NEW YORK –2 over Miami

The Heat has picked it up recently with three wins in four games and now sit two games over .500. They’ve also been decent on the road with a 5-4 record and anything above .500 on the road in the NBA has to be considered huge. Having said that, this is about as big as it’s been for the Knicks in close to a decade. The Christmas NBA games will be aired in 215 countries in 39 languages. The five games will also be shown on American Forces Networks to all military bases and ships around the globe and this one Tips it off. The Knicks get a chance to show the world that they’re not the same team that has been an embarrassment to the city and league for years and it’s true, they’re not the same. The defense is getting better each game. They have some tremendous young talent in David Lee, Chris Duhon and Danilo Gallinari among others. They also have a very decent bench. They’ve gone 8-3 in December and Mike D’Antoni will most definitely have them jacked up, focused and ready to go and the joint should be rocking with playoff-like atmosphere. It’s just a great opportunity for the Knicks to put a stamp on its “turning the corner” phase of the rebuilding process and it says here they do just that. Play: New York –2 (Risking 2.1 units to win 2).


L.A. LAKERS –5˝ over Cleveland

The Cav’s look good indeed but this isn’t the Kings, Grizzlies, Thunder, Pistons or Nets. This is the Lakers, the best in the business in a game that means something. Well, sort of. It means nothing in terms of standings but it definitely mans something to Phil Jackson, Kobe and the rest of the Lakers. You see, the Lakers don’t have a lot to get excited about these days. Every game is just another game in a long season but every game represents a step closer to May, when the real season begins. So, it’s not often the Lakers can get excited but with Shaq and LeBron in town and the whole world watching you know that Lakers will treat this one like the seventh game of a playoff series. The Lakers have a huge edge inside and should absolutely destroy the Cav’s in the paint. Yeah, LeBron can and likely will go off for 30 or more but so what. The Lakers are the superior team by a wide margin and Kobe just has to win on National TV or he won’t eat or sleep for a month. Anyway, Gasol and Bynum in the paint will ruin this invader. Ilgauskas and Shaq are big and both can score, especially Ilgauskas but as far as defending, they’re both about as mobile as a fire hydrant and the Lakers will exploit that all game. Play: L.A. Lakers –5˝ (Risking 2.18 units to win 2).