NBA on TNT picks

OKC vs. MIA +3.5

If you listen to the podcast, you would know that Brandon and I are not very high on this Thunder team. Sure they have two of the best seven players in the league, which is usually enough to be considered a title contender right? Unfortunately for the good people of Oklahoma the rest of their team is so bad that it might not matter come playoff time. They are desperate for a third scorer to step up and no one seems interested in filling the spot. They were in such a bad place this off-season that they had to match a ridiculous contract offer to Enes Kanter even though he isn't a great fit for them. This has basically become a bad relationship where the guy (Thunder front office) goes out and buys a mangy puppy (Enes Kanter) in order to stop the girlfriend from leaving (Kevin Durant). Well, it ain't working OKC, maybe you should have gotten a hamster or something. Also this old, veteran Miami team only shows up for big games, and there aren't much bigger than OKC on TNT.

ORL +4 vs. UTA

The Magic have to the biggest surprise in the league thus far. Everyone knew they had the talent, and if they could just find a coach who get the most out of them they would be off and running. Well, they have a good coach in notorious hard ass Scott Skiles, who has implemented his no nonsense approach and instilled discipline in a squad that desperately needed a identity. Now they seem to have it as a defensive grind squad that does just enough offensively to win ball games. Also Evan Fournier has taken the leap from unknown foreign bench player who ran through models like candy bars (I'm assuming) to a most improved player of the year candidate. On the Utah side, their identity just hurt his knee and will be out indefinitely in Rudy Gobert. Enough for me to take the points on this one.

SAS -2.5 vs. MEM

I hate everything about this line, the Spurs should be favored by at least 8 points here. The only thing I could think as to why Memphis is given a shot in this game, is because the Spurs don't have the big man to slow down Marc Gasol who might go off for 35 and 15. But did you see what San Antonio did to the Bucks last night?? They held them to 70 points total, and I would argue that Memphis has way less talent than Waukee does, and the Bucks suck. 

SAC +1.5 vs. BOS

I hope for the sake of this pick that someone tells DeMarcus the Kings are underdogs against the Boston Celtics at home, because Boogie would be very pissed off, if he knows what a spread is that is. Either way I think against the undersized Celtics, DeMarcus has a monster game, and the league leader in assists Rajon Rondo shows the Boston faithful what they lost when they traded him to Dallas last season.

NBA threesome

NYK +6 vs CHA

I had a feeling the Knicks would show up last night and they did, covering against the Raptors. They haven't been great against the spread in two straight games all season and it definitely won't be easy against the resurgent Charlotte squad formerly known as the B Catz as well. In the end Jeremy Lamb and his bench of college all stars don't scare me enough not to take the points.

IND +3.5 vs BOS

Have you had the chance to watch Paul George play in the last week? If not, do yourself a favor and turn on the next Pacers game. PG has shed that early rust and is looking like the guy who tore up the league two seasons ago. Averaging 30 in his last three games, let's hope he's back to 100%. Meanwhile the Celtics are solid, but who are they really scaring? 

DET +1 vs SAC

Getting a point for a team that I love to bet on against the most dysfunctional organization in sports, sign me up!! The Kings just had a players only meeting to discuss their very poor start, but those never end up with a complete turnaround. Look for the Pistons to out coach, out hustle, and out play the Kings en route to a twenty point victory.

NBA Friday

On the season: 5-4. Last night: 2-1

MIA +5.5 at CLE

It's Mr. Nutz here filling in for Catz as he gets pounded out like a mallard duck at work. This is a marquee matchup between the two best teams in the East. While the Heat feature some incredible depth to supplement their two All Star talents, the Cavs bring the best player on Planet Earf and Kevin Love to the party.  This is an easy pick. The Cavs can beat the shit out of all the below average Eastern conference teams and look like the Show Time Lakers, but against good teams, they need their big three. With Kyrie out (Shumpert too) this team will have to play LeBron and love 40mpg against good teams. The Heat have too much talent, depth and coaching to lose this one. And Amare is back!!

OKC at ORL (+8)

This line is borderline offensive!! Almost as offensive as the OKC bench!!! Anyways, the Magic are my favorite young team in the league. After spending a year with Never to Coach Again Jacque Vaughn, the Magic have finally found a semi competent coach. Scott Skiles has shown early that he wants his team to be gritty, fast and DAWG opposing guards completely out!  I love the fact that he can throw Elfrid, Oladipo and Aaron Gordon on Westbrook while still having the option of sticking Tobias Harris on Durant. Vucevic is a guaranteed double double and we haven't even started talking about super Mario!! Remember Ja Rule back in the day? He'd always yell "Muuuurrrrrdaaaa." Well that's all I hear when future sixth man of the year Mario HEZZZOONNJJJJAAA is draining threes all over Durants weak ass tonight!!!................HEZZZOONNNJJJJAAA

UTA at PHI +7.5

I'm a fan of the Jazz and what they've built over the last few years. They've made smart picks, invested time in Favors and have been pretty patient with the whole process. Philly, on the other hand, is terrible. They've been patient, yes, but they don't seem to have an actual plan. Their best draft pick thus far has been Jahlil Okafor who opened his NBA career with a dominant 26 point performance. Though Nerlens Noel was a solid get, he's not exactly a game changer and don't get me started on their lack of guards. With that being said, I think Utah is getting too much respect this year. They need to prove that they can be a playoff team in the next two months. Philly has nothing to lose and I think Okafor and Noel can give opposing defenses a lot of trouble (Noel put up 14/12/3 the other night). It may be the old school way, but I think philly keeps this one close. 

POR +4.5 at PHX

Well this is the Catz special. I'm a Blazers fan and he's a Suns homer so it's going to be rough year for both of us. In the end it's just about taking the points here and hoping you get lucky. 

NBA Draft & Conference Finals

NBA Draft Lottery

NYK +325; LAL +575

Either way here you're good. The NBA fixes the draft lottery and all of you sheep who don't believe in conspiracies better GTFO right now. What happened last year? Cavs won, LeBron went home, you mean to tell me that wasn't rigged? Buy that and I got a trunk full of original DaVinci sculptures that I'd like ya to take a look at . Seriously though anyone that thinks the NBA is going to go through another season where the two biggest markets are bottom five in talent desperately needs a wake up call. I know this ain't horse racin, but if I could I would even bet the Knicks get one, the Lakers get two and odds on favorite Minnesota gets the three hole. So good luck to both Karl Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor because after tonight you're going to either get yelled at by Kobe for a year or play in dinosaur offense with Phil Jackson and NY. Meanwhile the Wolves get Mudiay and roll out the best backcourt in the NBA in five years.

NBA Conference Finals 

Houston Rockets (+10) at Golden State Warriors

This could be a terrible, terrible series. The Rockets took advantage of one of the worst coaching jobs of all time and beat the Clippers to reach the conference finals. As Oklahoma City fans and Kevin Durant continue to pretend they don't miss James Harden, the Rocks are going to be looking for any slight advantage they can find as they get destroyed by the Warriors. Steph Curry has to be ROCK HARD knowing Jason Terry and James Harden are going to try to guard him all series, oh and Pablo Prigioni. Those poor dudes have no chance. Nevertheless, the Rockets might be able to keep this one close. Harden will need to cause some foul issues for the Rockets, but if the Warriors' bench plays half as well as they are capable of, Houston is fucked. 

Catz: New series....Same old Catz. After closely examining these two teams, I've come to the conclusion that should be a relatively easily win for the Dubs in four or five games tops. So why the hell would I back the losing team? Because the Rockets have been hearing all week that no one is giving them a shot against the Warriors. Look for a spirited Harden effort to fall just short as the Splash bros make their way towards their first NBA finals appearance.

NBA Is Back!

Now that March Madness has officially ended (I know its not over, but my team lost so fuck it) we make a return to the NBA where teams are in single digit remaining games and the competition is heating up!! Just kidding these 9 games are going to be boring as shit, because seeding is basically decided already. In honor of that crap shoot mentality, lets throw a couple of dogs out there to see what sticks.

LAL (+4.5) vs. PHI

Nutz and I both had the same reaction to seeing this line initially...."The Lakers are getting pointzZzz??" After triple checking my sources, I can indeed confirm that the Lakers are considered the underdog tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers. But not in the eyes of the boyz over at Dirty Picks, I will gladly get points on the Lake Show and hope that rookie Jordan Clarkson and Jeremy Lin can do enough to keep this one a ball game. **Sneaky good player alert that I definitely saw coming** Ish Smith is a monster, I wondered why he didn't get more PT for the Suns when I watched him play last season, and sure enough he is doing well as the captain of the Sixers offense.

PHX (+8.5) vs. POR

Speaking of my hometown Suns. They blew a 20 point lead against Hustle Westbrook and Co yesterday while everyone was busy going to church and watching the college tourney. Well, there is no way they come out and lay another egg like that. Look for the Suns to get out to a hot start and do just enough to hold off Portland late, leading to a 2-3 point Suns win.

SAC (+8) vs. MEM

Boogie Cousins has admitted that no duo in the league causes him more headache than the twin towers of Memphis. So if he's gonna show up focused and locked in for any game remaining on the schedule it has to be this one right?? He knows this season is mercifully ending soon and I'm sure he wants to get the good vibe for next season going in these last few games. Don't be surprised if Boogie drops a casual 35 and 15 as he eats up the Grizz interior and scores the upset victory against the grindhouse.

Season Premier/Finale Sunday

Free NBA Picks

Wake up everybody!! It's the biggest night on television since that time they showed OJ eluding police in a white Bronco! Tonight is one of those bittersweet nights where one great thing ends, and another great thing starts in it's place. The conclusion of Shameless rolls onto Showtime tonight at 9ET and although this might be the weakest season they have had so far, historically the final episode is the gut punch/cliffhanger episode. While you are watching Fiona and Lip handle the Gallahger clan, make sure to record the two HBO premieres so you can watch them later. Game of Thrones has taken the nation by storm, and even if you read the books and know what's coming it's still exciting to watch it all play out and see what tweaks the HBO series will make to the source material. After that be sure to watch the new series from comedy legend creator Mike Judge (Office Space, King of the Hill) called Silicon Valley. I don't know that much about the premise of the show, but it stars two of my favorite comedians Kumail Nanjiani (side note: if you aren't listening to the Indoor Kids, you are fuckin up!) and Tj Miller. Both of these shows should give you at least two and a half hours ignoring your kids and making sure that your Sunday morning at work can at least be spent recapping what went on the lands of Westeros. After such a lengthy preview of what's going down tonight, you would probably think that I'm just gonna throw some NBA picks in as a little footnote, well once again you don't know the Bobcat. 

OKC (-140) at PHX (L)
Terrible matchup for the Suns, and possible first round preview if the Spurs stumble in the next few games. Look for a rested Westbrook to come out and light up the Suns backcourt as Durant quietly scores more than 25 to keep his consecutive game streak going.

NY (+7) at MIA (L)
Why am I picking the Knicks to cover this game? That is literally a question I don't have an answer to and I'm sure I'll end up watching this on my breaks going what the fuck is JR Smith doing?? The only silver lining is Melo loves playing against Lebron and always seems to bring his "A" game. Hopefully Wade sits again and the Knicks pull a shocker here.

LA (+16) at LAC (L)
Another game that has more potential to go wrong than the recent healthcare plan Obama rolled out. Last time these two teams met the Lakers got absolutely shithoused. I'm thinking this is a revenge game that shows they are still the Lakers playing in their home stadium and will at least try to not make this one a 50 point blowout. Lakers lose by 8.

ATL (+8) at IND (WINNER!)
Just like the Game of Thrones season premiere the Pacers postseason is much anticipated. You never know what Pacers team is going to show up, and if they play anything like they have over the last two months don't be surprised if the Bulls, Nets or mystery team X pulls the upset. All I know in this game is that the Pacers do not cover spreads, Hawks probably lose, but the smart bet is they cover.

HOU (-675) at DEN (WINNER!)
Dwight Howard could play tonight for the Rockets! Even if he doesn't do not expect this Nuggets team to pull the upset. Houston is at full strength, while the Nuggets are just counting the days until the offseason.

MEM at SA (-7) (WINNER!)
This is a terrible matchup for the Grizz. The Spurs always pack the paint and take away the inside options of Z-Bo and Gasol while allowing Prince and Tony Allen as many open 15 foot jumpers as they want. Don't be surprised if this game is an absolute blowout and the Spurs win 115-76.

DAL (-6) at SAC (L)
The Mavs have been in full blow playoff mode for several weeks and looked like they could give a team some trouble in the playoffs. The Kings are melting down like they do at this point every year, and despite another great year from Demarcus Cousins they are close to the bottom once again. Expect a big night out of Monta Ellis and Jose Calderon as the Mavs win comfortably in Sac town.

UTAH (+11.5) at GS (L)
I have no justifiably reason for picking the Jazz to cover this spread, if I were you I would stay farther away from this game than the Republican Party does from African Americans. Pick Golden State to win this game by forty and ignore this.

NO at POR (-625) (WINNER!)
This game is gonna be close and do not be surprised if Anthony Davis puts up a 32-15-8 line to score the upset. Hopefully Lillard and LMFAO do just enough to stave off the Pelicans and get a victory.

There you are an extended look at tonight's NBA action and a viewing guide for some television action after 5. Have a great night out there and remember stay away from that Jazz pick!

Free NBA Picks!

Bobby Catz Presents: Friday Meltdown Madness!!!

The final four is this weekend and in honor we decided to inject a little madness into our picks by rolling out our first ever moneyline madness! We have seven moneylines that are all guaruanteed victories and if you are feeling pretty confident throw them all in a parlay and win yourself a cool 20 grand or so.

DEN @ MEM (-470) (WINNER!) 

Same shit, different day here as the Grizz need a win and the Nuggets still suck. Look for a lot of Z-bo and the other Gasol as the Grizz pound away down low on the Nuggets and get a much needed win in their playoff chase.

ORL @ CHA (-543) (WINNER!)

I have a big crush on this Bobcats team. I think its because I am big fan of low post play and watching Al Jefferson is like popping in an instructional video on the subject. Also they have Kemba Walker who stole all of our hearts a few years back with his play in the Big East tournament and NCAA championship run. Look for this one to be a close game, but eventually the Catz will pull away for the victory. 

DET @ BKN (-575) (WINNER!)

Is there a franchise with a bleaker outlook than the Pistons right now? They are a terrible basketball team on the floor, in the front office and even in the stands (seriously people from Michigan suck). I have been going against this Nets team all season and of course because I am going with them now they will undoubtedly lose by 55 to the Pistons.

CLE (+111) @ ATL (L)

Danny Ferry the GM of the Hawks came out this week and said that being the 8th seed in the playoffs is not a goal of this Atlanta team. Concerns with that statement aside, this means that they are not that interested in winning these winnable games. The Cavs have been playing really well lately despite the fact that they are competing for absolutely nothing expect pride. Although the combination of Irving and Waiters has not been great this season, I am expecting big nights from each in a big win for the Cavs.

IND (+101) at TOR (L)

The Pacers have been a gambling nightmare all season long. They rarely cover spreads and look like they might not be the locks that everyone was expecting to make the eastern conference finals anymore. However, for some reason I like them against a very good Raptors team tonight. Look for Paul George to get out of a second half season slump and have a big night against the Rap Show.

DAL (-345) @ LAL (WINNER!)

Another must win game for a desperate playoff team with the number of remaning games rapidly dissapearing. In addition they are riding some momentum after getting a big win over the cross-town Clippers last night. Look for a big game from Dirk Diggler and for the Mavs to lead this one wire-to-wire.

OKC (+118) @ HOU (L)

The James Harden revenge game. The Rockets are favored in this game, I am assuming because the Thunder played a tough one last night against the Spurs. However, I think the big two of Westbrook and Durant will get up for this game and look to show up the Rockets as they continue to fight for that number one seed out west now that the Spurs look human again.

MIL @ CHI (-850) (WINNER!)

Fuck the Bucks.

Catz Country Picks

HOU (+3) at BKN (L)
Betting against the Nets this season has been like smoking cigarettes when you get drunk. You know it's a bad idea, you are definitely going to regret it in the morning and you probably end up feeling like shit. However in this case it's like I smoke a whole carton in one setting. I can not remember the last time I went against the Nets and the opposing team successfully covered, but you think that stops Uncle Catz from throwing down a five spot on the Rockets? Hell no! The Rockets may get D12 back tonight, but even if they don't look for them to end the reign of terror that the Nets have bestowed upon this gambling season. I'm expecting big games from James Harden, Terrence Jones and Chandler Parsons as they roll into Brooklyn and leave with a twenty point victory.

GS (+4) at DAL (WINNER!)
Another pick that on the surface looks like it is going to go terribly wrong. Let's look a little closer at this matchup though and you will see my reasoning. First off the Warriors are coming off their worst loss of the season...to the Knicks...at home!! If you don't think that forces a team to take a long hard look in the mirror and figure it the fuck out than nothing will. Also the Warriors next game is against the Spurs who are riding an 18 game winning streak and look as poised as ever to be holding the trophy come June. I know the Mavs are balls deep in a tight playoff race, but I still think Golden State comes out strong has a fantastic night shooting the rock and steals a win in big D.

LAL (+8.5) at POR (L)
The Lakers have been a very streaky team over the last couple of weeks. Some nights they blow out the Suns or the Knicks, on others they give up over 140 points to the Clippers or Wolves. Add the fact that Lamarcula (copyright:BJ) may miss this game and I think the lack of defense on the Portland end should keep this one competitive enough to hit the 8.5 point cover.

There you go three picks that are possibly the most dangerous combination of three things since Hitler/Stalin/ and Mussolini joined forces! Look for these picks to go horribly wrong tonight and for me to write a scathing, self-loathing article tomorrow about how gambling sucks and fuck the Warriors/Rockets/Lakers.

NBA Picks

BJ's Same Old Shit Thursday Picks

LA Lakers (+3) at Milwaukee Bucks (Push)
The Lakers have had a nightmare season this year. Pretty much everyone is injured, Mike D'Antoni doesn't give a shit anymore and the ownership group has more star power than the starting 5. One thing is clear, the Lakers still try harder than they should. Some of these guys are trying to stay in the league or stay in LA and the Mike D system is great for padding stats. The Lakeshitshow might get blown out tonight, but a tanking Bucks squad shouldn't be given any points.

LA Clippers (-1) at Dallas Mavericks (WINNER!)
CP3 needs to bounce back after the worst night shooting night in Clipper's history. The Clips should be fine for a top 3 spot in the West, but the Mavs have to win the bulk of their games to sneak into the playoff picture. Look for CP3 and Blake to put up big numbers and Jamal Crawford vs Monta Ellis to put up a record amount of contested J's.

Philadelphia at Houston (Under 215) (L)
I've been fooled by this one too many times. The 76ers suck at defense and play an insanely high paced game. This leads me to believe, on a nightly basis, that their games are going to go over. That shit doesn't happen. The Rockets might score 110 tonight, but Philly is only scoring 99, because D-League dudes can't play offense.

Wednesday Tag Team NBA Picks

BJ's Hot n Nasty NBA Picks

Utah @ Memphis (-11.5) (L)
The Jazz have really struggled against the spread when facing good teams as of late. Houston, San Antonio and Dallas all covered against the Jazz and I see no difference tonight in Grizz Town. Memphis has won 5 of their last 6 games and is in playoff mode here in the home stretch. The young Jazz will struggle with the defensive minded Grizz in a probable beat down.

Minnesota (+5) @ Dallas (WINNER!)
This is just a case of way too many people pouring money on the Mavs. Dallas has the better team, but Kevin Love will keep this one close. The Spain v Spain point guard battle should be fun as well, and let's not forget JJ Barrea's burning desire to destroy Dallas. The Wolves can keep up with high scoring teams, that's why I'm going with the upset tonight. Wolves win by 3.

San Antonio (-13.5) @ Los Angeles Lakers (WINNER!)
How much analysis could you need to pick this? The Lakers are not good. Their defense is honestly so bad that they should be fined. The Spurs' offense is going to Tony Parker the shit out of LA tonight and that's that.

Bob's Under the Weather Extravaganza 

Magic at Suns (UNDER 210) (WINNER!)
The Suns are not known for their defense, luckily for them the Magic are one of the worst scoring teams in the league especially on the road. Look for the Suns to come out shooting the lights out in the first half and put this one to bed early. The Suns might finish with 110, but the Magic will be lucky if they crack 90 securing an easy under win.

MIA at BOS (UNDER 198.5) (WINNER!)
The Heat are playing on the second night of a back to back and Lebron had a huge game last night. That means he is going to be deferring a lot tonight and racking up dimes all day. Look for the Heat to tighten up on the defensive end as this game ends in a 90-88 type finish.

SA at LAL (UNDER 221) (L)
This is probably the surest pick of the night. The Spurs are not the type of team that allows lesser teams to hang around or get the best of them. Look for them come out of the gates very hot to start and then they will clamp down defensively in the second half leading to a lopsided 101-78 victory.

NBA Picks

Miami at San Antonio (-3) (WINNER!)

We all know this is a rematch of last year's epic finals and all that noise. What we don't know is how Coach Pop is going to approach this game. The way I see it, there are two options:
1) He plays to win tonight and keeps Parker, Duncan and Ginobli in the game.
2) He rests starters and plays his bench because Greg Popovich doesn't give a fuck what you think.
I'm going with option 1. The Spurs are 1.5 games back from the 1 seed and are ready to make their playoff push. They need to at least keep the 2 seed in order to play a PHX, MEM, or DAL in the first round. Tony Parker has once again started playing out of his mind and I expect the Spurs to win this one at home.
Bobs Topless Thursday Thunder Take
OKC(-6) at PHX (L)
Tonight the Thunder squad roll into P-town looking to continue their recent run of destruction. Russell Westbrook posted a triple-double in his last game in barely twenty minutes of game time. Look for him to continue his Desolation of Smaug tonight against the Suns. The only shot the Suns have tonight would be Goran Dragic going absolutely bonkers against an elite defender like Westbrook. The chances of this happening are about as good as the Red Wings being taken seriously as a professional hockey team. The Suns have not been blown out of a game all season, expect that to happen tonight. The combination of Durant, Ibaka and Westbrook will combine for 90 points, 40 rebounds and 22 assists, embarrassing the Suns and handing them their worst home loss of the season.

LAC (-11) at LAL (WINNER!)
The revenge of the little brother game. Remember how the Clippers were a joke for years and years while the Lakers were busy winning titles? Well now it's the Clippers who are title contenders and the Lakers are a couple of Montana puck sluts (yeah it's rough). Tonight is another opportunity for the Clippers to give a little payback WWE style. Look for Blake Griffin to hit Pau Gasol with a chair, Jodie Meeks to get Russian suplexed a few times, and Robert Sacre to have his feet on the top ropes as he pins Chris Paul for the upset. Just kidding the Clippers will roll with huge games from Blake and CP3; Lakers fans will be busy on the message boards discussing how different the team will be next year with Joel Embiid and Carmelo Anthony (seriously it's gonna happen, it's the Lakers).

Tuesday Tongue Tornado Pickz

NBA Picks by Bobby Catz

LAL at IND (-13) (WINNER!)
It's been a while since Paul George had a break out game. Well tonight is that night. The lakers lack anything resembling a defensive perimeter player and last I checked weren't great on the interior either. Look for the pacers to play suffocating D and for PG to go off for forty.

MIN at PHX (-3) (L)
The Suns, fresh off a heartbreaking loss to the rockets, always rebound well, especially at home. Combine that with  the fact that NBA teams have realized that the Wolves only do one thing well, which is get the ball to Kevin Love. Do you think Love has a calendar that just marks off the days till he can get the fuck out of 'Sota? It's gonna be a long year and half. Also watch Goran Dragic, he's having a fantastic season.

POR (-3) at DEN (WINNER!)
Yes I'm aware that LMFAO (Lamarcus Mother Fuckin Alridge is Outstanding) is out tonight, but I have inside information from a guy at the last blazers game that said his fill-in, Thomas Robinson, is a star in the making. In addition coach Brian Shaw  and the nuggets aren't getting along that well lately. Look for this deep rift to continue and the nuggets to lose by 15 even to a LMFAO-less blazers team.

HOU (-4) at SAC (WINNER!)
Houston looks to continue it's road trip out west with another victory. Even though the Kings have looked better in recent weeks, they still have no help besides Cousins, Gay, and Thomas. Look for Houston to nail upwards of 15 triples and this one to be over somewhere in the second quarter.

B B B BONUS PICK!!!!!! 

CHI (-1.5) at ATL (WINNER!)

Easy bonus pick here, a depleted Hawks team runs up against the defensive juggernaut Bulls. This one could get ugly for the Hawks, unless Korver hits 15 3's this could easily end up being 95-36.