NBA Teams of Interest 4/17/09
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NBA Teams of Interest
by Chris Arena, www.sportsinsights.com
Posted: 4/17/2009
Each week, we’re going to take a look at a few teams around The Association that we think deserve extra consideration. We will not be giving picks; however, we believe these insights can help the prudent bettor looking for that extra bit of information to help them make a more informed decision on upcoming games. We welcome your feedback – contact us! Also, you can comment and subscribe to our blog. For previous articles, please visit our archive.
Playoff Bracket Breakdown
In preparation for the NBA Playoffs, this week is a special edition of NBA Teams of Interest, highlighting the regular season records of each playoff team against one another, straight up and against the spread. These tables can be used throughout the playoffs to aid you in your wagering. At the end of the article, I will provide some brief observations highlighting match-ups to keep an eye on.
How to use the table: Choose a team from the first column (Team A), then match them up with their playoff opponent from the top row (Team B). The corresponding box will show Team A’s regular season record against Team B, with their record at home in parenthesis and ATS record in brackets.
Example: To find Cleveland’s record against Detroit, find Cleveland on the left, than find Detroit at the top. The corresponding box displays the following information: regular season record (home record) against the spread.
Eastern Conference Table
| Team | vs Cleve | vs Boston | vs Orlando | vs Atlanta | vs Miami | vs Philly | vs Chicago | vs Detroit |
| Cleveland | XXX | 2-2 (2-0) 3-1 | 1-2 (1-0) 0-3 | 3-1 (2-0) 1-3 | 3-1 (2-0) 2-2 | 3-1 (1-1) 4-0 | 3-1 (2-0) 3-1 | 3-1 (2-0) 2-2 |
| Boston | 2-2 (2-0) 1-3 | XXX | 2-2 (1-1) 3-1 | 4-0 (2-0) 2-2 | 3-1 (2-0) 2-2 | 4-0 (2-0) 3-1 | 2-1 (2-0) 2-1 | 3-1 (1-1) 3-1 |
| Orlando | 2-1 (2-0) 3-0 | 2-2 (1-1) 1-3 | XXX | 3-1 (1-1) 3-1 | 3-1 (2-0) 3-1 | 3-0 (1-0) 3-0 | 3-1 (2-0) 2-2 | 0-3 (0-1) 0-3 |
| Atlanta | 1-3 (1-1) 3-1 | 0-4 (0-2) 2-2 | 1-3 (0-2) 1-3 | XXX | 3-1 (2-0) 2-2 | 1-2 (1-0) 1-2 | 3-0 (1-0) 3-0 | 3-0 (2-0) 3-0 |
| Miami | 1-3 (1-1) 2-2 | 1-3 (1-1) 2-2 | 1-3 (1-1) 1-3 | 1-3 (1-1) 2-2 | XXX | 2-2 (2-0) 2-2 | 3-1 (2-0) 2-2 | 3-1 (2-0) 4-0 |
| Philly | 1-3 (0-2) 0-4 | 0-4 (0-2) 1-3 | 0-3 (0-2) 0-3 | 2-1 (2-0) 2-1 | 2-2 (2-0) 2-2 | XXX | 2-2 (1-1) 1-2-1 | 2-1 (1-0) 2-1 |
| Chicago | 1-3 (1-1) 1-3 | 1-2 (1-0) 1-2 | 1-3 (1-1) 2-2 | 0-3 (0-2) 0-3 | 1-3 (1-1) 2-2 | 2-2 (1-1) 2-1-1 | XXX | 3-1 (2-0) 4-0 |
| Detroit | 1-3 (1-1) 2-2 | 1-3 (0-2) 3-1 | 3-0 (2-0) 3-0 | 0-3 (0-1) 0-3 | 1-3 (1-1) 0-4 | 1-2 (1-1) 1-2 | 1-3 (1-1) 0-4 | XXX |
Western Conference Table
| Team | vs Lakers | vs Denver | vs Spurs | vs Portland | vs Houston | vs Dallas | vs NO | vs Utah |
| LA Lakers | XXX | 3-1 (2-0) 2-2 | 2-1 (1-0) 3-0 | 2-2 (2-0) 2-2 | 4-0 (2-0) 4-0 | 3-0 (2-0) 1-2 | 3-1 (1-1) 2-2 | 2-1 (2-0) 2-1 |
| Denver | 1-3 (1-1) 2-2 | XXX | 2-1 (1-1) 1-2 | 2-2 (2-0) 2-2 | 1-3 (1-1) 2-2 | 4-0 (2-0) 3-1 | 2-2 (1-1) 2-2 | 2-2 (2-0) 4-0 |
| San Antonio | 1-2 (1-1) 0-3 | 1-2 (0-1) 2-1 | XXX | 1-3 (1-1) 1-3 | 2-2 (1-1) 2-2 | 2-2 (1-1) 2-2 | 2-2 (2-0) 1-3 | 3-0 (2-0) 3-0 |
| Portland | 2-2 (2-0) 2-2 | 2-2 (2-0) 2-2 | 3-1 (2-0) 3-1 | XXX | 1-2 (1-0) 2-1 | 0-3 (0-2) 0-3 | 2-2 (1-1) 3-1 | 2-2 (2-0) 2-2 |
| Houston | 0-4 (0-2) 0-4 | 3-1 (2-0) 2-2 | 2-2 (1-1) 2-2 | 2-1 (2-0) 1-2 | XXX | 2-2 (1-1) 2-2 | 3-1 (2-0) 3-1 | 2-2 (1-1) 2-2 |
| Dallas | 0-3 (0-1) 2-1 | 0-4 (0-2) 1-3 | 2-2 (1-1) 2-2 | 3-0 (1-0) 3-0 | 2-2 (1-1) 2-2 | XXX | 1-3 (1-1) 1-3 | 2-2 (2-0) 2-2 |
| New Orleans | 1-3 (0-2) 2-2 | 2-2 (1-1) 2-2 | 2-2 (2-0) 3-1 | 2-2 (1-1) 1-3 | 1-3 (1-1) 1-3 | 3-1 (2-0) 3-1 | XXX | 0-3 (0-1) 0-3 |
| Utah | 1-2 (1-0) 1-2 | 2-2 (2-0) 0-4 | 0-3 (0-1) 0-3 | 2-2 (2-0) 2-2 | 2-2 (1-1) 2-2 | 2-2 (2-0) 2-2 | 3-0 (2-0) 3-0 | XXX |
Some Observations:
- Cleveland shouldn’t have a problem until the Eastern Conference Championship, but both Boston and Orlando may give them more trouble than expected to reach the NBA Finals.
- Kevin Garnett’s injury makes Boston a much riskier team to back, but they have already shown the ability to succeed without him. I like them to face Cleveland in the Eastern Finals with or without KG.
- Miami could be in trouble right from the get-go against Atlanta based on regular season results. Look to take the under throughout this series as each team scored more than 90 points only once in four regular season games against one another.
- Detroit is absolutely terrible against the spread versus the 4-7 seeds in the East, but very strong against the top three teams. There could be some nice value in backing them as significant underdogs in their series against Cleveland.
- Even if they make it out of the first round against a weak San Antonio squad, Dallas has almost no chance against the Lakers or Nuggets based on their regular season meetings. Look for a sweep in this scenario.
- Houston seems to be the best underdog to back in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs based on regular season records, but they’re out of luck after the first round, as they are winless against the Lakers.
- I think the Nuggets make for a nice sleeper pick to make the NBA Finals. They won 14 of their last 17 regular season games and momentum is a huge factor in the NBA playoffs. I still think the Lakers are the favorite, but I could see Denver taking them to 6 or 7 games.
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