Inside The NBA- Friday’s Top 10
1) Boston Celtics 6-0- Great defense and a new improved bench with Rasheed Wallace and Shelden Williams lead the way.
2) Denver Nuggets 5-0- Carmelo Anthony looks like a man on a mission, and Ty Lawson is providing a great bench spark.
3) LA Lakers 4-1- They’ve had a couple of close calls, but it’s not about the regular season for Los Angeles.
4) Orlando Magic 4-1- Dwight Howard and Vince Carter are doing their thing, but the improved play of JJ Redick is really surprising.
5) Phoenix Suns 4-1- Phoenix is playing better team ball without Shaq and is getting solid contributions from players like Channing Frye which has been a huge help.
6) Miami Heat 4-1- D-Wade is of course doing his thing, but guys like Jermaine O’Neal, Udonis Haslem, Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers are making the Heat a real team.
7) Chicago Bulls 3-2- It’s been a rough first five, but the deep Bulls squad showed they can play with a Thursday night win over Cleveland.
8 ) Cleveland Cavaliers 3-3- After losing their first two games, the Cavs have bounced back, but it seems like there’s still something missing.
9) Atlanta Hawks 4-1- Jamal Crawford gives this team a lot of depth in a really strong Southeast Division.
10) Dallas Mavericks 3-2- Dirk’s 29 point fourth quarter against Utah gets the Mavs in the top 10.
SprungOnSports Week 9 Picks ATS Campbell’s Soup Version
Atlanta (+10) over Washington- The anemic Washington offense could have some success against the Falcons, but the big play ability of Roddy White and Michael Turner will be overwhelming as Atlanta is facing the perfect team to get out of a slump.
Arizona over Chicago- Kurt Warner should bounce back against a bad secondary and look for Jay Cutler to struggle against an underrated Cardinals defense that’s excellent against the run.
Baltimore (+3) over Cincinnati- The Ravens should be playing with a lot of confidence going into The Jungle, and Cedric Benson should have a tough time running the ball. Look for a very good day from Joe Flacco and Baltimroe should be right back in this AFC North.
Indianapolis (+9) over Houston- Matt Schaub has been turning the ball over a lot and should continue to do so against the Colts this week. Indy should be able to stop Steve Slaton or Ryan Moats, and the offense should be firing on all cylindars against a suspect Texans defense.
New England over Miami (Dolphins cover 10.5 point spread)- Miami’s offense was nonexistent last week in New York, but got two special teams TD’s and one on defense. The Wildcat should have some success against the Patriots, but the defense won’t be able to contain Tom Brady and co all day.
Green Bay (+9.5) over Tampa Bay- The Battle of the Bays used to be an event, but now the Bucs are the worst team in the league and their defense is abysmal. Aaron Rodgers should have a field day and the Packers should easily win by double digits.
Jacksonville over Kansas City (Chiefs cover 6.5 point spread)- The Jaguars shouldn’t be able to stop the run even with Larry Johnson out, and Dwayne Bowe should have a tremendous day to keep the Chiefs in it. But Maurice-Jones Drew should run wild on a porous KC run defense and get the win, but not by a TD.
Seattle (+10) over Detroit- The Seahawks play great at home, especially on defense, and should be able to run all over the Lions defense. The only way Detroit covers the spread is if Calvin Johnson has a big day against Marcus Trufant, which is a definite possibility.
New Orleans (+13.5) over Carolina- The Panthers need to keep things from getting out of control early, and I think they can do that by containing the passing game and running the ball well. But one mistake by Jake Delhomme and the momentum driven Saints would run away with it. A massive point explosion is inevitable and it should do Carolina in and give the Saints the lopsided win.
San Diego over NY Giants- This is a must-win game for the Giants, and they should be able to do a good job against LaDanian Tomlinson. But the move New York made to trade up for Eli Manning over Phillip Rivers will bite them in the ass this time as the big play ability of the Chargers passing game will be the different against a poor NY secondary.
San Francisco (+4) over Tennessee- Chris Johnson was great and Vince Young was accurate in their first win over the Jaguars, but the Niners can run the ball with Frank Gore and stop the run well enough to get a much needed home win. They’re much better than their record would indicate, San Francisco plays hard.
Philadelphia (+3) over Dallas- Tony Romo has been interception free over the last three games, but that should change against Philadelphia, as number nine should revert back to his mistake-prone ways. DeSean Jackson should be able to have at least one big play against that Cowboys secondary and the Eagles should get the win and first place in the NFC East.
