Posted Saturday, December 12, 2009 06:29 PM
I know more than a few of you had eyebrows raised high when you took your first look at Saturday's NBA lines and saw the Phoenix Suns getting 8.5 points at Denver. So what compelled the sleazy oddsmakers ("the Pirates of the Caribbean") to make this line "so high"? I think I've found at least one answer. The Suns tonight are playing on the road in the second game of a back-to-back. That's a challenging situation for any team, but for the Suns, when facing a winning team, it's pretty much become the death knell. Take a look at how the Suns have fared between this season and last when playing with no rest on the road against an above .500 team:
November 17, 2008 at Utah getting 2 - the Suns lost, 109-97
December 4, 2008 at Dallas getting 3 - the Suns lost, 112-97
December 10, 2008 at the Lakers getting 13.5 - the Suns lost, 115-110
January 19, 2009 at Boston getting 8 - the Suns lost, 104-87
February 9, 2009 at Philadelphia getting 3.5 - the Suns lost, 108-91
March 4, 2009 at Miami getting 2.5 - the Suns lost, 135-129
March 26, 2009 at Portland getting 6.5 - the Suns lost, 129-109
November 4 at Orlando getting 7.5 - the Suns lost, 122-100
November 12 at the Lakers getting 9.5 - the Suns lost, 121-102
December 2, 2009 at Cleveland getting 7.5 - the Suns lost, 107-90
December 6 at the Lakers getting 9.5 - the Suns lost, 108-88... [More]
Posted Thursday, December 10, 2009 07:27 PM
Tonight Boston plays the first game of a 3-game road trip that will swing through Washington, Chicago, and Memphis. Since Kevin Garnett joined the team and brought with him a maniacal defensive intensity quickly adopted by his teammates, The Celtics have taken a very serious approach to their road trips. No, I mean, REALLY serious. This all began two months into Garnett's first season with Boston. The new look Celtics began the 2007-2008 season on a rampage, ripping off 22 wins in their first 25 games. People were impressed, to say the least, but not everyone was impressed. Despite recording an incredible 19 double digit wins in their first 25 games, the Celtics heard whispers about how the majority of those wins came at home in the Garden. Some people were suggesting that the Celtics hadn't been "tested" yet, and chose to take a "Let's wait and see how they do on their West coast trip" approach. This, evidently pissed the Celtics off.
Since Garnett brought his competitive ferocity with him from Minnesota, the Celtics have become a team that's looked to feed off of any perceived slight, real or imagined. Doc Rivers once said of his players "It doesn't take them much. I swear they, like, search the newspapers to find something. I don't need to give rah-rah speeches."
So, the Celtics headed to California just after Christmas in 2007 and began their road trip in Sacramento, taking th... [More]