Frank Doyle makes his picks from a full menu of NBA action tonight.
One of the highest profile teams in the NBA takes on one of the lowest tonight when Miami travels to Atlanta to take on the Hawks.
Veteran Mike Bibby’s return to the Hawks is the story of the game, but the real question that people who are interested in NBA betting are asking themselves is: who the hell are the Heat, and what the hell is wrong with them?
Miami is far from the first team to assemble a group of superstars from other teams to win a Championship – the Lakers had a Fantastic Four of Kobe, Shaq, Karl Malone and Gary Peyton in 2003-’04, but that team was hurt by injuries and still got to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Pistons.
LeBron James and Chris Bosh are both considerably younger than Malone and Peyton were when they joined the purple and gold, but it’s really not happening for the Heat. Miami can explode like it did against San Antonio, or it can fold up like a drugstore deckchair. You just don’t know. You can’t rely on the Heat.
Atlanta, by contrast, makes the most of its resources, and is on course for a fourth consecutive playoff appearance. It’s easier to trust Atlanta with your money – Hawks +4.5 is a good bet.
The executives in Denver could be forgiven for wondering why they didn’t trade Carmelo Anthony years ago. The Nuggets are 9-2 since ‘Melo became a New York Knick and teamwork is the name of their game.
Denver beat Orlando already in Denver this season and, although the Nuggets’ all-time record at Orlando is poor, the points are hard to resist. Nuggets +5 is the pick.
Of course, that trade wasn’t all bad for New York either. The Knicks are looking good for their first playoff appearance since 2004, and that journey is unlikely to get derailed tonight in the Palace at Auburn Hills. Detroit is coming off a big win against the Raptors, but the Knicks should have too much for them. Knicks -3 is the pick.
Finally, San Antonio’s visit to Dallas. San Antonio got lit up by the Heat on Monday in a way that we’re really not accustomed to seeing happen to the Spurs. Pride counts in sports, and there’s no way the Spurs can do anything but come out with all guns blazing at Dallas. Spurs +2 at the Mavericks is the pick.
