Wednesday Trends and Indexes 05/28

[pm530]

Trends and Indexes
Wednesday, May 28

Good Luck on day #149 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]

Six-pack for Wednesday

-- Frank Thomas celebrated his 40th birthday by doubling vs Toronto, the team that dumped him last month.

-- A's Emil Brown scored from first base on a stolen base in second inning Tuesday; you don't see that every day.

-- Blue Jays hit 42 points higher against righties than lefties.

-- AJ Burnett has been on the DL nine times in his career.

-- Hunter Pence went 5-5 last night but didn't score a run, in game that Astros where scored eight runs.

-- Another brutal loss for Tigers, who led 2-0 in 8th but lost 3-2 in ninth to Angels, as Matthews got winning hit.

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Wednesday's List of 13: Random thoughts on a sunny day

13) I've always wondered if major league ballplayers get tired of hearing about people drafting them in fantasy leagues.

12) I was an official scorer for a minor league team for couple of years in the mid-80's; good seat to watch games, and you pick up a few bucks, but in no way a fun job, especially in the minor leagues, where there are no instant replays to watch. You make a call, and it helps decides people's futures. Lot of pressure.

11) Imagine what its like now, with not only the players getting upset about their stats, but their fantasy league owners too. A lot of these leagues are for a decent amount of money, so the guy doing official scoring is influencing an awful lot of cash.
10) Why wouldn't pitchers use the biggest glove possible to knock down balls hit back through the box?

9) The five Oakland starting pitchers earn a combined $10.5M, a lot less than Barry Zito earns by himself.

8) Scott Hatteberg got designated for assignment by the Reds; hard to believe he couldn't help someone as a pinch-hitter.

7) Highly-touted prospect Jay Bruce went 3-3 with couple of walks in his big league debut for Cincinnati.

6) Daisuke Matsuzaka left his start last night with back injury in fifth inning at Seattle. Manny Ramirez hit his 499th homer in sixth inning, but Mariners ended 7-game skid when Lopez got walk-off hit in bottom of ninth inning.

5) Julio Lugo and Terry Francona got tossed in fifth inning of that game in big argument with Angel Hernandez, who seems to always get involved in these type of things. Could it be that he's a bad umpire, or just unlucky? Hmmmmmm

4) Tim Lincecum is now 7-1 after winning at Arizona; he looks like he's 14 years old, but he's a big-time pitcher.

3) A's traded Haren, Swisher and got nine players back, which is reason they're a contending team. Billy Beane is a genius.

2) The question for Pittsburgh Penguins right now isn't when they'll win a game, its when they'll score a goal vs Red Wings.

1) Typically gutless NBA officiating on last possession, when Barry gets drilled in head and no foul is called as he tried last second shot with Spurs down two. Three refs, and no one sees a guy with the ball get hit in the head?

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Wednesday, May 28

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Hot Pitchers
-- Rookie Reynolds has 3.00 RA in his last couple starts.
-- Arroyo is 2-0, 2.73 in his last four starts. Pirates won three of last four Gorzelanny starts.
-- Marlins won eight of ten Olsen starts.
-- Zambrano is 6-0, 2.36 in his last eight starts.
-- Cardinals won all five Wainwright starts.
-- Davis is 2-0, 2.07 in his last couple starts. Sanchez has a 2.77 RA in his last two starts.
-- Estes is 1-0, 3.06 in three starts this season.

-- Floyd has 1.80 RA in his last couple of starts.
-- Tampa Bay won last three Garza home starts.
-- Guthrie has 1.35 RA in his last two starts, but Orioles lost the two games 2-1/2-0.
-- Royals won all four Greinke home starts.
-- Angels are 9-1 in Saunders starts, 5-0 at home.
-- Harden is 2-0, 1.93 in his last couple of starts.

Cold Pitchers
-- Eaton is 0-3, 6.43 in his last four starts.
-- Reyes is 1-2, 8.10 in his last three starts. Suppan is 1-4, 7.90 in his last five starts.
-- Perez has 7.31 RA in his last six starts.
-- Lowe is 0-4, 8.10 in his last six starts.
-- Rodriguez comes off DL to start for Astros; he was 1-0, 1.47 in his last three starts before getting hurt.
-- Perez has a 7.16 RA in his last three road starts.

-- Westbrook was 1-2, 3.14 in four starts before going on DL.
-- Gabbard is 0-1, 12.91 in his last two starts.
-- Pettitte is 1-4, 5.94 in his last six starts.
-- Hernandez has 5.79 RA in his last three starts.
-- Galarraga is 1-2, 6.17 in his last four starts.
-- Halladay is 3-1, 3.72 in his last four starts.
-- Wakefield is 0-2, 12.46 in his last three starts. Bedard has an RA of 10.67 in his last three starts.

Hot Teams
-- Phillies scored 42 runs in winning their last three games.
-- Cubs won ten of last twelve home games.
-- Reds won their last eight home games.
-- Marlins won six of their last eight games.
-- Astros won eight of their last eleven road games. Cardinals are 5-0 in second game of home series if they lose opener.

-- Bronx won five of its last seven games.
-- White Sox won ten of last thirteen games.
-- Rays won sixteen of last eighteen home games. Rangers won five of their last six games.
-- Toronto won eleven of its last fifteen games. A's won five games in row, allowing total of eight runs.
-- Angels won seven of their last nine games.

Cold Teams
-- Rockies are 5-11 in their last sixteen games.
-- Dodgers scored seven runs in losing four of last five games.
-- Pirates lost three of their last four games.
-- Mets are 6-11 in their last seventeen games.
-- Braves lost 10 of last 12 games on road. Brewers are 1-4 in second game of home series if they won the opener.
-- Arizona lost six of its last eight games. Giants lost seven of last eleven games on road.
-- Padres are 1-5 in second game of series if they lose opener. Nationals lost three of last four road games.

-- Indians lost nine of their last eleven games.
-- Royals lost last nine games, allowing 53 runs. Twins are 6-9 in their last fifteen road games.
-- Orioles lost five of their last seven games.
-- Tigers lost four of their last five games.
-- Red Sox lost nine of their last 11 road games. Mariners lost seven of last eight games, allowing 69 runs.

Totals
-- Over is 5-1-1 in last seven Phillies' home games.
-- Under is 6-2-1 in Cubs' last nine games.
-- Over is 18-6-1 in Pittsburgh road games this season.
-- Over is 5-1-2 in last eight Florida road games.
-- Under is 7-1-1 in last nine Atlanta road games.
-- Under is 7-3 in Houston's last ten games.
-- Under is 7-4 in last eleven Arizona games.
-- Under is 7-2 in last nine Washington games.

-- Six of last seven Bronx road games stayed under the total.
-- 11 of last 15 Cleveland games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Tampa Bay games went over the total.
-- Under is 7-2 in last nine Kansas City games.
-- Six of last eight Halladay starts stayed under the total.
-- Seven of last eight Detroit road games stayed under total.
-- Last three Wakefield starts went over the total.

Umpires
-- Colo-Phil-- Favorite won six of last seven Gibson gamea.
-- Pitt-Cin-- Favorite is 5-1 in last six Dreckman games; three of his last four games went over the total.
-- Fla-NY-- Underdog won last four Drake games, with four of his last five games staying under total.
-- LA-Chi-- Four of last five Marquez games went over total.
-- Atl-Mil-- Under is 6-2 in last eight Wegner games; underdog is 5-2 in his last seven games behind plate.
-- Hst-StL-- Five of last six Emmel games stayed under the total.
-- SF-Az-- Over is 4-0-1 in last five Campos games; visitor is 5-1 in his last six games behind dish.
-- Wsh-SD-- Underdog won five of last six Iassogna games.

-- Chi-Cle-- Underdog is 8-1 in last nine O'Nora games, with the under 5-2 in his last seven.
-- Tex-TB-- Under is 7-3 in Meriwether games this season.
-- NY-Balt-- Favorite is 9-1 in Barrett games this season.
-- Min-KC-- Underdog is 8-4 in Cederstrom games; in his last seven games, the under is 5-1-1.
-- Det-LAA-- Under is 7-3-1 in Joyce games this season.
-- Tor-A's-- Underdog is 7-2 in last nine Montague games; the under is 6-1 in his last seven contests.
-- Bos-Sea-- Under is 7-3 in Foster games this season.

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Additional

MLB


Wednesday, May 28

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Trend Sheet
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12:05 PM CHI WHITE SOX vs. CLEVELAND
Chi White Sox are 10-3 SU in their last 13 games
Chi White Sox are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games on the road
Cleveland is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing Chi White Sox
Cleveland is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games


12:40 PM TEXAS vs. TAMPA BAY
Texas is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Tampa Bay
Texas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Tampa Bay is 16-2 SU in its last 18 games at home


7:05 PM COLORADO vs. PHILADELPHIA
Colorado is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
Colorado is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Philadelphia is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
Philadelphia is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home


7:05 PM NY YANKEES vs. BALTIMORE
NY Yankees are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
NY Yankees are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games on the road
Baltimore is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Baltimore is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home


7:10 PM FLORIDA vs. NY METS
Florida is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Florida is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
NY Mets are 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Florida
NY Mets are 2-7 SU in its last 9 games


7:10 PM PITTSBURGH vs. CINCINNATI
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
Pittsburgh is 5-13 SU in its last 18 games on the road
Cincinnati is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Cincinnati is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh


8:05 PM ATLANTA vs. MILWAUKEE
Atlanta is 2-10 SU in its last 12 games on the road
Atlanta is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Milwaukee
Milwaukee is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Milwaukee is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home


8:05 PM LA DODGERS vs. CHI CUBS
LA Dodgers are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games
LA Dodgers are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games on the road
Chi Cubs are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games at home
Chi Cubs are 12-6 SU in their last 18 games


8:10 PM MINNESOTA vs. KANSAS CITY
Minnesota is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
Minnesota is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Kansas City
Kansas City is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Kansas City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home


8:15 PM HOUSTON vs. ST. LOUIS
Houston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
Houston is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games on the road
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Houston
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Houston


9:40 PM SAN FRANCISCO vs. ARIZONA
San Francisco is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Arizona
San Francisco is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Arizona is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
Arizona is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home


10:05 PM DETROIT vs. LA ANGELS
Detroit is 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
Detroit is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
LA Angels are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games when playing Detroit
LA Angels are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games at home


10:05 PM TORONTO vs. OAKLAND
Toronto is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Toronto is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Oakland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Toronto
Oakland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home


10:05 PM WASHINGTON vs. SAN DIEGO
Washington is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Washington is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Diego
San Diego is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Washington
San Diego is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Washington


10:10 PM BOSTON vs. SEATTLE
Boston is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Boston is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Seattle is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
Seattle is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB


Wednesday, May 28

We will update when projected scores are available.

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Tips and Trends
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New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles [YES| 7:05 PM ET]

Key Injuries -
Yankees (-140, O/U 9): After losing four games in a row, Andy Pettitte righted the ship against the struggling Mariners. In that game Pettitte went six strong innings, getting the win after striking out nine and allowing just two runs. Pettitte already owns a win over the Orioles this season. In a dominating performance, Pettitte pitched seven innings of shutout ball. Overall, Pettitte has owned Baltimore in his career, going 23-6 with a 3.77 ERA in 33 starts.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Orioles): Jeremy Guthrie is only 2-5 on the season but he does have a respectable 3.62 ERA. Guthrie has given up three runs or fewer in seven starts this year but he's suffered from a lack of run support. In Guthrie's four losses, the Orioles have only scored four runs over 26.1 innings. Not surprisingly, the under has been a smart wager with Guthrie on the mound, cashing in seven of his 10 starts.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs [ESPN | 8:05 PM ET]

Dodgers: Derek Lowe has lost two outings in a row and four of his last five overall. In his last five starts, Lowe has given up 24 runs in 28.1 innings of work. Lowe has been horrendous on the road in 2008, going winless and possessing a 6.61 ERA in six appearances away from home. Lowe has faced the Cubs six times in his career but has only factored in the decision twice, going 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Cubs (-160): Carlos Zambrano has been toying with hitters this year. The Cubs ace hasn't lost a decision since April 11. In 10 starts, Zambrano has only given up more than two runs three times. He's also helped out Chicago's bullpen by eating up a lot of innings. Big Z has pitched at least seven innings in seven of his 10 starts. Despite Zambrano's dominance this season, his last three starts have all gone OVER the total.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



Toronto Blue Jays at Oakland Athletics [10:05 PM ET]

Blue Jays: The Blue Jays starting rotation has been so impressive this year, Roy Holliday is no longer the clear-cut ace of the staff. Still, Holiday is one of the AL's top pitchers and despite a 5-5 record he has a strong 3.11 ERA in 2008. Toronto has come out victorious that last three times Holliday has taken the hill, thanks to him giving up just five runs in 18 innings pitched. Even though he's been on top of his game, two of Holliday's last three starts have gone OVER the total.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

A's (-120, O/U 7): Oakland has won all of Rich Harden's three starts since he came off the DL. Harden has pitched poorly in just one game all season against Texas but allowed a total of four runs in his other four starts combined. Harden has been virtually untouchable at home this year, sporting a 1.59 ERA in 17 innings of work. The Blue Jays give Harden a lot of trouble. In five career starts, he's 0-3 with 5.59 ERA against Toronto.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

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[pm530]

MLB


Wednesday, May 28

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Baseball Today
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SCOREBOARD

Wednesday, May 28

Detroit at Los Angeles (10:05 p.m. EDT). Joe Saunders (8-1) tries for his ninth victory of the season as he Angels face the Tigers and Armando Galarraga (3-2).


STARS

Tuesday

- Josh Hamilton, Rangers, hit a grand slam against Tampa Bay, leading Texas to a 12-6 win over the team that drafted him first overall in 1999.

- Adam Dunn, Reds, hit a three-run homer in Cincinnati's 9-6 win over Pittsburgh.

- Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff, Padres, homered on consecutive pitches with two outs in the seventh inning to lead San Diego to a 4-2 win over Washington.

- Michael Cuddyer, Twins, hit an RBI single in the top of the 12th to lead Minnesota past Kansas City 4-3.


TRIPLE TRIBE

After completing a rare unassisted triple play a few weeks ago, the Cleveland Indians pulled off an even stranger feat with a triple steal in their 8-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night. With the bases loaded and Ben Francisco batting, White Sox pitcher Ehren Wasserman faked a throw to third and threw to first, catching Jamey Carroll off the bag. When first baseman Paul Konerko got Carroll in a brief rundown, David Dellucci broke from third and Konerko's throw to catcher Toby Hall was in the dirt, allowing Dellucci to score. Dellucci, Carroll and Grady Sizemore, who was on second when the play began, were given stolen bases. The last triple steal came on Oct. 1, 1987, by Atlanta against Houston according to the Elias Sports Bureau.


THE BIG 4-OW!

On the day he turned 40, Frank Thomas doubled against his former team and hurt his leg in the process. Thomas, released by the Blue Jays last month before he rejoined the A's, left the game in the fifth inning of Oakland's 3-1 win Tuesday night with a slight strain of his right quadriceps muscle.


FIVE PENCE

Houston's Hunter Pence was 5-for-5 with four singles and a double Tuesday night in the Astros' 8-2 win over St. Louis.


SHEFF'S HURT

The Detroit Tigers placed Gary Sheffield on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday because of an oblique strain on his left side. This is the 12th time on the DL for the 20-year veteran and nine-time All-Star, who is hitting just .213 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 39 games. It's his second trip to the DL since the Tigers obtained him from the New York Yankees in November 2006.


THIRD TIME'S A CHARM

Baltimore came back after being down 4-0 and 8-4, then rebounded in the 11th after New York again took the lead, finally beating the Yankees 10-9 Tuesday night in 11 innings after a 67-minute rain delay had already prolonged a game featuring nine home runs and 12 pitchers.


ALMOST THERE

Nearly two months into the season, the San Diego Padres have yet to win three straight games. After a 4-2 win Tuesday night, they can change that by beating the Washington Nationals one more time Wednesday night.


SNAPPED

The Seattle Mariners beat the Boston Red Sox 4-3 on Tuesday night to end a season-high seven-game losing streak. ... Tampa Bay had won four straight before falling to Texas 12-6.


STOPPER

Tim Lincecum pitched into the eighth inning and San Francisco beat Arizona 6-3 Tuesday night. Linecum ran his record to 7-1, while the rest of the Giants' pitching staff is 14-30.


SPEAKING

"It's all disheartening and disappointing. I'm not going to sit here and sugarcoat it. It's frustrating. People like playing us right now, and they should.'' - Royals first-year manager Trey Hillman after Kansas City lost its ninth straight, 4-3 to Minnesota in 13 innings Tuesday night.


SEASONS

May 28

1946 - The Washington Senators beat New York 2-1 in the first night game at Yankee Stadium. The first ball was thrown out by General Electric president Charles E. Wilson.

1951 - After going 0-for-12 in his first three major league games, Willie Mays of the New York Giants hit a home run off Warren Spahn in a 4-1 loss to the Boston Braves.

1956 - Dale Long of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit a home run in his eighth consecutive game, a major league record. Long connected off Brooklyn's Carl Erskine at Forbes Field.

1968 - The American League announced it would split into two divisions. The East division will consist of Baltimore, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, New York and Washington. California, Chicago, Kansas City, Minnesota, Oakland and Seattle will make up the West.

1979 - George Brett of the Kansas City Royals hit for the cycle and added another home run to beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-4 in 16 innings.

1986 - Joe Cowley of the Chicago White Sox set a major league record by striking out the first seven batters he faced. He lasted 4 2-3 innings in a 6-3 loss to the Texas Rangers.

1995 - The White Sox and Tigers set a major league record with 12 homers, and combined for an American League-record 21 extra-base hits in Chicago's 14-12 victory in Detroit.

1998 - Arizona manager Buck Showalter intentionally walked Barry Bonds with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and the Diamondbacks held on to beat San Francisco 8-7.

2003 - Atlanta became the second team in major league history to start a game with three straight homers in its 15-3 win over the Reds. Rafael Furcal, Mark DeRosa and Gary Sheffield hit consecutive home runs off Jeff Austin in the bottom of the first. The Padres did it against the Giants on April 13, 1987.

2006 - Barry Bonds hit his 715th home run during the San Francisco Giants' 6-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies to slip past Babe Ruth and pull in behind Hank Aaron and his long-standing record of 755.

2007 - Adrian Beltre tied a franchise record with four extra-base hits, including two homers, as Seattle pounded the Los Angeles Angels 12-5.

Today's birthdays: Humberto Sanchez 25; Jhonny Peralta 26; Daniel Cabrera 27.

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Long Sheet

NBA
Long Sheet

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Wednesday, May 28
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DETROIT (69 - 28) at BOSTON (76 - 24) - 5/28/2008, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 3-13 ATS (-11.3 Units) in the conference finals over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 60-39 ATS (+17.1 Units) in all games this season.
BOSTON is 48-31 ATS (+13.9 Units) as a favorite this season.
BOSTON is 31-19 ATS (+10.1 Units) in home games this season.
BOSTON is 52-38 ATS (+10.2 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 56-41 ATS (+10.9 Units) in all games this season.
DETROIT is 56-40 ATS (+12.0 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) in a road game where the total is between 170 and 179.5 points this season.
DETROIT is 23-10 ATS (+12.0 Units) after allowing 85 points or less this season.
DETROIT is 26-15 ATS (+9.5 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
DETROIT is 28-18 ATS (+8.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
BOSTON is 39-67 ATS (-34.7 Units) in home games versus good defensive teams - allowing <=91 points/game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 8-6 against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 10-4 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
11 of 14 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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Wednesday, May 28
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Eastern Conference Finals
Game Five
Series Tied, 2-2
Detroit at Boston, 8:35 ET

Detroit:
3-13 ATS in conference finals
13-3 Under the total is 179.5 or less

Boston:
22-8 ATS after scoring 75 points or less
6-1 Under at home vs. Detroit

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Write up

NBA
Write-up


Wednesday, May 28

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NBA Games

Celtics shot just 31.8% from floor in Game 4 loss at Detroit, but did get to line 39 times (32-39); by this point in series, there are no secrets between these teams, with road team winning twice in last three series games. All four series games stayed under the total. Pistons made just 3-22 from arc in their two games at home, after being 9-21 in Boston. Team that was leading at the half won all four games. Celtics are 9-1 at home in playoffs.

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Additional

NBA


Wednesday, May 28

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Trend Sheet
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8:30 PM DETROIT vs. BOSTON
Detroit is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Boston
Detroit is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games when playing Boston
Boston is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association - Tips & Trends

NBA


Wednesday, May 28

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Tips and Trends
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Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics [ESPN | 8:30 PM ET]

Pistons: The most valuable player in this series so far for Detroit has been Antonio McDyess, who has grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and played Boston's Kevin Garnett straight-up defensively. In fact, his defense on Garnett has been so good that the Pistons have not had to waste double teams on him. McDyess also led the team in scoring in Game 4 with 21 points. “I’m kind of fed up with excuses,” McDyess said. “Since I’ve been here, we kind of have had excuses why we haven’t won another championship. I feel that if I don’t say (anything) vocally, that we would have an excuse this year. I don’t want us to have an excuse.”

Pistons are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 Wednesday games.
Road team is 9-3 ATS in the last 12 meetings.
The UNDER is 11-3 in Detroit's last 14 road games.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 83

Celtics (-5.5, O/U 173): Interior scoring was the difference in Game 4, as Boston was finally matched by Detroit in a 94-75 loss. The Celtics and Pistons each scored 24 points inside, and Kevin Garnett must do a better job of drawing double teams to free up the perimeter and get Detroit's big men in foul trouble. Garnett had his worst game of the series with 16 points on 6-of-16 shooting and made it to the free-throw line only four times. Still, teammate Sam Cassell believes his teammate will bounce back at home in Game 5 due to extra motivation. “He’s never played in The Finals,” Cassell said. “He understands it. You’ve got to do it now. You can’t wait because who knows what may happen next year. You’ve got to go after it while it’s in sight.”

Celtics are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 home games.
Celtics are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 Wednesday games.
Celtics are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games overall.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 89

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Hot Lines

NBA
Hot Lines


Wednesday, May 28

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Pick 'n' roll: Today’s NBA picks
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Detroit at Boston (-5 1/2, 173)

You just knew there was no way the Boston Celtics were beating the Pistons in Detroit in Game 4 when Jason Maxiell came out of nowhere to catch up with Kevin Garnett on a fast break and swat his two-handed dunk attempt off the backboard. Now that's Pistons basketball and a play like that can rejuvenate old legs and bring the intensity up a notch.

The 33-year-old Antonio McDyess certainly stepped up, knocking down 21 points and fighting for 16 rebounds in the win.

"Dice has been our best player in the postseason, and we're all feeding off his energy," Chauncey Billups told reporters. "You see how hard he is working, and you can't help but play hard."

Especially when you don't want to head back to Boston down 3-1 in the series. Detroit is now 5-0 following a loss in the playoffs.

Pick: Detroit

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association - Gameday

NBA
Gameday


Wednesday, May 28


Wednesday NBA Playoff Gameday

Ray Allen and the Celtics will be looking to re-take the lead in the Eastern Conference Finals when they host the Pistons on Wednesday night. Here is your Playoff Gameday:

Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics, 8:30pm ET

The Pistons and Celtics have been trading victories in the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals, with both teams finding ways to win at home and on the road. The Pistons managed to win Game 2 in Boston to tie this best-of-seven series at one game apiece, and they also cruised to a 94-75 victory at home in Game 4 on Monday night to lock up the series again at two games apiece.

Antonio McDyess led the way for Detroit on the scoreboard on Monday, pouring in 21 points and grabbing 16 rebounds (both game-highs). Richard Hamilton tossed in 20 points and picked up seven assists in the win, while Rasheed Wallace and Jason Maxiell were both good for 14 points on the night. Chauncey Billups was limited to just 10 points.

For the Celtics, both Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce had a team-high 16 points, with Garnett also contributing 10 rebounds. Allen was held to 11 points in the loss, and Rajon Rondo managed to score just four points. Boston was held under 20 points in three of the four quarters in Monday's loss.

The oddsmakers like Boston's chances of taking a 3-2 lead in this series on Wednesday night, as they were opened as 5.5-point home favorites. The total was opened at 173.

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[pm530]

National Hockey League – Long Sheet

NHL
Long Sheet


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Wednesday, May 28
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DETROIT (68-25-0-7, 143 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (59-31-0-8, 126 pts.) - 5/28/2008, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 4-0 (+4.0 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 4-0-0 straight up against PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
4 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+4.1 Units)

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