POST ALL-STAR NBA PICKS!!

The NBA is finally back!! After a riveting all-star weekend where almost every event was entertaining besides the actual game, it will be nice to get back to good ole fashioned basketball contests as we head towards the playoffs. Let's lay some picks down and make some money like we do best!

UTA vs. WAS +2

This might be the last win the Wizards get for a little bit. Today they took a minor swing for the fences by trading for Markieff Morris and possibly destroyed and chemistry their team might have had before the break. Hopefully the players aren't too devastated by the news of their new teammates and are able to pull this game out against the Jazz.

CHI +13 vs. CLE

Of course Cleveland is the obvious pick here with Butler and half of the Bulls supporting cast expected to be out. You know who isn't out though? Pau Gasol, and Pau is good enough to cover this thirteen point spread by himself. I like Cleveland to get up big early and coast to a ten point victory in the end.

SAS +-4.5 vs. LAC

The Clippers made a game changing trade this morning!! They shook up the entire team with a move that no one saw coming!! Well, maybe that's a little too far, people definitely saw it coming. The team formerly known as Lob City decided to move on from their off-season acquisition  Lance Stephenson and replaced him with another infuriating player, Jeff "Trick or Treat" Green as he is commonly referred to. Meanwhile the Spurs just keep chugging along, not making any big moves and only improving their chemistry and passing ability. I like the Spurs to win this game in a rout.

TUESDAY NBA PICKS!!

SAS -7.5 vs. MIA

There is absolutely no reason this line is only 7.5!! I guess Pop hates TNT games, so he might sit the entire team somehow and start their d-league team in its place. But other than that, there is no conceivable reason why this line is so low! Miami goes through stretches where they look like they could compete out east, but then they lose five straight to teams that have no business winning ball games. Love the Spurs cover here, its as close to an NBA lock as there is.

WSH -1 vs. NYK

Finally!! The Knicks admitted on Monday they had made a mistake hiring Derek Fisher as their coach approximately 80 games after everyone around the league had figured it out. Expect this move to help out New York in the off-season when they hire someone other than Kurt Rambis. Tonight, I expect a spirited effort out of New York, but ultimately John Wall and the Wiz do just enough to get the victory.

BOS -4 vs. MIL

Honestly I forgot the Bucks still had a team this year. They have done absolutely nothing since they stopped the Warriors winning streak two months ago, and the outlook of the franchise isn't great. Basically these are two teams on opposite ends of the spectrum. One team likes to shoot a bunch of a threes, and the other team can't shoot three's at all. Actually that describes both teams, but the Celtics are a little bit better at than the Bucks. Boston gets the cover.

NBA PICKS OF THE DAY!

PHI vs. DET -12

We have a saying around the Dirty Picks office, "the more you hate a line, the better it is for gambling purposes". So I have great news! This line is basically the Kardashian family if you ask me. The Pistons are one of my favorite teams in the NBA, but they lack the fire power to blow out teams, even a team like the Sixers. Oh and the Sixers have been playing really well of late, even being favored last night against the Suns, and covering the line while winning the game!! Proceed at your own risk on this one, but it makes me uncomfortable, and usually when it comes to lines what makes you uncomfortable makes you money.

DEN +9.5 vs. BOS

Basically if you take what I said in the first paragraph and replace the team names with Denver and Boston we have the exact same principle at play here. The Nugs are terrible on the road, and even worse in the city of Boston. But are the Celtics really a team that should be giving 9.5 points to anyone in the league?? I don't think so. Love the points grab here, would not be surprised if the Nuggets even go as far as getting the upset victory in Beantown.

HOU +10 vs. SAS

The over-hyped match up between the Spurs and Warriors on Monday turned in to quite the one sided affair, as Chef Curry and Co absolutely embarrassed the Spurs and coach Pop.You know who doesn't like being embarrassed? Greg Popovich. So this is an easy cover right? Spurs get back on track and resume their title of being the second best team in the league with a blowout victory over Houston? Easy money right. Not today big man, not today. Rockets get the upset victory and ESPN gets a solid week of leading with the story "Are the Spurs overrated??".

DAL +17 vs. GSW

My god. Did you watch that game on Monday?? Steph Curry made Kawhi Leonard look like a freshmen JV player attempting to guard a D1 athlete in a game of pickup. THE DEFENDING DPOY was put on skates multiple times by the Chef en route to a huge Warriors victory. So why would anyone pick the Mavs here?? I don't know. But I feel like there is some let down potential in this game for the Warriors because it is not nearly as hyped as Monday's match up. Golden State still wins this one easy, but don't be surprised if the final score is a little bit closer than this line would lead you to believe.

MONDAY'S TOP 3 NBA PICKS!!

Since anybody who is anybody is going to be watching the Spurs and Warriors do battle tonight in Oracle; this is a sneaky good betting day for under the radar lines.

HOU +5 vs. NOP

J Smoove comes back to H-Town and all of a sudden everyone starts playing better!! James Harden is doing everything he can to win games, and Smoove looks like the all-star from back in his ATL days rather than the dude who couldn't get any burn on the Clippers bench earlier this season. Although I have been impressed with how the Pelicans have been playing of late, I think Houston goes on a mini winning streak right now and wins at least the next three or four games in a row.

ATL vs. DEN +5

I know the people of Denver probably forgot they had a basketball team after the outcome of the AFC championship on Sunday, but the Nuggets are surprisingly decent these days. Early in the season they were hot garbage that I was arguing should trade everybody and start over, but now? I'm not so sure anymore. Gallo is finally healthy and playing like that second level elite type player that he could be, Mudiay is running the point and droppin dimes, and rookie sensation Jokic is a serviceable NBA big man who reminds me of a young Pau Gasol on the block!! Those are some pretty solid pieces when all added together, and I think it is going to be just enough to help these Nugz score an upset tonight against the Hawks.

CLE -13.5 vs. MIN

Is it too early to say this might be the biggest game of the Cavs season thus far?? After firing their coach and then laying an egg against Chicago in their first game post-Blatt, the Cavs absolutely have to come out and have a monster effort against the dangerous Wolves. This game is going to be surprisingly close throughout with LeBron doing just enough in the fourth to put this one away and give the Cavs the cover.

Western Conference Playoffs

HOU (-7.5) vs. DAL

OH NO!!! HAS HELL FROZEN OVER!??!?! ARE PIGS FLYING?? DID THE JETS FINALLY GET A FRANCHISE QB?? LOL...alright that's too ridiculous, but yeah Mr. Points Getter aka Bobby Catz decided to take one of the highest favorites I've ever gone with!! What makes it even more terrifying is that I expect this to be Dirks last game in an NBA uniform because he can barely move on defense and is getting torched even more than he usually does on that end. All this adds up to a Mavs win and they delay the inevitable conclusion for another night, right?? Nope...enter James Harden. Look for the Beard to drop 35 in the first half as he puts the Rockets way out in front and the Mavs struggle to play catch up for the rest of the night. Houston wins this game by thirty and the Rockets move on to the second round.

SAS (+2) vs LAC

This is a rough pick. I've been asking Catz what he's felt on this and we decided we have to roll the Spurs. These teams might be about even throughout the series, but when the Spurs have been on, they have been ON. According to ESPN, the Spurs are 23-8 in game fives since 1999. That's pretty damn impressive, and I think Pop knows they need to win this game. If they win this, the series is over.

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.

Thursday NBA Locks

Well it's Thursday. The one obstacle between you and that sweet, sweet $9 strawberry daiquri at Applebee's on Friday night. Let's face it, Mondays suck, but Thursdays are just boring. Well today, we can at least try to make the last part of Thursday speed up by investing heavily in some NBA locks!

San Antonio Spurs at Chicago Bulls (+6) (O 198.5)

This morning on ESPN Radio, the topic "Is Thibs on the hot seat?!" came up and I nearly crashed the shit out of my car. No, Thibs is not and will not be on the "hot seat" seeing as he is the second best coach in the NBA. The Bulls are in the running for the 2 seed out East, and have one of the deepest rosters in the NBA. They have struggled for all of a week, so let's not lose out shit just yet. I don't believe that D Rose will return to MVP form, nor do I think he makes it 60 games this year. What I do know is that he is still a dynamic point guard that scares opposing defenses. The problem is, between Rose and Noah's injuries, the lack of continuity and familiarity has really shown this year for the Bulls. Not to mention, Joakim has to play a ton of power forward this year now that Pau Gasol is playing center. These adjustments have landed the Bulls once vaunted defense squarely in the middle of the pack defensively. Is this an issue? Nope! Chi Town might not have the D they once had (heh), but that lack of D (heh) can easily be made up for by their much improved offense. With Rose playing most games, Jimmy Butler turning into Luol Deng 2.0 and Noah/Pau/Taj down low, the Bulls can get buckets with everyone in the league. Until they make that adjustment, you have to bet against them. Noah is out with an ankle injury tonight, so expect Timmy Duncan to punish Pau and lil' Taj while Rose is forced to take jumper after jumper (Tip: he can't shoot jumpers). The Spurs should kill tonight, so take the over as well.

Utah Jazz (+8) at Milwaukee Bucks (Over 185)

This might be the worst pick of the day. Both these teams are pretty bad, and neither can score efficiently. I'm basically hoping that Enes Kanter goes off on the Bucks, and maybe Gordon Hayward scores 25. The Jazz run at the second highest pace in the NBA (that was shocking to me), but they are just terrible at scoring! It's like they get the ball down the court and take terrible shots immediately. The Bucks don't play a particularly fast pace, but they do have young dudes that can rebound and take off with the ball, so by virtue of pace and youth, I'm taking the over. The Jazz should be able to keep it close seeing as they actually have some experience, but damn, this is a bad pick.

Boston Celtics @ Portland Trail Blazers (-8)

This is a tough call because PDX almost got smoked by the Suns last night. Bledsoe went OFF as did Isaiah Thomas. Aldridge may be out for Blaze City, but I still like them at home. The Celtics really aren't a threat to any team in the West, so I think Dame, Batum and Matthews kill it tonight and keep their insane home record intact. 

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

Wet and Wild Wednesday Picks!

Bob's Free NBA Picks

We got a nice little set of NBA games coming at us today. Also I don't want to start any controversy, but we may be looking for a new hockey writer here at Dirty Picks as we fear our current one may be lost at sea. If you are interested hit up the editor at @dirtiestpicks on twitter and maybe you will be lucky enough to write for us! Now on to the picks! We are feeling pretty good today about the picks and I've had a few too many cups of coffee this morning so three team teaser!!! (5 points, +150) (L)

GS at SA over 201.5 teased to over 196.5 (WINNER!)
This should be a very good basketball game and a possible preview of a playoff matchup. The Spurs are on an absolute tear right now and haven't lost in what seems like six months. Look for Golden State to come in ultra focused and put up a bunch of buckets in the first half. Then a huge second half run by the Spurs as this one ends up in 114-112 shootout possibly even featuring an extra period or two.

NO (+3.5) teased to (+8.5) at DEN (L)
I hate the Nuggets. If you read this blog with any consistency you know that I can't stand this Nuggets team and think their chemistry is one of the worst I've seen in recent years. Plus one of my favorite NBA players of all time has been out for most of the season, Javale McGee, and he was the only silver lining for watching the Nugs. Watch Anthony Davis continue his run towards NBA superstardom as he dominates a weak Denver front line and propels the Pelicans to a victory in the mile high city. 

CHI (-2) teased to (+3) at ATL (WINNER!)
You know I love this Bulls team. Watching them play defense is an absolute treat on a night to night basis and coach Thibs is a ridiculous strategist that any player would be lucky to play for. In addition Joakim Noah is the perfect fit for Thibs system and he seriously couldn't have carved a more perfect player out of stone. Look for the Bulls to shut the Hawks down and dominate this game en route to the biggest blowout of the NBA season.

There we are a little three team teaser, and remember all three picks have to hit in order to win the big bucks!