NBA Plays A Game Of H.O.R.S.E-- Preview & Predictions
The NBA season has been put on hold and while they are looking at ways of restarting the regular season, the League is also thinking of ways to entertain their fans. Today, the NBA will be putting on a game of H.O.R.S.E which will be televised on ESPN at 7:00 pm. The first round will be televised today while the semis and finals will take place on Thursday evening at 9:00 pm. (Odds are Courtesy Of Odds Shark)
What Is H.O.R.S.E?
Well, for those of you that do not know how to play the game, I’m glad you asked. Each player will take turns shooting the ball from anywhere on the court. If a shooter hits a shot then their opponent must make the same shot from the same spot on the court or they will get a letter toward spelling H.O.R.S.E. Players must call their shots before taking it. Dunking is prohibited. The first player that completes the word is eliminated. It’s as simple as that.
The Format
This competition will be a bit different as all games will be filmed while competing at home locations -- on indoor or outdoor courts -- and compete shot-for-shot in the traditional playground game. There are eight players in this competition and I will get to those players in a moment. The players have been divided into groups of four and he two winners in each group will meet in the semifinals. A coin toss will determine which player will go first.
The Players
Here are the players of this year’s competition along with their odds to win it all.
Trae Young (+200): Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks) is the favorite to win it all. He is a super shooter and has many tricks up his sleeve. Too bad that dunking isn’t allowed as he could use the 360 dunk from the free-throw line tat won him the dunk contest. Young connected on 36.1% of his treys this year and he has plenty of tricks up his sleeve to move on to the next round. This is a competition that will favor creativity and the ability to make the long shot. That all does favor Young and that is why he is the favorite. Can he win it all? We shall see.
Chris Paul (+285): Chris Paul (Oklahoma City Thunder) is next on the board at +285. Paul could be a nice pick as he is one of the most creative shot makers in the NBA. This year, he connected on 48.9% of his shots from the field overall, including 36.2% from beyond the arc. He has a creativity in his game and he also is a very solid shooter from deep. As I stated with Young, those are good attributes to have for this competition. Paul has hit 37% of his treys in his career but will his overall bag of tricks be enough to lead him to victory? Read on to find out.
Zach LaVine (+400): This is a competition that could be good for Zach Lavine (Chicago Bulls), who is one of the most underrated shooters in the game. LaVine hit 45% of his shots from the field overall, including 38% of his shots from long range. He is a very good shooter from deep and also has a nice bag of tricks that have helped him hit many clutch shots for the Bulls the last three years. Zach also doesn’t like to be doubted and he feels he should be the favorite. Will the extra motivation be enough to get him to at least the semifinals? That remains to be seen.
Mike Conley (+450): For the first 12 years of his career, Mike Conely player for the Memphis Grizzlies but this year he moved on to the Utah Jazz and he had a decent season, posting a 48.8 effective FG% while knocking down 37.6% of his shots from long range. Conley has hit over 40% of his treys twice in his career and has hit 37.5% of his shots from long range. He is not as creative as earlier in his career, but Mike still has a few tricks left in his bag and could make life miserable for his first-round opponent.
Paul Pierce (+600): Paul Pierce is one of two men in the competition that is no longer in the league but that does not mean he should be overlooked here. Pierce played the first 15 years of his career in Boston before moving on to Brooklyn, Washington and the Clippers in his final four seasons. He is the 2nd oldest player in the competition. Pierce had a very lethal mid-range game and was very creative, especially with the Celtics. He hit many tough and clutch shots in his career. The problem may be from beyond the arc as he hit just 31.6% of his long-range shots in his final two seasons combined. He is 36.8% from long range in his career, but has age caught up with him from distance? We shall see.
Chauncey Billups (+900): Chauncey Billups is also no longer in the league but when he did play, he made some very creative clutch shots in his career. The main team that he played for in his career was the Detroit Pistons and he hit 39.7% of his treys in eight seasons with the team. Three times in his career, he hit over 40% of his long-range for the Pistons while connecting on over 40% of them five times in his career overall. Billups has been out of the league since 2014 and he is the oldest competitor at 43 years old. His creativity may still be there but does he still have the eye to make many shots from beyond the arc to win it all? We shall see.
Allie Quigley (+1100): Allie Quigley (Chicago Sky) is one of two women in the competition and she could be an intriguing pick, especially in the first round. Quigley is one of the best pure shooters in both the WNBA and the NBA. This past year, she hit 54.8% of her shots from inside the arc and 44.2% of her shots from long range. Allie has connected on 42% or better of her shots from long range in each of the last three years. She is lethal from anywhere on the court and also has a huge bag of tricks that will aid her well in this competition. Does Quigley have enough tricks to take down the men of the NBA? Keep reading to find out.
Tamika Catchings (+1600): Catchings is an Indiana Fever legend and according to Vegas, she has the worst odds to win it all. She did hit just 41.5% of her shots from the field overall in her career overall, including 35.5% of her shots from beyond the are but Catchings does have a bag of tricks that may serve her well in this competition. Does she have enough tricks to move on and be a surprise in this competition? That answer will be revealed below.
The First Round
Here I will give you all of my first round predictions along with the odds of each matchup.
Trae Young (-200) vs Chauncey Billups (+150)
Billups had a great career and has always been a solid shooter from beyond the arc in his career. Still, he is the oldest player in this competition and Trae Young has been one of the most creative shooters in the game in the last few years. He can also drill it from deep. I just cannot see Billups pulling a surprise in this one. Prediction: Trae Young (-200)
Tamika Catchings (+300) vs Mike Conley (-500)
This is is the biggest discrepancy in the first round as Mike Conley is a huge favorite. I feel that is warranted. He is still in the league and is a much better shooter than Tamika is. She is a legend for the Indiana Fever, but Catchings also shot just 41.5% from the field overall and 35.5% from long range in her career. Conley is 43.9% from the field in his career, including 37.5% from long range. Catchings may have a better repertoire but Conley is the better shooter and he will move on in the first round. Prediction: Mike Conley (-500)
Zach LaVine (-110) vs Paul Pierce (-130)
This is the most intriguing matchup in the first round and I am a bit surprised that Pierce is the slight favorite here. Pierce has a lethal game from inside the arc but he did struggle from long range over the last part of his career. Zach LaVine is one of the most creative and underrated shooters in the league and he is also strong from long range. He has the bag of tricks and the long-range game to take down this Boston Celtic legend. Prediction: Zach LaVine (-110)
Chris Paul (-300) vs Allie Quigley (+200)
Allie Quigley is one of the best pure shooters and this past year, she hit 54.8% of her shots from inside the arc and 44.2% of her shots from long range. She has an array of tricks in her bag and that will make it tough on the heavily favored Chris Paul. The Oklahoma City Thunder star did hit 48.9 of his shots overall this year but was just 36.2% from long range. He has a nice bag of tricks but I feel that Quigley will have a bit more in this competition and she may have been preparing more for it than the rest of the field.
The Semifinals
There are no Odds here but these are my picks for the Semifinals. I will update this with the odds after the first round is played, so be sure and check back on Monday morning.
In the first matchup, I will look for Trae Young to take down Allie Quigley. Young has a bit better repertoire than Quigley does and that will serve him well.
In the 2nd matchup, I have Zach LaVine taking down Mike Conley. LaVine has a much bigger bag of tricks and he is a very good long-range shooter.
The Finals
At +400, I will take Zach LaVine to win it all in what should be an exciting final as he squares off against Trae Young. Both players are very creative and both can hit shots from long range. Young is an exciting player but and can do some impossible dunks, but dinking is not allowed in this competition and I feel that gives LaVine the edge. Look for Zach to take the whole thing.
These are my early picks to win semis and the finals. I will update the picks with the odds after the first round is played, so be sure and check back on Monday morning.
