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AC TITTICOCK'S WEEKLY FREE NBA BASKETBALL PICKS AND WINNERS
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AC's Wagercom 2008-2009 NBA Picks Season Record
Wins: 114 Losses: 86 Ties: 0
NBA Picks Winning Percentage: 57%
Contact AC at ac(at sign)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 has had 6 consecutive winning seasons picking NBA games against the spread making you money including the VIG. AC does this out of the kindness of his heart and for the naked pictures of your girlfriends you send him as a token of your appreciation. So enjoy the columns and the picks..
AC'S NBA 2008-2009 NBA FREE PICKS PLAYOFFS WEEK 2:
Below are quick thoughts on the five biggest surprises of the first week of the NBA playoffs followed by the weekly money winning picks. As a reminder, AC is now 8-3 in the playoffs against the spread and has a 57% overall winning % on the season. AC is inching closer to the unheard of 60% mark. I hope you’re all betting with him because in this economy, the extra money AC is giving you can keep your lady friends happy for another week.
1. The Chicago Bulls are not as bad as I thought. Before I give the Bulls a ballwashing, I am aware that they are a Paul Pierce made free throw from being down 0-3 and I am also aware that they laid down and surrendered in Game 3 like the Swiss or like a 14 year old girl in R Kelly’s basement. That said, I am also aware that they are a Ray Allen missed 3-pointer away from being up 2-1 in the series.
The point is that this Bulls team actually has a lot of talent. They are younger, deeper, more athletic, and bigger than the Celtics. Joakim Noah is a perfect foil and Derrick Rose has a ton of promise (though for Bulls fans it would be nice if he promised to show up for Game 4). Chicago also has 3-4 scorers who could get hot at any time and carry the team. What they are missing is a reliable inside scorer, a wing defender, and an overall increase in their basketball IQ both on the court (that means you Thomas brothers Tim and Tyrus) and on the sideline (way to not have any time outs two games in a row Vinny). The Bulls are actually kind of a fun team to watch but they still need to make one big move to tie all of it together.
2. Rajon Rondo is good at basketball. Rondo is leading the Celtics in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals while playing on a gimpy ankle. He is single-handedly controlling the pace of games and has even started to confidently nail jump shots. Look, those of you who have been reading this column for the past six years know AC loves the ladies, in fact, he may love the ladies more than Kevin Garnett loves dropping the f-bomb on the bench (and you can see some of it around the 2:57 mark here plus he was apparently yelling at Chicago that they were lazy m’er-f’ers during Game 3). The point is, while AC is no homosexual (though he supports gay people, doesn’t care if they want to get married and be as miserable as straight people, and whole heartedly supports lesbianism) he may be turning gay for Rondo if Rajon keeps playing like this. Maybe from now on we should just agree to not ask and not tell.
3. Denver just plays well. There is no other way to put it. The Nuggets can score, they are athletic, they have a decent bench, and Chauncey Billups controls it all. AC has been short this team all year but they really have no glaring weaknesses except for their big men, but then again, who really has good big men other than LA? The Nuggets have no chance against the Lakers, but they should beat New Orleans and then beat the winner of San Antonio-Dallas.
4. The Magic’s wings are pretty crappy. Actually, AC is the only one not surprised about this as AC is the only NBA columnist (and I use that term loosely) who picked the Sixers to upset the Magic. Orlando is suffering because their go to scorer, Dwight Howard, has no offensive moves and most importantly their wing players (Hedo and Lewis) are unable to create their own shots. Lewis is too busy settling for 3-pointers to realize he could drive to the basket or post up and make Philly have to cover him and potentially take a defender away from Howard down low while Hedo is turning over the ball like it has herpes (he is averaging 3 turnovers and 3 assists per game). Unless Hedo or Lewis can step it up, the Sixers will prevail.
5. Trevor Ariza may finally be realizing his potential. There are a ton of players like Ariza who for years are touted as great athletes and potential stars but never put it all together (guys like Amir Johnson, Renaldo Balkman, and Tony Allen). Teams always give these guys chances and yet they rarely actually excel. Ariza has now been in the league for 5 years and on 3 teams but he has never averaged more than 25 minutes a night or more than 10 points a game. In the first three games against Utah, not only has he started, but he’s averaging 35 minutes and 14 points per game while playing great defense and firing up the crowd. I guess this is the reason teams keep giving guys like this chances, so kudos to Ariza for being one of the few potential stars to almost hit that potential.
FRIDAY FREE NBA PLAYOFF PICKS
Cleveland -5 at Detroit:
Dear Detroit,
It has recently come to AC’s attention (actually, AC has been aware of it for months) that you really suck at basketball. Your rotation includes Kwame Brown and his Lilliputian hands, Jason Maxiell and his undersizedness, Will Bynum who was recently tearing up the Israeli league for mere shekels, and the human disappointment Amir Johnson. Frankly, your bench is pathetic and your starters are aging at a pace that would make even Sylvester Stallone seek more plastic surgery. In short, just go home (what, you are home? Well just stay there then.). Let’s not continue this charade anymore that you are a good team. You are past declining and nowhere near ascending, like a young Gary Coleman in 1985 as Diff’rent strokes was nearing its end before being pathetically picked up by ABC for one more season.
Sorry Detroit, you’re done. The Cavs will win by more than 5 and will do it again in Game 4.
Ps. That “Deeeeetroit basketball” announcer is more annoying than a teletubbie banging Fran Drescher.
Orlando at Philadelphia +3.5:
Not only did AC pick the Sixers to upset the Magic, but he also offered up this prediction “do not count out an errant Dalembert elbow hitting Howard in the head and knocking him out.” For those of you paying attention, Dwight Howard went to an eye specialist after Game 1 due to an inadvertent Dalembert elbow. I should just retire right now.
Either way, Orlando either blows Philly out tonight or the Sixers keep it close enough that the 3.5 points pushes them over the edge. I have not seen one thing in the first two games that makes me want to change my opinion on this series and therefore the odds of a Magic blow out are ~25%. To say Dwight Howard has been ineffective in this series is like saying the waters off Somalia are a tad dangerous. So take the Sixers, take the points, and try to stay away from Dalembert.
Portland at Houston -6:
Sorry Portland but you’ve shown me nothing in the first two games. I was fooled by your deep bench and yet average starters (not including Brandon Roy who singlehandedly won Game 2 for Portland). While I remain mildly intrigued by Houston who has a bunch of players who do the little things and one player who probably has killed little things, this pick is really against the Blazers who need someone other than Roy to step up and yet have no other players to take on that responsibility (unless Rudy Fernandez can put the tapas down for one night). Take Houston and hope Yao doesn’t get hurt.
SATURDAY FREE NBA PLAYOFF PICKS
Denver at New Orleans Under 198.5:
Both games in this series have been over 200 points and both have been Denver blow out wins. As I said in this space last week, New Orleans’ play this season has been one of the biggest disappointments in the league, more disappointing than Airplane II but not as disappointing as the US’s failure to adopt the metric system. It’s not clear how they have completely lost their cohesiveness, especially after bringing in character guy MVP James Posey. The Whorenets are mostly old (other than Chris Paul), mostly injured (other than Chris Paul), and mostly crappy (other than Chris Paul). Even with those limitations they can certainly win this game with the home crowd and with Chris Paul (who I think I mentioned a few times). We’re taking the under though because New Orleans has to play their best basketball which means they will make a game of this and the only way that happens is if they keep the scoring down. Take the under and hope New Orleans controls the pace.
San Antonio +4.5 at Dallas:
Game Three may have been San Antonio’s worst performance in a playoff game since Tim Duncan became their franchise power forward. They didn’t just lose by 21, but they only scored 67 points and they were down by more than 30 at one point.
The Spurs are struggling because Ginobili is out and Tim Duncan is hobbling around like George Brett in the 1980 playoffs. He is clearly not the player he has been as it is difficult to play night in and night out on one leg. Still, the Spurs have heart and they have a little something called Tony Parker for whom the Mavericks have no answer (though that is largely a function of Dallas not having anyone who speaks French to answer Tony Parker. C’est vrai?). While Dallas has been playing well thanks to Josh Howard waking up from his apparent 5 month pot coma, this should be a close game because the Spurs absolutely need it. San Antonio may lose, but their starters are rested and they are primed to keep this close after being embarrassed in Game Three like anyone who has tried to date one of Peter North’s ex-girlfriends. Take the Spurs and root for a low scoring game.
Atlanta +4.5 at Miami:
Ok, Miami got their one game. Good for them. However, that does not change the fact that Atlanta is a better team as they have actual living breathing big men. Plus I am pretty sure Daequan Cook (with “Daequan” being Swahili for “made up name”) is not going to shoot 6 for 9 from 3 today so the Heat are going to need to find another scoring option after Wade. Either way, the Hawks are simply better so we’ll take the 4.5 points and instead of watching the game, we’ll plan which club we’re going to go to in South Beach later tonight to spend our winnings. If Atlanta plays like they should (you hear that Joe Johnson), we should be making it rain all night in Miami.
LA Lakers -4 at Utah:
You could probably tease this with the under as well and have an extra bottle of Cristal, but simply taking the Lakers and giving the points is a safer bet. LA is easily the best team in the West and while Utah is underrated, they are not winning two in a row from LA. Jerry Sloan finally woke up and realized he should be starting Andre Kirilenko which was a big benefit in Game 2 but a bigger benefit was Andrew Bynum only playing 7 minutes due to foul trouble. Bynum is going to stay on the court tonight and that means life will get tougher for Boozer and Millsap. The spread could come down to end of the game free throws, so just hope Utah keeps fouling Derek Fisher or Kobe.
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