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AC TITTICOCK'S WEEKLY FREE NBA BASKETBALL PICKS AND WINNERS
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AC's 2005-2006 NBA Picks Season Record
Wins: 49 Losses: 38 Ties: 3
NBA Picks Winning Percentage: 56%
Record updated Saturdays and Mondays
Contact AC at ac@wagercom.com or post your questions/comments on the Wagercom Message Board
Read AC's Bio
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 and has improved that to a 57% winning percentage against the spread completing the 2004-2005 season.
NBA WEEK 11 COLUMN & FREE PICKS:
Wow, I got a ton of e-mails after last week’s column in which I called the NBA a “borefest.” People in New Jersey were peeved about the lack of props I gave to their Nets while people in New York just wanted to tell me to have sex with myself (like I need more encouragement). So to appease the irate fanbase, I will address the four most interesting stories right now in the NBA which are the Nets recently ended ten game winning streak, the Knicks current five game winning streak, the Jazz being in first place in the Northwest, and Flavor Flav’s show on VH1 called Flavor of Love. Ok, Flavor of Love has nothing to do with the NBA but it needs to be addressed, seriously, I haven’t been this disturbed by anything on tv since the Rosie O’Donnell show.
Which is the real Nets team?
I have to say I am stumped with this one. Are they the current 10-1 team or are they the 9-12 team from the first 21 games? I think the answer lies somewhere in between. Vince Carter is currently playing like he either has a heart, is in a contract year, or has been told that if he doesn’t score 30 a night he will be outed by his gay lover. Since we know the first two choices are factually false, we can only believe the third choice, and for that we are all a bit worse off. The Nets have a nice 8 man rotation with three highly skilled players who know what they are doing (Kidd, Jefferson, Carter). Add in the quiet and unassuming Jason Collins plus the underrated Nenad Kristic and you have a decent starting five. I picked them to win the East and that is exactly what they are going to do. If they stay healthy, they will continue their solid play since they have talent and the players are not out for their own stats. Well, except maybe for Vince, but they need that since they have no other scorers, and that is really what turned them around. They needed Vince to become more of a ball hog because no one else on the team can consistently put the ball in the basket. So as long as Vince shoots 20+ shots a night, the Nets will play .600 basketball.
Can the Knicks keep it up?
AC’s favorite whipping team has won five in a row and against some decent competition no less, but are they good enough to continue playing at this level? The answer is simple, no. The Knicks actually have some decent talent, the problem is that the talent all plays the same position (3 point guards, 2 centers) and the other positions are bare. As much as I like to pick on Eddy Curry, he still brings something to the floor (other than lethargy) and having him back on the court has made a big difference to the Knicks. Also, Jamal Crawford has stepped up and decided to play some smart basketball for a change. Add in Channing Frye’s steady play (and yes I was wrong about him, but nobody’s perfect) and you have a team that can get to .500. They are not a playoff team as they still lack a top flight player to go along with Marbury, but they are more talented than some of the other bottom dwellers. So kudos to Isiah for creating a mediocre team out of only $180MM.
How is Utah in first place?
Two words, Andre Kirilenko. There is nothing this guy can not do when healthy. Check out his nightly boxscore and you are likely to see 18 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 blocks, 3 steals, 3 babies saved, and 2 hummers from groupies. With Andre out of the line-up the Jazz are 2-10 and with him in the line-up they are 17-7. That is a pretty dramatic difference. The Jazz have also recently reduced rookie Deron “Darrin” Williams playing time which has helped him focus a little more when he is in the game and allowed them to cut down on some of the turnovers and poor decisions he was making. Williams is going to be a solid pro, but it is tough to be a rookie point guard in the NBA, especially in Jerry Sloan’s system. Keith McLeod and the immortal Milt “don’t call me Kelvin Upshaw (and please tell me someone gets this reference)” Palacio have stepped in nicely at the point while Mehmet loves to score. I picked the Jazz for the playoffs and as long as Kirilenko stays healthy, they should make it.
Is there anything more bizarre than Flavor of Love?
So there is this show on VH1 where Flavor Flav of Public Enemy is in a house with 20 girls and they are all trying to win him in similar fashion to the Bachelor only Flavor hands out clocks instead of roses (and I am not making any of this up, in fact Flavor refers to himself as the “Black-chelor” which may be the all-time great tv moment, right up there with Mr. Horton molesting Arnold and Dudley on D’ffrent Strokes). Anyway, not only are the 20 girls extremely unattractive but the whole thing seems way too staged. I mean these girls are all fighting over Flavor Flav who they not only don’t know but, and I know this is a subtle point, is Flavor Flav. See, they are doing this show all wrong. What would be more compelling is if the object of the show was to get voted out of the house and thus the loser was the one Flavor chose. Seriously, how funny would that be? Just 20 girls trying to do whatever they could to avoid winning Flavor Flav. Actually, I think there is a name for that, it’s called real life. Somewhere Chuck D is rolling over in his grave about this one, I mean he has to be dead right? How else could he allow for this to happen?
So without further ado, on to this weeks picks:
NBA FRIDAY FREE PICKS:
Boston +5.5 at Philadelphia:
I know, I know, this goes against the golden rule of betting this year which is "never take the Celtics and the points," but let me explain. Doc Rivers is going to momentarily scrap the youth movement and only play the veterans. That means the Celtics will likely cut down on their turnovers and give Pierce more shots. This is a short term strategy that will have some benefits over the next 3-5 games. Plus the Sixers blow donkey dick. Just hope Mark "Smoke 'em if you got 'em" Blount has under 5 turnovers.
New Jersey at Memphis Over 182:
This is one of those games where I feel I am missing something. Both teams are averaging over 90 points and only once in the last 10 games has either combined for under 182. I know Jefferson is questionable or out but still, they should crack 190. Just hope Vince decides to fill it up and Pau goes off.
Washington +7 at Indiana:
7 is a lot of points to give, even if the Wizards blow. I don't have anything else to say about this game and am in fact going to pretend that it never happened.
Atlanta at New York Under 208:
The Knicks have been scoring like fiends and the Hawks play defense like it is going to give them herpes. However, neither one of these teams is particularly good so there should be a bunch of missed shots and turnovers. Just hope Marbury does not get hot.
NBA SATURDAY FREE PICKS:
Dear readers, I attended the Celtics-Sixers 3OT game last night and for that I am a much worse person. It was the most horrific, unbearable, nauseating, ineffable, basketball game I have ever seen and as a result I poked out both of my eyes before dipping my head in a vat of acid. I am seriously thinking about retiring from watching the NBA after the debacle that is Doc Rivers, the human turnover that is Mark Blount, and the stupidity that is the 2005-2006 Boston Celtics, and, to be fair, the Michael Bradley Shavlik Randolph front line of the Sixers did nothing for me either. So please, take tonight’s picks with a grain of salt as it may take me years to recover from what I saw last night. Somewhere Red Auerbach is rolling over in his grave.
Washington at Atlanta Over 203.5:
This game bothers me for so many different reasons. Both teams played tough games last night which means this game will be unusually sloppy. This is not good since both teams are unusually sloppy already. However, this will be the high scoring kind of slop as neither team cares about winning, they just want to pad some stats to get some ass later in the Atlanta clubs (insert your own crunk reference).
Denver at Milwaukee -2.5:
Both playing back to back games and both on the road last night. When that happens you take the home team and hope they got a good breakfast and a nice piece of ass in the morning. Carmelo loves scoring more than Redd, just hope it is not too much more.
New Jersey at Dallas -7:
New Jersey needs to go back to their room and think about how they made me feel last night. If Jefferson doesn’t play this is a 20 point game, if he plays it is a 10 point game. Enjoy the Dirk.
Miami at Utah Under 191.5:
Does anyone realize Utah has only played 3 of their last 14 games at home? I mean, if I were on the Jazz I would want to minimize my time in Utah as well but that is ridiculous. Take the under and hope my boy Kirilenko covers all 5 Heat players.
contact AC at ac@wagercom.com or post your questions/comments on the Wagercom Message Board
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