Overrated NBA Teams

I’ve already let you in on three of the most underrated teams in the NBA. Now it’s time to break down a few of the most overrated NBA picks this season. These are teams which are held in pretty high regard by the public but have not delivered against the NBA odds.

The Phoenix Suns are clearly not the same team we have seen the past few years, but public perception of this team remains pretty high. The Suns are a respectable 23-15 on the year, but they have been a fool’s gold wager. The Suns are only 13-24 against the spread this season and are only 3-11-1 against the number over their last 15 games. The Suns have been a terrible favorite at just 3-9-1 against the spread in their last 13 games in the chalk yet the public continues to see Phoenix as the same run-and-gun team which was blowing opponents out two years ago. Don’t get me wrong, this team is still stacked with talent. Shaquille O’Neal is playing at a higher level than he has since he won an NBA title with the Heat, Amare Stoudemire has emerged as the league’s premier power forward, Steve Nash is still one of the top three point guards in the NBA, and is there a better off-the-bench player than LeAndro Barbosa (I guess Manu Ginobli if you can even count that)? The Suns are still going to win better than 50 games and make the playoffs, but they are clearly not as explosively offensively as they were. Because of this, the Suns have been overvalued in the 2008-09.

The Utah Jazz are 24-17 on the season and have played well in the playoffs each of the past two years, but Utah is clearly overrated because of how bad it is on the road. The Jazz are 16-4 at home this season but a terrible 8-13 on the road. Despite Utah’s road woes, the public continues to play the Jazz away from home. The Jazz are only 1-5 against the spread in their last six road games. Until this team shows you that is can start winning consistently on the road, I would look for spots to fade the Jazz outside of Salt Lake City or at least make them a no play. Like the Suns, we should see Utah in the playoffs again as it plays pretty solid defense and has one of the game’s premier point guards in Deron Williams, but because it likely will not have home court advantage in the playoffs, Utah won’t be going very deep.

The Houston Rockets are 25-16 this season but still clearly overrated. With Yao Ming, Ron Artest, and Tracy McGrady, the Rockets look like a championship caliber team on paper. The key is “on paper” as the reality is that this team is not nearly good enough to compete for a title. Its perception is higher than it should be and that is why we see Houston as a poor covering team. Odds makers like to use teams with a perception higher than what they are actually worth to trap bettors and so far it has been working with the Rockets. Houston is a solid 13-5 at home this season but only 7-11 ATS. Houston had a memorable winning streak in the second half of last season but its true colors showed in the playoffs went it made an early exit yet again. The Rockets are currently 4-9 against the spread in their last 13 games. Look for spots to fade the Rockets when they are overvalued at home.

Make sure you consult Jimmy Boyd for help with your NBA betting this season. Jimmy is currently on a 12-4 run with his last 16 NBA picks and is the top NBA handicapper on the planet over the last 30 days. Let Mr. Boyd guide you to an unforgettable NBA season.

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• NBA Playoff Odds: LA Lakers vs. Utah Jazz Game 3

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