For the completed first round, please go here.
EASTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND:
Miami Heat-Chicago Bulls (Heat win series 4-1):
Game 1 (May 6): Chicago 93 - Miami 86
MIA: -13 (UPSET) (May be one of the largest in NBA Playoff history!)
O/U: 187.5 - 188.5 (UNDER)
FTA: Chicago 29 - Miami 25 -- IN MIAMI!!!
FTM: Chicago 24 - Miami 17 Margin of victory: 7 points!
I didn't think $tern would allow any games off of Miami in these playoffs. One must now default to the "as many games as possible for commercial revenue" motif.
Game 2 (May 8): Miami 115 - Chicago 78
MIA: -12.5 - -13 (AND STILL A HUGE COVER)
O/U: 186.5 - 187 (OVER)
FTA: Miami 29 - Chicago 21 (6 Technicals on the Bulls -- 3rd game in these playoffs a team has had at least 5)
Game 3 (May 10): Miami 104 - Chicago 94
MIA: -8.5 (one -8 at the Wynn -- COVER)
O/U: 186 - 187.5 (OVER)
Free throws made settled this one. Attempts were pretty even (30-25 Heat), makes were 26-17, though.
League MUST corral the Bulls, or risk a major incident. Already TEN technicals on the Bulls, the last one being LeBron James (after committing a T himself -- 13 total in the series) getting thrown about 12 feet by Nazr Mohammed (after playing 2 minutes and 31 seconds, and hacking James hard in the sequence (personal was called) to draw the James T!).
It's clear that the Bulls are sending a message to everybody -- screw with us, we F up the Heat.
And the Bulls coach thinks he's getting screwed. Be lucky that only cost you $35,000, and watch Monday's Game 4 in Chicago very closely. If I were running the league, YOU would be suspended for the Bulls' 10 technical fouls in this series so far.
Game 4 (May 13): Miami 88 - Chicago 65
MIA: -8 across the board (BIG COVER)
O/U: 185-186 (ARE YOU KIDDING ME? UNDER)
FTA: Chicago 32 - Miami 21 (Seriously!)
FTM: Chicago 25 - Miami 16, and they still lost by 23.
If that wasn't a shot across the bow... Series over.
Game 5 (May 15): Miami 94 - Chicago 91
MIA: -14 - -14.5 (NO COVER)
O/U: 181 - 182 (OVER)
FTA: Miami 33 - Chicago 24
FTM: Miami 24 - Chicago 17
One of those "ball in the air at the gun" motifs. 2 3's by Chicago missed to send it to OT, but the series ended the moment the coach was fined for comments against the officials, and almost-certainly attached to that $35K was a threat of another zero or so on it if the Bulls team didn't lay off the violence. The moment that went down, they got out of the way. Eight more to back-to-back.
3 more T's on the Bulls tonight, including what I think was Joachim Noah's 4th of the series. 13 total in the series. 21 since Game 4 of the Brooklyn series. Yeah, I think somebody in David Stern's office sent a memo with that fine to knock the Bulls-hit off.
And any coincidence that the Miami Heat have now won the first series to complete in BOTH rounds?
Covers were 3-2. So was the Over.
New York Knicks-Indiana Pacers (Indiana wins series 4-2):
Game 1 (May 5): Indiana 102 - Knicks 95
NYK: -5.5 (with one -6 at the Atlantis (UPSET))
O/U: 182 - 182.5 (with one curious outlier: The MGM/Mirage book was able to keep the O/U at 184.5, which was pretty much the original number to start with at all the casinos for this game) (OVER all the same)
Game 2 (May 7): Knicks 105 - Indiana 79
NYK: -5.5 - -6 (BIG COVER -- first cover of round 2)
O/U: 183 - 184 (Basically a PUSH)
Game 3 (May 10): Indiana 82 - Knicks 71
IND: -4.5 - -5 (COVER)
O/U: 183 - 184 (UNDER, BWAHAHAHAHAHA)
Game 4 (May 14): Indiana 93 - Knicks 82
IND: -5 (with two -5.5s at the Wynn and Peppermill -- COVER)
O/U: 179.5 - 180.5 (UNDER)
FTA: Indiana 30 - Knicks 14
FTM: Indiana 23 - Knicks 12 Margin of Victory: Exactly 11 points.
Hmmmmmmmmmm... Maybe getting everyone out of the way of Heat/Spurs?
Game 5 (May 16): Knicks 85 - Indiana 75
NYK: -5 (COVER)
O/U: 180.5 - 182 (UNDER BY A LOT)
FTA: Indiana 33 - Knicks 17
Even though the Knicks won, I think it's clear that they want the road cleared for Miami. Even Brian Tuohy knows Pacers-Heat is NOT interesting basketball:
Game 6 (May 18): Indiana 106 - Knicks 99
IND: -5.5 (with one -6 at the Atlantis -- COVER, BARELY)
O/U: 178.5 - 179.5 (WAY OVER)
FTA: Indiana 46 - Knicks 18 (NO JOKE!!)
FTM: Indiana 34 - Knicks 18 (Yep, the Knicks were 18/18.) Margin of victory, 7 points.
Games 4, 5, and 6 are all you need to know that the league cleared the decks for Miami.
The Knicks had 49 free-throw attempts in those three games of that series.
The Pacers had ONE HUNDRED AND NINE, with the differential in free throws made winning both games 4 and 6.
The league wanted the Pacers, because then Miami can go into the Finals nigh-unstoppable. What a joke!
Covers were 5-1. Over was 2-3-1.
WESTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND:
San Antonio Spurs-Golden State Warriors (San Antonio wins series 4-2):
Game 1 (May 6): San Antonio 129 - Golden State 127 (2 Overtimes)
SA: -8.5 - -9.5 (NO COVER)
O/U: 201.5 - 204 (OBVIOUSLY OVER with the overtimes, but was already over at regulation, at 106-106)
FT shooting by Golden State did them in. They were 14-24, San Antonio was 24-28.
Or did it?? 104-88 Golden State, 3:57 to go. Klay Thompson fouls out.
Golden State scores two points, the rest of regulation. 0-2 from the line. San Antonio makes their last ten shots (four FT's, six FG's) for an 18-2 run (which we see FAR TOO OFTEN in David Stern's NBA) for 106-106.
Game 2 (May 8) Golden State 100 - San Antonio 91
SA: -6.5 - -7 (UPSET) (First win in last 31 tries in San Antonio)
O/U: Bit spread out again: 204.5 - 207 (ALL UNDER)
Game 3 (May 10): San Antonio 102 - Golden State 92
GS: -2.5 (with one -2 at Stations -- UPSET)
O/U: 202.5 - 203 (UNDER)
Game 4 (May 12): Golden State 97 - San Antonio 87 (overtime)
SA: -1.5 - -2 (UPSET) (Interestingly, the LVH had it as a pick at tip, and Golden State opened Saturday as a 2 point favorite, and the money came in on San Antonio! SUCKERS...)
O/U: 197.5 - 199 (UNDER, even with the overtime)
Game 5 (May 14): San Antonio 109 - Golden State 91
SA: -7 (with one -6.5 at the Atlantis) (COVER)
O/U: 194 - 195 (OVER)
Game 6 (May 16): San Antonio 94 - Golden State 82
SA: -2 - -2.5 (COVER)
O/U: 194.5 - 195.5 (with one 196.5 at the Atlantis) (UNDER)
Free throws made again. Attempts were slanted a bit toward San Antonio (25-19), but San Antonio was 21-25, Golden State only 12-19.
The league finally gets the pesky Warriors out of the way. I made a joke earlier in the season, in response to someone wondering why Stephen Curry was not an All-Star, that Golden State isn't even in the NBA, for realistic purposes.
They aren't. Fact is, San Antonio, IMODO, is the only team with a reasoned shot at Miami, and the only storyline which resonates with people with SitOut-Gate and the Heat win injured at San Antonio. Wasn't a completely obvious job in many of the games of this series, but it's just clear who the league prefers to go through.
Duncan and Parker are two of the biggest stars in the last 10-15 years in the NBA. Golden State doesn't even have one (not even Curry!) to match it.
Cover was 2-4. Only when San Antonio seized control of the series did that stabilize. Over was also 2-4.
Oklahoma City Thunder-Memphis Grizzlies (Memphis wins series 4-1):
Game 1 (May 5): Oklahoma City 93 - Memphis 91
OKC: -3.5 (with one -3 at the Atlantis right at the tip that almost pushed but for a late Memphis free throw with one second left! NO COVER)
O/U: 186.5 - 187.5 (JUST UNDER)
Memphis' poor free-throw shooting did them (and the Over) in. The FTA were basically even at 25-24 Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City was 22-25. Memphis was only 14-24.
Game 2 (May 7): Memphis 99 - Oklahoma City 93
OKC: -2.5 - -3 (UPSET)
O/U: A bit spread out at 187.5 - 189.5 (But all of them went OVER)
Game 3 (May 10): Memphis 87 - Oklahoma City 81
MEM: -4.5 - -5 (First COVER of the Western Conference Semifinals, and barely!)
O/U: 187 (with one 186.5 and one 187.5 -- didn't matter, they all went UNDER and not really close)
As a commenter made note before I could update this:
FTA: Memphis 28 - Oklahoma City 19
FTM: Memphis 23 - Oklahoma City 12 Margin of victory: 6 points.
Game 4 (May 13): Memphis 103 - Oklahoma City 97 (overtime)
MEM -4.5 - -5 (COVER)
O/U: 184 - 185.5 (OVER, and was over at regulation at 94-94)
Game 5 (May 15): Memphis 88 - Oklahoma City 84
OKC: -4.5 - -5 (UPSET)
O/U: 185.5 - 186.5 (UNDER, NOT CLOSE)
Well, there's a lot of talk about a Memphis-Miami Finals (and, IMHO, if that's not a coronation, what is?)...
Looking at some of the free-throw numbers, not hard to see why. Again, free-throws made won the game for Memphis, and they did have an 8 attempt advantage in Oklahoma City at 29-21. But 7-2 of that was in the last 1:20.
Covers were 2-3, so was the over.
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies
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Round and playoff totals, updated as my schedule permits (see above):
Favorites: 14-8 Straight Up, 12-10 Against the Spread (Total 45-18 SU, 35-28 ATS)
East: 8-3 SU, 8-3 ATS (Total 25-7 SU, 21-11 ATS)
West: 6-5 SU, 4-7 ATS (Total 20-11 SU, 14-17 ATS)
Two games in the first round had no defined favorite, both in the Oklahoma City-Houston series.
O/U: 9 Over 11 Under 1 Push (Total 29 Over 33 Under 3 Pushes)
The Grizzlies sure are getting a lot of help from the refs. 28 FTA tonight vs the Thunder's 18. Not to mention how many they shot vs the Clippers in the previous series.
ReplyDeleteI think it's going to come down to San Antonio and Memphis for the West, on who gets to be the sacrificial lamb to the Miami Heat. It's pretty clear all year long the Heat were chosen to win it again before the season even started. They want them to be the new Bulls so bad, and it's going to happen. LeBron is already like Jordan to the point he can do whatever he wants and get rewarded free throws. I have yet to see him receive a foul in the series against Chicago.