FREE PICK – MLB Free Pick

Dave Price   - 1 Unit on LA Angels -167
The Key: The Padres have been a poor investment at home in interleague play where they are 13-27 in their last 40. I expect these struggles to continue as they are up against one of the best pitchers in baseball. The Angels are 17-7 in Weaver’s last 24 starts, 42-17 in his last 59 starts as a favorite and 7-3 in his last 10 starts as a road favorite. The Angels are also 35-16 in their last 51 interleague road games. Take the Halos.

Dave Price’s ONE & ONLY 7* NBA TOTAL OF THE YEAR goes tonight!

PERFECT 5-0 L5 NBA “Game of the Year/Total of the Year” plays! Dave is the No. 1 RANKED NBA HANDICAPPER this season w/ an AMAZING 136-89 (60%) mark that has profited $1,000/game bettors $40,320. His NBA picks are a RED HOT 9-3 the L11 days & his NBA 7* Top Plays are on a DOMINANT 11-3 run. His ABSOLUTE STRONGEST over/under play of the entire NBA season goes tonight & it’s as close to a LOCK as you’ll ever find!

His Red Sox/Phillies 6* 11-0 Interleague *CA$H COW* is right on the money as well!

Dave is the No. 2 RANKED HANDICAPPER IN 2012 ($1,000/game bettors up $50,990) w/ a higher winning percentage and ROI than No. 1! He is a DOMINANT 21-9 his L30 overall picks and an AWESOME 74-39 his L113 MLB plays! He has you covered on the diamond Friday w/ his confident call on the Red Sox/Phillies showdown. Don’t make a move before you see which side is supported by a PERFECT 11-0 ANGLE in his game report!

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More than any other sport, baseball is a game of patience. It’s not how you start, but where you finish, and with a 162-game regular season, there is a LOT of baseball left. Did your team get off to a bad start? Well don’t panic. There is plenty of time to make adjustments and turn things around. Did your team get off to a hot start? Don’t start making World Series reservations just yet.

The Rangers and defending champion Cardinals are off to strong starts, but one year ago this week Texas was a .500 team sitting in third place in AL West. Two years ago this week the Giants were a mediocre 18-15 and went on to win the World Series. Three years ago this week the eventual champion NY Yankees were 15-17. Yes, that’s right, they had a terrible start, before going on a 16-4 run on the way to another pennant. Four years ago the AL eventual champion Tampa Bay Rays were 10-11, second to last in the AL East, looking up at three teams (Boston, NY, Baltimore) they would soon overtake. The eventual 2007 World Series champion Phillies were 11-11, looking up at the Marlins and Mets in the NL East.

The best record in baseball at the end of April 2007 was (sorry, Cub fans), the Cubbies. They did make the playoffs, but didn’t come close to sniffing a rare World Series berth. Two years ago the first place AL teams were the Blue Jays, Tigers and Rangers. None made the playoffs.

So don’t panic if your team is stumbling and don’t start thinking about printing playoff tickets if your team started 14-8, like the 2012 Nationals. The biggest flops have been the Red Sox, Angels, Phillies and D-Backs. But remember that five years ago the Phillies started 1-7 and ended up as NL East champs, while the eventual NL Champion Rockies were 10-16, last place in the NL West at the end of April, and 45-46 at the All Star break.

Seven years ago the Houston Astros started 8-13 and eventually stood at 15-30! They ended up winning the 2005 NL pennant. In 2003, the Florida Marlins started 19-29 and ended up winning the World Series. In 2002, the Angels started 6-14 and wound up winning their first World Series.

Oakland GM Billy Beane once said you spend the first third of the season seeing what you have and evaluating your team. The middle third trying to acquire pieces to fill weak spots, and the final third sitting back and watching the team make a run at the postseason — or not. We are in the first third of the season and there’s a long way to go. General Managers are in the process of evaluating what theyhave.

In the same way GMs need patience when analyzing baseball, so do handicappers. The Dodgers, Nats, Orioles and Braves have been the big surprises this season, with improved offenses and pitching. However, consistency over the long haul is the key.

History is the best teacher. Look back a seven years ago for some comparisons. In April of 2005, the Orioles and Blue Jays were atop the American League East with the Red Sox and Yankees looking up at them. In the National League, the Dodgers had a blistering 11-2 start while no other team in the NL West had a winning record. When the season ended, a very different picture emerged. LA was 71-91 in fourth place, a bevy of injuries and a lack of hitting derailed their once promising season. Meanwhile, in April in the NL Central the eventual NL champion Astros were looking up at the Cubs, Reds and Cardinals.

Surprises will emerge over a long season and offer smart bettors good value for their wagering dollar, even with individual players. Pitchers are more susceptible to injuries than any other professional athletes and remember that betting numbers are made based on current and past performance. It can take a while before oddsmakers catch on to a struggling or injured pitcher.

Sometimes kid pitchers can come up from the minors and dazzle, such as we saw the last few years with Edinson Volquez (Reds), Stephen Strasburg (Nationals) and Tim Lincecum (Giants). Things can change quickly, as Volquez is with San Diego this season and Strasburg is back after missing a year rehabbing. Even Lincecum is dealing with decreased velocity while not throwing his slider as there are concerns about his health.
Sustaining a surprise start requires talent, depth, line-up balance and good health.

A crop of talented young players from the farm system can be a huge plus. In 2003, the Florida Marlins road a slew of hot young arms in Dontrelle Willis, Josh Beckett, Brad Penny, Carl Pavano to a World Series title, while the Rays did something similar in 2008 and the Nationals hope it can happen this year.

Remember in 2003 the Royals started 17-4, the Mariners started 40-18 and the Diamondbacks were 52-42 at the All Star break. None made the playoffs. Those examples give hope to those teams that are off to struggling starts and should provide caution to teams that are in first place. After all, it’s only May!

LA Lakers vs. Oklahoma City NBA Playoff Schedule
Game 1: LA Lakers @ Oklahoma City (Monday 5/14, 9:30 pm est, TNT)
Game 2: LA Lakers @ OKC (Wednesday 5/16, 9:30pm est, TNT)
Game 3: OKC @ LA Lakers (Friday 5/18, 10:30 pm est, ESPN)
Game 4: OKC @ LA Lakers (Saturday 5/19, 10:30 pm est, TNT)
Game 5: LA Lakers @ OKC (Monday 5/21, If Necessary, TBD,  TNT)
Game 6: OKC @ LA Lakers (Wednesday May 23, If Necessary, TBD, ESPN)
Game 7: LA Lakers @ OKC (Sunday 5/27,  If Necessary,TBD, TNT)

The Lakers comes into this series a team that is on a roller coaster ride.  They looked good against Denver taking a 3-1 lead then looked awful in game 5 and 6 with Denver tying it up.  In game 7 the Lakers built a 17-point lead and then squandered it only to have a great 4th quarter in closing out the series.  They can not afford to be on that kind of roller coaster ride in this series as they take on one of the best teams in the NBA.  Oklahoma City has the #2 ranked efficient offense in the NBA and are led Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.  The Thunder are young, talented and hungry this year.  The have one of the best defensive players in the NBA in Serge Ibaka.  They dismantled the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in four games and are well rested.  That does not bode well for an older Laker team that is coming off a grueling 7-game series vs Denver with only one day to prepare.

In the three games this season, OKC blew out LA twice and had an 18-point lead in the infamous World Peace suspension game, before blowing the lead and losing in Double-OT.   World Peace, Ron Artest, whatever his name is, seemed to spark the Lakers in game 7 and hopefully for the Lakers that spark can carry over in this series.   The Lakers can not get in a run and gun game with OKC as they won’t score enough points.  For the Lakers to have a chance in this series, Durant and Westbrook are going to have shoot like they did in the final regular-season meeting this year where both combined for 14-56.  Those numbers probably won’t happen in every game but the Lakers need to hope it happens for a few games to have a chance to win.  This series has an interesting schedule twist in it as game 4 is part of a back-to-back and that could help OKC with their younger, fresh legs.   If the series does go 7-games, there is a 3-day rest between game 6 and 7 and that will definitely help the Lakers even though game 7 is in OKC.  Too much Durant and Westbrook in this series and not enough Bynum and Gasol.

NBA Odds:
LA Lakers:+370
Oklahoma City: -470

Prediction: Oklahoma City in 5

OKC is 9-7 against the spread versus LA Lakers over the last 3 seasons
LA Lakers are 10-6 straight up against Oklahoma City over the last 3 seasons
9 of 16 games in this series have gone UNDER the total over the last 3 seasons

2011-12 Season Results:
Oklahoma City is 2-1 SU (2-1 ATS)
Over-Under 2-1

Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat NBA Playoff Schedule
Game 1: Indiana @ Miami (Sunday 5/13, 3:30 PM, ABC)
Game 2: Indiana @ Miami (Tuesday 5/15, 7:00 PM, TNT)
Game 3: Miami @ Indiana (TBD)
Game 4: Miami @ Indiana (TBD)
Game 5: Indiana @ Miami (TBD, If Necessary)
Game 6: Miami @ Indiana (TBD, If Necessary)
Game 7: Indiana @ Miami (TBD, If Necessary)

This is an intriguing match-up between the favorite coming out of the Eastern Conference and the team that really is flying under the radar.  Miami is everyone’s favorite and are led by the NBA MVP, Lebron James.  James had his best all-around year ever and isn’t slowing down.  Wade and Bosh continue to be stable forces but it’s the play of Battier, Haslem, Miller and Coles that are just as important.  Miami is healthy and ready to make another run at the title.  Indiana is a team that we have said all year that nobody wants to play in the playoffs.  They are a disciplined and fundamental team that plays solid on offense and defense.  They dismantled the hapless Orlando Magic and have had some time to prepare for Miami.

Miami is one of the top defensive teams in the NBA and Indiana is an underrated defensive team.  This series has some prolific scorers that will be tough to hold down.  Indiana has four quality players avg in double-figures and it will be tough for Miami to defend.  This will be s fun series to watch and look for Indiana to give Miami everthing and more in this series.

NBA Odds:
Indiana +600
Miami -900

Prediction: Miami in 6

Miami is 3-3 against the spread versus Indiana over the last 3 seasons
Miami is 5-1 straight up against Indiana over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone Under the total over the last 3 seasons

2011-12 Season Results:
Miami is 3-1 SU (2-2 ATS)
Over-Under 2-2

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics NBA Playoff Schedule
Game 1: Philadelphia @ Boston (Saturday 5/12, 8:00 PM, TNT)
Game 2: Philadelphia @ Boston (Monday 5/14, 7:00 PM, TNT)
Game 3: Boston @ Philadelphia (Wednesday 5/16, 7:00 PM, TNT)
Game 4: Boston @ Philadelphia (TBD)
Game 5: Philadelphia @ Boston (TBD, If Necessary)
Game 6: Boston @ Philadelphia (TBD, If Necessary)
Game 7: Philadelphia @ Boston (TBD, If Necessary)

Philadelphia and Boston are two of the best defensive teams in the NBA this year and this should be another series where points are at a premium.  Both teams won tough opening round series.  Philly was a team that benefitted from several injuries by the Bulls but to their credit did not fold at home in game 6 and pulled the upset as a #8 seed.  Boston really lucked out in game 6 at home after some questions officiating late in the game that allowed them to pull out the win on their home court.

These two teams will play possession by possession so don’t look for a lot of fast-breakpoints to be scored.  Our rating for this series is actually closer than what the general public may think.  Pierce needs to be healthy for Boston to be successful.  Garnett had a great game 6 but the miles on his legs are wearing thin.  Philly is young and energetic but do not have a proven superstar like the the Big 3 and Rondo in Boston but they do have a nice bench and players that have bought in to Doug Collins defense-first system.

NBA Odds

Philadelphia +205

Boston -245

Prediction:  Boston in 7

Philadelphia is 7-4 against the spread versus Boston over the last 3 seasons

Boston is 7-4 straight up against Philadelphia over the last 3 seasons

6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER the total over the last 3 seasons

2011-12 season Results:

Philadelphia is 2-1 ATS against Boston this year winning both games at home

Over-Under 2-1 this year

As the NBA playoffs roll on, handicappers should take careful note of how teams did against each other during the regular season. Examine head to head matchups individually and as a group. Does one team dominate another? If so, are the reasons for this, or was it merely a fluke during the long grind of the 66-game schedule?

Two weeks ago we saw a terrific game as the Thunder and Lakers played double overtime, with the Lakers winning, a possible playoff preview. However, the Thunder won the first two meetings easily, by 15 and 9 points. And it would have been an impressive 3-game sweep until LA outscoring Oklahoma City 30-14 in the fourth quarter to force overtime.

It’s difficult to read a lot into the Celtics meetings with the Hawks and Heat this season, especially the last month as Boston and Miami both rested start players. Note that the Celtics and Hawks went 2-1 under the total during the regular season, including two very low scoring games, 88-86 and 79-76. Not surprising with both ranking in the Top 5 in points allowed.

Last year the Celtics went 3-1 SU/ATS against the Miami Heat during the regular season. They won the first three games with relative ease when Miami was still trying to mesh Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron, before Miami whipped the Green late in the year, 100-77. Miami continued that dominance with an impressive playoff pounding of the Celtics, so the earlier meetings meant less.
Sometimes a team is missing key players for one or two of the meetings, which can explain why one team did poorly. Or, maybe the losing team played in difficult back-to-back spots. Other times, you may find that a team matches up well against an opponent. If a weaker rebounding team like Boston is playing Chicago, examine each regular season battle to see what was more important: Defense? Offense? Or rebounding?

Think back two years ago when LeBron was in Cleveland. The Cavs and Celtics split their season series 2-2, with the Celtics winning in Cleveland on opening night, the Cavs knocking off the Celtics by 20 in Boston in late February, then by 11 at home in mid-March, then losing 117-113 on Easter Sunday after the Cavs effortlessly wiped out a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

It was after that last meeting that LeBron proclaimed his dislike for the Celtics afterward: “We don’t like them, and they don’t like us.” All of which sets the stage for a physical series with emotions likely running high as there is some recent history that stands out, including a Miami 4-1 series rout in the playoffs a year ago. The Bulls and Heat have had regular season wars, as well, with physical, defensive play, going 3-0 under the total so far this season.

Another angle is when one team dominates another during the regular season, then the two meet in the playoffs. The public perception is that the team that dominated during the season will easily rout the opponent, but this is not always the case. You may have heard professional bettors speak of the “GAD” theory, or “Go Against the Dominant team” during the postseason. It’s not as simple as betting against the favored team that dominated during the regular season, but it’s something to keep in mind as the playoffs commence.

For instance, a few years ago the Sacramento Kings swept the Utah Jazz during the regular season, going 4-0 straight up and against the spread. The Kings didn’t just win – they rolled! Sacramento won those four regular season meetings by some frightful scores: 113-80, 114-90, 107-81 and 117-109. Utah was no pushover, though, with Stockton and Malone, plus hard driving coach Jerry Sloan. In their first round playoff battle, Utah went 3-0 against the spread in the first three games, even winning Game 2 at Sacramento, 93-86 as an 11-point dog.

The Kings were 12, 11 and 4-point favorites in those first three games, yet failed to cover winning 89-86 in Game 1, losing Game 2, and winning 90-87 in Game 3. During the four regular season meetings, the Kings were 10 and 8 point favorites at Sacramento – but now in the playoffs, they were bumped up to 12 and 11 point chalk – clearly public perception had something to do with that based on the regular season dominance. Utah didn’t give in, even using their 0-4 regular season as a motivation factor.

Remember five years ago when No. 8 Golden State shocked top-seeded Dallas in the first round? Few recall that the Warriors went 2-1 SU/ATS against the mighty Mavs during the regular season, even winning the only game at Dallas. The smart handicapper saw an uptempo team that could run right with Dallas, which continued during their 6-game playoff upset. Examine regular season meetings carefully. Don’t be fooled by regular season dominance, and take note of injuries, rebounding edges, free throw attempts and when a big dog played the favorite evenly (or better) all season. The real story — and edges against the oddsmakers – can be found in the details.

This Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville marks the running of the 138th Kentucky Derby, which is the Crown Jewel of the Triple Crown racing season for the top three-year-old thoroughbred horses in the United States.

While the betting public tends to focus most of their handicapping efforts on picking the winner for this race, there are a number of prop bets available as well to add to the excitement of Derby Day. The following is a look at a few of the more interesting ones out there.

The Winning Time

The Kentucky Derby is often referred to as ‘the most exciting two minutes in sports, and for good reason. The winning time for this 1 ¼-mile race is usually right around the two minute mark. Secretariat, who won the Triple Crown in 1973, still holds the record for the fastest time at 1:59.40, but every other finish since then, except for Monarchos’ 1:59.97 winning run in 2001, has been over the two-minute mark.

The prop bet for this year’s race is ‘over’ 2:02.50 -120 and ‘under’ 2:02.50 -120. Since 2000, the winning horse has finished ‘under’ this time in seven of12 Kentucky Derbies.

Winning Horse wins the Preakness Stakes

The Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race track in Baltimore is the second leg of the Triple Crown and it is always held two weeks after the Derby on the third Saturday in May. The race is the same 1 ¼ length and also run on a dirt track.

The prop bet that the winner of the Kentucky Derby goes on to win the Preakness is +200 for ‘
‘yes’ and -300 for ‘no’. Since 1989, when Sunday Silence won both these races, there have been a total of seven thoroughbreds that have accomplished this feat. The last horse to win both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness was Big Brown in 2008.

Winning Horse wins the Belmont Stakes

The final and most grueling leg of the Triple Crown is the 1 ½-mile Belmont Stakes, which is run on dirt in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. This year’s race is set for Saturday, June 9.

The prop bet that the Kentucky Derby winner goes on to win the Belmont is +300 for yes and -500 for no. Winning both of these races is a much more daunting task given the additional length of the Belmont. Since Affirmed last won the Triple Crown in 1978 only Swale in 1984 and Thunder Gulch in 1995 have been able to win both of these races.

The prop bet that a horse will win two of the three Triple Crown races is -120 for both yes and no. Since Affirmed made his Triple Crown run there have been five horses that failed to win the Kentucky Derby but went on to win both the Preakness and the Belmont.

Triple Crown Winner

The prop bet that the winner of the Kentucky Derby goes on to win both the Preakness and the Belmont to bring home horse racing’s biggest prize is +750 for yes and -1000 for no. As previously mentioned, Affirmed was the last horse to accomplish this feat and in the history of these three races there have only been 11 horses that have won the Triple Crown.

Triple Crown Races – Three Different Winners

The prop bet that a different horse will win each of the Triple Crown races this year is -155 for yes and +115 for no. In six of the last 15 years, there have been three different winners for each of the three races. Big Brown was the last horse to win more than one Triple Crown race.

A Wire-to-Wire Derby Win

The prop bet that one of the 20 horses in this year’s Kentucky Derby field will break from the gate in first place and hold on to win the race is +400 for yes and -700 for no. Given the 1 ¼-mile length of this race, it is highly unlikely that any trainer or jockey would employ this strategy, especially since in the previous 137 Derbies only 22 horses have been able to go wire-to-wire to finish first.

Jim Miller and Nate Diaz will meet in the main event of the latest UFC on FOX card this Saturday. Miller (-225) has long been at the top of the division, but despite an 8-1 record since mid-2009, a shot at UFC Lightweight Title has eluded him. Diaz (+175) has been living in the shadow of his older brother, but with back-to-back impressive performance he has thrust himself into the title conversation.

Both fighters are brazilian jiu jitsu black belts and have won the majority of their fights by submission. It is hard to determine who will have the grappling edge, although Miller does average more submission attempts per fight. This can mainly be attributed to the fact that he aggressively pursues submission opportunities even to his own determent as was the case in the Ben Henderson fight. If there is an edge on the mat, Miller is a former NCAA Wrestling champion and considering Diaz’s past difficulties with wrestling-based fighters this could be the most significant aspect of the grappling comparison.

Diaz is well known for his patented “Stockton Slap” and does a gets nice extension on his punches to further maximize his reach advantage. He changes levels nicely, battering his adversary’s midsection, and he is most effective when he is pushing the action and forcing his opponent to move backwards. Against Donald Cerrone he continually forced “Cowboy” to back pedal and reset, which severely limited his offensive output.

Although Miller only has three wins by knockout, he has shown decent power and he is generally quite comfortable with his striking. Miller effectively uses his speed and movement to constantly attack his opponent primarily with his hands and sometimes mixing in kicks.

This a difficult fight to predict, but when it comes down to it there are a number of areas that stand out when making a final prediction.

First, although Diaz looked fantastic against Takanori Gomi and Donald Cerrone, both opponents were willing to engage in a style of fight that suited Diaz. Standing directly in front of Diaz, both fighters allowed him to exploit his reach advantage and land his punches at will.

Secondly, Diaz normally has a distinct conditioning advantage. However, this shouldn’t be the case against Miller. Miller has equally-as-impressive cardio and will have no problem fighting the full five rounds no matter how hard Diaz pushes the pace.

In addition, Miller has an excellent chin and has shown an uncanny ability to take punishment. His durability was best exemplified in his fight with Ben Henderson where Miller took a significant amount of punish from bell to bell. Similar to the issue of cardio, Diaz thrives when his opponent begins to fade as a result of the accumulation of punches. But, again, I don’t anticipate Miller succumbing to such a fate.

Finally, this will be the first time in more than two years that Diaz will face a wrestling-based opponent at lightweight, and Miller also has the BJJ skills to match Nate on the ground. Conversely, Miller’s only two losses in the last five years have come against Henderson and Gray Maynard, who both used their wrestling and overall physical strength to neutralize Miller. So when comparing the fighter profiles that have historically given each man problems, we can see that this also favours Miller.

My prediction for is Miller to get his hand raised at the end of the night and at -225 that is not a bad investment, but it is not the only investment possibility. In a joint 46 fights, these two fighter have combined to be finished only once (Diaz via submission in 2006) while having gone to a total of 17 decisions. This is a clear indication that any form of prop bet based on the length of the fight, for example taking the total rounds to go ‘over,’ is a sensible bet.

Ultimately, both men are exciting fighters that have combined for 12 fight bonuses. If you have difficulty discerning which fighter will emerge victorious and would rather just sit back and enjoy the action, then a bet on this bout to be Fight of the Night would also be a well-placed venture.

UFC on Fox 3: Diaz vs Miller is going to be an entertaining night of fights from start to finish with a lot of betting potential,

The NBA playoffs are off and running. There are a lot of ways to analyze who has the edge, from matchups, key statistics (rebounding, turnovers), spread marks and even who’s hot and who’s not. One area that will also come up is how these playoff opponents did when they faced each other during the regular season.

I’m not a proponent of putting much stock in regular season meetings. This can get tricky for many reasons, one of which is situations. During the regular season, you find teams facing each other at the end of a long road trip. Of course the visiting team might not be up to their normal abilities if they’re facing a conference opponent at the end of a six-game road trip, for example. Another instance would be the second of a back to back situation, or if a team is playing its fourth game in five nights. Rested Team A may destroy Team B in that situation, but that doesn’t then give them an edge when the playoffs roll around.

Players don’t buy into this, either. I hear and read comments from players all the time where they talk about some regular season meeting three months ago and they brush it off with, “That game doesn’t mean anything as to how we’re going to approach this playoff game.” In addition, star players and even coaches are sometimes absent from regular season meetings.

The Nuggets and Lakers are playing in the first round. We may think of them as uptempo offenses (Denver sure is), but notice the under is 21-6 in the last 27 meetings. Utah is playing San Antonio and the Jazz is 3-11-1 ATS in the last 15 meetings in San Antonio, plus the favorite is 21-7-1 ATS in the last 29 meetings.

Last year the Celtics went 4-0 SU, 3-1 ATS against the Knicks during the regular season, including a game to end the regular season. However, you can’t read much into those games. The first two occurred very early in the season, long before the Knicks traded everyone to acquire Carmelo Anthony. And the last one took place in the final regular season game with BOTH teams resting their best players.

What’s far more important to look at is health and matchups. This season the Celtics are playing the Hawks and have health concerns, with Ray Allen not playing much while dealing with bone spurs. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Allen is about “60 percent” to play after missing the past nine games with a sore right ankle. And Paul Pierce left last week’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks with a sprained left big toe.

You can’t qualify a performance without a key player during the regular season when analyzing how they then matchup with a team in the postseason. Even teams change. Look at the Knicks. You can’t compare New York’s regular season meetings with many teams because they’ve dealt with key injuries to Amare Stoudamire and Jeremy Lin. In many ways, it isn’t even the same New York team that stumbled through the first half of the season.

There’s no better example of this than a playoff series between the Jazz and Kings a few years ago. During that regular season, the Kings went 4-0 SU/ATS against the Jazz, blasting them by frightful scores of 113-80, 114-90, 107-81, and 117-109. The two then met in the first round of the playoffs, and the Kings were 12 and 11 point favorites in the first two games, inflated numbers based largely on those four regular season meetings. Yet, the veteran Jazz, with Karl Malone and John Stockton, played extremely well in the playoffs, going 3-1 ATS. Sacramento won Game 1 89-86 then Utah won Game 2 on the road 93-86 as a +11 dog! Sacramento won three games in that series by 3, 3 and 5 points – so much for their regular season dominance!

#8 Utah +1400
#1 San Antonio -2400

Recommendation: Do not wager

#6 Denver +165
#3 LA Lakers -195

Recommendation: 1* LA Lakers

#5 Atlanta +185
#4 Boston -220

Recommendation: 2* Atlanta

#5 LA Clippers +170
#4 Memphis -200

Recommendation: 1* Memphis

There are some very good NBA Handicappers at our web site that can help you win.  Make sure you check them out daily and pick a top handicapper that will help you win during the NBA playoffs.  Check out there NBA Picks and NBA Free Picks each day.