NBA Playoffs Power Rankings: Week 2

NBA Playoffs Power Rankings: Week 2
We outline the best and worst bets in the NBA playoffs

April 24, 2008

By Carlisle Richards
Bodog Nation Contributing Writer

As exciting as the 2008 playoffs have been, much of what we expected has transpired thus far.

The Atlanta Hawks have no business calling themselves a playoff team. The Houston Rockets are as mediocre as we said they were during their 22-game winning streak. The Denver Nuggets need to do some high school defensive drills, and the San Antonio Spurs still have the Phoenix Suns' number.

The only first-round series that should come as a shock is the New Orleans Hornets' dominance of the Dallas Mavericks. If the MVP award included the playoffs, Chris Paul would have the award locked up.

To keep you betting on the NBA's hot wagers, here are our power rankings for Week 2 of the NBA playoffs:

1. Boston Celtics

You usually only see this kind of huge gap in talent in NCAA basketball. The Hawks are just incapable of giving the Celtics a competitive game and seem to be fighting just to keep themselves from losing by 20. Boston is a great under wager as well. Their league-leading defense is holding the Hawks to 79 points per game.

2. Utah Jazz

I had the Jazz circled as a solid bet at home in this series, so it comes as a bit of a surprise that they've been so impressive against the Rockets on the road. Houston looks like a beaten team already, and it's only going to get worse once they have to visit EnergySolutions Arena. Expect the spreads to be close to double digits, and expect the Jazz to still cover.

More...