AC TITTICOCK'S WEEKLY FREE NBA BASKETBALL PICKS AND WINNERS

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11/13/04 Week 2 NBA Picks

AC's outlook on the NBA is an entertaining original column featured here at Wagercom. If you are prone to NBA betting or even just an NBA fan, make sure you come back often to read his articles and free NBA Basketball picks against the spread. AC will be providing us with a weekly outlook during the basketball season including free NBA Basketball picks on some of the weekend games each Friday and Saturday.

Our NBA expert AC wrapped up the 2003-2004 NBA betting season with a 51% winning percentage against the spread on his basketball picks after 190 games.

The NBA season is almost two weeks old and already there have been a few surprises. While these are mostly aberrations and will involve some reversion to the mean, it may serve you well in your betting endeavors to understand the trends (pokemon, anyone?). So here are the top 5 early season surprises.

1. The Toronto Raptors. If you read my NBA preview (and I assume you all did, especially you college kids as I hear it has now been made part of the curriculum in some of those mining schools) you will know that I thought the Raptors had wildcard potential. They have 4 decent veterans (Rose, Selfish Carter, Donyell, and Rafer And1 Alston) and an up and coming star in Chris Bosh (if by star I mean average NBA player). However, what has really spurred them on is the play of one time prodigy Loren Woods. Woods was a player at Arizona and it was never clear why he hadn’t blossomed in the NBA (other than his lack of skills and softness). However, he has seemingly put it together, for a short time at least and this, along with a strong veteran presence is powering the Craptors (I said crap, uhuhhuhuh). Most teams take awhile to gel, the Raptors have done it quickly because of the veterans they have. As the season progresses, this advantage will slip and Loren Woods will go back to being just another tall guy at the end of somebody’s bench while the veterans will go back to being old and marginal. In all, the Raptors are a decent .500ish Eastern conference team.

2. The Denver Nuggets. Melo, Melo, Melo, could you be the new Kobe Bryant? First the sulking at the Olympics, then the backpack with the sticky ricky, and now your play and attitude have significantly tailed off. What is wrong Melo? Are you not getting enough groupie love? Did one of your Escalades only come with 22s and not 24s (and I actually have no idea what that means but I think people could get shot over it)? Did you find out that there is no Santa Clause? Why all the pouting and surliness. Melo, it is time for you to step-up. The Nuggets should be one of the top teams in the West, and they will be, unless Melo keeps up the act. I don’t think this slump lasts.

3. Kobe Bryant has not raped anybody yet. I know it is hard to believe, but so far all extra-marital sex has been consensual according to industry sources.

4. Luol Deng is throwing in 20+ points a night. Granted it’s only been 3 games and unlikely to continue but hats off to a guy on my “All-Time Names that Sound Like Venereal Diseases” team. Deng joins Dan Dickau and anybody named Enos. It does make us ask the difficult question, where have you gone Rusty Kuntz http://www.baseball-reference.com/k/kuntzru01.shtml?

5. The Utah Jazz. They are 4-1 and are just destroying opponents. This is not an aberration, the Jazz can play and may win the West. Boozer is just unbelievable for what he does around the basket and everybody else run the floor and plays defense. This is almost like a retro-1980s team. I would go long the Jazz with your bookie if you get the chance.

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