Thursday, April 17, 2014
The NBA playoffs won't be starting until Saturday. In the meantime, it's time to present my NBA Awards for this past season. Feel free to agree, disagree and add your own.
Best team: Phoenix Suns. The Suns failed to make the playoffs. But they shouldn't feel ashamed. They were the biggest money-makers going 52-29-1 against the spread (ATS) for 64 percent.
Worst team: Orlando had the poorest ATS record at 34-45-3 for 43 percent, but my vote goes to Tankadelphia otherwise known as the Philadelphia 76ers. The Bucks had the worst record, but at least they tried most of the time. In addition, to losing 26 games in a row, the 76ers had the worst back-to-back defeats I've ever witnessed losing by 45 points on the road to the Clippers on Feb. 9 and following that up with a 43-point away loss to the Warriors the next night. The Washington Generals have lost by much smaller margins to the Harlem Globetrotters.
Most Improved Player: Clippers center DeAndre Jordan. He was Dwight Howard this season leading the league in shooting percentage and rebounding while finishing third in blocks. Oh, yes, he also made only 42.8 percent of his free throws.
Most Underrated Player: Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry. Sparked by Lowry's career season, Toronto won the Atlantic Division for the first time since 2007 while finishing with the third-best ATS mark covering 58 percent of its games.
Biggest Bust: Pistons swing man Josh Smith. Maybe it's only fitting Joe Dumars leaves Detroit after bestowing a four-year, $54 million dollar contract on Josh Smith last summer. Always a ball hog, Smith averaged a career-high 16 shots a game while shooting a career-worse 41.9 percent from the floor. Smith also made only 53.2 percent of his free throws. Thanks, in part, to Smith's inability to guard small forwards, the Pistons went over the total more than any team by a wide margin. Detroit went over the total in 68 percent of its games.
Worst Bad Beat: It was Feb. 28, my Dad's 91st birthday. I was in a festive mood when I went to check how my NBA play went that night. I had the Bobcats plus 9 against the Spurs. The score was tied with 1:44 left. Winner, right? Nope. Somehow, the Bobcats managed to lose 92-82 when down by eight points with three seconds left the Bobcats' Gary Neal committed a foul resulting in two made free throws by Danny Green and a 10-point Spurs victory.
(Editor's note: Nover's Daily View is written commentary provided exclusively to Pregame by Stephen Nover. Stephen has been on the sports gaming scene for 30 years. Stephen has parlayed a 20-year career as an award-winning sportswriter, part-time oddsmaker for legendary linesmaker Roxy Roxborough, co-host of the former Sunday Night Stardust Line radio show, teacher of a football handicapping class at UNLV and author of two sports gaming books and a book on fantasy football, into becoming one of the top handicappers in the country.
A native of Wisconsin, Stephen covered college and pro sports for daily newspapers in the Midwest, South and West, including 13 years at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Stephen is The author of two sports gambling books, "Las Vegas Sports Beat" and "Sports Gaming Beat", along with a book on fantasy football titled, "Winning Fantasy Football."
Stephen taught a football handicapping class in the fall of 2004 at UNLV and was the co-host of the Sunday night sports betting radio show "The Stardust Line" for many years building up a lifetime of outstanding sources and connections.)
On the handicapping front, I am today's $1 'capper. Hopefully the timing is good as I have just my second MLB Triple Star game going as the $1 play. I am 31-15 on my last 46 Triple Stars, including 1-0 in baseball. My NBA playoff package is up and discounted. I am 58-43-2 for 57 percent on my last 101 paid/free NBA plays and 36-20-2 for 64 percent on my lifetime NBA Triple Stars. My home page can be found here: /pregamepros/pro-bettor/bettor.aspx?id=7746#capper.
As always, let's have no bad luck!