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Free NBA Picks: Bulls at Heat Odds for Opening Night
by Alan Matthews - 10/28/2013

Heat-Pacers is a nice little rivalry. Heat-Celtics was also very good but is dead now with all the relevant Boston players -- other than Rajon Rondo -- now playing in Brooklyn. But clearly the best rivalry in the NBA going right now is Heat-Bulls, and it gets a major jolt on Tuesday's Opening Night when Derrick Rose faces Miami for the first time since April 12, 2012.

Free NBA Picks: Clippers at Lakers Odds Opening Night
by Alan Matthews - 10/18/2013

The Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers have a lot in common. They both play in the Staples Center. They each have won a Pacific Division title in the past two seasons. Both clubs play in front of movie stars -- the Clips' signature star is Billy Crystal, and the Lakers' is Jack Nicholson (Frankie Muniz is the Clippers’ Dyan Cannon). They both exited last year's playoffs losing four straight games.

Free NBA Picks: San Antonio Spurs Futures Odds
by Aaron Smith - 10/16/2013

It’s a series that no member of the San Antonio Spurs will ever forget. Are there any words to describe the feeling of the Spurs after their loss to Miami in last year’s NBA Finals? “Gut-wrenching” may come the closest, but even that doesn’t seem to do it any justice. San Antonio had Game 6 and the series in their pockets, but they let it slip away. The team’s stars, as well as their head coach, have talked about that how tough that one was to swallow.

Free NBA Picks: Dallas Mavericks Futures Odds
by Aaron Smith - 10/9/2013

It was just two seasons ago that the Dallas Mavericks were the defending NBA Champions. Dallas topped the Miami Heat in a very impressive NBA Finals performance. The past two seasons can’t be seen as anything other than a disappointment. Last year, the Mavericks weren’t even able to work their way into the playoffs. Dirk Nowitzki got a late start to the season, and he wasn’t the same player he used to be.

NBA Picks: Utah Jazz Futures Odds
by Aaron Smith - 10/3/2013

The Utah Jazz have been hovering around the bottom of the Western Conference playoff standings for the last few years. The team has been just good enough to finish with a winning record but not good enough to get into the playoffs and do any damage. They were swept in a four-game series by the Spurs two years ago. Last season, Utah was edged out by the Lakers for the final spot in the playoffs.

Free NBA Picks: Philadelphia 76ers Futures Odds
by Aaron Smith - 9/25/2013

The Philadelphia 76ers were a playoff team a couple years ago. This franchise appeared to be on the rise with Doug Collins as their head coach as the team established an identity of playing tough defense and scrapping for four quarters. Something changed before last season that really ruined the 2012-13 season for Philadelphia. The 76ers decided to move Andre Iguodala and put all their hopes on the shoulders of oft-injured Andrew Bynum. We all know how that worked out. Bynum never played a game for the team, and now he is a Cleveland Cavalier.

NBA Picks: Chicago Bulls Futures Odds
by Aaron Smith - 9/18/2013

You have to give the Chicago Bulls a ton of credit for what they were able to do last year without Derrick Rose. The Bulls won a playoff series and were competitive against the Heat despite being without several of their top players. Remember, it wasn’t just Rose that was out; essentially the Bulls were without three or four of their top-five players for much of the postseason.

NBA Picks: Portland Trail Blazers Futures Odds
by Aaron Smith - 9/11/2013

The Portland Trail Blazers franchise has had a great deal of success over the years. Last year’s 33-49 record wasn’t acceptable to anyone involved with this franchise. How bad was the finish last year? Portland lost their final 13 games of the year, which led many to wonder if the team was tanking at the end of the season. During their 13-game losing streak, the Blazers lost by an average of 14.2 points per game. Basically, Portland was annihilated on a nightly basis to finish out the 2012-13 season.

NBA Picks: Cleveland Should Enter Playoff Fight
by Aaron Smith - 9/4/2013

The Cleveland Cavaliers franchise took a major nosedive as soon as LeBron James left for Miami, but there are some real signs of life in Cleveland of late. The Cavaliers have been fortunate enough to get the No. 1 draft pick twice, and you have to think that is going to pay off in the future. The city of Cleveland badly wants a winner. And while this team has quite a bit of room for improvement, it seems clear that they are about to enter the playoff race in the Eastern Conference.

NBA Picks: Clippers Making Moves to Become Best in West
by Aaron Smith - 8/21/2013

The Los Angeles Clippers were knocked out in the first round of the NBA Playoffs last year. It was a bitter pill to swallow for a team that had very high expectations heading into the season. Los Angeles has been a streaky team in the past two seasons. They have looked like the best team in the NBA at some points, and at others they have looked like a borderline playoff team. Unfortunately for the Clippers, they haven’t been able to play their best basketball when it matters the most.

NBA Picks: Bobcats Trying to Become Competitive
by Aaron Smith - 8/14/2013

Not all NBA teams have the same goal at the beginning of every season. For a team like the Charlotte Bobcats, no doubt the goal is to simply be competitive this year. While the players and management might say their goals are set to reach the playoffs, deep down they know that first they have to take baby steps and become competitive.

NBA Picks: Pistons Have Added Excitement
by Aaron Smith - 8/7/2013

The Detroit Pistons were one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference for many years. However, since the 2007-2008 season fans in Detroit haven’t had much to cheer about. The Pistons have gone downhill quickly since that time. Detroit hasn’t won more than 30 games in any of the last four seasons.

NBA Picks: Indiana Pacers Need a Couple Pieces
by Aaron Smith - 7/31/2013

The Indiana Pacers were just a game away from being the Eastern Conference Champions and taking on the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. The Pacers had been extremely impressive early in the Eastern Conference Finals against Miami, but they couldn’t rise to the occasion in the deciding Game 7. The Heat coasted to a 99-76 victory in the finale of their series against the Pacers before going on to edge out the Spurs in the NBA Finals.

NBA Picks: Golden State Warriors Ready for Next Step
by Aaron Smith - 7/24/2013

The Golden State Warriors took a big step forward last year by winning their first-round playoff matchup with the Denver Nuggets. Golden State bowed out in the second round to the San Antonio Spurs, but not before putting up a very good fight against the team that ended up being just seconds away from another NBA title.

Heat at Pacers Picks and NBA Game 4 Odds
by Alan Matthews - 5/28/2013

I am starting to think these TV talking heads are just BSing everyone when they get all worked up about the Miami Heat and the actual chance they will lose a series. Remember when the Heat lost Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series against short-handed Chicago? Panic city. The Bulls wouldn't win another game. Are the Indiana Pacers better than the Bulls? Certainly, at least the non-Derrick Rose Bulls. But does anyone really think they can beat the Heat four times? I mean Miami has just four losses since Super Bowl Sunday.

Spurs at Grizzlies Picks and Game 4 NBA Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 5/27/2013

The storyline here is easy to decode. The Spurs have a chance to fatally twist the dagger that they have planted in the guts of the Grizzlies the last three games. Memphis is fighting to salvage some pride — even if their chances of advancing past this round are dim at best. This is good old, plain and simple playoff drama. Desperation versus determination. Momentum versus frustration. The most establishment of teams versus the squad trying to prove they truly belong in the top tier. Good stuff.

Spurs at Grizzlies Picks and Game 3 Betting Odds
by Dave Schwab - 5/25/2013

The NBA Western Conference Finals will shift venues to FedEx Forum this Saturday night for Game 3 of this best-of-seven showdown between the San Antonio Spurs and the Memphis Grizzlies, with the Spurs holding the 2-0 edge. Tipoff is slated for 9 p.m. (ET), and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

Pacers at Heat Picks and Game 2 NBA Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 5/24/2013

The Pacers came very, very close to shocking the world in the opener — far closer than most people outside of Indianapolis expected. Playing in Miami, they took the Heat to overtime and then had the lead right up until LeBron James scored the winning basket at the buzzer. It was a very strong, eye-opening performance.

Pacers at Heat Picks and Game 1 NBA Odds
by Dave Schwab - 5/22/2013

The Indiana Pacers will try and carve out a much-needed early edge in this season’s Eastern Conference Finals when they square off against the heavily-favored Miami Heat this Wednesday night at American Airlines Arena in Game 1 of this best-of-seven series showdown. The game set to tip off at 8:30 p.m., and it will be broadcast nationally on TNT.

Grizzlies at Spurs Picks and Game 2 NBA Odds
by Alan Matthews - 5/21/2013

I have never played professional sports, sorry to say. Thus, I never bought into that experience thing when it comes to the playoffs. What difference does it make if you have played in big games before? Athletes live in the moment. What, when you are shooting a last-second free throw you are more likely to make it than miss if you have playoff experience?