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NBA Playoff Picks: Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Hornets

Written by Jimmy Boyd on April 16, 2009

Nuggets Hornets 41609 The Denver Nuggets went from the No. 8 seed in the 2008 NBA Playoffs to the No. 2 Seed this time around. You can point to several different things, but the biggest reason for the improvement has to be the addition of Chauncey Billups. The Nuggets are hoping that he can help them forget about last year’s first round sweep at the hands of the Lakers by taking care of business against the No. 7 seed Hornets. The Hornets went from finishing tied for first in the NBA Southwest Division in 2008 to finishing fourth this season, largely because of ongoing injury problems. But don’t think for a minute that this series is going to be a cakewalk for the Nuggets.

No. 2 Seed Denver Nuggets +900 to win the Western Conference – Despite finishing as the No. 2 seed in the West, the Nuggets really haven’t gained the respect of the odds makers. While this team still lacks playoff experience, you can be assured that the 0-4 butt-whooping they took in the first round of the 2008 playoffs will have them hungrier than ever. Chauncey Billups is one Denver Nuggets player who does not lack playoff experience and his ability to keep this young team poised in high-pressure situations will be crucial. We all know Billups’ history of taking and making the big shots in crunch time throughout his NBA playoff career with the Pistons. You can’t go anywhere in the postseason without a guy like that on your team. The Nuggets were outstanding at home this season with a 33-8 mark and they were one of just seven NBA teams to finish with a winning record on the road.

No. 7 Seed New Orleans Hornets +2000 to win the Western Conference – These two teams have played each other to a standstill this season, splitting the four meetings. While New Orleans has been a better home team than road squad this season, it does join Denver as one of the few NBA teams with a winning road record. I can’t help but thing that the Hornets would have been right there challenging for the Southwest Division title had they not dealt with so many injury problems to key players. The good news is that the Hornets are expected to be at full strength for the postseason. What that means is that the Hornets will once again put a team on the floor that embarrassed the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2008 playoffs and took the then-defending NBA champion Spurs to seven games. Chris Paul will be the best player on the floor every night and that gives the Hornets an excellent chance to win this series.

Prediction: Denver Nuggets in 7
The Denver Nuggets have really grown up this season on the defensive end of the floor and the addition of Chauncey Billups gives them the experience they need to get out of the first round. This one is going to be a dog fight, but I fear that New Orleans’ first unit doesn’t have the same chemistry going into the postseason that it did a season ago. Bet the Denver Nuggets at +2000 to win the 2009 NBA Finals.

Get the best of the NBA odds makers in the playoffs with Jimmy Boyd’s NBA picks, featuring expert NBA betting tips in his game-breaking analysis.

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