NBA Picks

In their last meeting, the Raptors gave the Celtics their just desserts in a 113-102 game that was not quite as close as the final score indicated. Last season, Boston was a top-10 home team, and the second best home team ATS in the NBA. In order for Toronto to keep their momentum going, they’ll need to hit Boston’s defense where it hurts. And that is right at Kyrie Irving. Kyle Lowry is – as they say in the business – a “bulldog;” he’ll bite your head off without blinking. Kawhi Leonard is the superduperstar of the Raptors’ roster, but every Lone Ranger needs his Tonto, and Lowry has to be that guy. Can Lowry take it to Irving again and keep the C’s from writing a revenge story line?

Many were getting ready for the possibility of a Spurs-less playoffs for only the second time in many of our lifetimes, but Coach Popovich has pulled a full MacGruber and has them firmly in the hunt. His current rotation of guards is basically a water bottle, a roll of duct tape, and some copper wire, but he managed to make a bomb out of it anyway, and the Spurs legacy lives on. Does Pop have enough to to put together a win and a cover with a +5? KC has today’s NBA pick.

I’m not convinced that number 2 Pelican Julius Randle is in shape. He’s a lot like Oprah; it’s hard to tell the difference between Skinny Julius Randle and Fat Julius Randle. Regardless, he will have all of the run he can handle if Nikola Mirotic is unable to suit up again. Randle and his cohort Anthony Davis are going to send Karl Anthony-Towns into an even deeper spiral.

Kemba will be the game’s focal point. He had his lowest scoring performance of the season against Cleveland the first time around, but it had more to do with them laying the smackdown in a 32-point victory than Kemba’s inefficiency. In Collin Sexton, Kemba undoubtedly sees a little bit of himself reflected back; a tenacious athlete with a desire for greatness, but a steep learning curve ahead. And just like his peers did to him, Kemba is going to take the young Sexton to school. But, if narratives aren’t your thing, here’s math for you: Charlotte and Cleveland have played nearly identical schedules in terms of strength, and yet Charlotte is 4th in Offensive Rating and 11th in Defensive Rating while Cleveland ranks 26th and 28th. Charlotte is nowhere near power-house status, but on paper, they dominate Cleveland across the board. They also dominated them nine days ago by 32 points. Betting sites have the Hornets favored by only 6.5 points. KC has his NBA prediction.

Kevin Durant is the perfect cog in the perfect basketball machine, but Stephen Curry is the engine. Without Steph, the Warriors do not exist in their current glory. It’s easy to forget about the gravity that he creates on a basketball court. In college basketball, old-time guys like to tell you to work your offense inside-out i.e. establish a low-post/interior presence and allow that to create open space on the perimeter. The Warriors took that and flipped it on its head; they use the threat of their shooting to create mismatches inside and brain-fart induced wide open lay-ups and dunks – and there’s no greater threat on Earth than Wardell Curry. Without Curry, and potentially Draymond Green and Curry-backup Livingston, how well does the GSW machine run versus the Clippers? KC has your NBA pick!

Last season, Kyrie Irving and Rudy Gobert didn’t get to have the showdown they deserve: the best finesse finisher in the league versus the most effective rim protector. Tonight, that is where the key matchup lies. Boston likes to slow down the pace and generate their offense through intricate half-court design, and it is where the Stifle Tower looms largest. It’s a classic case of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. If Kyrie and his merry band of thieves can generate offense at the rim, they have a chance of stealing a road game on a back-to-back versus a contender.