We are winding down the NBA season as this season will only feature 66 regular season games due to the lockout. The first round playoff matchups are pretty much locked in at this point. After looking at the some sports betting sites, the favorites to win the NBA Championship are the Miami Heat followed by the Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder.

What will be the best first-round matchups? Let’s take a look. With the Spurs sneaking into 1st seed in the West, the Thunder have dropped to the 2nd seed and will have a tough first-round matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, a rematch from the 2011 Western Conference Finals. The Thunder-Mavericks series last year was spectacular and I expect this matchup to be another hard-fought battle between two teams loaded with talent. However, this time around, the Thunder shall be the victors.

All eyes will be on Blake Griffin this post-season as the Clippers will likely lock up the 4th seed in the West and find themselves in a battle with the Memphis Grizzlies. Griffin will get a taste of the sweet sweet playoffs in his 2nd year thanks to his insane skills and the acquisition of Chris Paul. However, even if the Clippers win in the first round, they’ll likely face a beatdown from the red hot Spurs in the next round.

In the East, we’ll see a high profile first-round matchup when the Miami Heat take on the New York Knicks.  I’m quite high on the Indiana Pacers this postseason. I think they will beat the Orlando Magic in 6 games to take on the Heat in the second round. Although I don’t think the Pacers will top the Heat, I expect the Pacers to give the Heat fits and stretching this series out to 7 games.

Best First Round Matchups of the 2012 NBA Playoffs

1. Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat
3. Los Angeles Clippers vs. Memphis Grizzlies

NBA Playoff Predictions

Eastern Conference Finals: Chicago Bulls defeat Miami Heat

Western Conference Finals: Oklahoma City Thunder defeat San Antonio Spurs

NBA Finals: Oklahoma City Thunder defeat Chicago Bulls

College Basketball:
2011-2012: 75-58-1 56%
Yesterday: 0-0-0 0%

NBA:
2011-2012: 31-46-1 40%
Yesterday: 0-0-0 0%

Here is what we have for today:

Boston Celtics @ Miami Heat UNDER 183.5

Charlotte Bobcats @ Cleveland Cavaliers -6

New York Knicks @ Chicago Bulls -7

Sacramento Kings @ Dallas Mavericks OVER 202

Good Luck!

College Basketball:
2011-2012: 75-58-1 56%
Yesterday: 0-0-0 0%

NBA:
2011-2012: 30-42-1 42%
Yesterday: 0-0-0 0%

Today’s plays:

Philadelphia 76ers @ Miami Heat -8.5 L

Phoenix Suns @ Sacramento Kings +2.5 & OVER 215 L/L

Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons UNDER 183.5 L

San Antonio Spurs @ Cleveland Cavaliers OVER 201 W

1-4-0 (20%)

College Basketball:
2011-2012: 75-58-1 56%
Yesterday: 0-1-0 0%

NBA:
2011-2012: 30-39-1 43%
Yesterday: 2-2-0 50%

NBA plays for today:

Washington Wizards @ Indiana Pacers OVER 192.5 L

New Orleans Hornets @ Portland Trailblzers UNDER 185 *PLAY OF THE DAY L

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Los Angeles Lakers +1 L

0-3-0 (0%)

College Basketball:
2011-2012: 75-57-1 57%
3/26/12: 0-0-0 0%

NBA:
2011-2012: 28-37-1 43%
3/26/12: 0-3-0 0%

Detroit Pistons @ Cleveland Cavaliers +1.5 L

Indiana Pacers @ New Jersey Nets +6.5 W

Chicago Bulls @ Atlanta Hawks UNDER 182 *PLAY OF THE DAY W

Phoenix Suns +7 @ Los Angeles Clippers L

Washington State @ Pittsburgh -9 L

2-3-0 (40%)

College Basketball:
2011-2012: 75-57-1 57%
Yesterday: 3-0-0 100%

NBA:
2011-2012: 28-34-1 45%
Yesterday: 2-1-0 67%

Finally looking a bit promising, here is the card for today, looking just like NBA:

Utah Jazz @ New Jersey Nets -1 L

Boston Celtics @ Charlotte Bobcats UNDER 183 L

Detroit Pistons @ Washington Wizards +1.5 L

0-3-0 (0%)

College Basketball:
2011-2012: 72-58-1 55%
3/22/12: 0-1-0 0%

NBA:
2011-2012: 28-34-1 45%
3/22/12: 2-1-0 67%

Denver Nuggets @ Minnesota Timberwolves PK W

Golden State Warriors @ Portland Trailblazers -9.5 L

Washington Wizards @ Boston Celtics UNDER 192 W

Baylor Bears vs. Kentucky Wildcats -7.5 W

Kansas Jayhawks vs. North Carolina Tarheels OVER 143 & Kansas -2 W/W

5-1-0 (83%)

College Basketball:
2011-2012: 72-57-1 56%
Yesterday: 0-2-0 0%

NBA:
2011-2012: 26-33-1 44%
02/04/12: 0-2-0 0%

Here is what we have for today:

Boston Celtics @ Milwaukee Bucks -3.5 & UNDER 200.5 L/W

Los Angeles Clippers @ New Orleans Hornets +3.5 W

Florida Gators vs. Marquette Golden Eagles OVER 147 L

2-2-0 (50%)

Not a good start back last night, looking to pick it up today:

College Basketball:
2011-2012: 72-55-1 57%
Yesterday: 0-1-0 0%

NBA:
2011-2012: 26-31-1 46%
02/04/12: 0-3-0 0%

Chicago Bulls @ Toronto Raptors +7.5 L

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Atlanta Hawks UNDER 190 L

Loyola Marymount Lions +4.5 @ Utah State Aggies L

Mercer Bears @ Old Dominion Monarchs UNDER 129 L

0-4-0 (0%)

Finally back after being busy with a lot of stuff, here is what we have for 3/20/12:

Oregon Ducks @ Washington Huskies UNDER 155 L

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Utah Jazz OVER 204.5 L

Phoenix Suns @ Miami Heat OVER 198.5 L

Toronto Raptors +9.5 @ New York Knicks L

0-4-0 (0%)