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Afternoon gents, a huge slate tonight.  Nothing better than NBA basketball on a Friday night, well for me at least.  Would have been quite content going 1-1 last night but unfortunately I bit on the Hawks when the news of LeBron and Wade got confirmed.  As a Raptors fan Chris Bosh has continuously fucked me over the past 2 years but last night’s fluke shot to take the game into overtime probably hurt the most.  Took ATL on the ML so I would have been very happy with a 3 point Hawks win.  The one thing I despise about the Hawks is that Teague (who went 1-12) Johnson, Smith and Williams all took more shots than the most consistent and in my opinion best overall player on that team which is Al Horford.  Horford never gets to have any consistency in terms of his offensive game because of the selfishness of the squad.  They take bad shots, have no movement in their sets and run way to many iso plays with minimal pick and roll coverage.  As of now the Pistons are my only blacklisted team but I think I am on the verge of adding the Hawks on that list as well.  The Mavs and Spurs was a tough game to swallow, I’ll take the loss like a man but I do have a few excuses.  One, if anyone thinks that this new scheduling doesn’t have an impact, I beg to differ.  Especially when it comes to older teams.  Mavs were playing 5 in 7 and it showed, Dirk having 6 points is unacceptable and the Mavs as a unit going 1-19 from long range is just ridiculous, combine that with the fact that San An had 16 long range bombs...that’s the ball game.  San An lives and dies by the three which make them a very difficult team to back or go against.  Blazers did what they were supposed to do.  Tonight is fave Friday for me, I rarely care about public perception but that doesn’t mean I don’t get nervous going with the public on most plays today, especially since it is Friday and as experienced NBA wagerers know, Friday can be a devastatingly devious day in the association.  As always fellas, I wish you nothing but the best of luck.  Kwaheri from Kenya - - - MAK

MAK'S SEASON PREVIEWS & PROJECTIONS

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER – 8.0 (-120) - - - With Thabo back in the starting 5, I can officially start backing the Thunder again.  I have explained countless times how imperative it is to have Thabo start and Harden come off the bench.  It is of the utmost importance.  Tonight it would prove to be the difference in the cover.  First off Thabo will absolutely lock down Kevin Martin, Martin has struggled historically against him and tonight will be no different.  Lowry and Lee are both questionable, if Kyle doesn’t play I may decide to increase the wager depending on the line movement.  Either way, Westbrook is one guy that could cause fits for Kyle.  He is stronger, faster and bigger.  Durant and Budinger is not even a contest.  Look for Kevin to have a massive game after a sub-par outing against Portland’s Gerald Wallace.  Tonight Durant knows there is not a single person on Houston who can check him, look for him to go off for about 35 tonight.  Perkins and Ibaka are a hell of a 4/5 combo punch on the defensive end.  Scola scores most of his baskets off scoop lay-ins and shots around the basket.  It will be impossible to go off for a big night against two shot-blockers who live in the paint.  Off the bench Houston does have some depth in Goran, Sammy & Williams but OKC will counter with Harden, Collison, Nazr and Cook.  9 deep I truly believe the Thunder are the better team, in terms of matchups they just dominate the Rockets individually.  After back-to-back losses for the Thunder, I expect them to come at the Rockets with vigour and gusto and dominate from the opening tip.  I expect a double digit win tonight for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

5 UNITS SHAWN “RAIN MAN” KEMP - - -

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS – 2.0 (-120) - - - This was a difficult pull for me due to the fact that the Blazers are on a back to back.  But the fact remains that I absolutely hate what the Suns are doing.  Their roster and rotation is all over the place, there is no identity or stability to this team whatsoever.  The Blazers have one of the best 7 man rotations in the league, granted the Suns have quite a bit more depth that the Blazers, but depth means nothing unless you have specific roles.  Felton and Matthews are once again the key for me here, they have to first contain Steve Nash and Dudley from going off on them.  Secondly they have to score the rock in order to help this team beat a deadly offensive ball club.  Wallace, Big L and Camby are a hell of a front-court and should handle Hill, Frye and Gortat with ease.  As I stated, the bench of the Suns is very deep, they have a lot of serviceable players but none of which are really an automatic 15 points.  Shannon Brown has been a major disappointment for them, Hakim Warrick has done well but is too of-and-on to rely on, Robin Lopez is a dud but may be used a bit more tonight to contend with Big L and Camby, Price and Telfair ae usless and Childress is the lost man getting no minutes.  The only bright spot is rookie Markieff Morris.  He has been an absolute stud thus far and I really suspect him to overtake Crye sooner rather than later as the starting 4 man for this team.  He works well on the ¼ pick and roll with Nash and doesn’t play at all like a rookie.  Despite their depth, I suspect Jamal Crawford & Batum to outscore them all tonight.  Kurt Thomas will be used sparingly tonight due to the pace, but when he is in there he can bounce around any of the Suns bigs.  I don’t like backing the Blazers after a tough win against the Lakers and on a back to back, but the fact of the matter is the Blazers have a solid 8 man team and the Suns are a 1 man show.  Portland improves to 6-1 with their victory in the desert tonight.

4 UNITS GERALD “PLASTIC MAN” WALLACE - - -     

BOL MAK

hello good to see you this year ...since ive started youve showed consistancy with your knowledge for the game keep it up I personally appreciate your time and effort you put into your post  have a great finish to season

$$ und Nets 182   und Jazz 186

                                                                                          JP