NBA on TNT picks

OKC vs. MIA +3.5

If you listen to the podcast, you would know that Brandon and I are not very high on this Thunder team. Sure they have two of the best seven players in the league, which is usually enough to be considered a title contender right? Unfortunately for the good people of Oklahoma the rest of their team is so bad that it might not matter come playoff time. They are desperate for a third scorer to step up and no one seems interested in filling the spot. They were in such a bad place this off-season that they had to match a ridiculous contract offer to Enes Kanter even though he isn't a great fit for them. This has basically become a bad relationship where the guy (Thunder front office) goes out and buys a mangy puppy (Enes Kanter) in order to stop the girlfriend from leaving (Kevin Durant). Well, it ain't working OKC, maybe you should have gotten a hamster or something. Also this old, veteran Miami team only shows up for big games, and there aren't much bigger than OKC on TNT.

ORL +4 vs. UTA

The Magic have to the biggest surprise in the league thus far. Everyone knew they had the talent, and if they could just find a coach who get the most out of them they would be off and running. Well, they have a good coach in notorious hard ass Scott Skiles, who has implemented his no nonsense approach and instilled discipline in a squad that desperately needed a identity. Now they seem to have it as a defensive grind squad that does just enough offensively to win ball games. Also Evan Fournier has taken the leap from unknown foreign bench player who ran through models like candy bars (I'm assuming) to a most improved player of the year candidate. On the Utah side, their identity just hurt his knee and will be out indefinitely in Rudy Gobert. Enough for me to take the points on this one.

SAS -2.5 vs. MEM

I hate everything about this line, the Spurs should be favored by at least 8 points here. The only thing I could think as to why Memphis is given a shot in this game, is because the Spurs don't have the big man to slow down Marc Gasol who might go off for 35 and 15. But did you see what San Antonio did to the Bucks last night?? They held them to 70 points total, and I would argue that Memphis has way less talent than Waukee does, and the Bucks suck. 

SAC +1.5 vs. BOS

I hope for the sake of this pick that someone tells DeMarcus the Kings are underdogs against the Boston Celtics at home, because Boogie would be very pissed off, if he knows what a spread is that is. Either way I think against the undersized Celtics, DeMarcus has a monster game, and the league leader in assists Rajon Rondo shows the Boston faithful what they lost when they traded him to Dallas last season.