NBA Finals Game 6

GSW vs. CLE (+4.5)

This could very well be my last chance to bet on the NBA this season. So what do you propose I do? Go out like a bitch (or the general public) and take the favored Warriors to finish off the Cavs and win their first title since ole "Watermelon Grin" Rick Barry in the 70's?? No thank you. This will probably be the last time until next years finals where LeBron is on a team that is actually getting points (unless the play the Spurs of course), so I am going to take it. The Cavs are going to need big performances out of their guards, and maybe even a Timofey Mozgov sighting or two. Its not looking great, but if the Cavs can force a game 7 that will have at least made this series respectable in terms of LeBron's all time legacy. Think about that, he carried a team minus 2 all stars that starts two undrafted players to a game 7 against arguably one of the best teams in the last 30 years!! Bron knows what it as stake here, I'm thinking a nice line of 65 pts, 16 rebounds, 15 assists and 7 steals should be enough to get the job done. BACK TO OAKLAND MOTHER FUCKERS!!

NBA Finals Game 4

GSW vs. CLE (+3)

The Cavs are up 2-1 in this series, but if you watch SportsCenter or listen to ESPN radio you would probably think the Warriors are up 3-0!! LeBron is literally having an all time great series, not just for an NBA player, but for any athlete in the history of organized sports. The dude is absolutely obliterating the Dubs, and has taken 2 of 3 games to prove it. Sure these games have been closer than they probably should of in the end and the Warriors are absolutely terrifying anytime they take the court mostly due to the shooting prowess of the Splash bros. BUT THE CAVS ARE UP 2-1!! Give them some credit here. LeBron is playing out of his gourd, his supporting cast is playing excellent d and Delly is playing way above his pay grade. Yet the Warriors are still giving three points?? No way. This is one of those prove it lines, until I see some leadership and an all around performance from the Warriors, I have to keep rolling the Cavaliers. Oh by the way, its at home....Cavs win by 20.

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 Finals Game 4

Big Ole Finals Teaser

This finals has been spectacular, and although most of the world is more focused on the World Cup and what cross-fit workout they have to endure today; big ole Bobby Catz still has his claws on the NBA. This series has been way too close to stay with the traditional lines though, and in honor of that I have decided to roll out a little two pick five point teaser.

SA at MIA (-5) teased to (pick em) and over 197 teased to 192 (L) (WINNER!)

This series is absolutely going seven games, it is way too close and once you think one of the teams has gained control the other team comes out and swings the pendulum back the other direction. Well tonight we have another classic LeBron game just waiting to happen, he played pretty well last time out and faded away in the second half by doing un LeBron like things including a career high in the finals of seven turnovers! Look for LeBron to come out and show the Spurs (again) why he is the best player of the series. The real key tonight is going to be the point guard play of the Heat and how many touches Chris Boshness monster gets.Expect LeBron to turn up the HEAT (again pun definitely intended) against Kawhi Leonard and for the Heat to win this game out right by at least two or three points. 

NBA Finals

2014 NBA Finals Game 1

Catz's Take: One of the most highly anticipated rematches in NBA history starts tonight with the two-time defending champion Miami Heat traveling to San Antonio for game 1 of the finals. After interviewing hundreds of casual sports fans I have decided that the public seems to be backing the Spurs, and why shouldn't they? I mean the Spurs were only 25 seconds away from winning the title last year and it's not like Miami won game 6 in OT and then game seven as well. Oh wait, they did? Which is why I am confused as to why the public is backing the Spurs. 


I mean the Heat definitely got some lucky bounces and were able to turn those into a second consecutive championship, but luck is as much a part of this game as crazy is to Lance Stephenson. Plus you have LeBron James going for not just a three peat, but for his NBA legacy. People have been riding this kid from the beginning, wondering if he would ever be as good as Jordan. Well if he wins tonight he will do something that Jordan also did (granted Jordan did it twice) and it will at least place him in the same conversation. LeBron is ultra aware of his place in history, if you don't think this series means more to him than anything else in the world than you must be Lance Stephenson. I get that the Spurs are well coached and were able to slow down LeBron last year for the first few games, but this is a different year. You have an ultra focused LeBron James and a healthy D Wade, you know what that means? Trouble for the Spurs. I won't be surprised if this one doesn't go seven games like everyone thinks. As a matter of fact I won't be shocked if the Heat win in as little as five or six games. Which is why I'm going with the Heat tonight and the Heat in this series in five games.

HEAT (+4.5) at SA (UNDER 199) (Lx2)

Catz: HEAT in five games over SA

2014 NBA Finals Preview

2014 NBA Finals Preview

San Antonio Spurs vs Miami Heat

Well we are finally here. Back at the same spot we were at last year. Things feel a little different this time around though. Last year, the Spurs marched into the Finals almost surprisingly. Even after posting the best record int he West and redefining how offense should be played in the NBA, we kind of chalked up their Finals run to a lack of Westbrook and a couple good matchups. When we finally reached game 1 of the 2013 NBA Finals, the Spurs had gained a little respect, but were meeting an opponent that had a similar story line. The Miami Heat, despite dominating the league and winning 66 (!!!) games, were seen as vulnerable. The narrative was eerily similar to that of the Spurs. Star point guard (Derek Rose) goes down and paves the way for an easy Finals march. Let's not forget, the Indiana Pacers brought an uprising to the Eastern Conference Finals last year and we all came out of that series wondering if the Heat could muster the energy to win another title. 

Through all that, the questions, the narratives and the upstart punk kid teams, we received one of the best Finals series ever. Looking back, it was really games 6 and 7 that made this series what we all remember. In fact, taking a glance back at the series as a whole, it was very similar to this year's Western Conference Finals between San Antonio and OKC. There were 4 blow out games, but 3 epic fun ones. Most people didn't believe the Spurs could bounce back from the heartbreak of that battle with Miami, but they made it back and find themselves in a favorable position. 

This year, the Spurs will have home court advantage against their nemesis from the East. I'm not sure how much that will matter, but I do know injuries will be key. Yeah, Birdman and Ray Allen have been slightly banged up, but those are the normal playoff lumps and bumps. Tony Parker is the real question here. Will his ankle injury bother him through the whole series, or even hinder him? The Sp

urs could probably manage without him at his peak for a game or two, but this very well could be a 7 game series. 

Assuming Parker is healthy, the Spurs might actually pull this off. Here is my reasoning: Greg Popovich and the Spurs have done an amazing job of adapting to teams that have beat them.  Think of the Grizzlies, who they destroyed last year. In 2011, the Grizz upset the Spurs and had us all waiting for the Fat Lady to sing. Remember that? Of Course not, because the Spurs have murdered the Grizz since then. Remember when they got knocked out by the young Thunder in 2012? Yeah, the Fat Lady still wasn't singing and all we heard last round (you may have heard it from me) was that the old fellas from Texas couldn't beat the Thunder. Well, I was wrong, along with a lot of other people. Pop found a way. This time, it is the Miami Heat and after last years near title, I expect some crazy shit to come from the SanAnt coaching staff. Enough to slow the Heat and take advantage of D Wade's shortcomings. I expect the Spurs to even this championship series 1-1 and to come back next year for a final round with the Heatles. We're in for a treat

BJ's Pick: San Antonio in 6 (11/2 odds)