Lenny Del Genio
Chicago Cubs
ASA
LA Lakers at Orlando
Play: Under 198.5
As we predicted in the last game of this series we feel Sunday’s Finals Game #5 is a another dead ‘under’ as the Lakers and Magic will never threaten going over the number of 198. The first game of the Finals stayed under by 31-points, the second ended up 5-points shy of the ‘over’, the third game eclipsed the number by what looks like a wide margin of 14-points but is deceiving and the last game was below the total by 25-points at the end of the 4th quarter but ended just 11-points under after over-time. Breaking down each game we see some interesting numbers. In the opener the two teams attempted 166 shot attempts but the Magic had a HORRIBLE night shooting, hitting less than 30% of their FG attempts which kept the game very low scoring. In Game #2 they combined for 197 points but 21 of those came in the 5:00 minute OT period. The two teams attempted a total of 157 shots in that game which is slower than normal pace of play. Then in Game #3 the Magic shot a RIDICULOUS 62.5% for the game while the Lakers shot 51.3% which is the only reason the game went over the number. Their pace of play in Game #3 was very slow as they combined to attempt just 142 total shots. On Thursday night the two teams combined for just 174 total points at the end of regulation then scored just 16 in the O.T. The big reason for such a low scoring games wasn’t necessarily pace of play as they attempted 176 total shots but that is including the extra session. The reason the game stayed ‘under’ was the poor shooting performance by both teams. Both teams shot less than 42% on the game which is much lower than the 46% they averaged during the regular season. As a player, spectator, coach and handicapper one thing is very evident in the series and that is the fact that the Magic just don’t ‘match-up’ with the Lakers. Orlando really struggles to score points against the Lakers as they completely rely on their perimeter game and the Lakers have figured out a way to defend and shutdown everything the Magic try to do offensively. The Lakers meanwhile will be very content to grind out another game in Orlando and will gladly play a slower pace as they try to close out the series on Sunday. My money is on the ‘UNDER’ again and it’s well invested!
Stephen Nover
LA Lakers at Orlando
Play: Orlando -3
Orlando is down 3-1 in this championship series. But the Magic very well could be up 3-1 against the Lakers. Let's not lose sight of that. Unlike the past couple of games, there is an extra day of rest in between matchups. That's enough time for Orlando to recover from its Game 4 home overtime loss. The Magic have proven resilient the entire season. The proof is in their beating Boston on the road in Game 7, knocking off the favored Cavaliers and winning Game 3 after losing a tough luck Game 2 to the Lakers to fall behind 2-0 in this series. I can't see Orlando letting the Lakers win on its home court. The Magic are strong enough to win on their home-court against a very good but not great Laker squad. Orlando is 38-15 against the spread in their last 53 games following a straight-up loss. I see the Magic shooting a lot better from the foul line than the 22-for-37 they made in Game 4. Look for Rashard Lewis to take more than 10 shots, too, and for Stan Van Gundy to realize that it's Rafer Alston, not Jameer Nelson, who is his most effective point guard right now.
LEE STERLING
Lakers at Magic
Pick: Magic -2.5
Believe it or not the pressure is off the Orlando Magic and coach Stan Van Gundy because no one believes they can come back and win three straight games versus the Lakers. With that being said I think they come back and play their best game in the series offensively and defensively. Take Orlando and look for their first easy blowout win of the series.
The Hammer Guaranteed Selections
PRIVATE INVESTORS CLUB BASEBALL WINNER
Chicago Cubs w/Lilly -130
Hoops Edge
Chicago/Seattle Over
Triple Crown
3* Cards/Indians Under
JEFFERSON-SPORTS
MLB
BOSTON UNDER 8.5
Nick Parsons
Los Angeles Lakers at Orlando Magic
Prediction: Los Angeles Lakers
On Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers, seeking their 15th championship and first since 2002, will try to put away the Orlando Magic in Game 5 of a finals in which every game but the opener has been decided by one or two key plays in the closing seconds. The Lakers understand what's at hand. They don't want to give life to an Orlando team that has come back before. One year after losing in the finals to Boston, Bryant and his teammates want to finish the job. This is the chance Bryant has longed for, the opportunity to silence those who feel he needs a fourth title to validate his legacy. He and the Lakers have not won it all since Shaquille O'Neal left in 2004, shortly after The Big Diesel chugged off in a trade to Miami. Bryant swears the he-can't-win-one-without-Shaq argument hasn't bothered him. That's hard to believe. The three straight championships from 2000-02 came so easy. It seemed as though it would take no time for him to win Nos. 4, 5, 6. However, this is a spot that the Lakers have also performed very well in; not only is LA 5-2 ATS its last 7 as a road dog of 3 points or less, it's 11-2 ATS as an underdog! Orlando on the other hand is a poor 2-4 ATS when trailing in a playoff series and I expect it to cave under the pressure as the better team wins tonight and Kobe fulfills his destiny! Play on the LAKERS!
Yankee Capper
MLB GUARANTEED GRAND SLAM
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS -140
MLB GUARANTEED GRAND SLAM - TOTAL
HOUSTON/ARIZONA OVER 10 (+110)
MLB GUARANTEED GRAND SLAM - ESPN SUNDAY NIGHT BASEBALL
ST. LOUIS/CLEVELAND OVER 7 (EVEN)
NBA PLAYOFF GUARANTEED SLAM DUNK TOTAL
LOS ANGELES/ORLANDO OVER 198
NBA PLAYOFF GUARANTEED SLAM DUNK
LOS ANGELES LAKERS +3.5
Brandon Lang
40 Dime Orlando
10 Dime Orlando 1H