17 April 2008

The Picksix: Until '08-'09...

With last night's conclusion to the NBA season, the Picksix crew is all but ready to head back into hibernation for the next few months. Fear not, we'll be continuing to conduct research and work on our methods to make sure our accuracy only continues to increase over the season to come.

It's been a crazy regular season and a pleasure for us to take part in. But for the postseason, all wagering goes off for us -- it's time to kick back and enjoy playoff basketball for the simple excitement of the competition itself.

So in the words of the immortal Paul Farash, until next season...

...later.

Last night: 7-7
Season: 636-594

16 April 2008

The Picksix: Season's final day; all berths taken

Yeah, it's the season's last day. Sixteen teams are in. Thirteen are out. All eight East seeds are set. West seeds are very close to set. Sounds like a crapshoot day all around with spreads. So we're zooming down the list today and not even pretending to be experts. We'll be back for that with tomorrow's wrap-up.

Washington over ORLANDO (-5.5)
INDIANA (-6.5) over New York
CLEVELAND (-2.5) over Detroit
Philadelphia (-1.5) over CHARLOTTE
New Orleans over DALLAS (-0.5)
BOSTON (-7.5) over New Jersey
MIAMI over Atlanta (-4.5)
MINNESOTA (-5.5) over Milwaukee
LA Clippers over HOUSTON (-14.5)
Toronto over CHICAGO (-1.5)
Memphis over DENVER (-14.5)
Utah over SAN ANTONIO (-4.5)
Portland over PHOENIX (-13.5)
Seattle over GOLDEN STATE (-13.5)

Last night: 3-3
Season: 629-587

15 April 2008

The Picksix: Lakers hunting top seed

Orlando over ATLANTA (-3.5) -- The Hawks have wrapped up the eighth seed and a date with the Celtics. If both teams are equally unconcerned, we'll take the better one and the points.

Minnesota over DETROIT (-9.5) -- Hard to imagine the Pistons will be interested here.

Charlotte over NEW JERSEY (-3.5) -- No need to give points with the Nets at this juncture.

NEW ORLEANS (-18.5) over LA Clippers -- The Hornets continue to chase the Southwest crown. The Clips haven't been remotely competitive of late.

Memphis over PORTLAND (-10.5) -- Just too many points involved here for the Blazers.

LA LAKERS (-16.5) over Sacramento -- They know that top seed is theirs for the taking.

Last night: 3-5
Season: 626-584

14 April 2008

The Picksix: Can Dubs hang in?

WASHINGTON (-4.5) over Indiana -- A deflating loss to the 'Cats at home looks like it may have spelled the end for the Pacers. Here's guessing they come out flat in DC.

Miami over TORONTO (-18.5) -- Just too many points.

PHILADELPHIA (-3.5) over Cleveland
-- The Cavs are not impressing us as of late.

Boston (-8.5) over NEW YORK -- The Tek Doctrine reigns supreme.

MILWAUKEE (-0.5) over Chicago -- The Bulls really can't be convinced to care.

UTAH (-6.5) over Houston -- They're just so good at home. Unbelievable, really.

Golden State over PHOENIX (-3.5) -- The Warriors live at least one more day, but a loss here could all but end it for them.

San Antonio (-7.5) over SACRAMENTO -- The Spurs still have a division crown (and seeding) to play for and should rebound well from a bopping in Los Angeles yesterday.

Last night: 4-2
Season: 623-579

13 April 2008

The Picksix: Mavs to mail in end of season once more?

DETROIT (-5.5) over Toronto -- Hard to imagine the Pistons will be taking it easy on national TV, especially against a possible first-round opponent. This should be a bopping.

San Antonio over LA LAKERS (-5.5) -- Tooth-and-nail battle for seeding in the West. Should be a tight one.

Miami over CLEVELAND (-19.5) -- Bron's back is questionable...but not as questionable as the entirety of his supporting cast. Too many points.

Orlando (-1.5) over CHICAGO -- The Bulls show up against Detroit, Cleveland and no one else.

Houston over DENVER (-6.5) -- Though Denver should have more urgency, the Rockets sit just a half-game off the pace for the crucial Southwest Division lead. They'll be clawing, too.

SEATTLE over Dallas (-8.5) -- The Mavs mailed in their last couple last year, and it didn't turn out so well. They also lost to Portland last night, and they are locked into the seventh seed. Argh. The points it is.

Last night: 4-5
Season: 619-577

12 April 2008

The Picksix: Seedings still uncertain all around

Boston (-5.5) over ATLANTA -- The boys from Beantown really love to whip up on folks. They'll be hoping to send a message to the Hawks about a possible first-round meeting in this one.

WASHINGTON (-4.5) over Philadelphia -- For as well as the Wiz have been playing of late, it's hard to imagine them taking too well to getting shellacked in Detroit last night.

INDIANA (-8.5) over Charlotte -- The Pacers still have hope to cling to for the next couple of days. They'll keep storming until its over.

Minnesota over MEMPHIS (-3.5) -- Big last-second win for the Wolves in Orlando last night. They're dropping lottery spots day by day!

MILWAUKEE (-0.5) over New Jersey -- Where did Ramon Sessions come from? Fourteen dimes in a loss to the C's last night.

UTAH (-5.5) over Denver -- Love these guys at home.

Dallas (-3.5) over PORTLAND -- Rough times for the Blazers. The Mavs are heating up at just the right time. Ugh.

New Orleans (-7.5) over SACRAMENTO -- Still playing for seeding on the N'Awlins end.

GOLDEN STATE (-18.5) over LA Clippers -- Gotta figure the Dubs keep coming out strong until its over. Elton Brand's return hasn't had the desired effect on his teammates.

Last night: 7-5
Season: 615-572

11 April 2008

The Picksix: Putridity at the forefront in Grizz-Heat match-up

New Jersey over TORONTO (-9.5) -- The Raps shellacked Milwaukee this week. Great. Label us unsold.

Cleveland (-2.5) over CHICAGO -- Loss to Miami, 32-point defeat in Orlando the next night. We'll take a pass on the Bulls, too.

Minnesota over ORLANDO (-12.5) -- A lot of points are involved here for a Magic team without a real reason to care. And they are no longer coming off a loss to the Knicks, which was the case earlier in the week.

Indiana over PHILADELPHIA (-5.5) -- Gotta go with the team still clinging to playoff hope.

BOSTON (-15.5) over Milwaukee -- The Celts tend to get peeved after losses. The Bucks tend to lose by lots of points.

Atlanta (-4.5) over NEW YORK -- Sooner or later, the Hawks need to end the race for eighth in the East. Right? Right?

Memphis (-4.5) over MIAMI -- Who knows?

Washington over DETROIT (-4.5) -- The Pistons' interest in this game remains yet to be determined. The Wiz are playing very solid ball as of late to boot.

Phoenix over HOUSTON (-2.5) -- Hard not to show the Suns some lovin' after a convincing performance in the San Antone on Wednesday.

Seattle over SAN ANTONIO (-18.5) -- As the kids say, "Mad high pointage." Too many for us, in fact.

SACRAMENTO (-1.5) over Portland -- The Blazers have lost five of six. The Kings play well at home. Fran Garcia has been off the charts of late.

New Orleans over LA LAKERS (-3.5) -- Two excellent teams compete for the top spot out West. We like the points.

Last night: 1-2
Season: 608-567

10 April 2008

The Picksix: Fighting for survival out West

GOLDEN STATE (-4.5) over Denver -- Two teams tied for the final spot in the West. A weird five o'clock local starting time. A crowd likely to be nothing short of rabid. We'll take the local yokels.

Utah over DALLAS (-3.5) -- Yeah, we saw what the Jazz did in N'Awlins on Tuesday. We're not messing with 'em.

LA Clippers over LA LAKERS (-15.5) -- The Hollywood boys seems to have cooled off on the runaway wins as of late, and the continuing presence of Elton Brand may help LA's little brother team keep this one close.

Last night: 4-5
Season: 607-565

09 April 2008

The Picksix: Hornets to snap back into form

New Jersey over CLEVELAND (-6.5) -- On the verge of mathematical elimination, perhaps the Nets will have at least one more night's worth of busting it left in them. Of course, there are no guarantees with VC.

Boston (-4.5) over WASHINGTON -- So the bench didn't blow out the Bucks last night. But after home-and-home losses to the Wiz earlier in the year (and a possible second-round match-up down the road), the Celts may look to drop the bop here.

Milwaukee over TORONTO (-10.5) -- The Raps have been stunningly inconsistent of late, and the Bucks are suddenly losing by reasonable margins.

ORLANDO (-9.5) over Chicago -- Hicag got beat by Miami last night. Da Bulls don't care. They'll enjoy South Beach and then get hammered in O-Town.

PHILADELPHIA (-0.5) over Detroit -- The Pistons fall on the other end of the Not Caring Spectrum as the Bulls, but they'll mail this one in nonetheless.

Charlotte over NEW YORK (-2.5) -- Three straight for the Knicks? Not in our cards.

New Orleans (-8.5) over MINNESOTA -- Hard to imagine the Stingers will be too happy after a 66-point effort in a loss to Deron Williams and the Jazz.

Seattle over HOUSTON (-17.5) -- Too many to give with a defense-dominant Rockets team.

SAN ANTONIO (-5.5) over Phoenix -- The Spurs snuck right back up on us all and now sit just a game back for the top spot in the West. Unbelievable how that keeps happening.

Last night: 3-8
Season: 603-560

08 April 2008

The Picksix: Pacers' last gasp?

INDIANA (-5.5) over Atlanta -- The Pacers absolutely have to have this one if they are going to have any chance to catch the Hawks. They seem rejuvenated with JO back as of late. The Hawks are inconsistent.

CHARLOTTE (-4.5) over Minnesota -- More firepower on the Charlotte side, and the 'Cats are at least decent at home.

Chicago (-8.5) over MIAMI -- The Heat are bad. So, so bad.

Utah over NEW ORLEANS (-5.5) -- Deron Williams has gotten the best of Chris Paul in two of their three match-ups this season. We'll take the points in what should be quite a game to watch.

Boston (-9.5) over MILWAUKEE -- The Celts' bench is better than you think. Leon Powe! Eddie House! James Posey! Go get 'em, boys!

DETROIT (-13.5) over New York -- The Knicks got their competent performance for the week on Sunday.

Phoenix (-0.5) over MEMPHIS -- No injuries reported for Phoenix. Sounds like Yahoo! may have a clerical error in its line-making.

DALLAS (-18.5) over Seattle -- For as bad as the Mavs have been against good teams, they've been absolutely ripping the bad ones during Jason Kidd's tenure in Big D this season. A twenty-point victory could be nothing for this team.

LA Lakers (-6.5) over PORTLAND -- Sometimes, we just like to take the much better team.

GOLDEN STATE (-12.5) over Sacramento -- The Dubs have to be feeling thrilled that they played in N'Awlins on Sunday while Denver played in Seattle, and they didn't lose any ground to the Nuggets. They'll recover from the loss to the Hornets with a bopping over Sacto.

LA CLIPPERS over Denver (-13.5) -- Teams that really want to be in the Western Conference playoffs don't lose to Sacramento and Seattle on back-to-back nights.

Sunday: 3-7
Season: 600-552

07 April 2008

Special Picksix: NCAA Final

Memphis (-2.5) over Kansas* -- Did KU nearly blowing a 28-point lead against Carolina make anybody else nervous? Derrick Rose amazes us. So does John Calipari's bravado. If we could finally see four number one seeds make it to the Final Four, well, seems like we might as well see the team that should have been bounced long ago due to its fatal flaw (foul shooting) take it all. Rawr Tigers!

*-game being played in San Antonio

Last night: 3-7
Season: 600-552

06 April 2008

The Picksix: Dubs, Nugs need to want it more

Golden State over NEW ORLEANS (-8.5) -- This game needs to mean more to the Warriors, who currently sit tight in eighth in the West.

PHOENIX (-6.5) over Dallas -- How deflating was the final-minutes, come-from-ahead loss in LA for the Mavs on Friday? We say, "Very."

INDIANA (-9.5) over Milwaukee -- We've used the phrase "They don't guard anybody" with way too much regularity regarding the Bucks this season.

San Antonio (-5.5) over PORTLAND -- To quote Daunte Culpepper, the Spurs will be looking to "get some getback" after a blowout loss in Utah on Friday.

MIAMI over Detroit (-14.5) -- How many starters will Detroit deactivate for this game? Here's guessing it's less than six, but we're not going to be giving the points regardless.

MINNESOTA (-5.5) over Memphis -- At 7-8 in their last fifteen, Minnesota has what constitutes a hot streak by Grizz-Wolves standards. Then again, Memphis is playing .500 ball over its last two contests. Ya really never know.

Orlando (-7.5) over NEW YORK -- The Knicks are really putrid.

LA Lakers (-5.5) over SACRAMENTO -- The Lakers continue to chase the Hornets for the West's top seed. The Kings aren't putting together solid efforts on back-to-back nights against Denver and LA.

Denver (-11.5) over SEATTLE -- Last time around for these two teams, if you had Seattle and 51.5, you lost. We'll give the points.

Houston (-8.5) over LA CLIPPERS -- Despite Elton Brand's return, the Rockets' stifling defense should cause the Clips all sorts of problems.

Last night: 3-3
Season: 597-545

05 April 2008

The Picksix: Bounce-back in Cleveland?

CLEVELAND (-0.5) over Orlando -- After a 17-point implosion in the fourth quarter against Chicago on Thursday, it's hard to imagine Bron and the Cavs won't be prepared to play a full 48 against D-Ho's boys.

PHILADELPHIA (-7.5) over Atlanta -- The Sixers are better than the Hawks. They indicated that in Atlanta last night, and they will only win with more ease on their home floor.

Boston (-8.5) over CHARLOTTE -- Regardless of Paul Pierce's status, the Celts won't be taking a team that beat them once and took them to the wire one other time all too lightly.

NEW JERSEY over Toronto (-2.5) -- The Raps are rubbing us the wrong way right now. Maybe this has to do with the home loss to Charlotte last night.

Washington over CHICAGO (-4.5) -- Why bother giving points with Hicag?

DENVER (-12.5) over Sacramento -- The Nugs love to run and can win by light years at home. With Golden State nipping at their heels, the Nugs should come out strong in this one.

Last night: 5-6
Season: 594-542

04 April 2008

The Picksix: Quick Picks Friday

What a week. The Picksix crew really needs a new intern. Okay, fine. An inaugural intern. But an intern none the less. The phone lines are open; we're taking applications. Quick picks for now though.

Charlotte over TORONTO (-9.5)
Philadelphia over ATLANTA (-2.5)
Golden State (-7.5) over MEMPHIS
NEW ORLEANS (-17.5) over New York
UTAH (-3.5) over San Antonio
New Jersey over DETROIT (-11.5)
WASHINGTON (-17.5) over Miami
Indiana (-0.5) over MILWAUKEE
Minnesota over PHOENIX (-16.5)
SEATTLE over Houston (-8.5)
LA LAKERS (-5.5) over Dallas

Last night: 2-1
Season: 589-536

03 April 2008

The Picksix: Cavs return home to face Central foe

CLEVELAND (-7.5) over Chicago -- The Cavs survived a close call in Charlotte in last night and now head back to the Q to face their Central Division rivals from Hicag. Sadly, those rivals might not be competing as well as the 'Cats are these days. So forget matching up with Cleveland.

LA Clippers over SACRAMENTO (-12.5) -- That's a boatload of points.

Houston (-4.5) over PORTLAND -- The Rockets will be looking to avenge a last-second loss to Sacramento earlier in the week as they work toward securing a playoff spot in the ever-tough West.

Last night: 6-4
Season: 587-535

02 April 2008

The Picksix: Giving points with the Grizz, we kid you not

Lots going on around here, so just the quick picks for Wednesday. Full explanations return tomorrow.

Toronto over ATLANTA (-3.5)
BOSTON (-12.5) over Indiana
WASHINGTON (-10.5) over Milwaukee
Cleveland (-3.5) over CHARLOTTE
New Orleans (-14.5) over MIAMI
MEMPHIS (-7.5) over New York
UTAH (-13.5) over Minnesota
Golden State over DALLAS (-4.5)
SEATTLE (-2.5) over LA Clippers
LA LAKERS (-12.5) over Portland

Last night: 3-5
Season: 581-531

01 April 2008

The Picksix: Pistons to cool off Wolves

New Orleans over ORLANDO (-1.5) -- We're tired of hearing the Magic whine about not getting enough respect. The Hornets are the better basketball team. This could be conducive to their winning the contest.

Philadelphia over NEW JERSEY (-0.5) -- It's been a beastly two months for the Sixers. We'll keep riding them.

MILWAUKEE (-6.5) over New York -- We're sticking it out with the Tek Doctrine.

Detroit (-6.5) over MINNESOTA -- Fortunately, the Wolves' victory over Utah made this line quite low.

Boston (-6.5) over CHICAGO -- The Celts are rolling quickly toward that number one seed in the East.

Golden State over SAN ANTONIO (-7.5) -- The Warriors have a lot more to fight for than the Spurs do. This game needs to mean more to them.

Phoenix over DENVER (-5.5) -- The Suns outclassed Denver in Phoenix last night and have now won 10 of 12. Home-court or not, they are starting to hit their stride.

Houston (-2.5) over SACRAMENTO -- The Rockets need to win the 'gimmes' if they are going to lock in that playoff spot sans Yao.

Last night: 5-1
Season: 578-526