The NBA will have 7 games tomorrow, headlined by the unstoppable Boston Celtics and West playoff contender New Hornets. The Celtics are playing like Boston of old, when they won the championship two years ago. The New Orleans have struggled, but are still lethal especially with point guard Chris Paul at the helm. With an 11-point advantage for the Hornets, who is the better pick?

New Orleans Hornets +11 vs. Boston Celtics

Boston’s Paul Pierce is as good as ever - scoring over his opponents almost as will, Kevin Garnett’s knees don’t seem to affect him, Rajon Rondo has been efficient in distributing the ball, and new acquisition Rasheed Wallace is a nice fit to the Celtics system. In its first three games, it dismantled Cleveland Cavs by 6, Charlotte Bobcats by 33 and Chicago 28. It is thus hard to bet against Boston right now, even if the opponent is a playoff contender like New Orleans. But what if New Orleans an 11-point edge?

New Orleans is no push over. It has one of the best point guards in Chris Paul, who can score as well as find the opening man. He has a nice supporting crew around him, including David West, Emeka Okafor and Peja Stojakovic. And with the exception of Okafor, the key players of New Orleans have played with each other for over 3 years, so they know the system inside and out. They may even pull an upset on this one. Pick: New Orleans Hornets

Other Games:

Chicago Bulls +4.5 vs. Miami Heat. Miami’s Jermaine O’neal has been surprisingly great this season, and it is putting other teams off guard. But Chicago has a great nucleus of young players. Chicago is more confident since last year’s playoffs (when they pushed Boston to the limit), and it will show in the game tomorrow. O’neal will be neutralized by Bulls’ bigs. Pick: Chicago Bulls

Portland Trailblazers vs. Oklahoma Thunder +3. Portland has had a rocky start, while Oklahoma has looked great in their games. But Portland is the more experienced team. Blazer swingmen will not stop Kevin Durant defensively. But offensively,  Blazer stars Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge cannot be stopped either. Pick: Portland Traiclblazers

Memphis Grizzlies +11 vs. Denver Nuggets. Nuggets are playing like a championship team right now, led by the phenomenal Carmelo Anthony.  Memphis is still looking for its identity. The disparity in talent and experience will show in the scorecards, in favor of the Nuggets. Pick: Denver Nuggets

Minnesota Timberwolves +13 vs. Phoenix Suns. Phoenix Suns blew away Golden State Warriors by 23 points. The Warriors are a better team than the Timberwolves. This leads to the conclusion that Phoenix will win against the Wolves by a huge margin as well. But picking the Wolves (with a 13 point advantage) is enticing, considering that the Wolves have better defense than the Warriors. Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves

Atlanta Hawks +6.5 vs. Los Angeles Lakers. Los Angeles was pummeled by Dallas in its last game, while Hawks have been getting better and better. But look for Laker stars Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum to score in bunches. Pick: L.A. Lakers

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