2-14-13

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Matt Fargo 9* CBB TV STAR ATTRACTION

St Marys

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Sports Handicapping King

NHL Nashville ML

[Can'tPickAWinner]

DAVID BANKS

February 14, 2013

Miami Heat vs. Oklahoma City Thunder A rematch of the NBA Finals highlights the last NBA on TNT Thursday doubleheader before the All-Star break as the Miami Heat (35-14, 25-24 ATS) pay a visit to the Oklahoma City Thunder (39-13, 31-19-2 ATS) at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma at 8:05 ET. The Thunder are tied with the Heat for the second best home record in the NBA at 23-3, trailing only the San Antonio Spurs. However, the Heat are a perfect 2-0 straight up as underdogs this season, as that is one role that always motivates them, and they have the hottest player on the planet in LeBron James.It is not a stretch of the imagination to say that James is currently riding the best six-game stretch of all time. After all, he has become the first player in NBA history to record six straight games of scoring at least 30 points and shooting at least 60 percent from the field, and on top of that, he has hit on an utterly insane 60 of his last 80 field goal attempts for 75 percent! For the entire season, James is averaging 27.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists, and the last player to average at least 27/8/6 over an entire season was some guy named Jordan for the Bulls in 1998-99. James is also now shooting 56.5 percent for the season, and he has been so good that people are forgetting that the Heat are supposed to be the best "team" in the Eastern Conference. Sure Miami has been lazy at times this season but they are rolling at the moment riding a six-game winning streak coinciding with James putting the team on his back, and the two times that the Heat have been underdogs this season they won outright beating the Nuggets in Denver and the Lakers in Los Angeles.Now the Heat figure to be bigger underdogs in this game than they have all year, as the Thunder may have gotten caught looking ahead to this game when they lost 109-94 at Utah on Tuesday for only their second double-digit loss all season. After all, Oklahoma City has now won seven straight home games while going 7-0 ATS in those games and winning by an average of +22.3 points! They also have arguably the second most dynamic play in the league in Kevin Durant, who is averaging 29.0 points and 7.4 rebounds, and they are ranked ahead of the Heat in field goal percentage allowed (43.0 to 44.0) and in total rebounds per game (42.9 to 38.7), as the Heat are dead last in the league in rebounding. Then there is that little matter of revenge after losing to the Heat in five games in the Finals, something that the Thunder were unable to get in a 103-97 loss at Miami on Christmas Day. So the question now becomes is all of that enough to overcome what James is doing by himself right now? The Heat are 5-0 ATS in their last five games after allowing at least 100 points in their previous game, 5-1 ATS in their last six games vs. the Western Conference and 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games vs. the Northwest Division. The Thunder are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games vs. the Southeast Division.
Pick: OVER 205

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Robert Ferringo
CBB
Hawaii +2.5
Davidson -2.5
San Fran -9.5Montana +7
UMASS +12
USC +9.5
Minn -5
St. Johns +17
UCLA +2.5
Under 139.5 LSU/South Carolina
Teaser: Hawaii +7.5, Iowa -2.5
Teaser: UCLA +17.5, Montana +12

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Brandon Lang:

15 dimes Colorado +2.5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Brian Edwards

Clippers

UMass

[Can'tPickAWinner]

xpertpicks 2/14

ncabb:
St. Mary’s +1 over Gonzaga
Wisconsin +4.5 over Minnesota

nba:
Miami +5 over Oklahoma City
Los Angeles Clippers -3.5 over Los Angeles Lakers

nhl:
Tampa Bay -150 over Washington
Carolina -150 over Toronto

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Betting Line Moves

Added
576 loyola maryland -4 1/2

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Dave Price W/Ratings

7* Oklahoma City -4.5

7* Minnesota -4.5

6* Penn St +8

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Frank Patron


20,000 Unit Move


LA Clippers -3.5 over Lakers

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Scott Spreitzer

NBA Sides Thu, 02/14/13 - 8:05 PM

triple-dime bet 502 OKL -4.5 (-110) vs 501 MIA
Analysis: I'm laying the points with the Thunder on Thursday night.
Motivation! That's one key word in this one. But it's not the only reason I'm laying the points. I believe OKC, off the SU loss to Utah last time out, is the better team in tonight's situation and they have history on its side. The Thunder enter Thursday on a phenomenal 70-34-1 ATS run off a SU loss. And yes, Miami beat this team in the NBA Finals last summer and again on Christmas day. And yes, Lebron James is on a record-setting "heater." While I won't diminish that too much, the bottom line is that his red-hot offensive run has come against the NBA's version of the "sisters of the poor," well, at least on the defensive end of the floor. Lebron and the Heat did this against a Portland team that ranks 27th in defensive FG percentage. They did it aganist the Lakers who rank 23rd in ppg allowed and against the Clippers, who were horrible without Chris Paul who was playing in his first game since the injury. The Clippers, by the way are 25th in 3-point defense & Lebron went 4-for-5 from behind the arc. The other three games were against Houston (29th in ppg allowed), Charlotte (27th in ppg allowed), and Toronto (22nd in FG percentage defense). Now Miami goes on the road, the game before the break and faces arguably the most talented team in the NBA. OKC is the league's top scoring team, averaging over 106 ppg, but they're also strong on defense where they rank 2nd in FG percentage allowed, holding the opposition to 43% shooting. Besides the 70-34-1 ATS run mentioned above, the Thunder are on a 9-1 ATS run off an upset loss as a favorite, outscoring those 10 teams by an average score of 109-94. And OKC is on a 4-0 ATS run off a SU double-digit loss. I'm backing Oklahoma City, minus the points

[Can'tPickAWinner]

jack jones
20* Heat/Thunder TNT Thursday No-Brainer on Oklahoma City -4
15* ACC GAME OF THE NIGHT on Georgia Tech -2.5
15* Atlantic 10 GAME OF THE NIGHT on UMass +12.5
15* Pac-12 GAME OF THE NIGHT on Colorado +2.5
Jack's Free Pick Thursday: Los Angeles Lakers +3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Robert Ferringo's Picks For NHL Hockey

2-Unit Pick Take Under (5.5) Washington at Tampa Bay (7:35 pm, Thursday, February 14)
The Washington Capitols have change systems with new head coach Adam Oates becoming a more offensive hockey club with the Capitols breaking out for eleven goals in the last two games. Washington defense has suffered highlighted by allowing Florida to score five goals in that last game, the team did however did focus on defense in practice on Wednesday. Tampa Bay offense has struggled lately after scoring three goals in freakish way in the third period against Montreal on Tuesday were in a big time draught scoring just six goals in the previous four games after starting the season with 37 goals while winning six of their first seven games. The Lighting have struggled in their own end too allowing thirteen goals in their last three games that prompted a interesting trade from Tampa Bay General manager Steve Yzerman swapping young goalies with Montreal explaining the move by adding a better quality goalie to have in the event of injury or call up, basically saying his two goalies better play better. With a focus on defense from the Caps along with the struggles of Tampa Bay offense and the pressure for the goalies to play better going under here at very generous plus money is value.

1-Unit Pick Take Over (5.5) Toronto at Carolina (7pm, Thursday, February 14)

Both these teams are built on offense that has shown recently in their past few games with Carolina scoring 13 goals over their past three games while Toronto has netted 14 goals during that same span. Toronto has lost their starting goaltender and two defenseman to a already thin defense. These two teams played in a 4-1 Carolina win in Toronto on February 4th with both combining for 81 shots in that game that somehow stayed under the closing total of 5.5. We might not so that high of a shot total but I don't see that much of a drop off, I think this one gets over the total tonight.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Indian Cowboy's Picks For College Basketball


Solid 4-1 Day for us Yesterday. Back to Back Winning Days, with a 4-1 Day and then a 2-1 day before, 6-2 overall Current Run.
5-Unit Play. #512. Take Minnesota -5 over Wisconsin (Thursday @ 7pm est).
3-Unit Play. #601 Take Weber State -7 over Montana (Thursday @ 9pm est)

3-Unit Play. #537 Take Cal State Northridge +8 over Pacific (Thursday @ 10pm est)

3-Unit Play. #549 Take Hawaii +2.5 over UC Davis (Thursday @ 10pm est)
This is a huge game for Minnesota. After losing to Illinois in a game they never should have lost in a terrible display, they are in need of a quality win. It is no surprise that this team is taking a lot of heat from all corners as they are 5-6 in conference play currently having lost to Michigan State and Illinois back to back games. This team lost to Wisconsin earlier this year on the road 45-44 and they will look to avenge that loss. Minnesota has consistently played the dog tag well and although they are favorites today, they have a top 25 team coming in who they desperately need a win against so the fact they are not ranked and need a win at home sub .500 with their backs against the wall makes them a dog tag here. Wisconsin comes off a monster win against Michigan at home and has produced a Big 10 Record of 8-3 this year but with so much need for Minnesota to win this game, the fact that Wisconsin can have a let down here such as the loss to Iowa after the big win against Indiana, don't be surprised to see Minnesota really step up and win this game. Weber State has 2 losses this year and they are to Montana State and Montana and they will look to avenge one of those losses at home. Sure, Montana is a perfect 14-0 in conference play but what if I told you Montana has not played anyone inside the top 100 on the road? The toughest game on the road this year this team has faced was against San Francisco to which they lost by 10 points who is a top 125 team. Don't be surprised to see Weber State get up for this game in a big way and pull of this contest with a win and cover. Am I absolutely in love with this play? No. But, its a play that we can have that makes sense for a couple of reasons. For starters, Boby Braswell's team was 7-21 last year and are 13-12 this year. They lost to Pacific 74-62 at home and now have revenge against them going on the road. Pacific comes off back to back road losses which I do not like but with the need of State to be motivated for this game given that they are 4-9 in conference play and come off a loss themselves to Long Beach State has them motivated. This is a squad that is 4-9 in conference play but all 4 conference wins come since January 24th and 3 of them were road conference wins of late. I like State's scrappy play they are still a top 125 turnover percentage team and rank in the tops in the country in offensive rebounding which is not a strength for Pacific so that works to their favor today. Let's roll with State with revenge here. Bottom line with this selection is the fact that Hawaii is the better team, getting points, with revenge against Davis. Hawaii lost to Davis by 11 earlier this year at home and they will be looking for some payback here on the road. This team is 9-4 in conference play and if this team has road wins against Fullerton and Santa Barbara, its not for us to imagine to have a good effort here against a team who they have revenge against. Davis is led by two sophomores where as Hawaii is led by a Senior and Junior and don't be surprised if Hawaii is a very focused team this evening looking to get revenge. The Warriors are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games and Davis is 9-24 ATS in their last 33 home games.
Indian Cowboy's Picks For NBA Basketball
5-Unit Play. #502. Take Oklahoma City -5 over Miami (Tuesday @ 8:05pm est).

The Thunder are going to be up for this game given their earlier season loss to the Heat. It was a game in which they lost 103-97 and now look for revenge just before the all-star break. The NBA loves drama and what better drama than to have 2 teams who many consider the favorites to win the championship to split the season series. It just makes sense. Rather than Miami sweep OKC in an almost anti-climatic fashion, as we head into the break, we see the drama unfold of series tied at 1-1 with fans wanting a possible rematch. Plus, if you noticed, the Thunder lost their last game to the Jazz looking ahead to this game so undoubtedly they will be motivated to play well as they bounce-back. The Thunder are one of the best bounce-back teams in the league coming off a loss as dating back and counting, they are 10-1 ATS this year coming off that loss. Let's roll with OKC at home to bounce-back from their last loss, with revenge and for the NBA to create some drama which they will enjoy more than a Miami run-through of the league with the visibility that no one can contest them.
Indian Cowboy's Picks For NHL Hockey
That is now Back to Back Winning Days, 3-0 Run, 6-2 Run (+$1300) as we are picking up steam in hockey. Let's keep rolling today to have Back to Back Winning Months similar to our winning month in January.

3-Unit Play. #9 Phoenix vs. Nashville Under 5 Goals (Thursday @ 8:05 pm est)
In the Music City the Preds have a smart front office and Barry Trotz is one of the NHL's best coaches. HC Barry Trotz is a defensive guy and his defense is headed by 2011 Vezina finalist 6-foot-5 Finn Goaltender Pekka Rinne. The Nashville goalie has the impressive, shot-blocking fortress of defenders in front of him. The Barry Trotz system (the only one ever employed by the franchise in its 15 years of existence) is so well-ingrained that the Preds can play it with their eyes closed, mucking up action at mid-ice and taking advantages of opportunities as they present themselves (which contributed to allowing more shots than attempted last season not characteristic of a playoff team). His teams play sound defense, get good goaltending and are opportunistic offensively. Phoenix's HC Dave Tippett is very disciplined in how he approaches the game. They place their emphasis on disciplined positioning and counterattacking to win games. The players apply the game plan and are rarely in the wrong spots. These Coyotes produced the most successful season in franchise history, having captured the first division title in the franchise's (32) year NHL history. The Coyotes won a playoff series for the first time since moving to the desert in 1996 and doubled the organization's series win total before losing to the eventual champs, the Los Angeles Kings, in the Western Conference Finals. Goaltender Mike Smith proved one of the best signings by giving the Coyotes a near-Vezina Trophy finalist performance last season. This game is all about the ?Men between the Pipes?. The Under is (11-3-2) in the last (16) meetings in Nashville, (18-5-3) in Predators last (26) overall and (9-3-2) in Coyotes last (14) road games.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

jack jones
20* Heat/Thunder TNT Thursday No-Brainer on Oklahoma City -4
15* ACC GAME OF THE NIGHT on Georgia Tech -2.5
15* Atlantic 10 GAME OF THE NIGHT on UMass +12.5
15* Pac-12 GAME OF THE NIGHT on Colorado +2.5
Jack's Free Pick Thursday: Los Angeles Lakers +3