Announcement

**StarDust Bum** · 04-27-2010, 12:29 PM

Duel in the Desert –Game 7

Oddsmakers had to be tempted to put Detroit as -300 home favorites for Game 6 after they beat the Coyotes Friday night in Glendale. Phoenix had fought the good fight, gotten back into the postseason with the franchise under a cloud of uncertainty, but were going to fall ultimately to the Red Wings, who’ve made six trips to the Stanley Cups finals in the last 14 years, taking home the trophy four times.

Oddsmakers couldn’t go overboard however, since they had Detroit as -200 and -230 money line favorites in Game 3 and 4 in Motown, thus opened them safely as -210 choice and let the public decide what they wanted. Besides the last thing any sportsbook wanted was more huge payouts on hockey after Washington and Pittsburgh had lost as -300 plus favorites this past week.

Only a small issue came up, Phoenix rose from the ashes thanks to an unlikely source, the power play.

The Coyotes were 28th during the regular season in man advantage goal situations at 14.7 percent and after a good start, were on 0-19 drought against Detroit.

But this is aberrant Phoenix squad. Understand that veteran Mathieu Schneider, who wasn't even playing in the NHL when the Coyotes acquired him at the trade deadline, but due to injuries, Schneider was forced into action and he scored one of the three power play goals the Yotes tallied in 5-2 incomprehensible upset.

Phoenix is 11-2 after a three goal or more margin of victory and looks forward to Tuesday night before the home fans. “Any time you can play in a Game 7, it’s a game you’ll remember,” Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said.

Detroit’s mood is more somber, but knows they have won two games in the road playoff sweaters. “They won the special teams battle,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. “That sucked the life out of our team.”

The Red Wings are 19-4 after allowing five goals or more over the last two seasons and their rookie netminder is coming off increasing scrutiny. Thou brilliant at times, Jimmy Howard has been beaten for four or more goals three times in this series.

“No, I’m not concerned about him at all,” Babcock said when asked about Howard between the pipes. “We’re real comfortable with Howie. You can’t win Game 7 until you get there.”

Howard was defiant about his play and felt his team missed other scoring chances in last contest. “They got lucky,” Howard said. “We hit a couple posts.” Nevertheless, he has a lot of weight on his shoulders for this proud franchise and it is now a one-shot deal for this perennial playoff giant.

The dichotomy of this Game 7 couldn’t be any more striking.
Phoenix last was in the playoffs eight years ago and hasn’t won a playoff series since arriving in the desert, last advancing to next round as the Winnipeg Jets in 1987. Detroit is the two-time Western Conference champions and has the longest continuous postseason streak (19 years taking away the strike season) of all the major sports.

Bookmaker.com has the Wings as -120 money line favorites with total Ov5. They are only 7-13 revenging a loss as a home favorite this campaign and 24-15 UNDER after playing in their own rink. Phoenix fittingly has been an underdog in every game in this series and is 18-6 after lighting the lamp four or more times and is 17-3 UNDER after a two or more goal triumph.

Detroit has won 10 of previous 13 meetings in Arizona but hasn’t been faced with a Game 7 on the road in the first round of the postseason in 19 years, when they lost at St. Louis. In fact, the last time the Wings won opening round deciding contest was back in the days of the Original Six, stopping Chicago in 1964.

The VERSUS Network and TSN have this desert duel at 9:00 Eastern.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-27-2010, 03:34 PM

NBA heavyweights look to flex muscles

Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers earned the top seeds in their respective conferences this season. One team has played deserving of that honor, the other, not so much. Both will hit the hardwood with the same goal in mind, thrusting their will on opponent to either finish them off or to gain the upper hand.

Lake Show in trouble of being cancelled

The Lakers players were telling anyone that would listen their late season doldrums were nothing to be concerned with, once the playoffs began it would be “go” time and they would take care of business.

Oddsmakers weren’t fooled and neither was the public. Los Angeles has a team of mostly self-satisfied players this year, not willing to do what it takes to be great and their visible weakness cannot be masked without all-out effort.

On the season the Lakers shot 45.6 percent from the field, they have not touched that figure once in the playoffs. Oklahoma City is receiving a great of credit for how they are playing defense against the triangle offense, but the fact is the Lakers players are being outworked in trying to run their offense and if say Lamar Odom doesn’t get open on the first option for him to receive the ball, he essentially takes himself out of the play or settles for three-point which is not his specialty.

Odom isn’t the only player with this general indifference, there are many others. It is of little surprise L.A. is 13-25 ATS second half of the season watching this kind of effort.

Kobe Bryant is playing a curious role in this series. Undoubtedly he is more injured that what most know. Other than Game 2 when he scored 39 points with his father in the stands, he at times is not even looking to being offensively assertive and is either trying to get the ball to teammates for them to become more aggressive or he is trying to prove a point by saying “you are either with me or against me” and is disgusted with their lack of performance and is being indignant.

When this has happened in the past Kobe always has an answer, just like this time.

“(Oklahoma City) is a young team that plays hard, that’s playing with house money, so they go in there and let it all hang out,” Bryant said. “It’s a series, it’s a challenge. It’s how playoff basketball should be.” We’ll see he and the Lakers really feel about their situation and are 13-3 ATS after a loss by 15 points or more.

Bookmaker.com has the Lakers as six-point home favorites with total of 193.5. Los Angeles has won 17 straight games when the series is tied at 2-2 and are 17-5 ATS when tied in a playoff series at any juncture. The Thunder will try to use its growing confidence to pull the upset and have spotted the flaws in Los Angeles and will look to attack once again and are 19-9 ATS as a road underdog this season, losing by less than a point a game (0.9).

This is the late 10:30E conflict on TNT and the Lakers are 11-0 UNDER as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points over the last two seasons.

The end is near

The confidence which the Cleveland Cavaliers play with is flabbergasting. For three quarters of Game 3, Chicago took the action to Cleveland, holding a double digit lead most of the time. The Bulls were the aggressor and it appeared Cavs players were satisfied with their less than full effort. In the four quarter the Cavs came storming back with LeBron James taking over the offense and his teammates knocking down three-pointers, finally succumbing by just two points 108-106, as Chicago made their free throws late.

The most stunning aspect of the close of that contest was the reaction of James and his teammates, not long faces from losing a game they should have won by playing all 48 minutes, but they were smiling, with a almost maniacal grin of “Oh man, we almost got’em, we’ll take care of this later”.

There were no smiles before Game 4 as King James led a tyrant army of mercenaries into the United Center and blew away their Windy City counterparts by 22. Cleveland returns home to end the series and is 18-6 ATS after a blowout win by 20 points or more.

Cleveland is starting to reap the rewards for trading for Antawn Jamison, who scored 24 points in Game 2. Jamison is highly respected around the league and didn’t come to Cleveland to improve his legacy, but rather to get a championship ring. At 33, Jamison is sensing his basketball mortality.

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime,” he said. “I don’t have another five or 10 years left in this body. The sense of urgency is there, not only with myself but with the rest of these guys. That’s why I think it’s a great fit because we all have the same mentality. We are all trying to accomplish the same thing—right now. We’re not trying to wait until next year or the year after that.” The Cavs have covered 42 of their previous 66 playoff games.

Chicago is also sensing their mortality, about this season. Star guard Derrick Rose missed practice Monday to undergo an MRI on his right ankle and forward Luol Deng sat out with a sore knee and calf. The Bulls are once again a dozen points underdog and hope to hit enough shots to improve on 19-10 ATS record revenging a same season loss.

The Cavaliers will look to polish this series off and most likely face Boston and are 17-7 UNDER after winning by 20 or more points, with average margin of victory 13.9 points for this 8:00E TNT broadcast.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-27-2010, 04:56 PM

Orioles fly home to face Yankees

The Baltimore Orioles cannot make or catch break. They return home off a withering 2-8 road trip and all that awaits them is the Yankees and Boston. The Orioles have dropped their first six home games for the first time since beginning 0-8 at Memorial Stadium during their record 0-21 start in 1988. Next is facing a pitcher off a possible no-no.

The New York Yankees are getting excellent results from Phil Hughes. After flirting with a no-hitter his last time out, Hughes returns to the mound Tuesday night with the Yankees hoping to keep the Baltimore Orioles winless at home.

Hughes (2-0, 2.19 ERA, 0.892 WHIP) did not make his 2010 debut until April 15 since New York (12-6, +4.2 units) did not need a fifth starter to that point. He turned in a solid five-inning effort to beat the Angels that night and was simply brilliant in his next outing.

The right-hander took a no-hitter into the eighth inning Wednesday in a 3-1 victory at Oakland before Eric Chavez bounced a hard comebacker off the pitcher’s forearm and chest for the only hit off Hughes. Chavez scored the lone run against Hughes, who struck out a career-high 10 and retired 20 straight batters before the hit. “Yeah, frustrated,” Hughes said.
“It’s so hard to do, to throw a no-hitter. You don’t get many opportunities to do it.”

Hughes will try to reverse his poor history at Camden Yards, where he’s 0-2 with a 16.71 ERA in two starts. The Orioles’ Nick Markakis (6 for 14), Adam Jones (4 for 8) and Luke Scott (4 for 7) all have given him trouble.

Markakis has eight hits in his last four games to raise his average 60 points to .282, but Jones (.212) and Scott (.207) are still struggling. Those woes are a major reason why Baltimore (3-16, -12.7) has one of the worst offenses in baseball with 62 runs and they are 1-12 playing under the lights.

Baltimore, however, avoided a three-game sweep Sunday with a 7-6, 10-inning win at Boston. Rhyne Hughes singled in the go-ahead run in the 10th and Matt Wieters followed with a two-run single for the Orioles, who lost two one-run games to start the series.

“Heartbreak does not do justice to what’s gone on here,” manager Dave Trembley said. “Guys have come right back the next day and given everything they have.”

That series in Boston began a 12-game stretch against the Red Sox and Yankees. Baltimore went 5-13 versus New York in 2009. “It continues to be challenging, but you always look forward to playing at home,” Trembley said. “We need to win at home. We haven’t won one yet, so it’d be nice to get that one out of the way on Tuesday.” The O’s are 48-108 against AL East opponents over the last three seasons.

Kevin Millwood (0-3, 3.38, 1.237) has pitched fairly well for Baltimore despite losing his last three starts entering his outing Tuesday. Millwood threw a six-hitter for the Orioles’ first complete game of the season Wednesday in a 4-1 loss at Seattle.

The veteran right-hander is 2-4 with a 4.86 ERA in nine career starts against the Yankees. Alex Rodriguez (.429), Nick Swisher (.345) and Derek Jeter (.320) have had success facing Millwood, who is 28-38 (-20.4 Units) against the money line in April games in his career. (Team's Record)

The Yankees lost a series for the first time over the weekend, dropping two of three on the road to the Angels after an 8-4 loss Sunday; however Bookmaker.com has them as -165 ML favorites with total of nine. New York is 22-5 and 18-8 OVER after six or more road games since last year. Baltimore has one victory in 13 tries when the total is between 8.5 to 10 and is 8-3 UNDER after they have allowed five or more runs.

This AL East encounter has 7:05 Eastern start on MASN and MLB-TV.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-27-2010, 05:09 PM

Tuesday, April 27Game Score Status Pick Amount

Miami - 7:00 PM ET Boston -7 500 *****
Boston - Over 188 500 *****

**StarDust Bum** · 04-27-2010, 06:55 PM

Tuesday's Tips

Bettors are loving life Tuesday with four games on tap in the NBA Playoffs. Are the Lakers in trouble? Might the Thunder be able to pull a Golden State (over Dallas) circa 2007 or a Denver (over Seattle) circa ’94? We’ll have a better idea after Game 5, which is one of the four games on the card.

**Heat at Celtics**

--With its season on the line Sunday, Dwyane Wade carried Miami (48-38 straight up, 43-42-1 against the spread) to a 101-92 victory by exploding for a game-high 48 points. The Heat took the money as a 1 ½-point favorite in Game 4 in South Florida. Quentin Richardson added 20 points, seven rebounds and three steals, draining 4-of-6 attempts from 3-point range. Michael Beasley finished with 15 points, while veteran Udonis Haslem pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds.

--Trailing the series 3-1, Miami returns to Beantown with hopes of becoming the first team in NBA postseason history to recover from a 0-3 deficit to win a seven-game series. For Game 5, Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Boston as a 4 ½-point favorite with a total of 187 ½. As of early this morning, most spots had the Celtics favored by six with a total of 188. The Heat are plus-250 to win outright (risk $100 to win $250).

--Boston (53-33 SU, 36-48-2 ATS) rallied from a 14-point deficit in the third quarter of Game 1 to win an 85-76 decision over the Heat. Then in Game 2, the Celtics stroked Miami 106-77 despite the one-game suspension of Kevin Garnett. In Game 3, Paul Pierce buried a game-winning jumper to beat the buzzer and give the C’s a 100-98 triumph for a 3-0 series advantage.

--Doc Rivers’ squad has been mediocre at home all year, going 26-17 SU and 14-28-1 ATS. Meanwhile, the Heat has a 23-20 SU record and a 24-19 ATS ledger on the road.

--The ‘over’ is 44-41-1 overall for the Celtics, 23-19-1 in their home outings.

--The ‘under’ is 46-38-2 overall for Miami, 24-17-2 in its road assignments.

--The ‘over’ is 8-2 in the last 10 head-to-head meetings between these Eastern Conference rivals.

--Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Eastern on SunSports and Comcast New England.

**Bulls at Cavaliers**

--LVSC opened Cleveland (64-22 SU, 40-45-1 ATS) as an 11-point ‘chalk’ with a total of 195 ½. As of early this morning, most books had the Cavs at 12 with the total up to 199 ½. The Bulls have generous 14/1 odds to win outright.

--Chicago (42-44 SU, 44-40-2 ATS) captured a 108-106 victory at home Thursday to pull to within 2-1 in this first-round showdown with the Eastern Conference’s top seed. Derrick Rose was the catalyst with 31 points and seven assists without a turnover. Kirk Hinrich added 27 points, five rebounds and five assists compared to just one turnover, while Joakim Noah produced 10 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and a pair of blocked shots.

--With the Bulls looking to pull even Sunday, Mike Brown’s team responded in resounding fashion. After falling behind by a 14-10 count early, the Cavs took control and cruised to a 121-98 win as 5 ½-point road favorites. LeBron James was nothing short of sensational, registering a triple-double with 37 points, 12 boards and 11 assists. Antawn Jamison chipped in with 24 points and seven boards, while Mo Williams added 19 points.

--Chicago’s Derrick Rose and Luol Deng are both expected to play in Game 5, but neither player will be at 100 percent. Rose had an MRI on his ankle Monday, while Deng missed practice with a sore right knee and calf. Deng missed 11 straight games late in the regular season with a calf injury.

--The Bulls, who are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 road outings, are 23-20 ATS on the road this season. Cleveland is 37-6 SU but just 17-26 versus the number at home in QuickenLoans Arena.

--The ‘over’ is 42-41-3 overall for the Cavs, 21-21-1 in their home games.

--The ‘under’ has been a money maker in Chicago games, cashing at a 48-37-1 overall clip and a 25-17-1 rate in its road assignments.

--Tip-off is slated for 8:05 p.m. Eastern on TNT.

**Spurs at Mavericks**

--Dallas (56-30 SU, 38-46-2 ATS) is surprisingly facing elimination when it returns home Tuesday for Game 5. The Spurs have won three straight in this series following Sunday night’s nail-biting victory.

--San Antonio (53-33 SU, 46-38-2 ATS) was hearing its obituary read after a 100-94 loss at Dallas in Game 1. I guess we can accurately say that its demise was greatly exaggerated. The Spurs have responded with wins in Games 2, 3 and 4 by the following scores: 102-88, 94-90 and 92-89.

--George Hill led the way for the Spurs in Game 4, pacing five double-digit scorers with a game-high 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field. Manu Ginobli finished with 17 points, seven assists and four steals, while Richard Jefferson added 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting.

--Most spots are listing Dallas as a five-point favorite with a total of 193. Bettors can back the Spurs to win outright for a plus-200 payout (risk $100 to win $200).

--Dirk Nowitzki had 17 points and 11 rebounds in the Game 4 loss. He made 4-of-10 attempts from the field and all of his free throws. Nowitzki is averaging 28.0 points per game in the series, including a 35-point effort in a Game 3 defeat.

--The ‘over’ is 43-42-1 overall for the Mavs, 22-20-1 in their home outings.

--The ‘under’ is 46-37-3 overall for the Spurs, 27-14-2 in their road games.

--The ‘under’ is 6-1-1 in the last eight head-to-head meetings between these Western Conference adversaries.

--NBA-TV will have television coverage at 9:35 p.m. ET.

**Thunder at Lakers**

--LVSC opened Los Angeles (59-27 SU, 34-39-3 ATS) as a 5 ½-point favorite with a total of 196. As of early this morning, most books had the Lakers as six-point ‘chalk’ with the total reduced to 194. Gamblers can take the Thunder on the money line for a plus-250 return (risk $100 to win $250).

--Oklahoma City (52-34 SU, 51-35 ATS) bounced back from a pair of losses at L.A. to win Games 3 and 4 back at home. The Thunder prevailed by a 101-96 count as a 3 ½-point favorite in Thursday’s Game 3. Then on Saturday in OKC, the Thunder rolled to a 110-89 triumph as a one-point home ‘chalk.’

--Kevin Durant scored a team-high 22 points in Game 4. Russell Westbrook added 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists without committing a turnover. Jeff Green and James Harden had 15 points apiece.

--Kobe Bryant didn’t take a shot in the first quarter of the Game 4 loss. His first attempt didn’t come until several minutes into the second quarter. Bryant finished with 12 points, four assists, three rebounds and three turnovers of a ho-hum effort. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol shared team-high honors with 13 points apiece. After the game, Bryant offered up this inexplicable explanation for his lack of aggressiveness on offense: "I was managing the game exactly how I wanted to." Oh, ok. Bryant, notorious for being one of the most shot-happy player sin league history, who had 29 attempts while he often played one-on-five in a Game 3 loss, was 'managing' the game. Whatever, you loser. As I've maintained forever, Bryant is the biggest nightmare teammate in NBA history.

--Phil Jackson’s team is mired in a 1-6 ATS slide in its last seven games. For the season, the Lakers are 36-7 SU and 17-24-2 ATS at home.

--OKC owns a 23-20 SU record on the road, but the Thunder has been more dynamic on the road for our purposes with a 27-16 ATS mark.

--The ‘under’ is 48-37-1 overall for the Lakers, 25-17-1 in their road games.

--The ‘over’ is 45-38-3 overall for the Thunder, 24-18-1 in its road outings.

--TNT will have the telecast at 10:30 p.m. ET.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--Milwaukee pulled even with Atlanta by winning last night's Game 4 by a 111-104 score as a two-point home underdog. Brandon Jennings and Carlos Delfino scored 22 points apiece for the Bucks, who will return to Philips Arena as underdogs for Wednesday's Game 5.

--Orlando completed a four-game sweep of the Bobcats by winning 99-90 last night at Charlotte. The Magic will now get plenty of rest and await the Atlanta-Milwaukee winner.

--Facing elimination back home at Pepsi Center on Wednesday, Denver is listed as a 6 ½-point favorite vs. Utah for Wednesday’s Game 5.

--Following Denver’s Game 4 loss Sunday at Utah, J.R. Smith tweeted the following gem: You play selfish you lose selfish that’s all I’m saying about the game! Might Smith, notorious for never encountering a shot he didn’t like, be pointing fingers at Carmelo Anthony with the ‘selfish’ remark? ‘Melo had 39 points on 13-of-26 shooting, but he did commit nine turnovers. Smith was 3-for-11 from the field, 1-of-4 from beyond the arc.

--Why did Utah cast off rookie guard Eric Maynor so quickly? The VCU product had 13 points for OKC in Game 4 against the Lakers. Maynor, who burst on the scene by beating Duke as a sophomore with a game-winning bucket during the 2008 NCAA Tournament, connected on 3-of-5 shots from the floor and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe.

**StarDust Bum** · 04-27-2010, 06:58 PM

Diamond Trends - Tuesday

Indians at Angels – The Indians are 0-7 since May 16, 2009 as a 140+ dog when they won the last two games their starter started for a net profit of $700 when playing against. The Angels are 5-0 since July 22, 2009 when Joe Saunders starts after the team won their last two games for a net profit of $535.

Reds at Astros – The Reds are 0-8 since May 06, 2009 vs a team that has won at least their last three games and it is the first game of a series for a net profit of $815 when playing against. The Reds are 0-5 since June 21, 2009 when Aaron Harang starts within 20 cents of pickem for a net profit of $515 when playing against. The Astros are 6-0 since July 06, 2009 at home after a 5+ run win for a net profit of $600.

Red Sox at Blue Jays – The Red Sox are 5-0 since August 19, 2009 when Clay Buchholz starts on the road for a net profit of $550. The Red Sox are 0-7 since May 22, 2009 within 20 cents of pickem vs a team that has lost at least their last three games for a net profit of $715 when playing against..

Pirates at Brewers – The Pirates are 0-7 since June 09, 2009 after a loss in which they had more than ten team-left-on-base for a net profit of $725 when playing against. The Brewers are 7-0 since September 12, 2009 after a win in which they left 18+ men on base and it is not the first game of a series for a net profit of $880.

Braves at Cardinals – The Braves are 5-0 since August 29, 2009 when Derek Lowe starts on the road for a net profit of $585. The Cardinals are 0-4 since August 27, 2009 when Chris Carpenter starts after winning as a home favorite in his last start for a net profit of $630 when playing against. The Cardinals are 8-0 since May 23, 2009 as a home 140+ favorite after a win in which they had fewer team-left-on-base than their opponent for a net profit of $800.

Nationals at Cubs – The Nationals are 0-7 since June 23, 2009 when their starter went at least eight innings in his last start after a loss for a net profit of $710 when playing against.

Phillies at Giants – The Phillies are 0-6 since May 01, 2009 within 20 cents of pickem after a loss in which they left 18+ men on base for a net profit of $610 when playing against.

Padres at Marlins – The Padres are 7-0 since July 18, 2009 after a loss in which they left fewer than 10 men on base and it is not the first game of a series for a net profit of $870. The Marlins are 9-0 since August 21, 2006 when Anibal Sanchez starts at home vs a team that has averaged 7+ strikeouts per game for a net profit of $900.

Yankees at Orioles – The Orioles are 0-7 since May 10, 2009 as a home 140+ dog when they blew a lead in their starter's last start and lost for a net profit of $700 when playing against.

White Sox at Rangers – The White Sox are 0-6 since July 12, 2009 when Mark Buehrle starts as a dog vs a team that has hit more grounders than fly balls season-to-date for a net profit of $600 when playing against. The White Sox are 0-6 since June 08, 2009 within 20 cents of pickem after a win in which their starter pitched at least 8 innings for a net profit of $600 when playing against.

Athletics at Rays – The Athletics are 0-6 since May 18, 2009 as a dog vs a team that has won at least their last two games and it is the first game of a series for a net profit of $600 when playing against.

Diamondbacks at Rockies – The Diamondbacks are 0-6 since May 03, 2009 as a road dog when they are off a win in which they never trailed and it is not the first game of a series for a net profit of $600 when playing against. The Rockies are 9-0 since May 06, 2009 when Ubaldo Jimenez starts as a home 140+ favorite after a quality start for a net profit of $900. The Rockies are 8-0 since May 06, 2009 as a 140+ favorite when they scored two or fewer runs for their starter in his last start for a net profit of $800

Mariners at Royals – The Mariners are 0-7 since May 07, 2009 as a road dog after a loss in which their opponent left 18+ men on base and it is not the first game of a series for a net profit of $700 when playing against.

Twins at Tigers – The Tigers are 6-0 since July 29, 2009 when Justin Verlander starts within 20 cents of pickem for a net profit of $625. The Tigers are 7-0 since April 27, 2009 at home within 20 cents of pickem and it is the first game of the series for a net profit of $750

Announcement

The Bum's Tuesday's Best Bets MLB-NHL-NBA !

The Bum's Tuesday's Best Bets MLB-NHL-NBA !

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment