4-25-09

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 4-25-09

SquaresWanted

Sharp - Ivan LaFlare

Sport Picks for Saturday, April 25, 2009

LA Lakers vs Utah Jazz
10-Stacks Lakers (-4.5)
@ 5Dimes

Game 4 between the Lakers and the Jazz takes place tonight in Utah. Thursday night the Jazz stole the game away from the Lakers to force at least a game 5. Deron Williams last minute shoot saved a what might have been a sweep of the 8th seed Jazz. But tonight will be a different story. The Lakers will win a game in Utah. LA has played well going 29-12 on the road this season. Utah is a brutal enviroment, but nothing this ultra talented Laker team shouldn't handle. If you forgot, the Lakers broke the Cavs home winning streak handing them there first loss at home this season. Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant are on the same page. They have opportunity knocking at the door, and she wants to deliver an NBA Championship. Look for LAs bigs to play a major role tonight. Utah's Center Okur is not 100 percent and they will have trouble stopping Bynum and Gasol down low. Bynum was held back by foul problems in Game 3. He and Gasol will be the difference maker tonight as I predict they will go for about 30 points and 25 rebounds combined tonight. This is just too much of an inside presence. Kobe has matured and will let the big guys establish the inside early. The Jazz used all they had to beat the Laker in game 3. The gas tank is running on E. The home crowd will get the Jazz through the first 2 quarter but the Kobe Show will be seen in the 2nd half. The Lakers will win big tonight. Absolutely 0% Chance this series gets

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 4-25-09

ProPicksWeekly Premium Picks

Today's Picks

Saturday, April 25, 2009

10˜ Atlanta -122 ov CINCINNATI (1:00pm EST)
10˜ Chicago -106 ov ST. LOUIS (4:00pm EST)
10˜ HOUSTON -128 ov Milwaukee (7:00pm EST)
10˜ MINNESOTA +125 ov Cleveland (7:00pm EST)
10˜ KANSAS CITY -123 ov Detroit (7:00pm EST)
10˜ FLORIDA -137 ov PHILADELPHIA (7:00pm EST)
10˜ Denver +4.5 ov NEW ORLEANS (1:00pm EST)

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 4-25-09

erin rynning
over colorado and royals.

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 4-25-09

Robert Ferrringo Today's Totals
3.5-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 10.5 L.A. Dodgers at Colorado
3.5-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 7.5 Pittsburgh at San Diego
2.5-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 8.5 San Francisco at Arizona
2.5-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 10.0 Washington at N.Y. Mets
2-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 9.0 N.Y. Yankees at Boston
2-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 9.5 Seattle at L.A. Angels
2-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 9.5 Toronto at White Sox
1.5-Unit Play. Take ‘Over’ 10.0 Chicago Cubs at St. Louis

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 4-25-09

Scott Delaney


20 DIME DALLAS MAVERICKS - Not sure what the reasoning might be, other than which team is the higher seed, but how anyone is shocked at how this series is gone hasn’t paid close enough attention.



Dallas, undoubtedly, is the stronger team of these two, despite finishing beneath the Spurs in the Southwest. Honestly, have you watched this team execute on offense? It’s clicking, and that’s what matters when you’re at home. The catch is, this team is concentrating on defense, and completely shutting down the Spurs, since their offense is all they’ve got.



If Dallas comes out scoring, and the Spurs can’t match that intensity, it’s all over – plain and simple. And that’s what I am counting on. The team is shooting 47.3 percent from the field, an improvement over its regular-season percentage. And with that transition game working so well, the confidence grows as well.



I like the home chalk here.



5 DIME COLORADO ROCKIES (WITH Jimenez and McDonald) - A pitching rematch and I’ll take the home team here. James McDonald won’t know about the pitching in Coors Field, and will make too many mistakes over the zone.



Ubaldo Jimenez was rocked by the Dodgers once already, but on his home turf, he’ll be much more confident. Not much to say except I like the revenge factor, and I like our chances with a Rockies lineup teeing off on someone who has no clue about the rarified air.

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 4-25-09

NSA's Selection
NBA LA Lakers @ Utah 9:05 PM EST 20* Utah +4.5
MLB NY Yankees @ Boston 4:10 PM EST 20* Boston -140
NBA Denver @ New Orleans 1:05 PM EST 10* Denver +4.5
NBA San Antonio @ Dallas 4:05 PM EST 10* San Antonio +4.5
MLB Dodgers @ Colorado 8:10 PM EST 10* Dodgers +115
NBA Atlanta @ Miami 6:30 PM EST 10* Atlanta +4.5

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 4-25-09

ASA 4* N.O./Denv Under

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 4-25-09

Teddy Covers
reg - Over 7.5 Padres

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 4-25-09

rob veno
20* over dallas

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 4-25-09

VR's SATURDAY NIGHT's WBC 168-pound TITLE FIGHT
3* FIGHT OF THE WEEK = JERMAIN "Bad Intentions" TAYLOR -125 over Carl Froc

Froch comes in as the Champion and has an undefeated record...the problem is, that record has been built without fighting quality opponents...In fact, this is an extremely huge jump in competition for him...While believe it or not, for Taylor this may very well be a much bigger drop in competition than many sports writers believe...

The bottom line here is that since going back to his long-time trainer, Taylor has looked great...He looks like the fighter who beat Hopkinsand was being touted as one of the Pound-for-Pound Best...Then, to try
and further his skills even more...Taylor made the mistake of switching trainers...And as much as I love Manny Stewart, these 2 just couldn't click and it was evident in each of his fights...

Stewart was attempting to change Taylor's style just a bit too much...and you can tell that he looked confused many times in the ring.

And after watching his fight with Lacy again last night...I can see the Jermain Taylor of old, the one who earned the name "Bad Intentions"...And getting this Title will be huge, as I have already heard that a possible TAYLOR vs MIRANDA mega fight may be on the horizon...

More importantly...this fight is taking place right here in the US (Foxwoods Casino in Conn)...and will be the 2nd time the Nottingham England Champ, is making the trip over to test his skills...and obviously cash in on his title defense...(The 1st was in Cali vs a "Club Fughter")

Although many have been able to make the transition with sucess (Calzaghe, Hatton, ect)...I believe Froch's handlers have made a HUGE error by not coming over at least 2 weeks prior to the fight, to get acclimated...

This really comes down to Taylor just being the much better...much more battle tested, fighter...And there is a reason the "Challenger" is the Favorite, over the "Champion"...Taylor will be able to use his jab
enough to make is difficult for Froch to get off...and

This may not be the easiest night for Taylor...but it's a night where he will re-claim a championship..

Let's go ahead and see if we can remain PERFECT on our 3* FIGHT BEST BETS...and lay a 3* BOMB on JERMAIN "BAD INTENTIONS" TAYLOR...to get the job done on Saturday Night...VR

I ADVISE THAT YOU PLACE THIS BET IMMEDIATELY...AFTER CONFIRMING IT LATE
LAST NIGHT (THURS)...I WAS ABLE TO BET TAYLOR -116 THROUGH MY PINNY
REP...ONLY TO WAKE UP THIS MORNING AND SEE THAT THEIR SITE HAS HIM UP
TO -123 ALREADY...AND AFTER SPEAKING TO SOME WISEGUYS, BOTH HERE IN
VEGAS AND BACK EAST...I CAN TELL YOU THAT MANY OF THEM WILL ALSO BE
TAKING A POSITION ON TAYLOR...WHICH WILL DEFINITALY MOVE THIS LINE UP
BEFORE FIGHT NIGHT !!

[Mr. IWS]

Re: 4-25-09

Al DeMarco
Saturday's Play
5 Dime - LA Lakers



Interesting line in tonight's game. Los Angeles toys with Utah in Games One and Two at home and in Thursday's Game Three is only a 1 1/2 to 2-point favorite. The Lakers rally from 10 points down early, blow a 13-point, third-quarter lead, and end up losing 88-86. Yet tonight in Game Four, the oddsmakers have price LA at around 4 1/2 points.



As I've noted many times here and in media appearances, the biggest mistake gamblers make is how they perceive lines. Always keep in mind the linemakers want two-sided action on the game; that's how they maximize their earnings. Obviously, the public is going to be on Los Angeles today because A) they're the Lakers and B) they're the favorite and basic human nature finds us always leaning toward the chalk. But clearly the oddsmakers are begging you, enticing you, to take the Jazz by dangling those generous points, nearly 2 1/2 more than Utah got in Game Three, a game it won.



With the exception of Lamar Odom (21 points, 14 rebounds) and Pau Gasol (20 points, 9 rebounds), the Lakers were awful in Game Three. Kobe shot 5-for-24 from the floor and scored only 18 points. Andrew Bynum (4 points, 2 rebounds) was nearly invisible, playing just seven minutes because of foul trouble. As a team, LA shot just 36.8% and got crushed on the boards 55-40.



All that being said, the Jazz needed a Deron Williams' jumper with 2.2 seconds to play and a monster game from Carlos Boozer (23 points, 22 rebounds) to escape with the home win.



There's a reason I stay away, generally speaking, from the third game of an NBA playoff series -- especially those where the road team is already up 2-0. I want to see how the favorite, the Lakers in this case, and the team playing in desperation, obviously the Jazz here, respond. But more importantly, I want to see how the game plays out so I can get an edge in Game Four.



The same way the oddsmakers are betting on the public being unable to resist the lure of those 4 1/2 points being dangled in their direction, I'm willing to bet that Kobe doesn't shoot 5-for-24 again, that the Lakers don't get hammered as badly on the boards (yes, they will get outrebounded, but not by 15), and LA realizes it does not want to have this series extended any further than need be with a tough Western Conference playoff schedule ahead of it.



The Jazz were a team that rarely played with much heart this season against favored opponents. They had a heartbeat on Thursday. I'm betting that even with the possible return of Mehmet Okur, who has missed the last five games with a hamstring injury, Utah is sent back to the critical care unit tonight by a decisive LA victory