NBA Pod & Picks

The Spread is up for this week! Rob and Brandon break down the early NBA storylines. How good are the Warriors? What's wrong with Houston? Way too early playoff predictions, hot takes and more this week on The Spread!




MIL +3 vs WAS

Word on the street is Bradley Beal will probably miss tonight's game as he is still nursing an injured shoulder. Either way grabbing the points here with Waukee is a good call. Bucks are coming off a hard fought win against the Cavaliers and should be able to translate those positive vibes into a win against the Wizards in chocolate city.

DEN +6 vs NOP
I made the mistake of betting the over the other night when the Nuggets played the Suns, and then watched Jameer Nelson jack up terrible three after terrible three en route to a thirty point blowout loss. You know what helps a team get their confidence back? Playing the always injured lineup that the Pelicans like to trot out. Sure Anthony Davis is playing really well like he was supposed to do, but he is not getting any help, at all...zero. Take the points here.


TOR +10 vs GSW
Upset pick of the day!!! If you listen to the podcast you already know this is my upset special of the day (if you don't, click the link below and treat yourself to some aural pleasure). The Warriors should have lost to the Nets a few nights ago and tonight definitely has the feel of a letdown game for the Dubs. If the Raptors can get just enough defensively out of Kyle Lowry and Demarre Carroll they should have enough to do the unthinkable and beat the Warriors on their home floor no less!!

NBA Weekend Money Grab

MIN +7 vs IND

Love absolutely everything about this Wolves team. Missing Rubio is definitely affecting them because they are forced to play Andre Miller heavy minutes when he should have retired four years ago. Wiggins has made the leap though, and getting this many points against a team that struggles to score? Sign me up.

NYK +6.5 vs CLE

If you ever find me on a street corner begging for money, it's because I have a hard time separating my love of New York sports teams and actual good bets. Lost big on the Jets last night and am just crazy (or stupid) enough to double up on the Knicks against the defending eastern conference champs. Spare some change?

NOP +9.5 vs TOR

Imagine if the Pelicans actually fielded a complete line up on a night to night basis? Might they have a shot at the 8th seed. Yep. Would Anthony Davis look like the MVP candidate he is rather than the guy having to do too much for a undermanned team? Yep. Oh well. Stupid bet here, but I'm grabbing points on the brow.

NBA FRIDAY!

LAL +3.5 vs BKN

The only team not worth watching this season  is the Nets. They might have the bleakest outlook of any team long term...and the short term isn't much brighter. I fully expect Lopez and Johnson to be traded at some point in the season, because this team isn't close to contention even in the East. The Lakers on the other hand are stacked with a few promising young guns and one cranky old superstar that just needs to hang it up already. They are at leas fun to watch, and that is basically the only reason I'm grabbing the points here.

DET +4.5 vs PHX

A game that I will be sitting second row at in less than 6 hours!! So excited to watch the monster that is Andre Drummond unleashed on the suspect Suns front line. The Suns could very easily win this game, but I expect it to be close enough that 4.5 should be an easy cover.

DEN +17.5 vs GSW

Just too many damn points!!! Sure it's the Warriors against a team that desperately wants to be the Warriors but doesn't have the talent..but still. Too many damn points.

NBA week 2

MIN -4 vs POR

Fuck these ain't your daddy's Wolves. Remember that super young team everyone expected to struggle early on? This ain't that team. These Wolves were galvanized by the sudden passion of Flip Saunders and have exceeded expectations here in the early going. Tonight is the home opener, expect heavy hearts and a heavy dose of Rubio/Towns pick and rolls as they obliterate the Blazers.

NYK +7.5 vs SAS

Proceed with caution on this pick. Yeah the Knicks have looked surprisingly good this season, but they have mostly played shitty teams in the east, not the only franchise that could legit be considered a dynasty. Do I think Melo and his cast of role players have a chance in this game? Definitely. Do I think it's likely that Pop gets outcoached by D Fish? No..Oh well, take the points.

HOU +4.5 vs OKC

Houston is 0-3 on the season after collapsing against the Heat in Miami yesterday afternoon. While I don't expect this team to compete for a title at the end of the season; I do actually think they will win a game. Good bet to keep taking their points until they do actually win, even against a team like OKC.

NBA Finals Preview

Catz:

Cleveland in 5

   All this week, I'm sure all you have heard is about how Steph Curry is the greatest shooter that has ever graced the earth, and the people in Nor Cal probably already have their championship t-shirts printed up right? It's a done deal to most! But not for Bobby Catz. People are really underestimating what LeBron James is doing/has done over the last five years. He's made 5 straight finals. Detractors simply point out that he is doing it in the East, but in reality what the fuck does that mean?? I don't care if he made five straight finals in the Chinese basketball league, its still impressive no matter which way you look at it. You know why? Because its basically impossible to beat this dude in a best of five series. Sure you might get a game, you may even get a series lead, but unless your name is Greg Popovich and you have a fantastic San Antonio team, you aren't beating him in the finals either. And don't even try to come at me with the Mavericks winning in 2012. They were extremely well coached as well and James had not quite yet learned what it took to be considered a champion. The problem for the Warriors? This Cleveland team knows exactly what they need to do in order to win and they do it very, very well. 

   I honestly do not think this series is going to be that close. Curry and Thompson are fantastic shooters possibly two of the best of all time, but they don't know what it takes to win on the biggest stage quite yet. Every great player has to go through a loss in the finals before they breakthrough. This series reminds me a lot of the one a few years ago between OKC and Miami, also featuring the King. Everyone liked the hot shooting Thunder in that one and what happened? Harden no-showed, Durant and Westbrook struggled and after losing game one, Miami rallied to win four straight. That is exactly what I think happens in this series. The first game will be the hot shooting Warriors getting a win after they go 20-22 from three or something crazy and then the next four games will be a showcase for the cerebral assassin LeBron as he averages a triple double and gets his third championship ring to add to his collection.

Mr. Nutz

Golden State in 6

Over the past week we have seen an influx of Cleveland supporters pile their opinions on the "who will win" dumpster fire for the Finals. Well I'm here to tell you this is the real world, not some fantasy land where all our dreams come true and the underdog always has a chance. The Warriors were not just the best team in basketball this year, they were absolutely dominant. That dominance comes from an offense that can not be slowed or stopped, no matter what different matchups you try to exploit. Much like the Spurs teams of the last 3 years, the Warriors have an exceptionally strong bench to back up one of the best starting 5's in the NBA. Hell, I don't even know who technically "starts" as the minute distribution for this team lends itself to about 7 different guys being starters. But when you can rotate guys like Andre Iguodola, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, David Lee and Shaun Livingston in and out of your lineup, you're not skipping a  beat! 

All this bench fire power only hurts the Warriors' opponent, the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers. People are trying to hype up LeBron James as some sort of basketball alien that was plopped down during the playoffs to win the whole thing by himself. Well, he's not. He's been to 5 straight finals right? Well he hasn't won them all, that's for damn sure. Oh and this time, he's relying on JR Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov to get him to the promised land? No fucking thank you. I will take a broken D Wade and a garb salad surprise Heat roster over the reject Knicks any day. LeBron is exhausted. Not only from carrying this team through the EC playoffs, but from playing non stop Finals games. He's going up against the best D in the league, while chasing around someone from the best ball movement offense in the league. Good luck LeBron, this is just another loss in your finals column.  

NBA WCF

HOU  vs. GSW (-10)

This is probably the highest amount of points I've ever taken on a favorite in the long, storied history of Dirty Picks. Ironically this is also the least high I've ever been while taking such a risk. Though the idea of the Rockets being inspired by the recent tragedy that has affected the Houston area, I don't expect that inspiration to be sustainable. They could very well start this game off hot like they did in game 1 only for Steph Curry to catch fire and absolutely bury Houston. I heard a crazy stat on ESPN somewhere that Steph Curry has had almost half of his shots in this series come on uncontested looks!! Uncontested!!! Possibly the best shooter ever is getting wide open looks, that's never a good thing. Golden State wins and prepares to protect their castle against an invading King James.

Game 4, Game Winners!

ATL  vs. WAS (+4.5)

"I CALLED GAME!!!"' With three words Paul Pierce immortalized himself on the Mount Rushmore of sports quotes after his buzzer beating "game shot" Saturday night. And I'm supposed to think that the Hawks are just going to waltz in to a fired up Wizard's chambers (still taking suggestions on that one) and swing the momentum and the series back to the dirty dirty?? I don't think so, as a matter of fact I'm even gonna go out on a limb with my own postgame proclamation, "I CALL SERIES". Wizards win and go up 3-1.

MEM (+5) vs. GSW

Yet another series where the team up 2-1 can't even get a little respect?? Has Vegas even watched any of these games?? Z-Bo and Gasol are owning the number one ranked D from the regular season, and Tony Allen is irritating the splash brothers like a mean blister on their taints. I really think Memphis has a shot to win this series, but tonight I predict they lose on a last second three by Curry, keeping with the recent buzzer beater trend.

Solo NBA Picks

MR. NUTZ

GS (+3.5) @ CLE 
Last I checked, the Western Conference was the most dominant force in basketball; LAST I CHECKED, the Golden State Warriors are 44-10 and leading said conference. So can someone please explain why they are getting the points?! It doesn't make sense and I can happily give the points tonight knowing I have Steph and Klay to rely on. People are getting a little too pumped on the Cavs lately, especially their D! If anyone knows D, it's the fellas here at Dirty Picks. Hell, we put the D in Dirty!!!....picks... Anyways, the Warriors' ball movement is not some run of the mill Eastern Conference bullshit. The Dubs use superior spacing and elite shooting to get great looks. The Cavs might be better on defense post-trade deadline, but they ain't no 2003 Pistons. Look for a lot of threes and a Warriors win tonight.

NBA barely alive picks

NO (+9) at GS 

You don't give the second best player in the NBA 9 points! The Warriors really shouldn't be able to stop the Pellies tonight, especially if Tyreke Evans can contribute from the perimeter. I just don't trust David Lee or Draymond Green to stop Anthony Davis. That alone should make you comfortable taking the points. 

Bob's Drunk and In Love OpEd

 LeBron vs KD

  Why am I continuously reading articles about how Kevin Durant has passed up LeBron James, or how it's KD's league and LeBron needs to move over? Am I missing something? Do we really think Durant has become better than one of the top 6 players of all time? Is Durant even better than the Kobe we saw from the early nineties? 

  Don't get me wrong, I love watching Kevin Durant play basketball. Do I think he's a great player? Absolutely! Top 25 all-time already? No doubt. Better than LeBron? Not even a conversation worth having. Sure Durant has had a better half of the season and his offensive game is the best currently in the league. When you play basketball though there is an entire other component to being a great player, defense! LeBron is an incredible defensive player, not good or great even, but incredible. He can guard everyone in the league, from centers to point guards. Look at what he did to Derek Rose the year Rose was named MVP! 

  More recently, remember the series defining block he had on Tiago Splitter in last years finals?? Durant is a solid defender, who has been continually improving on that side of the ball, but do we really ever see KD getting to the LeBron level of shutting people down or being able to guard positions 1-5? If Durant would have contested that Tiago Splitter dunk attempt, he either would have broke his arm or ended up on a poster hanging in some 12 year olds bedroom.

  I could spend another 25 paragraphs talking about how LeBron's passing is exponentially better than KD's, but I feel like this argument begins and ends with defense. Is Durant great? Yes, his combination of skill and size makes him the best offensive player since Jordan (although Kobe, Shaq, Iverson, and even T-Mac would have something to say about that, but that's another article) and if he continues to improve he could crack the top ten all time someday. Until Durant becomes an elite defender that changes the way offenses approach the game against him this conversation is over. LeBron is a complete player, the likes of which rarely come along in the NBA. Argument over, have fun watching LeBron hoist the only trophy that matters this summer!

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