Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavs: NBA Picks & Betting Odds

Written March 31, 2009 by Jordan Haimowitz

pistons-cavs-picks-033 The Detroit Pistons are having a nightmare of a season. In the beginning they looked like the same old dominant team. Then, within the blink of an eye, GM Joe Dumars announced the blockbuster trade of the team’s leader, point guard Chauncey Billups for the aging disgruntled veteran star Allen Iverson. Dumars thought it would bring an explosive style of offense to his team, think again. This deal has become one of the worst trades in the past decade. The Pistons are below .500 at this point in the year for the first time in a while. Now, due to the Eastern Conference being so pathetic, they will most likely end up in the playoffs, and if they do, the veterans on this team could look to pull off a big time upset. With all the disappointing moments for Detroit this year, a breath of fresh air has been the emergence of guard Rodney Stuckey. He has been the team’s best player and it is blatantly obvious that Rip Hamilton loves playing with him. The Pistons will look to do something that only one team has this year (the Lakers), beat the Cavs in Cleveland. The Pistons may be young and reckless enough to do that as their home record is only one game better then their road record. Prince will have to have a huge defensive game and I do expect McDyess to play well. Rasheed Wallace should be available for this game as well. Taking a look at Tuesday’s NBA Odds, Detroit is currently getting 10 points at Cleveland and the total is set at 177.5 points. The side sounds like enough points to bite on.

The Cavs and their basketball icon LeBron James are arguably now basketball’s best team. They are especially scary this year as they got another all-star in Mo Williams to play along side King James. Ilgauskas is playing great ball, Delonte West is a superb defender, and they have a plethora of role-players who contribute. The Cavs are the best home team in the game with a 35-1 record. Cleveland averages six more points per game and gives up four less when they play at home. They shoot better from the field, as well as from the line. Right now they hold the longest winning streak in the league at 12 games. Their last win came against the playoff-hopeful Mavericks to a tune of a 102-74 beat down. With all of the praises out of the way, this may be a tricky game for Lebron and crew. The Pistons are looking for any chance to prove that they still should be considered at least a semi-threat in this conference. The Cavs have all but sealed up the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference, while Detroit still hasn’t secured anything at all. Joe Smith will play a big role in this game in keeping McDyess and Maxiell off the glass. LeBron will most likely be guarded by Tayshaun Prince for the majority of the game, while I expect Rip to be guarded by Delonte, and Stuckey to be squared up against Mo Williams. When analyzed on paper you’d think these match ups might work for Detroit, or at least keep it close. If that’s your thought, I think you are right.

Haimo’s Hot Notes: I have proved numerous time this year how trends could be misleading. Well, here is your grade A trend buster. Trends for this game are:

-Pistons are 2-7 in their last nine Tuesday games ATS

-Cavs are 23-9 in their last thirty two games ATS

-The favorite is 8-0 ATS in the last eight meetings

Let’s bust these trends tonight. Detroit needs this game, while they may not win outright, 10 points is plenty for me to bite here. The Cavs are 5.5 games in front of the Magic in the East, I expect a bit of a let down here. Sheed is back for Detroit and Stuckey has the ability to neutralize Mo Williams. There is nobody in the NBA, let alone the 36-37 Pistons, that can shut down LeBron. Tayshaun Prince may be one of the few that can contain him to some level, his long wing span and athleticism give him an outside chance to play King James well. The Pistons will be able to rebound with Cleveland and if their bench performers like Maxiell, Will Bynum and, oh yeah, Allen Iverson, must play well. In case you are wondering, I did not forget about him, I just feel he doesn’t matter due to the fact Detroit has performed better in his absence. Pistons +10, that is your play. If you are looking for a large underdog, Pistons SU would be a long shot worth the odds. To be safe though, take the 10 points.

Betting Line: Cleveland Cavs -10

Jordan’s Pick: Take Detroit Pistons +10 (SportsBook.com)

Documented Record:

21-17 OVERALL

7-4 BEST BETS

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1 Comment

Comments

One Response to “Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavs: NBA Picks & Betting Odds”

mike on March 31st, 2009 9:16 am

Dude, get some proofreading help. Seriously.

Example:
…look to “due” something

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