The offseason has arrived, suggesting we take the time to see the top performers in both ATS and O/U handicapping. It's time to reflect on the season and where you would have been best placed with your NBA picks. Yes, it's already time to start preparing for next season.
Regular Season ATS
The San Antonio Spurs may have come up just short come
playoff time, but they demolished spreads left and right during the regular
season. They went an amazing 42-20-4 ATS and finished atop the rankings.
Those who were close? The Chicago Bulls were right up there
at 38-27-1 ATS, dealing with countless injury problems throughout and still
battling their way to a number of straight up and spread victories.
You may be surprised at number three in the ATS rankings.
The Toronto Raptors, despite going a miserable 23-43 SU, were far better versus
the number, recording a 37-28-1 mark in that respect.
The final two in the fab five were the Atlanta Hawks
(36-28-2 ATS) and Golden State Warriors (36-29-1 ATS). The Hawks were a great
team to back on the road, going 19-12-2 against the number, but the Warriors
were even better away from home. Mark Jackson's team was a remarkable 22-11 ATS
on the road during the regular season.
We're not surprised to see that the Charlotte Bobcats were
the NBA's worst team ATS, nor should you be. Along with that dreadful 7-59 SU
mark, they were 23-43 ATS, failing to cover even the largest of numbers.
Other poor performers against the spread were the L.A. Lakers
(28-38), New Jersey Nets (28-38) and Memphis Grizzlies (29-37).
Regular Season O/U
We'll start with the OVERS and again it was the Spurs that
were the powerhouses. That fantastic team ball they played resulted in 39 of
their regular season matchups finishing over the O/U.
The Milwaukee Bucks (39-26), Detroit Pistons (38-28) and
Lakers (37-28) were also solid squads to side with on OVERS in 2011/12.
On the whole, UNDERS were a much better way to go during the
season. Seventeen of the 30 teams were UNDER teams.
The Phoenix Suns (40-26), Grizzlies (40-26), Heat (39-25),
Knicks (39-27), Raptors (38-26) and Wizards (38-28) were the teams to roll with
on UNDERS this season.
Playoff Numbers
The Heat, on the way to the title, consistently beat the numbers
laid out by sportsbooks. They were 16-7 SU in the postseason and 15-8 ATS. They
were also a good team to back with OVERS as 13 of their 22 matchups went above
the total.
Though they had nothing to show for it in the end, the
Thunder were also profitable to back, going 11-8-1 ATS. Thirteen of their 20
playoff games went OVER as well.
As for the losers in the ATS arena, it was mainly the
Lakers. They frequently disappointed and went just 4-7-1 ATS. Another big
market team, the New York Knicks, covered in only one of the five games against
the Heat in the first round.
The top teams to roll with
on UNDERS were the Dallas Mavericks (4-0), Orlando Magic (4-1), L.A. Clippers
(7-4), Utah Jazz (4-0), as well as the Knicks (4-1).