Announcement

**Udog** · 05-09-2016, 07:51 AM

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

Eight schools that might bolt if the Big X expands from 10 to 12 teams.........

-- Cincinnati-- By far the most logical choice to switch leagues.

-- Central Florida-- Remember, conference changes are most always football-related.

-- Houston-- Old SWC rivals with the Texas schools

-- BYU-- Mormons have seen the light; going independent was a mistake.

-- South Florida-- UCF is by far the better Florida (close to Disney) option.

-- Memphis-- If they switch, Tubby Smith will be familiar with new league.

-- UConn-- Storrs is 7.5 hours from Morgantown, which off the beaten path itself.

-- Boise State-- Out of the way in a different direction; highly doubtful.

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Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend......

13) Lets see the analytics people quantify this with a number......

Packers' WR Randall Cobb graduated from Kentucky Sunday; one of the people who was there cheering him on was teammate Aaron Rodgers- how cool is that?

Rodgers did a Kentucky Derby/graduation weekend. One of the things the analytics people do not get is the value of friendship/camaraderie within a team. It just can't be quantified, but on Sundays in the fall, stuff like this matters.

12) Washington Nationals have a problem and if they don't fix it, Bryce Harper will walk 200 times this year.

Harper came to the plate seven times Sunday; he walked six times and got hit by a pitch the other time. The Cubs do not respect Ryan Zimmerman, so they won't pitch to Harper. Washington has to put Daniel Murphy or Anthony Rendon right behind Harper, which will encourage opponents to pitch to Harper.

11) You look at Bartolo Colon, thriving at age 42 with a body made for slow-pitch softball, and one thing becomes obvious: baseball players overtrain.

10) Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas is done for the Miami series with a sprained ankle, which is bad news for Toronto; they're +39 when he has been in the game, -37 when he has been off the floor.

9) Speaking of Miami-Toronto, why was Dwyane Wade taking jump shots during O, Canada before Game 3? Apparently he is a stickler for a shooting routine he has, and the timing of the anthems was going to interrupt that, only Wade kept shooting to maintain his routine. Thats his story and he's sticking to it.

8) Mets 4, Padres 3-- San Diego got hosed badly when pitcher Andrew Cashner was called out at the plate while trying to score the tying run in the sixth inning, then the replay people did not overturn the call, when Stevie Wonder could've seen the guy was safe. Even the Mets' TV guys said Cashner should've been called safe.

How San Diego had bases loaded and none out in 8th inning and couldn't score, so the carping about Cashner's play takes a back seat to that, but the play cast doubts on the replay system and if there are some umps who are reluctant to overturn calls.

7) Padres have now played in ten series and the lost the last game in all ten.

6) Golfer James Hahn won the Wells Fargo tournament yesterday; he had missed his previous eight cuts and last played on a Sunday on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb 7).

5) Chicago Cubs are first team since the '84 Tigers to start a season 24-6.

4) College basketball transfers:
-- Que Johnson goes from Washington State to Western Kentucky
-- Devin Watson goes from San Francisco to San Diego State.

3) Washington Huskies hired Michael Porter Sr as an assistant coach last week; it seemed a little odd, since Mr Porter was an assistant girls' coach in his last job, but to reinforce faith in life having no coincidences, we find out that Michael Porter Jr is the #3 ranked player in the class of 2017. Wonder where he will go to college?

2) Thunder 111, Spurs 97-- Series is tied 2-2. Now things get interesting.

1) Looks like Sacramento is going to hire the coach Memphis fired. Memphis wants to hire the coach Indiana fired; shouldn't Indiana hire the coach Sacramento fired?

**Udog** · 05-09-2016, 07:56 AM

NBA

Monday, May 9

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Monday's NBA playoffs betting preview and odds
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Blazers' Damian Lillard was tremendous in Game 3 and he'll need to be equally as good moving forward for Portland to have any chance in this series vs. Golden State.

The Miami Heat and the Portland Trail Blazers both face must win games at home Monday night to avoid 3-1 series deficits. We have all of the angles covered with our NBA Playoffs betting previews.

Toronto Raptors at Miami Heat (-5.5, 189)

Raptors lead series 2-1

Kyle Lowry found his shooting stroke and the Toronto Raptors jumped back into the driver’s seat in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Lowry scored 29 of his 33 points in the second half of Game 3 and will try to put together two solid games in a row when the Raptors visit the Miami Heat for Game 4 on Monday.

Lowry was shooting 30.8 percent through the first nine postseason games and went 2-of-14 from 3-point range in the first two games of the semifinals before breaking out with five 3-pointers in the second half on Saturday. “I’ve got a guy to my left, he’s probably my biggest supporter, and backbone to me right now,” Lowry told reporters in reference to All-Star teammate DeMar DeRozan. “And he said ‘Just keep going.’ He’s always going to ride or die with the decisions I make, and my teammates too. So just go out there and take the shots I’ve taken all year.” The Heat decided to ride or die with Dwyane Wade at the end of Game 3 and left Goran Dragic, who led the team in scoring in the first two games of the series, on the bench down the stretch. Wade matched Lowry with 29 of his game-high 38 points in the second half but Joe Johnson missed a tying 3-point attempt in the final seconds and the Raptors sealed the 95-91 win at the free-throw line.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: The Heat opened as 5.5-point favorites and the line hasn't move as of Sunday afternoon. The total opened at 188.5 and was bet up slightly to 189. Check out the complete line history here.

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (62-30, 48-44 ATS, 44-47-1 O/U): Toronto hung around in Game 1 and earned an overtime win in Game 2 despite Lowry’s struggles in part because center Jonas Valanciunas controlled the middle with a pair of double-doubles. The 7-0 Lithuanian added 16 points and 12 rebounds in 22 minutes in Game 2 before leaving with a sprained ankle and is considered day-to-day. “We may not look pretty, but we have gritty guys, they’re going to play hard and compete, that’s something that we have as an identity,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey told reporters. “It may not be the way everybody wants it to be done, but you’ve got a bunch of competitors in there. Now our thing is, we’ve been all year long, next man up, whoever that may be and (Saturday) it was Kyle and he got the lid off the bucket.”

ABOUT THE HEAT (53-39, 49-42-1 ATS, 37-54-1 O/U): Miami center Hassan Whiteside lasted only six minutes into Game 3 before going down with a right knee injury, and his status for the rest of the series is up in the air. The centers being out of the game opened things for the perimeter players but Dragic, whose 3-pointer in Game 2 forced overtime, was left on the bench after a late Heat timeout that resulted in Johnson’s missed 3-pointer. "It's not fun," Dragic said. "Of course, I would like to be (in the game), but that's a coaching decision, so I respect it. It is what it is."

TRENDS:

* Raptors are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
* Heat are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 home games.
* Under is 7-0 in Raptors last 7 road games.
* Under is 7-1 in Heat last 8 overall.

Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers (+5, 214.5)

Warriors lead series 2-1

The Portland Trail Blazers are back in the series after a win in Game 3 and look like a different team in front of their home fans. The Trail Blazers will try to even the Western Conference semifinals at two wins apiece when they host the top-seeded Golden State Warriors in Game 4 on Monday.

The availability of reigning MVP Stephen Curry has been looming over the entire series, and the star guard is inching closer to a return. Curry (knee sprain) played 2-on-2 before Game 3 but was on the bench in street clothes when the game started and had to watch Portland guard Damian Lillard bury deep 3-pointers and spark his team to victory while rallying his teammates and the home fans. “I didn’t think it was on me to go win the game or anything, but I did think it was my job to come out and be aggressive from the start,” Lillard told reporters. “A lot of times, the team will go as I go. That goes for more than just scoring the ball, that means how focused I am, how accountable I’m holding myself.” The Trail Blazers are undefeated at home during the playoffs and went 17-of-30 from 3-point range in the 120-108 victory.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: The Warriors opened as 4.5-point favorites on the road for this critical Game 4 matchup - by Sunday afternoon the line had been bet up to Warriors -5. The total opened at 214 and has been steady since its release. Check out the complete line history here.

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (79-11, 51-37-2 ATS, 48-41-1 O/U): Golden State grabbed a 28-22 lead after the first quarter of Game 3 but fell off the pace when Draymond Green and Klay Thompson went to the bench to begin the second and never managed to get back over the hump. “We didn’t keep that same edge,” Thompson told reporters. “We got away from our game plan at times, especially on the offensive end, too many one- or two-pass shots. We’ve got to wear these guys down with five more passes and make those guys work out there playing big minutes, but we’ll make the adjustment Monday.” Curry will ramp up his practice work on Sunday and could be available in some capacity on Monday.

ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (49-42, 48-43 ATS, 48-43 O/U): Portland got a huge boost on Saturday from small forward Al-Farouq Aminu, who went 8-of-9 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range, to give Lillard some much-needed scoring support. “He had 23 points on nine shots, he shot it with confidence,” Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts told reporters of Aminu. “I thought defensively, he was solid. You’ve got to be able to score against Golden State. If you don’t score, they’re such an explosive offensive team that you’ve got to be able to score and I liked his aggressiveness a couple times on drives to the basket and obviously going 4 for 5 from three.” Aminu is averaging 17.3 points on 59.4 percent shooting in the series.

TRENDS:

* Warriors are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
* Trail Blazers are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
* Under is 7-1 in Warriors last 8 road games.
* Over is 9-0 in Trail Blazers last 9 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600.
* Over is 8-1 in the last 9 meetings.

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**Udog** · 05-09-2016, 08:03 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Monday, May 9

Toronto @ Miami

Game 529-530
May 9, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
119.029
Miami
126.588
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Miami
by 7 1/2
199
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Miami
by 5 1/2
189 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Miami
(-5 1/2); Over

Golden State @ Portland

Game 531-532
May 9, 2016 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Golden State
130.860
Portland
123.975
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State
by 7
210
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State
by 4 1/2
215
Dunkel Pick:
Golden State
(-4 1/2); Under

NBA
Short Sheet

Monday, May 9

Toronto at Miami, 8:00 ET
Toronto: 5-15 ATS in all playoff games
Miami: 10-3 ATS revenging a straight up loss vs opp as a home favorite

Golden State at Portland, 10:30 ET
Golden State: 24-10 ATS revenging a loss vs opponent
Portland: 16-31 ATS after allowing 105 points or more 2 straight games

NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, May 9

Miami-Toronto (T 2-1)
Three series games decided by total of 14 points; two went to OT, road team won two, but Valanciunas (ankle) is done for series. Miami lost six of last eight games with Toronto, including three of last four in Miami. Home side won eight of last 12 series games overall. Seven of last eight Miami games stayed under total, as have nine of last 11 Raptor games. Lowry had 33 in Game 3 after going 10-35 from floor in first two games; Raptors are +39 with Valanciunas on floor, -37 with him on bench. and he is out for series now.

Portland-Golden State (GS 2-1)
Golden State won eight of last ten vs Portland, and covered 10 of last 13 but Curry isn't expected back here. Blazers are 8-5 in last 13 games, with seven of last 11 staying under the total. Golden State won nine of its last 12 games, covered eight of last ten- under is 7-4 in their last 11 games. Warriors won three of last five visits to Portland. Over is 7-2 in last nine games between these two teams. Lillard had 40 points last game; Blazers were +25 in 30:00 with Cal alum Crabbe on floor.

Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 26-18, Over: 13-31
Second round: Favorites: 8-6, over: 7-7

NBA

Monday, May 9

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
TORONTO vs. MIAMI
Toronto is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Toronto's last 11 games
Miami is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games when playing at home against Toronto
Miami is 6-12 ATS in its last 18 games when playing at home against Toronto

10:30 PM
GOLDEN STATE vs. PORTLAND
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Golden State's last 8 games on the road
Golden State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Portland
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Portland's last 9 games when playing Golden State
Portland is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Golden State

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**Udog** · 05-09-2016, 10:31 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Monday, May 9

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TORONTO (62 - 30) at MIAMI (53 - 39) - 5/9/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 5-15 ATS (-11.5 Units) in all playoff games over the last 3 seasons.
TORONTO is 174-217 ATS (-64.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
TORONTO is 47-61 ATS (-20.1 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 40-30 ATS (+7.0 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
MIAMI is 14-6 ATS (+7.4 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
TORONTO is 72-49 ATS (+18.1 Units) in a road game where where the total is between 190 and 194.5 points since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
MIAMI is 7-7 against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
MIAMI is 7-7 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
8 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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GOLDEN STATE (79 - 11) at PORTLAND (49 - 42) - 5/9/2016, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PORTLAND is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) off an upset win as an underdog this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 50-37 ATS (+9.3 Units) in all games this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 39-30 ATS (+6.0 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 210 this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 47-36 ATS (+7.4 Units) as a favorite this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 24-10 ATS (+13.0 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 74-60 ATS (+8.0 Units) after scoring 105 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 57-39 ATS (+14.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 39-25 ATS (+11.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 65-44 ATS (+16.6 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
GOLDEN STATE is 10-4 against the spread versus PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 10-4 straight up against PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
11 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Monday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 5/9

Monday's NBA Trends and Indexes - 5/9

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