NBA Basketball Betting Advice From Shirts and Skins Feb. 22

by Bodog Sportsbook | Feb 22 2008

Shirts and Skins – Detroit vs. Phoenix

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Q: Shaq should be in the Suns lineup; how will this affect their run-and-gun game?

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Jimmy - Phoenix scored 124 points in his debut, so that should silence the “Shaq will slow down the Suns” critics, at least temporarily. It wasn’t as if D’Antoni was going to green-light a deal for Shaq on the premise that he’d have to change his style of coaching. The Suns will still “run and gun” – Shaq will just have to keep up or he’ll be playing limited minutes.

Melissa - Have you heard Shaq flap his gums about his new role with the Suns? The Big Cactus sees himself as that bearded old man in kung-fu movies. That guy who puts the younglings through outrageous cardiovascular trials so they can achieve ass-kicking greatness.

The one thing the old man doesn’t do in the movies is run laps.
Shaq will be standing right beside Detroit’s net for the entire game just waiting for one of his disciples to hand him the ball. The Suns should get him a lounge chair, a Gatorade daiquiri and a Sudoku puzzle so he doesn’t get bored while everyone else runs up and down the court. 

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Q: Detroit is quietly dominating. What makes them so good yet go so unnoticed?

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Jimmy - I’m pretty sure everybody notices. The Pistons won 10 straight heading into the All-Star break – that’s the kind of thing that’ll garner attention. They’ve actually slipped a bit post All-Star – losing two straight prior to Friday night’s game versus the Bucks – but it’s the consistent winning at home (21-5) that makes them so tough. Only Boston (23-4), Dallas (23-3) and Utah (23-3) have been better.

Melissa - Well, they’ve been a cohesive team for a long time. They win games using Teamwork (with a capital T) by a slim majority of points. Then, they go home to get a good night’s sleep. What Detroit lacks is pizzazz. They have no random high-maintenance issues.

What they need is some more face time in jail and some landmark victories that make basketball look effortless. Also, they have so much potential with Richard Hamilton’s face mask, but fail to capitalize on how “Broadway” he could look if it was opaque instead of clear.

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Q: Is this an NBA finals preview? If not, which team goes further in the playoffs?

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Jimmy - The West is far too competitive to declare any one team the prohibitive favorite. Detroit is on a collision course with Boston for the Eastern Conference finals. I’d be shocked if we had a Detroit-Phoenix NBA Finals, actually. If I was forced to pick, I’d say the Pistons have the better shot at going deeper in the postseason.

Melissa - I really wanted to answer yes to this question just because it would be cool to watch the future from the present without the use of a time machine or other technological aid.
 
Alas, my crack team of NBA enthusiasts threatened to quit on me if I didn’t say “no.” So, no, this isn’t an NBA Finals preview. Both teams will go far, but the Suns will go farther. I’ve been advised that the Suns are now “dangerous” and “unstoppable.” Sounds like playoff material to me.

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Q: Who wins this game?

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Jimmy - Phoenix. I think the Suns are going to make a statement this weekend as they play the two best teams in the East – Boston on Friday, Detroit on Sunday. Those are two massive home games to begin with – then you add in the Shaq factor. Suns fans are fired up right now and the home-court advantage will be the difference.

Melissa - Definitely the Suns. Phoenix has to show the world time and time again why trading for an old injured guy was a brilliant idea. To the Pistons, it’s just another game, right?

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Q: Who will be the players to make the difference?

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Jimmy - The biggest benefactor of the Shaq trade will be Amare Stoudemire. He has so much more room to operate in the paint and returns to his natural PF position. In his first game with Shaq lining up at center, Stoudemire had 37 points and 15 rebounds – and that was against a pretty good opponent in Pau Gasol.

For Detroit, look for Chauncey Billups to go off. He’s always had great performances against Nash due to the disparity in size and strength. In 2005-06, he averaged 31 points and shot 55 percent against Phoenix in two games played.

Melissa - Phoenix: Shaq is the old new kid on the block, so there will be big expectations that he add something to the game. Steve Nash spends all day making a difference. I’m sure he won’t stop just because he’s having fun shooting some hoops.

Detroit: Tayshaun Prince will use his lanky arms against new blood now that Shawn Marion is gone. Rasheed Wallace is a tough guy, so he won’t falter when facing the Shaq attack.