Miami Heat vs. Phoenix Suns: NBA Free Pick
Posted by Andrew Ryan on December 23, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Miami Heat
(21-9, 14-16 ATS) |
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Phoenix Suns
(13-14, 11-15-1 ATS) |
The new look Phoenix Suns are back in action on Thursday night in what could be a great NBA betting battle in the nightcap of the TNT doubleheader, as they take on the scorching Miami Heat at home.
Someone woke up the Heat… again. This is a team that just seems to play when it wants to and doesn’t when it doesn’t want to, and it has to be frustrating the heck out of NBA betting fanatics. A 98-96 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at home was a respectable result, as the Mavs are one of the best squads in the league. Miami has to be careful not to overlook this game though, as this is just the appetizer for the main course served on Christmas Day, a duel at the Los Angeles Lakers. When we’re talking about the Heat though, we just can’t avoid talking about the big three. LeBron James just continues to do everything for this team just as he did for the Cavs, as he is averaging 24.3 points, 6.5 boards, and 7.2 assists per game. He’s doing a great job with Dwyane Wade getting the scoring done on this squad. D-Wade is averaging 23.5 points, 6.4 boards, and 4.3 assists per night, and he is also the leader on this team in steals (44) and is second in blocks (30). Chris Bosh is doing his job as well, scoring 18.2 points and dragging down a team high 7.9 rebounds per game.
The Suns really haven’t had a bench to work with in recent games since making the blockbuster deal with the Orlando Magic over the weekend. This expects to be the debut of both Mickael Pietrus and Marcin Gortat, though the key to the deal, Vince Carter, has some swelling in his knee and isn’t likely to play in this one. There’s a real question about how well Pietrus and Gortat will fit in a high flying offense such as this one, as neither is really used to playing at this tempo. Pietrus does have the experience of having played in the Golden State Warriors offense under former Head Coach Don Nelson, so at least he has a great idea for what to expect. The good news is that Steve Nash can make anyone look good. He is averaging 10.2 assists per game, and his 17.6 points per game is tops on the team as well. Grant Hill is playing well at 15.0 points per game, while Hakim Warrick and Channing Frye are acting as great threats on the outside with some length. The key is going to be how well Gortat and his fellow frontcourt mate, Robin Lopez play together. Lopez is averaging 7.6 points and 4.8 boards per night, and if he and Gortat can keep the pace of this offense going together, Phoenix could become dangerous.
Something tells us that Phoenix is about set to hit the skids one way or the other. There are just no real scorers on this team until Carter gets into the lineup, and even if he does play tonight, there just are too many question marks to back this team. Lay the TD on the road with the Heat.
NBA Free Pick: Miami Heat -7
Latest Harry Potter book topping demand list six months ahead of release
AP Worldstream December 22, 2004 | CATHERINE McALOON, Associated Press Writer CATHERINE McALOON, Associated Press Writer AP Worldstream 12-22-2004 Dateline: LONDON The latest installment in the Harry Potter series won’t hit stores for more than six months but it has already topped at least one bookseller’s most wanted list and is racking up thousands of advance orders, retailers said Wednesday.
Less than 24 hours after publishers announced a July 16 release date for “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” _ British author J.K. Rowling’s sixth novel set in the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry _ it had shot to No. 1 on online bookseller amazon.co.uk’s Hot 100 book list. go to site about promotional codes for amazon
The list, calculated from all orders placed by customers on the retailer’s Internet site, put the latest chapter in the boy wizard fantasy series ahead of best sellers such as Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code.”
Amazon could not say exactly how many pre-orders it had gotten, but the company said its Web site had been deluged after it began taking orders for the novel late Tuesday.
“The fact that the book has already hit No. 1 in our Hot 100 books chart shows how incredibly excited customers are about the sixth Harry Potter,” amazon.co.uk managing director Robin Terrell said.
Amazon said it took 420,000 pre-orders for the fifth in the series, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” released in the summer of 2003, making it the largest ever pre-order item. The company was expecting a similar response for the latest installment.
Jo Marino, a spokeswoman for Waterstones bookstore chain, said customers had started calling its stores to place orders for the book immediately after publishers announced the release date Tuesday.
“There is so much demand people want to make sure they get their copy,” Marino said. here about promotional codes for amazon
She predicted plenty of readers would also wait until books hit the stores at 12:01 a.m. (0001 GMT) on July 16 to join in-store parties and pick up their copy in person.
“Without a doubt, I think we will be seeing queues around the block like we have for the previous books,” she said. “People want to come down and be part of it.”
She said when the last Potter book went on sale, Waterstones’ central London store started selling it just after midnight and had sold 2,000 copies within two hours.
“We think we will have the same sort of response,” Marino said.
Publishers have said the new book takes up the story of Harry Potter’s sixth year at Hogwarts when the powers of the villain Voldemort and his followers are increasing day by day.
A seventh and final novel will follow at a date yet to be announced.
CATHERINE McALOON, Associated Press Writer
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