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AC TITTICOCK'S WEEKLY FREE NBA BASKETBALL PICKS AND WINNERS
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AC's Wagercom 2009-2010 NBA Picks Season Record
Wins: 22 Losses: 24 Ties: 2
NBA Picks Winning Percentage: 48%
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 FREE NBA PICKS AND COLUMN WEEK 6:
We’re now almost a quarter of the way through the NBA season and the good teams are starting to separate from the pack in the East (Boston, Orlando, and Cleveland, with somewhat surprising Atlanta in the mix) while the West remains more cluttered than the Collyer brother’s apartment (the Lakers are the only team a step function better than the rest). It is around this time of year that teams will start identifying needs and the trade talk will pick up. That said, my inbox was overflowing this week like Carmella Bing’s box in Super Freaks with questions about NBA current events as the news stories were flying fast and furious. So before we get to the picks, I’ll answer the three most asked questions I received this week.
1. Should the Sixers have signed AI?
This story has been reported and analyzed so many times, one would think it had slept with Rachel Uchitel. However, AC will break this down for you as he thinks the move was a no brainer.
The Positives:
No one goes to Sixers games: The Sixers are second to last in attendance and last in % of seats sold. This is fucking dreadful. More people in Philadelphia attend Drexel-Penn pillow fights than go to Sixers games. Heck, in any given day there are more violent crimes committed in Philly than there are people at Sixers games, and that is bad for a number of reasons. The point is, with attendance having bottomed like a submissive in a gay porn film, anything to generate interest is a plus. At a minimum, AI is a circus attraction and people in Philly either love him or hate him, but he will draw their attention. Maybe it only lasts for a game, maybe only for three, but it’s not like he’s going to cause the Sixers to draw fewer fans. He’s on a reasonably cheap non-guaranteed contract so it is all upside or just sideways action.
The team needs a point guard: Ok, I know AI is not a classic point guard but with Lou Williams out eight weeks with a broken jaw (and thanks for killing AC’s fantasy team with that), the Sixers have been relying on Jrue “the Damaja” Holliday to run the team. Maybe in a year or two Jrue will be good, but right now he is more lost on the court than Ray J. at a Lillith Fair Concert. The Sixers have lost eight in a row so what’s the worst that can happen if they let AI run the show? They lose nine in a row?
AI may still have something left in the tank: The Sixers actually have nice little team but sorely miss Andre Miller (as AC predicted). They made life difficult for Orlando in the playoffs last year and have a solid young nucleus of Thaddeus Young, Lou Williams, and Mareeese Speights (though Speights and Williams are hurt) plus an in his prime good third banana on a top team in Andre Igoudala and an aging one time decent big man in Elton Brand. What they are missing is a dynamic leader. They need someone with some swagger to take over when things go bad. It’s not clear that AI still has this ability since he has been in decline for a couple of years, but he has it more than anyone else on the Sixers. When Lou Williams comes back, if he and AI can mesh and AI can accept the role of team leader with reduced minutes, this could work out very well. Of course there may be more chance of the orginal Jackson 5 members reuniting (and remember Michael is dead) than there is of AI checking his ego and accepting a reduced role when Williams comes back, but it’s worth finding out.
The Negatives:
AI’s a potential bad influence: He hates practice (and this is one of the greatest videos of all-time), he doesn’t listen to coaches, he loves going to Atlantic City, he goes swimming sooner than 30 minutes after eating, and he once cheated on his wife with a reject from Tool Academy (ok, maybe the last two aren’t him, but you get the point).
He’s a bad fit: Eddie Jordan runs a modified Princeton offense and AI runs the modified “AI shoots the ball” offense. Those two may blend together like Mike Tyson and financial planning or Kafka and ending novels.
Summary: There is simply nothing to lose for Philly. Worst case scenario: He feuds with Eddie Jordan, there is no rise in attendance, he is washed up, and the Sixers remain as a worse than mediocre team. Best case scenario: Anything else. I honestly have no idea if AI can still play and if this move will work out (though I am 100% sure it will eventually end badly), but there is no downside. They suck without him and if they suck with him, at least they’ll be in the news.
2. When are the Nets going to win a game?
AC is a bit flummoxed by this one. The Nets really aren’t this bad. I mean the TerribleWolves™ are much worse and they have two wins, even one against Denver. Just by dumb luck the Nets should win one in ten games by simply playing a team on a road trip in the middle of the week who was out partying all night in NYC before showing up to the Meadowlands. Unfortunately, I think teams don’t want to be the first one to lose to NJ so they approach games with playoff intensity. I fully expect once NJ gets their first win, they win four out of ten as teams turn down their effort levels.
Of course, that doesn’t answer the question of when they are going to win. With Charlotte, New York, and Golden State coming up in the next week, the Nets will break their streak. Perhaps even tonight against the dreadful Bobcats. New Jersey is pretty much back to full strength with the returns of Devin Harris and Courtney Lee so adding those two to Brook Lopez actually gives them a pretty nice core. All they need is for one of their other guys to get hot, and they will be able to win.
3. Did you know the mom from Family Ties was gay?
Well, she was in most of my 7th grade fantasies, so this is unsurprising to me (AC loved him some Elyse Keaton). Though when AC imagined it, she was “dating” Nicole Eggert from Charles in Charge and not some 60 year old carpenter lady, but you can’t have everything.
Friday Night Picks:
New York at Atlanta Over 216.5:
The Hawks just dropped 146 on Toronto and the Knicks actually play worse defense than the Raptors. The first time these two teams met this year, they only combined to score 215 but look for them to break that tonight as they are both rested and New York is on the road. Actually, New York being on the road has no relevance because no one goes to Knicks games, and if they do, it’s only to yell at Eddy Curry. Take the over and hope Joe Johnson can find his shooting touch.
Chicago +12.5 at Cleveland:
We have two things going against us in this game. 1. The Bulls are not a very good team. 2. Cleveland is finally finding their groove with two straight blow outs of good teams (Dallas and Phoenix). That said, they are not winning three blow outs in a row, especially when the third would have to come against a mediocrely bad team. It’s unlikely the Cavs will bring the same intensity tonight so I expect a close game until Cleveland turns it on in the fourth quarter and wins by nine.
Dallas -5.5 at Memphis:
Memphis has only one win against a good team (Portland) and hasn’t kept any of their losses to good teams under 10 points. They’ve had a ridiculously easy schedule which is why this game is only a 5.5 point spread and not 10.5 points. People just don’t get how bad the Grizzlies suck because they haven’t really had to play many good teams (and even so, their record is still awful). The Mavericks have been simply destroying opponents, so while this may be a trap game with Dallas on the road, the Grizz have no one who can stop Dirk. Take the Mavs and hope they come out strong and put it away early.
Boston at Oklahoma City Under 191:
This is not one of my favorite picks as there is no telling how Boston will come out on the second of back to back nights on the road. They play very old sometimes and this could be one of those nights. However, while the Thunder have high scorer Kevin Durant, their offense isn’t really that high powered. Boston should be able to do just enough to keep this game in the 90s or high 80s. The only way this hits the over is if Ray Allen has a good shooting night and since he’s only had one of those all year and was on a plane all last night after playing 30+ minutes, it’s unlikely his legs will respond positively. Take the under and hope Pierce can bother Durant just enough to keep him to 22.
Saturday Night Picks:
A tough night last night for AC. Had this been horseshoes or hand grenades, AC and all of you would have won the fuck out of some cash but instead we were stuck going 1 and 3 thanks to a 1 point loss on the Under in Oklahoma City and a 1.5 loss on Chicago plus 12.5. Ugh. AC will fully admit he has not been in a rhythm this year so if you want to wait for him to find the groove, feel free to come for the dick jokes and monitor the picks before diving in with your bookie. Of course, when AC starts winning you money, remember him and drop him some love.
Sacramento at Phoenix -11:
I wish this line were 3 points lower but Phoenix plays really well at home at the Kings suck donkey dick on the road. AC is still not buying the Kings as a legitimate force and the main reason is that their offense is not consistent. They don’t have one player to bail them out and their main ball handler, Tyreke Evans, is a rookie and is as prone to turnovers as Tiger Woods is prone to banging nasty chicks who make herpes seem clean. Take the Suns and root for them not to give up the lead in scrub time.
Toronto at Chicago Under 207:
Chicago hates to score as Derrick Rose is bending over and letting the sophomore slump have his way with him. On the other hand, Toronto hates playing defense like Allen Iverson hates passing the ball. That said, both teams played last night so both should be tired and when that happens, shots tend to be off. For this to hit the Over, Derrick Rose is going to have to have a huge game and he’s just not there right now.
Orlando at Golden Shower State Under 221:
Yeah, I know, taking the Under in a Golden Shower State game is like crashing a White House dinner party. Sure it might be exhilarating to do, but in the end, you are only going to wind up getting into trouble. That said, the Magic can play themselves some defense and when you have 220+ line, you only need one quarter of defense to win. So we’ll take those odds and also likely tease this with Orlando -8 as the Warriors will be rolling Mikki Moore out there to cover Dwight Howard which is a bigger mismatch than Michael Jordan against Vern Troyer.
Philadelphia +4.5 at Charlotte:
Charlotte is really bad and the Sixers aren’t as bad as they have been playing. Plus one would think the Sixers players would want to play hard the day before AI shows up to prove to everyone that they might not need him. I don’t love this game, so if you want to tease this by banging the Over 187, feel free to do that. Just root for Andre Igoudala to show up and for the Sixes to shut down Stephen Jackson.
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