NBA Playoff Picks 2010 NBA Odds and Predictions

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Everything seems to be back to normal in La-La Land, at least for the time being. While many were beginning to jump off the Los Angeles Lakers’ bandwagon prior to Tuesday’s Game 5, Kobe Bryant didn’t seem concerned about blowing a 2-0 series lead to the Oklahoma City Thunder. “Who said our backs are against the wall?” Bryant asked when questioned by the Los Angeles Times before Game 5. “It’s a 2-2 series. What the hell is going on around here?” Although the momentum seemed to be swinging in the Thunder’s direction, the Lakers showed the new kids on the playoff block who was in charge. While Kobe did have a solid game, he had modest point totals, going 4 of 9 from the field for 13 points but his teammates were there to contribute as well. Power forward Pau Gasol led the Lake Show with 25 points, center Andrew Bynum was close behind with 21 and the Lakers came away with a 111-87 win, covering as 6-point home favorites. The momentum seems to have swung again but who will be the victor when the two meet in Oklahoma City on Friday? Online sportsbooks have the Lakers as 1.5-point road ‘dogs with the Total is set at 195. Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Trends: The Lakers are a study of opposites in their last nine overall games against the Thunder, going 6-3 straight up but going 3-6 against the spread at the same time. In the Lakers’ last nine road games, they aren’t impressive either way, going 2-7 SU and 3-6 ATS and six of their last eight road games have gone Over while two have gone Under the Total. In the Purple and Gold’s last 20 games when listed as an underdog of 2-points or less, they are 14-6 both SU and ATS. SPORTSBETTING.com ’smanager, Brian Taylor, said the action in Game 5 favored the Lakers about 60-40, but so far the early action on Game 6 is tilted to the home team Thunder, with 63% of all the volume on the small favorite. Dallas vs. San Antonio Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban hasn’t been shy when expressing his hatred for the San Antonio Spurs and he must’ve been fuming prior to Game 5 of the series. The Mavs were down 3-1 in the series but managed to stay alive with a 103-81 victory on Tuesday night — covering as 5-point home faves. The Dallas Mavericks could take the series the distance with a win Thursday in San Antone; the Spurs are 3.5-point faves for that game and the Over/Under is at 191. In the Mavericks’ last 14 games on the road, they are 10-4 SU and 10-3-1 ATS. The Spurs are only 6-13-1 ATS in their last 20 games when hosting the Dallas Mavericks. The Spurs are also 10-2 SU and 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 home games. Enjoy all the b-ball playoff action and check out NBA Odds

2010 NBA Playoff Picks and Odds – NBA Playoff Predictions

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Friday night serves up three more big NBA matchups, including the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs.

An Eventful February in Dallas

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Well, it was a fun and enjoyable All-Star weekend in Dallas, but the real treat came for the city and its hometown team a few days later when the Mavericks acquired Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, and DeShawn Stevenson from the Washington Wizards...

The Daily Truth- PJ Speaks on the Plays and moments of the decade.

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Dirk's injury serious, Mavs very concerned

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The Mavericks are very worried about Dirk Nowitzki's deep elbow cut, that may or may not still contain some of Carl Landry's broken teeth, and are uncertain of how much time he'll miss with the injury. To make matters worse, it's to his shooting arm. Mark Cuban is optimistic about Dirk's quick return, and he is a warrior, but this injury is not normal by any stretch, and it sounds like Landry's teeth likely went down to the bone. He's questionable for Sunday, so stay tuned.

2009-2010 Dallas Mavericks preview

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After getting blasted out of the playoffs in the Spring of 2008, the Dallas Mavericks faced the prospect of drifting downward in the Western Conference pecking order...

Shawn Marion Traded to Mavericks

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Jason Kidd to re-sign with Mavericks

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Jason Kidd has verbally committed to re-signing with the Mavericks, according to ESPN.com. The three-year deal is reportedly worth more than $25 million, all of it fully guaranteed. Kidd's decision to stay in Dallas was widely anticipated -- the Knicks made a strong push to sign him but couldn't offer more than the mid-level exception.

Kidd expected to return to Mavericks

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Hoopsworld.com is reporting that Jason Kidd is expected to notify the Mavericks on Monday that he is going to accept their contract offer and stay with Dallas. The Mavs are offering Kidd somewhere around $18 million more than the Knicks, which is probably the main reason for this decision. If Kidd does shun the Knicks, they will still desperately be looking for a point guard to run Mike D'Antoni's offense.

Kidd more likely to go with the New York Knicks

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If the Knicks are going to offer Kidd three years, which is what the Mavericks are offering, the chances of him going to New York look much better - even if the offer is for less money. Kidd would love to play for Mike D'Antoni and his kids live in New York. "I have a little leeway which will leave me in good position for next year," Walsh wrote to The Associated Press. "I know what it is but do not talk much about it."

Kidd Offered 3 year deal by Mavericks

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Free Agent Jason Kidd to meet with Knicks

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Mark Cuban apologizes to K-Mart & his mother

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Mavericks owner Mark Cuban apologized to Kenyon Martin and his mother in a blog entry on Tuesday. Cuban talked trash to K-Mart's mom after Game 3, and during Game 4 she was relentlessly heckled by Mavs' fans. "I know your family and friends didn't feel as comfortable as they should," Cuban said. "I apologize for that as well." Uncomfortable is an understatement -- there were separate incidents of harassment involving K-Mart's mother, his girlfriend, and even Carmelo Anthony's girlfriend. K-Mart, for his part, spent much of Game 4 cursing at Cuban, the media and Mavs fans. The series now shifts to Denver (Cuban isn't expected to attend Game 5) so hopefully cooler heads will prevail.

Will K-Mart get Mark Cuban?

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After being a sore loser, Cuban the owner of the Mavericks yelled at Kenyon Martins mother, will he get vengeance?

Which series will more likely have a sweep?

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Cavs Vs Hawks Celtics Vs Magic Lakers Vs Rockets Nuggets Vs Mavericks

Kenyon Martin fined for hit on Dirk

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DENVER -- The NBA hit Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin with a $25,000 fine Monday and upgraded his Game 1 foul on Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki to a flagrant foul. With 5:57 to play in the first quarter of Sunday's Game 1, Martin was called for a technical foul after knocking Nowitzki to the ground with a hard bump along the baseline after Nowitzki made his first six shots from the floor. Nowitzki finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds but shot only 6-for-16 after the hot start. Denver pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 109-95 triumph to take a 1-0 series lead entering Tuesday night's Game 2 at the Pepsi Center. The flagrant foul is Martin's first of the postseason and, after the upgrade from a technical to a flagrant foul penalty 1, puts one point in Martin's playoff "account." Players who exceed three points receive an automatic suspension for the next game after the three-point barrier is surpassed. It's believed that Martin's history of hard fouls -- compared to Boston's Rajon Rondo, who escaped punishment for high-profile fouls in the Celtics' first-round series with Chicago -- led to a fine in addition to the reclassification of the foul. "I voiced our opinion [to the league] that we believe the fine was excessive," Nuggets vice president of player personnel Rex Chapman said Monday night. "With regard to other incidents that have taken place in these playoffs and some of those actions not [resulting in] a fine, we feel that fining K-Mart for this is a bit excessive and inconsistent. "But we're going to accept it and move on. I think that Dirk was off balance as he often is -- and he's one of the best actors in the game, too -- but that's part of the game." Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle complained after Game 1 about the free throw disparity, which was 36-13 in Denver's favor. Carlisle specifically protested the fact that Nowitzki earned only five trips to the line, one of them to shoot the technical called on Martin. "It's hard for me to believe," Carlisle said Sunday, "that we committed 29 fouls and they committed 19." Nuggets coach George Karl, meanwhile, applauded Martin's foul Monday afternoon before learning of the league's ruling. It was the first overt show of Game 1 physicality after a slow start from the Nuggets, whose active hands and aggression gradually wore the Mavs down, contributing to eight Dallas turnovers in the decisive fourth quarter alone to break open an 82-80 game. "It was good on film," Karl said of the foul after the Nuggets' brief between-games practice, adding that he didn't see the play in real time because he was preparing to make a substitution. Karl also volunteered to send tape of the series opener to the league office on the Mavs' behalf, insisting that "our philosophy on [Nowitzki] is not to foul him." "I think we did a hell of a job of not fouling him," Karl said. Although he conceded that Nowitzki might have absorbed some off-the-ball contact, Karl added: "But on his shots, I don't think he got fouled.'' Martin didn't speak with reporters in Denver on Monday but said Sunday after the win: "It was a foul. I don't think it was tech worthy, but it happens. You can't do nothing about it. It was just a foul."

NBA Playoffs Breakdown

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Who's going to finish out on top in the West? 1-8?

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Please consider remaining schedules. Dont talk completely out of your a**.

NBA Power Rankings March

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Yao to retire in 2010?

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