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**pm530** · 05-07-2009, 10:30 AM

Daily Sports Roundup

Thursday, May 7

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: Tiger Woods hits the links, LeBron James hits the hardwood, and the Ducks and Canucks look for playoff wins on the ice.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

LeBron James and the Cavaliers will be looking to stomp the Hawks for the second straight time on Thursday night when those teams meet in the lone NBA game on the schedule. The Cavs cruised to a 99-72 home win in the series opener on Tuesday night, getting 34 points and 10 boards from James and 21 points from Mo Williams. Josh Smith had 22 points in the loss for the Hawks, who scored only 28 points in the second half. Mike Bibby had 19 points in the contest.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The Diamondbacks' Dan Haren will take on the Padres' Chris Young on Thursday afternoon in the top pitching matchup on the baseball schedule. Righthander Haren has won each of his last three starts and has given up just seven earned runs over 43 innings this season (for an ERA of 1.47). Righthander Young is coming off a solid outing against the Dodgers in which he gave up one run in seven innings; still, his 2-1 mark and 4.81 ERA need some improvement.

Elsewhere in the National League on Thursday it'll be Atlanta at Florida, Pittsburgh at St. Louis, San Francisco at Colorado, Milwaukee at Cincinnati, the Cubs at Houston, Washington at the Dodgers, and Philadelphia at the Mets. New York probable starter Mike Pelfrey is perfect at 3-0 but has a 6.00 ERA this year.

Over in the American League on Thursday it's Seattle at Kansas City, Texas at Oakland, Minnesota at Baltimore, Tampa Bay at the Yankees, Detroit at the White Sox, Toronto at the Angels, and Cleveland at Boston. Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield held the Indians scoreless on one hit over seven innings on April 27.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Up 2-1 in their best-of-seven second-round series, the Ducks will be at home again on Thursday night to play host to the Red Wings. Anaheim edged Detroit 2-1 in Game 3 on Tuesday, getting goals from Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne in the victory. Jonas Hiller was solid between the pipes again for the Ducks, stopping 45 of 46 Red Wings shots. Henrik Zetterberg had the lone Detroit tally in the defeat, while Chris Osgood gave up two goals on just 23 shots.

The Canucks also hold a 2-1 series lead as they stay on the road on Thursday night for Game 4 of their set with the Blackhawks. Vancouver rolled to a 3-1 win in Game 3 on Tuesday night, with Mason Raymond, Steve Bernier, and Henrik Sedin providing the markers. Roberto Luongo made 23 saves for Vancouver in the win, while Chicago counterpart Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 18 of the 21 shots directed his way. Brian Campbell had the lone Hawks goal in the second period.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

Tiger Woods is the 2/1 Vegas favorite to win this week's PGA Tour stop, The PLAYERS Championship at TPC at Sawgrass. Woods, though, hasn't won this event since 2001. Defending champion Sergio Garcia is farther down the odds list this week at 25/1, while 2007 winner Phil Mickelson is nestled right behind Woods at 8/1. Sean O'Hair, who held off Woods and company to win the Quail Hollow Championship last weekend, is third on the odds chart this week at 8/1. Padraig Harrington and Geoff Ogilvy are both holding down 20/1 odds to grab The PLAYERS Championship win, with Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry both at 25/1.

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**pm530** · 05-07-2009, 10:32 AM

Six-pack for Thursday

-- Rough night for Bronson Arroyo, who faced 12 batters; nine of them scored, as Milwaukee pounded the Reds, 15-3.

-- Dodgers are now 13-0 at home, beating the Nationals 10-3.

-- Johan Santana was terrific in Mets' 1-0 win over Philly-- Chan Ho Park was also excellent for the Phils-- Santana was better.

-- We ripped Carl Pavano last month so in fairness, American Idle beat the Red Sox in Fenway last night, his second straight win.

-- Kansas City Royals are 17-11, Toronto Blue Jays are 20-10, and no, this isn't a flashback to 1985. Two much-improved teams.

-- I am told Citi Field is terrific place to watch a game, but it is also Petco East, as in, the place where fly balls go to die. People who've got Wright-Beltran-Delgado on their fantasy teams must be sick.

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Thursday's List of 13: All Brett. all Favre, all the time.....

You're sick of it, I'm sick of it, but beginning to look like Brett Favre will unretire again and play for the Vikings this season. Hmmm......

13) First thing I would do, if I ran the Vikings, is make sure the right arm attached to Favre's body is healthy; it sure wasn't in December.

12) Favre will be 40 on his next birthday; if you bring him to play on your team, the coach/GM (or both) have to be feeling serious heat to win, and win soon. Not like you're building for the future.

11) Minnesota was 25th out of 32 teams in passing yardage last year, so obviously, a healthy Favre will help them, especially since they've got such a fine running back in Peterson to balance the offense.

10) If you're Sage Rosenfels, and you came to Minnesota to play QB what now? I'm assuming he came to Minnesota to be a starter, but no way does he start if Favre comes in. Have to be trust issues there.

9) Then there's John David Booty, who will likely be cut if Favre is brought in-- he could help another team if he's let go.

8) Do you think the TV people wish they could re-do the schedule for 2009? If they could, we'd see a lot more purple on national TV.

7) Before you ask, Packers come to Minnesota October 5 (Monday night game), then the teams meet at Lambeau Field November 1.

6) I love conspiracy theories, and this is a good one, as to who knew what when, about this Favre comeback-- Minnesota's first game for 2009 is at Cleveland, coached by Eric Mangini, the guy who got fired by the Jets, mainly because Favre played terribly last December.

5) So Mangini gets canned by the Jets, hired by Cleveland, then they make this big trade with the Jets, so New York can draft USC rookie Sanchez to play QB, which frees them up to release Favre, who gets signed by Minnesota, which plays Mangini's team Week 1-- perfect.

4) Before we leave the Jets, they dealt a 3rd-round pick to Green Bay for one year of Favre (terrible trade) now they get nothing for Favre, when Minnesota probably would have given them something, no??? They also better hope Sanchez is good, and good quickly.

3) How much must Favre despise Packer GM Ted Thompson, to go to the Packers' arch-rival, mainly to bust Thompson's balls???

2) If you're a Viking fan, do you want Favre? History suggests that these type things rarely end well. For years, Favre's record on carpet was terrible. We'll see-- look at the other NFC North teams-- their QBs are all young-- Cutler-Stafford-Rodgers. One thing for sure is Minnesota got him for nothing, so he if he is awful, minimal harm.

1) An NFL QB has to be a leader, someone the other 46 guys follow no matter where he leads them. If Favre doesn't want to be a full year leader in an era where the NFL has become an almost-year round job, why would you want him on your team? I'd have to take a pass.

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**pm530** · 05-07-2009, 10:33 AM

Len’s Top Five

Thursday, May 7

Len's Top 5

Happy Thursday everyone, here's my Top 5 for May 7, 2009 from len berman sports.

1. Quick Hits

Lakers and Celtics even their respective playoff series at 1 game apiece.
Dodgers set modern record by going 13-0 at home.
For soccer fans it'll be Barcelona against champion Manchester in the Champions League final May 27th, but you already knew that.
The Player's Championship begins today at Sawgrass in Florida. Watch the best golfers in the world whack the ball into the water on the famed 17th hole island green.
Red Sox announcer Jerry Remy takes a leave of absence as he battles cancer. We're rooting for you Jerry!

2. Your Attention Please

I'm sure you've heard about the brouhaha at the Stadium the other night. Lots of fans claim they were told the Yankees and Red Sox would be rained out so they left the stadium, and when they came back they weren't allowed in. Thems the rules. The rain delay was 2 hours and 17 minutes and there wasn't a single announcement on the p.a. for 2 hours. Kind of like sitting on the runway forever and the captain doesn't say a word. Why would you tell the fans anything? Let them sit there all night buying $11 dollar beers. Here's the sound of a rain delay in baseball. Plop, plop, kaching.

3. You Betcha

8 people, 6 of them University of Toledo athletes have been indicted for point shaving. It involves football and basketball games from 2004 thru 2006. Truth in advertising. I don't bet sports. I think it's nuts to gamble your hard earned money on the vagaries of a bad bounce. And that's if the game is on the level.

4. Bing-O

We're working on quite a starting five. NBA great Dave Bing is the new mayor of Detroit. Three time all star Kevin Johnson is the mayor of Sacramento. Then there's that hoops guy in the White House. The first game I ever announced on the radio at Syracuse in 1965, Bing played. His teammate on the court that night? Jim Boeheim. Now there's a guy who would have no trouble getting elected mayor of Syracuse.

5. The Eyes have (had) it

Scratch one more activity off your bucket list. Residents in the tiny canton of Appenzell Inner Rhodes have banned nude hiking through the Swiss Alps. Damn. They voted by a show of hands. If they had a sense of humor, they might have shown something else.

Today's Birthday: He won pennants in both leagues as a manager. Dick Williams 80.
The late great Tim Russert would have been 59 today.

Today in Sports: Indians fast baller Herb Score is hit in the eye by a line drive off the bat of the Yankees Gil McDougald. 1957.
Bonus Event: "Monday Monday" by the Mamas and the Papas hits #1. 1966.

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**pm530** · 05-07-2009, 10:33 AM

NBA
Dunkel Index

Atlanta at Cleveland
The Hawks are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games as a road underdog of 11 points or more, while the Cavs are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games overall. Cleveland is the pick (-13) according to Dunkel, which has the Cavaliers favored by 15 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-13). Here are all of today's playoff picks.

THURSDAY, MAY 7

Game 715-716: Atlanta at Cleveland
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta 117.485; Cleveland 132.847
Dunkel Line & Total: Cleveland by 15 1/2; 174
Vegas Line & Total: Cleveland by 13; 177 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-13); Under

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**pm530** · 05-07-2009, 10:34 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

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Thursday, May 7
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ATLANTA (51 - 39) at CLEVELAND (71 - 16) - 5/7/2009, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 11-23 ATS (-14.3 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
ATLANTA is 38-61 ATS (-29.1 Units) in road games versus good defensive teams - allowing <=91 points/game since 1996.
ATLANTA is 15-26 ATS (-13.6 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 54-33 ATS (+17.7 Units) in all games this season.
CLEVELAND is 48-27 ATS (+18.3 Units) as a favorite this season.
CLEVELAND is 30-14 ATS (+14.6 Units) in home games this season.
CLEVELAND is 30-14 ATS (+14.6 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders over the last 3 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in home games after allowing 85 points or less this season.
CLEVELAND is 29-16 ATS (+11.4 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
CLEVELAND is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ATLANTA is 48-40 ATS (+4.0 Units) in all games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 6-6 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
CLEVELAND is 9-3 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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**pm530** · 05-07-2009, 10:34 AM

NBA
Short Sheet

Thursday, May 7th

Eastern Conference Playoffs - Round Two
Game Two
Cleveland Leads, 1-0
Atlanta at Cleveland, 8:05 ET

Atlanta:
17-29 ATS Away off SU loss
14-29 ATS Away revenging same season loss

Cleveland:
8-0 ATS off 4 straight wins by 10+ pts
17-1 ATS after leading L3 games by 5+ at the half

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**pm530** · 05-07-2009, 10:35 AM

NBA
Write-up

Thursday, May 7

NBA playoffs

Atlanta is 0-3 in Cleveland this season, 110-96/102-96/99-72. Cavaliers have to guard against being overconfident vs team they held to 28 points in second half of Game 1. Cleveland was +10 in turnovers of first game, had 15 offensive rebounds (Hawks had six). They might want to make Lebron work on defense-- he played 34:19 in Game 1, and didn't commit a foul, at least none were called. Cavs are 5-0 in playoffs, with 11-point win closest game they've had so far. Can Atlanta even compete?

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**pm530** · 05-07-2009, 10:35 AM

NBA

Thursday, May 7

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Trend Sheet
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8:00 PM
ATLANTA vs. CLEVELAND
Atlanta is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games when playing Cleveland
Cleveland is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland's last 6 games when playing Atlanta

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**pm530** · 05-07-2009, 10:36 AM

NBA

Thursday, May 7

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Tips and Trends
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Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers [ESPN | 7:05 PM ET]

Hawks: "They did a great job defensively as far as double teaming and trying to keep the ball out of my hands," Joe Johnson said about Game 1. "I just thought in the second half, we just kind of gave up." Atlanta must do a better job of handling Cleveland's intense defensive pressure or this series could be over quickly. Atlanta coach Mike Woodson felt his squad came out flat in the third quarter, and the Cavs seized the chance to throw a submission hold on the Hawks. The Hawks kept Al Horford out of practice on Wednesday with a sore right ankle. Woodson said that Horford would be a game-time decision for Game 2.

The Hawks are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games as an underdog.
The Under is 6-0 in the Hawks' last 6 games as an underdog.

Key Injuries - C Al Horford (ankle) is QUESTIONABLE.

PROJECTED SCORE: 80

Cavaliers (-13, O/U 177.5): The Cavs held the Hawks to just 28 points - 11 in the fourth quarter - and 30 percent shooting during the second half of their series-opening rout, Cleveland's fifth straight double-digit win in the NBA playoffs. The Cavaliers are allowing just 76.8 points per game in the playoffs. "The coaches got on us," center Zydrunas Ilgauskas said, referring to halftime of Game 1. "They were shooting 56 percent from the field or so, getting some dunks. We came out flat or lackadaisical. The second half was different, we got some stops and they only got one offensive rebound."

The Cavaliers are 9-0 ATS in their last 9 overall.
The Under is 15-4 in the Cavaliers' last 19 Conference Semifinals games.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 97 (Side Play of the Day)

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**pm530** · 05-07-2009, 10:37 AM

NBA

Thursday, May 7

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Pick ‘n’ Roll: NBA best bets
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Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers (-13, 177.5)

Arms flailing, fists pumping, a crazed look behind those designer eyeglasses, Cleveland coach Mike Brown nearly jumped out of his suit.

A few feet away, Cavaliers reserve forward Wally Szczerbiak was sprawled on the Quicken Loans Arena floor after taking a charge against Atlanta's Marvin Williams in the third quarter of Cleveland's 99-72 win over the Hawks on Tuesday night.

Brown wanted to rush out to Szczerbiak, pick him up and maybe plant a kiss on his cheek. Same for LeBron James, who moments earlier let Joe Johnson run him over in the foul lane at full speed, drawing a charge and stopping a 2-on-1 break.

To Brown, those selfless plays are more thrilling than any dunk or length-of-the-court buzzer beater.

"Man, those are exciting plays for me," Brown said, shaking his head and gritting his teeth for effect. "Those guys are sacrificing for the team."

Defense defines Brown. And defense is what drives his clampdown Cavaliers, who held the Hawks to just 28 points - 11 in the fourth quarter - and 30 percent shooting during the second half of their series-opening rout, Cleveland's fifth straight double-digit win in the NBA playoffs.

The Cavaliers are allowing just 76.8 points per game, more than 11 fewer than the next team - Houston (87.9) - still alive in the postseason. Cleveland has been doing it with defense all season. The Cavs were ranked No. 1 in points allowed, the only team to hold opponents to fewer than 92 per game. They also finished second in defensive field-goal percentage and first in defensive 3-point percentage.

On Cleveland's court, the defense never rests. Well, rarely.

Following a nine-day layoff after sweeping Detroit in the first round, the Cavs showed some lapses in the first half of Game 1. With Hawks high-flying forward Josh Smith dominating down low for 17 points and Mike Bibby knocking down four 3-pointers and scoring 14, Atlanta shot 56 percent with 14 assists in the opening 24 minutes and were within 49-44 at halfti

Pick: Under 177.5

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**pm530** · 05-07-2009, 10:38 AM

NHL
Dunkel Index

Detroit at Anaheim
The Ducks come off a 2-1 win in Game Three and look to build on their 8-1 record in their last 9 games after allowing 2 goals or less in the previous game. Anaheim is the pick (+130) according to Dunkel, which has the Ducks favored by 1/2 a goal. Dunkel Pick: Anaheim (+130). Here are all of today's playoff picks.

THURSDAY, MAY 7

Game 25-26: Vancouver at Chicago
Dunkel Ratings: Vancouver 11.788; Chicago 12.192
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 1/2; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago (-165); 5
Dunkel Pick: Chicago (-165); Over

Game 27-28: Detroit at Anaheim
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit 11.451; Anaheim 11.863
Dunkel Line & Total: Anaheim by 1/2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Detroit (-150); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Anaheim (+130); Under

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**pm530** · 05-07-2009, 10:38 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

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Thursday, May 7
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VANCOUVER (51-28-0-10, 112 pts.) at CHICAGO (51-29-0-11, 113 pts.) - 5/7/2009, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 46-41 ATS (+94.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 9-1 ATS (+10.2 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
VANCOUVER is 139-129 ATS (+280.8 Units) in road games second half of the season since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 21-10 ATS (+10.4 Units) in road games after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 20-14 ATS (+34.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
VANCOUVER is 10-5 (+3.0 Units) against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
VANCOUVER is 10-5-0 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
8 of 12 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.7 Units)

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DETROIT (56-22-0-11, 123 pts.) at ANAHEIM (48-35-0-8, 104 pts.) - 5/7/2009, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ANAHEIM is 23-9 ATS (+32.2 Units) when leading in a playoff series since 1996.
ANAHEIM is 82-61 ATS (+8.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 15-12 ATS (+29.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 11-10 (+1.6 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 11-10-0 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
10 of 20 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.3 Units)

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**pm530** · 05-07-2009, 10:39 AM

NHL
Short Sheet

Thursday, May 7th

Western Conference Playoffs - Semifinals
Game Four
Vancouver Leads, 2-1
Vancouver at Chicago, 8:05 ET

Vancouver:
9-1 Away if total is 5 or less
12-4 Away off Away win by 2+ goals

Chicago:
73-93 SU at home playing only their 2nd game in 5 days
2-5 SU at home vs. Vancouver

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Western Conference Playoffs - Semifinals
Game Four
Anaheim Leads, 2-1
Detroit at Anaheim, 10:35 ET

Detroit:
2-6 SU off 1 goal road loss
3-7 SU at Anaheim

Anaheim:
30-19 SU playing their 3rd game in 5 days
23-9 SU when leading in a playoff series

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**pm530** · 05-07-2009, 10:39 AM

NHL
Write-up

Thursday, May 7

NHL Playoffs

Detroit's tying goal with 1:04 left in Game 3 was disallowed by referee's whistle, so Wings are down 2-1 to 8th-seed that has serious momentum. Ducks have been outshot 145-93 so far in series, with Detroit putting 62 shots on goal in Game 2 loss, 46 more in Game 3, but Hiller has stopped most everything. Anaheim won three of its four home playoff games. In series so far, eight of fifteen goals were scored on the power play.

Vancouver is 3-0 on road in playoffs this spring (3-2/3-2/3-1); they have led all three games in Chicago series after first period, but were outshot in all three games (87-69). Canucks is 5-18 on power play in series-- five of their eleven series goals came on power play- Blackhawks are 3-16 on power play. After scoring six third period goals in first two series games, Chicago was held scoreless in third period of Game 3 (10 shots).

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Announcement

Thursday Trends and Indexes 5/7 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Thursday Trends and Indexes 5/7 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

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