Looking to stay hot this Saturday

Our record has been special of late with 30-15 mark after 3-0 Thursday. For openers we have a 37-8 run line system in the AL. The Top Trend is reverse perfect and Kendall goes right back for the kill in the NBA with FREE NBA winner. Good Luck

What I thought today- Went and saw the Brewers and D-Backs last night. Both teams have obvious shortcomings. The Brew Crew won 3-2 and a big reason in my opinion was to why the game was low scoring was all pitchers threw first pitch strikes 46 of 66 batters.

On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/3Dailywinners

Free Baseball System -1) Play On home underdogs (Oakland) with the +1.5 run line after four straight games where they stranded seven or less runners on base, with a cold starting pitcher whose ERA is 7.50 or higher over his last three starts. This RL system is 37-8, 82.2 percent, which includes 2-0 this season.

Free Baseball Trend -2) Felipe Paulino of Houston is 0-12 vs. teams averaging 2.75 or less extra base hits per game over the last two seasons.

Free Basketball Pick -3) Kendall knows a good thing when he sees it and is betting Orlando at -2 at Atlanta today.

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Is it wise to wager on Saturday’s NBA home teams?

The Utah Jazz and Atlanta Hawks are down 0-2 and neither is given much of a chance to come back in their respective series. That doesn’t mean they won’t give complete effort having slept in the own beds and will feel the energy of the home crowd once they hit the floor. But does either team really have enough, can they play a complete game with the minimum amount of failures and get back into the series to make it interesting at the very least. For the sports bettor, this is what to look for if you want to play these teams.

In primetime on ABC at 8:00 Eastern, Utah is looking forward to adding one more weapon to their depleted arsenal, with Andrei Kirilenko “AK47”, expected to play after missing most of two months with a strained left calf.

Kirilenko is unlikely to be a major factor, but if he can limit Kobe Bryant defensively, while invigorating the offense, that becomes a positive for the Jazz.

Utah is 35-9 and 29-13-2 ATS in home games this season and needs to make an adjustment that is contrary to how they play. Coach Jerry Sloan’s motion offense has again led to Utah being one of the top shooting teams in the NBA at 49 percent, but after awhile, you can’t keep going into the paint against the taller Lakers and have shots stamped “return to sender” continually.

Utah has had 20 blocked field goal attempts already in this series and might be better served to drive and kick out to shooters or use drive-and-stab dribble to create 10-foot shots instead of facing rejections or altered shots.

The Jazz are not going to beat Los Angeles by playing swarming defense, they have to out-shoot them. In Utah’s last 10 wins over the Lakers at home, they have had the higher shooting percentage nine times. In fact, the team that shoots the ball better is 14-1-1 ATS in Salt Lake City since Nov. 3, 2004.

The Jazz are 4.5-point favorites with total of 202.5. Utah is 18-6 ATS as a home favorite of six points or less and 15-6 OVER in double revenge situations. The Lakers are seemingly much better than Utah and appear to get bored when building any substantial lead but are 18-7 ATS after consecutive contests forcing opponent to commit 11 or less turnovers.

It’s hard to believe NBA analyst and former coach Hubie Brown is 76 years old, as he still can make watching an NBA game a pleasure, breaking down the teams and players for the more sophisticated fan, yet make salient understandable points for the casual observer. Brown also has the gift of criticizing a player in a manner that isn’t demeaning but fair, but later finding a positive about that same player later in a telecast, just like a coach.

Brown has had plenty of ammo to work with watching the Atlanta. The Hawks were a no-show in Game 1, losing to Orlando by eye-popping 43 points. As presumed, Atlanta showed much more resolve in the next contest and was tied at 83 with the Magic after three quarters.
However, NBA basketball is about performing when it matters most, the fourth quarter.

Atlanta is like a lot of NBA teams, they lacked that killer instinct to take care of opponent in the last 12 minutes and they were outscored 28-15 by Orlando in the final stanza.

For this 5:00 Eastern matchup on ESPN, Atlanta is 8-3-1 ATS off a double digit defeat and has to make up their minds they want to play all 48 minutes. This team had impressive wins in the regular season over good clubs and has to bring that same fire for all four quarters. The other component necessary to victory is Mike Bibby playing like a point guard of distinction.

Atlanta has just 28 assists in two games vs. Orlando and Bibby has a grand total of four. Coach Mike Woodson’s team to often lapses into dribbling without purpose, running down the shot clock and taking forced shot attempts. As John Hollinger of ESPN points out, Bibby’s postseason play has been the weakest of the remaining point guards still in the tournament and the Hawks are not talented enough to hide his poor play like the Lakers can do with Derek Fisher or someone else that comes off the bench in Los Angeles. Bibby’s team needs him, it’s time for his to deliver.

The Hawks are catching 2.5-points as home dogs and they will have to do better than 1-8 ATS off a SU loss if they want to continue this series beyond four games. Going up against the hottest team in the playoffs will test their fortitude, since Orlando is on 12-game winning streak and is awe-inspiring 11-1 ATS.

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NBA Big 3’s not what used to be

The world moves along at warp speed and today’s My Space is quickly replaced by Facebook in what seems like no time at all. The same is true in the NBA; bring up the term –Big Three- and who doesn’t think of NBA championships with San Antonio and Boston. But like boxer Shane Mosley found out recently, father times waits for no one and you can be discarded rather quickly when the latest thing comes around the corner. Watch for this in the NBA playoff tilts tonight.

Cleveland at Boston 7:00E ESPN

It was just two years ago; General Manager Danny Ainge formed his version of VH1’s “super group”, bringing together Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to play with Paul Pierce. This was immediate success as the trio matched skills perfectly and did ESPN commercials on the way to NBA championship.

But that was then. Now KG cannot play a full season as his once youthful legs are betraying him. Allen can still run an opponent crazy going thru a maze of screens, but the quick-triggered jumper is not as reliable as the old days. Pierce was main force in the championship season and he was “the man” whenever Boston needed a clutch basket. Today he is more of a role player, an additional scorer, not someone who can be counted on regularly.

Its new era in Bean-Town and Rajon Rondo is the new leader. The Celtics now go where Rondo takes them.

After a disappointing regular season that left Boston as the fourth seed, The Three Amigos are trying to keep up with the speedy Rondo and are 5-2 SU and ATS in the postseason. The Celtics have been playing tremendous basketball, really only having the equivalent of four less than desirable quarters of hoops among its seven games that accounted for both losses.

Rondo is not about numbers, he’s about results. His outside shooting is below average, he still goes “Road Runner” fast and commits more turnovers than necessary, but he’s smarter player today.

Rondo finds the open man sooner, he will make a steal and be gone two steps before his opponent even reacts and runs down a rebound like he knew the angle of the miss just as the shooter released the ball.

After earning split in Cleveland, Rondo and his teammates truly believe they are better than the Cavaliers and he will to abuse more Cavs defenders.

Sportsbooks have Boston as single point home underdogs and the Celtics are 8-2-1 ATS when catching 4.5-point or fewer points at TD Garden and will try to keep lethargic Cleveland squad playing the same way.

When Cleveland fans here about elbow problems, baseball is what usually comes to mind. It’s quite evident LeBron James is laboring with this issue, but this doesn’t mean the rest of the team can’t make shoot and play defense. The Cavs have been outplayed for 6 ½ quarters in this series and everyone will find out a lot in Game 3 about a team that is 7-3 ATS off a double digit home loss.

Phoenix at San Antonio 9:30E ESPN

The Spurs have to win four of their next five games to advance to West Finals and even having its three stars might not be enough to make that occur.

Basketball is five on five with every player having a job to do. Though Tony Parker is coming off the bench, he’s playing starter minutes. (36:05 in Game 2) And even if you take bench scoring in the literal sense, San Antonio was outscored 31-24 by players that came off the Phoenix chairs, which was essentially the difference in 110-102 final.

Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili have been carrying this franchise for years, unfortunately they can’t do it alone and need more help. This helps explain 11-25 ATS record revenging a road loss over the last two seasons. Richard Jefferson was moreeffective in last contest, but Antonio McDyess and Matt Bonner were non-factors.

Phoenix on the other hand showed the depth of the Chinese Red Army. The Suns starters were a step slow, out of rhythm and playing mediocre basketball as they trailed 30-21 after the first quarter.

Coach Alvin Gentry had just pleaded with his team to give more effort and in came Jared Dudley, Channing Frye and Louis Amundson and instead of folding like a burrito on Cinco de Mayo, Phoenix exploded with increased energy, scoring, rebounding and playing tighter defense. The starters watched as their teammates led the surge on San Antonio and by halftime the game was knotted up at 51.

Dudley in particular was the star of stars. "He was my player of the game -- he made some huge plays for us," Steve Nash said. "He did a bunch of things that more than anything gave us energy and confidence and changed the game and enabled us to come back and tie at halftime just because of his energy and spirit."

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich seconded that notion: "Jared Dudley changed the whole game. He came in and was a monster. He was committed to the boards, and it was infectious."

The Spurs need this type of player to help the power trio against Suns team that is shining bright with 20-4 and 17-6-1 ATS record since Mar.14. San Antonio is six-point favorite with total of 205.5 and is 8-3 ATS off a straight up and spread loss. This is a conflict they need to take control of throughout and are 10-3-1 UNDER at home vs. teams with a winning road record.

Phoenix has covered eight of last 11 contests as road underdogs and is 17-6 OVER away from Arizona after consecutive games as a home favorite.

MLB Series Wagering - Rays at A's

Going to go against the grain, while the Yankees and Red Sox will hog a lot of the headlines this weekend in Major League Baseball, the fact is neither is in first place. The real action this Mother’s Day weekend is in the Bay Area where two American League teams are playing and each starts their three game series atop their division.

The last team to start the season 21-7 like Tampa Bay was the 2005 Chicago White Sox, who went on to win the World Series. The last AL team to have an ERA under three (the Rays are at 2.84) this far into a new campaign was the White Sox five years ago and they won the World Series.

You get the picture; Tampa Bay is off to sensational start, thanks to great pitching and an everyday lineup that is averaging 6.0 runs per contest, the best in the bigs.

“Right now, we’re going to ride this as long as we can,” manager Joe Maddon said. “Obviously, the starting pitching has been fabulous. … I believe we can play to this standard for a long time.”

The Rays arrive in Oakland with a four game winning streak after sweeping Seattle and are just the fourth team in the last 49 years to start 12-1 or better on the road. Tampa Bay isn’t just beating other clubs in their own park, they are pulverizing them, winning by 4.7 RPG. They will start David Price (3-1, 2.34 ERA) in the opener, the top pick in the 2007 draft. The left-hander is living up to his considerable potential has given up three runs or fewer in each of his five starts.

Oakland has something not many would have expected in the first full weekend of May, a winning record. The A’s won their series over Texas this week and is tied for first in the AL West.

Oakland will trot out their talented lefty Gio Gonzalez (3-1, 3.45), who has cut down on his walks which has kept him out of bad innings. At 24, for the first time in his career, he is mixing his low-90’s fastball with big breaking curve, showcasing his swing-and-miss stuff on a regular basis. Gonzalez has more strikeouts (27) than hits allowed (23) and has not conceded a home run in his last four starts.

The red-hot Rays are a -155 money line favorite Friday night with total Un7.5 and are 79-23 as a favorite of -150 or more and are 12-2 OVER against teams with a winning record. The teams last met in Florida on Apr. 28, with the A’s falling 10-3. Oakland is just 3-7 as home underdog and is 15-4 UNDER revenging a road loss of six runs or more over the last three seasons.

Game 1 Edge: Oakland

The Athletics are well aware how good Tampa Bay is having dropped a pair to them in 2010. They respect what they have accomplished but are not intimidated by the former Devil Rays.

“They've got a good lineup -- a lot of runners and also some good power," said Oakland catcher Landon Powell. "But I like our team, too. You go out there any day [and] any team can win, so we're going to try and do our best and see what happens."

The A’s might have one edge in the final two games of the series being played under natural sunlight; they are 8-3 in the day time. Skipper Bob Geren gives the ball to Ben Sheets (1-3, 7.12) whose returning from injury. After a number of adequate starts, Sheets has been ripped for 19 hits and 17 runs in last two outings, serving up batting practice pitches that opposing hitters have taken yard five times. Oakland has won just once in six starts by Sheets but is 8-3 on Saturday’s.

The second best pitching prospect in the Rays organization behind Price is the Game 2 start Wade Davis (3-1, 2.79). The right-hander has 93-94 MPH fastball, with what scouts call a “plus hard curve”. Even with his obvious skills, Davis best attribute is his unflappable nature and supreme composure. Tampa has won Davis’ prior four starts and is sparkling 7-0 vs. RH hurlers.

Game 2 Edge: Tampa Bay

If A’s can earn a split coming series finale, they have history on their side. Tampa Bay has won five on last nine meetings in Oakland, but has a long dismal history of failure in Oak-Town with 12-34 record coming into the series.

James Shields (4-0, 3.15) is the elder statesmen of the staff at 28 and will try to keep his club on the winning track. The right-hander has reputation working both sides of the plate with his hard stuff and a spinner curveball. Shields’ has arguably the best change-up in the AL and will throw it on any count. He is 4-1 with a 3.59 ERA in nine career starts against Oakland.

The white-clad Athletics counter with Dallas Braden (3-2, 4.14) who has five quality starts in six games, with the one bad coming against the Rays and Shields (6 runs and 8 hits in 4 innings). Braden has short over the top delivery and likes to cut his fastball to keep it away from RH batters. When he uses his curve, prefers big sweeper to lefties and downward motion to hitters on the other side of the box. Braden has a 2-1 record with a 2.67 ERA in four home starts this season and has brilliant strikeout-to-walk ratio of 19-3 at the Oakland Coliseum. Look for manager Maddon to load up with RH swingers since Braden is permitting .229 BA to lefties and .274 to righties.

Game 3 Edge: Tampa Bay

It might be intriguing to bet the A’s in this series, but it wouldn’t make sense. Tampa Bay is the best team in baseball because they score runs and don’t allow many. They have allowed more than eight base hits twice in their last 11 contests.

Oakland only bats .252 as team and they are ninth in runs scored at 4.3 in the junior circuit. If they can grab a lead in the late innings the A’s would have a chance, since they are the only team in baseball without a blown save (6-0), however the Rays are patient as the dish drawing over four walks a game.

Now does not appear to be the time to bet against Tampa Bay.

Sportsbook series odds: Tampa Bay -190, Oakland +150

3Daily Winners Pick: Tampa Bay

2010 Record – 2-2


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Thursday's Top Action and cool story

Cinco de Mayo was not good to us with 1-2 day so a couple of Corona’s later uncovered a system in the AL at over 83 percent. The Top Trend follows the exploits of a pitcher from Brew Town and Kendall thinks you would have to be blitzed to go against his Free Play. (He didn’t really say that) Good Luck

What I saw today- In case you missed, there are actually a few good ones left.

http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/devil_ball_golf/post/When-losing-a-golf-tournament-really-makes-you-a?urn=golf,238912

On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/3Dailywinners

Free Baseball System -1) Play Against all underdogs like the M’s with a money line of +125 to +175 with a team batting average of .260 or less, against strong AL starting pitcher (ERA of 3.50 or less), currently hitting .200 or worse over their last three games. A 49-10 record seems like a very nice fit.

Free Baseball Trend -2) David Bush of Milwaukee is 7-24 as a road underdog of +100 to +125.

Free Basketball Pick -3) Kendall is 9-3 in all his plays this week and takes Orlando to win and cover (just not by 43 and 34 respectively).

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Run Line or Money Line – Yankees case study

The New York Yankees name and brand is known everywhere. Go any place in the world either walking or driving and you are bound to see a Yankees hat or t-shirt. When it comes to betting, the same is true, everyone knows the Bronx Bombers and their storied history and whether you love them or loathe them, everybody has an opinion on the Yankees and those setting the numbers on them are well aware of this fact.

Needless to say, it does not make a lot sense to bet against New York, as for well over a decade they have been the best team in baseball year in year out.

The Yankees success has led to frequently inflated money lines by oddsmakers, as they know the wagering public may root for an underdog from time to time, but when it comes down to placing money on wagers, favorites will get the call the vast majority of the time.

With New York having the best talent money can buy or trade for, the Yankees are often a -200 or more ML favorites and each loss suffered in this realm means at least two other victories are required to break even or show a profit.

It is often suggested by handicappers or others in wagering forums to reduce the risk of betting the Yankees from time to time, instead bet them as large favorites on the run line (-1.5). Here you are predicting New York wins by two or more runs and if they don’t, your risk is basically cut in half.

The question becomes is this the right strategy?

Broke down last year’s championship regular season on New York and focused first on them being a -155 or higher money line favorite. Of their 162 games, the Bombers were placed in this role 82 times or just over half their contests played, which is rather hefty baggage.

For those not familiar, a -200 favorite is a 66.6 percent choice to win, basically 2-1 and manager Joe Girardi’s club was 58-24, 70.7 win percentage when a -155 or higher betting pick.
As you might imagine, a number of the 24 defeats were extremely pricey (five at -285 or higher) and it really cut into potential profits. For their 58 wins in this circumstance, Derek Jeter and teammates showed a meager ML profit of +7.2 units winning seven out of 10 games as decided favorites.

Instead of picking and choosing run lines, let’s convert all 82 contests as good to oversized chalk into run lines.

The first bit of news is somewhat depressing, as 10 of the 58 wins were one run victories, giving us 10 more losses for wagering purposes and lowering our winning percentage to 58.5 percent, wagering on the run line.

However, many of our regular wins came with increased profits on the run line. Of our 48 W’s that covered the spread (-1.5), 26 of them were in the range of -155 to -190 and instead of having a +100 profit on triumphs, the profits were +105 or greater. Those 26 wins provided rewards of +30.55 units.

Now for the math lesson on ML vs. RL.

Our 58-24 ML record added up this way.

58 units – 50.2 units = +7.8 units

But take our poorer spread record (48-34) and do the math.

New York had 26 wins that generated +30.55 to go along with the other 22 wins that added up +22 more units.

Our original 24 defeats moved over to run line bets lost -26.3 units and the new 10 extra losses against the spread cost an additional -10.5 units. Nonetheless look at the difference.

30.55 + 22 = 52.55 (-) 26.3 + 10.5 = -36.8
52.55 - 36.8 = +15.7 units

The +15.7 units of profit on the RL nearly double’s the amount made of betting the Yankees on the money line in same exact situations. What looks more enticing to you?

Another story frequently spoken in sports betting circles is taking the Yankees as -150 or smaller favorites because of the “value” you are getting on them as compared to higher prices. While this might be true to a point, it’s certainly not a fact.

Last year A-Rod and the fellas were -105 to -150 favorites 56 times, just over a third of the schedule, thus making the argument of “rare” opportunity sound ridiculous. In those games, Steinbrenner’s crew was 33-23 for +3.3 units of profit.

However, upon digging further, if the sage bettor bet the Pinstripes on the run line in price range of -130 to -150 they would have came away with +5.2 units in spite of 9-8 record or better than playing New York as “valued” favorite 56 times.

The Yankees are the most exaggerated team when it comes to paying the price, nevertheless public teams like Boston, Philadelphia, the Cubs or the Dodgers when they are playing well could well show more profits betting them daily on the run line vs. the money line as good-sized favorites.

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Are the Atlanta Hawks already finished?

The source of the question you are about to read might seem a little strange, but it turns out to be exactly correct in breaking down Atlanta and Orlando series. “Is the anticipation of some future pleasure better than the actual experience?”

Winnie the Pooh posed that question before eating honey and the Hawks of Atlanta are wondering the same thing in saying “…we’re looking forward to seeing what we can do in the playoffs against Orlando”. After being trounced by 43 points (Atlanta missed a push against the spread by a mere 34 digits) the first thought that comes to mind is “really?”

Atlanta was actually competitive for the first 12 minutes, trailing only 25-23 and they went into somnolence. The Birds scored a grand total of 21 points in the middle two quarters and gave new meaning to the NBA Playoff slogan “Amazing is ……?

Coach Mike Woodson could go to Home Depot, buy all the paint his credit card would allow and it still wouldn’t cover up this stink bomb.

After a one game reprieve against a Milwaukee club that in all fairness isn’t in Atlanta’s world talent-wise, the Hawks reverted back to being the Hawks on the playoff road. Now 2-11 ATS (aver. loss 19.9 PPG) on postseason excursions, Atlanta showed exactly why they don’t belong with NBA elite.

After passing the ball around for a few first quarter assists and buckets, Woodson proved he really has no control of this team as Joe “iso” Johnson and Jamal “shot craver” Crawford were a combined 5 for 22 from the field, which is truly “amazing”.

The Hawks are 4-18 ATS away from home versus good teams outscoring opponents by three or more points a game after the mid-point of the season the last three years and might have to use Dictionary.com to look up the word – team.

Josh Smith was the only player that had a descent stat sheet with 7-14 shooting and three steals, but he took silly fouls and continues to play “street ball” on an NBA court. In his defense, just think what Atlanta would have shot (they were 34.6 percent) for game if Smith had not made half his shots?

Dwight Howard only played just over 28 minutes, but this time it wasn’t because of foul trouble, it was because it was a total demolition by Orlando. Howard had 21 points, 12 boards and five blocks and the only word that came to mind watching Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia trying to stop “Superman” was “helpless”. In fact, the Atlanta big men really wanted so little to do with Howard he couldn’t find enough of their players to commit his usual three or four reckless fouls.

Oddsmakers can’t overreact to 43-point cave-ins and the Hawks are 9.5-point underdogs, with total of 189.5. Maybe a hug and drinking from their favorite sippy-cup will make Atlanta feel all better and even after being throttled; they are 8-1 ATS after scoring 85 or fewer points.

Coach Stan Van Gundy probably wouldn’t mind a competitive contest, since it appears the next round could be coming soon and his team is 29-12 ATS after playing a home game this season. Orlando is 30-14 UNDER after scoring 110 points or more and the unimposing Hawks are 20-7 UNDER revenging a road loss of 10 points or more.

Stayed tuned to ESPN at 8:00 Eastern to witness the next massacre or if Atlanta can really play with heart, for a change.

Blue Jays flying into red hot system

The Toronto Blue Jays were thought to be lock to be in the basement of the American League East, instead they are 16-13 (+5.6 units) and in third place, ahead of the Boston Red Sox at this juncture.

The Chicago White Sox started the season with what many baseball experts thought was the best four starting pitchers in the junior circuit. Thus far only one of them has pitched up to capabilities and instead of being Central Division contender, the White Sox are 12-16 (-6) and a full seven games behind front-running Minnesota.

Toronto’s confounding start is because of arms, not necessarily bats in 2010. The Blue Jays are tied with Tampa Bay for the most quality starts at 18 in the AL and collectively the entire staff has been mowing down opposing batters with league-leading 230 strikeouts.

Tonight’s starter Dana Eveland (2-1, 4.77 ERA, 1.588 WHIP) is not a pitcher who blows batter’s away (13 K’s in 28.1 innings), however he doesn’t make the big mistake and has only given up one home run every 14 innings roughly this year.

Toronto’s team batting average in 12th at .238, however they are fifth in run scored thanks to leading the AL with 43 home runs, led by Vernon Wells at eight.

Every Chicago starter has an ERA over five except for John Danks (3-0, 1.85, 1.000), who has been the one pillar of strength on the South Side.

The left-hander has had to be sharp, with the Pale Hose ninth in runs score in the AL at 4.2 and last in hitting with pitiful .229 average. The Sox are below the Mendoza Line with runners in scoring position (.199), which is last in the majors.

“He has continued to throw the ball well since spring training,” manager Ozzie Guillen told the White Sox’s official website. “He’s on the right track and hopefully every time we go out there we can put some runs up for him.”

Sportsbooks view the pitching matchup as quite a disparity with Chicago a -190 money line favorite. This series opener also falls into quite a winning system.

Play Against road underdogs with a money line of +150 or more, who have team batting average of .260 or less, against a good AL starting pitcher with ERA of 4.20 or less, with their hurler giving up one or fewer home runs every two starts.

Chicago already comes into this game feeling good after crushing Kansas City 9-2 last night and is 21-6 at home after scoring nine runs or more. Since 1997, today’s system is 86-19, 81.9 percent and has been particularly potent the last three years at remarkable 21-2. Over the years this system also lends itself to run line potential, with the favorite winning by 2.2 runs per contest in the 105 games played.

It is true the Blue Jays have won four in a row, but they are going to lose eventually and tonight looks like it might that time.

It's Cinco de Mayo - Stay thirsty my friends

Oh yea, that more like it, two for Tuesday. For Cinco de Mayo (wearing my new Los Suns jersey) have an MLB Super System that is 84.1 percent. The Top Trend is beauty and Paul Buck will have Free Pick before you know it, like right now. Good Luck

What I’m thinking today- Hey Atlanta, just a heads up. The second round of the playoffs has started. Yea, I know you are a bit tuckered out from seven games against inferior Milwaukee team and it would have been nice to take nap every day with your favorite blanket like Orlando did after sweeping the Jordan’s.

Well I checked with the NBA and everyone on your team gets a merit badge for attending Game 1. Oh sure you lost by 43, it happens. Don’t worry about shooting 34.6 percent, at least Josh Smith was 7-14 and he got a lollipop from the trainer for doing his best like a good boy.

For your next game against the Magic, I like to make one small suggestion, when the coach yells “Box out” that means you get in front of you man, not stand behind him and get out-rebounded by 18.

So you Hawks, you get ready to do your best and don’t worry about the outcome, because the most important things in life is trying hard and updating your Twitter and Facebook accounts.

On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/3Dailywinners

Free Baseball System -1) Play Against road underdogs like the Halos with a money line of +100 to +150, being an AL team with a low on-base percentage of .320 or worse, against a team with a good bullpen (WHIP of 1.350 or less), with a scary bad bullpen whose WHIP is 1.550 or worse on the season. Over the last five seasons this systems calculates at 37-7.

Free Baseball Trend -2) The Houston Astros are 1-12 off consecutive losses.

Free Basketball Pick -3) Paul Buck is on the Chicago Cubs in the Steel City.

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Spurs must control tempo to even series

This series without question is the clash wills and desire to play different games. Phoenix won and covered the series opener 111-102 as 4.5-point favorites because they were able to control the pace of the game for longer periods of time than San Antonio. The Spurs made a couple of incredible runs by playing their preferred style, but ultimately it wasn’t enough and they were defeated.

Steve Nash just abused George Hill in the first half, making the second year guard look like a second year player being schooled. Nash used change of pace dribbles, went between his legs on strong cross-over moves and left Hill dumbfounded with one-step three-pointers and one-handed floaters.

This forced Gregg Popovich to use Tony Parker on Nash, which worked for the most part in slowing Nash down as scorer, but he was still able to find the open man for 10 assists to compliment his 33 points.

“He ran it down our throat," Spurs coach Popovich said.

Defining the Spurs weakness is relatively simple. When San Antonio plays against teams that push the pace, taking a large volume of shots and are winning club, they struggle.
Forget about the Golden State’s, Sacramento’s and Indiana’s of the world that take a vast number of attempts because their players are more interested in stats than winning, look for quality.

This season the Spurs are 3-9 and 2-10 ATS versus Phoenix, Denver and Utah, all teams that accelerate pace.

Why do they struggle, start with Tim Duncan. The future Hall of Famer has turned that odometer over several times in his 13 years in the league and played a record low 31.3 minutes per game this season. Duncan can no longer run up down the floor effortlessly with his stiff and sore knees and his lateral quickness is virtually gone.

The Spurs do not have defensive stoppers like Bruce Bowen and usable big men like they had in the past. Nazr Mohammed and Rasho Nesterovic could clog the lane and block shots from recent championship teams.

This is bore out with San Antonio being 1-9 ATS in road games when both teams score 98 or more points this season. They were only 4-4 SU and ATS against average teams like Memphis and Houston who preferred to play at faster clip.

This Spurs team has to ride the brake, maximizing points per possession while squeezing the life out of opponent like they did against Dallas.

That means running the offense thru Duncan and Manu Ginobili with Tony Parker and Richard Jefferson making themselves available.

Popovich’s team is a 2.5-point underdog with total of 205.5. The black-clad Spurs are 11-24 ATS revenging a road loss and have to gain control early and force more contested three-point attempts by Phoenix. This club does not have ability to get in shooting match behind the arc (4-19 in Game 1) and is better suited to play under control with Duncan and teammates running at their own pace instead of chasing opponents.

This TNT telecast starts at 9:00 Eastern and San Antonio is 16-5 UNDER as a road underdog of three points or less.

Philadelphia and Vancouver pleased to be home

The Flyers and Canucks gladly return home. Philadelphia has tennis in mind tonight trying to hold serve in their rink and get back into series. Vancouver earned the always desired split on the road in the first two contests, however it was the manner in which it happened that left them unfulfilled. Two home teams with the same thought process, protect home ice.

Boston at Philadelphia 7:00E VERSUS

It’s often funny how life works, especially if you are goalie Brian Boucher of Philadelphia. Boucher has been around the NHL for a number of years and was in goal in his first go-round with the Flyers a decade ago when they trailed Pittsburgh 0-2 in playoff series. Thanks in part to some of his heroics, Philadelphia rallied and overcame the deficit for just the second time in their history. Boucher will be called on again 10 years later to perform the same miracle.

“We were pretty down going to Pittsburgh, feeling pretty bad about ourselves,” Boucher said.

“We had not played well the first two games. We’re at home here. That’s one of the advantages. To be honest, we could probably play a bit better.”

The Flyers will look to achieve flying start on home ice and get back into this Eastern semi-final and have five of last six at Wachovia Center, including four in a row.

Philly hasn’t played poorly, just lacking that something extra that wins games.

“It’s not that we’ve played bad, but just play with more desperation than we’ve shown the last two games,” forward Danny Briere said. “We need a little bit more of the way we played in the first round against Jersey, kind of take their will away. I think we can do a better job of that.”

The Flyers as -155 money line favorites with total at Ov5; however they are just 5-13 revenging consecutive losses to same foe in favorite’s role. Philly is 13-3 UNDER off a one goal defeat.

Boston comes in brimming with confidence with the offense clicking, having score 12 goals in last three contests, the most since they totaled 14 in three games way back on Dec. 5-12. The Bruins are 40-16 having won three of four and are 14-5 UNDER as visitors with three or more straight wins.

Chicago at Vancouver 9:30E VERSUS

The Canucks waylaid Chicago 5-1 in the opening contest of the series and grabbed a 2-0 lead in Game 2 in the Windy City, but left their killer instinct in the locker room and let the Blackhawks off the hook.

Vancouver had only 15 shots in the final 55 minutes (zero in two critical third period power play chances), as Chicago scored the last four goals of the contest and evened the series.
Never has a road split felt so hollow. The Canucks have ghosts in their closets and need to get past these events in order to win the series. Last season they lost an eerily similar game to Chicago in the fourth game of the playoffs and never recovered, losing in six.

"We’re not even thinking like that right now,” Canucks forward Ryan Kesler said. “Game 4 last year is out of our mind. You guys are acting like it’s over. It’s not over by any means. We lost a game. So what? We could have been up 2-0. So what?”

Though Kesler comes off a little testy, he has to feel good about being back at the GM Place where Vancouver is 32-12 this campaign.

The Canucks top center Henrik Sedin was asked what his team learned from Monday’s fallout. “We played on the outside too much,” Sedin said. “We didn’t create enough offensively.” His club is 13-4 off a road loss by two goals or more this season.

Chicago’s advantage coming into the series was bigger, stronger forwards against Vancouver’s ordinary defense and with Ben Eager and Adam Burish back in the lineup (missed Game 1 with lingering ailments) the Hawks were more aggressive in offensive end and won the physical battle.

“They put their meat in the lineup and they did the job,” defenseman Shane O’Brien of Vancouver said. “Their guys are going hard to the net, snowing (Luongo), bumping him, slashing him. We’ve got to play a lot meaner, a whole lot grittier.

“It’s playoff time. I was upset with the way we kind of didn’t respond physically and emotionally. There has been a lot of talk about the fine line of not scrumming up, this and that. But at the end of the day, we’re playing for the Stanley Cup here. You’ve got to push back. Show them that you want it.”

Vancouver is -150 ML pick and is 11-2 after conceding two or more goals in third period. With total at Ov6, the Canucks are 6-0 OVER at home in the second round of the playoffs.

Chicago will attempt to use the momentum they created and are 16-3 after lighting the lamp four or more times at the United Center.

Tuesday's Lineup of Winners (I hope)

Three undistinguished days in a row leaves at 23-13, time to come back with some winners like a Top Trend in hockey or what about Paul hitting Free NBA selection. We have a number of good choices from our article on MLB systems today. Good Luck

What I’m thinking today- What is wrong with the Cleveland Cavaliers? No sense of urgency, very tentative and their supposed rock solid defense has more holes than in the Arizona/Mexico border.

Isn’t it great their will one NBA game each of the next two days with two series having three or more days off? After the NBA got its ass whipped by 3 to 1 in viewers by the NFL Draft, might be time to rethink this stupid strategy and just keep playing and have The Finals start on June 1 after the sweeps are done on TV.

On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/3Dailywinners

Free Baseball System -1) See system listed below.

Free Hockey Trend -2) Pittsburgh is 9-0 off a home loss by two goals or more this season.

Free Basketball Pick -3) Paul Buck is 8-2 in last 10 NBA wagers and has Orlando in Game 1.

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Baseball Systems that are a home run

It’s the first full week of May baseball action and on this Tuesday a number of high quality baseball systems standout. A number of underdogs are really up against solid situations that in the past have been very profitable by playing against them. Will this happen again, read on and make your own decisions.

Baltimore at N.Y. Yankees 7:05E

The Orioles swept Boston over the weekend, but reality came calling in the form of Yankee pinstripes, ending Baltimore’s brief euphoria. The O’s are 10th in the American League in batting at .246 and they will face A.J. Burnett (3-0, 2.43 ERA) as +220 money line underdogs. Here we find road underdogs of +150 or more, batting .260 or less against a good AL starting pitcher (ERA <=4.20) , with a starting hurler that gives up 0.5 or less home runs a start are unbecoming 18-84 since 1997.

N.Y. Mets at Cincinnati 7:10E

The Mets have lost three in a row after their eight game winning streak was snapped and are +130 road dogs in the Queen City. Other than last night, the starting pitchers have been roughed up forcing a top notch New York bullpen (2.60 ERA) to start piling up the innings. Surprisingly, underdogs with ML of +100 to +150, with an excellent bullpen whose ERA is 3.00 or better on the season, having worked three straight games throwing four or more innings, are 30-9.

L.A. Angels at Boston 7:10E

The Angels of Anaheim are having serious pitching problems. Among their 15 losses on the year, nine have been by four runs or more, including last night’s 17-8 pasting to the Red Sox, their fourth consecutive road loss. The Halos are +175 dogs and non-favorites being outscored by 0.5 or more runs a game on the season after allowing 15 runs or more are alarming 7-39.

Detroit at Minnesota 8:10E

Joe Mauer might be out of the line-up, yet Minnesota keeps punching the ball around the yard and is second in the AL in batting average (.279) and third in runs scored at 5.4 per contest. In game two of their series with division rival Detroit, the Twins are -135 favorites and home chalk of -125 to -175, batting .290 or better over their last 20 games in May, are sharp 43-10 since 2006.

Colorado at San Diego 10:05E

The Rockies got a much needed win last night in San Diego. Colorado’s pitching staff has been ravaged by injuries. Though the bullpen has a fine 2.48 ERA, they are three of six in save opportunities.

Colorado acquired Greg Smith to be a left-handed starter and thus far his results are atrocious with 7.33 ERA. The Rockies have lost Smith’s last three outings since he has performed even worse with 9.53 ERA and bloated WHIP of 2.471.

Colorado might be catching +135 on the ML, however road underdogs of +100 to +150 with a bad bullpen that blows 38 percent or more of their save opportunities, using a nasty starting pitcher whose WHIP is 2.250 or higher over his last three starts are 7-33, 17.5 percent the previous five seasons.

Orlando vs Atlanta Series Outlook

The Magic and Hawks took opposite paths to this series matchup, Orlando using only four games, while Atlanta was pushed to full seven. However, this is what the Hawks wanted, they are out to prove they are an elite club deserving of being in the final four of NBA tournament, while this is another stop on the way for the team from central Florida, wanting to repeat as conference champions. What is set to occur, read on.

(2) Orlando vs (3) Atlanta

If the Orlando Magic is a little tight to start Eastern Conference semi-final series with Atlanta don’t be shocked. Not tight like in nervous, more in the muscles being strained, as they haven’t played a NBA game since Mar. 26 in being the only NBA team to sweep opponent.

Though Orlando needed only four contests to send the Bobcats packing, a similar performance could send them home before Memorial Day. Dwight "Foul-On-U" Howard played roughly 54 percent of the time against Charlotte and it had nothing to do with being tired or the Magic being far ahead. Howard was continually in foul trouble and was WAY to easily frustrated by the antics of Bobcats big men and let his ego matter more than the team.

Though Atlanta coach Mike Woodson will not be mentioned in the same sentence with Larry Brown as astute NBA coaching legends, he will learn from what the Charlotte was able to do and work to have Howard take himself out of the game instead of being dominate force.

Vince Carter shot 35.7 percent in first playoff series with Orlando, that won’t cut it against Atlanta. Carter was too tentative and fell back into comfort zone of hoisting jumps shots. (Though he’s not that accomplished at making them) He has to be willing to put the ball on the deck, drive to the rim, get fouled and make free throws to create more wide open chances for jumpers.

If those two players perform up to capabilities, Orlando could have another short series, since Jameer Nelson, Matt Barnes and Mickael Pietrus were burying three’s like “Fito” with his bone in the backyard. In many ways Nelson is the key performer among this trio, as he can force Atlanta to sit Mike Bibby, since he is not a good defender any longer and make the Hawks use Jamal Crawford as more two-way player.

Orlando won three of four meetings with Southeast Division partner, with average margin of victory 22.1 points per game. The Magic come into this series 40-19 ATS having won 12 or more of their last 15 games.

Coach Woodson wants to believe his club learned something about itself and it will carry over into this next series. Realistically, except for fourth quarter collapse in Game 5, the Hawks have played very good defense for three games and started sharing the ball in the last six quarters.

Atlanta players don’t have to run isolations time after time to score, they get much better offensive flow by passing, cutting and finding open shooters. Though Milwaukee lacked the height to compete with the Hawks inside, the increased offensive movement made them a much better offensive rebounding team which will be a requirement in this series, especially if it leads to fouls on Howard.

On defense, Atlanta was able to pressure the Bucks guards with greater persistence and they will have to have that same gumption with all the Orlando shooters.

To start the series, the better strategy for the Hawks is to man-up the Magic and keep in contact with their sharp-shooters and hope Al Horford can force Howard out to around 10 feet and keep him away from the rim. What hurts Atlanta is when they allow dribble penetration, setting up Howard for easy dunks because of help defense and three-point marksmen are left alone to hit the bulls-eye.

Joe Johnson and Crawford have to be the offensive catalysts as scorers and facilitators. Horford, Josh Smith and Marvin Williams are much better players when they receive passes in their comfort zone.

"We're confident," Hawks center Horford said. "I think we've figured out if we play hard defensively we always give ourselves a chance to win games. And we just have to come out and match their intensity. They have a lot of good shooters, they have Dwight inside. It's going to be a challenge... but we're excited." Atlanta is 5-18 ATS on the road in all playoff games.

Atlanta will have no better chance to grab the upper hand feeding off the momentum of series win and Orlando being rusty for first contest. The Hawks players, at least outwardly believe they can win two series for the first time in franchise history since moving to Atlanta in 1968. That means playing at a level they are not accustomed to and doing whatever it takes. From talent perspective, they could pull the upset, but Orlando is a bad matchup for them with their style (4-8 SU & ATS) and ultimately prevails.

3Daily Winners Pick- Orlando (-800) in six over Atlanta (+600)

Monday Plays are up

Took it on the chin again yesterday (still 23-11) as Boston had several failed attempts to score but was swept by Baltimore of all teams. The Top Trend is a totals play in the AL Central. The Free play is in the AL West and the Best System is a division matchup and is unqualified (less than 80 percent) play with a very good record. Good Luck

What I thinking today- I’m starting to remember why betting the Stanley Cup playoffs are so hard.

I’d rather lose a MLB game in the bottom of the 9th than lose in extra innings. (1-5 so far this year) Having chances to win and not coming thru.

On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/3Dailywinners

Free Baseball System -1) Play Under on road teams like the Tigers when the total is 8.5 to 10, who average 4.7 to 5.2 runs a game against a below average AL starter (ERA= 5.70 to 6.20), with a good bullpen that converts on 75 percent or more of their save opportunities. In the last 13 years this system is 38-11.

Free Baseball Trend -2) The Kansas City Royals are 10-2 OVER the against division opponents this season.

Free Baseball Pick -3) The Left Coast Consensus is on Oakland to top Texas 6-0.

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Spurs vs Suns Series Preview

This past weekend we heard a great deal about how Boston and Cleveland don’t really like each other. While this information is certainly true it pales in comparison to how Phoenix and San Antonio feel about each other. That is Microsoft and Apple doing battle, this is the real deal like Coke vs. Pepsi, McDonald’s vs. Burger King, Jennifer Aniston vs. Angelina Jolie. What’s more the Suns have been Avis to the Spurs Hertz, with Phoenix having been bounced out of the playoffs four times by the team from southwest Texas since 2003. This is going to be war.

(3)Phoenix vs (7) San Antonio

Steve Nash did not practice the previous two days before this Western Conference semi-final opened, resting his sore right hip. The most obvious question was it a reoccurrence of the infamous hip check former Spur Robert Horry laid on Nash or something completely different.
The Suns have had the home court advantage over San Antonio the last two times these teams have met in the postseason and came up short. They believe this time will be different, not being strictly a running team and being able to play defense for extended periods of time.

"It's like super-transition `D' against these guys," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "They're really playing well, and the best shooting team ever, basically, from 3. Great chemistry, sharing the ball, playing 'D'. Alvin (Coach Gentry) and his group have done a great job. The players have really bought in, and they do a lot of things really well."

Phoenix will have to use similar formula that allowed them to win four of last five games against Portland. Running a controlled break which leads to layups or find spot up shooters like Jason Richardson and rain down three’s.

The Suns also received bench contributions from a number of players from Goran Dragic and Jared Dudley to Channing Frye and others. The Suns are 26-7 and 23-9-1 ATS since Feb. 19 (have not lost two straight since Jan. 25-26) and this streak coincided when they collectively bought into Gentry’s preaching about team defense and Amare Stoudemire deciding he wanted to be one of the best players in the NBA. Stoudemire loves to see the Spurs coming with 24.6-point playoff average against them (28.8 PPG if rookie season is dropped) and he posted 32.7 points and 11.3 rebounds on San Antonio this season.

Grant Hill might be 37, but he missed so much time over a five year period of his career, his legs are that of a much younger player and he is the Suns best defender. Whether he starts on Manu Ginibili is immaterial, since eventually he will make his way over to him defensively.
Though both teams have many new faces, Nash knows what to expect and believes the series will come down to "the usual suspects." For San Antonio that is Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Ginobili, especially right now.

Duncan has slowed from his early days, but he is still a crafty veteran and the Suns don’t have that big physical guy that could create more problems for Duncan even if Robin Lopez returns. Duncan should expect to see several combo defenses and will have to find shooters and cutters when the Suns double him.

Parker has accepted his role off the bench, still seeing ample minutes as George Hill takes over as true point guard. This allows Parker to freelance more without the ball and forces defenders to chase.

If it were not for Hill and Ginobili, a reasonable argument could be made the Spurs might not have made the playoffs when Parker was injured. The Argentinean has done everything, scoring literally anywhere on the floor and became the emotional leader. He is the one player in this series that could single-handedly win a game or two by himself.

Richard Jefferson could play a prominent role in this noteworthy conflict. The former Net and Buck didn’t have much of an impact during the regular season, but after being a non-factor in Game 1 loss to Dallas, the rest of the series he was steady contributor and if he can keep the Suns J-Rich busy on defense, it’s shown his point production diminishes.

Most of the confrontations in this series are expected to have totals of 200 or higher and Popovich teams are 53-36 ATS when the number is 200 or higher.

This series really comes down to a test of wills. Can Phoenix keep their poise and not let a few Spurs antics get to them? In the past San Antonio had a size edge over the Suns, they do not this time, will that be a burden? This has the look and feel of seven games and even that might not be enough for regulation play. As long as Nash is healthy, the Suns should finally knock off their nemesis like they did in the regular season (2-1 and 3-0 ATS), however it won’t be easy.

3Daily Winners Pick- Phoenix (-145) in seven over San Antonio (+115)

May's Best -Worst MLB Starters

With Super Saver winning the Kentucky Derby, this signals MLB enters its second month of play. And with it a handful of surprise teams take center stage. The key to sustaining success, or lack of it, comes from the pitching staffs. With that thought in mind, Marc Lawrence of Playbook.com zero in on pitchers that will look to keep their team in the race and those that may pull up before they hit the wire.

Listed below are hurlers that have enjoyed a two-to-one or better success ratio in team starts the last three seasons during the month of May. On the flip side, we’ve also listed pitchers that struggle in May team starts, winning 33% percent or less of their efforts. To qualify pitchers must have made a minimum of 10 starts, with at least one start each May over the last three years.

GOOD MONTH PITCHERS:

Beckett, Josh • 12-3
After a slow start, Beckett threw seven strong innings, allowing two runs on six hits and most importantly for him had 6-0 strikeout-to-walk ratio in Baltimore on May 2, which is about how he normally pitches this month.



Carmona, Fausto • 10-5
Since his breakout season of 2007, Carmona has struggled with mechanics, but has been more consistent in 2010. If he keeps the walks down, he should again have a good month even on a so-so club.
Hamels, Cole • 14-3
The left-hander has allowed too many meaty pitches in the hitting zone, (35 hits in 30.2 innings). Let’s see if the warmer weather helps Hamels get a better feel for curve and changeup.
Kazmir, Scott • 10-5
The last few seasons of arm miseries has robbed Kazmir of some velocity. For him to pitch at previous levels, he has to more consistent in the strike zone and pitch deeper into games, with six innings high water mark thus far. He could make marked improvement however this month, since he has 19 K’s in 21 innings in 2010.
Lilly, Ted • 12-6
The soft-tossing lefty has had one good and one bad outing in his return from the DL. In his second start, he lacked the usual bite on his breaking stuff and got racked. May is usually a solid month from Lilly, expect him to come thru.
Padilla, Vicente • 11-4
Vicente Padilla's right-elbow soreness should keep him out until at least the end of May, manager Joe Torre said Sunday. "He's better, he's feeling better, but not having thrown for a while, I don't see him helping us this month," Torre said. "That's not anything, I think, unusual."
Perez, Oliver • 8-4
Off their recent eight-game winning streak, the Mets could use Perez to have another good May to help their cause. Ability-wise Perez is a No.2-3 starter, but he too often can’t find the plate (14 walks in 20.2 innings this year). Certainly capable of big month.
Santana, Johan • 11-5
Santana’s first start of May was forgettable, being rocked by the Phillies. That however is not the norm and it is wiser to presume he bounces back to form and wins a number of games with normal run support.
Wellemeyer, Todd • 9-4
He’s the fifth starter on a deep staff in San Francisco. His early results have been below average, with but a couple of off days early in the month, Wellemeyer came out of the bullpen on May 2 and allowed no runs in three innings. Maybe this helps turn him around for May.

BAD MONTH PITCHERS:

Davis, Doug • 4-10
Milwaukee took a flyer on Davis hoping he could at least be .500 pitcher. To date 8.87 ERA with no wins and has permitted 38 base bits in just 22.1 innings, ugh!
Lohse, Kyle • 5-11
Another reclamation project for the Cardinals brilliant pitching coach Dave Duncan. Doesn’t hit the 90’s much anymore with fastball, but Duncan has him using two-seam fastball which he sinks. When his slider and curve are not working, will get tattooed.
Meche, Gil • 6-12
Was supposed to be the ace in Kansas City coming over from Seattle and has been anything but. Meche has 10.13 ERA this season and he usually pitches worse in May, yikes!
Silva, Carlos • 3-10
Essentially innings-eater most of his career. Has started well with the Cubs (2-0, 2.90 ERA) thanks to having control (21 K’s-6W’s). History doesn’t suggest he will keep it up.

Doug Upstone of 3DailyWinners contributed to this article.

Sunday May 2 - Are you ready?

Suffered a rare losing day on Saturday, taking us to 22-9 the last 10 posts. Today we go after another Best System winner that is 56-11 since 2006. Hope to get back in the winner’s circle with Top Trend. Thanks to Steve for his great work with our free picks which moves us on to Ron who has hit a good streak in progress. Good Luck

What I'm thinking today- As much as I like to bet horse racing, I don’t really believe there is any way to beat it on a continual basis unless you have the time to study a track or two in session and know everything about it. That said when I have an outstanding day like yesterday at the Derby; it makes you appreciate it that much more.

On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/3Dailywinners

Free Baseball System -1) Play Against road teams like Pittsburgh with a meager OBP of .310 or worse, against a sharp NL starting pitcher with a WHIP under 1.250, with an overused bullpen that pitches more than 3.2 innings per game. Over the past five seasons this superlative system is 56-11, 83.6 percent.

Free Hockey Trend -2) Montreal is 3-17 in the second round of the playoffs since 1996.

Free Baseball Pick -3) Ron is 7-1 in MLB action the last three days and doesn’t believe Baltimore can sweep Boston on Sunday.

Jazz vs. Lakers Series Preview

The NBA playoff scheduling often times borders on the ridiculous as Los Angeles and Utah won Game 6 matchups in their respective series and start the next round less than 48 hours later, while Phoenix and San Antonio completed their first round series the day prior and don’t play until a day later. However it’s not like the Lakers and Jazz aren’t familiar with one another with four regular season contests and meeting in the playoffs the last two years. For individual games, the home team is 18-8-1 ATS when these two get together.

(1) L.A. Lakers vs. (5) Utah

The Lakers were shown to have various weaknesses by Oklahoma City who was less than a second away from pushing Los Angeles to a seventh game, but Pau Gasol was in the right place at the right time and the defending NBA champions moved forward. Can offensive-minded Utah finish what the Thunder couldn’t?

Phil Jackson’s squad played four games to find out they needed to play like a team. This meant getting everyone involved in the offense and for Kobe Bryant to be patient with his teammates even when they were doing the team a disservice.

Russell Westbrook drove the Lakers crazy and Deron Williams can to the same, just in a different manner. Williams does not have Westbrook’s quickness, making it somewhat easier for Lakers big guys to rotate quicker on penetration. Look for coach Jackson to throw the kitchen sink at Williams, with Derek Fisher, Shannon Brown, Jordan Farmar and Kobe Bryant all taking turns to see what works in controlling him. If all else fails even Ron Artest could be looking in Deron’s eyes.

Gasol has the length to bother Carlos Boozer, who scored 12 points or less in three of their four matchups. This would be a huge negative for the Jazz who needs another big time scorer to keep pace with Williams.

Lamar Odom and Ron Artest have to bring more to the dance against Utah. Odom is your ultimate space cadet, playing only when he’s in the mood. Artest could be a bigger factor offensively since he doesn’t have a player of Kevin Durant’s scoring ability to worry about and though CJ Miles can have outbursts, he’s not in Durant’s area code.

Utah lost three of four to the Lakers this season and has been ousted from the postseason by L.A. the last two years. Since March 14 of last season, the Jazz have 2-8 SU and ATS record against the Lakers, with the average loss being by 14.2 per game. What can Utah do to turn the tide?

Williams needs to have similar numbers as what he had against Denver (25.8 points and 11.3 assists). This won’t be easy since the Lakers are much better defensively. That means rookie Wesley Matthews has to become an X-factor. He has to total 15 or more points per game, forcing the Lakers to use Bryant to guard him.

Paul Millsap was outstanding off the bench (17.3 PPG) against the Nuggets and similar contributions will be required. Utah forward Andrei Kirilenko could be available for Game 2 in this Western semifinal, however most reports have the first contest in Salt Lake City as more realistic estimate.

The Jazz could cover a good number of spreads in this series if Los Angeles is disinterested, but have to get over the mental part of defeating the Lakers in attempting to win games. Utah is 2-8 ATS playoff games as an underdog of 5.0-10.5, but the Lake Show is just as miserable at home with recent 4-10-1 ATS mark at the Staples Center.

If the Lakers learned one thing from playing Oklahoma City, it was they could play possession by possession in slower paced contests and still survive. Utah’s style is more to their liking and they already have the confidence to knock them off and will do so.

3Daily Winners Pick- L.A. Lakers (-400) in five over Utah (+300)