Lead NBA Trader shares thoughts heading Into Playoffs

Lead NBA Trader shares thoughts heading Into Playoffs

By Pinnacle Sports Apr 1, 2014

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The 2014 NBA Playoffs begin on April 19th. Below, our lead NBA trader discusses how the Western and Eastern Conferences shape up in this 2014 NBA Playoffs betting preview.

Eastern Conference Teams

A strange season

No two seasons are alike, but it would be fair to call this year’s Eastern Conference an outlier for a couple of reasons. First, there have been a number of Eastern teams that seemed disinterested at points in the season, headlined by horrific installments of the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, both hell-bent on getting their best shot at a loaded draft. Second, after incredible starts from both the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat, both have slumped uncharacteristically in the second half, forcing one to ask if any team is really prepared enough to storm through the East.

The big two

There was a time earlier this year when the Indiana Pacers were dominating the NBA standings. They were looked upon by many as the team to beat for the championship, despite dominating a soft Conference and having not been to an NBA Finals with this group of players.Their defense was by far the league’s best and they could handlea shoot-out.

Somewhere along the way, their train has significantly derailed in the aftermath of forward Danny Granger being traded and All-Star Paul George being implicated in a stripper scandal.They went 6-8 from March 3rd-28th, proving to have great difficulty both scoring and winning on the road. They haven’t looked like the same team since the start of February and seem to be staggering towards the Playoffs in what appears worse than mere variance.

While the Pacers are providing more questions than answers, most experts are guessing that – if their health holds up – the Miami Heat will be able to turn it on sufficiently in the Playoffs.Miami have been fumbling around in a fashion similar to Indiana’s lately, but at least they still have the best player on the planet (Kevin Durant’s pending MVP trophy notwithstanding) in Lebron James and the swagger that comes with three consecutive finals appearances and two consecutive championships. None of that will simply fade away. If you’re looking for an Achilles’ heel, it may be this: They haven’t got the three-point shooting production that’s been a key part of their recent playoff success. That could trip them up in the finals, if not sooner.

When you’re thinking about betting on or against Indiana or Miami, bettors should keep this in mind; momentum isn’t overly important heading to the Playoffs, but good health of the core 7 players is vital in most cases. Obviously, after 82 games, everyone is playing with knocks and niggles, but there are big differences between a bit nicked’ and seriously wounded.

The rest of the East

With the Heat and Pacers looking more vulnerable than expected, let’s take a look at a few of the teams hoping to make a run:

Brooklyn Nets: After the sort of start that made many laugh with a fake Russian accent, their billionaire owner’s gamble took a very favorable turn since a remarkable 4th quarter rally in Oklahoma on January 2nd. A lot of things are going right; Jason Kidd might be able to coach after all; they’ve shown they can win without Lopez; Paul Pierce has proven he still has a decent game; and their depth is amongst the best in the league. They have enough veterans with playoff success to avoid wilting if they get close.

Toronto Raptors: These newbies to the Playoffs have a major combination in guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar Derozan and terrific team chemistry, which revealed itself quickly after the Rudy Gay trade back in early December. While talented, the Raps may need this year’s Playoff experience to prepare themselves for a more serious challenge in the coming years.

Chicago Bulls: Remember when they were 9-16, missing Derrick Rose and looking a bit lifeless?Three weeks later they dealt away Luol Deng and some were saying Chicago might end up failing to make the Playoffs. Fast forward a bunch and here are Tom Thibodeau’s troops, battling well for home court in the first round. Their defense is tenacious; the problem though is the usual question of whether a Thibodeau team can access the extra gear that successful teams usually find in the Playoffs; his clubs typically burnout in the regular season.

Washington Wizards: The Wizards will finally make it back to the Playoffs after a 5-year drought, headlined by PG John Wall. They have good ball-hawks on Defence and they’ve added some decent veteran bench players. Will Nene return healthy enough to have an impact? Can Coach Wittman surprise his longtime detractors? Can this team still in love with long 2-point shots successfully insult modern hoops analytics?The Wizards are one of the less predictable teams, but a weak exit seems more likely than a strong run for now.

Charlotte Bobcats: The Bobcats have emerged from a poor team (28-120 spanning two seasons) to make the Playoffs for the first time since 2009-10. New Coach Steve Clifford has instilled consistent hustle and defense in his young squad and savvy veteran Al Jefferson has taken on the role of team leader in all respects. Unless they finish above 7th seed, they’ll see the benefits of this year’s Playoffs experience primarily taking the shape of a change of the culture and the expectations of the franchise.

The 8-seed: The Hawks and Knicks are battling for an empty 8th seed, with both wishing they had a shot at the first three draft picks instead.

Western Conference Teams

San Antonio Spurs: On a major run and appear destined to position them as the #1 seed in the league. Perhaps most importantly, their key pieces are healthy.

Oklahoma Thunder: Kevin Durant hopes to stop Le Bron James winning another MVP, but he’ll need consistent help and the return of key defenders Kendrick Perkins and Thabo Sefolosha, both of whom have been out since late February. Russell Westbrook has had three knee operations spanning nine months and it’s far from clear whether he can contribute close to his maximum potential in a full-time capacity right now.

Los Angeles Clippers: Doc Rivers has put his stamp on the clippers, particularly with the expansion of Blake Griffin’s game and the elevation of DeAndre Jordan, but there are questions about whether they can dish out or respond well enough to playoff defense. Chris Paul may have to wait at least one more year to play in his first Finals.

Houston Rockets: The combination of Dwight Howard and James “The Beard” Harden could see the Rockets well prepared for the Playoffs, but the question is whether or not they have the maturity and the time logged together to make a real run this year.

Golden State Warriors: They were the surprise package in last year’s Playoffs and have fought well this season, despite struggling through periods of inconsistency. Their defense is decent and they have a good array of scorers, spearheaded by the Splash Brothers, their great 1-2 guard tandem of Steph Curry and Clay Thompson. Another team that may lack the appropriate collective maturity for sustained big moments, but they’ll have learned from last year and they are dangerous when on a roll.

Portland Trailblazers: They’ve had a terrific season, featuring one of the leagues best starting fives and have garnered fantastic team chemistry. However, those starters have played a lot of minutes and there may be too much wear on them to plausibly hope their season continues past the second round. Their defense wouldn’t appear to be playoff caliber, but their offense can hang in there late in games with the combination of great players such as Damian Lilliard and All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge.

Memphis Grizzlies: Assuming no late injuries take them out of the playoff group, this is a difficult team for the presumed front-runners to face. Their offense will likely eventually trip them up, but they are terrific defensively, smart and have gone deep in the Playoffs before.The Grizzlies’ bench is stronger than in prior years, and although you don’t use the bench as much in the Playoffs, it certainly could help.

Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks: Both teams have some fine qualities, but aren’t likely to be of the caliber to make it out of the first round.

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