FANTASY SPORTS GAMETIME
1000* Play Los Angeles (+3.5) over Boston (NBA TOP PLAY)
Game starts at 9:00 PM EST
Los Angeles has won 24 of the last 28 games coming off an upset win as an
underdog and they have also won 22 of the last 30 games when playing 4 or less
games in 10 days. Los Angeles has won 10 of the last 13 games vs. Atlantic
Division Opponents and they are averaging over 104 points a game on offense in
the playoffs this season.
1000* Play Los Angeles (+3.5) over Boston (NBA TOP PLAY)
Game starts at 9:00 PM EST
Los Angeles has won 24 of the last 28 games coming off an upset win as an
underdog and they have also won 22 of the last 30 games when playing 4 or less
games in 10 days. Los Angeles has won 10 of the last 13 games vs. Atlantic
Division Opponents and they are averaging over 104 points a game on offense in
the playoffs this season.
DAVID MALINSKY
4* CINCINNATI -1.5 +110 over SAN FRANCISCO
We can get an underdog return for a game that should break wide open in this one, and that makes it easy to step in.
The Giants are six games above .500 despite having an awful offense across the board – they are 14th in the N.L. in Runs, 13th in HR’s, 12th in Total Bases, 15th in W’s, and 15th in steals. But you can overcome those weaknesses with great starting pitching, which they have through most of the rotation. But not from Todd Wellemeyer at the bottom. This is where the markets have difficulties, however, in that the overall Giant record keeps prices fair, when in reality we are dealing with the awful combination of a weak offense, and a pitcher working at a 5.72 allowance. This will be the 6th road start for Wellemeyer, and San Francisco has gone 0-5 through the first five, getting out-scored by 21 runs, and only covering the +1.5 one time. He lasted only three innings in a dismal loss against punchless Pittsburgh in his last outing, which hardly brings the confidence to go up against a Cincinnati offense that leads the N.L. in Runs, HR’s and Total Bases. It is an Offense vs. Pitcher mismatch.
Meanwhile we have rarely seen a pitcher have a great MLB debut with such little fanfare as Mike Leake, with a sparkling 5-0/2.22 over 11 starts that somehow still remains off of the radar screens. Leake is a master already at working the corners of the strike zone, not issuing many W’s (only 13 in 61.1 innings since his first two starts), or HR’s (only four all season), and that makes him an excellent matchup here. If you do not give anything away, and force the Giants to make things happen with their bats, there will not be many big innings, and the fact that they lack speed on the bases has already led to being dead last in the N.L. in grounding into double-plays, something that becomes a prime factor against Leake’s sinker (he has a solid 1.90:1 ratio of ground ball outs to fly outs). There are also no fatigue ratings for the Cincinnati bullpen, so the latter stages are in good hands as well.
4* CINCINNATI -1.5 +110 over SAN FRANCISCO
We can get an underdog return for a game that should break wide open in this one, and that makes it easy to step in.
The Giants are six games above .500 despite having an awful offense across the board – they are 14th in the N.L. in Runs, 13th in HR’s, 12th in Total Bases, 15th in W’s, and 15th in steals. But you can overcome those weaknesses with great starting pitching, which they have through most of the rotation. But not from Todd Wellemeyer at the bottom. This is where the markets have difficulties, however, in that the overall Giant record keeps prices fair, when in reality we are dealing with the awful combination of a weak offense, and a pitcher working at a 5.72 allowance. This will be the 6th road start for Wellemeyer, and San Francisco has gone 0-5 through the first five, getting out-scored by 21 runs, and only covering the +1.5 one time. He lasted only three innings in a dismal loss against punchless Pittsburgh in his last outing, which hardly brings the confidence to go up against a Cincinnati offense that leads the N.L. in Runs, HR’s and Total Bases. It is an Offense vs. Pitcher mismatch.
Meanwhile we have rarely seen a pitcher have a great MLB debut with such little fanfare as Mike Leake, with a sparkling 5-0/2.22 over 11 starts that somehow still remains off of the radar screens. Leake is a master already at working the corners of the strike zone, not issuing many W’s (only 13 in 61.1 innings since his first two starts), or HR’s (only four all season), and that makes him an excellent matchup here. If you do not give anything away, and force the Giants to make things happen with their bats, there will not be many big innings, and the fact that they lack speed on the bases has already led to being dead last in the N.L. in grounding into double-plays, something that becomes a prime factor against Leake’s sinker (he has a solid 1.90:1 ratio of ground ball outs to fly outs). There are also no fatigue ratings for the Cincinnati bullpen, so the latter stages are in good hands as well.
JOE D'AMICO
Texas Rangers -1½
Texas is surging, as they have won 2 in a row and 6 of their L10. The Ranger’s are atop the A.L. West at 32-27, including a 22-11 home record. The team is averaging over 4.9 RPG on the strength of their deadly lineup. Vladamir Guerrero is leading the way ahead of the teams combined four .300 hitter’s. Guerrero is batting .336 with 51 strong RBI’s. Texas has played Seattle 9 times TY, winning 7 of those contests. In this current series, the Ranger’s are outscoring the Mariner’s 21-6. They have Tommy Hunter on the mound. The right-hander is 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA on the season. He faces a Seattle team that has dropped 2 in a row and 6 of their L10. The M’s are in last-place in the A.L. west at 23-36, including an 8-19 away record. Seattle is posting just 3.6 RPG. Their top five batter’s in the lineup have combined for a mere 13 HR’s. Now, DH and only power-hitter, Mike Sweeney is on the DL with a back problem. Due to his absence, the M’s don’t have anyone that can clear the base paths. Seattle has Ryan Rowland-smith throwing today. The left-hander is 0-4 with a 6.95 ERA TY. This includes a 0-2, 8.72 record on the road. The M’s are 1-7 their L8 vs. the Ranger’s, 1-5 their L6 vs. RH starters, and 0-4 in Rowland-Smith’s L4 starts. The Ranger’s are 20-8 their L28 at home, 5-1 their L6 home games vs. LH starters, and 6-1 in Hunter’s L7 starts vs. teams with a losing record. Take Texas on the Run Line.
Texas Rangers -1½
Texas is surging, as they have won 2 in a row and 6 of their L10. The Ranger’s are atop the A.L. West at 32-27, including a 22-11 home record. The team is averaging over 4.9 RPG on the strength of their deadly lineup. Vladamir Guerrero is leading the way ahead of the teams combined four .300 hitter’s. Guerrero is batting .336 with 51 strong RBI’s. Texas has played Seattle 9 times TY, winning 7 of those contests. In this current series, the Ranger’s are outscoring the Mariner’s 21-6. They have Tommy Hunter on the mound. The right-hander is 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA on the season. He faces a Seattle team that has dropped 2 in a row and 6 of their L10. The M’s are in last-place in the A.L. west at 23-36, including an 8-19 away record. Seattle is posting just 3.6 RPG. Their top five batter’s in the lineup have combined for a mere 13 HR’s. Now, DH and only power-hitter, Mike Sweeney is on the DL with a back problem. Due to his absence, the M’s don’t have anyone that can clear the base paths. Seattle has Ryan Rowland-smith throwing today. The left-hander is 0-4 with a 6.95 ERA TY. This includes a 0-2, 8.72 record on the road. The M’s are 1-7 their L8 vs. the Ranger’s, 1-5 their L6 vs. RH starters, and 0-4 in Rowland-Smith’s L4 starts. The Ranger’s are 20-8 their L28 at home, 5-1 their L6 home games vs. LH starters, and 6-1 in Hunter’s L7 starts vs. teams with a losing record. Take Texas on the Run Line.
JIMMY BOYD
5* NBA Finals Total of the Year on Lakers/Celtics UNDER 190.5
In the last two games of this series, neither team has shot better than 44.7 percent. I expect the defensive intensity to remain high in Game 4 with the Celtics especially taking things up another notch as this is a must-win game for them. As a result, I expect to see Game 4 come in well Under the number as well. The Lakers are 9-1 Under after allowing 85 points or less this season. Boston is 12-4 Under when revenging a home loss vs. an opponent this season. In addition, the Under is a perfect 4-0 in the Celtics' last 4 games as a home favorite of 4.5 or fewer points. Also, we can't overlook how good of a job the Lakers are doing of getting back on defense to slow down Boston's transition game. Defense wins championships and both of these teams know that. Defense should also keep us Under this number. Best of Luck!
3* NBA Finals SMASH on Celtics -3.5
It's do-or-die time for Boston, and I like the Celtics to rise to the occasion. Right away, I love the fact that the Celtics are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a S.U. loss. Plus, we still can't overlook the fact that the Lakers are only 4-10-1 ATS in the last 15 meetings in this matchup. Rondo wasn't nearly as aggressive offensively in Game 3 as he was in Game 2. Boston just kept running sets to get Ray Allen shots, and Allen kept missing them. I expect Rondo to be a much more aggressive offensively tonight, and that will be the key to Boston's success. In addition, expect the Celtics to take things up another notch on the defensive end. Boston knows it's right back in this series if it can win this game, and it also knows it will be an up hill battle if it doesn't. Expect Boston to leave it all out on the floor to come away with the "W" and the cover.
5* NBA Finals Total of the Year on Lakers/Celtics UNDER 190.5
In the last two games of this series, neither team has shot better than 44.7 percent. I expect the defensive intensity to remain high in Game 4 with the Celtics especially taking things up another notch as this is a must-win game for them. As a result, I expect to see Game 4 come in well Under the number as well. The Lakers are 9-1 Under after allowing 85 points or less this season. Boston is 12-4 Under when revenging a home loss vs. an opponent this season. In addition, the Under is a perfect 4-0 in the Celtics' last 4 games as a home favorite of 4.5 or fewer points. Also, we can't overlook how good of a job the Lakers are doing of getting back on defense to slow down Boston's transition game. Defense wins championships and both of these teams know that. Defense should also keep us Under this number. Best of Luck!
3* NBA Finals SMASH on Celtics -3.5
It's do-or-die time for Boston, and I like the Celtics to rise to the occasion. Right away, I love the fact that the Celtics are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a S.U. loss. Plus, we still can't overlook the fact that the Lakers are only 4-10-1 ATS in the last 15 meetings in this matchup. Rondo wasn't nearly as aggressive offensively in Game 3 as he was in Game 2. Boston just kept running sets to get Ray Allen shots, and Allen kept missing them. I expect Rondo to be a much more aggressive offensively tonight, and that will be the key to Boston's success. In addition, expect the Celtics to take things up another notch on the defensive end. Boston knows it's right back in this series if it can win this game, and it also knows it will be an up hill battle if it doesn't. Expect Boston to leave it all out on the floor to come away with the "W" and the cover.
jeff benton thursday
1-1 yesterday on the plus side for 10 dimes. overall, 54-62-3 -170 dimes.
First off, the zigzag theory is in full effect here, with the Lakers winning Games 1 and 3 convincingly, and Boston taking the middle contest (in Los Angeles). In retrospect, it’s not very surprising as these are two evenly matched squads. Remember, they split two regular-season games, with each winaing on the other’s home court by a single point. That means these teams have alternated wins and losses in their five clashes this season.
So even without factoring in anything else, I’d be comfortable coming BIG with the Celtics tonight. The fact Boston is in an absolute must-win situation – there’s no chance the C’s are winning three in a row vs. the Lakers, including Games 6 and 7 in Los Angeles – makes me even MORE confideent that Boston is the right side tonight. And even though Kobe and his posse would never in a million years admit it, the Lakers are at a psychological disadvantage tonight because they stole Game 3. It’s only natural for L.A. – especially with head cases like Lamar Odom and Ron Artest – to relax a bit tonight. Not for the entire game, but just stretches here and there, which is exactly what happened in the Game 2 loss at home.
Now let’s focus on what the Celtics have done in these playoffs when coming off a loss.
They fell to Miami 101-92 in Game 4 in the opening round, and bounced back with a 96-86 home win as a 7-point favorite to close out the series.
They fell 101-93 in Cleveland in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, and bounced back with a 104-86 blowout win as a six-point underdog in Game 2.
They fell 124-95 to the Cavs at home in the very next game (as a one-point chalk), and bounced back with a 97-87 win as a 1½-point home underdog in the next game.
They fell 96-92 in overtime in Game 4 against Orlando in the Eastern Conference semifinals, then went to Orlando for Game 5 and were victimized by horrendous officiating in a 113-92 loss. However, they came right back and put the Magic away with a 96-84 rout as a 3 ½-point home favorote in Game 6.
Finally, they fell 102-89 at Los Angeles in Game 1 of this series, only to rebound with a 103-94 win as a six-point pup on Sunday.
That puts Boston at 5-1 SU and ATS when coming off a loss in these playoffs, and all five wins were very easy (and as noted above, the one loss was an officiating disgrace!).
Finally, the Lakers have won consecutive road games just once in these playoffs (Games 3 and 4 of a sweep of Utah a month ago). Take away the Jazz series, and L.A. is just 3-5 SU and ATS as a visitor in the postseason.
Bottom line: The Celtics are winning this game tonight, and if history is any indication – their five previous playoff wins when coming off a defeat were by an average of 11.8 ppg – it’s not going to be close at all.
Your 60 Dime NBA Playoffs Winner #2 in a Row is the Celtics, and we’ll call for a 103-88 final.
1-1 yesterday on the plus side for 10 dimes. overall, 54-62-3 -170 dimes.
THURSDAY'S ACTION
MY HIGHEST-RATED NBA PLAY
EVER GOES TONIGHT!
60 DIME
NBA PLAYOFFS
WINNER #2 IN A ROW
MY HIGHEST-RATED NBA PLAY
EVER GOES TONIGHT!
60 DIME
NBA PLAYOFFS
WINNER #2 IN A ROW
Lakers vs. Celtics (Game 4)
The BIGGEST NBA play I've ever released!
60 Dime NBA Winner #1:
Thunder (+6) over Lakers (April 20)
60 Dime winner ...
60 Dime release on the BOSTON CELTICS minus the poinas at home against the Los Angeles Lakers. As I releasee this play at 11:30 PM Pacific, the Celtics are currentoy a -3 1/2 point favorite here in Las Vegas and offshore everywhere I look.The BIGGEST NBA play I've ever released!
60 Dime NBA Winner #1:
Thunder (+6) over Lakers (April 20)
60 Dime winner ...
First off, the zigzag theory is in full effect here, with the Lakers winning Games 1 and 3 convincingly, and Boston taking the middle contest (in Los Angeles). In retrospect, it’s not very surprising as these are two evenly matched squads. Remember, they split two regular-season games, with each winaing on the other’s home court by a single point. That means these teams have alternated wins and losses in their five clashes this season.
So even without factoring in anything else, I’d be comfortable coming BIG with the Celtics tonight. The fact Boston is in an absolute must-win situation – there’s no chance the C’s are winning three in a row vs. the Lakers, including Games 6 and 7 in Los Angeles – makes me even MORE confideent that Boston is the right side tonight. And even though Kobe and his posse would never in a million years admit it, the Lakers are at a psychological disadvantage tonight because they stole Game 3. It’s only natural for L.A. – especially with head cases like Lamar Odom and Ron Artest – to relax a bit tonight. Not for the entire game, but just stretches here and there, which is exactly what happened in the Game 2 loss at home.
Now let’s focus on what the Celtics have done in these playoffs when coming off a loss.
They fell to Miami 101-92 in Game 4 in the opening round, and bounced back with a 96-86 home win as a 7-point favorite to close out the series.
They fell 101-93 in Cleveland in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, and bounced back with a 104-86 blowout win as a six-point underdog in Game 2.
They fell 124-95 to the Cavs at home in the very next game (as a one-point chalk), and bounced back with a 97-87 win as a 1½-point home underdog in the next game.
They fell 96-92 in overtime in Game 4 against Orlando in the Eastern Conference semifinals, then went to Orlando for Game 5 and were victimized by horrendous officiating in a 113-92 loss. However, they came right back and put the Magic away with a 96-84 rout as a 3 ½-point home favorote in Game 6.
Finally, they fell 102-89 at Los Angeles in Game 1 of this series, only to rebound with a 103-94 win as a six-point pup on Sunday.
That puts Boston at 5-1 SU and ATS when coming off a loss in these playoffs, and all five wins were very easy (and as noted above, the one loss was an officiating disgrace!).
Finally, the Lakers have won consecutive road games just once in these playoffs (Games 3 and 4 of a sweep of Utah a month ago). Take away the Jazz series, and L.A. is just 3-5 SU and ATS as a visitor in the postseason.
Bottom line: The Celtics are winning this game tonight, and if history is any indication – their five previous playoff wins when coming off a defeat were by an average of 11.8 ppg – it’s not going to be close at all.
Your 60 Dime NBA Playoffs Winner #2 in a Row is the Celtics, and we’ll call for a 103-88 final.
