If the Nets made any mistake in the leadup to their Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series against the Bulls, it may have been in assuming that things were going to pretty much play out the way the regular season did.
The fight that almost nobody called for finally goes down on Saturday when Jon Jones, one of the most dominant Light Heavyweight fighters ever seen takes on a Middleweight mouthpiece that seemed to somehow talk his way into this fight – and we all know that Chael Sonnen can talk!
The falloff that everyone was expecting from Baltimore hasn’t happened…yet. Right now they are being sustained by a fantastic start from slugging first baseman Chris Davis, who is in the top 3 in the Majors in homers, RBI and average.
The Warriors tied this season with a shocking win at Denver in Game 2 where they shot lights out for the floor. They now have home court advantage in this series, which is huge since the Nuggets were a few games under .500 on the road this season.
Do you know Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock?
No?
Well, tune in tonight because they figure to be in Lakers uniforms and perhaps will comprise LAL’s starting backcourt when Gang Purple tries to keep alive its flickering playoff hopes against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the Western Conference quarterfinal series.
It’s possible that we are seeing the final few games of Kevin Garnett’s career.
Garnett and the Celtics take on the Knicks tonight in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference playoff quarterfinals, and the blood and guts of Boston’s defense is hardly at 100 percent in the most important few games of the season.
Unless the letters A, C and L are prominent in upcoming stories about the Miami Heat, LeBron James and the supporting cast will soon take care of the Milwaukee Bucks on their way toward a probable berth in the NBA Finals.
After a dominating performance at home in Game 1, Brooklyn came out flat in Game 2 and ceded home-court advantage to the Bulls with a Game 2 effort that could only be compared to a noontime YMCA pickup game.
Eastern Conference
Brooklyn Nets (1-1) at Chicago Bulls (1-1)
Thursday, April 25
United Center, Chicago
8:30 p.m. EST
Spread – Bulls -3.5 at Bovada
O/U – 181
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We were waiting to see which team would be the first to blink in the playoffs, and in the Eastern Conference it was the Nets.
With Joe Johnson (who laid a 6-for-18 egg) leading the way, the Nets shot 35 percent from the field and 4 for 21 from 3-point turf, and now find themselves in the uncomfortable position of having to find a way to win in Chicago in order to advance to the conference semis.
The Bulls are hardly a lock at the United Center, where they found a way to lose 17 games this season. But Chicago will never go down for lack of effort, and the Nets know they have to tighten things up considerably when they take the court tonight.
Nets fans are still trying to figure out what’s going on with Gerald Wallace. In Game 1 Wallace played rock solid defense on Luol Deng and scored 14 points. In the 36-plus minutes he was on the court, the Nets outscored the Bulls by 22 points. But Wallace disappeared in Game 2, going 1 for 7 from the field in 19 unproductive minutes while Brooklyn was outscored by 16 points. [ad-6571516]
Of course, Chicago’s choke-hold defense had a lot to do with the Nets’ troubles. Deng, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah all had double-digit rebound totals, taking turns checking Nets board machine Reggie Evans. Evans usually has 10 rebounds before lunch, but was held to just 8 in Game 2.
Things can change on a dime in the playoffs, but with the Bulls coming home, Brooklyn has its hands full. The key for the Nets is putting Game 2 behind them and concentrating on the task at hand, namely figuring out a way to steal back home-court advantage.
Chicago’s less-than-dominating 24-17 record at home and Brooklyn’s solid 23-18 road record would seem to indicate that the Nets have a shot at turning things around, but we like Brooklyn’s chances better in a Game 4 in Chicago. Home teams tend to dominate in emotion-changed first home games, and the Bulls seem to have found something that disrupts the Nets offense.
Looking for Chicago to make it two in a row with a cover in this one, with the winner of Game 4 taking control of the series.
The Angels are struggling to get going in April. They let some key players go over the offseason and the replacements aren’t doing much.
Thursday April 25
Safeco Field – Seattle, WA
10:10
Probable Starters:
LAA: Garrett Richards (R)
SEA: Brandon Maurer (R)
Moneyline: Los Angeles -135, Seattle +125 at Bovada
O/U: 8
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They focused on offense in bringing in Josh Hamilton from Texas and that move hasn’t really borne much fruit.
They also elected to go with a new cast of starting pitchers at the back end of the rotation and even though it is not all their fault the team ERA is the second worst in the league. Slow start or long term indicator? We will have to wait to see.
L.A. starter Garrett Richards has been kicking around as a prospect with the Angels for a while but it looks like he might be finally getting a chance. He started the season in the pen but he has made two starts now, including a very sharp outing in shutting out Detroit in which he yielded just 2 hits over 7 innings.
The Angels have a pretty good track record grooming Major League pitching so it may finally be his time.
The American League West is going to be a tough division. But it is going to be especially tough if the Mariners don’t figure out a way to beat the Astros. After yesterday’s loss they are 2-4 against Houston, contributing to their 6-11 record against division foes so far.
They can try and improve on that this weekend as they host the Angels, a team that is having some struggles of their own as well. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
Mariners starter Brandon Maurer is getting his first taste of the Majors this season. His first two outings were forgettable as the A’s and Astros feasted on him but he has dealt quality starts his last two times out, both against Texas.
He is not great but don’t be completely fooled by that 7+ ERA. Giving up 6ER in 2/3 of an inning will kill your numbers this early in the season.. He is not as highly touted as Richards though.
L.A. is the better value play as a medium favourite in this one. They are the better team on the whole with the better arm on the mound. Seattle is one of the more frustrating teams to try and figure out and when King Felix is not on the mound it is probably best to stay away.
If you win early maybe put a small play on the Angels.
O/U Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Los Angeles 6 – Seattle 5
The Clippers won both of the games in La La Land and now this series heads back East. The Clippers won the last game against he Griz in Memphis, which gave L.A. the home court advantage in this series.
Venue/ Stadium: FedExForum, Memphis, TN
Time/Date: 9:30 PM EST Thursday, April 25, 2013
NBA Odds From: BetOnline
Moneyline: Clippers +165 / Grizzlies -200 at Bovada
Spread: Grizzlies -4.5
Over/Under: 179.5
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L.A. Clippers vs. Memphis Grizzlies Preview
NBA lines have the Grizzlies as 4.5-point home favorites with a total of 179.5
In Game 2 the Clippers beat the Grizzlies 93-91.
On the season the Clippers are 46-38 ATS and they have an Over/Under record of 46-38 and the Grizzlies are 47-35-2 ATS and they have an Over/Under record of 47-35-2.
These 2 teams met in the first round of last season’s playoffs with the Clippers winning in 7 even though the Grizzlies had the home court advantage.
This season the Grizzlies are 32-9 at home and the Clippers are 24-17 on the road.
The Clippers had more points in the paint in Game 2 (50-46) and that cannot happen against, as Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph have to be the key scoring guys for the Griz and it is also key that they play solid D.
The Grizzlies really have to focus on only 2 guys in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, who were the only Clippers’ starters that scored in double figures in Game 2.
Randolph averaged over 11 rpg this season, bit in both games in L.A., he only combined to grab 12 boards. He has to be more active on the glass in this game.
The Clippers have won 9 straight games. [ad-6571516]
Mike Conley scored a game high 28 points in Game 2 and he has to score again to take the offensive pressure off Randolph and Gasol.
Last season the Grizzlies trailed the Clippers 3-1 before eventually forcing a Game 7, but this game is key for them, as they cannot fall into a 0-3 hole.
In some betting trends for this playoff series the Clippers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss, 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record, and they have an Over record of 11-4 in their last 15 games.
The Grizzlies are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall, 26-11 ATS in their last 37 home games vs. a team with a winning road record, and they have an Under record of 9-3 in their last 12 games.
The Clippers are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 games against the Grizzlies.
Jason’s Pick: Have to go with the Griz at home in this game, as I think this series will mirror last season’s one going the distance and tonight the Griz will win and cover.
It is hard to believe that the Regular Season hasn’t ended and we are talking about the New Jersey Devils’ last home game of the season but that is the situation Thursday night as they host the injury-riddled Pittsburgh Penguins, a team that they have owned at the Prudential Center the past few seasons.
NASCAR’s Sprint Cup series is back in prime time this week for the running of the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Speedway. Saturday night’s race is set to get underway at 8 p.m. and it will be broadcast nationally on FOX.
After the Toronto Blue Jays, the Los Angeles Dodgers are right up there in terms of disappointments this season.
Oh, what this series could have been. Just imagine a healthy Kobe Bryant, eyes piercing. A focused Dwight Howard itching to be recognized as the best big man in the league.
Minutes don’t matter a lot in the playoffs. Adrenaline is flowing, the games finally mean something and there is usually ample rest between battles.
Oklahoma City playing at home in the playoffs is about as close to a lock as there is in the NBA.
