Hey there guys,
Did you guys watch the All-Star weekend and it's many events? Yeah, me neither. I know that Kobe got his nose bloodied and the word defense was bastardized and abused by pointless And1 offense that was so successful on ESPN2 it got canceled after three seasons.
Congratulations NBA. I thoroughly enjoyed my basketball-less weekend by studying and watching Downtown Abbey.
The last remaining good thing that All-Star weekend provides for NBA is that it marks the halfway point of the season. Developing stories in the first become more intensified, the 'lin'd-less amount of rising stars have a larger spotlight and the pretenders are separated form the contenders.
In short, the fun is just getting started.
Tuesday 2/28 Games
Celtics (15-17) at Cavaliers (13-18)
Playoffs: Celtics (East #8); Cavaliers (East -1 1/2)
Line: Celtics -3 (153)
Preview: Two seasons ago the Celtics and Cavaliers were battling it out for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Allen, Garnett and Pierce vs. LeBron. Now, the AAR3 are struggling with handing the reigns over to Rajon Rondo and the LeBron-less Cavaliers are still trying to return to mediocrity without baby bron-bron. Don't get me wrong, the Celtics should win this game, but they have struggled on the road this season, particularly as of late. I mean really bad. I'm going to take the Cavaliers with an early upset.
Warriors (13-17) at Pacers (21-12)
Playoffs: Warriors (West -3); Pacers (East #3)
Line: Pacers -6
Preview: Indiana is looking for their first five-game win streak since 2010 and with Danny Granger, a known Warrior-killer, playing well heading into the All-Star break I fully expect this will happen. The Warriors have nobody who can match-up with the combination of Hansbrough/West and Roy Hibbert.
76ers (20-13) at Pistons (11-23)
Playoffs: 76ers (East #4); Pistons (East -5 1/2)
Line: 76ers -4
Preview: The 76ers could not have started the season any better, and aside from some ugly wins could not have ended the first half any worse. Though they still remain atop the Atlantic division many, including myself, are not expecting them to remain at the top. The biggest question of this game is going to be whether or not they can handle Greg Monroe, who has put up back-to-back-to-back double-double's, without Elton Brand and Spencer Hawes. I don't think so. Things continue to go poorly for the struggling boys from Philly.
Hornets (7-25) at Bulls (27-7)
Playoffs: Hornets (haha); Bulls (East #2)
Line: Bulls -13.5
Preview: Derrick Rose is better than the entire New Orleans team. You would think a team owned by the league would be better than what they are. No, no you actually wouldn't. Look Seattle, here come the Hornets!
Wizards (7-25) at Bucks (13-19)
Playoffs: Wizards (No chance); Bucks (East -2 1/2)
Line: Bucks -7.5
Preview: This match-up is just so, so very unexciting. I mean really. The Wizards are just a waste of talent, while the Bucks are just a magnet for bad luck. Stephen Jackson, Drew Gooden and Andrew Bogut all appear to be unavailable for this game. It won't matter. Ersan Ilyasova (shouldn't he be playing hockey) is doing wonders in Gooden's absence. He and Brandon Jennings should be too much for the worthless Wiz.
Raptors (9-23) at Rockets (20-13)
Playoffs: Raptors (East -5 1/2); Rockets (West #6)
Line: Rockets -9.5
Preview: It is only because the middle of the East is so lacking in good content, that the Raptors still have a change at making the playoffs. However, without Bargnani that chance is rather slim. Not that he would have mattered too much in this game. K-Mart, Lowry and Scola are having great seasons. Can Houston challenge the Spurs for the division? They'll take another step with a win here.
Nets (9-25) at Mavericks (21-12)
Playoffs: Nets (are you there God?); Mavericks (West #4)
Line: -10.5
Preview: The Nets suck and the Mavericks are in an attempt to challenge the Spurs for the division. I'll follow the Mavericks from afar because they don't seem like legitimate contenders to me. They're old, they no longer have a Dirk without a ring type of mentality and Lamar Odom still appears to be pouting since he was traded from LA. They'll win this one, but I still have a hard time picturing this team as worth a second look.
Jazz (15-17) at Kings (10-22)
Playoffs: Jazz (West -2); Kings (I just chuckled out loud in class)
Line: Kings -3
Preview: At one point this season the Jazz were considered to be a team that could challenge someone in the playoffs. Since then no team has been colder than the Mormon State representatives. Can they turn things around? A loss here would all but kill that chance. I mean, it's the Kings. An abundance of talent but they have as many wins as season ticket holders. I look for the Jazz to turn things around starting tonight.
Timberwolves (17-17) at Clippers (20-11)
Playoffs: T-Wolves (West -1); Clippers (West #3)
Line: Clippers -6.5
Preview: Go ahead, you can call me out. I'm on the Timberwolves bandwagon. Rubio, Love and Nikola are combining to make this team a legitimate playoff contender. This game presents the match-up of the two best young power forwards in the game right now: Blake Griffin vs. Kevin Love. I think the Clippers have the better overall talent, but the T-Wolves are playing with GREAT confidence, while Lob City is still looking for someone to take over and replace Chauncey Billups. I'm going to take the Clippers here, but I say this with little conviction.
Don't forget to tune in to 92.1 Rebel Radio every Sunday at noon to listen to me and my co-host Addison Moreno discuss news, rumors, recaps and predictions around the NBA.
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