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You’ve got the Atlanta Hawks, who got annihilated in Game 1 of this series in Orlando, losing 114-71 and thus becoming – for 48 hours – a national sports punch line. Then, with a chance to redeem themselves and show some heart, the Hawks did just that … for about 24 minutes, as they took an eight-point lead into halftime. Then in the blink of an eye, Orlando went on an 11-2 run to regain the lead. That was followed in the fourth quarter by a decisive 19-2 surge that put the Magic up by 19 and they ended up cruising to a 14-point victory.
That gives Orlando a 12-game winning streak going back to the regular season. That 12-game winning streak includes nine double-digit routs, with wins by margins of 14, 43, 15, 10, 14, 20, 15, 27 and 15 points. In these playoffs, the Magic are 6-0 SU and 5-1 ATS (cashing in the last five in a row) with an average margin of victory of 15.7 ppg. And only one of the Orlando’s postseason victories was by fewer than nine points.
Furthermore, since January 20, the Magic are 39-8, and of those 39 wins, 27 have been by 10 points or more!
Guys, you can question the caliber of competition – the Bobcats and Hawks – but I’m not going to. The Magic have simply been THE most impressive team in the playoffs so far. At the same time, the Hawks have been maddeningly inconsistent. They’ve fallen asleep in the second half in almost every playoff game so far, squandering lead after lead after lead.
And honestly, the Hawks have to be a complete mess psychologically. Think about it: After getting completely boat-raced in Game 1, they came back in Game 2 and punched the Magic in the mouth – literally, too, as Orlando big man Dwight Howard got popped in the face early in the third quarter and had to leave temporarily – and STILL lost again by double digits. For those keeping track, that means the Magic have now won eight of the last nine meetings against the Hawks (including three of four in Atlanta). This year alone, Orlando’s five wins have been by 14, 17 (on the road), 32, 18 and 43 points.
The Hawks’ only win during this nine-game stretch against Orlando came on March 24 at home, and it was NOT easy (86-84, with the Magic actually holding a 13-point lead at one point and the Hawks stinking it up again down the stretch with an 18-point fourth quarter). The main reason the Hawks won that contest? Orlando sharpshooter Rashard Lewis had an off night (2-for-9 overall, 0-4 from three-point land, 6 total points). Well, on Thursday, so far in this series, Lewis is 11-for-22 (50 percent), and he’s scored in double figures in five of the Magic’s six playoff games, the only exception being a nine-point effort in the 43-point Game 1 blowout when he only played 28 minutes.
Guys, I know this is usually THE perfect spot to back the home team (down 0-2, back at home, being a small underdog in a must-win situation). But there are exceptions to every rule, and the fact remains that the Magic are a NIGHTMARE matchup for Atlanta. And as long as Orlando can weather what will surely be an early storm and as long as they don’t get complacent – hard to believe that will happen given a 12-game winning streak – then they'll roll to another easy win.
triple-dime bet 973 TAM / 974 OAK Under 8.5 BetUS
Analysis: MLB: Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Oakland Athletics - Under 8.5 (Davis/Sheets)(Best Bet) -110 | Unit Value: 3
Game Date: 5/8/2010
UNDER this Posted Total is 12-6 at this park so far this year. That is good enough for 3 Unit Status.
King Creole | NBA Total Sat, 05/08/10 - 5:05 PM ƒŠ
double-dime bet 721 ORL / 722 ATL Under 195.0 Sportbet
Analysis:
5:00pm ET / Game Three / Orlando Magic @ Atlanta Hawks
2** BEST BET on: UNDER the TOTAL
JR ODonnell | NBA Total Sat, 05/08/10 - 8:00 PM ƒŠ
double-dime bet 723 LAL / 724 UTA Under 202.5 BetUS
Analysis:
NBA 2* UNDER THE RADAR NBA LAKERS/JAZZ BOMB
GAME AT 8 202.5 2* BOMB ABC T V BOMB
let's break this baby down:
Jr's off a huge winner last night as the King James lead Cavs rolled the Celtics by 30 and tonight's play will be on the Under 202.5. We have a huge power rating variance on this game , a 7 point overlay give us another Jr O 2* winner. Jazz own a solid mark at home and the Lakers play some killer D on the road but not consistent O. The public will be all on the Over and we will be playing the Under strong. The Utah Jazz are banged up but do own a swagger at home. The Lakers are an Under machine as a road dog @ 10-4 71% in Lakers last 14 games as a road underdog of 0.5-4.5. Jazz / LAKERS GO UNDER TONIGHT BOYS , JR O STYLE
(MLB) $400 St. Louis -173 at Pittsburgh
(MLB) $400 Tampa Bay -143 at Oakland
(MLB) $400 N.Y. Yankees -134 at Boston
(MLB) $400 Toronto +120 at Chi. White Sox
(MLB) $400 Chi. Cubs -110 at Cincinnati
(MLB) $500 Texas -185 vs Kansas City
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