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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: 93 Losses: 90 Ties: 3
NBA Picks Winning Percentage: 51%
Playoff Record: 8-10 Winning Percentage: 44%
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 PLAYOFFS COLUMN & FREE PICKS:
With most NBA Awards being officially announced, it is time for AC’s 3rd annual NBA regular season awards. I know you have all been waiting for this as it has been a marginally exciting year for pro hoops. We learned a lot in the past 6 months. We learned LeDong is a man among boys, we learned RonRon can play this game when he keeps his crazies under control, and most importantly, we learned that rapists can still sell jerseys as Kobe’s Lakers uniform is back in the top 10 (so all the parents can breath a sigh of relief over that one, except the exact opposite of that).
MVP (The Bird Award): This is the source of much debate among my fellow NBA writers, but then again, most writers still think Andrew Bogut is going to be a bust, so they have that going for them. There are 5 legitimate candidates for the MVP discussion this year: Nash, LeDong, Kobe, Dwyane Wyane Wade, and Dirk.
I would put Dirk, LeDong, and Wade in the same category. They had average (the Cavaqueers) to above average (the Mavericks) to dysfunctional (the Heat) supporting casts but were all able to make their teammates even better through distributing the ball and scoring. However, LeDong did more with less than either of the other two. Put Dirk or Wade on the Cavs, and they would have won 5 fewer games. Granted they play different positions, but LeDong is really just that much better, it’s his world and we’re all just happy to be part of it.
That leaves Kobe, LeDong and Nash. As for Kobe, well he scored 81 points in one game, got to the playoffs with a team that at various points started Chris “Braindead” Mihm and Brian Cook, and still couldn’t figure out how to actually make his teammates better. Put LeDong on the Lakers and they win 3-4 more games because he would have distributed the ball to Odom more than once every 3 games. Kobe had a great year individually, but he still doesn’t quite get it. So the real race is between Nash (whose Suns took it to Kobe’s Lakers and ended the Kobe for MVP talk) and LeDong.
Phoenix plays a system and there is nobody better at running it than Nash. He is like Duke Ellington (only white, and alive) or Jules Jordan in that he directs the Suns like no one else can do. His stats may not leap out at you, but the Suns won 54 games without a center and with starting James Jones who doesn’t even make enough money to get a real haircut.
So who is the MVP? The guy who runs the system or the guy who is the system? Tough call but my vote goes to LeDong. His first of about 10 in a row.
Least Valuable Player (The Mokeski):
Ahh, the vaunted Mokeski award. Players throughout the NBA tell me they play hard in one out of every five games just to avoid this distinction (and by “tell me” I mean “don’t know I exist” and by “play hard in one out of every five games,” I mean “one out of every fifteen” but that is neither here nor there). There were many solid candidates for this year’s Mokeski: Tracy McGrady and his back woes, Darius Miles who gave an MVP type interview which saved him from this distinction, Mark “The Human Turnover” Blount, Michael “Bench Seat” Olowokandi, Samuel Dalembert, and bad free agent signings such as Antonio Daniels (yes somebody actually signed him) and Damon Jones, but the winner of the least valuable player, in a tight, down to the wire match-up with Zach Randolph, is Eddy Curry. I wanted to give this to the whole NY Knicks team, I mean why single just one out, but Curry stands for all that is wrong with Isiah and the NY franchise. He averaged 12.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in a lethargic 23 minutes per game. Gee, I would trade two lottery picks for that. I find it ironic, or perhaps just coincidence, that a guy with no heart can have heart problems. Great trade Isiah, keep it up.
Most Improved Player (The Michael Redd Award):
At the midway point I argued the Delonte West, David West, and Boris Diaw should be up for most improved player award and I am not budging from that stand, though I would like to also give props to DeSagana Diop for reaching the esteemed level of Adonal Foyle from his previous Rafael Araujo starting point. When it all comes down to it though, Boris Diaw is a no brainer, mainly because he is French. In fact, I stand by what I said about him earlier http://www.wagercom.com/nba_06_18.html
Diaw has more than doubled his assists, rebounds, and points per game from last year all while becoming more than just the answer to the trivia question “Who is the worst player in the NBA named Boris?” It has taken him 3 years and a new team to show any real semblance of basketball skills but we have to remember one key thing, and that is that he is French. If we have learned anything from our history we know the French may make good cheese but aren’t the best allies in a world war and suck at basketball unless they are named Tony Parker (and if you don’t agree, watch Vince Carter jump over 7 footer Fredric “The Isle of Elbe” Weis in the greatest in game jam of all-time ). Therefore, Boris has had to overcome this handicap in turning himself into a solid all around player. Steve Belkin was right to not want to give up 2 #1 picks and Diaw for Joe Johnson but arguing logic with Billy Knight is as futile as masturbating to a picture of Rosie O’Donnell. I still think Diaw is as soft as a nice Borusault, which may be a problem when the intensity picks up in the playoffs, but he has definitely improved to the point that he is an above average player and can pass, shoot, and rebound.
Least Improved Player (The Kedrick Brown Award):
As much as I would like to give this award to perennial least improved player Adonal Foyle, there was quite a bit of competition this year. However one player stood out and narrowly beating Al “Ankles of Paper” Jefferson and Samuel “Never saw a dunk he couldn’t miss” Dalembert. This player is none other than Darius Miles. Once thought to be a franchise type player, Darius has found himself rotting on the bench in Portland and arguing with his coach, his GM, and anyone who gets in his way. He has unbelievable length according to Jay Bilas (though it’s not clear to me how Jay knows that, but what he does in his bedroom is not my concern) and in theory enough athletic ability to do just about anything he wants on the court. But there is the big problem, he can’t actually get on the court. Whether he’s pouting, nursing a sprained little toe, or just has too much sand in his vagina, Miles is a bust of majestic proportions (whereas Jenna Jameson has a bust of stupendous proportions). He shows just enough to get teams excited before letting them down completely. What is the over under on number of months before Isiah trades for him? I say 6.
Rookie of the Year (The Jordan):
Chris Paul, enough said.
Worst Highly Drafted Rookie (The Chris Washburn Award):
Marvin Williams in a landslide. AC was short this pick from the time it was made and AC has proved to be right. Think Atlanta fans are upset they fired the wrong ownership group? Not only did they give up Diaw and two #1s for Joe Johnson, but they passed up Chris Paul for Marvin Williams. Just for old times sake, what exactly does Marvin Williams do well?
Best Coach (The Auerbach):
Phil Jackson. Anyone who can take Kobe and the 11 dwarves to the playoffs deserves the coach of the year.
Worst Coach (The Isiah award):
With Jim O’Brien out of the league and unable to defend his two year run on this award, there was actually a bit of competition. Doc Rivers and Larry Brown fought hard to win this distinction, but in the end, this award was made for coaches like Bob Weiss. Weiss was so bad in Seattle that I believe even Starbucks wouldn’t serve him. Under his tutelage, the Sonics got scored on more than a 1990’s Macaulay Culkin at a NAMBLA convention. Not only did they let off a ton of points, but they scored like field goals would give them herpes. There is a reason Bob Weiss had not been a head coach for ten years, and it is actually quite obvious, he sucks.
So without further ado, on to this weeks picks:
NBA PLAYOFF FREE PICKS FOR FRIDAY:
Phoenix +3 at LA Clippers:
The thing about Phoenix is that they are well coached and usually make the right adjustments. The thing about the Clippers is that Mike Dunleavy is their coach which means they will always do the same thing, even if it doesn’t work. I give the Clips credit for blowing out the Suns in game 2, and you all know I jumped on the bandwagon late in the season, but this is a game the Suns should pull out. I’d be surprised if a healthy Kenny Thomas did not make his presence felt in this game, and I am only half kidding about that. Take the Suns and hope they can stay in it during the Clips first quarter barrage.
Miami +2.5 at New Jersey:
It is never wise to take the road team in the NBA playoffs but I am doing it twice tonight. Miami is the better team, what else is there to say?
NBA PLAYOFF FREE PICKS FOR SATURDAY:
AC finally had a decent night last night as the Suns and Heat not only covered but won. As Ice Cube said (and with a special shout out to my writing colleague Scoop Jackson), “It was a good day.”
San Antonio at Dallas -3.5:
This game is going to be close so giving 3.5 points may be 2 too many. I just think Dallas is a superior team, plain and simple. The Spurs are a bit dinged up and frankly, just a little too old. Interesting fact, in Robert Horry’s distinguished 57 year career, he has never averaged over 12 points a game. Weird, and irrelevant. Take the Mavs and hope Howard and Daniels, and Harris hit their shots.
Detroit -4.5 at Cleveland:
I hate this game in ways I can not even describe. First of all, I have yet to be able to watch a game in this series so it is hard for to understand how the match-ups have been going. Secondly, the Pistons and the points have been killing me all year. Thirdly, it is very hard to sweep a team and Game 3 is often the hardest to win to accomplish that. And finally, I love Taylor Rain. Take the Pistons and hope they show any intensity.
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