Back to Basics Picks

Thank God!!! This is probably the worst week of betting the boys DP have ever endured. Back to back to back 1-3 nights, is more embarrassing than Donald Trump mocking disabled reporters. We went back to the basics today, and can hopefully start the weekend without that garbage taste of sour picks in our mouth.

MIA +5 vs IND

Two years ago these teams looked like they would meet in the Eastern Conference Finals for the next fifteen years minimum!! Then LeBron left and Paul George broke his damn leg, and today we are looking at two completely reinvented teams. Won't be as fun as it used to be, but should be a decent game. Gotta take the defensive powerhouse Heat against Paul George and...well Paul George that's why they gave up 78 points in the first half against the Warriors.

GSW -5.5 vs BOS

Finally the public is on my side thinking that this is the night the Warriors finally go down!!! So what does DP do? We zig when others zag!! We go left when you sheep go right!! Of course if you know my record picking Warriors  games this year I would pull out a second mortgage and place it all on Boston because they are guaranteed to win now.

CHA +3 vs MEM

Biggest shocker of the regular season, MJ might actually be a competent owner!! This team is currently second in the East and look like the Charlotte team everyone expected last year, until Lance Stephenson murdered it with his piss poor attitude (and shooting). Memphis is old and slow and still depends on Jeff Green way too much. Nuff said.

OKC -3.5 vs UTA

Durant!! He's back!!! But, tonight will be all Russell Westbrook for no real reason. Lately he's been doing just enough and letting KD do all of the heavy lifting, tonight they do a little role reverse cowgirl and Hustle goes off for 45, 15 and 9 dimes.

NBA Playoff Wednesday

Brooklyn (+8.5) vs. Atlanta

Originally I saw this line and I thought, no-brainer right? Then Nutz got in my ear bringing up all this noise about how this line smelled like a Vegas strip club. Then all of a sudden I started second guessing myself! Was Vegas being coy here? Are they hoping people jump on the points? Or are they going the other way and paying respect to a team that only lost 15 games during the regular season?? I guess this is why casinos continue to stay in bidness...I know where I stand though, team getting points against the series favorites who haven't looked the part the entire series. Milsap is hurt, Thabo's absence is more detrimental than anticipated and Jeff Teague is trying to shed that Kyle Lowry label of "I swear I'm actually good and I didn't have just one good half of a season." 

Portland (+6) at Memphis

Catz is so pissed that I'm rolling PDX here, but hey, some times you gotta take risks in the workplace. Portland has had a miserable series. Damian Lillard has struggled, LaMarcus Aldridge's mind might be on his next free agent stop and Wes Matthews is not suiting up any time soon. Portland has a very good team, let's not water down what they have done this year. Hell, if they had been slightly healthy they could be a 2 or 3 seed right now. Out of respect we are taking the 6 points, not only because that's the official DP NBA strategy, but because you don't give good teams 6 points. Lillard should be able to make an impact again tonight as Mike Conley sits, and I think LaMarcus is a true pro who won't give up on his team.  People hammered Memphis early so I think it has shifted far enough over that we're in Blazers cover territory.

NBA Round One Winners

Brooklyn Nets (+9) at Atlanta Hawks

I think you all know our position on the Nets around here. They are the most boring story in the NBA, no one on their team is good and their owner literally does not care about the franchise. Tonight I am prepared to roll the Nets and nine points because of the mounting injury issues with the Hawks. Al Horford has a dislocated pinky, Thabo Sefolosha was shot by racist police and Paul Millsap's shoulder is super fucked up. This spells disaster for the feel-good story Hawks as Joe Johnson and D-Will come through with their only good game of the series before getting stomped out for the rest of the series.

Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies (-6)

Sadly the Blazers have completely fallen off the map. The injury to Wes Matthews and mounting, nagging injuries to the rest of the squad has seen the Blazers lose 7 of their last 10. These aren't just regular ass losses, no, no, they are beat downs. 14 point loss to the Grizzlies, 6 point loss to Dallas, 11 point loss to OKC, 10 point loss to Brooklyn and so on. We typically don't roll the faves here, but fuck it.

San Antonio Spurs (+2) at Los Angeles Clippers
Well this is it for the Spurs. They aren't a major story line, they are the so called "favorites" in this series and haven't really had a memorable moment all year. My concern with the Spurs is that they are so injured! Parker can't get to the rim, Splitter isn't playing and Danny Green looks like a guy that should be playing for CSK Moscow! The Spurs are the defending champs, so let's roll with them.

NBA Picks

Bob and BJ's Follow Up Friday

(3-0 NBA last night!)

Memphis @ Oklahoma City (UNDER 195) (L)
Grit n' Grind is going to be in full affect tonight as the Grizz roll into the Kendrick Perkins-less OKC arena. No team is better at making teams play their slow, methodical pace of basketball than the Grizzlies. On the year, Memphis is averaging a measly 95 ppg and holding teams to 94. OKC, on the other hand, is only allowing 98 per game. This contest will match two of the leagues defenses; combine that withe the Grizz offense and RUSTell Westbrook and we got ourselves an under! 

Chicago (+4) at Dallas (W)
You know what they say, betting against the Bulls is a fucking nightmare (at least we say this in our circle). One night you think they are gonna clamp down defensively and they give up +100 to the Hawks. Then you bet against them on their 9th game in 10 days expecting tired legs and they drop 100. Well tonight the Bulls get back to being the Bulls. Tommy "I'll fuck you with my D" Thibs will take away what the Mavericks like to do and give Vince Carter as many 20 footers as he wants to jack. This one is gonna be close, close enough that giving four points to the Bulls is a solid bet.

Charlotte (+8.5) at San Antonio (L)
The Bobcats have been very hot lately, almost hot enough to save Michael Jordan from being considered the worst owner in professional sports (almost). Tonight they start a four game road trip that takes them up against the top teams in the league. First up, the San Antonio Spurs, a possession based team that will kill you with threes. Well the Bobcats aren't bad on D and they will be more pumped about this game than the Spurs. Look for this one to be close throughout and for the Spurs to pull away winning by four or five in the end. Bobcat likes the bobcats in this one.

New Orleans (+7.5) at Phoenix (L)
I am basing this one on the assumption that the leading scorer for the Suns, Goran Dragic, will miss his second consecutive game with a sprained ankle. Anthony Davis might also be out for the Pelicans, but he did travel with the team which is a promising sign. Basically without all-everything Dragic, the Suns lack a cohesive offense and look a lot closer to the team that people expected before the season started. If both stars are out look for a sloppy, jello wrestling match that keeps this one close and within seven points.

NBA Saturday Picks

Picks for Your Saturday

MEM (-2) at CHA (L)
The Grizz have rounded into form with the return of Marc Gasol after an extended absence. The defense is starting to look like the one that carried this team to the Western Conference Finals last year, and the offense has been better. The big knock on them last year was who the fuck can hit a jumper? Well the additions of Mike Miller and Courtney Lee have certainly answered that question. Z-Bo continues to play at a high level and Gasol is still the best passing big man in the league. Memphis controls this game on the boards and gets an easy victory.

DAL at DET (+3.5) (L)
I know, I know. I'm aware that I said no one from Detroit would ever be successful again and to not bother betting on them. Recently though the pistons have actually been using their one advantage as an actual advantage! They have three elite players all in 6'8-7'2 range (Smith, Monroe, Drummond) and they should be dominating teams in the paint on a nightly basis. For whatever reason this hasn't happened quite yet, maybe because someone told J-Smoove he was the reincarnation of Ray Allen leading him to jack more contested threes than Marshall Henderson in an intra-squad scrimmage. Look for the Pistons to take advantage of their size tonight, the Mavericks have a very poor front line composed of Dejaun "I ain't go no ACL's" Blair and Samuel "Seriously I still play" Dalembert.  The last time all season I will say this, but the Pistons have got this one in the bag.

MIN (-4.5) at Utah (W)
No analysis needed here. Two things; one, the wolves have Love and Rubio, two, fuck the State of Utah.

Monday NBA Picks

The Return of Bob's NBA Picks

Alright, the NBA is back today! No more betting on college basketball games decided by children that can't drink alcohol legally. So in honor of that and making money in general, let's overload today's picks and make all the money back we lost on college ball this weekend.

Charlotte vs Detroit (UNDER 202) (L)
The Pistons have been up and down since they fired their coach two weeks ago. The Bobcats on the other hand have trouble scoring, but they do play solid defense. Look for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to lock down Josh Smith and keep this game under 202 points.

New York at Memphis (OVER 181) (W)
Memphis is known for it's tough defense, excellent rebounding and reigning DPOY Marc Gasol. However Marc is recently coming off a leg injury that sidelined him for two months, and hasn't returned to his elite form quite yet. Look for Melo to keep the trade rumors at bay with his hot shooting and push this one over 181 points.

Cleveland (-4) at Philly (W)
With the way that Cleveland has performed the first half of the season, I am even surprising myself by picking them to cover this spread. However, I think Kyrie Irving fresh off his ASG MVP and Dion "buddy ball" Waiters coming off an impressive Rising Stars game keeps this game close and covers the spread. Also, three of the main four players (Turner, Hawes, and Young, which sounds like a law firm) for Philly have been involved in trade rumors so I wouldn't be shocked if their minutes were limited as they get shopped behind the scenes.

Phoenix (-2) at Denver (W)
Everyone keeps waiting for the Suns to regress towards the mean and end up closer to the team they were expected to be before the season. Well I'm here to tell you folks, it's not gonna happen. Even with the loss of star player Eric Bledsoe, this team is solid and look for them to lock up no lower than the sixth seed in a loaded Western conference especially if they make a move in the next few days for another piece (Get at me Pau!) Even playing in the "high" altitude (see what I did there?) of Denver, the Suns will run the Nuggets right out of the building easily winning by double digits.

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