AC TITTICOCK'S WEEKLY FREE NBA BASKETBALL PICKS AND WINNERS

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11/28/04 Week 4 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.

Many of you have been writing in asking me for my take on the Artest fight, so before I get to the picks, I thought I’d give you all my view on violence in the NBA and whether or not I found the fight surprising. To properly address this, I am reminded of a story from my freshman year of college.

I was in a car with a bunch of friends and it was cold outside which caused some frost on the inside of the car. Now we were packed in the car, about 4 in the back 3 in the front on our way to some late night eats, and one of my friends decided to write his name on the inside of the window, in the frost. This isn’t really a big deal but he wrote his name backwards so people on the outside could read it (for those dopes out there who don’t get this, try it some day). Anyway, his initial action led to all of us writing our names backwards in the car window and reading our backwards name out loud since they all sounded like they were Swedish or Martian (A in AC stands for Albert so Trebla could in fact be Martian, but this is not only all beside the point but rather not very heterosexual so I must digress).

Anyway, the point of the story is that one of the girls in the front seat was not participating in the game. In fact, she got rather quiet when the first backwards name was written and when it came time for her to say her name backwards, she remained silent. This seemed very odd at the time but all of us quickly realized the issue. You see, her name was Lana, and no, I am really not making that up. Thus, her name backwards is Anal, seriously, this is a true story and of course gave way to the great palindrome “on Lana Anal no” to which her boyfriend begged to differ but who knows the truth to that story.

So what does this have to do with my level of shock at the NBA brawl? Well, the odds of saying and writing your name backwards in a car window with a girl named Lana in the front seat is about 1 bizillion to 1 (give or take 900 Million) or roughly greater than anything in the history of the world. So after that, I am no longer shocked by anything that happens and no longer disbelieve things that occur which stun people. I mean the odds of Ron Artest fighting a fan were maybe 1 million to 1, not even in the same ballpark as my good friend Lana having to spell her name backwards. So yes, I am somewhat disturbed by the fight but no, I am in no way surprised. Now if Artest had ripped the dudes arm off and fed it to Ben Wallace, I would have been a bit surprised, but what are the odds of that?

Anyway, I think the NBA handled this almost as well as they could. Artest got what he deserved, Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O’Neal were adequately punished, and Wallace was suspended. However, the NBA did nothing to the fans of Detroit or the Pistons. The fans were the cause of all of this and I believe they should be punished. I truly believe that Detroit should not be allowed to have a home game for 2 months, either that or during the Pistons games, the fans should be forced to watch Everybody Loves Raymond on the Big Screen while the Indigo Girls are pumped into the stadium.

As an aside, how crazy is Stephen Jackson? He reminds me of the psycho guy in every mobster movie. He is Joe Pesci in Casino, or Gary Oldham in State of Grace. He is a loose cannon who appears to be a good guy but has little redeemable value and everybody knows he will die in the end. So therefore, we can all expect a short NBA life for Stephen Jackson, and no I am not making that up.

On to Sunday’s NBA Picks:

2-2 last night, not good enough to make money so I am back to help you all out on a special Sunday edition of the free NBA picks.

Boston at Miami over 195:

If you haven’t noticed, AC likes the over (especially over 250 pounds but that’s a story for another time). This game will feature Shaq going for 970 points all by himself against gator-arms Blount. I’m no mathematician but I believe 970 is greater than 195 so take the over.

New Jersey at Portland -10.5:

What is AC’s first rule of NBA betting? Never give more than 10 points except when Dicky Jefferson is the other team’s best player and you are playing at home. I believe this game fits the bill. Take the Blazers.

New Orleans at LA Lakers -9.5:

AC is big into the home favorites today. Why? Ask me next week. Kobe is going yard for 40 again.

Minnesota +5.5 at Sacramento:

Kings have been unimpressive and this is probably not the night they break out if it. They may win, but not by 6.

Past Picks for Saturday Night 11/27:

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, I was unable to pick games on Friday night so I will be picking them today and tomorrow instead.

Philadelphia at Orlando -5.5:

Grant Hill is still healthy and the Sixers still have Jimmie O’Braindead as a coach. The Sixers have received a boost from the play of Marc Jackson (a Titticock favorite) and Kyle Korver (a Titticock nemesis). However, Korver will not be able to stop Francis or Mobley or whoever else the Magic want to run out there against him. By the way, Dwight Howard went for 24 last night, Kwame Brown anyone?

Utah +8 at San Antonio:

Yeah, Utah played last night and the Spurs probably want to make a statement but I am never giving Utah more than 5 points this year, never (barring injury of course). Mehmet Okur (The international sound for I am choking on some excess ribeye fat) was almost unstoppable against the US Olympians in exhibition games this summer (ok , who wasn’t? but that’s not the point) and he is just starting to get minutes with the Jazz. They may lose, but not by 8.

Dallas +2.5 at Memphis:

Did I mention that Dallas is good and Lionel Hollins is no Hubie Brown, which is like saying Isiah Thomas is no Scott Layden if you get my point.

Denver at Houston Over 180:

Why, because McGrady is going to go off eventually and if he does tonight, ‘Melo will match him (as an aside, is it Melo or ‘Melo? Can somebody not stoned let me know?).

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