Tag Archives: Utah Jazz
Season Previews Part 9 (Final)
So here we have it hoop heads, the season is finally upon us!
We hope you have stuck with us during the Pre-Season and have enjoyed our previews on every team in the NBA.
Here is our 9th and final part to the series. Enjoy the season!
Portland Trail Blazers
How will they do?
It’s been a long time since the Blazers have really put up any serious fight out West. Sure they have been playoff bound for most of the last handful of seasons (apart from last season) but have generally only snuck into the 8th or 7th slot. However, with all of this midtable fight, the Blazers certainly looked like a team that was heading in the right direction. Oden, Aldridge and Roy were gaining momentum in their careers and everything was looking up for this young team. Then the curse hit them…hard. Injuries ruined this team and all the groundwork done to get themselves past that 7th or 8th seed was undone. They needed to rebuild again. it may have taken them a couple of seasons to really start to believe again, but i think they are back on the right road now. They have a supremely talented PF in Aldridge who is a genuine star in the prime of his career and have managed to build a quality young roster both through the draft and trades around him. The gifted Nicolas Batum was resigned and the selection of rookies DamianLillard and Meyers Leonard in the draft has many Blazers fans excited about what lies ahead.Lilard especially may just turn out to be the answer to all their problems. A free scoring PG that knows how to run the floor and control the tempo of the game, he will be critical in the success of this team for years to come. Many reports coming out of the balling media have Lilard as a massive chance at sneaking through and stealing the ROTY Award from some of the more fancied players.
NBA Nation Australia’s 2012 NBA Awards
So here we are. The end of another fun-filled, drama fueled season in the NBA. We’d like to thank all of you for reading during the course of the year. We’ve had a blast and can’t wait to keep bringing you the best coverage of the NBA throughout the Playoffs, the offseason and Season 2013. But now, we would like to present to you the NBA Nation Australia 2012 NBA Awards!
For the Punters – NBA Sunday
We have a big NBA Sunday coming up overnight, we here at NBA Nation Oz cant wait to see what happens. See below for some bets we think are worth a punt.
Miami @ Oklahoma City
The biggest game of the day could be a preview of the NBA Finals - 2 of the NBA’s hottest teams. Oklahoma are looking to defend their NBA best home court record of 21-4.
Our pick: OKC -1 ($1 = 1.91 on Sportingbet)
Oklahoma City just came of a inspiring win over Minnesota yesterday in double overtime, this win should give them the confidence to tackle the Heat head on. Each time the Thunder have beaten the Heat (since 07) it has been by 9 + points. We like the Thunder at home.
Utah @ Atlanta
This game will see one streak come to an end, Utah on an incredible streak of 6 wins while Atlanta look to defend a 3 game streak at home. Utah’s streak and crushing beat down on Denver on friday night has driven them into 7th in the Western Conference, giving the Jazz a shoot in the arm. Can Atlanta survive with it’s injury toll mounting (see: Injury Report)
Our Pick: Utah win ($1 = 2.05 on Sportingbet)
Utah are playing with enthusiasm and their bench is deep. Atlanta are at the tail end of a back-to-back-to-back and that could be their undoing. We like the inside presence and power of Favours & Jefferson to do some real damage to Smith and Pachulla.
Memphis @ Los Angeles Lakers
A reinvigorated Lakers outfit should see the team through the challenge that is the Grizzlies. The speed and tenacity of newly acquired point guard Ramon Sessions coupled with the size and strength of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol will undoubtedly be too much for this Memphis side. Because of these factors the pressure has been taken off Kobe Bryant, which in turn saw ALL FIVE starters register double figures on Saturday against Portland.
Our Pick: Los Angeles win ($1 = 1.33 on SportingBet)
LA have shown they are a real threat in the West, improving their win loss record to 30-18 and holding a 3-Game advantage over their cross-town rivals the Clippers. We are increasingly impressed with the power of Bynum who is playing MVP-quality ball, and how the team is coming together since the inclusion of Sessions. This will undoubtedly be too much for the likes of Randolph and Mayo in the confines of the Staples Center.
Washington Wizards @ Boston Celtics
It’s been a tough week for both these sides. The Celtics are coming off a crushing loss to Philadelphia which saw injuries sustained by Mickael Pietrus and Avery Bradley, and the Wizards are out of form in almost every way having won only three of the last ten games. They have also lost Rashard Lewis and Andray Blatche to injury.
Our Pick: Boston win ($1 = 1.17 on SportingBet)
TD Garden has become a safe house for the Celtics of late with the team winning their last 5 at the venue, and will be looking to sweep the series with the Wizards 4-0. Paul Pierce is averaging 18 points a game and is still a genius in the clutch, whilst John Wall has averaged 12 points over the past three starts, not to mention making only 4/13 in his last visit to TD Garden. While the Celtics are struggling this season, we know that they still possess the ability to overcome the lowly Washington Wizards.
Stay tuned overnight as we launch our very own tipping comp.
