Toronto +8.5 @ San Antonio
The Spurs have not proved anything to me thus far. Yes, it's early, but they should have beat LA by 20+ points, and let the Lakers stick in that game way too long. If Duncan wants to show his MVP prowess, do it against a Shaqless team for crying out loud. I am glad GST beat up on these guys too, they deserved that. SBC will be loud tonight in its opening, and Friday night is typically a good day to play home teams with solid crowds...but road teams that travel to loud arenas also benefit. See Charlotte's road record last year compared to the rest of the league, or look how much better Miami played on the road as compared to home. Both squads had non-existent home court advantages last year.
Toronto should be well prepared for this one after watching a young athletic team take these guys down. Now it's Vince's turn to show them some of his moves. The match-up between Williams and Parker will be fairly neutral, but this early in the year, I don't think Bowen will be able to hold down Vince. Antonio Davis is a super defender and will disrupt Duncan enough in this one to keep it close. Getting the hook on the 8 (8.5) is good value IMO.
Raptors 89 Spurs 95
I have some time on my hands today with no classes until 4, let me know if you want any other write-ups.
