The Bum's 2016 NBA Best Bets-Trends-News-Stats !

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday's Best Bet
May 19, 2017

NBA Playoffs Best Bet (ESPN, 9:00 p.m. ET)
Golden State vs. San Antonio – Game 3

Sportsbook.ag Odds: Golden State (-6.5); Total set at 213.5

The extra days off between Games 2 and 3 were a huge bonus for an injury-riddled Spurs team who are hoping their MVP Kawhi Leonard will be back on the floor.

With or without Leonard in Game 3, a return home to Stan Antonio should serve the Spurs well as they've got their backs to the wall against a Warriors team that has yet to lose in these playoffs.

Obviously whether or not Leonard plays will have a significant impact on the game (and the line), so that makes getting down on this game a little tougher at the moment.

Odds per - Sportsbook.ag

Best Bet: San Antonio +6.5

Knowing that this game is tough to get down on now, this play is based on the assumption that Leonard does suit up for the Spurs. The extra days off should help him enough to at least get out there and contribute in some fashion, especially with San Antonio's season on the line.

No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 series hole, so the Spurs know they've got to find a way to win this game outright no matter who is on the floor. If Leonard doesn't suit up, the line will likely jump a point or two higher and if that's the case, grabbing those extra points isn't a bad idea either.

Situationally, San Antonio has to be happy to be back at home as role players typically play much better in comfortable surroundings then they do on the road.

That means that guys like Simmons and Murray should have solid games during their time on the floor, and even the bigger names like Aldridge, Gasol, and Ginobili should be poised to play much better.

Counting out this Spurs team in spots like this over the years has never treated any betting bankroll kindly, and I'm not about to go that route for Game 3.

From the Warriors perspective, they would love to put the dagger in San Antonio here and remain undefeated in these playoffs. But that is a lot easier said then done against a veteran team with their backs against the wall and from my view, this line is a point or two too high.

The Warriors are on a 0-4 SU run after having 3+ days off in their last four tries, while they are also 0-3-1 ATS after scoring 125+.

Compare those numbers to San Antonio's 7-2 ATS run after 3+ days off, and a 4-1 ATS run after allowing 125+ points, and it's tough not to grab the points with the home dog here in Game 3.

So with Leonard's status still up in the air at the time of this writing, some bettors may want to wait on that being confirmed before officially placing a bet.

However, just as the line will go up to +7.5 or more if he's out, this line will likely go down to +5.5 or so if he's confirmed to play.

Sometimes that extra point makes all the different in point spread betting, so deciding to spread out your wagers on the Spurs with some now at +6.5 and some later once Leonard's status is confirmed is another way to attack this game.

[StarDust Bum]

Game 3 - Warriors at Spurs
May 19, 2017

Western Conference Finals – Game 3 (Warriors lead 2-0)

Golden State at San Antonio (ESPN, 9:00 p.m. ET)

The battle of attrition sometimes gets overlooked but it’s a key factor in all sports and it’s played a major role in this year’s NBA Playoffs, especially in the Western Conference Finals.

After losing All-Star Kawhi Leonard in the second-half of Game 1 to an ankle injury, the Spurs have been outscored 194-133 by the Warriors and now face a 2-0 deficit in the series.

San Antonio dropped a 113-111 decision in Game 1 last Sunday and it surrendered a 23-point lead when Leonard left the game in the third quarter. In Game 2 this past Tuesday, the Warriors captured a 136-100 victory and the contest was all but over after the first quarter as they built a 33-16 lead. Golden State extended the lead to 72-44 at halftime and for good measure, dropped another 64 points on the Spurs in the final 24 minutes. Including the second-half of Game 1, the Warriors have averaged 34.5 points per game in the last six quarters versus the Spurs.

The Warriors shot 56 percent from the field in Game 2 and finished with the same number of 3-pointers (18-of-37) and free throws (18-of-19). The Spurs couldn’t buy a shot (37%) and the lone bright spot was Jonathon Simmons, who finished with 22 points in the blowout. San Antonio’s No. 2 option LaMarcus Aldridge was a no-show on Tuesday and managed to score just eight points after posting 28 in the opener of the series.

If there is a silver lining for the Spurs, they will have three days off between Game 2 and 3 to reorganize and more importantly get healthy. VegasInsider.com NBA handicapper and contributor Tony Mejia talks about the latter.

He said, “Realistically, the Spurs can only beat Golden State if Kawhi Leonard can get back and contribute at a high level, which it sounds like he's working toward after being taken out with another ankle injury last weekend. Zaza Pachulia closed out illegally, whether you want to call it dirty or not, but karma isn't going to defeat the Warriors. Kawhi is another story. He's on LeBron James' level in his ability to affect the game at both ends, something no one can deny considering how dominant San Antonio was in Oakland before he went down and how helpless it appeared once he was missing. Even if he's at just 80 percent, Leonard can be the catalyst Gregg Popovich needs since no one on the roster has been capable of adequately filling that role.”

“Aldridge was the biggest culprit among those who failed to step up since he was brought in to be that type of player two years ago, but he's also been playing through knee issues and has been tentative in attacking single coverage while looking indecisive and clunky against double-teams. He took just 11 shots in Game 2 and will benefit from likely having Leonard out there in serviceable condition in addition to being at home, where Spurs role players should also feel more comfortable and be better equipped to aid the cause. It all rides on Leonard, though. If he helps teammates believe, they will. If he's not out there, San Antonio is smart enough to know it’s a beaten group. Fortunately, having so many days between games has given them a fighting chance to claw back in the series. Had Game 3 been played Thursday, the Western Conference finals would likely already be 3-0.”

As of Friday afternoon, Leonard has been upgraded to ‘questionable’ and he told reporters that he’s day-to-day for Game 3.

Prior to Tuesday’s romp, the Spurs had gone 8-1 in nine games without Leonard this season and they only allowed 91.6 PPG.

The extra time off hasn’t hurt the Warriors this season but it has chipped away at bettors who’ve backed them in those spots. Golden State has gone 3-0 when playing on three days or more of rest in this year’s playoffs but it’s failed to cover the number in each of those wins, coincidentally all of those results happened in Game 1 of their first three series.

Golden State has produced a perfect 4-0 record both straight up and against the spread on the road in the postseason and all of the outcomes were decided by double digits.

The Warriors were favored in all of those games and oddsmakers opened them as six-point favorites for Game 3 at San Antonio.

VegasInsider.com NBA expert Kevin Rogers offers his thoughts on San Antonio being listed as a home underdog on Saturday.

Rogers explained, “The Spurs are in rarified air heading into an important Game 3 at the AT&T Center. San Antonio has not been listed as a home underdog in the playoffs since Game 5 of the NBA Finals in 2013 against Miami, as the Spurs won that contest as one-point ‘dogs, 114-104. When’s the last time San Antonio received at least three points at home in the playoffs? You have to go back to Game 3 of the 2002 conference semifinals against the Lakers when the Spurs closed as three-point home ‘dogs and lost to L.A., 99-89.”

“Gregg Popovich’s squads don’t normally fall into 2-0 holes in the playoffs as the Spurs faced this deficit last in the 2010 second round against the Suns after dropping the first two games in Phoenix. San Antonio ultimately lost the next two games and were swept at home.”

In this year’s playoffs, we’ve had eight series watch teams go up 2-0 with victories at home. In Game 3, the home team has rebounded four times (OKC, Atlanta, Memphis, Washington) to trim the series to a 2-1 deficit. The other four instances where the road team went up 3-0 came from the Warriors and Cavaliers, who have both notched sweeps in their first two matchups.

Despite a slow start, the 'over' (210) easily cashed in Game 2 and the high side is now 4-1 in the five head-to-head meetings between the clubs this season.

Total bettors investing in halftime wagers watched the 'under' connect in the first 24 minutes of Game 1 but the 'over' is 3-0 in the last three halves.

The total for Game 2 opened 212 and it's been holding steady at most betting shops. Leonard's status will likely affect this number in either direction but the 'over' trend in this year's playoffs has been on a serious roll and San Antonio has provided a large contribution to this record.

The Spurs have seen the 'over' go 11-3 in the playoffs, which includes a 5-1 record from the AT&T Center.

Golden State has also leaned to the high side (7-3) in this year's postseason and that comes as a surprise considering the Warriors watched the 'under' go 50-32 (28-13 away) during the regular season. The club hasn't been held under 100 in the playoffs as visitors and that's helped the 'over' go 3-1 but San Antonio's defense at home should present (99.3 PPG) a test. Make a note that Golden State’s defense (100.5 PPG) has been very solid on the road in the playoffs.

Bettors looking to score a longshot ticket can take the Spurs to win the series at 22/1 odds (Bet $100 to win $2,200) while the risk on Golden State (-12,500) should keep most on the sidelines. The Warriors are 1/3 favorites (Bet $100 to win $33) to win this year’s NBA Finals.

Game 4 will be played on Monday from the AT&T Center.

[StarDust Bum]

Zaza expected to be enemy No. 1 for fans
May 19, 2017

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Stephen Curry pulled Zaza Pachulia aside and made one thing clear to the Warriors big man: We got your back.

Other teammates echoed that message.

Pachulia will most certainly receive a villain's welcome for Game 3 of the Western Conference finals Saturday at AT&T Center regardless of whether he's on the court or not, simply because he was involved in the play that injured Kawhi Leonard in the series opener.

''I think he'll be booed pretty badly,'' Golden State's Draymond Green said. ''I've definitely been in that situation before. He'll get it pretty good, but he'll be fine.''

Leonard, whose status for Game 3 remained unclear Friday, didn't play in Game 2 after re-injuring his tender left ankle in the third quarter of Game 1 when he came down on Pachulia's foot after shooting a long jumper.

San Antonio lost 113-111 without him, squandering a 20-point halftime lead, and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was peeved. The next day, Popovich called the play ''dangerous'' and ''unsportsmanlike'' and insisted Pachulia has a history of such.

''Zaza's got a thick skull, so I know when he gets out there he's going to be able to play,'' Curry said. ''I know guys in the locker room have told him, `As best you can, block out as much of this noise as possible because it doesn't matter. We know what kind of person you are, be apologetic for Kawhi about what happened but you don't have to apologize for your intent on how you're guarding that play, whatever you want to call it.' So, moving on, he'll be ready, he'll be the same Zaza, confident. That's what we expect, and he knows that we have his back. And hopefully that'll go a long way. I talked to him. I don't think he needed to hear it but just knowing that we all have his back is, I think, huge, especially at this juncture with the spotlight and microscope that everybody's under.''

Without Leonard, the Spurs took a 136-100 thumping in Game 2, prompting Popovich to question their belief and effort. Asked Friday whether San Antonio might come out differently Saturday, Pop said succinctly, ''I believe that.''

The Warriors sure expect it.

''A team going home down 0-2, they're going to come out with a lot of energy, and especially a team like the Spurs who never quits,'' Green said. ''At the end of the day, they're going to go in with the mindset they feel like if they just go take care of their home court it's a series. We've obviously been here before, we know what it takes to go win on the road. It's just about us.''

Leonard and Pachulia were listed as questionable Friday, along with key Warriors reserve Andre Iguodala. Popovich said Leonard had only shot the past couple of days. Pachulia bruised his right heel and missed the second half Tuesday, while Iguodala sat out Game 2 and all but 10 minutes of the opener with soreness in his left knee.

Leonard said his ankle is ''still not ready,'' but he didn't rule out that it could be much improved by game day. He said he won't play if he can't be his usual strong self and use both legs to take quality shots and not force things by being off-balance.

Asked again whether he thought Pachulia's play was dirty - initially having said he didn't consider it intentional - Leonard said he's spending his energy on getting healthy.

''I'm not worried about that,'' he said.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr's health has improved enough that he traveled to Texas with the team, an encouraging sign after he returned to practice for the first time in more than three weeks last Saturday following a May 5 procedure to repair a spinal fluid leak. The reigning coach of the year then attended Games 1 and 2 behind the scenes but spoke to the Warriors before the game and at halftime.

While Golden State hopes to get Klay Thompson going on offense, rebounding is a focus again after the Warriors surrendered another 22 offensive rebounds to the Spurs in Game 2.

Thompson is 6 for 21 over the first two games. Curry knows the shooting will come.

''You expect to make shots, you expect to shoot well no matter what zip code you're in,'' Curry said. ''That's what shooters, that's how we think. The only difference is the noise after the shot goes in, whether it's 18,000 fans screaming or if it's dead silence.''

[StarDust Bum]

James odd man out among MVP finalists
May 19, 2017

The NBA announced the finalists for six major individual awards on Friday, and one name was noticeably missing from the group of Most Valuable Player finalists.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, a four-time league MVP who fell one vote shy of being a unanimous selection as a first team All-NBA selection this year, is not among the three MVP finalists.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who won the past two MVP awards, is not among the finalists either.

The MVP finalists are Houston Rockets guard James Harden, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook and San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard.

Finalists for five other awards were also released, with the winners in all six categories announced on June 26 in the inaugural NBA Awards to be televised on TNT. A vote by members of the media determines the winners.

Here are the finalists in the other five categories:

Rookie of the year: Malcolm Brogdon, Milwaukee Bucks; Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers; Dario Saric, Philadelphia 76ers.

Sixth man of the year: Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets; Andre Iguodala, Golden State Warriors, Lou Williams, Houston Rockets

Defensive player of the year: Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz; Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors; Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs.

Most improved player: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Millwaukee Bucks; Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz; Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets.

Coach of the year: Mike D'Antoni, Houston Rockets; Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs; Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat

Complete media voting results for each annual NBA award will be posted on NBA.com/official the night of the NBA Awards.

In addition, fans will vote for winners in six other categories: dunk of the year, best style, block of the year, assist of the year, game-winner of the year and top performance of the year.

The awards will also include an all-rookie team, an all-defensive team, executive of the year, teammate of the year, sportsmanship award and the NBA Cares Community Assist Award.

[StarDust Bum]

May's Best Bets:
Date W-L-T % Units Record

05/19/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%.......... -0.50
05/17/2017.......... 0-2-0........... 0.00%........ -11.00
05/16/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%.......... -0.50
05/12/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%.......... -0.50
05/11/2017.......... 2-0-0........ 100.00%....... +10.00
05/10/2017...........2-0-0.........100.00%.........+10.00
05/09/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%........... -0.50
05/08/2017.......... 0-2-0 ..........0.00%.......... -11.00
05/07/2017.......... 2-4-0......... 33.33%.......... -12.00
05/06/2017.......... 0-2-0........... 0.00%.......... -11.00
05/05/2017.......... 2-2-0......... 50.00%........... -1.00
05/04/2017.......... 0-4-0........... 0.00%.......... -22.00
05/03/2017.......... 3-1-0.......... 75.00%......... + 9.50
05/02/2017.......... 4-0-0......... 100.00%........ +20.00
05/01/2017.......... 3-1-0.......... 75.00%........... +9.50

Totals................22 - 22...........50.00%%..........- 10.00

Best Bets Daily:
Sides / Totals

05/19/2017............1 - 0............100%..........+1.00..............0 - 1.......00.00...-1.10
05/17/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%...........-1.10..............0 - 1.......00.00...-1.10
05/16/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%...........- 1.10.............1 - 0......100.00 +1.00
05/12/2017............1 - 0............100%...........+1.00.............0 - 1........0,00...-1.00
05/11/2017............1 - 0............100%...........+1.00.............1 - 0......100.00..+1.00
05/10/2017............1 - 0............100%...........+1.00.............1 - 0......100.00..+1.00
05/09/2017............0 - 1 .........00.00%............-1.10.............1 - 0......100.00....+1.00
05/08/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%............-1.10.............0 - 1 ......0.00%....-1.10
05/07/2017............2 - 1..........66.66%............+0.90............0 - 3.......0.00%...-3.30
5/06/2017.............0 - 1...........00.00%............-1.10.............0 - 1.......0.00%...-1.10
5/05/2017.............1 - 1...........50.00%............-0.10.............1 - 1......50.00%...-0.10
05/04/2017............0 - 2...........00.00%............-2.20.............0 - 2......0.00%.....- 2.20
05/03/2017............1 - 1...........50.00%...........- 0.10.............2 - 0......100%....+ 2.00
05/02/2017............2 - 0..........100.00%.........+ 2.00.............2 - 0.......100%....+ 2.00
05/01/2017............2 - 0..........100.00 %........+ 2.00.............1 - 1.......50%.......- 0.10

Totals...................12 - 10............54.54%.........+1.00..............10 - 12.......45.45%...-3.30

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

— Rory McIlroy has back/rib injuries, has pulled out of the BMW tourney next week. His status for the US Open is up in the air.

— Cavaliers 130, Celtics 86— Cleveland led 72-31 at the half— 72-31!!!!

— Nationals, Twins are only teams with an extra base hit in every game this season.

— RIP Wayne Walker, a LB for the Lions who also their punter, then later a good announcer on TV. There was a time when punters played other positions; Walker was a very good LB.

— NASCAR driver Alric Almirola is out 8-12 weeks with a broken vertebrae after his scary accident at Bristol Motor Speedway.

— Jason deGrom pitched seven innings last nite, the first time in 18 games a Mets’ starting pitcher got an out after the sixth inning.

**********

Armadillo: Saturday's List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind……

13) Paolo Espino is 30 years old; he’s pitched in the minor leagues for 10 years— 291 games, 191 starts, 1,304 IP. Finally, this week he got the call to the major leagues and started for Milwaukee at Wrigley Field Friday.

Imagine the emotion he felt? How excited he must’ve been? His dad flew all the way from Panama to see the game. Luckily for him, the wind was whipping hard and it was blowing in, which makes Wrigley a supreme pitchers’ park.

12) Brandon Kintzner is the Twins’ closer; he’s 32 years old, from Palo Verde HS in Las Vegas and Dixie State in Utah. Back in 2009, he was offered a chance to try out for the role of Tim Hudson in Moneyball, but chose instead to play in an independent league all-star game.

Luckily for him, the Brewers spotted him at the All-Star Game, signed him to a minor league deal and he made it to Miller Park the next year. Now he is the Twins’ closer and a good one.

11) Jose Abreu hasn’t homered in 66 plate appearances at home this year; he’s hit seven in 95 PA’s on the road. That could be weather-related; Abreu’s bat has often heated up when the weather does. Hasn’t been too warm on the south side of Chicago this spring.

10) Quick story from my days coaching Little League:

I was an assistant coach; my future ex-wife’s nephew was on the team, which wasn’t a good team. I’m warming up our starting pitcher at practice one night; he throws strikes, but didn’t throw hard, but at least he throws strikes.

After three pitches, the kid says to me, “You know, I can pitch left-handed.” I’m thinking to myself, “Kid, you can barely pitch right-handed.” But our team wasn’t good, so I tell him to throw me a couple left-handed.

Well, what do you know; the kid threw much harder, and a heavy ball— he was good!!!! I’m like, what took you so long to tell us? Now I have to break the news to our head coach without him thinking I’m pranking him.

We didn’t have a good season, but the kid did real well pitching lefty (he also was a catcher and played righty as a catcher); he would’ve made the All-Star team except his dad got transferred out-of-state for work so the family moved as soon as school got out.

Just goes to show you; keep your ears open. You never know what you might hear.

9) Anaheim Ducks’ Corey Perry has three overtime goals in the NHL playoffs this spring, the first player to do that since Maurice Richard in 1951.

8) There have been 26 overtime games in the NHL playoffs this spring; the record is 28 (1993), they had 27 in 2013. Playoff hockey is way more fun to watch than the NBA playoffs.

7) When the Las Vegas Golden Knights have their expansion draft next month (yes, the NHL has a team in Las Vegas now), the Knights will select 30 players- they have to take at least one player from every team in the league.

6) Stayed up late Thursday night watching a replay of Super Bowl XIV, from January of 1980, Rams-Steelers. Long time ago, but I had never seen the replay of that game. Rams had won seven division titles in a row, but only made the Super Bowl in ’79 after they started the season 4-5 and survived a bunch of injuries.

Some observations from the broadcast:
— Football was way different in 1980; guys got hit out of bounds a few times- no flags.
— TV graphics were obviously way worse; no game clock on the screen until the last minute.
— CBS analyst Tom Brookshier wouldn’t have lasted two weeks in today’s politically correct world. He was funny as hell and told the truth, but people today don’t always want the truth.
— The whole world is so different now; there were over 100,000 people there, doubt any of them had phones in their pockets. How many people go to games now without a cellphone?
— Rams basically played that Super Bowl at home, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. It was their last year at the Coliseum before they moved to Anaheim.
— Teams substituted so much less then than they do now, from play-to-play.

5) Miami Marlins hired former big league OF Todd Hollandworth as a TV analyst this year; he is very good, and for one reason— Marlins’ broadcasts are like listening to Hollandsworth and Rich Waltz sit around and talk about ball. They’re not announcing the game as much as they’re just talking about baseball and having a good time. Very relaxed; fun to listen to.

4) My personal opinion on the NBA Draft is this: If I ran an NBA franchise and could take Lonzo Ball, I wouldn’t let his father’s antics make me pick someone else.

That is assuming I thought Ball was the best player available and fitted what my team needed. UCLA had a terrific season this past year; the kid is a really good player. NBA players are well-versed in tuning out distractions.

3) Ryan Fitzpatrick signed as a free agent QB with the Buccaneers; if he throws a pass for Tampa Bay this season, he’ll be the sixth QB in NFL history to throw a pass for seven different teams, joining: Jeff Blake, Steve Bono, Chris Chandler, Gus Frerotte and Vinny Testaverde.

2) Je’rell Springer didn’t play HS basketball last winter due to eligibility issues after he changed schools in Las Vegas, but he got a scholarship from Southern Utah anyway, turning down BYU, an unusual choice. Springer is a great get for the Big Sky’s Thunderbirds.

1) Will Nerd Power catch on in Milwaukee? Eric Sogard (he wears glasses when he plays) came up to the Brewers this week and went 10-17 (.588) in his first six games with the Crew, with two 4-hit games. This is the same guy who hit .239 in 1,210 AB’s over six years in Oakland.

Sogard was once a 2nd round draft pick by the Padres out of Arizona State; terrific fielder. Wish he had hit like this for the A’s.

My condolences to Brewers’ TV analyst Bill Schroeder, whose mom passed away this week. I lost my dad two years ago last night; miss him every day.

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday's NBA Western Conference Finals Game 3 Betting Preview: Warriors at Spurs

Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry were both named to the All-NBA second team on Thursday while forward Draymond Green was a third-team selection.

Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs (+6, 212.5)

Warriors lead series 2-0

The Golden State Warriors have yet to lose in the postseason and certainly didn't look like a team that was on the verge of taking its first "L" while blasting the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday. The Spurs had a few days off to get healthy and try to put the 136-100 thrashing behind them and will get the chance to play host when the series shifts to San Antonio for Game 3 on Saturday.

The Spurs watched Game 1 turn when superstar small forward Kawhi Leonard went down with an ankle injury and are hoping he can return to the lineup for Game 3, though a change in attitude is necessary whether or not Leonard is on the floor. "I don't think they believed," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich told reporters after watching his team get crushed in Game 2. "And you have to believe. I don't think as a group they really did, which means probably a little bit feeling sorry for themselves psychologically, subconsciously, whatever psycho-babble word you want to use. … That was disappointing." The Warriors are feeling pretty good about themselves after shooting 56.2 percent from the floor in Game 2 while holding the Spurs to 37 percent. "We just came out and played our game," Golden State forward Kevin Durant told reporters. "We moved the ball. Everybody touched it and felt good about themselves, and that generated some good looks."

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN

LINE HISTORY: The Warriors opened as 6.5-point road chalk against heading into Game 3 in San Antonio and that line has been bet down to an even 6. The total hitting the betting board at 212 and has yet to move off the opening number.

WHAT SHARPS SAY: "The San Antonio Spurs learned to adjust without Kawhi Leonard in their Game Six rout over Houston in they year’s playoffs. However, they’ve looked lost without him in this series, having been outscored by 59 points since he left the floor and failed to return in Game One. Compounding the problem has been LaMarcus Aldridge’s disappearance on the floor (one field goal in the first half of Tuesday’s rout). After being hogtied and embarrassed, expect a concerted effort from the Spurs tonight." - Marc Lawrence

INJURY REPORT:

Warriors - SG Andre Iguodala (Questionable, knee), C Zaza Pachulia (Questionable, heel), PF Draymond Green (Questionable, back), SF Kevon Looney (Out Indefinitely, hip)

Spurs - SF Kawhi Leonard (Questionable, ankle), PG Tony Parker (Out For Season, quadricep).

ABOUT THE SPURS (69-27 SU, 49-45-2 ATS, 54-40-2 O/U): Leonard is the only player in the series to make the All-NBA first team but sat out two of the last three playoff games due to left ankle issues and did not do any on-court work while reporters were at the San Antonio practice facility on Thursday. If Leonard is limited or unable to go, the Spurs will need more from LaMarcus Aldridge, who managed eight points on 4-of-11 shooting in Game 2. "LaMarcus has to score for us," Popovich told reporters. "He can't be timid. He turned down shots in the first quarter. He can't do it. You've got to score. Scoring has to come from some place."

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (77-15 SU, 46-43-3 ATS, 39-53-0 O/U): Durant and point guard Stephen Curry were both named to the All-NBA second team on Thursday while forward Draymond Green was a third-team selection. All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson was left off the All-NBA teams and is one of the few Golden State players struggling in the postseason while averaging 14.6 points on 38.8 percent shooting - down from 22.3 points on 46.8 percent shooting in the regular season. "When you look around, what did we win? Sixty-seven games or something like that? And we probably just handed teams three or four," Green told reporters when asked about Thompson missing out on an All-NBA team. "You're talking a possible 70-win season. I think Klay is one of our top three guys, and to not be on an All-NBA team, I think it's pretty crazy."

TRENDS:

* Over is 7-1 in Spurs last eight games following a ATS loss.
* Over is 13-3 in Spurs last 16 overall.
* Over is 5-1 in Warriors last six games following a ATS win.
* Spurs are 1-4 ATS in their last five vs. NBA Pacific.
* Warriors are 9-0 ATS in their last nine road games.

CONSENSUS: 56 percent of users are taking the road favorite Warriors and 70 percent are on the Over.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Saturday, May 20


Golden State @ San Antonio

Game 723-724
May 20, 2017 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Golden State
132.047
San Antonio
131.026
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State
by 1
217
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State
by 6
212
Dunkel Pick:
San Antonio
(+6); Over




NBA
Long Sheet

Saturday, May 20

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GOLDEN STATE (77 - 15) at SAN ANTONIO (69 - 27) - 5/20/2017, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 1004-877 ATS (+39.3 Units) in all games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 510-428 ATS (+39.2 Units) in home games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 81-53 ATS (+22.7 Units) in home games in all playoff games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 75-50 ATS (+20.0 Units) in home games after a loss by 10 points or more since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 181-134 ATS (+33.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 24-13 ATS (+9.7 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 104-88 ATS (+7.2 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 149-120 ATS (+17.0 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 45-29 ATS (+13.1 Units) against Southwest division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 91-67 ATS (+17.3 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 90-70 ATS (+13.0 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 24-15 ATS (+7.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 11-2 ATS (+8.8 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 6-6 against the spread versus GOLDEN STATE over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 7-5 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
6 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, May 20

Golden State is 10-0 (6-4 vs spread) in playoffs, 4-0 on road (4-0 vs spread) with three of four road wins by 11+ points. Leonard didn’t practice Friday, is ?able here; Spurs led by 23 when he went out in Game 1, have been outscored by 61 points in 5.5 quarters since then. Warriors are 2-3 in last five visits to San Antonio; four of last five series games went over the total. Underdogs are 4-2 vs spread in last six series games. Six of Warriors’ last seven wins were by 11+ points- over is 6-2 in their last eight games overall. Over is 8-2 in Spurs last ten games.

Conference finals:
San Antonio-Golden State
GState 113-111, -10, O209.5
GState 136-100, -13, O211

Cleveland-Boston
Clev 117-104, -4.5, O219
Clev 130-86, -5, U218.5




NBA

Saturday, May 20

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9:00 PM
GOLDEN STATE vs. SAN ANTONIO
Golden State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Golden State is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing San Antonio
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Antonio's last 6 games at home
San Antonio is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

[StarDust Bum]

May's Best Bets:
Date W-L-T % Units Record

05/19/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%.......... -0.50
05/17/2017.......... 0-2-0........... 0.00%........ -11.00
05/16/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%.......... -0.50
05/12/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%.......... -0.50
05/11/2017.......... 2-0-0........ 100.00%....... +10.00
05/10/2017...........2-0-0.........100.00%.........+10.00
05/09/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%........... -0.50
05/08/2017.......... 0-2-0 ..........0.00%.......... -11.00
05/07/2017.......... 2-4-0......... 33.33%.......... -12.00
05/06/2017.......... 0-2-0........... 0.00%.......... -11.00
05/05/2017.......... 2-2-0......... 50.00%........... -1.00
05/04/2017.......... 0-4-0........... 0.00%.......... -22.00
05/03/2017.......... 3-1-0.......... 75.00%......... + 9.50
05/02/2017.......... 4-0-0......... 100.00%........ +20.00
05/01/2017.......... 3-1-0.......... 75.00%........... +9.50

Totals................22 - 22...........50.00%%..........- 10.00

Best Bets Daily:
Sides / Totals

05/19/2017............1 - 0............100%..........+1.00..............0 - 1.......00.00...-1.10
05/17/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%...........-1.10..............0 - 1.......00.00...-1.10
05/16/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%...........- 1.10.............1 - 0......100.00 +1.00
05/12/2017............1 - 0............100%...........+1.00.............0 - 1........0,00...-1.00
05/11/2017............1 - 0............100%...........+1.00.............1 - 0......100.00..+1.00
05/10/2017............1 - 0............100%...........+1.00.............1 - 0......100.00..+1.00
05/09/2017............0 - 1 .........00.00%............-1.10.............1 - 0......100.00....+1.00
05/08/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%............-1.10.............0 - 1 ......0.00%....-1.10
05/07/2017............2 - 1..........66.66%............+0.90............0 - 3.......0.00%...-3.30
5/06/2017.............0 - 1...........00.00%............-1.10.............0 - 1.......0.00%...-1.10
5/05/2017.............1 - 1...........50.00%............-0.10.............1 - 1......50.00%...-0.10
05/04/2017............0 - 2...........00.00%............-2.20.............0 - 2......0.00%.....- 2.20
05/03/2017............1 - 1...........50.00%...........- 0.10.............2 - 0......100%....+ 2.00
05/02/2017............2 - 0..........100.00%.........+ 2.00.............2 - 0.......100%....+ 2.00
05/01/2017............2 - 0..........100.00 %........+ 2.00.............1 - 1.......50%.......- 0.10

Totals...................12 - 10............54.54%.........+1.00..............10 - 12.......45.45%...-3.30


SATURDAY, MAY 20

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

GS at SA 09:00 PM

SA +6.5

U 213.0

[StarDust Bum]

Kevin Durant, Warriors beat Spurs 120-108, take 3-0 lead
May 20, 2017

SAN ANTONIO (AP) Kevin Durant had 33 points and 10 rebounds and the Golden State Warriors beat the injury-riddled San Antonio Spurs 120-108 on Saturday night to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals.

Golden State has a chance to complete its third straight series sweep in Game 4 on Monday night. The Warriors are the third team in NBA history to win their first 11 playoff games. Cleveland is 10-0, with a 2-0 lead over Boston in the Eastern Conference final.

Stephen Curry added 21 points and became the franchise leader in postseason points, passing Hall of Famer Rick Barry.

Already without leading scorer Kawhi Leonard and starting point guard Tony Parker, the Spurs lost David Lee to a left knee injury in the opening quarter.

[StarDust Bum]

Sunday’s six-pack

Some over/under win totals for college football this coming fall:

— Alabama 10.5, over -$150

— Ohio State 10, over -$125

— Penn State 9.5, under -$125

— Florida State 9.5, over -$130

— Clemson 9

— Oklahoma 9.5, over -$145

***************************************

Sunday’s List of 13: Random stuff on a spring Sunday……..

13) Lebron James isn’t one of the three finalists for NBA’s MVP; they should change the name of the award to Player of the Year, because no one is as valuable to their team as James is to the Cavaliers. He is so consistently great he gets taken for granted.

12) Atlanta Braves acquired 1B Matt Adams from St Louis for a minor leaguer; they need a bat with Freddie Freeman out for the next 2-3 months.

11) Baseball oddity; in Jason deGrom’s last two starts, he had the same home plate umpire, Phil Cuzzi, who switched crews this week, for some reason. Very rare for the same umpire to work two starts in a row by the same pitcher.

10) Cloud Computing ($28.80) won the Preakness, only the 4th time in the last 34 years the Preakness winner was a horse that didn’t run in the Kentucky Derby.

9) White Sox are apparently close to signing 19-year old outfielder Luis Robert, who is thought to be the best unsigned Cuban prospect right now. The young man defected from Cuba and is Haiti these days— he is going to be really, really rich pretty soon.

8) Best wishes to Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, who recently had an 8th operation on his right eye, after he detached a retina last year. Zimmer missed one game and coached another while wearing an eye patch.

7) Texas Rangers quietly won ten games in a row; while they’re still 6.5 games behind Houston in the AL West, if the playoffs started now, Texas would be one of the Wild Card teams.

6) When he went to the NBA Combine 10 years ago, Kevin Durant couldn’t lift 185 pounds, which isn’t good but hasn’t seemed to hamper his career much. Now Durant advises prospects to skip the combine. At some point in all of this scouting over-analysis, the primary question has to be: “Can he play?”, not “Is he is a candidate to win a gold medal in the clean-and-jerk?”

5) Astros’ pitching ace Dallas Keuchel is on the 10-day DL with a pinched nerve in his neck. The new 10-day DL allows teams to simply skip a pitcher’s turn if he has a minor injury, which this one supposedly is.

4) Pointspreads on Cavaliers (-14.5) and Warriors (-13.5) this weekend are the biggest in any NBA conference final game since 2005.

3) Before the Nationals-Braves game Saturday, after the national anthem on what was Military Appreciation Day, Bryce Harper posed for pictures with service members for several minutes. Pretty cool to see; the media is so quick to point out bad things about people. Nice to see the good things these guys do.

2) Oklahoma City Thunder’s Enes Kanter is from Turkey; he was traveling in Europe this weekend, but because of his political beliefs (I have no idea what they are), his passport was voided by the Turkish government. With no “valid” passport, Kanter was not allowed to enter Romania and was later put on a flight to London, on his way back to this country.

NBA has thought about putting some teams in Europe eventually; you wonder if stuff like this will put a kibosh on those ideas. It is a crazy world out there.

1) Think about this week in Washington, when Kurdish protestors were getting beat up by the Turkish president’s bodyguards out in the open on the street; Turkey must be a really fun place to live. We are lucky to live in this country; it isn’t perfect here, but it is a hell of a lot better than most places.

[StarDust Bum]

Celtics lose Thomas for rest of playoffs
May 20, 2017

Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas will miss the remainder of the playoffs after aggravating a hip injury during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final, the team announced on Saturday.

Thomas initially injured his hip in the third quarter of a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 15, forcing the All-Star to miss the next two regular-season contests.

The 28-year-old Thomas aggravated his specific injury -- officially labeled as a right feboral-acetabular impingement with labral tear -- during Game 6 of the second-round series against the Washington Wizards on May 12.

"Isaiah has worked tirelessly to manage this injury since it first occurred," said Dr. Brian McKeon, the Celtics' chief medical officer. "The swelling increased during the first two games against Cleveland, and in order to avoid more significant long-term damage to his hip, we could no longer allow him to continue."

A femoral-acetabular impingement means that the ball joint in the hip socket is not moving freely around the cup in which it resides.

Thomas did not travel with the team to Cleveland for Game 3 on Sunday. The Cavaliers lead the series, 2-0.

Thomas, who averaged 28.9 points per game during the regular season, scored 19 total points in the first two games against Cleveland. Marcus Smart started for Thomas in the second half of Friday's 130-86 loss to the Cavaliers.

[StarDust Bum]

Game 3 - Celtics at Cavaliers
May 20, 2017

The Eastern Conference Finals are nearly done, as evidenced by a pair of Cleveland routs of Boston at TD Garden. The Cavaliers are two victories away from their third straight NBA Finals appearance as Cleveland heads back home trying to close out the overmatched Celtics.

Not having home-court advantage didn’t matter one iota for Tyronn Lue’s squad, who knocked off Boston in the series opener, 117-104 after building a 21-point halftime lead. The Cavaliers didn’t mess around in Game 2 by jumping out to a 72-31 halftime advantage in a 130-86 rout to easily cash as five-point road favorites.

Cleveland shot a scorching 56% from the field, while knocking down 19 three-pointers in Game 2. Amazingly, the Cavaliers had only four players scoring in double-figures, led by LeBron James’ 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the floor. Kyrie Irving shot a shade under 80% from the field (8-of-11), while posting a 23-point effort. The Cavs broke things open by outscoring the Celtics in the second quarter, 40-13 to improve to 10-0 in the postseason.

Now, the ugly part of the Game 2 beatdown in Beantown. Celtics’ star Isaiah Thomas was limited to two points on 0-for-6 shooting in 17 minutes before exiting with a right hip injury. Thomas will be sidelined for the remainder of the playoffs as the Celtics lost five of six games without the All-Star guard this season.

Boston dropped its sixth straight playoff game to Cleveland dating back to the 2015 first round, which also means that head coach Brad Stevens has yet to defeat to the Cavaliers in a postseason game.

The Cavaliers have compiled a 5-1 record this season against the Celtics, while topping the 114-point mark in all five victories. Now the series heads back to Quicken Loans Arena for the next two games, which could spell the end of Boston’s season.

Cleveland beat Boston by six points in each matchup at the “Q,” but the Cavaliers held a 17-point halftime advantage in the first meeting in November, while building an 18-point edge after three quarters in the second contest before Boston picked up a push and an ATS win.

Heading into Game 3, the Cavaliers opened as 14 ½-point favorites before the announcement of Thomas’ status. Cleveland has moved up to 15 ½-point chalk at most spots, as the highest number the Cavs have laid all season is 16 ½ against the Nets on December 23 in a 119-99 win. However, the Cavs lost as 15-point favorites to a short-handed Hawks’ squad on April 7 in a 114-100 defeat.

The Celtics were listed as an underdog of nine points or more only once this season, which came in the first meeting at Cleveland on November 3. Boston covered as 10 ½-point ‘dogs in a 128-122 setback as the Celtics outscored the Cavs in the fourth quarter, 39-28 to grab the cover. The C’s won all three road games in the opening round at Chicago, but lost all three at Washington in the second round, while owning a 1-2 ATS record as a road underdog.

We’ve see the total go 1-1 in the first two games at TD Garden and the ‘over’ could easily be 2-0 if Boston could make any shots this past Friday.

The oddsmakers opened Game 3 at 214 ½ and VegasInsider.com NBA analyst Chris David feels that the Celtics will try to muck up the game on Sunday and slow the tempo down.

He explained, “Even though the Celtics have been exposed and embarrassed in the first two games of this series, I believe the coaching staff will have them ready to go Sunday – at least on the defensive side of the ball. Looking at the numbers, the Celtics have been better defensively on the road (104.5 PPG) than at home (106.4 PPG) this season and in their eight playoffs wins, they’re only allowing 99.8 PPG. This has to be stressed and if Brad Stevens wants to keep his status as a ‘solid coach’ then the game plan will strictly focus on that side of the ball and hope the offense takes care of itself.”

“Betting against LeBron and Cleveland is very risky, especially when you know the Cavs have averaged 118.6 PPG in six games versus the Celtics this season. While I don’t expect Boston to win on Sunday, it should be noted that Cleveland hasn’t looked as sharp when playing on Sundays in this year’s playoffs. They did beat Indiana and Toronto on the road but only averaged 107.5 PPG in those games. I could be reaching but if I’m going to step up to the counter in Game 3, I would lean to the ‘under’ in the Cleveland team total of 114 ½.”

The Cavaliers have not been listed as a double-digit favorite in this postseason, but won and covered in their last four opportunities in this situation in 2016. In fact, Cleveland went 3-0 SU/ATS in the conference finals against Toronto at home when laying 11 points or more with each win coming by at least 19 points.

The series price is off the board, but the Cavs are currently listed at 2/1 odds to win its second consecutive NBA title. If you believe in miracles, throw in a few bucks on the Celtics to beat the Cavs in four of the next five games, then capture four more victories in the NBA Finals as Boston sits at 1000/1 to win its 18th title in franchise history.

[StarDust Bum]

May's Best Bets:
Date W-L-T % Units Record

05/20/2017.......... 0-2-0.......... 0.00%......... -11.00
05/19/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%.......... -0.50
05/17/2017.......... 0-2-0........... 0.00%........ -11.00
05/16/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%.......... -0.50
05/12/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%.......... -0.50
05/11/2017.......... 2-0-0........ 100.00%....... +10.00
05/10/2017...........2-0-0.........100.00%.........+10.00
05/09/2017.......... 1-1-0......... 50.00%........... -0.50
05/08/2017.......... 0-2-0 ..........0.00%.......... -11.00
05/07/2017.......... 2-4-0......... 33.33%.......... -12.00
05/06/2017.......... 0-2-0........... 0.00%.......... -11.00
05/05/2017.......... 2-2-0......... 50.00%........... -1.00
05/04/2017.......... 0-4-0........... 0.00%.......... -22.00
05/03/2017.......... 3-1-0.......... 75.00%......... + 9.50
05/02/2017.......... 4-0-0......... 100.00%........ +20.00
05/01/2017.......... 3-1-0.......... 75.00%........... +9.50

Totals................22 - 24...........47.82%..........- 21.00

Best Bets Daily:
Sides / Totals

05/20/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%...........-1.10..............0 - 1......00.00...-1.10
05/19/2017............1 - 0............100%..........+1.00..............0 - 1.......00.00...-1.10
05/17/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%...........-1.10..............0 - 1.......00.00...-1.10
05/16/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%...........- 1.10.............1 - 0......100.00 +1.00
05/12/2017............1 - 0............100%...........+1.00.............0 - 1........0,00...-1.00
05/11/2017............1 - 0............100%...........+1.00.............1 - 0......100.00..+1.00
05/10/2017............1 - 0............100%...........+1.00.............1 - 0......100.00..+1.00
05/09/2017............0 - 1 .........00.00%............-1.10.............1 - 0......100.00....+1.00
05/08/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%............-1.10.............0 - 1 ......0.00%....-1.10
05/07/2017............2 - 1..........66.66%............+0.90............0 - 3.......0.00%...-3.30
5/06/2017.............0 - 1...........00.00%............-1.10.............0 - 1.......0.00%...-1.10
5/05/2017.............1 - 1...........50.00%............-0.10.............1 - 1......50.00%...-0.10
05/04/2017............0 - 2...........00.00%............-2.20.............0 - 2......0.00%.....- 2.20
05/03/2017............1 - 1...........50.00%...........- 0.10.............2 - 0......100%....+ 2.00
05/02/2017............2 - 0..........100.00%.........+ 2.00.............2 - 0.......100%....+ 2.00
05/01/2017............2 - 0..........100.00 %........+ 2.00.............1 - 1.......50%.......- 0.10

Totals...................12 - 11............54.54%.........- 0.10..............10 - 13.......43.47%...-4.40

[StarDust Bum]

Sunday’s NBA Eastern Conference Finals Betting Preview: Celtics at Cavaliers

The whipping was bad enough but standout point guard Isaiah Thomas aggravated a hip injury in the first half and had just two points on 0-of-6 shooting before sitting out the second half.

Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers (-14.5, 216.5)

Cavaliers lead series 2-0

The Cleveland Cavaliers steamrolled their way to consecutive victories in Boston and look to take a 3-0 series lead when they host the Celtics in Sunday's Eastern Conference finals' matchup. Cleveland dominated play in the opening two games and annihilated the Celtics 130-86 in Friday's Game 2.

The second-seeded Cavaliers are 10-0 this postseason and tied the NBA record of 13 straight playoff wins (set by the 1988-89 Los Angeles Lakers) but Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue asserts that top-seeded Boston is still in the series. "It's one game. I don't care if you win by 200 points," Lue said in the press conference after Game 2. "We're going back home, we're not going to get comfortable. We understand that this is a good team. They're not No. 1 in the East for no reason." Boston trailed 72-31 at halftime and narrowly avoided suffering the worst playoff defeat in franchise history, and there were a lot of sad faces pondering how to recover from such a beat down. "It's hard to take," center Al Horford told reporters. "We've worked really hard and put ourselves in this position to be here. It's been tough for our group. (Game 2) was real rough, there's no other way to put it. It's definitely a low point for out group

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: Check out the complete line history here.

INJURY REPORT:

Celtics - Isaiah Thomas (Questionable, hip)

Cavaliers - C Edy Tavares (Out For Season, hand), PG Kay Felder (Out Indefinitely, leg).

ABOUT THE CELTICS (61-36 SU, 49-46-2 ATS, 48-45-4 O/U): The whipping was bad enough but standout point guard Isaiah Thomas aggravated a hip injury in the first half and had just two points on 0-of-6 shooting before sitting out the second half. Thomas' play has dropped over the past week and it turns out the hip was examined after Game 6 of the second-round series against the Washington Wizards, but Boston players are hopeful he will be ready for Game 3. "Isaiah brings a lot to this team, not just with his leadership but his play," shooting guard Avery Bradley told reporters. "Most important, I just hope he's better. I care about him off the floor. I just hope he's OK."

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (61-31 SU, 43-45-4 ATS, 54-37-1 O/U): James isn't among the three finalists for NBA MVP honors for the first time since 2008 but he has been unstoppable in the playoffs with averages of 34.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists. James insisted he didn't know about the MVP development prior to the game but he certainly appeared motivated while recording 30 points, seven assists, four steals and three blocked shots in Game 2. "My only job is to try to be the MVP for this team every night," James told reporters after Game 2. "I know what I bring to the table. This league knows what I bring to the table."

TRENDS:

* Cavaliers are 7-0-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall.

* Celtics are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Conference Finals games.

* Over is 6-0 in Cavaliers last 6 home games following a road trip of 7 or more days.

* Over is 4-0 in Cavaliers last 4 home games.

* Road team is 9-2-1 ATS in the last 12 meetings.

CONSENSUS: 51 percent of users are siding with the home chalk Cleveland Cavaliers and 70 percent of are on the Over.