From Covers.com NBA
Sun, Apr 8, 2007
By Jeff Mason
The NBA’s best team is slumping – and don’t expect them to get any better.
The Dallas Mavericks are still a very typical 4-2 straight up over their last six games, but have failed to cover six games in a row against the spread.
The Mavericks have failed to cover by an average of nine points per game during their slide, dropping their record against the spread to 37-35-4 overall and 4-11 over its last 15 games.
Yet the Mavericks still have a stranglehold on the league’s best record at 63-13 straight up – six games ahead of the second-place Phoenix Suns with just six games left to play.
They now have little to play for aside from pride with the league’s best record already clinched – and we all know how hard NBA players play when nothing but pride is on the line.
We saw with the Detroit Pistons last year that the league’s teams have no problem mailing in the season’s final few games to rest up for the playoffs. The Pistons finished with the Eastern Conference’s best record by 12 games at 64-18, but lost four of its last seven games straight up and five of seven against the spread.
Likewise, the Miami Heat lost four of their final seven games straight up and against the spread in 2005 while cruising to the Eastern Conference title.
Forward Josh Howard could also miss Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers. The team’s second-leading scorer and rebounder injured his ankle in Friday’s 75-71 loss to the Denver Nuggets as a 2-point road favorite, and then sat out Saturday’s 86-74 win over the Portland Trailblazers as a 14 ½-point favorite. He is officially listed as questionable.
Dallas has actually fared well without Howard, largely considered one of the more underrated players in the NBA, in the lineup this season. The Mavericks are 10-1 straight up and 7-4 against the spread when he is out, but were 11-13 against the spread when Howard was out last year______________________________________________ _______
I agree that, as usual, there is a lot of bandwagon jumping going at this time of year. The scary thing is that teams that have been able to coast the last week or two of the regular season have not been able to get it completely turned back on during the playoffs. The Heat though, did make it to the eastern finals.
I guess it really makes no difference, either you get it done during the playoffs or you don't. I am still sticking with our Mavs, but if you are looking for consistent play, the edge right now would go to the Spurs. There are still seven game left and that could change before the playoffs start.
I thnk this team has shown that it rebounds very well from losses or poor performances, and will be able to continue that tread throuhout the playoffs.
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