Southwest trio ready for war

Basketball Betting Lines

03/03/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets, thanks to general manager Daryl Morey, should be rewarded with a playoff spot for just getting rid of Tracy McGrady's expiring and ungodly contract.

Unfortunately they're no such accommodations at this level with other teams posting up for a playoff berth in the competitive West. Not only is Houston a few games off the pace, but New Orleans and Memphis are still hooked up to a defibrillator in the conference standings. If the season ended today, the Rockets and Hornets would miss the playoffs by four games, while the Grizzlies would be 4 1/2 games behind No. 8 seed Portland.

The ding-dong battle between the three Southwest inhabitants will most likely be won by Houston because the Hornets need injured All-Star Chris Paul back and Memphis is still too young to take the next step. Yes, it was tough to part ways with Carl Landry, but Morey and the Rockets are deserving of a postseason spot for landing former Sacramento leading scorer Kevin Martin. Morey got his wing scorer to replace the oft-injured McGrady and the newcomer hasn't disappointed, averaging 23.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists in six games (four starts) with his new employer.

Martin, Aaron Brooks and Luis Scola give the Rockets a solid trio of scorers for the stretch run, while reserve Trevor Ariza is averaging 15.4 points off the bench for Houston, which hasn't helped itself with seven losses over the past 10 games.

Memphis has made the playoffs just three times in its history, getting swept in four games in each series. It would be a boost for the NBA to see the young Grizz play past their 82-game schedule, but Lionel Hollins' club is still a few steps away from making a playoff splash. Hollins has watched his squad alternate wins and losses over the past nine games, which is more proof that the inconsistency will be an albatross.

The rest of March's schedule has a handful of layups in New Jersey, New York, Golden State and Sacramento, with the likes of Western powers New Orleans, San Antonio, Boston, Houston and Dallas on the docket as well. The storybook ending would have Zach Randolph leading the Grizzlies into the playoffs in his first year with the club. However, if George Orwell was behind the pen, readers would be introduced to his idea of social injustice. In many ways it's a crying shame that a young, talented roster such in Memphis can't seem to get over the hump in the talent-laden conference.

New Orleans would probably jump at the chance of trading March schedules with Memphis because it's one any head coach would defer playing. Future matchups with the Spurs, Grizzlies, Thunder, Nuggets, Suns, Jazz, Mavericks, Cavaliers and Lakers will knock the Hornets out of contention, while the cries of woe for Paul will not be heard for at least another couple of weeks. Rookie Darren Collison can't do it all despite averaging 18.6 points, 8.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 23 games as a starter. Mix in David West's 18.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, and New Orleans is still on the outside looking in.

In other news out West, many speculate which team has the audacity to push the Lakers in a seven-game playoff series. Is it Dallas, Denver, Utah or Phoenix? Who knows? Could upstart Oklahoma City make a run at the defending champs with the way Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have put the Thunder on the map?

Maybe.

Durant's thunderous scoring streak has Oklahoma City in the sixth spot, while Dallas eight-game winning streak has helped them to the second seed in the West, just six games behind LA and a half-game in front of Denver. MVP candidate Dirk Nowitzki has been a major factor in that run, averaging 32.8 points in his last four games with three 30-point games and one double-double. Since acquiring Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood from Washington before the trade deadline last month, veteran point guard Jason Kidd has most likely felt like a 'kid' in a candy store. Just imagine what Oscar Robertson's already- amazing numbers would have looked like if he had the chance to sling the rock to Nowitzki, Butler, Shawn Marion or Jason Terry.

Kidd has it made is what other guards in the league may believe.

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MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds

With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season.  What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season.  Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all.  Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13).  Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two.  Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury.  Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven.  Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury.  Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons.  Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4.  Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1).  The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this.  No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.

Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend.  Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend.  With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.

MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:

Atlanta Hawks 1000-1

Boston Celtics 5000-1

Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1

Chicago Bulls 20-1

Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1

Dallas Mavericks 2-1

Denver Nuggets 25-1

Detroit Pistons 6-1

Golden State Warriors 250-1

Houston Rockets 12-1

Indiana Pacers 60-1

Los Angeles Clippers 45-1

Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1

Miami Heat 9-1

Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1

Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1

New Jersey Nets 50-1

New Orleans Hornets 150-1

New York Knicks 150-1

Orlando Magic 75-1

Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1

Phoenix Suns 5-2

Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1

Sacramento Kings 250-1

San Antonio Spurs 9-1

Seattle Sonics 5000-1

Toronto Raptors 35-1

Utah Jazz 20-1

Washington Wizards 25-1

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