Week 10

Guys im sorry about this weekends posts. My Computer crashed so thats why i havent posted anything in the last few days. Once i get it back up & running ill be posting as usual. Thanks for your patience.

-Fraz

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The Polarized Conference

    What do we know so far out in the East? The Heat arent unstoppable ,the Celtics are looking "younger" than ever and Cleveland isnt missing Lebron. Who would have thought that The Cavs , at 4-3 , have just as many losses as the Miami Heat? The Division leaders are starting to make their move though. Boston (6-2) leads the Atlantic Division, Cleveland (4-3) still reigns supreme in the Central Division , & Orlando (6-1) lead the competitive Southeast Division. But , as always, there is a big gap between the top tier Eastern Conference teams and the rest. Of the 15 teams in the Eastern Conference , 8 of them have losing records. The top teams are just salivating to prey on the bottom feeders of the conference.But there are some big games over the next 3 days that will definitely be exciting to watch.

Wednesday November 10

Utah Jazz(4-3) @ Orlando Magic(6-1)

Utah is fresh off of an overtime win vs the Miami Heat the Jazz look like they may finally make some noise in the West. The Magic have been rolling ever since their loss at the hands of the Heat. There is one big problem for Orlando. All Star point guard Jameer Nelson is out. Though this is bad on the offensive end of the floor it is good on the defensive end. Chris Duhon is a much better defender than Nelson & he will matchup alot better with the Deron Williams. The Jazz also have a small problem. Al Jefferson isnt playing all that well. Dont expect him to play any better tonight either going up against Dwight Howard. Dwight Howard has transformed his game into , if consistent, something that could be un-checkable by most NBA big men. So will the Jazz keep riding this emotional high & roll by Orlando on the way to Atlanta or will the Magic , and its lockdown defense, continue to make a case as the best team in the East?

Utah Jazz (4-3)

104.3 Points Per Game (7th in the NBA)

42.7 Rebounds Per Game (9th in the NBA)

24.4 Assists Per Game (3rd in the NBA)

104.7 Points Allowed Per Game (24th in the NBA)

Team Leaders

Points : Paul Milsap 24.0 ppg

Rebounds : Paul Milsap 10.9 rpg

Assists : Deron Williams 9.7 apg

Steals : Paul Milsap 1.1 spg

Blocks : Al Jefferson 1.4 bpg

Key Bench Player

C.J. Miles 10.0 ppg 2.9 rpg 1.6 apg 1.1 spg 

Orlando Magic (6-1)

99.8 Points Per Game (17th in the NBA)

46.5 Rebounds Per Game (2nd in the NBA)

17.7 Assists Per Game (27th in the NBA)

88.7 Points Allowed Per Game (1st in the NBA)

Team Leaders
Points: Dwight Howard 23.2 ppg

Rebounds: Dwight Howard 11.3 rpg

Assists: Jameer Nelson 5.5 (inactive)

Steals: Dwight Howard 1.2 spg

Blocks: Dwight Howard 2.7 bpg

Key Bench Player

Brandon Bass 8.0 ppg 6.0 rpg 1.3 apg

Prediction

The Jazz are fresh off an emotional overtime win vs the Miami Heat. Milsap had a career game & was a huge lift to his team despite the absense of Deron Williams. The Jazz , after being down by more than 20, conrtolled most of the second half. The were able to attack the inside & expose Miamis obvious weakness, defense in the paint. That is however the strength of the Magic. Dwight Howard patrols the paint & is playing like an MVP. The Jazz will have to play a very different game to have a chance in this one. This will be a tough game and i expect there to be alot of fouls called. But i think the Magic prevail in this one. The Magic are playing too well right now & the Jazz are on the back end of a back to back.

Utah Jazz 94

Orlando Magic 99

Thursday November 11

Boston Celtics(6-2) @ Miami Heat(5-3)

Time for round 2.This is the second meeting between these two teams this season. The first game, on opening night, went in favor of the Celtics. The Heat havent seemed to get it all together & chemistry seems to be a problem. In their first game, it was the Lebron show. He had 31 points , 4 rebounds & 3 assists. Wade & Bosh ad a combined  21 points , 12 rebounds & 12 assists. If the Heat want to win this one, Bosh and Wade have to show up big. Boston is playing like they want another shot at a championship. Kevin Garnett has stepped up his level of play since he has gotten healthy. He may be the X-factor this game. If Milsap can expose the Heats lack luster defense , just imagine what KG can do. Jermaine O'Neal , Glen Davis & Shaq should be give this Heat team a headache too. So can the Heat redeem themselves & avoid falling in the Divisional standings or will the Celtics prevail once again?

Boston Celtics (6-2)

97.9 Points Per Game (22nd in the NBA)

40.8 Rebounds Per Game (22nd in the NBA)

26.5 Assists Per Game (1st in the NBA)

92.6 Points Allowed Per Game (6th in the NBA)

Team Leaders

Points: Paul Pierce 19.6 ppg

Rebounds: Kevin Garnett 10.6 rpg

Assists: Rajon Rondo 14.8 apg

Steals: Rajon Rondo 3.1 spg

Blocks: Jermaine O'Neal 1.7 bpg

Key Bench Player

Glen Davis 12.3 ppg 4.5 rpg 1.0 spg

Miami Heat (5-3)

101.4 Points Per Game (14th in the NBA)

42.5 Rebounds Per Game (13th in the NBA)

20.8 Assists Per Game (16th in the NBA)

90.1 Points Allowed Per Game (2nd in the NBA)

Team Leaders

Points: Dwyane Wade 26.0 ppg

Rebounds: Udonis Haslem 8.3 rpg

Assists: Lebron James 8.6 apg

Steals: Lebron James 1.6 spg

Blocks: Joel Anthony 1.4 bpg

Key Bench Player

James Jones 10.4 ppg 2.1 rpg 

Prediction

I see this game being alot different than the first meeting. Im picking the Celtics. Now this is why i think it will be alot different. The Heats paint defense has been exposed. The Celtics have 4 quality big men to rotate in & out to put constant pressure on the Heat bigs. They have the length to defend the perimeter also. Rondo should have a field day with Carlos Arroyo, though he has stepped up his play since being inserted in the starting lineup. Bostons bench is also going to give the Heat a problem. Marquis Daniels is finally playing like he did in Dallas again. Expect him to play a key role in defending Lebron. I expect Lebron & Wade to have big games, but i dont think the rest of their team has it in them after an overtime loss.

Boston 108

Miami 94

Here are my picks for the rest of the week:

Wednesday November 10

Milwaukee (3-5) 89

Atlanta (6-2) 88

Atlanta is hurting with Marvin Williams out. Look for the Bucks big men to take it to Horford & Collins all night. I think Jennings wants to silence the echoes from their performance in last seasons playoffs. Its going to be a close one

Houston (1-5) 92

Washington (1-4) 99

With Arron Brooks out & Yao Ming still on his minutes per game restriction , expect John Wall & Agent Zero to put on a show for the home crowd.

Charlotte (1-6)

Toronto (1-6)

I really dont know. I want to say the Bobcats but they havent showed up this season either. 

New Jersey (2-5) 89

Cleveland (4-3) 93

Byron Scott has the Cavs playing better than expected. Their defense is great & J.J. Hickson is making a name for himself. I like the Cavs in this one but not by much.

Golden State (5-2) 121

New York (3-4) 117

This game will be all about offense. The Warriors can fill it up from anywhere on the court. Look for David Lee play big against his former team.

Thursday November 11

Golden State (5-2) 113

Chicago (3-3) 119

I think Golden State will feel the effects of a back to back in this one. The Bulls get the win.

Friday November 12

Utah (4-3) 106

Atlanta (6-2) 110

The Jazz have a tough road home. The Heat Magic  & Hawks. I think the Hawks take this one.

Houston (1-5) 98

Indiana (3-3) 110

Indiana has shown that they can score in bunches. Dont expect them to go 22of 23 from field in the 3rd again but expect them to get the win.

Charlotte (1-6) 104

Washington (1-4) 103

I think it will be a close one. Two  athletic teams going head to head. I think the lack of experience on the Wizards will be the difference in this one.

Toronto (1-6) 84

Orlando (6-1) 108

I dont expect the Raptors to lead in this game at all. 

Well, those are my picks for the rest of the week. Once again i want to thank all of you that loyally read Endzone Jumper every week. We greatly appreciate it. Continue to tell your friends about us. As always, comments are more than welcomed. 

                                                                                                                    -Fraz