NBA Betting – All-Star Game Preview & Pick
Say it ain’t so, Melo.
Carmelo Anthony says that a contusion he suffered in the Knicks’ loss to Toronto on Wednesday night could force him out of Sunday’s All-Star Game in Houston, denying us of the opportunity of a continuation of the on-court feud between Melo and Kevin Garnett.
NBA All-Star game
Sunday, Feb. 17, 8:30 p.m.
Toyota Center Houston
Line –
Over/under – 188.5 at Bovada
Is Anthony still ticked off at Garnett after KG told Melo that Melo’s wife smelled like Honey Nut Cheerios? Would it carry over into Sunday’s All-Star scrimmage, and would Melo try to ice Garnett the way Isiah Thomas is reported to have engineered a veterans-only plan to freeze out then-rookie Michael Jordan in 1985? (Thomas denies it.
For the record, Thomas had 22 points in 25 minutes, and MJ had 7 points in 22 minutes in that game.)
If Anthony cops out, that lessens the opportunity for drama in a game that is basically a good run up the court and a 48-minute extension of Saturday’s dunk contest. No one bothers with defense – at least until the final four minutes of the fourth period when the game almost always tightens up – and anyone who takes a charge will be immediately ostracized and shunned the way baseball players dealt with replacement players after the strike in the mid-1990s.
The All-Star Game is all about egos, preening and entourages. We can all pretty much be certain that the two teams will combine for about twice as many points as the Bulls and Celtics put on the board in that dreadful 71-69 grinder on Tuesday night. In fact, the average score over the last four years is West 146, East 138, and that’s pretty much what we can expect this time around.
Oddsmakers brave enough to set totals are in the 188-point range, a slight bump and understandable considering the firepower that figures to play decent minutes – Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant et al. Durant is 13/2 to win the MVP Award, LBJ 7/1, and Bryant and Blake Griffin 15/2. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Take your pick, understanding that the award almost always goes to a big name (Bryant is a 4-time winner, evidence that he takes things moderately seriously at least some of the time that he’s on the court.) Last year Durant won the award, edging Bryant.
But investing in Bryant might be wise, considering that Kobe will no doubt want to show the world that the Lakers’ current residence in the Western Conference gutter is in no way, shape or form his fault.
PREDICTION – West 145, East 142.
EAST Team
7 * Carmelo Anthony (Knicks)
6 * LeBron James (Heat)
5 * Kevin Garnett (Celtics)
9 | Rajon Rondo (Celtics)
3 * Dwyane Wade (Heat)
1 Chris Bosh (Heat)
6 # Tyson Chandler (Knicks)
9 Luol Deng (Bulls)
24 # Paul George (Pacers)
11 # Jrue Holiday (76ers)
2 # Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers)
11 # Brook Lopez (Nets)
13 # Joakim Noah (Bulls)
Head Coach: Erik Spoelstra (Heat)
WEST Team
35 * Kevin Durant (Thunder)
32 * Blake Griffin (Clippers)
12 * Dwight Howard (Lakers)
24 * Kobe Bryant (Lakers)
3 * Chris Paul (Clippers)
12 LaMarcus Aldridge (Trail Blazers)
21 Tim Duncan (Spurs)
13 # James Harden (Rockets)
10 David Lee (Warriors)
9 Tony Parker (Spurs)
50 Zach Randolph (Grizzlies)
0 Russell Westbrook (Thunder)
Head Coach: Gregg Popovich (Spurs)
It’s NBA Basketball betting season once again. NBA Gambling fans sure are getting their money’s worth from the free nba picks we give out here at Capperspicks.com.
