstuff — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:14:15 +0000

Miami Heat all-star Shaquille O' Neal is leaving the NBA's worst team in favor for some "hotter" pastures. What else can be hotter than the "heat" except for the sun. The Miami Heat decided to trade Shaquille O' Neal for Phoenix Suns all-star Shawn Marion and substitute point guard Marcus Banks. Now, is this a fair trade?

NBA Betting Results: New Orleans Beat Phoenix Suns in 2OT, 132-130

NBA Blogger — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 13:51:54 +0000

NBA Betting line: New Orleans Hornets at Phoenix Suns -4.5 It was indeed an exciting match-up of the two NBA teams with the best record in the powerful Western Conference at the US Airways Center in Phoenix. The New Orleans Hornets took a double overtime to beat the Pacific division leader Phoenix Suns, 132-130, on Wednesday night. Hornets' guard-forward Peja Stojakovic hit the game-winning buzzer beater to improve the Hornets' record to 3-0 against the Phoenix Suns, with two of the victories in the Suns' home court. Newly acquired NBA All-Star Shaquille O'Neal watched as his new team the Phoenix Suns was toppled by the Hornets. Steve Nash managed a three-pointer with 1.02 to go in the fourth, but Chris Paul also sank a three-pointer to tie the game at 109, 51.2 seconds left from the end of the regulation. Peja Stojakovic and Nash made mid-range jumpers that tied the game at 111. Cris Paul of the Hornets missed a jumper that led to the first overtime. Guard Leandro Barbosa managed a three-point play that cut the Hornets' lead to 122-121. Then Steve Nash made an open three-pointer that tied the game at 124 with 8.2 seconds to play. Hornets' point guard Chris Paul missed a shot under a tight defense that led to the 2nd overtime. In double OT, with 3.2 seconds left to play, Suns' guard Leandro Barbosa made another 3-point shot to tie the game. Just as it looked like it was headed for a 3rd OT, Peja Stojakovic stole the spotlight when he made a 22-footer at the buzzer that lifts the Hornets past the Suns. The New Orleans Hornets are on track for their 1st winning season and are top contenders for the 1st division title. The win made the New Orleans Hornets 3-0 against the Phoenix Suns this season, with two of the victories in Phoenix. The Hornets still hold the top position in the Western Conference and hold a record of 34-15 SU and30-27-1 ATS in the NBA regular season. The loss ended the 9-game winning streak of the Phoenix Suns and their NBA record had dropped to 34-17 SU and 22-25-2 ATS. The Phoenix Suns failed to cover the 4.5 spread at home, thus making the New Orleans Hornets ATS winners.

NBA Betting Results: Phoenix Suns Burn The Charlotte Bobcats, 118-104

NBA Blogger — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 07:31:20 +0000

NBA BETTING: PHOENIX SUNS BURN THE CHARLOTTE BOBCATS, 118-104 NBA Betting Line: Charlotte Bobcats at Phoenix Suns -14 The Phoenix Suns were blazing hot at the US Airways Center and burned the Charlotte Bobcats with a 118-104 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. Phoenix Suns’ guard Raja Bell with his impressive season-high seven 3 pointers helped [...]

NBA Betting Results: Detroit Pisons Defeat Orlando Magic 101-93, Phoenix Suns Squeeze By Cleveland Cavaliers 110-108

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:56:17 +0000

Orlando Magic at Detroit Pistons -7 Detroit Pistons cover the spread by 1 point to win against the spread over the Orlando Magic. The Central Division-leading Detroit Pistons started strong with their shots that allowed them to win over the South East Division-leading Orlando Magic,101-93. The Detroit Pistons scored a season-high 39 points in the first quarter and made a game of it by playing solid defense, scoring a season-high 68 points at half time. Richard Hamilton led the Detroit Pistons with 32 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Chauncey Billups helped the Detroit pistons build a big lead with his 21 points and 6 assists. The Detroit Pistons also got 15 points from Rasheed Wallace. Detroit Pistons forward Antonio McDyess had a double-double, 10 points and 13 rebounds. The Orlando Magic was led by the double-double performance of Dwight Howard with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Orlando Magic foward Hedo Turkoglu scored 23 points while Rashard Lewis added 13 points, Carlos Arroyo had 16 points and Keith Bogans added 10 points for the Magic, who trailed all throughout the game. The Detroit Pistons improves their NBA record 31-13 while the Orlando Magic drop to 27-18. The Detroit Pistons victory also covered up the-7 point spread given by the NBA odds makers to win against the spread. The Detroit Pistons will hope for another win when they will hit the road to visit Mike Dunleavy and the Indiana Pacers on January 29. On January31, the Detroit Pistons will host Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.

NBA Betting Preview: New Jersey Nets at Sacramento Kings

Jeffdstuff — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:26:40 +0000

NBA odds: New Jersey Nets +5.5 at Sacramento Kings The New Jersey Nets (18-22SU, 15-24-1 ATS) are on a slump, losing 5 out of their last 5 games SU. The Sacramento Kings (17-22 SU, 22-16 ATS) are on a 2-game win streak, coming from 2 road trip wins against the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons. Those two wins were also big ATS wins. The return of all-star guard Mike Bibby to the Sacramento Kings line up is improving things for the Kings. The New Jersey Nets veterans Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson must be getting too old for all the travel and the party-ing (if any).

NBA Betting: Phoenix Suns Crush Denver Nuggets 137-115

Jeffdstuff — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 06:48:51 +0000

Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns -7.5 The Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets started the game on a scoring spree with a scoreline of 46-34 just in the first quarter of play. The Phoenix Suns had the early advantage and continued to dominate the second-half. Eventually, the Denver Nuggets were out of rhythm, and just couldn't keep up with the Phoenix Suns who crushed the Denver Nuggets 137-115, easily covering the -7.5 point spread set by NBA sportsbooks.

NBA Betting Results: Los Angeles Lakers at Chicago Bulls -1.5

Jeffdstuff — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 06:30:32 +0000

Los Angeles Lakers 103, Chicago Bulls 91 The Los Angeles Lakers had a 14-9 record entering their road game against the Chicago Bulls, who were 8-13. The Lakers have the better record and yet Chicago is the favorite by 1.5 points? There's something wrong there. It was so easy to bet on the LA Lakers, and if you did, then you won it because the LA Lakers thrashed the Chicago Bulls 103 to 91. Leading the LA Lakers in scoring was Sasha Vujacic, who came off-the-bench to give 19 points. LA Lakers all-star Kobe Bryant added 18 points while Lamar Odom had an impressive double-double performance with 17 points and 16 rebounds. The Chicago Bulls were led by the game- high 26 points of Luol Deng and the 17 points and 8 assists of Kirk Hinrich.