The trading deadline has come and gone. Now the drive to the NBA playoffs can begin in earnest. The usual suspects (Cleveland, Boston, Dallas) have taken on extra talent, risking their future for a better chance at winning now. It's a strategy that's doomed to fail for at least two of those teams. The futures market says it'll be the Cavaliers (2-3 in the East) advancing to the Finals to meet the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers (8-13 in the West), finally giving us that epic showdown between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. We shall see.

James and his teammates have a rare weekend off, but we'll check in on the other three title contenders in our weekend betting preview.

Saturday: New Jersey at Boston (1:00 p.m. ET, YES)

The NBA odds have not been on Boston's side this year. The Celtics (36-19 SU, 21-33-1 ATS) have won four of their five games since the All-Star break, but they continue to bleed green, going 2-3 ATS to fall even deeper into debt. Perhaps things will change now that Nate Robinson has made the move from New York. Robinson missed his first three games as a Celtic with a stomach virus, then made his debut Tuesday against his former team, playing 16 uneventful minutes off the bench in a 110-106 win over the Knicks (+9.5). So much for change.

Boston had to face the Knicks without Paul Pierce (20.3 points, 5.2 rebounds per 40 minutes) due to a thumb injury. The Associated Press reports that Pierce will also miss Thursday's matchup against Cleveland, but he could be back in time for Saturday. Not that the Celtics should have any trouble beating the Nets, who remain on pace for a historically bad season at 5-52 SU and 21-35-1 ATS. New Jersey has dropped the cash in three straight games after going on a tasty 8-2-1 ATS run – which included a 96-87 loss at Boston (-12.5). Pierce missed that game, as well.

Sunday: Denver at L.A. Lakers (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

The top two teams in the Western Conference are at it again. The Lakers (43-15 SU, 25-31-2 ATS) have played 12 of their last 17 games on the road, going 11-6 SU and 7-9-1 ATS over the past month. Kobe Bryant (29.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists/40) missed five of those games with a sore ankle before returning on Tuesday, giving the Lakers a virtually full roster. This has become one of the very best defensive teams in the league with Bryant and Ron Artest, but the offense has tailed off somewhat, leaving the UNDER at 31-26-1 on the season and 9-3 since late January.

One of those rare OVER results came in L.A.'s last game against the Nuggets (37-19 SU, 26-27-3 ATS), a 126-113 Denver victory at Staples Center that easily eclipsed the posted total of 199.5 points. The Nuggets were 8-point puppies in that contest and playing without Carmelo Anthony (30.7 points, 6.7 rebounds/40). The Lakers were blown out even worse back in November at the Pepsi Center, losing 105-79 as 4-point underdogs.

Sunday: New Orleans at Dallas (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

The Mavericks (37-21 SU, 24-34 ATS) made one of the biggest splashes at the trade deadline by landing Caron Butler (17.1 points, 6.7 rebounds/40) and Brendan Haywood (12.1 points, 12.7 boards/40) in a deal with the Washington Wizards. It cost them four players including Josh Howard, but the immediate upside is that Haywood is now in Big D to give the Mavs some shot-blocking prowess. The results speak for themselves: Dallas is 5-0 SU and 3-2 ATS since Haywood joined the starting rotation in place of the injured Erick Dampier (finger). The Mavs even beat the Lakers (+1.5 road dogs) 101-96 on Wednesday with Butler sidelined because of a “reaction to medication.”

Butler is expected back in time to face the Hornets (30-28 SU, 29-29 ATS) on Sunday. The Hornets are 5-7 SU and 7-5 ATS since losing Chris Paul to a knee injury; Darren Collison (17.5 points, 7.9 assists/40) has stepped into the breach and performed very well for a rookie point guard. New Orleans still finds itself three games out of a playoff spot in the West, but at least the Hornets are 2-0 ATS against the Mavs this year, splitting a pair home and away.

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