NBA Championships – It’s Playoff Time

The NBA Playoffs are just around the corner as the NBA Regular Season officially ends this Wednesday.

BetOnline online sportsbook betting fans will be looking to make some serious money this week when the NBA Playoffs officially begin.  It’s been a long regular season for NBA fans, teams and gamblers.

I’ve pared down the Power Rankings to the top six because outside of these six, nobody else appears to have a legitimate shot to win the NBA Championship.

Let’s analyze the Top Six going into the playoffs.

NBA Power Rankings

1. Los Angeles Lakers 42-39 ATS – - Forget about their regular season ATS record.  They’ve won 3 in a row against the spread and Andrew Bynum had 16 points in his first start after the injury.  This team is getting good at the right time.  It didn’t seem possible that the Lakers could peak at the beginning of the playoffs but that’s what they’re doing.  They will be very tough to beat and whoever ends up with that 8th seed in the Western Conference, right now it’s the Dallas Mavericks and they should be shaking in their high tops.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers 48-32 ATS – - They looked like they’d go into the playoffs on a losing streak against the spread as they had gone 4 and 10, but then they beat up the Celtics like there was no tomorrow, 107 to 76.  With only three days left in the regular season, the Cavs still have only lost a single game at home.  That was to the Lakers.  So, they end up winning every single series in the playoffs 4 to 3.  Oh, well.  Things could be worse for LeBron James and Co.

3. Boston Celtics 41-39 ATS – - The biggest question mark surrounding the Celtics is whether or not they start Garnett in the first playoff series.  It should be against either Detroit, Chicago or Philadelphia, so Boston doesn’t have to play KG.  If they can rest him for another week or two, they would be ecstatic.  Beating Orlando or Cleveland will be impossible without Garnett, so Coach Doc Rivers had better make the right move with Garnett.

4. Orlando Magic 48-31-1 ATS – - They’ve lost four in a row against the spread but both Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis have been hurt.  They will need at least one of those guys healthy in order to beat Detroit, Chicago or Philadelphia in that first series, but only one.  They are a good team and could easily find themselves in a 7th game for the Eastern Conference crown versus the Celtics or Cavs.

5. Denver Nuggets 43-36-1 ATS – - The Nuggets pose the biggest threat to the Lakers now that Manu Ginobili for the San Antonio Spurs won’t be suiting up in the playoffs.  With Chauncey Billups, Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin all playing well, the Nuggets could easily get into the Western Conference Finals.  Of course, waiting for them will be the Lakers but that’s why they traded for Chauncey, right?  For that point guard experience?

6. Portland Trailblazers 43-36 ATS – - Out of all of the teams in the Western Conference after the Lakers and Nuggets, the lone team that has the most upside are the Trailblazers.  Utah can’t win on the road.  The Houston Rockets don’t have a real backcourt.  San Antonio will be without Manu Ginobili and the Dallas Mavericks can’t compete defensively.  New Orleans relies too heavily, still, on Chris Paul.  That leaves the Portland Trailblazers who have a bona fide star in Brandon Roy and what can be a dominating front court in Joe Przybilla, Greg Oden and LeMarcus Aldrdidge.  Rudy Fernandez, coming off the bench, is a serious spark plug, and Travis Outlaw is still serviceable.  This team has a shot to make waves in the Western Conference.