Monday, March 31, 2014

Predictions - 31 Mar

Upset picks are in italics.

NBA

Washington at Charlotte - Bobcats by 2
San Antonio at Indiana - Spurs by 6
Philadelphia at Atlanta - Hawks by 12
Milwaukee at Detroit - Pistons by 6
Toronto at Miami - Heat by 7
Boston at Chicago - Bulls by 9
LA Clippers at Minnesota - Clippers by 2
Sacramento at New Orleans - Pelicans by 3
Memphis at Denver - Grizzlies by 2
New York at Utah - Knicks by 1

CBI

Siena at Fresno State - Bulldogs by 11

Prediction Results

NBA: 5-3 (.625) 729-369 overall (.664)
NCAA: 0-2 (.000) 43-21 overall (.672)

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Predictions - 30 Mar

Upset picks are in italics.

NBA

Utah at Oklahoma City - Thunder by 14
Indiana at Cleveland - Pacers by 2
Minnesota at Brooklyn - Nets by 1
Toronto at Orlando - Raptors by 5
Chicago at Boston - Bulls by 2
New York at Golden State - Warriors by 10
Memphis at Portland - Trail Blazers by 3
Phoenix at LA Lakers - Suns by 5

NCAA

(7) Connecticut vs. (4) Michigan State - Spartans by 3
(8) Kentucky vs. (2) Michigan - Wolverines by 2

Prediction Results

NBA: 4-2 (.667) 724-366 overall (.664)
Upsets: 0-1 (.000) 104-107 overall (.493)
NCAA: 1-1 (.500) 43-19 overall (.694)

Saturday, March 29, 2014

NBA Rankings - 29 Mar

The Spurs extended their winning streak to 16 games this week, just one shy of the all-time franchise record, and today they host a New Orleans team that, while hot lately, is not a match for San Antonio most days. The odds are against the Spurs making it past this week with the streak intact, with a schedule that also includes Indiana, Golden State, Oklahoma City, and Memphis, but there is no doubt right now that this is the league's top team. Here are my full current rankings:

Rank
LW
Team
Record
Rating
Predic
Ch
Seed
1
1
San Antonio
56-16
-8.84138
63-19
+1
1W
2
2
LA Clippers
51-22
-7.28004
57-25

3W
3
3
Houston
49-22
-6.04549
56-26
+1
4W
4
4
Oklahoma City
53-19
-5.21544
59-23

2W
5
5
Golden State
45-27
-4.25795
52-30

6W
6
7
Miami
49-22
-3.90386
56-26

2E
7
11
Memphis
43-29
-3.36292
49-33
+1
7W
8
6
Portland
47-27
-3.20892
53-29

5W
9
8
Toronto
41-31
-2.96182
48-34

3E
10
12
Minnesota
36-35
-2.52184
42-40


11
9
Dallas
43-30
-2.43293
48-34
-1

12
13
Phoenix
44-29
-2.41155
48-34
+2
8W
13
10
Indiana
52-21
-1.49613
57-25
-1
1E
14
14
Chicago
40-32
-0.40233
46-36

4E
15
15
Washington
37-35
-0.37842
43-39
-1
6E
16
16
Brooklyn
38-33
-0.35607
45-37
+1
5E
17
18
Charlotte
35-38
1.087643
41-41
+1
7E
18
20
Sacramento
25-47
2.416141
28-54
-1

19
21
New Orleans
32-40
2.523836
35-47
+2

20
17
New York
30-43
2.84837
33-49
-2

21
19
Atlanta
31-40
3.614135
37-45
-1
8E
22
23
Cleveland
29-45
4.443945
33-49
+2

23
22
Denver
32-41
4.560867
35-47


24
24
Detroit
26-46
5.28175
30-52


25
25
Boston
23-49
5.59559
27-55
-1

26
27
Orlando
21-52
6.026008
24-58
+1

27
26
Utah
23-50
6.731407
26-56
-1

28
28
LA Lakers
24-48
6.968459
26-56


29
29
Milwaukee
14-58
8.473603
16-66


30
30
Philadelphia
15-57
14.2657
17-65



The hottest team in the league this week was the Phoenix Suns, who won all 4 of their contests, pushing their winning streak to 6 with 8 wins in their last 9 games, and it all started at the same time that Eric Bledsoe returned from his knee injury. His return has also helped the Suns return to the playoff picture, where they are now projected to get the 8th seed and a matchup with their favorite first-round opponent, the San Antonio Spurs.

The Pelicans have also been hot this week, but it's too little too late. New Orleans has been officially eliminated from playoff contention, which is sad after seeing how they handled visits from Miami, Brooklyn, and the Clippers this week, each of which resulted in a win for the home team. The future is bright in Louisiana.

New York went from being the hottest team last week, sitting on an 8-game winning streak, to being the coldest team this week, losing 3 of 4, including losses to Cleveland and the Lakers, two teams that will not be playing once the regular season ends. The last two losses, to LA and Phoenix, each came by more than 20 points, and they still have 2 games left on their West Coast road trip.

Predictions

Upset picks are in italics.

NBA

Detroit at Philadelphia - Pistons by 4
LA Clippers at Houston - Rockets by 2
Atlanta at Washington - Wizards by 5
Sacramento at Dallas - Mavericks by 10
Miami at Milwaukee - Heat by 7
New Orleans at San Antonio - Spurs by 15

NCAA

(11) Dayton vs. (1) Florida - Gators by 10
(2) Wisconsin vs. (1) Arizona - Wildcats by 4

Prediction Results

NBA: 10-2 (.833) 720-364 overall (.664)
Upsets: 1-1 (.500) 104-106 overall (.495)
NCAA: 2-2 (.500) 42-18 overall (.700)
Upsets: 1-0 (1.000) 4-3 overall (.571)

Friday, March 28, 2014

Predictions - 28 Mar

Upset picks are in italics.

NBA

Charlotte at Orlando - Bobcats by 2
Boston at Toronto - Raptors by 12
Indiana at Washington - Wizards by 2
Cleveland at Brooklyn - Nets by 8
Miami at Detroit - Heat by 4
Portland at Chicago - Bulls by 6
LA Lakers at Minnesota - Timberwolves by 13
Utah at New Orleans - Pelicans by 7
Sacramento at Oklahoma City - Thunder by 10
San Antonio at Denver - Spurs by 8
New York at Phoenix - Suns by 7
Memphis at Golden State - Warriors by 4

NCAA

(11) Tennessee vs. (2) Michigan - Wolverines by 2
(7) Connecticut vs. (3) Iowa State - Cyclones by 2
(8) Kentucky vs. (4) Louisville - Cardinals by 8
(4) Michigan State vs. (1) Virginia - Spartans by 1

Prediction Results

NBA: 3-1 (.750) 710-362 overall (.662)
Upsets: 1-1 (.500) 103-105 overall (.495)
NCAA: 3-1 (.750) 40-16 overall (.714)
CIT: 1-0 (1.000) 16-12 overall (.571)
Upsets: 1-0 (1.000) 7-4 overall (.636)