2012–13 NBA Season Picks and Predictions. Interview with Jonathan Ma, NBA expert at ZcodeSystem.com
The 2012–13 NBA season will be the 67th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season will begin on Tuesday, October 30, 2012, when the 2011–12 NBA Champions Miami Heat will start the season by hosting the Boston Celtics
Interview with Jonathan Ma, NBA expert at ZcodeSystem.com
1. Hey Jonathan. We are approaching the 67th season of the National Basketball Association and it’s a good time to discuss it and make the predictions! We know that NBA is your favourite sport to handicap and you have been doing it successfully for years! What do you think of upcoming NBA season?
There were a lot of moves during the off season, most notably Nash and D. Howard going to Lakers, Ray Allen going to Heat, Jeremy Lin going to Rockets, and Mavericks losing the last of their decent players. This coming season, it’s going to be harder to use past data to predict many of the teams, just simply because many of them have done some major moves and changes. I think it’s this new season will be pretty interesting to follow.
2. You had very successful MLB baseball season with well known system plays and a new SPARTA program! Tell us more about your handicapping styles?
This was my first season with MLB. In the first half, it was mostly data gathering and experimenting with different systems and data application. My nature is very aggressive. On the poker table, I play with a passive aggressive attitude. This simply means I pick my spots carefully and once I decide to go in, I attack aggressively. The same goes with SPARTA. It plays on my passive aggressive nature. We pick our spots carefully and then attack strong. With baseball, I focus mainly on the pitcher data. With other sports, the data I use is different.
3. Could you tell us more on how did you get into sports wagering business? You have been doing if for several years with a great success. What trigged you becoming a sports capper? Do you still remember your first game you handicapped?
I started following the NBA at a very young age. I still remember watching players like Michael Jordan, John Stockton, Karl Malone, David Robinson, and many others from the 90s play on TV. In high school, I was a bit of a delinquent already and I was one of the few “bookies” at my school, often taking wagers for NBA games from other students. So as my math analysis abilities developed through school, I started looking into applying my knowledge towards sports. Becoming a sports capper just came naturally. I don’t remember the first game I ever handicapped.
4. What are the hottest new rookies and the biggest bubbles of upcoming NBA season? What trades brought your attention?
Can’t really comment on the rookies since I don’t follow college ball, but I did post a list of the draft picks in the NBA forum and the top 10 on that list are on my watch list. The biggest trades that got my attention are the ones I mentioned in question 1. Nash, Howard, Lin, Allen.
5. Last NBA season had condensed schedule which influenced handicapping a lot making it harder.. Assuming this season has regular schedule, which factors do you consider the most important in predicting the game results?
This will definitely be the normal NBA season schedule. The most important factors would be injuries. The NBA allows the teams enough time for travel and rest in between games so fatigue isn’t too much of an issue. Injuries would be the biggest factor. There are many star players that are on my injury watch list. Whether they can stay healthy this season, is a big question as last season’s condensed schedule did a huge number on their bodies
6. What teams would you follow closely in the upcoming season,Jonathan? Those top 5 that you expect to perform great?
In no particular order:
West: Lakers, Clippers, Houston, Thunder, San Antonio
East: Miami, 76ers, Boston, Knicks, Nets
7. Lets talk more about Eastern Conference Seeding: Miami Heat?Pacers? 76ers? What is your favorite for the upcoming season?
I’ll be rooting for the 76ers. They were the underdog story of last season. They have a lot of great, young talent and with the addition of Bynum, they’re stronger this year. Miami is still the favorite as the defending champions, but whether or not LeBrick can keep himself from choking during crucial games, remains to be seen. Pacers and Hawks aren’t really anything special, but their great team chemistry keeps these two teams in the top 8. Knicks and Nets have talent, but lack chemistry and team cohesion. If they could get their stuff together, they would be in the top 5 in the East.
8. Now lets get to Western Conference Seeding? Oklahoma City Thunder?Spurs? Lakers? Which teams do you expect to perform?
Thunder are definitely the top seed. Lakers come in a close second with the additions of Nash and Howard. However if they fail to win road games like last season, they won’t get very far. Clippers are still developing, but I expect a stronger team this year. Spurs are the silent killers. Coach Pops doesn’t like to do anything spectacular and doesn’t draw attention to himself or his team. This is one of the main reasons why no one noticed their winning streak last season until they won 12 in a row. No one saw where they came from. Minnesota is expected to be a contender if Love and Rubio stay off the injury list. Houston picked up an interesting player. Jeremy Lin. Lin-sanity. The miracle Asian player that sparked the big apple and helped the Knicks win games again. Not saying Houston is a strong contender, but Lin’s true test as an ace begins this season.
9. What betting style would you suggest the followers on NBA thisseason? Would it be spread betting? Parlays?
About 98% of all my wagers on the NBA are spread wagers. I only wager on the money line if I see extremely good value. For this NBA season, I’ll be using team based ABCD progressions with a few rules in place. I will also be using the Straight wager version of the Set Monthly Income System instead of the parlay version.
Thank you Jonathan for your time and insights!
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