Playoff Bracket Breakdown
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NBA Teams of Interest
by Chris Arena, www.sportsinsights.com
Posted: 4/17/2009
Each week, we're going to take a look at a
few teams around The Association that we think deserve extra consideration. We
will not be giving picks; however, we believe these insights can help the
prudent bettor looking for that extra bit of information to help them make a
more informed decision on upcoming games. We welcome your feedback -
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Playoff Bracket Breakdown
In preparation for the NBA Playoffs, this week is a special edition of NBA Teams
of Interest, highlighting the regular season records of each playoff team
against one another, straight up and against the spread. These tables can be used throughout the playoffs to aid you
in your wagering. At the end of the article, I will provide some brief
observations highlighting match-ups to keep an eye on.
How to use the table: Choose a team from the first
column (Team A), then match them up with their playoff opponent from the top row
(Team B). The corresponding box will show Team A's regular season record
against Team B, with their record at home in parenthesis and ATS record in
brackets.
Example: To find Cleveland's record against Detroit,
find Cleveland on the left, than find Detroit at the top. The corresponding box
displays the following information: regular season record (home record)
against the spread.
Eastern Conference Table
| Team |
vs Cleveland |
vs Boston |
vs Orlando |
vs Atlanta |
vs Miami |
vs Philadelphia |
vs Chicago |
vs Detroit |
| Cleveland |
XXX |
2-2 (2-0) 3-1 |
1-2 (1-0) 0-3 |
3-1 (2-0) 1-3 |
3-1 (2-0) 2-2 |
3-1 (1-1) 4-0 |
3-1 (2-0) 3-1 |
3-1 (2-0) 2-2 |
| Boston |
2-2 (2-0) 1-3 |
XXX |
2-2 (1-1) 3-1 |
4-0 (2-0) 2-2 |
3-1 (2-0) 2-2 |
4-0 (2-0) 3-1 |
2-1 (2-0) 2-1 |
3-1 (1-1) 3-1 |
| Orlando |
2-1 (2-0) 3-0 |
2-2 (1-1) 1-3 |
XXX |
3-1 (1-1) 3-1 |
3-1 (2-0) 3-1 |
3-0 (1-0) 3-0 |
3-1 (2-0) 2-2 |
0-3 (0-1) 0-3 |
| Atlanta |
1-3 (1-1) 3-1 |
0-4 (0-2) 2-2 |
1-3 (0-2) 1-3 |
XXX |
3-1 (2-0) 2-2 |
1-2 (1-0) 1-2 |
3-0 (1-0) 3-0 |
3-0 (2-0) 3-0 |
| Miami |
1-3 (1-1) 2-2 |
1-3 (1-1) 2-2 |
1-3 (1-1) 1-3 |
1-3 (1-1) 2-2 |
XXX |
2-2 (2-0) 2-2 |
3-1 (2-0) 2-2 |
3-1 (2-0) 4-0 |
| Philadelphia |
1-3 (0-2) 0-4 |
0-4 (0-2) 1-3 |
0-3 (0-2) 0-3 |
2-1 (2-0) 2-1 |
2-2 (2-0) 2-2 |
XXX |
2-2 (1-1) 1-2-1 |
2-1 (1-0) 2-1 |
| Chicago |
1-3 (1-1) 1-3 |
1-2 (1-0) 1-2 |
1-3 (1-1) 2-2 |
0-3 (0-2) 0-3 |
1-3 (1-1) 2-2 |
2-2 (1-1) 2-1-1 |
XXX |
3-1 (2-0) 4-0 |
| Detroit |
1-3 (1-1) 2-2 |
1-3 (0-2) 3-1 |
3-0 (2-0) 3-0 |
0-3 (0-1) 0-3 |
1-3 (1-1) 0-4 |
1-2 (1-1) 1-2 |
1-3 (1-1) 0-4 |
XXX |
Western Conference Table
| Team |
vs LA Lakers |
vs Denver |
vs San Antonio |
vs Portland |
vs Houston |
vs Dallas |
vs New Orleans |
vs Utah |
| LA Lakers |
XXX |
3-1 (2-0) 2-2 |
2-1 (1-0) 3-0 |
2-2 (2-0) 2-2 |
4-0 (2-0) 4-0 |
3-0 (2-0) 1-2 |
3-1 (1-1) 2-2 |
2-1 (2-0) 2-1 |
| Denver |
1-3 (1-1) 2-2 |
XXX |
2-1 (1-1) 1-2 |
2-2 (2-0) 2-2 |
1-3 (1-1) 2-2 |
4-0 (2-0) 3-1 |
2-2 (1-1) 2-2 |
2-2 (2-0) 4-0 |
| San Antonio |
1-2 (1-1) 0-3 |
1-2 (0-1) 2-1 |
XXX |
1-3 (1-1) 1-3 |
2-2 (1-1) 2-2 |
2-2 (1-1) 2-2 |
2-2 (2-0) 1-3 |
3-0 (2-0) 3-0 |
| Portland |
2-2 (2-0) 2-2 |
2-2 (2-0) 2-2 |
3-1 (2-0) 3-1 |
XXX |
1-2 (1-0) 2-1 |
0-3 (0-2) 0-3 |
2-2 (1-1) 3-1 |
2-2 (2-0) 2-2 |
| Houston |
0-4 (0-2) 0-4 |
3-1 (2-0) 2-2 |
2-2 (1-1) 2-2 |
2-1 (2-0) 1-2 |
XXX |
2-2 (1-1) 2-2 |
3-1 (2-0) 3-1 |
2-2 (1-1) 2-2 |
| Dallas |
0-3 (0-1) 2-1 |
0-4 (0-2) 1-3 |
2-2 (1-1) 2-2 |
3-0 (1-0) 3-0 |
2-2 (1-1) 2-2 |
XXX |
1-3 (1-1) 1-3 |
2-2 (2-0) 2-2 |
| New Orleans |
1-3 (0-2) 2-2 |
2-2 (1-1) 2-2 |
2-2 (2-0) 3-1 |
2-2 (1-1) 1-3 |
1-3 (1-1) 1-3 |
3-1 (2-0) 3-1 |
XXX |
0-3 (0-1) 0-3 |
| Utah |
1-2 (1-0) 1-2 |
2-2 (2-0) 0-4 |
0-3 (0-1) 0-3 |
2-2 (2-0) 2-2 |
2-2 (1-1) 2-2 |
2-2 (2-0) 2-2 |
3-0 (2-0) 3-0 |
XXX |
Some Observations:
-
Cleveland shouldn't have a problem until the
Eastern Conference Championship, but both Boston and Orlando may give them
more trouble than expected to reach the NBA Finals.
-
Kevin Garnett's injury makes Boston a much
riskier team to back, but they have already shown the ability to succeed
without him. I like them to face Cleveland in the Eastern Finals
with or without KG.
-
Miami could be in trouble right from the get-go
against Atlanta based on regular season results. Look to take the
under throughout this series as each team scored more than 90 points only
once in four regular season games against one another.
-
Detroit is absolutely terrible against the
spread versus the 4-7 seeds in the East, but very strong against the top
three teams. There could be some nice value in backing them as significant
underdogs in their series against Cleveland.
-
Even if they make it out of the first round against a
weak San Antonio squad, Dallas has almost no chance against the
Lakers or Nuggets based on their regular season meetings. Look
for a sweep in this scenario.
-
Houston seems to be the best underdog to back in
the first round of the Western Conference playoffs based on regular season
records, but they're out of luck after the first round, as they are winless
against the Lakers.
-
I think the Nuggets make for a nice sleeper pick
to make the NBA Finals. They won 14 of their last 17 regular season games
and momentum is a huge factor in the NBA playoffs. I still think the
Lakers are the favorite, but I could see Denver taking them to 6 or
7 games.
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