NBA odds – Spurs In 6
The San Antonio Spurs are a surprise second-round contestant as online betting fans weren’t expecting them to get by the No. 2 seed in the West, Dallas. Now the Spurs get to face a team that they have owned in playoffs past, but have things changed? Not really. The Suns still try to run too much and the Spurs still have more depth. Nash and Stoudemire will shine, but the Spurs will still advance.
NBA betting odds: Spurs In 6
The Story
NBA betting fans know that when the Suns get out and run, it opens up the game not only for themselves but for their opponents. The real story of this series will be the fact that the Spurs can play a half court game or run, whereas the Suns are only successful when they run.
The Suns offense – and team – is predicated on running and gunning, and we saw in the first round what a shorthanded team like the Portland Trail Blazers can do if they slow down the pace. The Suns will struggle with that again and that will ultimately be their downfall.
Spurs vs Suns: Better Starters?
Taking a look at the starting lineups, it’s hard not to give the edge to the Spurs. While the Suns do have Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Jason Richardson, but the Spurs have Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and George Hill.
The interesting matchup will be Richardson on Richard Jefferson, as Jefferson was brought in to be a defensive stopper and if he can slow Richardson, the Suns will have problems scoring.
We’ll call this even for now as the Suns have more explosiveness but the Spurs seem to understand how to slow them down.
Edge: Even
Spurs vs Suns: Better Bench?
The Suns have managed to milk the most out of their bench, but how will these guys perform when the pressure is on in a legitimate playoff series? Jared Dudley and Channing Frye have been nice contributors at times, but are these players steady?
The Spurs now bring Tony Parker off the bench and you can throw in DeJuan Blair and Matt Bonner in as well. Neither team is extremely deep but the Spurs have more reliable weapons than Phoenix, which could be the difference.
Edge: Even
Spurs vs Suns: X-Factor?
The x-factor in this series will be the pace. The best sportsbook odds makers have made the Suns a small favorite but realistically, considering that they are the No. 4 seed and the Spurs are No. 7, the line should be higher than -145 if they truly believed in the Suns.
As it stands now, even with home court advantage, the Suns look very vulnerable against the Spurs. It’s not that San Antonio is much better talent-wise, it’s the fact that the Spurs just know how to play the Suns. They know how to slow the pace and get them into situations they don’t want to be in.
If the Suns can run the entire series, they’ll be golden. If not, and the Spurs slow it down to a half court pace, they will win.
Who’s Gonna Win?
Tough to bet against history. The Spurs just have the Suns number and while both teams are older, not a whole lot has changed.
Expect George Hill to have a big series in this free-flowing environment, which will bump the Spurs up from the Big Three to the Big Four. That combined with their defense and slow pace will be the difference.
Pick: Spurs In 6