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

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Sunday, May 21


Boston @ Cleveland

Game 503-504
May 21, 2017 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
114.763
Cleveland
138.347
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland
by 23 1/2
217
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland
by 16
214
Dunkel Pick:
Cleveland
(-16); Over




NBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, May 21

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BOSTON (61 - 36) at CLEVELAND (61 - 31) - 5/21/2017, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CLEVELAND is 73-49 ATS (+19.1 Units) in all playoff games since 1996.
BOSTON is 27-18 ATS (+7.2 Units) in road games this season.
BOSTON is 44-30 ATS (+11.0 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 9-7 against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
CLEVELAND is 13-4 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
11 of 17 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 21

Isaiah Thomas (hip) is done for the year; this series is over, but they still have to play two more games. Cleveland is 10-0 in playoffs (7-0-1 vs spread in last eight games), 4-0 at home (2-2 vs spread); over is 7-3 in their last ten games. Cavaliers were up 22-41 points at the half in first two series games; they’re 9-2 in last 11 games vs Boston. Celtics lost last three games in this arena (1-1-1 vs spread). Three of last four series games stayed under the total. Boston lost five of last seven games overall, including last three on road. Over is 7-2 in Celtics’ last nine games.

Conference finals:
San Antonio-Golden State
GState 113-111, -10, O209.5
GState 136-100, -13, O211
GState 120-108, -9.5, U215.5

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




NBA

Sunday, May 21

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

[StarDust Bum]

SUNDAY, MAY 21

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

BOS at CLE 08:30 PM

CLE -16.5

U 216.0

[StarDust Bum]

Bradley, C's stun Cavs on buzzer beater
May 21, 2017

CLEVELAND (AP) Leprechauns are imaginary. Celtic pride is very real.

Avery Bradley's 3-pointer danced on the rim and dropped with less than a second left and Boston, blown out in the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals and playing without star Isaiah Thomas, stunned the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-108 on Sunday night in Game 3 to end the champions' 13-game postseason winning streak.

Bradley's shot from the left wing - off a play designed by coach Brad Stevens - bounced on the rim four times before going down. It capped a furious, focused comeback by the Celtics, who trailed by 21 in the third quarter before rallying to tighten up a series that appeared to be over.

''Wide-open look,'' Bradley said. ''Al (Horford) did a great job of getting me open and Marcus (Smart) made a great pass and I was able to knock down the shot.''

Smart, who started in place of Thomas, made seven 3-pointers and scored 27 points, and Bradley had 20 for the Celtics, who were given little chance after losing by 44 in Game 2 and then losing Thomas for the rest of the postseason because of a hip injury.

''Everybody had to step up their game tonight especially with one of our brothers down,'' Smart said. ''Our love and support goes out to Isaiah. We wish he could be here but we understand. We just kept fighting. Everybody did their part.''

Kyrie Irving scored 29 points, and Kevin Love had 28 for Cleveland. The Cavaliers dropped to 10-1 in the postseason with their first loss since Game 4 of last year's Finals.

Game 4 is Tuesday night in Cleveland.

LeBron James had one of the worst games of his postseason career, finishing with 11 points and six turnovers.

''I didn't have it,'' said James. ''You let a team like that grab momentum you almost knew a shot like that was going in.''

Still, the Cavs were in control leading 77-56 in the third quarter after making 14 3-pointers in the first half. But Cleveland got complacent, Smart got hot and the Celtics, who arrived at Quicken Loans Arena on Sunday morning for their shootaround without Thomas and looking somewhat defeated, never gave up.

''We decided were going to go out and play hard, swinging.'' Bradley said. ''We never counted ourselves out.''

The Celtics caught the Cavs at 95-all on Smart's 3-pointer and then matched the James and Co. basket for basket in the final minutes in one of the most entertaining games of what has been a mostly boring postseason.

Boston's Jonas Jerebko's baseline jumper put the Celtics ahead 108-106 with 30 seconds left before Irving scored on a drive to tie it with 10.7 seconds left.

Following a timeout, the Celtics perfectly executed a play drawn up by Stevens and worked the ball to Bradley, who found himself open and then calmly knocked down a shot that goes straight into Celtics lore.

For Cleveland, the loss was a wake-up call on their march toward a possible third straight Finals and a seemingly inevitable rematch with Golden State. The Cavs had been playing a glorified game of H.O.R.S.E. with the Warriors, who are undefeated and can complete a sweep of San Antonio on Monday night.

The Cavs hadn't lost since Game 4 of last year's Finals, and they came in tied with the 1988-89 Los Angeles ''Showtime'' Lakers for the longest winning streak in postseason history.

With Thomas back home, the Celtics could be forgiven for feeling down after Thomas, their inspirational leader was shut down with a hip injury he first sustained in March.

However, Stevens liked his team's energy leading up to tipoff and felt confident they would play hard.

''Our guys are itching to play,'' he said. ''Obviously, we're here for a reason, and we've got tough-minded, competitive guys who have largely been guys that have had to really earn their way up in this league.''

They earned their way back into the series.

TIP-INS

Celtics: Stevens said Thomas will visit hip specialists over the next few days and may need surgery. ... Stevens didn't review much of the Game 2 tape, but there's a mental image in his head of the Cavs making tough shot after tough shot. ''As good as they are and they are tremendous, that might have been the best game I've ever seen a team play against us,'' he said. Does that mean college too? ''Yeah, I think they would have beaten all those teams, too,'' he said, drawing laughter.

Cavaliers: James came in needing 73 points to pass Michael Jordan as the top scorer in postseason history. ... Cavs coach Tyronn Lue was an assistant in Boston and said his team reminds him of those Celtics teams with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo. ''That was a tight group,'' he said. ''They did everything together, dinners and everything.'' ... Cleveland is 14-0 when leading a series 2-0. ... Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NFL draft, and fellow rookie Jabrill Peppers took a few shots on the floor before teams came out for warmups.

[StarDust Bum]

NBA notebook: Spurs' Leonard likely out for Game 4
May 21, 2017

The San Antonio Spurs, on the brink of elimination down 3-0, likely will be without star forward Kawhi Leonard on Monday night for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Sunday the MVP candidate is "likely out" for a third straight game after Leonard re-injured his left ankle in the series opener. Popovich also said forward David Lee (knee) is expected to miss the game.

Leonard aggravated the ankle injury when he landed on Warriors center Zaza Pachulia's foot after taking a jump shot early in the third quarter of Game 1 on May 14. The Spurs led by 23 points when Leonard was forced to leave in the third quarter, and they have since been outscored 314-241 by the Warriors.

Lee underwent an MRI exam and was found to have a partially torn patellar tendon. It is possible that he injury will require surgery.

--Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter, who was detained at a Romanian airport on Saturday when he said his passport was revoked by his home country of Turkey because of his political views, is back in the United States after landing in New York on Sunday morning.

His agent, Hilmi Cilnar, told ESPN that Kanter will be holding a news conference on Monday in New York.

Kanter, a six-year NBA veteran, arrived in Bucharest, Romania, on Saturday from Jakarta, Indonesia, as part of his 2017 Enes Kanter Light Foundation global tour. Kanter, 25, was permitted to leave Romania later Saturday and then took a flight to London.

Kanter has been an outspoken critic of Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and that has caused tensions in his home country.

--Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James was selected the winner of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for community service.

The 32-year-old superstar is being honored for improving the educational opportunities of disadvantaged youth in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. More than 1,100 at-risk students have benefited from programs through the LeBron James Family Foundation, which motivates children to stay in school and attend college.

[StarDust Bum]

Finals are 1 win away for Warriors
May 21, 2017

San Antonio's sense of humor was still there Sunday.

Gregg Popovich predicted that Golden State stayed out way late after winning Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, celebrating with burgers and sundaes before spending Sunday playing poker. Manu Ginobili, amid plenty of questions about whether his career is ending, said the Spurs planned to lose the first three games of this series simply to make their comeback look more impressive.

The laughs seemed helpful.

The reality is that Golden State is just better, especially against a seriously undermanned Spurs team.

All jokes aside, the Spurs - and everyone else watching this West final - know it's just about over. No team has successfully rallied from 3-0 down in an NBA playoff series, and a San Antonio team that is without Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker and now David Lee is facing that most precarious deficit. Game 4 is Monday in San Antonio, with Golden State now on the brink of clinching its third straight NBA Finals trip.

''Circumstances were such that we could be in a totally different position now,'' said Popovich, the Spurs coach whose teams have been swept only twice in 52 previous series on his watch. ''That didn't happen. It's called life. Slap yourself. Quit your crying and move on. Game 4.''

He's right, of course. How different this could have been if Leonard didn't re-injure his ankle when San Antonio was rolling with a 23-point lead in the third quarter of Game 1. The Spurs led by at least 22 points in each of their first four games against the Warriors this season. What they did against Golden State worked better than what anyone else did against Golden State.

Then, thud.

Leonard - who won't play in Game 4 barring something ''miraculous,'' Popovich said - has been out since landing on Zaza Pachulia's foot in a hotly debated was-it-dirty-or-not closeout by the Warriors' center. Game 1 changed in that instant, the whole series changed along with it and the Warriors will become the first team in NBA history to start a postseason 12-0 if they win on Monday.

''You know what the Spurs are about. ... They've got a lot of pride. These guys are pros, man,'' Warriors forward Kevin Durant said. ''We can't come out here and feel like we've won already before the game has started. We've got to go take it.''

The Warriors have made it look easy, which is their normal. Golden State has won 12 consecutive games, the third time this season the Warriors have enjoyed such a streak. Combine the regular season and the postseason, and this Golden State team (78-15, .839) has a better record so far than last year's regular-season record-setting club (88-18, .830).

Still, they're not satisfied.

''We've got to play better,'' Warriors guard Stephen Curry said.

As impressive as they have been, the Warriors have had lapses. Golden State turned the ball over 21 times in Game 3 , leading to 25 San Antonio points. The Warriors also yielded 15 offensive rebounds, which San Antonio turned into 18 more points.

They won by 12 anyway. And if closing a team out on the road is supposed to be among the toughest postseason tasks, the Warriors have apparently missed that memo: Golden State won by 25 in Portland to clinch the first round, and by 26 in Utah to close out the second round.

''You let those guys get rolling, they're a handful,'' Spurs forward Pau Gasol said.

Ginobili helped keep San Antonio close in Game 3 with 21 points. He'll likely get an emotional welcome Monday, just in case the veteran decides this season will be his last - a topic he wanted really no part of on Sunday, saying he'll decide over the summer.

''This is getting a little weird,'' Ginobili said after questions hinting at retirement. ''It truly is.''

NOTES: The only teams to sweep a Popovich-coached team were the Suns in 2010 (when Warriors coach Steve Kerr was GM in Phoenix) and the Lakers in 2001 (when Kerr played for the Spurs). ... Warriors acting coach Mike Brown said there's no change in Pachulia's condition. Pachulia played only 7 minutes of Game 2 with a heel injury, and didn't play Saturday. ... Durant lauded Popovich for not playing Leonard through the bad ankle, saying other players appreciate when teams put the future of their own players first.

[StarDust Bum]

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

05/21/2017.......... 0-2-0.......... 0.00%......... -11.00
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 - 26...........45.83%..........- 32.00

Best Bets Daily:
Sides / Totals

05/21/2017............0 - 1..........00.00%...........-1.10..............0 - 1......00.00...-1.10
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 - 12............50.00%.........-1.20..............10 - 14.......41.66%...-5.50

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

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

— Texas 7.5, under -$120

— UCLA 6, over -$135

— Nebraska 6, over -$125

— Michigan State 6.5, under -$130

— USC 9.5, over -$135

— LSU 9, over -$120

**********

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

13) Had an excellent time Sunday night at the Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame induction dinner in Troy; my friend Rob got inducted- he was a great player at U of Albany and also won a gold medal in the 1980 Empire State Games, when he was a teammate of Mavericks’ coach Rick Carlisle- their team played small ball and beat teams with more famous players.

Carlisle, former NBA coach Kevin O’Neill and former Marquette coach Mike Deane all spoke at the dinner. Albany Great Danes’ coach Will Brown was also inducted into the Hall of Fame. All in all, an excellent evening.

12) Odd Sunday in baseball; 30 of 32 starting pitchers got decisions in their games. None of the 16 games played saw the game-winning run score after the 6th inning. Very unusual day.

11) Over is 14-1 in last fifteen games played at Wrigley Field; wind was blowing straight in on Friday and the game still went over the total.

10) Friday night, the Dodgers’ Corey Seager swung at a 3-0 pitch while LA led 5-0, which for some reason ticked off Miami manager Don Mattingly. Soon after that, the Marlins drilled Brett Eibner with a pitch, so then the Dodgers threw a ball behind Giancarlo Stanton.

Stanton got hit in the face with a pitch a couple years ago in Milwaukee and still wears an extra face guard, so Mattingly endangered his best player’s health because an opponent swung at a 3-0 pitch in a 5-0 game. Brilliant!!!

9) Movie recommendation: Wizard of Lies on HBO, with Robert DeNiro playing Bernie Madoff, the Ponzi scheme huckster who bilked a lot of people out of billions of dollars. It isn’t a pleasant movie or at all uplifting, but it is really well done.

8) Indiana Tech, a college in Fort Wayne, is offering scholarships to video gamers who play League of Legends and Hearthstone. This is a world I know nothing about, but apparently it is a growing industry. Go figure.

Too bad they didn’t offer Pac-Man scholarships back in the day; could’ve saved some money.

7) Astros catcher Brian McCann (concussion) goes on 7-day DL. Dodgers sent Julio Urias down to AAA, called Josh Ravin up for some bullpen depth.

6) Brewers-Cubs game was rained out very early Saturday morning, but then it didn’t rain in the afternoon, so the game could/should have been played. It was the Cubs’ decision and the Milwaukee people didn’t see too happy about it; they also seemed a little mystified as to why.

Milwaukee called up pitcher Tyler Cravy from AAA Saturday; the game got rained out, then Ryan Braun got activated off the DL and Cravy was sent back to Colorado Springs. No bueno.

5) Jose Reyes got his 2,000th hit Saturday night; 1,398 of them have come with the Mets. He sat out Sunday’s game with a “tweaked rib cage”.

4) Looks like Kawhi Leonard will sit out tonight’s Game 4 of Spurs-Warriors series, meaning we won’t see him play until next fall, since Golden State will end this series tonite.

David Lee has a partially torn patella; been a rough couple weeks for the Spurs.

3) In the last 24 days, utility infielder Chase d’Arnaud has gone from the Braves to the Red Sox to the Padres, who need all the major leaguers they can get. He was a 1.000 hitter for Boston (1-1 with two runs scored in two games).

2) Celtics 111, Cavaliers 108— Cleveland led by 21 points against a Boston team playing without star Isaiah Thomas, but Celtics rallied and pulled a huge upset. Good for the Celtics, good for Brad Stevens, great for the NBA, which desperately needs some competitive playoff games.

1) What would happen if American Idol had one season where all the contestants were 50+ years old? I think it would be a big hit. Would be a gamble, but in my opinion, a winning one.

[StarDust Bum]

Monday's Western Conference finals Game 4 betting preview: Warriors at Spurs

The Warriors are big 11.5-point road favorites to defeat the Spurs in Game 4 and advance to the NBA Finals for the third consecutive season.

Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs (+11.5, 216)

Warriors lead series 3-0

The Golden State Warriors seem to be on a collision course with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, and the San Antonio Spurs are struggling to get into the fight. The Warriors can close out the Spurs, clinch a third straight trip to the NBA Finals and move to 12-0 in the postseason when they visit San Antonio for Game 4 on Monday.

The Spurs put up a better effort at home in Game 3 than they managed in Game 2, but the absence of Kawhi Leonard left them without a go-to scorer to combat Golden State's runs in the 120-108 setback. "You have to give everything you have for the next one," San Antonio guard Manu Ginobili, who scored 21 points off the bench in Game 3, told reporters. "For us to win, we have to play at a 10 level, and (the Warriors) have to play at a seven. And we have to make them play a seven and play our best game." Golden State played at a 10 for most of the last two games but isn't taking anything for granted against a proud Spurs squad. "Nah, it's not inevitable," Warriors forward Draymond Green told reporters. "We've lost a lead before, so we've got to come out on Monday and try to close this thing out."

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN

SERIES PRICE: Off the board.

LINE HISTORY: With Leonord unlikely to play in Game 4, oddsmakers opened the Spurs as hefty 11-point home underdogs and bettors have pushed the line to Spurs +11.5. The total opened at 216.5 and has been bet down slightly to 216.

WHAT SHARPS SAY: "As we learned last night with Cavs-Celtics, sometimes it is wrong to prematurely write off an underdog's chances. But down Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, the Spurs definitely seem 'up against it' for Game 4. I'm more interested in the total as each of the first three games have gone Over. " - Power Sports.

INJURY REPORT:

Warriors - PG S. Curry (Probable Monday, elbow), SG A. Iguodala (Probable Monday, knee), C Z. Pachulia (Questionable Monday, heel), SF K. Looney (Out indefinitely, hip).

Spurs - SF K. Leonard (Doubtful Monday, ankle), PF D. Lee (Out Monday, knee), PG T. Parker (Out for season, quadricep).

ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Kevin Durant took control of Game 3 with 19 of his 33 points in the third quarter and went 11-of-19 from the floor in the contest to mark his fifth straight postseason game shooting 50 percent or better. "The third quarter, I just went out there and played, not worrying about anything," Durant told reporters. "Just played every possession, tried to play hard as I can, and I was able to score." Durant isn't the only Warriors player not having much trouble scoring, as fellow former MVP Stephen Curry is averaging 30 points on 55.6 percent shooting in the first three games of the series.

ABOUT THE SPURS: San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich called it "likely" that Leonard will miss Game 4, and forward David Lee is likely to sit as well after suffering a reported partial tear of his left patella tendon. The shorthanded Spurs will continue to lean on the likes of 39-year-old Ginobili and second-year guard Jonathan Simmons, who is starting in place of Leonard. "The competitiveness was great," Popovich told reporters of his club after Game 3. "Every time you look up, you're playing against four All-Stars, so you better be pretty perfect, and competitiveness-wise, I couldn't ask for anything more. We turned it over too much, and we've got to make some more shots. But it's a helluva team."

TRENDS:

* Warriors are 10-0 in their last 10 road games.
* Spurs are 1-5 ATS in their last six vs. Pacific Division opponents.
* Over is 6-1 in Warriors last seven road games.
* Over is 5-0 in Spurs last five home game

[StarDust Bum]

NBA
Dunkel

Monday, May 22


Golden State @ San Antonio

Game 725-726
May 22, 2017 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Golden State
141.745
San Antonio
121.328
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Golden State
by 20 1/2
220
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Golden State
by 12
216
Dunkel Pick:
Golden State
(-12); Over




NBA
Long Sheet

Monday, May 22

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GOLDEN STATE (78 - 15) at SAN ANTONIO (69 - 28) - 5/22/2017, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 1004-878 ATS (+38.2 Units) in all games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 510-429 ATS (+38.1 Units) in home games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 81-54 ATS (+21.6 Units) in home games in all playoff games since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 75-51 ATS (+18.9 Units) in home games after a loss by 10 points or more since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 181-135 ATS (+32.5 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 24-14 ATS (+8.6 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 105-88 ATS (+8.2 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 98-84 ATS (+5.6 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 46-29 ATS (+14.1 Units) against Southwest division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 92-67 ATS (+18.3 Units) after a win by 10 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 62-48 ATS (+9.2 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.
GOLDEN STATE is 25-15 ATS (+8.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
GOLDEN STATE is 12-2 ATS (+9.8 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
GOLDEN STATE is 7-6 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
GOLDEN STATE is 8-5 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
7 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, May 22

Golden State is 11-0 (7-4 vs spread) in playoffs, 5-0 on road (5-0 vs spread) with four of five road wins by 11+ points. Leonard is out here, so are Parker/Lee; Spurs led by 23 when Leonard went out in Game 1, have been outscored by 73 points in 9.5 quarters since then. Warriors are 3-3 in last five visits to San Antonio; five of last six series games went over the total. Underdogs are 4-3 vs spread in last seven series games. Seven of Warriors’ last eight wins were by 11+ points- over is 7-2 in their last nine games overall. Over is 9-2 in Spurs’ last eleven games.

Conference finals:
San Antonio-Golden State
GState 113-111, -10, O209.5
GState 136-100, -13, O211
GState 120-108, -9.5, U215.5

Cleveland-Boston
Clev 117-104, -4.5, O219
Clev 130-86, -5, U218.5
Boston 111-108, +16, O215.5




NBA

Monday, May 22

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Trend Report
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9:00 PM
GOLDEN STATE vs. SAN ANTONIO
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Golden State's last 6 games
Golden State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Antonio's last 6 games when playing Golden State
San Antonio is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Golden State

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Warriors (67-15) at Spurs (61-21)
Date: May 22, 2017 9:00 PM EDT

If there is anything that can stop, or even slow, Golden State on the way to its third straight trip to the NBA Finals, it hasn't been found yet by the three teams the Warriors have faced so far in the playoffs.

On Monday, the short-handed San Antonio Spurs, injury-ravaged losers of the first three games of the Western Conference finals, will take one more shot at beating Golden State when the teams square off for Game 4 of their best-of-seven series.

No team in NBA playoff history has come back to win a series after losing the first three games. The chances that the Spurs, with or without injured star forward and erstwhile MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard, can do so are monumental, at best.

Leonard is a near-certainty to miss the contest due to an ankle injury. Fellow Spurs forward David Lee (knee) also could sit out.

The Warriors rolled to a 120-108 win on Saturday behind 33 points from Kevin Durant, 17 of which came consecutively during the third quarter after the Spurs closed within 69-65. Golden State's wave and wave of talented players came alive when the Warriors were needed the most, and -- all the great coaching and proper preparation aside -- San Antonio just couldn't muster a meaningful response.

"For us to win, we have to play at a 10 level and they have to play at a 7," San Antonio guard Manu Ginobili said after the loss in Game 3. "We know it's going to be very tough. We don't know what's going to happen with Kawhi, so we have to be out there, compete, feel good about yourself, give everything you have, and if it's enough, great. If it's not, great, too."

Golden State has now won all 11 games in this postseason -- it swept the Portland Trail Blazers and the Utah Jazz before taking the first three games in the conference finals -- and has garnered victories in 26 of its past 27 overall contests.

"As players, you want to go out there and win as much as possible and play as great as you can," Durant said when asked about the Warriors' domination. "Whatever happens with the score happens. So, we leave that to the fans who feel upset. If you don't like it, don't watch it."

About the only chance the Spurs would seem to have to extend the series past Monday to a Game 5 in Oakland on Wednesday would stem on some level of complacency by Golden State. If Stephen Curry's comments after Game 3 are to be believed, it's more likely that the Warriors will go for the knockout punch and their third straight series sweep in Game 4.

"I'm not surprised that we are up 3-0 -- our goal is to win every game we play," Curry said. "Obviously, sometimes it doesn't happen like that, but we've answered a lot of challenges throughout the course of the playoffs and learned a lot of lessons, obviously through winning.

"But against the Spurs, they challenge you no matter who is out there, and you've got to play well to beat them. So, we obviously know Game 4 is going to be even tougher, with the chance to close it out. They're going to go down swinging, so we have to really come in focused and with a lot of energy to get it done on Monday."

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said Sunday after the team's practice that he does not expect Leonard to play on Monday.

"It wouldn't make much sense," Popovich said. "If (Leonard) was unable to play yesterday, I don't think there's going to be a miraculous healing by tomorrow."

If this is the end of the line for the Spurs, it has been a memorable -- if incomplete -- campaign. San Antonio is a team no opponent can take for granted, so writing off the Spurs is hard, even with these dire circumstances.

"I've been saying this the whole time -- the Spurs are not just going to lay down for us," Warriors acting coach Mike Brown said. "The building is going to be energized. The group is going to be ready to play, so we have to make sure that we come out and we play the right way."


SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Spurs at Warriors
Sun, May 14 Final 111 to 113
Recaps

GAME 2
Spurs at Warriors
Tue, May 16 Final 100 to 136
Recaps

GAME 3
Warriors at Spurs
Sat, May 20 Final 120 to 108
Recaps

GAME 4
Warriors at Spurs
Mon, May 22 - 9:00PM EDT

GAME 5
Spurs at Warriors
Wed, May 24 - 9:00PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

MONDAY, MAY 22

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

GS at SA 09:00 PM

GS -11.5

U 217.5

[StarDust Bum]

Curry's 36 points leads Warriors to sweep Spurs, 129-115
May 22, 2017

SAN ANTONIO (AP) Stephen Curry scored 36 points and the Golden State Warriors closed out the Western Conference Final against the injury-ravaged San Antonio Spurs with a 129-115 victory Monday night, becoming the first team in league history to start the playoffs 12-0.

Golden State led by as many as 22 points in cruising to its third straight NBA Finals. The Warriors await a possible third straight championship matchup with Cleveland, which leads Boston 2-1 in the East finals.

''It's great to be one of the last two teams standing, we'll see how it goes,'' said Kevin Durant, who had 29 points and 12 rebounds.

San Antonio's only lead came on the opening possession when Manu Ginobili tossed in a left-handed scoop shot. The Spurs started Ginobili in what could be his final game with the team. The 39-year-old had maintained he will not ponder whether to retire or return until after the season.

Unsure if the beloved veteran will return, the crowd serenaded Ginobili with ''Manu, Manu'' chants as the game came to a close.

''An amazing competitor, even more fun playing against him,'' Durant said of Ginobili. ''He was phenomenal this series.''

Kyle Anderson scored 20 points to lead the Spurs, who were without Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker and David Lee. San Antonio didn't go down without a fight despite the injuries.

Anderson dove on the court for a loose ball that the Spurs had tipped away defensively, pushing the ball upcourt to Mills who fed Ginobili for a 3-pointer that pulled San Antonio to 108-94 with 7 minutes remaining.

The effort made Spurs coach Gregg Popovich smile and clap at times, but the Warriors' depth and talent proved too much for short-handed San Antonio.

Golden State shot 56 percent and were 14 for 39 on 3-pointers.

Draymond Green had 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Warriors.

Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge closed out a disappointing series with his second eight-point effort against the Warriors.

Ginobili finished with 15 points in 32 minutes.

TIP-INS

Warriors: Golden State has won five straight games over San Antonio, including the regular season, which is the team's longest against the Spurs. .. Warriors starting center Zaza Pachulia missed his second straight game with a bruised right heel. Pachulia's absence allowed him to escape the ire of the Spurs fans, who blame him for Leonard's absence after his controversial close-out on a 3-pointer that Popovich called ''dangerous'' and ''unsportsmanlike.'' ... Golden State has won six straight road games in the postseason, which is a franchise record.

Spurs: Ginobili had come off the bench in 55 straight playoff games prior to his start in Game 4. ... Murray's four steals in the first half tied Ginobili's franchise record for most steals in a playoff game. ... Ginobili became the 24th player in league history to reach 3,000 career points in the postseason. He now has 3,009 in 15 seasons, having competed in the postseason every year of his career. ... Danny Green has made a 3-pointer in 76 playoff games.

[StarDust Bum]

LeBron, Cavs try to shake 'weird' loss
May 22, 2017

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) LeBron James was nowhere to be seen, staying behind the scenes, keeping a low profile.

Just as he did in Game 3.

James did not address the media Monday, hours after one of the worst postseason games of his career, an 11-point, six-turnover, head-scratching atrocity in a 111-108 loss to the Boston Celtics that - for the time being - has made the Eastern Conference finals interesting.

As is always the case with Cleveland's superstar, the poor performance prompted the usual speculation and suspicion: Is he hurt? Was he sending a message to his teammates? What in the name of Red Auerbach happened?

''It was a weird game,'' Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. ''A weird-feeling game.''

And it was an uncharacteristically passive performance by James, who had scored at least 30 in eight straight playoff games and imposed his will on the overmatched Celtics in the series' first two games.

But James wasn't himself Sunday night, not by a long stretch. He passed up shots and made mental and physical mistakes normally reserved for others.

For a superstar who regularly seizes the biggest moments and makes them his own, it was strange to see James basically look like one of Cleveland's reserves. He took just three shots and didn't attempt a free throw in the fourth quarter.

Incredibly, he went scoreless over the final 16 minutes.

James accepted responsibility afterward, saying simply ''I didn't have it'' during a postgame news conference that was preceded by a run-in with a heckling fan in the hallway.

If James' play wasn't stunning enough, Cavs forward J.R. Smith said his celebrated teammate lacked confidence.

What's that? A three-time champion, four-time MVP, two-time Olympic gold medalist, global icon, billion-dollar-business-in-sneakers, wasn't confident?

''He's got to be aggressive, get downhill, play like he's been playing, play confident,'' Smith said. ''That's what I always think, when people of his stature or people like him, you've got to play confident the whole night and play aggressive. It's the Eastern Conference finals. It's not enough for him. For what he does, what he brings, it's not enough.

''He knows that. We know that. Just expect him to be better in Game 4.''

The series resumes Tuesday night at Quicken Loans Arena before returning to Boston on Thursday for a Game 5 that didn't appear necessary until the Celtics stormed back from 21 down and won when Avery Bradley's 3-pointer danced an Irish jig on the rim before falling with 0.01 seconds left.

It was Boston's first outing since star guard Isaiah Thomas was shut down with a hip injury, and the Celtics showed they're capable counter-punchers.

''You obviously hear people saying that it's all about how you respond, and we don't feel like people believed in us and counted us out,'' Bradley said. ''But that just put another chip on our shoulder, which I think is good. I hope we can continue to play with that chip on our shoulder and come out the same way next game.''

Thomas didn't travel with the club to Cleveland, but he was part of the postgame fun.

''We called him on FaceTime, so he got to celebrate with us a little bit,'' Bradley said. ''We wish he was here with us, and we just want him to get better.''

Boston's comeback was fueled by Thomas' replacement, Marcus Smart, who made 7 of 10 3-pointers and scored 27 points. The Cavs chose to go under screens, giving Smart room to shoot and he burned them badly.

''Marcus Smart made 15 out of 77 off-the-dribble threes this year,'' Lue said, defending his defensive plan on Smart. ''He made some last night.''

As Lue spoke to a large group of reporters and some Cavs players got in extra shots following practice, James was noticeably absent from the floor. Usually, he hangs around to work on his game, but on this day No. 23 wasn't visible.

Lue said James was ''in good spirits'' and that no one was pinning the loss on him.

''No blame. We're all to blame,'' Lue said. ''We lost; it happens. For a guy who played great for five straight months, he's got to have a bad game sooner or later. He's human. He didn't shoot the ball well. It wasn't his ordinary game. But Kevin (Love) and Kyrie (Irving) had it going early and they played well, so it kind of got him out of rhythm a little bit in that first half.

''That's no excuse. They played well, but we've just got to play better, be more physical.''

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

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

— Utah 6.5, over -$120

— Virginia Tech, 9

— Washington, 9.5

— Washington State 7.5, over -$125

— West Virginia 7, over -$120

— Wisconsin 9.5, over -$125

**********

Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but……..

13) Apparently there are severe political problems in Venezuela which are stressing out lot of the Venezuelan ballplayers playing in the major leagues here.

Chip Caray said on the Braves game last night there are over 90 players/coaches from Venezuela in professional baseball right now. If a ballplayer here speaks out against what is going on there, it can have severe repercussions for his family back home. Not a good situation.

12) So far, 631 college basketball players have announced the intent to transfer; 271 of them haven’t said where they’re going yet. Thats just about two transfers per Division I team.

11) According to people in Las Vegas who know about such things, when Celtics (+16) won Game 3 in Cleveland Sunday, it was the third biggest upset in ANY NBA game in the last 22 years, coming after a Nuggets (+17) upset of Washington in ’97 and the Lakers’ (+17) upset of Golden State last fall.

10) Gonzaga/Creighton signed to play a home/home series; sounds a made-for-TV deal, which is good for us, the viewing public. Good for Gonzaga’s strength of schedule, too. Creighton plays in the Big East, so their SOS doesn’t need the help.

9) No baseball team has ever started 12-24 or worse and rallied to make the playoffs.

8) Last fall, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones gave around 200 policemen in North Little Rock game tickets and transportation to Cowboys’ games in Dallas, as a way of thanking them for their service. Now all that has been ruled an ethics violation, for the cops accepting the gifts. Jones refused reimbursement; seems to me that all this lacks some common sense, but thats just me.

7) Monday was former major league pitcher Tommy John’s 74th birthday; the crafty lefty pitched 2,544 innings AFTER the revolutionary elbow surgery in 1963, that now bears his name.

6) Atlanta Hawks’ Paul Millsap is voiding the last year for his $21.4M contract and will become a free agent this summer. Millsap is 32 but still a highly productive player.

5) Braves 5, Pirates 2— Ender Inciarte had five hits for the Braves, first Atlanta player to do that since Jason Hayward four years ago.

Newly acquired Matt Adams homered for the Braves, making him the first person to homer for two different teams in brand new SunTrust Park— he homered for St Louis there earlier this season.

4) We talked a few days ago about Arizona’s Chris Iannetta getting hit by a pitch in the face, breaking his nose and a couple of teeth. Iannetta came off the 7-day DL Sunday and hit a homer in his first at-bat back, which can’t be an easy thing to do.

3) Warriors 129, Spurs 115— Took Kevin Durant’s advice and watched baseball instead. Golden State now awaits the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, assuming Cleveland can put away an underdog Celtics team playing without its best player, Isaiah Thomas.

This was the last NBA game for Manu Ginobili, who had a great, great career.

2) Two drivers who will compete in the Indianapolis 500 this weekend were robbed at gunpoint of a drive-thru window at a Taco Bell in Indianapolis Sunday night. The crime was perpetrated by two kids, a 14 and 15-year old, at 9:40 pm. I have no idea what else to say about this.

1) Nashville 6, Anaheim 3— Predators are in the Stanley Cup final for the first time ever.

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday's Eastern Conference Game 4 Betting Preview: Celtics at Cavaliers

Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers (-14.5, 215.5)

Cavaliers lead series 2-1

The Boston Celtics recorded an improbable victory to get back in the series and now attempt to even it up when they visit the second-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. The Celtics appeared ready to go down meekly after losing star point guard Isaiah Thomas but instead posted a final-second 111-108 victory on Sunday to trim their deficit to 2-1.

Thomas (hip) is done for the postseason, so it was backcourt mate Avery Bradley taking the big shot and delivering the game-winning 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds left to cap a comeback from a 21-point, third-quarter deficit. "We were playing way better. I don't know how to phrase it other than that - we were playing way better," Boston coach Brad Stevens told reporters of the difference between Sunday's win and a 44-point loss in Game 2. "We were getting good shots on offense and playing with great purpose, and on defense I thought we were much better than the score indicated. I think that when you play better, you feel better." The top-seeded Celtics broke the Cavaliers' record-tying 13-game postseason winning streak and limited red-hot forward LeBron James to 11 points, his fourth-lowest output in 210 career playoff games. "I had a tough game, period," James told reporters. "I didn't have it. That's all I've got to say about my performance."

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

LINE HISTORY: Despite the shocking Game 3 loss, oddsmakers aren't deterred, opening the Cavaliers as 15-point home favorites for Game 4. However, bettors think the Celtics will show up again and the line has already moved down to -14.5. The total hit the board at 216 and has been bet down a half-point to the current number of 215.5.

INJURY REPORT:

Celtics - PF A. Johnson (Questionable Tuesday, shoulder), PG I. Thomas (Out for season, hip).

Cavaliers - No injuries to report.

ABOUT THE CELTICS: Marcus Smart was a nonfactor by averaging five points on 2-of-11 shooting over the first two games but he stepped up with Thomas out and put on a spectacular performance. The third-year guard was 7-of-10 from 3-point range while producing 27 points and seven assists and putting forth his typical feisty effort that grates on opposing players. "Everybody had to step up their game, especially with one of our brothers down," Smart told reporters. "Our love and support goes out to Isaiah. We wish he could be here but we understand. We just kept fighting. Everybody did their part."

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS: James was on a tear with eight consecutive 30-points efforts and was averaging 34.3 points before he basically disappeared in the second half by missing eight of nine shots and finishing 4-of-13 from the field. He was testy after Sunday's game and then avoided reporters on Monday to leave his teammates and coach Tyronn Lue to explain his dreadful performance "No blame," Lue told reporters. "We're all to blame. We lost; it happens. For a guy who played great for five straight months, he's got to have a bad game sooner or later. He's human. He didn't shoot the ball well. It wasn't his ordinary game."

TRENDS:

* Cavaliers are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
* Road team is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings.
* Over is 4-0 in the last four meetings in Cleveland.
* Over is 21-7 in Cavaliers last 28 games following a SU loss.