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Poker.co.uk - Poker News Archive
Monday 20th March 2006 Online Casino News Feature: NBA Injuries
Injuries are a part of all sports. For serious sports bettors, it’s essential to keep a close eye on basketball injuries. That’s especially true this time of the year, with college basketball tournaments in full swing and NBA teams fighting for division titles and postseason positioning. Key basketball players, both college and pro, can often be highly significant in how a team performs. This was evident last week when Philadelphia star guard Allen Iverson missed several games with an injury, and the 76ers stumbled on a 1-4 SU/ATS run.
Since there are so few players in basketball, as compared to football, the loss of any one player from the starting five means a 20% change in the lineup. This can affect not only offense or defense, but team chemistry, which takes weeks and months to develop. If a coach is counting on a role player to play defense and pull down nine rebounds a game, if that player is out he has to find someone else to plug in, which – depending on the bench – isn’t always easy to do. When Iverson was hurt, the 76ers offense scored less than 97 points in 4 of 5 games, as they went 4-1 “under” the total.
It’s been a turbulent, roster-shifting season for the Pacers for the second year in a row. Indiana went long stretches without Ron Artest, Jamaal Tinsley, Austin Croshere and Jermaine O’Neal, before finally trading Artest. Hats off to coach Rick Carlisle for being able to rotate so many role players and keep this team afloat. Some coaches would cry about all the bad luck and let their team fall apart because they have a built in excuse, but quality coaches attack the challenge head on.
You may recall last season another team that didn’t slip because of serious injuries was Memphis. In mid-season the Grizzlies lost Paul Gasol (foot), Jason Williams (ankle), Bonzi Wells (back) and Stromille Swift (ankle). Losing that much talent would cripple many teams, but the Grizzlies were still able to play well. This was a testament to the amount of depth that general manager Jerry West has accrued, and the tough defense that head coach Mike Fratello demands. If you’re a totals player, note that the Grizzlies were 51-34 “under” the total last season (27-15 “under” the total at home) and 21-9 “under” the total at home this season.
Still, most teams aren’t like Indiana and Memphis. The Portland Trailblazers have been ravaged by the injury bug for two seasons now and have fallen apart. Charlotte, Utah and Houston have also battled key injuries and it affected their play, both straight up and against the number. The Bobcats have been decimated since the season began and not having young inside forces like Emeka Okafor and Sean May has crippled any hopes of improvement. Houston is without star Tracy McGrady again and just 9-24 against the spread at home!
The Dallas Mavericks have had a brilliant season because of depth and improved defense. However, last week they went through a stretch without Adrian Griffin (hamstring), forward Josh Howard (hamstring), guard Devin Harris (strained quad) and Keith Van Horn (knee). The lack of depth showed up against the spread as Dallas went just 2-6 ATS, going 5-3 overall. They had to come from 19-down at the half to beat Cleveland last week at home as a 7½ point favorite.
It’s essential to study injury logs and keep track of who’s playing and who’s hurting when you analyze matchups. The Golden State Warriors are a young club that suffered a slew of injuries, but since they have gotten healthy they continue to struggle. They have been money-burners in their own division at 2-10 SU, 3-9 ATS. The Clippers are a team that has persevered through some injuries and now they’re getting healthy at the right time. Corey Maggette is back after missing 39 games with a foot injury. Chris Kaman also came back from a short absence and dazzled in a win over the Timberwolves, with 24 points, 3 blocked shots, 23 rebounds and four steals! LA went on a 7-3 SU, 8-2 ATS run, which included a 98-85 rout of the defending champion Spurs.
Some teams are deep and play good defense, which can help them survive injuries better. Other teams can fall apart, both straight up and against the number. So make sure you check injury reports daily, and just as important, make sure you know how to utilize the information properly.
Source: OnlineCasinoNews
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