2011 NBA All-Star Game Picks & Predictions
By Drew Sharper
LOS ANGELES, CA (TheSpread) – The 2011 NBA All-Star Game should be an exciting contest filled with plenty of highlights, but which team will come out on top in this annual exhibition?
Oddsmakers from online sportsbook Sportsbook.com have released their odds for this game and they have made the East a 1-point favorite against the West. The over/under total has been set at 268.5 points.
Both teams clearly have endless talent on the rosters, but the key in this game to me is the perceived balance of power in the NBA moving over to the Eastern Conference because of the Big Three in Miami.
The West has a good combination of veterans and new, youthful talent that I think will play together well. I see players like Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant motivated to carry the West to a win this year to silence some of the younger talent on the East.
There aren’t a lot of trends to rely on for this game because it is an exhibition with little defense played, but the fact that it is at the Staples Center leads me to think that Bryant wants to put on a show, especially with the recent struggles of the Lakers. I see him carrying the West to a victory and the lofty under hitting as well.
NBA ALL-STAR GAME FREE PICK: WESTERN CONFERENCE +1