401ksports
2* Texas -125 over San Francisco
You can find this as low as -120 on 5 dimes and -135 on Bodog and Betus, so shop around. I hate being the square who goes with the public opinion, but until Lee gives it up then I have to go with the lifetime undefeated in playoff pitcher here. Lee looks tailor made for a SF lineup that is a bit of a free swinging team. The Giants aren;t the contact hitters that can drive Lee crazy. They don't work the count much so Lee could go the distance here if he is somewhat on. The Rangers have the more balanced offense, even with Lee hitting. They will run and test the Lincecum & Posey battery. The Rangers offense is peaking at the right time. There won't be many runs scored in this game. Hopefully the Rangers have a 4-1 lead entering the 9th and they can get Feliz in and get his feet wet w/out much pressure. The team with the better offense during the regular season has won 70% of the last 20 world series.
2* Toronto/NY Knicks Over 215
I missed most of the value in this play by not getting the line early this morning. It is a good thing I think this game will hit 220. It might have been a 4 star play at 210 or under. Everyone is under the impression that the Raptors are not even a NBA quality team w/out Bosh. They aren't great but they play hard and their philosophy this year will be to catch teams off guard by pushing the tempo as often as they can. The strength of this team is in their youth and their smaller players. The Knicks got their man Stoudamire and now Dantoni feels he can also play the uptempo style he likes. Galinari and Amare can fly on the wings and Felton can run all day. If you are the type that doesn't like watching defense, this is your game tonight.
2* Milwaukee ML +125 over New Orleans
Milwaukee should be right there with the Bulls for the division crown come the end of May. They were fantastic on the road last year. Milwaukee made some strong improvements to their bench by adding Stackhouse and Magette. This will be a strong bench and that is where this game will be won. New Orleans has a very weak bench and that will be exposed big time by a deep team like the Bucks. Also does CP3's unhappiness have an adverse affect on team chemistry?? I think it will. Look for Milwaukee to get off to a quick start tonight in New Orleans.
1* Pittsburgh -110 over Tampa Bay
It's the first of four meetings. The teams split last season's series, each with a win and a loss in its home venue and each scoring a total of seven goals. Though they finished 21 points apart in the Eastern Conference standings, it's a new season and both are off to strong starts, each team leading its respective division.The Pens went to St. Louis riding a four-game winning streak with Crosby scoring 5 goals and 4 assists in that stretch. Johnson had another spectacular performance but lost in OT when he let up the only goal of the game. While Pens coach Dan Bylsma has been riding Johnson's hot hand in goal, Fleury holds a 7-3-0 mark with a 1.90 goals-against average in his last 10 starts against the Bolts. The day of the week, Wednesday, is a key factor in tonight's game for 2 reasons. First, Asham is making his season debut for the Pens which means they will be stronger. Second, Bolts are 6-21 in their last 27 Wed. games.
ATS Lock Club
4 Units Rangers
4 Units Knicks
4 Units Jazz
4 Units Blazers
KELSO
10 Units Texas Rangers -130
5 Units Oklahoma City Thunder-6.5
4 Units Memphis Grizzlies-3
3 Units Boston Celtics-4
James Patrick Sports
5* Nuggets -3.5
3* SF Giants +118
Maddux Sports
10 Units Detroit/New Jersey Under 190.5
10 Units Atlanta +3
10 Units Atlanta/Memphis Under 196
Seabass
200 New York Rangers
50 Texas
50 Texas Series
Frank Patron
Toronto Raptors -2
Street Rosenthal
*200 Philadelphia 76ers +7.5
OC Dooley
2 Units Nets -3.5
Iceman
5* GOM - NY Rangers
Larry Ness
Cleveland Cavaliers
OC Dooley
2 Units Nets -3.5
This has to be the strangest opening night line as Detroit’s roster is still loaded with veterans who used to take them to the playoffs annually, yet they have been cast as a rather substantial underdog against a complete nobody. For those who may have forgotten New Jersey was the worst team in all of basketball a year ago where they amassed a grand total of just 12 wins. The Nets have basically started from scratch as just 4 players from last year’s disaster have returned to the team. One can argue that the most important person involving New Jersey is new owner Mikhail Prokhorov who has already secured sponsorship deal with the leading Russian airline. To make a long story short Prokhorov is loaded with cash and made a serious offseason run at securing the services of a free agent by the name of LeBron James. Of course LeBron made the correct decision turning down a boatload of money from an “international” owner as it is going to take the Nets quite some time to rebuild into a contender. Not only has New Jersey overhauled their roster, they are now calling the Prudential Center in Newark their temporary home, before eventually moving across state borders to Brooklyn. While this team only has a handful of diehard fans, they have hired intense head coach Avery Johnson who used to be the leader in Dallas where he quickly wore out his welcome. For those that remember Johnson on the sidelines down south, it is safe to assume New Jersey will come out and play hard each night, even though they do not have enough talent to compete with elite opposition. Detroit has fallen from the league’s elite due to sheer age which has caused a myriad of injury problems. It was one year ago when Richard Hamilton was held to a career low amount of games (46) and Tayshaun Prince (49) was not far behind. Despite an aging roster that features 36-year old big man Ben Wallace, the Pistons went out and signed for All Star Tracy McGrady whose skills have seriously eroded due to major injury. As mentioned earlier one has to wonder why New Jersey who won just 12 games a year ago has been cast as a substantial favorite against any opponent, especially since Detroit has taken 11 of the most recent 14 series meetings straight-up. Not only am I following the lead set by the oddsmakers, it is worth noting that New Jersey has successfully COVERED the spread 4 of the past 6 times they have taken on Detroit, including an outright triumph last March
The Duke's Sports
Texas (-125) for 1.5 Units
Texas/SF 7:55: The Giants have owned this series to the tune of 11-1 in the last 12 meetings and have the two time Cy Young Award winner -Lincecum in outstanding form; however, taking the Rangers is justifiable on a account of their ace Cliff Lee who has befuddled batters all post season. His quick release following his knee kick and ability to spot his fastball on the plate quadrant has been amazing. Furthermore, because of Lee's brilliant command and control, he can go extremely deep into a game without involving the bullpen. And although some of the Giants' hitters (Ross) are hitting well, it will be difficult to drive in runs on a guy with such command of the fastball and change of speeds. Offensively, the Rangers' batters have been hitting so well on the road to help propel Texas to an 8-1 road run. With the Giants at 1-4 in the last 5 with Lincecum at home with the "total" at 6 or less, we'll go with the Rangers in Game 1.
Joseph D'Amico
Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Play: Boston Celtics -4
Boston came out of the gate LN to beat the “Dream Team” of Miami, 88-80. Their defense shut down Miami for 3 quarters. Only when they had the game in hand did they let the Heat go on a run. Allen and Garnett combined for 30 points and Rondo added 17 assists. Boston has the best starting 5 in the Eastern Conference. On any given night, Allen, Garnett, or Pierce will take the game on their shoulders. Rajon Rondo runs the show as good as any player in the NBA. The Celtics made a living LY putting a hurting on Cleveland. They took the L3 meetings over the Cavaliers by 10, 32, and 9, covering all 3 contests. That was all with King James in the lineup. Remember that the Cavs are without some of last years leaders in West, Ilgauskas, and O’Neill. Not to mention LeBron James. Cleveland has talent but still don’t know who is going to step up and take the role of team leader. This will hurt them in the start of the season. The Cavs are 1-6 ATS their L7 games played as a home ‘dog and 1-4 ATS their L5 vs. the NBA Atlantic. The Celtics are 8-2 ATS their L10 vs. the eastern Conference and 8-3 ATS their L11 as a favorite. Take Boston.
Craig Davis
30 Dime Chicago Bulls
10 Dime Portland Trail Blazers
20 Dime SF Giants For Series