POST SUPER BOWL HANGOVER PICKS

Ugh!! What a garbage Super Bowl, unless you are in to watching offenses struggle and halftime acts that were huge ten years ago. Sure you can say the commercials were better than last year, but did any of them really move the public needle? Naw, didn't think so. If that wasn't bad enough, there was even controversy on some of the prop bets, most notably when did Lady Gaga's national anthem end?? The first time she said "and the home of the brave"?? Or the second?? Some sites are paying the under, others the over. All in all, not a very memorable 50th, but it does allow us as a nation to get refocused on the one thing that truly matters....nailing NBA picks!!

CHI +6.5 vs. CHA

Apparently Vegas is giving the Bulls no chance to win this game because they will be playing without their star Jimmy Butler. Personally, I like the rest of the Bulls roster just enough to not only cover this line, but to eek out a victory. Pau Gasol has more basketball talent in his ring finger, than the entire Hornets front line and I expect that to play out on the court tonight. Look for Rose to have a big game in Jimmy's absence, and for Pau to go off for 35 and 15 in a throwback Pau performance.

SAC +12.5 vs. CLE

If you have watched the Cavaliers play lately, it seems like they thought the All-star break was this last weekend instead of this weekend, because they have been on straight cruise control. They play like a team that knows they have the one seed locked down and are only getting up for big games anymore. Meanwhile, it doesn't matter who else is on the floor, or who is coaching, Cousins is going to show up and put up numbers. I fully expect the Cavs to sleepwalk through most of this game, only turning it on in the fourth in order to squeeze out a 5-10 point victory.

OKC -13.5 vs. PHX

Damn I would not want to be the Suns tonight. KD and Rus have had two days now to stew over that surprisingly close lose the other night in Oakland, and I am sure they are ready to get the next game underway to help get that taste out of their mouth. Expect a classic Rus and KD type of game tonight in the valley, as both players go for 25, 10 and 5.

NBA Conference Finals Preview

NBA Conference Finals Preview

Western Conference Finals

(2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs (1) San Antonio Spurs

This is what it has come down to. The two teams (4 really) that were supposed to meet in the conference finals, have forced their way in. Really we should have seen this coming. Throughout the last few years, the Thunder have been dominant, only waive ring

when Russell Westbrook caught the injury bug. The Spurs have not stopped winning for over a decade, and are fresh off a near world title. While both teams have put up a big number in the wins column for the last few years, they have taken separate paths to this point. The Spurs, are led by the best coach in basketball, possibly the best ever. Greg Popovich can take players like Patty Mills and Danny Green and make them KEY rotation players. He will add a Boris Diaw in and maximize his skill set so much so that Diaw has become a pudgy jack of all trades. Scott Brooks on the other hand is a garbage coach. He runs garbage "plays," starts garbage players (Perkins) and somehow can't maximize any of his players' main skill sets. Smooth shooting, lanky defender Jeremy Lamb somehow can't see the floor! Perry Jones was once considered a lock top 5 pick for having a great skill set, Brook can't even use him. This all works though, becuase despite Brooks' shortcomings, the Thunder have Kevin Durant and Westbrook; an MVP and genetic FREAK. This is just another example of how different these teams are from each other. The Spurs rely on great ball movement, spacing and taking smart shots. They are the best in the league at it and have basically revolutionized offense in the NBA. OKC on the other hand, relies on pure athleticism, having one of the best scorers ever and Russell Westbrook bailouts. They get by because there is generally no way to cover Westbrook, which results in a lot of switches and confusion; a far cry from the near poetic scoring of San Antonio.
OKC swept the season series this year, but I expect this one to go 7 and though I know OKC gives Pop fits, I have to go Spurs. With Serge Ibaka out, there will be a lot of Perkins/Collison going on. Kawhi Leonard has a monster series and Spurs take it in 7.

BJ's Pick: Spurs in 7.
Catz's Pick: Spurs in 6

Eastern Conference Finals

(1) Indiana Pacers vs. (2) Miami Heat

After a long season full of twists and turns we get to the Eastern Conference Finals where the exact two teams who were predicted to make it, did just that. For the Pacers though, this was not an easy journey. They had to fight and claw their way through the last three months, getting a couple of lucky breaks in their first two rounds that have led them to this point. The Heat have done exactly what most people expected them to do, they ran through the first two rounds and look primed to make their fourth consecutive finals appearance! LeBron has been an absolute beast in the 

postseason with a PER almost of 33!! He has done everything that the Heat need in order to win the game and the series. The real question here is can the Pacers do enough to stop the defending champs from advancing to a rematch against the Thunder or the Spurs? The short answer? Probably not. The Heat are playing their best ball of the season, while the Pacers have done everything short of tripping on their dicks on the way to this matchup. I know what you are thinking, "but Catz, they have had some success against the Heat and took them to back to back game 7's!" Short answer, I don't give a shit. This is not the same Pacers squad, and LeBron has only gotten better the deeper we get in to these playoffs. I'm expecting the Pacers to steal a game, possibly even two if they can hit some buckets, but eventually the talent of LeBron is going to outweigh everything else and the Heat will move on again. 

Catz's Pick: Heat in 5!
BJ's Pick: Heat in 6

NBA Game 7 Picks

The NBA has an epic night of game 7's today! Three series come to an end, including two with huge upset potential.

ATL (+6.5) at IND (UNDER 184.5) (L) (WINNER!)
I don't care if the Pacers absolutely control this game from the tip and jump on the Hawks early, there is no way they should win by more than 6 points. This series has been incredibly close and tonight should be no exception. Tonight will literally come down to whether or not the Hawks can get hot from the outside. If they can bang home a couple of triples early, do not be surprised if the Hawks pull off the major upset.

MEM at OKC (-9) (UNDER 184.5) (WINNER) (L)
Almost all of these games have gone to overtime! So what if Zach Randolph is suspended and the Grizzlies struggle to score with him on the floor! I still have faith in this Grizzlies team to at least make tonight's game competitive. The Thunder most likely win this game, but do not be surprised if the Grizz make a late run and keep this one interesting.

Update: we had to change this pick. Too many injuries plus the ZBo suspension.

LAC at GS (+7) (OVER 207)(WINNER) (WINNER!)
Definitely the most dangerous of the three picks, just because the Clippers can light up the scoreboard in a hurry. My big thing here again is I am just not sold one of these three games not being competitive and anything more than a 3 or 4 point tightly contested slugfest.

There you are three game 7's, and one of the most anticipated nights in NBA history. Have fun betting on all of those underdogs and then being really heated when the favored home teams win by 35. Hawks, OKC, and Clips move on, but all three underdogs cover!

Free NBA Monday!

BJ's Sugar B-Day Bash Bonanza Picks

These two risky as fuck picks are dedicated to our fellow analyst and friend Sugar, who is probably at a Klan meeting somewhere in North Carolina right now. He is also on fire with his NHL picks, so go look at those.

PHI (+20) at IND (WINNER!)
 I love taking the 76ers here. Indiana seems to have trouble, not only beating bad teams and putting them away, but beating mediocre at best teams! As their late season slump continues, look for the Pacers to let Phily hang around too long and eventually win by about 16. The Sixers really don't give a fuck at this point, but there are still dudes out their playing for contracts. You should know if this one is going to hit after 1 quarter.

OKC at CHI (OVER 194) (L)
Not only are the Bulls good at holding teams under their usual point totals, they tend to keep their own score low in grind it out contests. So this time, take the over. I know, the easiest thing to do is to take the under with the Bulls and cash out like you just robbed Ray Charles, but tonight is different. KD will be trying to prove that he can score on any defense in the league, and Chicago doesn't mess around on offense either. Look for them to score about 22 in the first quarter as the return of Russ West ruins all OKC offensive chemistry.

Bobcatz' Pickz

Stay tuned for a complete breakdown on who to throw your money on in this weekends tournament coming very soon by the staff at DirtiestPicks! Until then we have a couple of basketball picks to hold you over in the meantime. Also check out my work as a ghostwriter on Sugar's Go Puck Yourself hockey blog!

PHX (+3.5) at BKN (L)
The Suns are like the train from the children's classic "The Little Engine that Could", they just keep chugging along even though everyone has been saying they will hit the wall and fall short of their playoff race any day now. Well the return of Eric Bledsoe has been huge as he looks like he hasn't missed a beat from when he dominated earlier in the season. Couple that with the recent return to form of Gerald Green and you have a recipe for beating the Nets (also a recipe for soufflé, strangely enough). Look for the Suns to come out, push the tempo and shoot those motherfuckin lights out as they roll in this one easily winning by 10-15 points.

ATL at CHA (-3) (L)
The Catz have actually looked like a legitimate basketball team especially one that deserves to make the eastern conference playoffs. Their signing of Al Jefferson in the offseason looks brilliant as he has responded with a career year. Look for the combination of Kemba Walker and Big Al to rock and roll on the Hawks, leading to a comfortable seven point victory.

LAC (-4.5) at DEN (L)
This line seems a little too low to me, I don't know if Denver brought back Melo and Kiki Vanderweghe while I've been working this morning, but I would still take the (-4.5). The Clippers have been easily the hottest team in basketball over the last two months, and I see no indication that Denver is going to do anything about that. Look for a group effort with several players ending up in double digits as Lob City rolls on to another win and their quest for a championship.

Sunday NBA

Slippery When Wet Sunday Picks

Bob's Shameless Sunday Picks


After a rough stretch of NBA games, we can all rejoice in the fact that today is finally Sunday. Tonight there is a lot of solid television to watch including the season finale of True Detective, and fan favorite Shameless. However if you think that I'm gonna be watching these shows instead of watching the games that I am throwing my cold hard cash down on then you would be right, but here are some picks anyway.

OKC (-12) at LAL (L)
The Lakers are garbage right now, the only team they could beat is probably the 76ers, but that would be a good battle. Expect Rus and KD to come out firing especially because the last time they played they were beaten by the Phoenix Suns. The Thunder will come out blazing and might score 200 against a porous Lakers D.


Denver (+2.5) at NO (L)
Although the Nugs look more similar to the crew of the Black Pearl than an actual basketball team (mutiny!!!), the return of Ty Lawson has been huge. He can beat most guards off the dribble whenever he wants, and his slashing causes other defenders to help out leading to easy drop offs for dunks. Lucky for him tonight he goes against arguably the worst back court in the NBA. Brian Roberts and Austin Rivers are both porous defenders and exactly the type of players that Ty Lawson used to fuck back in prison (allegedly). Look for the Nuggets to blow the Pelicans out tonight winning by at least 15.


PHO (+7.5) at GS (WINNER!)
The Suns are in a dogfight right now for the bottom three seeds of the Western conference. Every game of their remaining 20 becomes basically a playoff type atmosphere. So far everything we have seen from the Suns is that they step up when it comes to big time games. They played the warriors tough in both games already this season, and there is no reason to think this game won't be decided by three or four points.
There we are three wins to finish off what has been a pretty shitty weekend set of picks, but a great start to the coming week. Also if my picks don't work out, fuck it grab a sixer, watch Shameless and True Detective and cry until you pass out.


BJ's Blatant Disregard for the Facts Pick
  Toronto @ Minnesota (OVER 207) (WINNER!)

Well I was going with Toronto +4, but that line is way to fishy. Instead, we'e going to go with two teams that have been absolutely ROLLIN on offense as of late. Two hot shooting squads that have been putting up big numbers over the last week on a Sunday? I say book it. 

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.