NBA Handicapping Articles

NBA Picks: Thunder at Heat Game 5 Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 6/20/2012

Things are not looking good for the NBA season to be extended past Thursday night’s Game 5 of the NBA Finals in Miami with the Heat leading the Oklahoma City Thunder 3-1. First off, the Thunder’s chances of winning the series are very small. Only eight teams in NBA playoff history have rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win a series and never in the Finals.

NBA Finals Picks: Thunder at Heat Game 4 Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 6/18/2012

I didn’t play in the NBA or coach in The Association, but it sure seems like Oklahoma City Coach Scott Brooks is being handed his hat by counterpart Erik Spoelstra so far in the NBA Finals as we head into Tuesday night’s Game 4 in Miami.

NBA Finals Predictions: Thunder at Heat Game 3 Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 6/15/2012

Can we stop criticizing LeBron James and Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra now? Both had faced the usual sniping after LeBron was completely outplayed by Kevin Durant in Game 1 of the NBA Finals loss, and Spoelstra was hearing he was vastly outcoached by Scott Brooks in the opener, much like Spoelstra was in last year’s Finals loss to Dallas.

NBA Picks: Heat at Thunder Game 2 Betting Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 6/13/2012

The 2012 NBA Finals were hyped as a LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant showdown as part of a bigger Miami Big 3 vs. an Oklahoma City Big 3, and the Thunder won on both counts in the Game 1 opener to take a 1-0 series lead. Thus, Game 2 Thursday night in OKC is almost a must-win for the Heat or else they know this series is going back to Oklahoma City even if they can somehow sweep the middle three games of the Finals’ 2-3-2 format.

NBA Finals Props: Betting Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 6/12/2012

The end of the NBA season is upon us as a highly-anticipated NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder tips off on Tuesday night in OKC. I’ve already previewed Game 1 here at Doc’s, so let’s take a look a few series props.

NBA Finals Predictions: Heat at Thunder Game 1 Odds and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 6/11/2012

The NBA was never able to give basketball fans LeBron James vs. Kobe Bryant in the NBA Finals, and it doesn’t appear likely to happen anytime soon with Kobe’s Lakers looking rather old. But the hoops gods were very kind this season as we get to see the two best players in the game today face off when LeBron’s Miami Heat face Kevin Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 NBA Finals, with Game 1 Tuesday night in OKC. In my opinion, this is the best individual matchup in the Finals since the 1991 Finals when Michael Jordan’s Bulls beat Magic Johnson’s Lakers for MJ’s first title.

2012 NBA Draft Prospects: Underrated Players
by Robert Ferringo - 6/11/2012

Building a championship team in the NBA isn’t just about finding the next superstar. If you look at the four teams that made the conference finals you will see several guys that weren’t expected to amount to much in The League but now find themselves playing key roles for the top title contenders.

2012 NBA Draft: Most Overrated Players
by Robert Ferringo - 6/11/2012

The 2012 NBA Draft takes place on Thursday, June 28 in Newark, New Jersey, and it is all but a total certainty that Kentucky center Anthony Davis and his amazing unibrow will be the No. 1 overall pick by the New Orleans Hornets.

NBA Picks: Celtics at Heat Game 7 Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 6/8/2012

The two greatest NBA playoff performances I can remember in my lifetime are Michael Jordan’s 63-point game, the most ever in the postseason, on April 20, 1986, against the Hall of Fame-laden Boston Celtics; and Lakers rookie Magic Johnson starting at center for an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, with Magic, a point guard by nature, putting up 42 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists in winning his first championship.

NBA Picks: Spurs at Thunder Game 6 Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 6/6/2012

So I wonder if the good folks of Seattle will be rooting for or against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Wednesday night’s Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals against San Antonio. I’m sure it will be a bittersweet night for many residents of the Emerald City if the Thunder finish off a stunning rally from down 2-0 in this series to reach the franchise’s first NBA Finals since Seattle’s SuperSonics lost to Michael Jordan’s Bulls in the 1996 Finals.

NBA Picks: Celtics at Heat Game 5 Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 6/4/2012

Well, well, well … after last Wednesday, it was starting to look like the NBA’s conference finals were going to be four-game duds in both the East and West. Now, however, it appears we might get treated to two seven-game classics.

NBA Picks: Spurs at Thunder Game 4 Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 6/1/2012

You know how in college basketball that no coach wants his team to go into the NCAA Tournament unbeaten? The old adage is that coaches want their teams, whether unbeaten or on a long winning streak, to get a loss out of the way so the pressure of staying unbeaten or setting a record is gone when things really start to matter.

NBA Handicapping: The Chris Bosh Factor for Miami
by T.O. Whenham - 5/31/2012

Since the first game of the second round Miami’s Big 3 has been a Big 2. Chris Bosh has been sidelined with an abdominal strain, and his return is still uncertain — and surrounded in some mystery. He’s working out, but the efforts have still been light, and no one around the team is indicating just when he might be back in action.

NBA Playoffs Odds and Picks: Heat at Celtics Game 3 Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/31/2012

If you are the Boston Celtics, you just likely saw your season go down the drain in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday night. Miami won the very entertaining game 115-111 in overtime – I had predicted a Celtics cover but also the ‘under’ – to take a 2-0 lead in this series.

NBA Picks: Spurs at Thunder Game 3 Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/30/2012

How dare I have doubted the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of their Western Conference Finals series with the Oklahoma City Thunder! The game wasn’t even as close as San Antonio’s 120-111 victory looked on the scoreboard (at least I took the over). Tony Parker led the way 34 points and eight assists and Manu Ginobili added 20 points as the Spurs won their 20th consecutive game, an NBA record for a streak extended into the playoffs. By the way, no team has ever gone through one postseason unbeaten.

NBA Picks: Celtics at Heat Game 2 Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/29/2012

You never want to read too much into one game, but the Boston Celtics sure look like they are toast after losing Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, 93-79, at the Miami Heat. LeBron James and Dwayne were getting dunks and layups all night and the Heat – without their best post player in the injured Chris Bosh – had 42 points in the paint in Game 1. Boston actually might have covered if not getting called for five technical fouls.

NBA Conference Finals Betting Update
by David Schwab - 5/29/2012

The NBA Conference Finals are underway with Game 1 in the books in both the East and the West best-of-seven series. The following is a look at some pertinent facts and figures as well as some current betting trends that should help your NBA handicapping for the upcoming games.

NBA Playoffs Odds: Thunder at Spurs Game 2 Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/28/2012

Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals wasn’t quite the offensive explosion I expected but it was an excellent game – and from it came a new catchphrase that I guarantee will be on T-shirts in San Antonio for Game 2. The Spurs were down nine points early in the fourth quarter when Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich was heard telling his team during a timeout that he wanted some “nasty.”

NBA Playoffs Picks: Sixers at Celtics Game 7 Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/25/2012

Was it really any surprise that the Boston Celtics didn’t put their throats on the necks of the Philadelphia 76ers during Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series in Philly on Wednesday night? After all, Boston had been 2-10 since the arrival of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in road potential close-out games in the postseason. It’s almost like this team doesn’t have a killer instinct until it’s 100 percent necessary.

NBA Playoffs Odds and Pick: Thunder at Spurs Game 1 Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/25/2012

I don’t know about you, but when Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose went down with that torn ACL late in Game 1 of Chicago’s first-round playoff series with Philadelphia, I immediately skipped ahead mentally toward the conference finals in terms of series I most wanted to see since Miami-Chicago was all but out: Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio. And with all due respect to the Heat, who have reclaimed the NBA title favorite role at 8/5 on Bovada, the Spurs and Thunder sure look like the two best teams going right now.