Here comes the weekend plays

After one bad day, 3Daily Winners comes right back with 2-1 mark, lifting record to 133-74. This Friday we are on the hunt for more winners and begin with Sal’s Free Play. The Top Trend is a National Leaguer and the Best System is remarkable 87.7 percent! Good Luck

What I letting you know today – I believe ESPN is stretching its street cred by burying the LeBron James story. If you read the article, it doesn’t paint LBJ as some super hero, rather a guy in his mid-20’s, single, with his boys and having fun. Oh sure some words could be construed as crude, but put four or more guys in Vegas with a few drinks under their belt and what do you think would be said?

ESPN has chosen to make a non-interesting article a piece about their culture.

The GUARANTEED Plays are 4-2 the last three days and today we have a False Favorite in a 100 percent losing situation and National League road team that is up against a 20-4 situation. Grab one or both Guaranteed Winners today!

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

Free Baseball System -1) Play On all favorites with a money line of -175 to -250 like Toronto with a rested bullpen, having thrown two or less innings in each of the last two games, against opponent after a game where the bullpen threw six or more innings. Holy Snikes, this system is 50-7, 87.7 percent.

Free Baseball Trend -2) Arizona is 2-14 in road games after batting .250 or worse over a 20-game span this season.

Free Baseball Pick -3) Sal has hit a good stretch with 9-2 record and backs the Twinkies as his top selection.

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LeBron-a-thon over, now what?

Don’t blame ESPN for this over-the-top made for TV flop, they did what any news outlet would have done in getting an exclusive story EVERYONE would have wanted to release and milked for all its worth.

Jim Gray has not been the same reporter since hounding Pete Rose at the All-Star game and was tamer than a docile old dog in not asking LeBron James how he explains his “loyalty” to Cleveland and Ohio by leaving.

If James thought he had pressure before, it’s only going to be worse with much higher expectations moving forward. Dwayne Wade already has a ring and Chris Bosh is the third wheel to fit this tricycle. For casual fans of the NBA, it is assumed the new Three Amigos or Miami Thrice will win a few championships over the next several years.

That could well happen, but this is far from guaranteed. Forget about touches, sharing the ball and late game shots, that will work out over time. One difference between Boston’s Big Three and the South Beach Buds is the Celtic players were all adequate to superior defensive players. This is not the case with James, D-Wade or Bosh. The first two are good at getting into passing lanes and earning steals, but as straight-up defenders, most of the bouncers on Ocean Drive are more of a challenge to beat.

This means finding league-minimum players that can play defense and be adequate contributors on offense.

Hopping into the hot tub time machine, back to the mid-1970’s, the Philadelphia 76ers were similar to what Miami is trying to accomplish. They brought together superstars Julius Erving, George McGinnis and top line scoring guard Doug Collins (that’s right, the analyst and coach). In their time together, they went to the conference or NBA Finals four times, but never were crowned champs.

No question the Heat is to be taken seriously and the Los Angeles Lakers might have one more title in them, but the rest of the league is starting to flux, making this a good opportunity for this threesome to combine their super hero powers.

The Commish David Stern has to be thrilled having this buzz about his product and it will more or less continue right onto the opening tipoff in late October.

One last thing, Miami is now the betting favorite to be NBA champs at every sportsbook I checked today.

View other thoughts: http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/lebron-james-chasing-celebrity-not-championships-070910

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5367298

Related LeBron fallout:http://www.covers.com/articles/articles.aspx?theArt=196407

LeBron James Sweepstakes

This whole LeBron James saga has taken on a life of its own and opinions certain very as to what others believe he should or will do.

(Read below)


http://espn.go.com/nba/
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/LeBron-James-is-packing-his-beach-bags-for-Miami?urn=nba,254632

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/Looking-at-best-options-for-LeBron-James


Personally, I believe his final decision will speak more to his character and honest beliefs than anything else.

If he’s truly interested in winning championships, there are three locations, Miami, Cleveland and Chicago.

The Heat offers the best chance to win now with D-Wade and Chris Bosh already in the fold. People are comparing this to Boston Celtics “Three Amigos”, but it is clearly not.
Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce were all players who had enjoyed lengthy careers and were on the back side of peak performance when they got together. A James, Wade and Bosh connection has all three right in the heart of their best years and let’s not forget egos. Can it work, without a doubt, but each will have to give up a part of their game and other pieces are still necessary.

To stay in Cleveland, James has to trust ownership and front office that they will find the right pieces to bring a champion home. Best financial deal for LeBron in terms of contract and Betty White’s pleas are hard to ignore.

Chicago is not as good as it looks, at least at the moment from talent perspective. Derrick Rose would be a huge upgrade for James from the guard spot, however many of the rest of the Bulls players are somewhat similar to what the “King” has played with in Cleveland.

If James were to sign with New York or New Jersey, that would explain his true motive, building his brand. In a perfect world, the Knicks and Nets would have to make flawless decisions over the next three years to even be considered as legitimate conference contenders. Neither organization has shown the intelligence to make that happen, however both have dollars or rubles to put together package and marketing potential is endless, but presently so could the team losses.

Best guess here is Miami or Cleveland.

Getting an early start for Thursday

Those 3-0 days certainly work, so let’s go after another with our record rolling at 39-20 in last 59 plays. The Best System is flat out awesome at 88.2 percent. Ever wonder how the Yankees perform off a shutout, we have it with today’s Top Trend. Slick Rick is burning up the books and has another Free Play Good Luck

What I thought yesterday- Place me in the corner with those that believed the Cleveland Cavaliers were going to win the NBA championship. Everything seemed right this time, improved scoring, better perimeter players on defense and more guys with size in the paint to combat the Orlando’s and Lakers of the world.

Instead we’ve seen 3 ½ lousy (two just pathetic at home) performances by LeBron James and the Cavs against Boston in the conference semi-finals and this team is starting to show the same amount of pride as Atlanta, not a club that supposedly aspires to be NBA champs.

Let’s start with LeBron, how bad is his elbow? While many sportswriters are piling on James like Tiger Woods these days, something has to be wrong. How else would you explain a superstar that averages 20.8 shot per game for his career would have three games below that figure this time of year?

My sense is LeBron doesn’t trust his teammates, despite what most presumed were good moves to improve Cleveland, and there is no proof of it right now. James post-game comments about Boston’s “Big Three coming thru” might have been a telling remark about the fact he honestly believes he doesn’t have the right teammates that can step up and help him.

While James is thought to be unselfish teammate, willing to pass the ball instead of taking more shots himself, you do see a hint of Kobe “I’ll show them” if his teammates are not performing at his level.

I actually like James, but even I’m wondering if he has that killer instinct all the great ones have. When Kobe Bryant senses victory, he’s taking the ball and looks for his shot and if he ends up being covered, his teammates better be ready to catch the pass and score.

Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas and Tim Duncan would do whatever it took to win a championship. Is LeBron committed to that goal or is being the most marketable player enough for him?

Cleveland’s guards continue to be a non-factor on both ends of the floor. They don’t make shots, their perimeter defense is non-existent and I swear I hear “Beep Beep” on my HD sound when Rajon Rondo decides to go by a Cavaliers defender.

Coach Mike Brown is also having terrible playoffs. Doc Rivers looks like a future Hall of Famer with his adjustments compared to Brown’s and though these are professional basketball players, Cleveland has seldom played with any urgency, which is part of a coach’s job description, have your players ready to play.

The Cavaliers might still win the series, but is always the case in the NBA playoffs, you need two dependable scorers and third to emerge game to game if you expect to win. If James doesn’t score than who picks up the slack?

I’ll be holding onto my money thinking about backing the Cavs and really don’t see Cleveland winning two games over Boston at this juncture.

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

Free Baseball System -1) Play Against all underdogs like Houston with a money line of +175 to +250, with an on-base percentage of .310 or worse over their last 20 games, against opponent with a hot starting pitcher with WHIP of 1.000 or less over his last five starts. This brilliant system is 53-7, 88.2 percent the last five years.

Free Baseball Trend -2) The New York Yankees are 19-3 after shutting out their opponent over the last three seasons.

Free Baseball Pick -3) Slick Rick is 13-2 the last five days in MLB and rides the Rangers this afternoon.

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The King could be overthrown in Boston tonight

LeBron James is supposed to be the best player in the NBA and probably is, but he hasn’t been close to being the best player in this series. King James showed a side of personality not seen often after he gave a lame effort like his teammates in Game 5 debacle.

After losing 120-88 as seven-point home favorites, James had this to say about his 15-point showing.

"I spoil a lot of people with my play," James said. "When you have a bad game here or there, you've had three bad games in a seven-year career, then it's easy to point that out. So you got to be better.

I put a lot of pressure on myself to be out there and be the best player on the court, and when I'm not I feel bad for myself because I'm not going out there and doing the things I can do. But I don't hang my head low or make any excuses about anything that may be going on, because that's not the type of player or person I am."

It’s a bit presumptuous for James to say he’s had three lousy games in his career, but what basketball fans and those rooting for the Cavaliers want to know, where is the burning desire?
Is the elbow a much bigger issue? Does he find the lack proficiency from his teammates appalling? Does he not trust his coach in being knowledgeable to lead this club? Has he mentally checked out thinking about playing somewhere else?

Cleveland is 24-7-1 ATS off a defeat by 10 or more points, but this was one for the record books. No NBA with a regular season win percentage of .700 or higher had ever lost a home playoff game by 30 or more points. (Thanks Elias Sports)

What can the Cavaliers do to send this to Game 7? Having Mike Brown coach his players might help.

For starters if Antwan Jamison is going to not provide points on offense, get him off the floor, he’s a defensive liability. J.J. Hickson was valuable in the latter part of the season; use his intensity and defense to at least do something on one end of the floor.

Brown has to find an answer for Shaq and Zydrunas Ilgauskas to rotate better on weakside passes by Boston, who is feasting in the paint with layups or short jump shots.
Mo Williams either decides to play or should sit. He has yet to guard Rajon Rondo and his offensive production is nil.

Lastly, LeBron has to determine what he wants. His elbow is unquestionably bothering him and he doesn’t trust his own jump shot, passing up at least seven wide open looks he had Tuesday night. But where is the explosiveness to the rim?

Yes, Boston has had a few nice wrinkles to limit James, but does the game’s best player settle for idle dribbles and pass to teammate or use his brute force like in the past and blow to the cup and score or find Cavs teammate standing by himself with wide open look at the bucket with collapsing defense? Interesting to note Cleveland is 2-9 ATS in last 11 outings against teams with winning record.

Boston has outplayed and outhustled its younger opponent and is 7-3 ATS in the postseason. The Celtics don’t want to take any chances.

"We cannot come back here," Kevin Garnett said. "We have to think this is our Game 7 coming up and we cannot afford to have the best team in the league have a Game 7 on their floor. Just not possible."

Oddsmakers have Boston as 1.5-point favorites with total of 196.5, as they go for their second three game winning streak in the playoffs. The C’s are 2-10 ATS off a road win by 10 points or more this season and 17-4 UNDER after a huge blowout victory by 30 or more. Cleveland has its back against the proverbial wall and is 2-5 ATS in last seven as road underdogs and is 16-5 OVER revenging a home massacre loss of 20 points or more.

The biggest deciding factor is LeBron’s mental state. This contest is being played with one day between games and James is shooting 36.1 percent on his meager total of 47 shot attempts, including 0-13 beyond the arc in this East semi-final with less than 48 hours between contests. In the two games Cleveland has won and covered, James is shooting 56.5 percent on 46 shots with two or more days in between outings. The Cavs are 0-6 ATS with one day of rest since April 11.

Game 6 is on ESPN at 8:00 Eastern and if Cleveland can force one more game, they will have two days off between conflicts.

King James to guard Rondo in Game 5, maybe

The spelling might be slightly different, but Rajon Rondo has been very much like Ronco’s famous “Veg-O-Matic”. Rondo has sliced and diced the Cleveland defense and cut up the Cavaliers guards like helpless tomatoes or onions. Even with an up-and-down Game 3 performance, he’s averaging 21.8 points, 13 assists and 8.3 rebounds per contest and is the biggest reason Boston and Cleveland is now best two of three.

NBA playoff basketball is about making adjustments from game to game. Cleveland was more aggressive from the start in Game 3, as LeBron James and his teammates bottled up Boston from the opening tap and free-wheeled around the TD Garden going wherever they wanted in winning 124-95 as one-point underdogs.

Coach Doc Rivers didn’t like his offense or defense in that contest and made two modifications for Sunday’s game. He wanted every defender to create more on-ball pressure, thus limiting Cleveland’s ability to drive or pass wherever they desired to go and got more hands up on shots and limited the Cavs to 40.3 percent shooting after draining 59.5 percent two days prior.

Though not publicly stated since series opener, Rivers evidently gave Rondo the green light to take the ball and go rim-running whether he had teammates or not. Rivers had said after Game 1 he wanted other Celtics players to run with Rondo in transition. They did for the most part in second contest in Cleveland, but went back to old ways in being drubbed in next tilt.
Rondo appeared to have free reign Sunday afternoon and carved up the Cavaliers defense for 29 points, 13 assists and a Bill Russell-like 18 rebounds. Boston won by 10 as 1.5-point home dogs and is 5-1 ATS after winning as a home underdog.

LeBron James has surveyed the situation and is tired of watching his guards get cleaved up by Rondo. “I think it starts with Rondo. He's kind of the engine that really gets them going," James said. "He does everything for them. His performance was unbelievable."Rondo was definitely the difference maker."

James has increasing taken pride in his ability to stop opposing players and was spotted by more than one courtside observer in Boston letting coach Mike Brown know he wants to get into defensive stance against Rondo.

"I would love to,'' James said after the game. “It's something we maybe should explore because Rondo is definitely dominating this series at the point guard position. For me, I don't have a problem taking Rondo or guarding Rondo throughout the course of the game. If the coaching staff or the guys want me to do it, I will."

This is not unprecedented for the Cavs as King James guarded Derrick Rose in last series and limited what the Bulls guard could do taking turns with teammates.

Cleveland is 13-4 ATS off an upset loss as a road favorite and is a 7.5-point pick with total of 194.5. This strategy might come out of necessity for coach Brown whose team is 16-6 ATS as a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points. Since the guards are not handling the lightning quick Boston guard and are once again ineffective as scorers, just like in Orlando series in last season’s playoffs, Brown might be forced to employ this method.

The green-clad C’s are 11-4-1 ATS in postseason underdog role and know the better defense they play, that leaves more chances for the former Kentucky guard to run free in the open court.

This TNT 8:00 Eastern matchup has alternated Over’s and Under’s in the first four meetings, however the OVER is still 6-2 in previous eight matchups.

Cavs and Suns look to do their thang on Mother's Day

Who could blame Boston GM Danny Ainge for waving something else this time, like the surrender flag after watching his team get pummeled on their home court by Cleveland. The Cavaliers, with the NBA’s most famous elbow, will look to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series on Sunday afternoon. Later, catch a gander of Phoenix on Mother’s Day, who is unbelievably going for the sweep of San Antonio, after three sharp performances against what has been their biggest nemesis.

Cleveland at Boston 3:30E ABC

At least for Game 3, LeBron James elbow was just fine, since the only pain felt was by Boston on the receiving end of 21 of his 38 points in the opening 12 minutes. The Celtics efforts of gaining home court advantage were vanquished within roughly 30 minutes real time as Cleveland led 36-17 after the first quarter.

“It started with me tonight. Everyone else saw my aggression and took advantage of it,” James said. “I think rest helped me; rest helped all of us, and we were able to put together a complete game for the first time in these playoffs.” This major announcement moved Cleveland to 11-2 ATS record in the second round of the playoffs.

The Celtics have gone from looking like wise veterans to golden oldies throughout the three contests in this series are in a world of hurt without Paul Pierce who continues to be a non-factor. Pierce is shooting 31 percent for the series and 25 percent from beyond the arc and is a shell of the player that was leading his team over Cleveland two years ago.

“We just need Paul to be aggressive,” forward Kevin Garnett said Saturday. “On both ends. Period.”

Pierce has the toughest matchup on the floor, having to guard James and trying to beat the younger, stronger Akron native, who was an All-Defensive team selection this season. “Obviously we do want to get him (Pierce) involved more, he has to get his rhythm better,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said after practice.

Equally as disturbing is the C’s lack of aggressiveness at home, where they are pedestrian 27-18 at TD Garden, with ghastly 15-29-1 ATS record. Boston is 10-21 ATS in home whites revenging a loss over the last two seasons.

Cleveland again opened as one-point road favorites, with the total up to 197. The wagering public took the bait in Boston and sent them off as Game 3 single point faves. It will be interesting to see what they do this time since the Celtics are 3-12 ATS in downtown Boston when the total is between 195 and 199.5 points. Coach Rivers club is 16-6 OVER off an upset loss as a home favorite.

It will also be noteworthy to view the Cavs state of mind since they have had one complete game in three and are 18-7 ATS after a blowout win by 20 points or more, winning by 13.3 points a contest. The Cavaliers usually bring a defensive mentality into Sunday’s with 21-7 UNDER record the two seasons.

Phoenix at San Antonio 8:00E TNT

It’s unusual enough to see Phoenix up 3-0 over San Antonio, but it has been the manner in which it has occurred. The Suns have taken it to the Spurs time and again and most of their rebuttals have been have lacked the necessary punch.

Much like a prize fighter having knocked out opponents for years, San Antonio finds themselves trying to land haymakers and the opponent is not flinching when struck, which has to hurt the team’s psyche.

The Suns have so confounded the Spurs, even coach Gregg Popovich has made atypical judgments that have not worked.

San Antonio is 12-23 ATS at the AT&T Center revenging a defeat, but they can’t be entirely blamed since who could possibly have foreseen of the Phoenix lineups that have worked.
In Game 2 it was Amare Stoudemire and a group of players known only to Phoenix fans that that fueled a second quarter rally that got Los Suns back to even at halftime and the regulars took care of the rest from there forward.

On Friday night, with Steve Nash, Jason Richardson and Stoudemire on the bench to start the fourth quarter and trailing by a point, coach Alvin Gentry unleashed the “Slovenian slayer” Goran Dragic, who scored 17 points in five minutes in the deciding quarter and 23 all told in the last frame to send Spurs away totally bewildered.

"I knew I was hot," Dragic said, "so I just wanted to have the ball during the pick-and-roll. On a lot of those plays, I had Tim Duncan on my side, and Coach told me if you feel it, shoot it." He and even faster Leandro Barbosa abused the Spurs defensive tactics for 39 points combined, while committing only one turnover.

The Suns are 13-4 ATS away after a combined score of 205 points or more three straight games this season and let’s be truthful, who really wants to play this club right now.

Phoenix actually went off a seven-point underdog in last contest, no more, now down to 3.5-points with 22-8-1 ATS record off a cover. This one is about pride for San Antonio who is 9-3-1 ATS as home favorite, however the Suns bring such an unknown as to what player or groups of players that could rise and shine, the Spurs have to have their heads on swivel trying to figure out where Phoenix will attack next.

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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.

Boston vs. Cleveland Series Preview

The first conflict of the conference semi-finals will take place in Cleveland, when Boston’s veteran team pays a visit. The Cavaliers are deep and varied team and are still a -125 futures wager to be the NBA champions later in June, while Boston fooled many by not being the old fogies many had believed against Miami and hurried the Heat out of the playoffs. This has been a series where the home teams have ruled the last several years.

(1) Cleveland vs (4) Boston

The waves were crashing on the north side of Lake Erie in Canada, some as high as six feet, as Cleveland fans got the news that nothing was structurally wrong with LeBron James right elbow and they let out a collective “Whew”.

The Cavaliers have a number of edges coming into this series in the personnel department and will look to exploit them. James is the best player in the NBA and plays the type of unselfish basketball that benefits all his teammates. From the Sports Network we find LeBron is only player in NBA history to accumulate at least 1,900 points, 525 rebounds and 475 assists in his first 65 career postseason games.

The Cleveland guards are not spectacular, but don’t need to be. Mo Williams and Anthony Parker mostly position themselves away from the ball on offense for weakside jump shots and three pointers. Antawn Jamison and his array of shots is the extra scorer coach Mike Brown needed when teams double and triple James. Shaquille O'Neal is shadow of his former self, but with Zydrunas Ilgauskas and energetic Anderson Varejao, the Cavaliers really have options in the paint.

Since James arrived, this is the deepest team he’s been a part with Delonte West and Jamario Moon also adding their skills. Cleveland’s greatest strength as a team is their defense and opponents have converted just 44.2 percent against them. The Cavs start this series 14-4 ATS versus good shooting teams making 48 percent of their shots.

Boston proved that five players is better than one taking down Miami and faces a more daunting challenge in the Cavs, whom they eliminated in the postseason two years ago. The Grim Reaper had been reported on the team bus for most of the second half of the season, but the Celtics had several different players step up, like Ray Allen in last series.

Rajon Rondo is lightning quick and for the most part more than compensates for a below average jump shot. He rebounds, penetrates into the lane to score or finds open teammate and though not a great one-on-one defender, he use his quickness to makes steals and get into passing lanes. He and Allen have to dominate the Cleveland guards in scoring and rebounding.

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett have visibly slowed and this is area Boston can’t be destroyed or this series moves along swiftly. Along with Kendrick Perkins, Glen Davis and Rasheed Wallace (a washout), Pierce and KG are going to have to total 50-60 points each game unless the guards play exemplarily. The C’s come in 9-3-1 ATS as playoff underdogs.

If Boston doesn’t play with the needed energy and gumption, this is five game series if James is 90 to 100 percent. The teams divided four contests and the Over was 4-0. Cleveland is 8-1 and 7-2 ATS at Quicken Loans Arena vs. the Celtics, however they are 1-9 (7-3 ATS) in Boston and will have to deal with boisterous crowd and excited old geezers not ready to call it quits.

3Daily Winners Pick- Cleveland (-425) in six over Boston (+355)

Big Boys try to flex NBA muscles

Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers earned the top seeds in their respective conferences this season. One team has played deserving of that honor, the other, not so much. Both will hit the hardwood with the same goal in mind, thrusting their will on opponent to either finish them off or to gain the upper hand.

Lake Show in trouble of being cancelled

The Lakers players were telling anyone that would listen their late season doldrums were nothing to be concerned with, once the playoffs began it would be “go” time and they would take care of business.

Oddsmakers weren’t fooled and neither was the public. Los Angeles has a team of mostly self-satisfied players this year, not willing to do what it takes to be great and their visible weakness cannot be masked without all-out effort.

On the season the Lakers shot 45.6 percent from the field, they have not touched that figure once in the playoffs. Oklahoma City is receiving a great of credit for how they are playing defense against the triangle offense, but the fact is the Lakers players are being outworked in trying to run their offense and if say Lamar Odom doesn’t get open on the first option for him to receive the ball, he essentially takes himself out of the play or settles for three-point which is not his specialty.

Odom isn’t the only player with this general indifference, there are many others. It is of little surprise L.A. is 13-25 ATS second half of the season watching this kind of effort.

Kobe Bryant is playing a curious role in this series. Undoubtedly he is more injured that what most know. Other than Game 2 when he scored 39 points with his father in the stands, he at times is not even looking to being offensively assertive and is either trying to get the ball to teammates for them to become more aggressive or he is trying to prove a point by saying “you are either with me or against me” and is disgusted with their lack of performance and is being indignant.

When this has happened in the past Kobe always has an answer, just like this time.

“(Oklahoma City) is a young team that plays hard, that’s playing with house money, so they go in there and let it all hang out,” Bryant said. “It’s a series, it’s a challenge. It’s how playoff basketball should be.” We’ll see he and the Lakers really feel about their situation and are 13-3 ATS after a loss by 15 points or more.

Oddsmakers have the Lakers as six-point home favorites with total of 193.5. Los Angeles has won 17 straight games when the series is tied at 2-2 and are 17-5 ATS when tied in a playoff series at any juncture. The Thunder will try to use its growing confidence to pull the upset and have spotted the flaws in Los Angeles and will look to attack once again and are 19-9 ATS as a road underdog this season, losing by less than a point a game (0.9).

This is the late 10:30E conflict on TNT and the Lakers are 11-0 UNDER as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points over the last two seasons.

The end is near

The confidence which the Cleveland Cavaliers play with is flabbergasting. For three quarters of Game 3, Chicago took the action to Cleveland, holding a double digit lead most of the time. The Bulls were the aggressor and it appeared Cavs players were satisfied with their less than full effort. In the four quarter the Cavs came storming back with LeBron James taking over the offense and his teammates knocking down three-pointers, finally succumbing by just two points 108-106, as Chicago made their free throws late.

The most stunning aspect of the close of that contest was the reaction of James and his teammates, not long faces from losing a game they should have won by playing all 48 minutes, but they were smiling, with a almost maniacal grin of “Oh man, we almost got’em, we’ll take care of this later”.

There were no smiles before Game 4 as King James led a tyrant army of mercenaries into the United Center and blew away their Windy City counterparts by 22. Cleveland returns home to end the series and is 18-6 ATS after a blowout win by 20 points or more.

Cleveland is starting to reap the rewards for trading for Antawn Jamison, who scored 24 points in Game 2. Jamison is highly respected around the league and didn’t come to Cleveland to improve his legacy, but rather to get a championship ring. At 33, Jamison is sensing his basketball mortality.

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime,” he said. “I don’t have another five or 10 years left in this body. The sense of urgency is there, not only with myself but with the rest of these guys. That’s why I think it’s a great fit because we all have the same mentality. We are all trying to accomplish the same thing—right now. We’re not trying to wait until next year or the year after that.” The Cavs have covered 42 of their previous 66 playoff games.

Chicago is also sensing their mortality, about this season. Star guard Derrick Rose missed practice Monday to undergo an MRI on his right ankle and forward Luol Deng sat out with a sore knee and calf. The Bulls are once again a dozen points underdog and hope to hit enough shots to improve on 19-10 ATS record revenging a same season loss.

The Cavaliers will look to polish this series off and most likely face Boston and are 17-7 UNDER after winning by 20 or more points, with average margin of victory 13.9 points for this 8:00E TNT broadcast.

Coaching matters during NBA Playoffs

For a lot of people, even sports bettors, they believe the NBA is a highly paid pickup game (read any number of forums), lacking the understanding of what goes into being a professional basketball coach. This is particularly true this time of year when coaches can pour all their energy into one opponent and have more time between games to assess each situation. Here is a look at what coaching has meant in three Sunday series.

Cleveland at Chicago 3:35E ABC

One of unappreciated aspects of professional basketball is coaching and game study. The head coach and assistants break down tape after each contest trying to find ways to improve or take advantage of defensive weakness.

In the NBA, Cleveland is well known for locking down opponents in halfcourt sets. Chicago coach Vinny Del Negro decided to push the ball up the floor on rebounds and made baskets for Game 3, freeing up shooters before the Cavaliers defense was in place. By getting into offense sooner, this allowed cleaner looks for Bulls players and only a Cavs three-point barrage and Chicago’s missed free throws late in the game made the contest interesting.

Chicago is a 5.5-point underdog and is 19-10 ATS after covering two of their last three against the spread and needs Kirk Henrich as three-point scorer in the offense. His long range bombs open up the middle for Joakim Noah and Luol Deng to operate.

Del Negro’s other decision was to man-up LeBron James with different defenders and let him get as much as he could earn, without the other players leaving their men for open three-point attempts. This is something James loves to do, have opposing players draw to him like magnet and he skillfully finds open three-point shooter. Chicago stuck with their plan and moved to 5-2 SU and ATS at the “Madness on Madison” location against Cleveland.

It’s now coach Mike Brown’s time to make adjustments and see if he can send the Bulls to 8-21 ATS at home after covering two or more contests.

Dallas at San Antonio 7:05E TNT

They don’t have a NHL team in San Antonio, but Manu Ginobili showed the toughness of hockey player, coming back from broken nose to help the Spurs win 94-90 as 3.5-point favorites. Ginobili’s warrior attitude was on display scoring 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.

The other parts of San Antonio’s three amigos, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, scored 48 points in the victory. Duncan turns 34 years old today and has a trio of games over 20 points and Parker appears to be relishing coming off the bench just like Ginobili used to do. The Spurs have covered eight of last 10 as home favorites.

Dirk Nowitzki overcame coach Greg Popovich’s move of limiting his looks after Dirk’s screens on and off the ball. In Game 2, the Spurs doubled on-ball screens and sent another defender at Nowitzki when he tried to pick and pop. Nowitzki thwarted that strategy as Dallas offense featured more isolation action and used his patented jab-step to total 35 points on 13-23 shooting.

The Mavericks are 6-2 ATS with a day between games and coach Rick Carlisle has explaining to do for benching Caron Butler in the second half. He said J.J. Barea gave them more penetration against San Antonio, (Barea did key a 17-0 run in the third quarter) however he could not replace the 19.5 points Butler has averaged in first two games. Butler had grand total of two points Friday night.

“Coach just goes with whoever is working that night and we went with a three-guard lineup,” Nowitzki said. “It was working for a while but we didn’t seem to have enough down the stretch.”

Ginobili is expected to play and DiamondSportsbook.com has the Spurs as 2.5-point favorites, with total of 193. San Antonio is 20-6-2 ATS as a playoff favorite and Dallas is 10-4 ATS as postseason underdog of 4.5 or less and 12-4 OVER as playoff pooch. The home team is on 7-3-1 ATS move.

Denver at Utah 9:35E TNT

The Nuggets defense continues to be a non-factor and it is evident this team is adrift. Despite being severely short-handed, Utah has averaged over 110 points per game in this series, shooting over 50 percent.

Utah’s motion offense usually sets up a number of good looks at the bucket, however coach Jerry Sloan has noticed how slow and lazy (no other way to describe it) Denver has been on weakside defensive rotations, allowing the Jazz to run what appears to be a layup drill at times.
Utah is 21-10-2 ATS against team that permitted 100 or more points in last outing and Deron Williams is acting like its Thanksgiving, carving up Denver’s defense. Utah finished with 27 assists and just nine turnovers.

The Nuggets lack of urgency is unsettling and speaks volumes what George Karl means to this team. The Jazz are the hungrier team and Denver is 1-7-1 ATS in last nine road excursions.

Utah is a two-point pick and is 19-6-1 ATS when favored team by 4.5 or less and is 6-0-1 UNDER off outright win. Denver will attempt to even the series and is 7-1 ATS off a loss by 10 or more. They are 6-2 UNDER in last eight visits to Salt Lake City.

Three NBA teams need tasty home cookin'

Over the next two days, the series switch to new locales with the home town fans clamoring for success from the guys in the short pants. A couple of the teams are in desperate straits and need to make something happen or they can start making summer vacation plans. One other squad doesn’t have its best player however can take the series lead with a victory before its loud and proud fans.

Cleveland at Chicago 7:00E TNT

The Bulls played the Cavaliers even for three quarters, unfortunately professional basketball is a four quarters contest and for those that can’t stand the NBA, saying you only have to watch the last quarter, they were nodding their head with pride about Game 2.

Chicago was tied after three quarters but was outscored 35-25 in the final 12 minutes, thanks to LeBron James doing his best Mariano Rivera impression as the closer. (James is well-known Yankees fan) James scored 15 of his 40 points in the final stanza, ruining the Bulls upset bid.
“They call me the closer every time I come in the fourth quarter,” James said. “It’s my time to put the game away or do what I do best and that’s try to close the game the right way.” Cleveland is 14-4 ATS off a home win by 10 points or more this season.

Chicago will receive the energy from its home fans and the Bulls better start rampage from the opening tip, since nobody expects the Bulls to win four of the next five games. One Chi-Town player enduring himself to the locals is Joakim Noah, whose been a force on both ends of the floor and talking a little trash about Cleveland. He’s more than ready for next assignment. (Note picture- Noah not fazed by Zydrunas Ilgauskas Lithuanian mind-probe)

We can't get discouraged," Noah said. "They did what they were supposed to do. We'll have our fans ready to go for the next game and we'll be ready to go on Thursday."

The Bulls are a four-point underdog, with total of 193 and are 13-4 ATS off two or more consecutive road losses. Chicago is 13-4 UNDER playing with two days rest this season.

L.A. Lakers at Oklahoma City 9:30E TNT

This is all fun and new for the Thunder, being in the postseason for the first time as members from the Sooner State. Oklahoma City lost both games to the defending champion L. A. Lakers, but they are far from discouraged.

"I think that our offense was phenomenal," Kevin Durant said. "Our energy on a defensive end was phenomenal. Of course you cannot play perfect defense an entire game. We got a lot of offensive, rebounds and we played hard.

Of course the next step in the progression is actually winning a game and the Thunder gives the impression they are well-equipped to do so. OKC is 14-5 ATS off a road loss and Bookmaker.com has installed them as 3.5-point favorites.

Thunder fans have enjoyed this young team’s rise all year and view this as the beginning of something much bigger and can hardly be disappointed no matter the outcome.

The Lakers were pushed to the end in Game 2, winning 95-92 as 5.5-point favorites, held to 37.5 percent shooting. Kobe Bryant returned to his usual self scoring 39 points, making 13 of 15 from the charity stripe. It’s a rare sight to see Los Angeles as an underdog, especially in a 1 vs 8 matchup and they are 33-18 ATS as a pooch and 10-2 UNDER in this role.

"We're going home to our crowd, which is gonna give us a lot of energy and we're gonna be ready to play," Jeff Green said Tuesday night. His team is 14-2 ATS after a contest with 15 or less assists this season.

Keep an eye on the total of 191.5 with Oklahoma City 12-2 UNDER at the Ford Center off a cover where they lost the game SU as an underdog.

Phoenix at Portland 10:00E NBA TV

Portland looked every bit like the underdog they were supposed to be, being man-handled by Phoenix 119-90 in Game 2 as 8.5-point underdogs. The news however is good on two fronts, a loss is still a loss whether it’s by one point or 29 and the Trailblazers are returning home.

We got a win," Portland guard Andre Miller said. "You don't want to lose like that any time, but we still are motivated. This is a seven-game series. (The Suns) did their job tonight, but we got a game, and it's a series. Now we have to go and try to protect our home court." Portland is 13-5 ATS after allowing 105 points or more this season.

Phoenix can take pride in understanding and doing what it takes to win as they showed in last outing. They repeatedly ran the floor for easy transition buckets, forced Portland into missing shots with greater defensive intensity (38.2 percent) and spread the ball around with Jason Richardson and Grant Hill being key figures in the victory.

“We were just more aggressive getting the ball up the floor and moving bodies around so they weren’t set,” Steve Nash said, “and they weren’t able to zone it up as well.” That raised the Suns record to 14-4 ATS playing against a team with 60-70 winning percentage this campaign.

Game 3 opened as Pick and Portland has moved to one point underdog with 7-19 ATS record at the Rose Garden after a loss by 10 points or more.

Home teams seek 2-0 edge in NBA Playoffs

Cleveland and Denver opened impressively on their own home courts in winning and covering Game 1 of the new playoff year. Each club will look to take a decided edge on Monday night, before packing for the road for the next two contests. Will each be the able to stir up another winner and beat the oddsmaker to boot? This doubleheader is on TNT starting at 8 Eastern Monday.

Play like a champion

The Cavaliers closed as 12-point point home favorites against Chicago and almost frittered away a 22-point lead before closing the deal. The Bulls got within seven points in the fourth quarter, before being visibility spent and falling 99-83.

Cleveland appeared bored after building humongous lead, yet is quite confident in their abilities, this year more than ever.

“We," LeBron James said, "have the look of a champion."

He might be right and the oddsmakers certainly think so making them the betting choice for futures wager to be NBA champions. The Cavs remade roster is back at full strength with Shaquille O'Neal, Antawn Jamison and Anthony Parker. Cleveland looked bigger, stronger and had more options coming off the bench than Chicago and is 14-3 ATS off a home win by 10 points or more this season.

The Bulls can take heart they outscored the Cavaliers by a point after the first 12 minutes and realistically had no reason to believe they could sweep Cleveland at Quicken Loans Arena.
“We can't wait to play," Derrick Rose said after scoring 28 points and handing out 10 assists. "I know I can't. This is something I live for. I think about it every minute of the day, playing against the best team in the NBA."

The loss ended Chicago’s brief three game winning streak, however they are 13-5 ATS after playing two consecutive road games this season.

DiamondSportsbook.com took into consideration the Bulls will have turnaround revenge and opened them as Game 2 underdogs of 10.5-points, with total of 191 and they are 7-1 ATS off a loss since Mar. 12. Chicago is 18-8 UNDER revenging same season loss this year.

Cleveland knows how to turn up the defensive intensity and is 13-5 ATS after two or more Under’s this season and continues to rule the first round with 13-3 ATS mark. The Cavs are 10-2 SU and ATS at home vs. Da Bulls in this battle of Great Lakes cities and is 9-1 UNDER after a cover as a double digit favorite this season.

Carmelo chewy good for the Nuggets

Denver has been floundering for some time, but once the playoff lights came on it was show time for their two brightest stars. Carmelo Anthony scored a playoff-high 42 points in leading the Nuggets to 126-113 victory. Guard J.R. Smith is like a Maserati, able to go from zero to 100 MPH in seconds.

Smith broke open a 90-90 tie game with four 3-point baskets, scoring 18 of his 20 points in the final stanza. "It felt good to get on, period," Smith said. "I couldn't hit anything. I didn't have a rhythm. It felt good to start making shots."

Denver scored 38 points in the last quarter and Anthony and Smith combined for 30 of them. That raised the Nuggets record in 14-3 ATS in playoff games since last season.

Utah has to feel the basketball gods are conspiring against them. Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko re-injured his strained left calf in practice Thursday and won't play in the series, which is catastrophic, since he was the one player on Utah roster that could at least contain Anthony.

Jazz center Mehmet Okur aggravated his left Achilles' tendon injury in the first half, slipping on a wet spot on the floor and undergoes MRI. "I felt something pop," said Okur. (Now out for the season) Utah is 3-12 ATS as visitor revenging a road loss the last two years.

Offense ruled in the series opener, with Denver shooting 57.1 percent and Utah at 54.7 percent, however too many players had wide open looks, which was both a function of exceptional ball movement and shoddy defense.

Utah is a seven-point underdog, with its roster shrinking and will have to continue to shoot the ball well and play defense with greater urgency. At the very least the Jazz are capable of covering the number and are 13-1 ATS after a road game where both teams score 100 or more points.

Denver has shown a killer-instinct when leading in a series and is 8-0 ATS in the postseason in this precise situation. The Nuggets are now is 22-8 UNDER in the first round of the playoffs and are 44-7 SU when they have 20 or more assists this campaign.

Bulls and Nuggets need wins

The NBA teams that reside in Windy City and Rocky Mountains are feeling the pinch with seven days left in the regular season. The Chicago Bulls were once comfortably in the playoff picture, second in the Central Division and marching merrily along as a young team on the rise. But even in the Eastern Conference, 10-game losing streaks can really impact your position in the standings (unless you’re New Jersey) and the Bulls season imploded like another Illinois political scandal.

Chicago (37-40, 39-36-2 ATS) fell below motoring Milwaukee in the division and all the way out of the top eight slots in the East, trailing Toronto by one game, despite coming back to win six of last nine SU and ATS.

Chicago desperately wants to sign Dwayne Wade as max free agent, which is why they traded John Salmons to the Bucks, taking on the expiring contracts of Hakim Warrick and Joe Alexander. While this vision might work towards the future, it did nothing for Chicago in the present.

Since the Feb. 18 trade, Da Bulls are 10-14 and 13-11 ATS with Salmons up the road on I-94 in Sudsville. Milwaukee, well a consistent NBA guard who can score in the backcourt has elevated the Bucks to 19-6, 18-5-2 ATS since that fateful day.

Chicago has to face Cleveland (61-17, 38-38-2 ATS) next, just the best and deepest team in the NBA. The one edge the Bulls could have is the Cavaliers have set the cruise control and are resting various players until the regular season is finished.

Cleveland tried to help Chicago, taking down Toronto 113-101 as 5.5-points favorites, but the wully-Bullies couldn’t handle a depleted Bucks squad and lost by five at United Center. The Cavs are 24-11-1 ATS after a double digit triumph, while Chicago is 6-0 ATS after a SU defeat.

The Bulls are 2.5-point favorites and have covered four of last five in Chi-Town against LeBron and the fellas and this Central showdown is on TNT which starts a bit after 8:00 Eastern.

Nuggets not playing tasty basketball

Denver (51-27, 34-39-5 ATS) has gone from sole possession division leader and second seed in the West to fifth in the conference.

The Nuggets have had their fair share of frightful opponents, yet that doesn’t explain their 6-6 record and frigid 2-9-1 ATS spread mark in last 12 contests.

The single common denominator is the absence of George Karl who last attended a game on March 16. While Karl is above average coach, he’s not thought of as elite, nonetheless his voice it seems is the one Denver players responds to.

According to the Denver Post, Karl has lost 25 pounds, has difficulty speaking and may need to be fed through a tube for up to six more months, that doesn’t sound like person that could be returning to the bench anytime in the near future sadly.

That leaves it up to the team leaders like Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to be role models and max their abilities for the Nuggets to be victorious.

Denver hosts the Los Angeles Lakers (55-22, 32-43-2 ATS) after facing Oklahoma City last night. The Nuggets are 32-6 at the Pepsi Center (18-19-1 ATS), winning by 9.6 points per game, which is the third best home record in the NBA. The Lakers are 22-16 (16-22-1 ATS) on the road and Denver is 7-0 ATS against clubs with winning visitor’s record and Bookmaker.com has them as two-point favorites with total of 204.

One extra large negative for Carmelo’s crew is recent 1-7-1 ATS mark when playing with no rest and they are 8-2 UNDER, as offense has been stalling with Kenyon Martin and Chris Anderson on the sidelines.

To move back up in the standings, Denver needs this contest which starts at approximately 10:35 Eastern and the other three remaining games on the schedule to improve conference position for the playoffs.

Easter Bunny brings it for Easter Sunday in NBA

Four teams very familiar with one another are set to face off against each other in NBA action this Easter Sunday. Cleveland has all but wrapped up the league’s best record and wants to continue playing well headed into the playoffs. They will face Boston who is search of finding their way. Immediately following, the surging San Antonio Spurs try to lasso the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. Enjoy the Easter ham, enjoy the games.

Cleveland at Boston 1:00E ABC

The Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics (47-28, 30-43-2 ATS) close out a six-game homestand which has been dismal to say the least. Having won nine of 13 games coming off a three game road trip, Boston started an extended stay at home dumping Denver by 14 points and secured a non-cover win over Sacramento by eight as 11-point favorites.

Last Sunday the Celtics were in position to prove they had gotten over three month slide of being incredibly ordinary, facing a hot San Antonio team and they were vanquished 94-73 by the Spurs. That loss must have left an emotional scar or Boston really isn’t anything but average, losing games to Oklahoma City and Houston on their own floor since, which left their coach to say this after Rockets defeat.

"There are so many things I could point out, but I won't," Doc Rivers said. "We played like a high school team at times, as far as the way our thought process was."

The C’s are just 23-15 at home, with a pediculous spread record of 11-26-1 ATS. Chances are this is not their last home loss.

In comes Cleveland with the best record in the NBA at 60-16 (37-37-2 ATS), having won 17 of 19 (10-8-1 ATS) since Feb. 21 and in high gear heading towards the playoffs. The Cavaliers almost traded J.J. Hickson to Phoenix and right now they are thrilled they did not. Coach Mike Brown is defensive-minded and gets wacky when his team doesn’t perform on that end of the floor.

Lately, he has used Hickson as defensive stopper late in games and he has come through, grabbing career-high 16 rebounds on Friday in the Cavaliers win over Atlanta and working a trap with Jamario Moon on Milwaukee’s John Salmons that forced key turnover to help preserve victory earlier in the week. Cleveland is 26-12 and 21-16-1 ATS outside of Ohio.

DiamondSportsbook.com has Cleveland as 1.5-point road favorites with total of 193.5 on this Easter Sunday clash and the Cavs are 12-5 ATS on this day of the week and 6-2 UNDER in last eight games. Boston is proving more and more they can’t compete with the better teams and are 7-18-1 ATS if the opponent has record of .600 or higher. The Celtics are 29-11 OVER off a loss.

The favorite in this matchup is 5-1 ATS and the previous five contests in Boston are 4-1 OVER.

San Antonio at L.A. Lakers 3:30E ABC

Despite trying circumstances, San Antonio (46-29, 39-35-1 ATS) has flourished. Playing without Tony Parker, other players like Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan missing a game here and there and schedule back-loaded with games, the Spurs have managed to win 15 of last 20 (14-6 ATS). San Antonio is in seventh spot in the hostile Western Conference, but is only one loss behind Oklahoma City and two behind Denver and Utah, and can move up possibly if they continue to win.

Off the 112-100 triumph over Orlando, the Spurs are 9-1 ATS after crossing the century mark.
The Lakers (55-21, 32-42-2 ATS) have not played very good basketball, with an 8-6 (5-9 ATS) record since Mar. 4, before facing Utah two days ago. The Jazz bring out the best in Los Angeles, as Kobe Bryant and teammates handed Utah their eighth straight loss at the Staples Center 106-92 as 4.5-point favorites.

L.A. has played almost arrogantly bored of late, more going thru the motions waiting for the playoffs to begin, however playing against other quality teams like Utah in the West brought back the intensity and it will be interesting to see if they play with same passion against the Spurs. The Lakers haven’t covered back to back games since Feb. 6-10, when they did so three consecutive times.

The Lakers are a six-point favorite with total of 194, but are just 3-9 ATS on previous dozen home tilts and are 20-7-1 UNDER off a win by double digits. San Antonio is perfect against the number if their opponent scored 100 or more points in last contest at 8-0 ATS and is 10-4-1 UNDER on Sunday’s.

The Lakers are on 7-1 ATS run against the Greg Popovich’s Spurs and the UNDER is 5-0 in L.A.

Championship Week begins in earnest

We fell just short of our goal, but still produced a 2-1 Sunday. Kendall is back again with hopefully his third straight prediction at 3Daily Winners for Free Play. The Top Trend is in the MAAC title game. Good Luck

What I’m thinking today – LeBron James was originally listed as questionable, but with his status being changed to doubtful, Cleveland went from a seven point favorite down to five. The New Jersey and Memphis matchup has elicited tremendous response going both ways. The Grizzlies long home losing streak has bettors skittish even against the Lousy Bets, taking them from -10 to -8.5. The total has into gone the other way, from 195 to 198.

Possibly NBA bettors see the Knicks missing a barrage of shots again and have taken the total down two points to 209.5 vs. Atlanta.

In college basketball, many are seeing the Colonial championship being a defensive game, with the total having fallen from 120 to 117. Those same bettors see the Denver and North Texas Sun Belt semi-final in much the same way, having dropped 3.5 points from opening number of 130.

Wofford is getting a lot of love to be Southern Conference post-season champs for the first time ever, going from 3.5-point favorite to five at more locations all the time.

It hardly matters, but Washington has gone from a -320 money line favorite to -300.

As I mentioned Saturday, was pleased to find we won TWO awards for February at Cappers Monitor (Look below on this page) and as of today at least, No.1 in college basketball. Also found discovered we were No.1 in February also at Cappers Watchdog (Click to see).

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

Free Basketball System -1) No greats trends of any kind today, thus read article below what’s best in the NBA.

Free Basketball Trend - 2) Siena is 10-1 ATS after a game where they failed to cover the spread this season.

Free Basketball Pick -3) Kendall’s is 26-11 the last eight days and is playing No. Texas to dump Denver.

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Cavs visit Beantown tonight

The Cleveland Cavaliers ended their three game losing streak with a 105-95 non-cover over New Orleans Tuesday, next up is to end losing skid that goes back years. Cleveland has made nine trips to Boston and has come up on the short end of the score each time. The last time the Cavs (44-14, 28-29-1 ATS) won at TD Garden was Jan. 3, 2007 and they are 6-3 ATS in those visits, which is little consolation unless you are a sports bettor.

There has been a great deal of doom and gloom surrounding Cleveland’s recent slide and the fact they are 1-6 ATS in last seven, but a certain high profile Cavs player tries to put things into perspective.

“There’s 82 games in the regular season. You’ll have ups and downs,” said LeBron James. “We’ve had way more ups than downs. We have the best record in the Eastern Conference and one of the best records in the league. You can go two or three games where you don’t win a game. That’s not our worries.”

Cleveland’s recent struggles have had to do with defense. Coach Mike Brown’s squad prior to last game had allowed 100 or more points in five of previous six contests. Before this, the Cavs surrendered that many points over a span of 26 games, showing the decline in effort. They will seek reversal and are 8-4 ATS off a victory.

Like anything in life, it could be worse, like being a loyal Boston Celtics (36-19, 21-33-1 ATS)bettor. Boston has won four of last five, but for Celtics backers, betting the C’s is similar to getting a hot stock tip that the Hummer is coming back strong, with 8-18-1 ATS record since Dec. 27.

General Manager Danny Ainge was being barbequed in Boston until he made the bold moves to bring in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, which restored Celtics pride and brought them a championship. This would have never happened had Boston lost the top pick in the draft in the lottery, which would have brought Kevin Durant and the Celtics would more likely resemble Oklahoma City, than the current model.

Like most GM’s in the NBA, do one thing right and you have a free pass for years. Ainge thought Rasheed Wallace would be good fit for the green and white and he probably more than any other player exemplifies what is wrong with Boston this season and in part explains why they are 3-8 ATS off a SU win.

Wallace isn’t close to being the defense player he was even two years ago when his skills were diminishing. He was supposed to add scoring in the paint, however as 82games.com points out, over 80 percent of his shots come outside the lane and like in recent years he believes he’s Ray Allen deep, despite shooting 28.4 percent beyond the arc. One more thing, guard Rajon Rondo averages more rebounds per game than Wallace (4.4 vs 4.2).

No question injuries have played a part in Boston’s season and Paul Pierce is doubtful for this evening. The Celtics are 6-18-1 ATS at home and 1-7-1 ATS with a day between contests.
Bookmaker.com has Cleveland as 1.5-point faves and they are 7-3 ATS with one day of rest and they are 5-1-1 OVER this month after scoring 100 or more points. Boston has covered 17 of last 25 Thursday assignments and is 20-8 UNDER on this day of the week going back even further.

This confrontation of Eastern powers begins just after 8:00 in East time zone on TNT and the home team is 16-1 SU, though just 8-8-1 ATS in previous 17 meetings.

Viewable Sunday Afternoon NBA Action

Four division leaders will collide on ABC this afternoon, kind of a playoff primer if you will. The first is a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, with Cleveland traveling south to Orlando to try and continue to prove to their loss was a mistake and they are indeed the better team. Later, Boston wraps up their five game road trip in the Mile High City. Two top tilts, lots of wagering options.

I must punish you for past misdeeds

The Cleveland Cavaliers (43-13, 28-27-1 ATS) lost to Orlando in six games in the East Finals and didn’t sit by idly feeling sorry for itself. They were no match for the Magic and Dwight Howard and picked up the one available big man that could be difference-maker in Shaquille O'Neal. The Cavs with LeBron James, have the best record in the NBA and have faced the Magic twice this year, beating them each time while covering the spread.

For the Cavaliers, that wasn’t not enough, which is why they made the trade for forward Antawn Jamison, who can play the jazzy named "stretch 4" position, which is a power forward who can stretch the defense out to the three-point line. (Pretty cool) The Cleveland front office believes once Leon Powe is activated, they have the necessary parts to not only beat Orlando, but take the whole enchilada. The Cavs arrive in central Florida 19-9 and 16-11-1 ATS on the road.

The Magic players acknowledge Cleveland up the ante. "They made themselves better," said Rashard Lewis said after hearing about the trade. "They wanted to match up with me, or down to me, but I'm not their matchup problem. It's the big fellow (Dwight Howard) over there." Lewis averaged 18.3 points and shot 48.4 percent from 3-point range in the conference final against Cleveland last spring.

However, just because you’re comfortable does mean it’s a done deal and Orlando (38-19, 26-26-4 ATS) is still the defending East champs. "They already were the best team in the East, by far, and this makes them stronger," said Magic forward Matt Barnes. "But we're not going to hold our heads down. We're still confident we can beat them."

Orlando is 21-6 at home (13-13-1 ATS) and plays into double revenge and is a two-point favorite at DiamondSportsbook.com with total of 195. The Magic as a less than magical 8-20 ATS off a double digit home loss which they suffered to Dallas (95-85) on Friday and are 22-8 UNDER off a loss. Cleveland is usually an angry club off a whipping (like they felt at Charlotte 110-93) and is 22-6 ATS off a double digit defeat.

This matinee starts at 1:00 Eastern and the Cavaliers are 10-4-1 OVER since Jan. 16.

Denver a Mile High Headache

The Nuggets are fairly perky again after trudging into Cleveland and ending the Cavs 13-game winning streak. Carmelo Anthony upstaged James at crunch time, scoring his 39th and 40th points to break a 116-116 tie with a jumper with 1.9 seconds remaining in overtime to give Denver the win at Cleveland on Thursday night.

"A lot of people got some good pictures out of that moment," Anthony said. "I wanted the ball. I made the shot." Denver (36-19, 25-27-3 ATS) followed that up with dud at Washington, losing by 10 and return home where they are 23-5 (14-13-1 ATS) at the Pepsi Center.

Boston (35-18, 21-31-1 ATS) checks into Denver 3-1 on road trip, looking to return home on a very positive note. The Celtics have been scuffling plenty the last two months (12-13 SU and 8-16-1 ATS), nevertheless are showing signs of returning to earlier form with 6-2 record in February.

Boston hopes to get something immediately out of their newest player Nate Robinson. "He gives us speed, No. 1," coach Doc Rivers said. "He gives us another ball-handler. And he gives us a guy that can have a night. When guys go flat, he's a guy that can create shots without a play (or) after a play has broken down, on a ball swing. The other thing he does is gives us defense. He can pressure the ball. We can use lineups with (Rajon) Rondo and Nate at times against certain teams. The ball pressure alone will be phenomenal."

Denver is a four-point favorite with total of 198 and is 7-1 ATS off a spread failure and 5-1 UNDER in previous six with a day off between games. Boston is a boastful 51-22-1 as a visiting dog and is 8-1 UNDER in last nine, including six in a row.

This encounter is slated for 3:30 Eastern start with the home team 7-2 ATS.

NBA offers two tough choices Thursday

Though injuries are a part of the game in any sport, it seems this season more games than ever are releasing later numbers on sides and totals. Kobe Bryant is the reason for the Lakers and Boston matchup coming out later than what most would prefer and based on his comments yesterday, he’s 50-50 at best for tonight. Both Denver and Cleveland have dealt with their fair share of missed games by key players and now Nuggets coach George Karl will begin treatment again for cancer, adding another factor to consider. Betting the NBA is difficult enough besides trying to figure out other variables.

Cleveland improves, while Denver mulls future

The Cavaliers front office is looking to make sure they do everything in their power to set up LeBron James and teammates for a return visit to the NBA Finals. Yesterday, they engineered a three-way trade that brings Antawn Jamison to town from Washington, giving them one more scoring option within 15 feet of the basket. No word if the long time Wizard star will be there for tonight’s game on time, however it would seem he would relish the chance to be a club with a true chance to win a title and would try to get to Cleveland by air, bus or even driving a Toyota.

Cleveland (43-11, 28-25-1 ATS) has mowed down 13 straight opponents (8-5 ATS) as they prepare for first game in a week and the Cavaliers are 17-7 ATS playing against a team with a winning record this season. “I think our team is built to win a championship,” James said. “With the group of guys we have here, if we continue to get better, we’re headed in the right direction.” King James has been doing his part, averaging 33.5 points a game in last six contests prior to All-Star break.

Denver (35-18, 24-26-3 ATS) has seen stars Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony miss considerable time this season, yet they’ve been able to hear that one voice in the locker room, on the practice floor and the one on bench during games. The importance of coaching in the NBA has been debated for decades, since the teams with the best talent usually win; nonetheless, a coach today has to know how to massage massive egos, while challenging his players to get better. What the loss of Karl will mean is impossible to gauge at the moment.

It was shocking just to hear it,” forward Kenyon Martin told the Nuggets’ official Web site. “He told us he’s battled it before so he knows what it takes to get right. He’s going to do all he can to get his body right and his health together and we’re going to do all we can to make sure the basketball end is taken care of.” A rested Denver squad is good for the Nuggets with 28-12 ATS record when playing four or less games in 10 days over the last two seasons.

Bookmaker.com has Cleveland as 6.5-point favorites with 206 point total and it will be worth watching to see if they can keep up same pace of 15-2 ATS record in home games after two straight outings converting 50 percent of their shots or better. Denver has quickie two game road sojourn and is 26-10 ATS after consecutive home contests.

This is the opener on TNT starting at 8:00 Eastern and the Nuggets are 4-8 SU and ATS in last dozen visits to what Forbes is now calling “America’s most miserable city”. Denver is also 21-7 UNDER as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points over the last two seasons.

Kobe, where are you?

Less than three weeks ago, the Celtics and Lakers matchup were being sold to the masses as one of the greatest games of all time with the ESPN/ABC hype machine in overdrive. This time at 10:30 on the East Coast, not so much. Other factors are also playing a role why this contest, still meaningful, lacks the panache this time around.

Start with Kobe Bryant, unlikely to play with bad wheel, which would make five straight games without him for the Lakers. Los Angeles (42-13, 25-28-2 ATS) is still an extremely talented club and they have reeled off four wins in a row in his absence, covering three of them. It would also make sense for Bryant not to play, since the Lakers don’t play again until next Tuesday, buying even more time for him. L.A. is 26-4 and 14-15-1 ATS at the Staples Center, winning by 9.9 points per game.

This is the middle game of a five-game road trip for Boston (33-18, 19-31-1 ATS) and rumors continue to swirl the Celtics are trying to deal Ray Allen for a younger shooting guard. Boston is 8-10 since Jan. 8, hardly championship material and backers have spoken with great turgidity about 4-13-1 ATS record in that span.

One belief Boston fans have is Paul Pierce will play well, as the Los Angeles native has averaged 27.1 points a game in 10 visits against the Lakers. Boston won, but failed to cover two nights ago in Sacramento and is 10-19-1 ATS after a non-cover this season and will be a four-point road underdog, trying to improve on inept 1-10-1 ATS mark against Pacific Division clubs.

The Lakers go for fifth win in a row and sweep of Celtics and off their 104-94 win Tuesday over Golden State, are 7-1-1 ATS after scoring 100 or more points. L.A. is just 1-4 ATS hosting Boston in last five tries, though the favorite is 5-2-1 ATS in previous eight regular season encounters.

Last Chance for NBA Bettors

All but four NBA teams go into hibernation for a few days starting Thursday. The lucky(?) four clubs are part of the TNT Thursday night televised package and at least they know they will have something to play for after the All-Star break, unlike the New Jersey Nets. The first contest brings together the Eastern Conference finalists from last season and San Antonio will be off the road for brief reprieve from Rodeo Trip, after visiting Denver.

Cleveland seeks small measure of revenge

In sports were told every season and every team is different from year to year. Players are taught to let go of past failures or success, since what is happening this moment is what you are playing for, not what previously occurred. Fans and often sports bettors don’t have that acquired skill, they remember.

If Cleveland’s unassailable 12-game winning streak conjures up memories of the Cavaliers (42-11, 27-25-1 ATS) marching into the East Finals last season, that’s understandable. However, in search of No. 13, pardon those who wonder if this could be unlucky number since they held tickets on Cleveland to win series wager over Orlando last spring and saw those ducats become combustible.

“They’re coming into our building, and right now we’re the best team in the NBA,” LeBron James said Tuesday after beating New Jersey. “It’s going to be a fun one.” The Cavs are 7-5 ATS during this hot streak and have won 20 of last 21 contests played at Quicken Loans Arena (23-3 and 11-15 ATS on the season).

Cleveland believes they are better equipped this season to make the NBA Finals, having acquired Shaquille O’Neal, who was brought in largely because the Cavs had no answer for Dwight Howard in the playoffs last year. The Cavaliers come into tonight 14-2 ATS at home after two games converting 50 percent or more of their shots.

Orlando (36-17, 25-24-4 ATS) doesn’t arrive in Cleveland like the Washington Generals. The Magic have won 10 of 12, including last three in a row. They have done this playing great defense, permitting just one team to break the century mark against them. Orlando was on fire against Chicago last night and is 16-5 ATS after scoring 60 points or more in the first half of last game. The Magic’s confidence is growing as Vince Carter, who has suffered the worst slump of his career, has averaged 24.2 points in his last five games.

Cleveland is a 6.5-point favorite with total of 194 at Bookmaker.com and is deceiving 16-7 ATS facing a team with a winning record this year, as their average margin of victory is 8.5 points a game. Here is an odd stat for a top notch team; Orlando attempts more three point shots than free throws (27.9 vs. 27.3) and they arrive near Lake Erie 21-9 ATS as a road underdog over the last two seasons. The Magic lost earlier meeting at home to Cavs 102-93, nevertheless has split last six visits in Cleveland, covering five of them. Tipoff is just 8 Eastern.

Spurs might need lasso to contain Denver on Rodeo Trip

San Antonio (29-21, 24-25-1 ATS) is .500 after its first four games of annual road adventure, but both losses have come against teams lacking their stars. The Spurs didn’t have to see Brandon Roy or Kobe Bryant in uniform, yet failed to win or cover in either case. Richard Jefferson thought his coach had the answer.

“Coach (Gregg Popovich) said it best: ‘We’re playing soft.’ And that’s starting with me. I haven’t shot the ball well the last 10 or so games.” -Jefferson stated.

The Spurs won’t catch such a break tonight, as Carmelo Anthony is back for Denver and they are 2-10 ATS against Northwest Division opponents this season. Jefferson was brought in to add energy and wing player skills on the fast break; instead he’s averaging 12.1 points, his lowest since his rookie year. The Spurs are commonplace 14th in points scored and 12th in defensive field goal percentage, their highest figure since Tim Duncan’s rookie year (1997).

Denver (35-17, 24-25-3 ATS) has missed Anthony, just 4-3 in last seven outings, however is off best shooting night since Nov.17, as they destroyed Dallas 127-91, draining 60.8 percent from the field. With last offensive output, the Nuggets are 10-2 ATS after a combined score of 205 points or more in consecutive games this season.

Denver is a 5.5-point pick with total of 206 and is 23-4 (14-12 -1 ATS) at the Pepsi Center, winning by 10.2 PPG. The Nuggets are 43-24 ATS after playing a game as a home favorite since last year and are 18-8 OVER on their own floor after scoring 100 points or more three straight contests. San Antonio would like to end first leg of road trip on positive note, but are 15-29 ATS as a road underdog of six points or less since 2007. The Spurs are 9-1 UNDER as visitors after playing a road game this season.

Denver has won and covered three in a row over the Spurs, largely because they have outrebounded them by over 10 a game. This Western Conference conflict starts after preceding contest.