Jim Feist
Clippers at Blazers
Play: Blazers -10
The Clippers are done after losing their top two players. The Trail Blazers had little trouble in Game 5, winning 108-98 on the road, giving the Blazers a 3-2 series lead. The Blazers are healthy and 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games playing on 1 days rest. The Clippers are a bad free throw shooting team (10 more misses the last game, 66%) and lost their star power. The Clippers are 7-17 ATS in their last 24 Conference Quarterfinals games and the home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
Steve Merril
Washington -135
Washington will begin a 3-game in St. Louis on Friday night. The Nationals will start Stephen Strasburg this evening. My numbers project a strong outing for Strasburg against St. Louis' lineup. Strasburg is slated to give up just 1.8 earned runs with a solid 2.94 ERA and a terrific 1.11 WHIP in this game based on my numbers. Strasburg has recorded 13 strikeouts in 55 at-bats versus the Cardinals' lineup during his career. He is backed by a solid Nationals' bullpen that has a 2.44 ERA and 1.04 WHIP this season, including a 2.16 ERA and 1.00 WHIP on the road.
St. Louis will send Mike Leake to the mound in this game. Leake has given up 20 runs on 25 hits in 85 at-bats to the Washington lineup in his career. The Nationals are hitting .294 with a .895 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage metric) against Leake. My numbers project Leake to have a weak 6.6 strikeout rate over 9 innings pitched tonight. We'll lay the price with Washington and Strasburg in this game on Friday night.
Andy Iskoe
Miami +2
Miami faces elimination tonight following their surprising home loss the other night. The pace was played much as were both Games 3 and 4 in Charlotte. In fact, their has been perfect parlay correlation this series with Miami and Over cashing in the first two games and Charlotte with the Under cashing in Games 3 through 5. IN fact, in their 9 meetings this season those combinations of Side and Total have cashed 7 times. I am not recommending an OVER tonight but I do like Miami in this spot. They still have the edge in experience and I believe that experience counts for alot when the more experienced team and coach is facing elimination and the the less experienced team and coach has its first opportunity to close out a series. Before the Playoffs began I had Miami facing Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals and I still hold to that prediction which, of course, requires a Miami win tonight. I look for a better performance from Wade as his big game experience comes to the fore with the Heat's season on the line. I look for a competitive game but for Miami to win the final few minutes.
OC Dooley
Blues -105
The last time Dallas participated in the second round of the playoffs was way back in 2003 which was just a year removed of Ken Hitchcock’s firing. Hitchcock who now is head coach of St. Louis arguably has special motivation to win this series and his team had the much tougher opening round opponent. While St. Louis dispatched hockey’s most successful franchise (Chicago) in the past five years Dallas “only” had to deal with an opponent (Minnesota) who due to injuries to a pair of elite players entered the postseason riding an 0-7 skid. It is worth noting that Dallas had the #1 ranked regular season offense and when up against teams that can light up the scoreboard St. Louis has WON SIX IN A ROW