Announcement

**Udog** · 05-08-2016, 07:05 AM

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

-- 167,227 people went to the Kentucky Derby; to see a 2:01.37 race.

-- Kershaw-Dickey in Toronto yesterday had to be a tough game to ump the plate.

-- May 30-31 Pirate-Marlin series was moved from Puerto Rico to Miami because of the Zika virus problem in central America.

-- There are 108 stitches on a major league baseball.

-- Aaron Hill hit three HRs, knocked in seven runs as Milwaukee came back from a 6-2 deficit to beat the Reds 13-7 in ten innings.

-- In NHL history, when a series has been 2-2, the Game 5 winner has gone on to win 190 of 243 (78.2%) series.

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Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Happy Mothers' Day......
13) Whats wrong with the people who run the Memphis Grizzlies?

Three years ago, Memphis went 56-26, lost in Western Conference final; they showed their gratitude for the franchise's best-ever season by firing coach Lionel Hollins.

Yesterday, the Grizzlies fired coach Dave Joerger, after he led injury-ravaged Griz to a 42-40 season. You don't think thats impressive? Memphis used 28 different players this year, the most any NBA team has ever used in one season and yet they still made the playoffs. And they fire the coach. Wow.

12) Bartolo Colon homered last night in San Diego, making him the oldest player in major league history (42) to hit his first home run. Colon took 31 seconds to round the bases; don't think he was showboating, he just doesn't move very fast.

11) Sounds like major leagues are going to expand to 32 teams soon; Montreal, Mexico City mentioned as possible franchise homes. 32 teams would make it easier to schedule; not sure where all the new pitchers are going to come from, though.

10) Saw something I've never seen in a major league game last night.

Cincinnati's speedster Billy Hamilton was on second, he tries to steal third. Milwaukee catcher Jonathan Lucroy throws to third, but the third baseman doesn't cover the base. I've seen guys not cover second base, but never third; it looked like Little League.

9) Willie Mays turned 85 this week; one of the greatest players ever, he hit 660 home runs in his career and played a great centerfield.

8) San Diego Padres have never had a no-hitter; Colin Rea got into the 7th inning with one Friday night, but had to settle for a 5-3 win. Yoenis Cespedes rolled a single thru the shift-vacated right side of the infield to get the Mets' first hit.

7) In doubleheaders, the home plate umps do not work the other game. Feel bad for the home plate ump in Baltimore today, who did two games on the bases yesterday. I'm guessing the strike zone might be a little large this afternoon.

6) Orioles' SS JJ Hardy's mom played on the LPGA tour; his dad was a professional tennis player.

5) Portland 120, Golden State 108-- I'm guessing Steph Curry's leg feels a little bit better than it did 24 hours ago.

4) Toronto 95, Miami 91-- Three games in this series were decided by a total of 14 points, with two of them going to overtime. Kyle Lowry had 33 for the Raptors after he went 10-35 from the floor in the first two series games.

3) Week or so ago, we talked about how quickly Bruce Boudreau would have a new coaching job after Anaheim Ducks fired him despite his 409-192-80 career record. Boudreau also has a 1-7 career record in Game 7's of playoff series. Minnesota would probably be happy just to get to Game 7 of a playoff series.

2) Quick baseball notes:
-- White Sox have a 5-game lead, Cubs have a 7.5-game lead in their divisions.
-- Giants are only 17-15, but they're in first place.
-- Arizona ownership has to be sick to be 14-18 after all the money they spent this winter. Luckily for them, they're only three games out of first place.
-- Angels' 4-2 loss to Tampa Bay was a real gut-wrencher; watching it happen, the loss just seemed more important than one game. Halos have already lost their three of their top pitchers to injury- a lost season looks like a real possibility.

1) RIP Howard Garfinkel, 86, an iconic figure in basketball who co-founded the Five-Star Basketball Camp and helped thousands of basketball coaches/players further their careers. Mr Garfinkel was a beloved figure who dedicated his life to hoops. RIP, sir.

**Udog** · 05-08-2016, 07:28 AM

NBA

Sunday, May 8

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Sunday's NBA playoffs betting preview and odds
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As LeBron and the Cavs go for the sweep, they have covered in seven straight meetings against the Hawks. They're 5-point road faves for Game 4.

Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks (+5, 203)

Cavaliers lead series 3-0

The Cleveland Cavaliers are putting on a 3-point shooting show and are on the verge of sweeping the Atlanta Hawks for the second straight postseason. Cleveland made 21 3-pointers on Friday - four shy of its record-setting performance in Game 2 - and looks to finish off the host Hawks in Sunday's Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Backup forward Channing Frye knocked down seven 3-pointers and scored 27 points in Friday's 121-108 victory, which marked the Cavaliers' 11th consecutive postseason win over the Hawks. Cleveland has made 61 3-pointers in the series -- the most through three games of any playoff series in NBA history. "We have some great shooters," Cleveland forward LeBron James told reporters. "The reason why we have great shooters is because that ball is popping - the ball has energy behind it, and guys feel confident when the ball gets to them that they can just let it go." Atlanta was outrebounded by a 55-28 margin in Game 3 but coach Mike Budenholzer downplayed the differential by saying "we outrebounded them in the first game and lost. I think what matters more is who scores the most."

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

LINE HISTORY: With their backs up against the wall, the Hawks have opened as 5-point home pups for Game 4 and the line has yet to move off that number. The total opened at 202 and has been bet up to 203. Check out the complete line history here.

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (64-25, 42-44-3 ATS, 45-44 O/U): Frye's performance was easily the best postseason showing of his career as his previous best effort was 20 points in 2010 when he played for the Phoenix Suns. He said teammate James Jones told him to shoot more because he's not a good passer and James has also been urging him to hoist more long-range shots. Three other Cavaliers topped 20 points - James had 24 points and 13 rebounds, point guard Kyrie Irving scored 24 points and power forward Kevin Love made five 3-pointers while contributing 21 points and 15 rebounds.

ABOUT THE HAWKS (52-39, 45-45-1 ATS, 41-50 O/U): Atlanta attempted to shake things up in Game 3 by inserting Thabo Sefolosha into the starting lineup and bringing shooting guard Kyle Korver off the bench. The move helped Korver as he made five 3-pointers while scoring 18 points - he averaged five points over the first two contests - while center Al Horford also had a breakout performance with 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting and expressed that more moves are necessary. "We're fighting for our playoff lives right now," Horford told reporters. "At this point, we have to do some changes, because what we've done hasn't worked."

TRENDS:

* Cavaliers are 7-0 ATS in the last seven meetings.
* Hawks are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games following a SU loss.
* Over is 4-1 in Cavaliers last five road games.
* Under is 5-0 in Hawks last five when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.

San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder (+1, 198)

Spurs lead series 2-1

Oklahoma City small forward Kevin Durant could be playing his final home game as a member of the franchise when the Thunder host the San Antonio Spurs in Sunday's Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals. Durant has been coy about his postseason free-agent intentions and an Oklahoma City loss on Sunday would present the Spurs with the opportunity to close out the series at home in Game 5.

Durant isn't interested in discussing whether or not he will return to the Thunder and also scoffed at questions pertaining to how the team will need to win at least one more time in San Antonio to win the series. "We play Sunday," Durant said at Friday's postgame press conference. "We play Sunday. We can't worry about going to San Antonio. We've got another game here." Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard was the Game 3 hero with 31 points and 11 rebounds in a 100-96 victory while power forward LaMarcus Aldridge continued his strong series with 24 points and eight rebounds. Aldridge is averaging 34.3 points and shooting 63.1 percent in the series.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: The Thunder have opened Game 4 as slight 1-point home pups and have remained at that number. The total has been bet down one point from its opening number of 199 to the current 198. Check out the complete line history here.

ABOUT THE SPURS (73-16, 49-40 ATS, 37-50-2 O/U): Veteran point guard Tony Parker scored 19 points in Game 3 after averaging 4.5 over the first two games and also contributed eight rebounds and five assists in a strong all-around effort. "It was great," Parker told reporters. "I got a couple of more shots than usual. Just have to be aggressive. It's all about the team. Kawhi and LaMarcus, they were unbelievable. I just had to do my part." Leonard's 30-point outing was his second of the postseason and he is averaging 23.3 points in the Oklahoma City series.

ABOUT THE THUNDER (60-30, 41-48-1 ATS, 43-47 O/U): Standout point guard Russell Westbrook had 31 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in Game 3 but his five turnovers and porous 10-of-31 shooting stood out in a four-point loss. "Too many shots," Westbrook told reporters. "I've got to do a better job getting guys shots. I've got to get other guys involved, especially to beat this team. Even though I had some shots I usually make, I've got to read and find ways to get guys shots. I take the blame." Durant only took 18 shots (making 10) while scoring 26 points and red-hot power forward Serge Ibaka (15 points on five 3-pointers) could have received more attempts (eight overall, six from 3-point range).

TRENDS:

* Spurs are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 Conference Semi finals games.
* Thunder are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following a SU loss.
* Under is 5-1 in the last six meetings.
* Under is 14-2 in Spurs last 16 road games versus a team with a winning home record.

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**Udog** · 05-08-2016, 07:30 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, May 8

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CLEVELAND (64 - 25) at ATLANTA (52 - 39) - 5/8/2016, 3:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 100-85 ATS (+6.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 83-57 ATS (+20.3 Units) in home games after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1996.
ATLANTA is 57-40 ATS (+13.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 16-5 ATS (+10.5 Units) in road games when leading in a playoff series since 1996.
ATLANTA is 7-24 ATS (-19.4 Units) in the second round of the playoffs since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 11-6 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
CLEVELAND is 11-6 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
12 of 17 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SAN ANTONIO (73 - 16) at OKLAHOMA CITY (60 - 30) - 5/8/2016, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 155-114 ATS (+29.6 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 49-40 ATS (+5.0 Units) in all games this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 48-35 ATS (+9.5 Units) as a favorite this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 72-55 ATS (+11.5 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 39-48 ATS (-13.8 Units) in all games this season.
OKLAHOMA CITY is 26-35 ATS (-12.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
OKLAHOMA CITY is 12-8 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
OKLAHOMA CITY is 10-10 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
12 of 20 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, May 8

Atlanta-Cleveland (C 3-0)
Cavaliers won their last ten games (9-1 vs spread) vs Hawks, covered last four played here, winning by 2-12-8-13 points. Six of last series tilts in series went over total. Cleveland made 21-39 on arc in Game 3, have made a ridiculous 61-115 on arc so far in series. Hawks went 16-34 from arc Friday night, led by six after third quarter, still lost by 13. Atlanta won six of last seven home games, but they're just not good enough here.

Oklahoma City-San Antonio (SA 2-1)
San Antonio won eight of its last 12 games with Oklahoma City, but Spurs lost two of last three games in Oklahoma, losing by 19-6 points; Westbrook was 10-31 in Game 3; Thunder ench held its own, but Spurs hit 10-19 on arc and took back home court edge. Six of last eight series games stayed under total. Spurs won eight of their last nine games, with four wins in row on road- they covered six of their last eight. Thunder is now 21-72 on arc in this series.

Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 26-18, Over: 13-31
Second round: Favorites: 7-5, over: 6-6

NBA

Sunday, May 8

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Trend Report
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3:30 PM
CLEVELAND vs. ATLANTA
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Atlanta's last 8 games when playing Cleveland

8:00 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. OKLAHOMA CITY
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Antonio's last 6 games when playing Oklahoma City
San Antonio is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Oklahoma City
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oklahoma City's last 6 games when playing San Antonio
Oklahoma City is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Antonio

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**Udog** · 05-08-2016, 08:37 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Sunday, May 8

Cleveland @ Atlanta

Game 525-526
May 8, 2016 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Cleveland
127.751
Atlanta
120.389
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland
by 7 1/2
208
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland
by 5
203 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Cleveland
(-5); Over

San Antonio @ Oklahoma City

Game 527-528
May 8, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Antonio
129.194
Oklahoma City
125.677
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Antonio
by 3 1/2
193
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Antonio
by 1
198
Dunkel Pick:
San Antonio
(-1); Under

**Udog** · 05-08-2016, 11:55 AM

NBA
Short Sheet

Sunday, May 8

Cleveland at Atlanta, 3:35 ET
Cleveland: 0-8 ATS after covering 5 or 6 of their last 7 against the spread
Atlanta: 41-26 ATS in a home game where the total is 200 to 209.5

San Antonio at Oklahoma City, 8:00 ET
San Antonio: 11-3 ATS in a road game where the total is between 190 and 199.5
Oklahoma City: 9-21 ATS when the line is +3 to -3

**Udog** · 05-08-2016, 12:31 PM

NBA action report: Over appears to be the order of the day for Mother's Day

The Spurs regained home-court advantage Friday night with a 100-96 victory. The Thunder will be out for revenge Sunday night.

Mother’s Day Sunday includes two key games in the NBA Playoffs, one in the Eastern Conference semifinals and one in the Western Conference semis. Covers talks to Jason Simbal, vice president of risk management for CG Technology, and John Lester, senior lines manager for Bookmaker.eu, about today’s matchups.

Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks – Open: Cavaliers -5.5; Move: Cavaliers -5

The Cavs are going for their second consecutive four-game sweep, having not lost a game since the playoffs started. In Game 3 of the best-of-7 series Friday night, Cleveland outscored Atlanta 36-17 in the fourth quarter of a 121-108 victory as a 2.5-point road favorite, cashing for the fifth time in the last six games.

Although the line has moved down a tick at CG books in Las Vegas, Simbal pointed out another trend for today’s 3:30 p.m. Eastern tipoff.

“The biggest move has come on the total, which opened at 202.5 and has gone up a full point based on over bets,” Simbal said.
Bookmaker.eu saw enough Atlanta cash to cause some line movement.

“We've seen a little bit of smart money on the Hawks, so we've dropped the spread a half point since opening,” Lester said. “It's one of those games where you think the frustrated team down 0-3 is just going to lie down and die, but you have to wonder how much the league wants to see a fifth game.”

San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder – Open: Spurs -1; Move: none

The Spurs quickly restored the home-court advantage they lost in Game 2, hanging on for a 100-96 victory as a 2.5-point road fave in Game 3 Friday night to take a 2-1 series lead. San Antonio could put a stranglehold on the series in tonight’s 8 p.m. Eastern contest, and the line is tight.

“After a poor line in Game 3, we've put the number where it should've been for this pivotal Game 4,” Lester said. “We've seen very equal action thus far from our players, and the sharps that hit big in the previous outing are laying low at this point. The over (198.5) is seeing decent action, as bettors are expecting these offenses to pick it up a bit.”

At CG books, most bettors have yet to check in and the line is stable.

“There isn't much yet,” Simbal said. “Early action is on the Spurs, but it’s a bit too early to really say.”

On the total, however, CG opened at 199 and has moved it down to 198.

Announcement

Sunday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 5/8

Sunday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 5/8

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