Mike Woodson, who may be the worst coach in the NBA but has been able to save his job because of the performance the Hawks have put on, is irate about Kevin Durant winning the award of Hawks rookie Al Horford.

“It’s a travesty and it’s not right,” Woodson said Wednesday night before Atlanta’s Game 5 loss to Boston, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He should have shared it, if not gotten it outright. And I don’t want to hear about us not being on TV or anything like that. It doesn’t matter. It’s what this kid has done for this team.

“We haven’t had a power forward/center come in our league and do what he’s done [average a double-double] in I don’t know how many years,” Woodson said. “I mean, come on, man.”

Granted, this is coming from Mike Woodson, but the guy does pose a point: When was the last time a power forward/center came into the league and averaged a double-double? Beyond that, the Hawks are in the playoffs, and much of their success can be attributed to Horford’s good play, leadership, and fighting-back-at-Paul-Pierce-ness. The Hawks play game 6 tonight (yes, I’m going), and the way I see it, forget the ROY award — just win the damn first round.

It’s not what I think should happen, but it is what I knew would happen: Kevin Durant, the former Texas phenom, has won the Rookie of the Year award. Durant beat out Al Horford to take the trophy.

Durant averaged 20.3 points per game in 2007-08 — the highest scoring average for a rookie since Carmelo Anthony averaged 21 points per game and LeBron James averaged 20.9 ppg in 2003-04. Only three of the past 10 rookies of the year — Durant, James and Elton Brand — have averaged at least 20 points in their first season.

I liked Horford over Durant for a few reasons: 1.) He helped get his team to the playoffs 2.) He’s now taking Boston to its limits int eh playoffs 3.) He was a better team player and 4.) I’m a Hawks fan, and I’m biased as hell.

Dallas Mavericks 105, Phoenix Suns 98: The Suns would have to do a lot to blow their lead and miss the playoffs, but if such an event did occur there would be a lot of people pointing to this game as the reason they’re not in. The Suns held a 12 point lead heading into the fourth, but only managed nine points the entire quarter, therein losing the game. Even in victory, I’ll hate on Jason Kidd, and how little he contributes to this team: In 38 minutes of action, he had eight points and seven assists.

Golden State Warriors 96, New Orleans Hornets 108: Golden State is doing their best to survive and push their way into the playoffs, but the gas tank is on E, and the car is starting to sputter. Monta Ellis had 35 points, but Baron Davis only came up with 17 and Stephen Jackson fell flat with only six points on 3/11 shooting. New Orleans holds a 1 1/2 game lead over the San Antonio Spurs.

San Antonio Spurs 72, Portland Trail Blazers 65: Tim Duncan provided most of the offense with 27 points, and the rest of the Spurs decided they’d play lights out defense and hold their opponent under 70. Brandon Roy led all Blazers players with 18 points.

Denver Nuggets 147, Seattle Seahawks 151: Like I said about Phoenix: If Denver doesn’t make the playoffs, this is the game they’ll point to. Kevin Durant dropped 37 points, had nine rebounds and eight assists, and Denver dropped one to the second-worst team in the NBA. Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson combined for 64 points for the Nuggets.

With no football games, it’s hard to gamble, so, thankfully, we can throw our money away on NBA games that can really go either way. But it’s entertaining, right? And, in short, that’s the main reason we gamble. We don’t do it to win or lose — we do it because it takes an otherwise boring chunk of the night and becomes very, very entertaining, even if the entertainment is accompanied with many hours of grief afterwards. Enjoy my picks. I’m the best.

Last Night: 4-3
On the Season: 29-31-1

Tonight’s Games:

New Orleans Hornets (-5) @ Indiana Pacers: Every time I bet the Hornets, I lose. Likewise with when I bet against ‘em. So you should probably do the opposite here, but I’m saying take New Orleans.

San Antonio Spurs (PICK) @ Orlando Magic: The Magic are best at bombing threes, and the Spurs are best at buckling down and playing defense. Even if it’s dirty, Bruce Bowen style. That said, roll Spurs.

LA Clippers @ Dallas Mavericks (-11): The spread’s a bit high for not having Dirk, but it’s the Clippers. Go with it.

Atlanta Hawks (+4) @ Chicago Bulls: Hawks are suddenly winning again. Let’s see if they can keep the streak alive on the road, where they notoriously suck.

Charlotte Bobcats @ Utah Jazz (-13): Are you gonna bet the Bobcats on the road? Me neither.

Washington Wizards (+1) @ Portland Trail Blazers: Ever since I lost about 10 straight bets on the Blazers, I don’t bet ‘em anymore. So just take Washington. Trust the man who’s gone in debt over going the other way.

Philadelphia 76′ers 95, Boston Celtics 90: It was a stunning home loss, one I bet on, one I loss on, and I can’t say I’m too happy about the suddenly surging Sixers. Andre Iguodala led all Sixers with 28 points, followed by Andre Miller’s 20 and rookie Thaddeus Young’s 16. The win moved Philadelphia into sixth place in the East, and did nothing to hurt the standing of the first place Celtics.

Phoenix Suns 105, Detroit Pistons 100: Is it bad when you bet so much you don’t know which team you took? I’m at work, and can’t check my Sportsbook account, but I’m thinking I got Phoenix at +3. Let’s hope, anyway. Amare Stoudemire led the Suns with 36. Steve Nash had nine assists.

Milwaukee Bucks 73, Miami Heat 78: It’s quite possibly Miami’s last win of the season. Really. The heat had five scorers in double digits — probably also a last — led by Chris Quinn’s 24. When Chris Quinn is your best player, well, then, you’re in trouble.

New Jersey Nets 106, New York Knicks 91: It’s the old adage: Don’t bet on the Knicks. I didn’t. I won. Ironically, with the Nets win, they’re closer to the playoffs, while in Dallas, with their loss, they find themselves falling out of the playoffs. Guess that Jason Kidd trade paid off after all.

Denver Nuggets 120, Memphis Grizzlies 106: The Nuggets have now won three straight, and just for the record, they’ve scored 100 points or more in their last 12 games.

Portland Trail Blazers 94, Seattle Supersonics 97: All five Seattle starters had double digit scoring efforts, and Kevin Durant put in 23 points on a rare good shooting night (9-13). Martell Webster had 23 points for the struggling Trail Blazers.

LA Lakers 123, Golden State Warriors 119: It took overtime, but like I said: Jump on Kobe’s boat when he’s coming off a loss. He had 30 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists, leading the Lakers to victory.

With no football games, it’s hard to gamble, so, thankfully, we can throw our money away on NBA games that can really go either way. But it’s entertaining, right? And, in short, that’s the main reason we gamble. We don’t do it to win or lose — we do it because it takes an otherwise boring chunk of the night and becomes very, very entertaining, even if the entertainment is accompanied with many hours of grief afterwards. Enjoy my picks. I’m the best.

On The Season: 25-28-1 Against The Spread

Philadelphia 76′ers @ Boston Celtics (-10): Take this one. Take it all day. Boston wins by a hundred.

New Jersey Nets (+2) @ New York Knicks: Rule of betting basketball: Don’t bet on the Knicks. It’s won me money for the most part, so I’m sticking to it.

Milwaukee Bucks(+1) @ Miami Heat: That rule mentioned above, it’s starting to apply to the Heat. When the two teams play together, it’ll be an interesting coin flip.

Phoenix Suns @ Detroit Pistons(-3): Detroit plays defense. Phoenix is still trying to figure that one out. And though the team is doing much better with Shaq now, I like the Pistons at home.

Denver Nuggets (-7) @ Memphis Grizzlies: Denver’s been on a tear, and AI and ‘Melo are finally starting to click together. Memphis, meanwhile, is heading for the lottery, and wondering where yet another year has gone.

Sacramento Kings @ Houston Rockets (-7): Let’s start another streak, people. This team was easy money, and we need it to get back that way.

Portland Trail Blazers @ Seattle Supersonics (+9): There’s not a team I’ve been more burnt by than the Trail Blazers. They’re a tempting team to pick, but when I ride ‘em I die with ‘em. Seattle’s no stellar team, but I’ll take the eight at home and run with it.

Los Angeles Lakers (-2) @ Golden State: Eh. Probably a toss up. But I like Kobe after losing and struggling the night before.

With no football games, it’s hard to gamble, so, thankfully, we can throw our money away on NBA games that can really go either way. But it’s entertaining, right? And, in short, that’s the main reason we gamble. We don’t do it to win or lose — we do it because it takes an otherwise boring chunk of the night and becomes very, very entertaining, even if the entertainment is accompanied with many hours of grief afterwards. Enjoy my picks. I’m the best.

Last Night: 5-2
On the season: 21-23-1

Denver Nuggets (+2) @ Philadephia 76′ers: The Nuggets don’t play defense, but they do play offense, and I feel like AI, going back to his old home, will come out victorious, or at least lose by one.

Washington Wizards @ Orlando Magic (-7): The Magic have been bombing threes when they’re at home, and Washington’s suffering a rough skid right now.

Miami Heat (+14) @ Toronto Raptors: The Raptors have been awful without Bosh. This spread makes me think Bosh must be back, but even in his first game, expect some rust, take the points.

Charlotte Bobcats (+6) @ Indiana Pacers: Two bad teams, take the ‘dog.

Atlanta Hawks @ New Jersey Nets (-2): Hawks are one bad team on the road.

Memphis Grizzlies (+7) @ Minnesota T’Wolves: I just can’t take Minnesota too seriously as a team favored by this many points.

Houston Rockets (+3) New Orleans Hornets: Time to start a new streak. And with the defense they play, Paul and Peja shouldn’t have the easiest time scoring.

Detroit Pistons (+1) @ Cleveland Cavaliers: I love me some Pistons when they’re ‘dogs.

Phoenix Suns (-10) @ Seattle Supersonics: Suns seem to be coming together. ‘Sonics still have some work to do.

Los Angeles Lakers 92, Houston Rockets 104: The Rockets have now won 22 straight, and the once pipedream-ish 33 is suddenly in sight. Kobe Bryant was only able to score 24 points on 33 shots against the stingy Houston D, and Rafer Alston took care of the rest, dropping 31 on LA to help keep the streak alive. Houston has Boston tonight, and if they get by that game they’ll have three straight on the road, all against team over .500 and competing for the playoffs. It’ll be a daunting task to get to 34, but I wouldn’t put much past them at this point.

New Orleans Hornets 84, Detroit Pistons 105: It’s not often you see a good Eastern Conference team rip a good Western Conference team, but such was the case on Sunday in Detroit. The Pistons were 14-21 from beyond the arch, led by Jarvis Hayes’ 7-8 effort from downtown, finishing with 29 points.

Charlotte Bobcats 91, Cleveland Cavaliers 98: BronBron had 33 points and 10 assists, and also grabbed seven boards in a winning effort. Charlotte, who looked like they were getting hot at one point a couple of weeks back, were led by J-Rich’s 33.

Dallas Mavericks 98, Miami Heat 73: Say hello to the first pick, Miami. Quesiton: Who do they draft? Do you take Beasley when you’ve already got two proven scorers? Whoever they take, they need help: The Heat shot less than 25 percent from beyond the arch, and only shot 40 percent from the field.

Atlanta Hawks 109, New York Knicks 98: When in doubt, play New York. With how badly the Hawks have been struggling, two of their last five wins have come against the dreadful Knicks. Joe Johnson scored 28, Marvin Williams 25, and Josh Childress 22. With the win, the Hawks have moved into a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, where teams are just breaking their necks to try and not get into the playoffs.

Seattle Supersonics 118, Denver Nuggets 168: This isn’t a typo. The Nuggets scored 168 points, the highest of any team this season. It’s nice when a team’s able to get five players in double digit scoring; it’s even nicer when they get eight, as the Nuggets did last night, led by Melo’s 28.

Toronto Raptors 100, Sacramento Kings 106: What started out as “a few games,” has suddenly turned into nine straight games that Raptors All Star Chris Bosh has been gone. The Raptors have struggled, and are counting down the time until their star returns. Toronto is now 2-7 without Bosh.

Houston Rockets 83, Atlanta Hawks 75: Houston won their 20th straight game, surpassing the ‘70-’71 Bucks, and closing in a little more on the ‘72 Lakers that put together 33 straight. This game was ugly: Both teams shot 33% from the field, and the halftime score was 33-32, Atlanta. With two minutes left in the game, Atlanta trailed 71-70, and given the final score, you kind of get the feel for how those final moments played out. Josh Smith had a career high 22 rebounds for Atlanta, and T-Mac was able to lead all Rockets with 28 points of his own. Houston’s last loss was January 27, which is starting to feel like Atlanta’s last win (seriously, being an Atlanta fan really, really sucks).

Los Angeles Clippers 88, Orlando Magic 110: Drafting in the Top 10 should be a familiar place for Clippers fans, and it looks as if they’ll get familiar with such picks again this year. The Clips lost for the ninth time in 11 tries, and don’t seem to be going anywhere but down. Rookie Al Thornton continues to impress for the Clippers, scoring 17 off the bench, and Corey Maggette led the Clips with 22 points of his own. Dwight Howard had 22 points and 13 rebounds for the surging Magic.

Seattle Supersonics 82, Boston Celtics 111: Boston managed 111 points, and their leading scorer had only 18, showing you just how much the ball got passed around. Kevin Durant led all Sonics with 17 points.

San Antonio Spurs 75, New Orlenans Hornets 100: Yikes.

Dallas Mavericks 118, Charlotte Bobcats 93: Charlotte was actually started to surge forward a little, but this may prove to be a temporary set back. Though the ‘Cats shot 45 perecent from the field, they unfortunately couldn’t stop anybody; Dallas shot 53 percent from the field and over 40 percent from beyond the arch. Jason Kidd had six points and eight assists for the Mavs.

With no football games, it’s hard to gamble, so, thankfully, we can throw our money away on NBA games that can really go either way. But it’s entertaining, right? And, in short, that’s the main reason we gamble. We don’t do it to win or lose — we do it because it takes an otherwise boring chunk of the night and becomes very, very entertaining, even if the entertainment is accompanied with many hours of grief afterwards. Enjoy my picks. I’m the best.

Last Night: 2-2
On the Season: 8-10-1

Tonight’s Games:

Houston (-6) @ Atlanta: The Hawks side of me says take Atlanta. The regular side of me says bet the Rockets. Hard. Really hard. They’ve had this tendency of winning by double digits and playing defense. Good news for the Rockets: The Hawks have neither of those tendencies.

LAC @ Orlando Magic (-10): Clippers stink. Take the home team in a blowout.

76′ers @ Detroit (-8): I laughed when Boston was only a six point favorite over Philly, and I laugh at this, as well.

Seattle Supersonics (+18) @ Boston Celtics: There’s a good chance Boston’s second team could be in there by the third quarter. That said, take the Sonics to cover.

New York Knicks (-1) @ Miami Heat: ?

Cleveland Cavaliers (-4) @ New Jersey Nets: Nets are falling fast. Cleveland’s rising even faster. LeBron and Co. pull it off, win easy.

Utah Jazz @ Milwaukee Bucks (+9): They just lost last night, and now they’ve got to travel. I’m probably betting this because I’m bitter about Utah’s performance against Chicago yesterday, but whatever: Take Milwaukee to cover.

San Antonio Spurs (+3.5) @ New Orleans Hornets: I love me some Spurs when they’re underdogs.