Friday Trends and Indexes 05/02

[pm530]

Trends and Indexes
Friday, May 2

Good Luck on day #123 of 2008!

NOTE:
As information becomes available, we will attempt to post the trends and indexes as soon as possible.
Information is posted from what we believe are reliable sources.
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[pm530]

Weekend Sports Preview

The NBA and NHL playoffs continue throughout the weekend while Major League Baseball, Arena Football and NASCAR also fight for some attention.

Three NBA series could conclude on Friday night, or we could see those series extended to seven games. On the schedule Friday night is Game 6 between Boston and Atlanta, Cleveland and Washington, and Houston and Utah. Atlanta, Washington and Houston need wins in those games to stay alive.

The second round gets started on Saturday before the first round is even officially over when San Antonio and New Orleans square off in Game 1. Sunday could have as many as three games or possibly none at all depending on what happens Friday night. If necessary, Sunday will see Game 7 between Atlanta and Boston, Washington and Cleveland, and Utah and Houston.

In the NHL on Friday night there’s only one game on the schedule, as the San Jose Sharks try to keep their playoff run going in Game 5 versus Dallas. The Stars lead the series 3-1 and need only one more win to eliminate the Sharks.

On Saturday night the Canadiens will have their backs against the wall in Game 5 against the Flyers. Montreal trails the Flyers 3-1 and another loss will end their season. Depending on the result late Thursday night, the Avalanche and Red Wings could also meet up in Game 5 on Saturday with Detroit holding a 3-1 series lead. (A win by the Red Wings on Thursday would have eliminated the Avs in four games.)

Sunday’s schedule depends upon what happens on Friday. If necessary, Dallas and San Jose could clash in Game 6, while Montreal and Philadelphia will also meet up if Game 6 if Montreal wins Friday night.

In the Major Leagues this weekend there are a number of divisional matchups on tap in the American League. These clashes include Tampa Bay at Boston, Kansas City at Cleveland, Detroit at Minnesota and Texas at Oakland. The rest of the AL weekend series include Baltimore at the Angels, the White Sox at Toronto and Seattle at the Yankees.

In the National League this weekend the standout series include Milwaukee at Houston, the Cubs at St. Louis, the Dodgers at Colorado and the Mets at Arizona. Also on tap in the NL this weekend is San Francisco at Philadelphia, San Diego at Florida, Pittsburgh at Washington and Cincinnati at Atlanta.

In the AFL this weekend Week 10 kicks off on Friday night, as Philadelphia takes on Cleveland and Grand Rapids travels to Colorado. On Saturday there are a whopping five AFL games on the schedule, starting with Dallas at Columbus, New Orleans at Georgia and San Jose at Orlando. The later games on Saturday include Kansas City at Utah and Arizona at Los Angeles.

The drivers of NASCAR have a night race on their hands this weekend, as the Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400 will be run at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night. Jimmie Johnson won both races held at Richmond last season, while Kyle Busch is coming off a win at Talladega last week.

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[pm530]

Six-pack for Friday

Saw this on the internet tonight, unfortunately, can't recall where, but these are the six highest-paid CEOs in the US:

6) Nabeel Gareeb MEMC (electronic mats) $79.6M

5) Howard Schultz Starbucks 98.6M

4) Angelo Mozilo Countrywide Financial 102.84M

3) Aubrey McClendon Chesapeake Energy 116.89M

2) Frederic Poses Trane 127.10M

1) Larry Ellison Oracle 192.92M

Those salaries are for one calendar year; you
think athletes are only ones who are overpaid?

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Friday's List of 13: Questions, questions, more questions......

13) What if Eldrick Woods woke up one day and decided he didn’t want to play golf anymore? Would he wind up trudging off to the driving range, the way most of us go to work every morning?

12) How can the Bears go three years without drafting a QB? Do they think Rex Grossman is good? They obviously don’t think much of Kyle Orton, who sat behind both Grossman and Brian Greise the last couple years. I’m not a Bear fan, but this bothers me. Well, maybe not bother me, but I am curious.....

11) Why don’t major league managers coach third base, or at first? They all have bench coaches to tend to administrative stuff in the dugout; wouldn’t it make sending signals easier, cutting out the middle man?

10) Why doesn’t ESPN interview college football coaches about their players during the NFL Draft? Wouldn’t this make sense? What coach would say no to them?

9) Who is the nitwit that signed Andrei Kikilenko to a contract that pays him a combined $33M in 2010 and 2011? Can’t blame Isiah for this one.

8) Why is Montana such a large state? Check out a map; its pretty freakin’ big, but why?

7) Why can’t NBA teams play any defense they want? College basketball is popular and they do what they want on defense. This is one of the things that hurts Americans in international play. NBA players are unsure how to play against zones.

6) If Sonics do leave Seattle, they have to switch nicknames, the way the Ravens did when they went to Baltimore. That way, when the Grizzlies or Bobcats move to Seattle, they can become the Super Sonics, like the expansion Browns did in Cleveland.

5) Do you ever wonder if people buy less wrist watches now since so many people have cellphones, just about all of which have clocks in them?

4) Who would pay $100-$625 to watch the Home Run Derby? Those are the going rates when the All-Star Game comes to the Bronx in July. Plus, it’s a terrible park for HR Derby, unless you have all lefty hitters, with the fence in leftcenter field as far away as it is. How could Pujols or ARod win?

3) Come to think of it, did MLB drop the ball; could they have held Home Run Derby in Shea Stadium, seeing as it is also the last year in that park, then held the All-Star Game in the Bronx? That way, they could have honored both stadiums, while not screwing up the Home Run Derby.

2) Is it stupid to suggest Republicans could be anonymously funneling money to Mrs Clinton, to help keep her candidacy alive? McCain benefits from every day the Democrats aren’t united, so isn’t it in the best interest of Republicans to help keep the Democratic race alive?

1) Can we take up a collection for the poor bastards at Exxon/ Mobil? Their first quarter profits this year are just $10.9B, up 17% from last year, but lower than expected. In the infamous words of Latrell Sprewell, how are these people supposed to feed their families?

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Friday, May 2

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Hot Pitchers
-- Hendrickson is 4-0, 3.98 in his last five starts.
-- Volquez is 4-0, 1.21 in five starts this season.
-- Oswalt is 2-0, 3.15 in his last three starts. Villanueva has 2.77 RA in his last couple starts.
-- Cubs won three of four Hill starts (1-0, 3.79).
-- Wainwright is 2-0, 2.66 in his last three starts.
-- Francis has 2.57 RA in his last three starts. Penny is 3-0, 2.41 in his last three starts.
-- Owings is 4-0, 3.48 in five starts this season. Maine is 2-1, 2.66 in his last four starts.

-- Buchholz has 1.29 RA in his last couple starts. Jackson is 2-2, 3.86 in five starts this season, last four of which were home.
-- Wang is 5-0, 3.23 in six starts this season. Bedard is 3-0, 3.18 in his three starts this season.
-- Sabathia has 0.64 RA in last two starts, after he had 13.50 RA in his first four starts.
-- Detroit is 3-0 in Galarraga starts (2-0, 2.50).
-- Texas is 4-0 with Padilla if it scores four or more runs.

Cold Pitchers
-- Misch is making first start of season for Giants.
-- Germano is 0-2, 11.15 in his last three starts.
-- Chico is 0-4, 7.29 in his last four starts. Dumatrait is making first start of season for Pirates.
-- Kendrick has 7.52 RA in five starts this season.
-- Hudson is 1-2, 7.11 in his last three starts.

-- Buehrle is 0-2, 4.50 in his last three starts. Marcum is 0-2, 4.97 in his last two starts.
-- Hochevar is 1-1, 5.91 in two starts this season.
-- Hernandez is 0-1, 9.82 in his last three starts.
-- Guthrie is 0-2, 5.40 in his last three starts. Weaver is 1-2, 5.87 in his last four outings.
-- Blanton is 0-4, 4.13 in his four home starts.

Hot Teams
-- Phillies won eight of their last eleven games. Giants won four of last six road games.
-- Nationals won four in row, six of last seven games.
-- Brewers won five of last seven road games.
-- Cardinals won four of last five games.
-- Dodgers won their last six games, scoring 47 runs.
-- Arizona is 11-3 at home this season. Mets won three of their last four games, but lost four of last five away from Shea.

-- Rays won eight of last nine games.
-- Indians won seven of their last ten games.
-- Tigers won eight of their last ten games. Minnesota won its last four home games.
-- Angels won six of their last nine games.
-- A's won five of their last six home games. Rangers won three of their last four games.

Cold Teams
-- Marlins lost four of their last five games. Padres lost twelve of last fifteen games.
-- Pirates lost seven of last eight road games.
-- Braves lost their last four games, scoring 11 runs. Reds lost eight of last 12 road games.
-- Astros lost four of their last five games.
-- Cubs lost three of their last four games.
-- Rockies lost nine of last eleven games.

-- Red Sox lost six of last eight games, scoring four runs in last five contests.
-- Bronx lost three in row, six of last seven games. Mariners lost six of their last eight games.
-- White Sox lost four of last six road games. Blur Jays are 2-8 in their last ten games.
-- Royals lost five of last six road games.
-- Orioles lost four of their last five games.

Totals
-- Under is 8-3 in last eleven games at Philadelphia.
-- Over is 10-4-1 in Florida home games.
-- Over is 12-5 in last seventeen Pirate games.
-- Under is 6-2 in last eight Atlanta games.
-- Under is 5-1-1 in last seven Houston games.
-- Under is 7-3 in Cubs' last ten games.
-- Over is 7-2-1 in last ten Dodger games.
-- Five of last seven New York games went over the total.

-- Last six Boston games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 8-4 in last dozen games played in the Bronx.
-- Four of last five White Sox games stayed under the total.
-- Three of last four Sabathia starts went over the total.
-- Five of last six Detroit road games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 6-2-1 in last nine Angel home games.
-- Four of last five Texas road games went over the total.

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[pm530]

MLB


Friday, May 2

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Trend Sheet
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7:05 PM KANSAS CITY vs. CLEVELAND
Kansas City is 5-17 SU in its last 22 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Kansas City's last 11 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland's last 6 games at home
Cleveland is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games


7:05 PM SAN FRANCISCO vs. PHILADELPHIA
San Francisco is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 6 of San Francisco's last 9 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games at home
Philadelphia is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games


7:05 PM SEATTLE vs. NY YANKEES
Seattle is 4-10 SU in their last 14 games when playing on the road against NY Yankees
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Seattle's last 10 games when playing on the road against NY Yankees
NY Yankees are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games at home
NY Yankees are 2-6 SU in their last 8 games


7:05 PM TAMPA BAY vs. BOSTON
Tampa Bay is 4-20 SU in its last 24 games when playing on the road against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 5 games


7:07 PM CHI WHITE SOX vs. TORONTO
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi White Sox's last 5 games
Chi White Sox are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games on the road
Toronto is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Chi White Sox
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games when playing at home against Chi White Sox


7:10 PM SAN DIEGO vs. FLORIDA
San Diego is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Diego's last 7 games on the road
Florida is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Florida's last 6 games


7:35 PM CINCINNATI vs. ATLANTA
Cincinnati is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Cincinnati's last 9 games when playing Atlanta
Atlanta is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games


7:35 PM PITTSBURGH vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing Washington
Pittsburgh is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Washington is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Washington is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games


8:05 PM MILWAUKEE vs. HOUSTON
Milwaukee is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 7 games
Houston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Houston's last 7 games


8:10 PM DETROIT vs. MINNESOTA
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Detroit is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing at home against Detroit


8:15 PM CHI CUBS vs. ST. LOUIS
Chi Cubs are 7-2 SU in their last 9 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 7 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing Chi Cubs
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games


9:05 PM LA DODGERS vs. COLORADO
LA Dodgers are 3-7 SU in their last 10 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 7 of LA Dodgers's last 9 games when playing Colorado
Colorado is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Colorado's last 5 games at home


9:40 PM NY METS vs. ARIZONA
NY Mets are 16-4 SU in its last 20 games when playing Arizona
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Mets's last 5 games when playing Arizona
Arizona is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arizona's last 6 games


10:05 PM BALTIMORE vs. LA ANGELS
Baltimore is 1-6 SU in their last 7 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Baltimore's last 7 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
LA Angels are 6-2-1 SU in their last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Angels's last 5 games


10:07 PM TEXAS vs. OAKLAND
Texas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Oakland
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Texas's last 6 games when playing on the road against Oakland
Oakland is 2-3-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oakland's last 5 games

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB


Friday, May 2

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Tips and Trends
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Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox [7:05 PM ET]

Rays: Tampa Bay's Edwin Jackson will be making only his second road start of the season and first since visiting Yankee Stadium back on April 5th. Jackson dazzled New York in that appearance, earning the win after allowing just 1 run and 5 hits in 6 innings with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. He is coming off a solid start vs. Boston last time out, walking away with a no-decision after giving up 1 run and 5 hits in 7 innings with 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.

Rays are 9-1 in their last 10 games overall.
The OVER is 8-1 in Tampa Bay's last 9 series openers.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 3

Red Sox (-165, O/U 9): Boston's Clay Buccholz has been outstanding at Fenway Park this season, allowing only 1 run in 12 innings for a 0.75 ERA. Buccholz is coming off a tough loss to the Rays on Saturday despite giving up just 2 runs and 3 hits in 8 innings and notching a season-high 9 strikeouts. He will be going for his second straight win at Fenway.

The OVER is 14-5-2 in Boston's last 21 Friday games.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 6 (Side Play of the Day)



Seattle Mariners at New York Yankees [7:05PM ET]

Mariners: Seattle ace Erik Bedard has looked great in his 3 starts this season - all resulting in wins. Bedard made his first start in more than 2 weeks on Saturday due to a hip injury, allowing just 2 hits in 6 scoreless innings of a 5-3 home win over the A's. He was a bit rocky in his lone road start though, surrendering 5 runs and 4 hits in 6 innings of a 6-5 win at Tampa Bay back on April 8th. The southpaw has walked 4 batters in each of his starts.

Mariners are 4-10 in the last 14 meetings at New York.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 3

Yankees (-135, O/U 8.5): New York's Chien-Ming Wang may be the early favorite for the American League Cy Young award after getting off to a 5-0 start. Wang also has a 3.23 ERA so far this season and only once has he hit up for more than 3 earned runs. However, he is 2-0 in 3 home starts with a 5.29 ERA and surrendered 8 runs in his last outing at Yankee Stadium.

The UNDER is 16-5-1 in New York's last 22 games as a favorite.
The UNDER is 7-2 in the last 9 meetings.

Key Injuries - C Jorge Posada (shoulder) on 15-day DL.
3B Alex Rodriguez (quad) on 15-day DL.

PROJECTED SCORE: 5



Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals [WGN | 8:15 PM ET]

Cubs: Chicago southpaw Rich Hill will make his fifth start of the season after having his spot skipped against the Brewers. Hill is 1-0 at home in 2 starts with a 2.45 ERA, but he has gone more than 5 innings just once this season. That came in his first start back on April 4th, as he allowed 2 runs and 4 hits in 6 innings of a 4-3 loss.

Cubs are 7-2 in the last 9 meetings at St. Louis.
The UNDER is 10-1-1 in Chicago's last 12 Friday games.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 2 (UNDER - Total Play of the Day)

Cardinals (-125, O/U 8.5): St. Louis pitcher Adam Wainright will try to stay perfect at home in his 4th start there this season. Wainright is 3-0 so far with a 2.19 ERA, his only loss has taken place on the road. He notched a complete-game victory last time out against Houston, allowing 3 runs and 5 hits with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts. All the runs came courtesy of the long ball. The 6-foot-7 right-hander is 0-3 lifetime vs. Chicago though with a 7.50 ERA in 4 starts.

Cardinals are 26-12 in their last 38 games as a favorite.
The UNDER is 10-4-1 in Wainright's last 15 home starts.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 4



New York Mets at Arizona Diamondbacks [10:05 PM ET]

Mets: New York's John Maine will try to win back-to-back starts for the first time this season when he faces the Diamondbacks. Maine is coming off a win against Atlanta last time out at home, allowing 2 runs and 3 hits in 5 innings with 3 walks and a season-high 7 strikeouts. He is 0-2 on the road this season with a 5.40 ERA and 1-1 lifetime vs. Arizona with a 2.25 ERA.

Mets are 13-3 in the last 16 meetings at Arizona.
Mets are 7-3 in their last 10 Friday games.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 4

Diamondbacks (-120, O/U 9): Arizona's Micah Owings is 4-0 with a 3.48 ERA and will be making his scheduled start despite a sore ankle. Owings threw a 55-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday after pitching 5 innings in an eventual 8-7 loss at San Diego on Saturday. "There were no problems out there," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said. "He has three more days, and by then he'll be fairly close to 100 percent." Owings was forced to leave the game in the sixth inning after he turned his ankle on an RBI double.

Diamondbacks are 19-7 in their last 26 games overall.
The OVER is 7-3-1 in Arizona's last 11 home games.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 5

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Long Sheet

NBA
Long Sheet

Note: If the long sheet is amended, we will re-post an update.

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Friday, May 2
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BOSTON (69 - 18) at ATLANTA (39 - 48) - 5/2/2008, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 8-7 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 8-7 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
8 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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CLEVELAND (48 - 39) at WASHINGTON (45 - 42) - 5/2/2008, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 14-11 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
CLEVELAND is 16-10 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
14 of 26 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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HOUSTON (57 - 30) at UTAH (57 - 30) - 5/2/2008, 9:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
UTAH is 47-39 ATS (+4.1 Units) in all games this season.
UTAH is 28-14 ATS (+12.6 Units) in home games this season.
UTAH is 21-11 ATS (+8.9 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
UTAH is 28-14 ATS (+12.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
UTAH is 19-6 ATS (+12.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
HOUSTON is 49-35 ATS (+10.5 Units) in all games this season.
HOUSTON is 15-7 ATS (+7.3 Units) as an underdog this season.
HOUSTON is 74-50 ATS (+19.0 Units) in road games over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) on Friday nights this season.
HOUSTON is 20-11 ATS (+7.9 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
HOUSTON is 27-18 ATS (+7.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
UTAH is 12-9 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
UTAH is 14-8 straight up against HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
12 of 21 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association - Short Sheet

NBA
Short Sheet

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Friday, May 2nd
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Eastern Conference
Opening Round
Game Six
Boston Leads, 3-2
Boston at Atlanta, 8:05 ET

Boston:
23-6 ATS Away if total is between 180 and 189.5
23-5 ATS off DD home win

Atlanta:
30-14 Over as a home underdog of 6.5 to 12 points
18-6 Over at home revenging road loss

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Eastern Conference
Opening Round
Game Six
Cleveland Leads, 3-2
Cleveland at Washington, 7:05 ET

Cleveland:
26-12 ATS as a road underdog of 6 points or less
17-7 ATS off ATS loss

Washington:
1-10 ATS at home after combined score of 175 or less
24-10 Over as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points

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Western Conference
Opening Round
Game Six
Utah Leads, 3-2
Houston at Utah, 9:35 ET

Houston:
14-6 ATS as road underdog
21-9 ATS off BB ATS wins

Utah:
25-13 Under off ATS loss
19-10 Under off SU loss

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Write up

NBA
Write-up


Friday, May 2

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NBA Game

Home team is 5-0 in Boston-Atlanta series, with Celtics losing both games in Philips Arena, 102-93/97-92. This may be overly simplistic, but Hawks scored 77-81-85 points in their losses in this series, 102-97 in wins, so if Smith/Johnson get off again vs less-athletic foes, crowd could carry them to another upset. In Game 4, Atlanta was down 10 at home in 4th quarter, still won.

Cavaliers let Washington off hook when they lost to Wizards in Game 5 with Arenas not in lineup; Cavalier bench was 5-25 from floor in 98-97 loss Wednesday; Lebron can't win the game by himself, even though they ask him to. Butler had 32 leading Wizards to road win; Jamison had only 8, but Daniels did good job filling in for Arenas with 12 points.

Utah scored just 69 points in dismal loss at Houston Tuesday; series is 3-2 Utah, with Jazz splitting pair here. Jazz is 2-23 from arc in last two games, after going 8-17 in Game 3. Houston shot 44% or better in both their series wins, 41% or worse in losses. Utah won this series last year in 7 after falling behind 2-0; can Rockets return the favor, even with McGrady banged-up?

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[pm530]

NBA


Friday, May 2

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Trend Sheet
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7:00 PM CLEVELAND vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Cleveland's last 11 games
Cleveland is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Washington is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Washington's last 10 games when playing at home against Cleveland


8:00 PM BOSTON vs. ATLANTA
Boston is 7-14 ATS in its last 21 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Boston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
Atlanta is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games


10:30 PM HOUSTON vs. UTAH
Houston is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games
Utah is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Houston
Utah is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Houston

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association - Tips & Trends

NBA


Friday, May 2

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Tips and Trends
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Cleveland Cavaliers at Washington Wizards [ESPN2 | 7 PM ET]

Cavs: Are Washington's tactics starting to work on LeBron James? The Wizards have baited him all series long, and they gave him the opportunity to beat them in Game 5. James missed the potential game-winning shot and could see the series tied heading back to Cleveland for Game 7 with another loss here.“People are trying to distract him, take him off his game,” Cavs head coach Mike Brown said. “He’s just going about his business. He’s got to protect himself.”

Cavs are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 Friday games.
The UNDER is 9-2 in Cleveland's last 11 games overall.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 92

Wizards (-4, O/U 187.5): Washington's Gilbert Arenas may have given his teammates the biggest assist of the series by bowing out with his knee injury. Insiders believe the Wizards were hurt by Arenas' presence on the court earlier in the series, as they struggled to work him back into the lineup. They now know what they have to work with and can rely on their more consistent scorers in Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison. “It’s my duty to let these guys go out there and just fight it - put out some healthy bodies and beat (the Cavaliers)," Arenas said. "I can’t go out there hobbling trying to help this team win, because at the end of the day, it’s hurting us.”

Wizards are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 Friday games.
The OVER is 17-4 in Washington's last 21 games as a favorite.
The OVER is 14-3 in Washington's last 17 home games.
The OVER is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings at Washington.

Key Injuries - G Gilbert Arenas (19.4 ppg; knee) is OUT.

PROJECTED SCORE: 96



Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks [ESPN | 8 PM ET]

Celtics (-8, O/U 189): The home team has won every game in this series, and Boston head coach Doc Rivers has told his players not to rely solely on that factor throughout the playoffs. “I told our guys this,” Rivers said, “because I could hear them in the locker room, saying, ‘Hey, guys, don’t worry. We go back home. Everything will be OK.’ And I said, ‘Listen, you’ve got to go make it OK. Don’t just rely on going home. You’ve got to go make it OK.’ And I think we will, but I don’t just want to rely on that.” The Celtics can make their coach proud with a victory on the road in Game 6.

Celtics are 22-7 ATS in their last 29 games overall.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 98

Hawks: Atlanta will try hard to dictate the tempo in Game 6, and the players realize they need to push the pace and use their athleticism to do what they do best. “The bottom line is we’re not going to beat the Boston Celtics playing half-court basketball,” Hawks forward Josh Smith said. “We’re young and we’re athletic and we have to use that to our advantage. We have to push the ball and exploit transition points and then pull the ball back out if there’s nothing there and run (our) offense."

Hawks are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
Hawks are 5-12 ATS in their last 17 Friday games.
The OVER is 8-1 in Atlanta's last 9 home games.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 90



Houston Rockets at Utah Jazz [ESPN | 10:30 PM ET]

Rockets: Houston star Tracy McGrady is coming off his best shooting game since March 8th, as he made 13-of-26 shots to finish with a game-high 29 points. “I was just making shots I was missing before, the same shots,” McGrady said. “I was real fortunate to have fresh legs throughout the whole game. I was just mixing my game up, dribble pull-up, going to the basket, kept them off balance a little bit.” He is still shooting 41 percent in the series.

Rockets are 3-0 ATS in their last 3 games.
The UNDER is 13-3 in Houston's last 16 games vs. Northwest Division.
The UNDER is 11-5 in the last 16 meetings at Utah.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 86

Jazz (-7.5, O/U 180): What looked like it could be a sweep and some rest before facing the Lakers is now turning into a grueling series with LA sitting home and relaxing. Utah now must win Game 6 at home or else face the prospect of returning to Houston for Game 7. The Rockets blew out the Jazz in Game 5 for the most lopsided game of the series so far. “Nobody expected them to win right now,” Utah forward Andrei Kirilenko said. “They beat us by 20. Everybody already gave us a win. As I said, you need to earn it. We need to be way better.”

Jazz are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 home games.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 94

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[pm530]

National Hockey League – Long Sheet

NHL
Long Sheet

Note: If the long sheet is amended, we will re-post an update.

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Friday, May 2
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DALLAS (52-33-0-7, 111 pts.) at SAN JOSE (54-27-0-12, 120 pts.) - 5/2/2008, 10:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 16-12 (+5.0 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 16-12-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
12 of 24 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.7 Units, Under=-1.4 Units)

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[pm530]

National Hockey League - Short Sheet

NHL
Short Sheet


Friday, May 2nd

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Western Conference Playoffs
Second Round
Game Five
Dallas Leads, 3-1
Dallas at San Jose, 10:05 ET

Dallas:
10-4 SU at San Jose
12-5 SU revenging home loss

San Jose:
6-11 SU at home off BB division games
10-3 Under after having lost 3 of their last 4

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[pm530]

National Hockey League – Write up

NHL
Write-up


Friday, May 2

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2008 NHL playoffs

Sharks stayed alive with 2-1 win in Game 4; visitor is 3-1 in this series, with Stars winning both games in San Jose, 3-2OT/5-2. Sharks scored a shorthanded goal in each of last two games; in last nine home games vs Dallas, they're 1-8. Shots on goal for Game 4 were just 24-18 San Jose, not a lot of action for either of the goalies. San Jose is just 5-6 in playoffs so far this spring.

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