EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF Predictions: Hawks vs Magic Series Preview
Before nba betting fans turn their attention to NBA Playoff basketball betting events this week, we have some more good NBA first round series Previews on tap, and our man Lawrence weighs in with his picks for the series. It’s time for our weekly hoops picks for NBA gambling action.
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ATLANTA vs. ORLANDO PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Game 1 – Sat April 16, Atlanta at Orlando, 7:00 p.m, ESPN
Game 2 – Tue April 19, Atlanta at Orlando, 7:30 p.m, NBA TV
Game 3 – Fri April 22, Orlando at Atlanta, 8:00 p.m, ESPN2
Game 4 – Sun April 24, Orlando at Atlanta, 7:00 p.m, TNT
Game 5 * Tue April 26, Atlanta at Orlando, TBD, TBD
Game 6 * Thu April 28, Orlando at Atlanta, TBD, TBD
Game 7 * Sat April 30, Atlanta at Orlando, TBD, TNT
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Odds To Win Series
Atlanta +300
Orlando -400
Odds To Win Eastern Conference
Atlanta 60/1
Orlando 9/1
Odds To Win NBA Title
Magic 20/1
Hawks 125/1
Injuries of Note: Hawks – Jason Collins – C – Day to Day
Magic – Gilbert Arenas – G – Day-to-Day (sore knee)
Daniel Orton – C – Out Indefinitely (knee injury)
J.J. Redick – G – Out Indefinitely (abdominal injury)
When people think about these two teams they think Orlando is a serious title contender, as for Atlanta they forget Atlanta won the season series 3-1. Will we see a different result in the 2011 NBA Playoffs?
If there was ever a team that should not be allowed with a light year or two from the NBA playoffs, it’s the Atlanta Hawks. Even at a buck and a quarter to one (to win it all) the Hawks are overvalued. The Hawks did all their damage early in the season when no one was paying attention, but over the last few months they have basically tuned out coach Larry Drew and have all but given up on the new share-the-rock motion offense that was supposed to bring Atlanta to the next level.
The Hawks enter the playoffs with 6 consecutive losses, a team in name only. The birds are rather a collection of individuals who start the post-season with little to no chance of even getting past the first round, let alone catching anyone by surprise and playing into May. When your two key players – Joe Johnson and Josh Smith – don’t buy in to the coach’s system, it adds up to a hasty playoff exit and a new coach come October.
Orlando, which had problems of its own this season after the mid-year deals which brought Hedu Turkoglu, Jason Richardson and Gilbert Arenas on board, will benefit from Atlanta’s two main problems – a lack of discipline and a lack of anyone who can even begin to defend Dwight Howard.
The Magic have been locked into the 4 seed for weeks, knowing that catching Miami, Chicago or Boston was a fruitless exercise that would only burn out Howard and was hardly worth the effort.
But everyone knows Atlanta’s 3-1 record against Orlando this season was nothing but fool’s gold. The Hawks’ defensive stats are improved over a year ago (they give up a point less a game from a year ago), but their offense has taken a huge hit (27th this season, from 13 a year ago).
And even if the Hawks have some success in their cherished iso offense, it’s only temporary with Howard operating without much of a problem in the paint.
Last season the Magic crushed the Hawks in four straight in the Eastern semifinals by an embarrassingly average score of 107-82. The season was over almost before it started as the Hawks mailed it in.
Don’t expect things to be much different this time around.
Free NBA Playoff Series Pick: Orlando in 4.
Lawrence Paul is a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog, and is a free-lance gambling expert from Massachusetts.
