Month: March 2014
NBA Play
Raptors @ Hawks +3 -102 @ 13
Largely brain dead from St Patrick’s Day weekend so this will be a quickie. As I noted to Louis, it is nice when you have a big weekend, and you wake up Monday morning and don’t find a thread of mind-blowingly horrific bets. “Lakers moneyline? Devils over?? Fairfield second half?!?!?!”
MTD : -24.68
St. Patrick
Drinking in public and commuting are usually combined, tolerated and encouraged here in New York, but not today unfortunately. It’s very obvious around the city today who has a job and who is either a student, unemployed, or just doesn’t give a crap.
In what all four of you are here to read, we have a leaner on Phoenix tonight in the NHL equivalent of Fulham at Stoke and nothing doing on the other three games. I shall now resume tasting whiskeys from all 32 counties in Ireland. Meath is a +250 favorite.
One play tonight: Phoenix +150 @ Los Angeles
Luck of the Irish
So Miracle Covers contributor (and Suns fan) Nick and I went to the Celtics game last night vs the Suns. The story of the night wasn’t the miracle cover that happened at the end of the game, where the Suns went on a 10-0 run in the final 1:30 to beat the Celtics 87-80 (and cover the -4.5 point spread) as the Celtics chucked up wild shots like it was the final seconds of a Pop-A-Shot run.
The *real* story (and incredibly tilting) for me was losing the half time beer bet with Nick on the 10th graders (all white kids….so it was evenly handicapped). We got back to our seats late from a beer run and saw his team, the Green team, hit a set-shot 3……so he set the line at -2.
My team, the White team, then went on a 11-6 run with 1 minute to go (thanks to having the tallest kid on the court who grabbed so many rebounds maybe the Celtics should look at signing him). Then, out of nowhere, the Green team scores 6 points in the span of 20 seconds, mostly on long shots I couldn’t hit at that age on a regular basis………including hitting a meaningless 3 at the buzzer despite being up one when they had the ball and the last shot. I yelped in agony, Nick raised his arms in victory, and everyone in our section was looking at us like we had two heads as I am yelling furiously at these poor children, “Pass the ball! Rotate! Box Out! Forward!”.
Yes folks, we have a gambling problem (and yes, like most of those in the stadium, you probably bought a Mega Millions ticket too, you degenerates!).
And it was….a miracle cover.
Today’s bets:
NCAA:
NC State +9.5 (-105) vs Duke
St Bonaventure vs St.Josephs Under 142.5 (-115)
UFC 171:
Diego “The Dream” Sanchez vs Myles “Fury” Jury Under Rounds +200; Fight does not go distance +170 (try to watch Diego fight if you can, the guy is simply an animal. He always puts up good fights too, with 7 Fight of the Night awards, because the guy just goes forward, no hands up).
Alex “The Dominican Nightmare” Garcia wins fight -400 (good prospect)
Hector Lombard vs Jake Shields fight goes distance EVEN (These guys are both wrestlers, so that means alot of grabbing and hugging and all out boringness)
Robbie “Ruthless” Lawyer wins by Inside Distance +400 (a speculative play vs Johny Hendricks, but we are getting good odds on a guy who has been knocking out people since 2005)
Friday
Nothing doing yesterday and nothing remotely resembling a play tonight. I even figured out what day it is. Enjoy your weekend.
NHL Play
There are figuratively 4 million college basketball games on right now but I am taking a hockey game. Amazing, amazing stuff regarding Vancouver recently.
Edmonton Oilers +1.5 -113 @ St Louis @ 13
MTD : -11.68
Wednesday
Vancouver was a winner in a shootout last night in what I think was their first road win since January. Nothing doing today in NBA or NHL :(
Tuesday
Winners all around yesterday including our actual play on New Jersey and our leaner with Dallas I ultimately passed on. +3u day for anyone who played both. Not much today with only four NHL games. The best option is…Vancouver at Winnipeg. Any of you reading can play them and according to all of my metrics, I should too. I am passing.
In NBA we are watching Charlotte @ Washington for a potential play. Good luck out there.
And the Show has Reached a New Low
I thought we were done with the Canucks, but it just gets better. I and nearly everyone else on the East Coast decided there was no point staying up to watch the 3rd with Vancouver leading the Islanders 3-0. Little did we know…The Islanders scored seven goals in the third period to complete a 7-4 comeback against the Canucks.
from Ian MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun,
Anyone who couldn’t believe what they saw Monday from the Vancouver Canucks hasn’t been paying attention the last two months.You may have been horrified, disgusted, disillusioned, sad or angry, but shocked? No, not with these Canucks. Not with the way their disintegration has been accelerating in recent weeks, how a team that was one of the best in the National Hockey League only a couple of years ago has completely dissolved before our eyes – and the eyes of coach John Tortorella and general manager Mike Gillis – this winter.
The collapse on home ice against the New York Islanders is merely the grotesque next step of a team that long ago lost its way and only barrels deeper and more hopelessly into the abyss week by week.
On the day Gillis sent a letter to season-ticket holders re-stating the organization’s goal to win the Stanley Cup, the chalice hasn’t looked as far away in 15 years as it did Monday night when the Canucks were outscored 7-1 in the third period by a lousy Islander team long ridiculed for its ineptitude.
My favorite part though is the Canucks blogger who refused to acknowledge that the third period even took place,
Fun fact: knowing I had somewhere to be tonight, I wrote up the gamer at the 2nd intermission. Should I just run that version instead?
@seangentille I give the people what they want, Sean. What they want is an alternate universe.
Just brilliant all the way around. 1-2 on our plays yesterday. Both hockey plays ended up going to OT with Nasvhille ultimately winning 4-3 after also attempting to set their game on fire and Winnipeg losing 3-2. Washington in NBA failed to cover by a point. Much too early for any plays today, but the Caps will be an option on the 2nd leg of a home & home with Pittsburgh. Dallas will also be an option since their game was suspended due to a Rich Peverley health scare. He should be OK though is obviously not traveling with the team today to St. Louis.
UPDATE: The Canucks Army Guys are the best.
UPDATE 2: Single play tonight and that’s the Devils +125 at the Flyers. Washington never materialized into anything close to a play and I am going to pass on Dallas though feel free to gambool there if you are in the mood.
Monday
Extended commentary later, but short on time for now.
Last note on the Canucks here likely for quite a while. They ended up winning against Calgary the other night 2-1, but what’s most interesting is not the goal from centre ice, but the fact that that was one of 12 shots for the Flames. Twelve. That’s a more typical total for a single period much less a whole game. They were admittedly on the second half of a back-to-back having “earned” a win after an Islander 3rd period collapse, but that’s just unacceptable. It makes me want to UFN the Flames as well.
Three plays tonight:
NBA: Washington +8 @ Miami
NHL: Nashville +122 @ Ottawa, Winnipeg +145 @ Colorado
UFNs
Lou recently noted the Canucks had officially moved into the “Do Not Bet Until Further Notice” category. UFNs generally result from a team playing so well, or much more likely, so poorly, there can be only one course of action for the immediate future. UFN is pronounced You F’n. The 76ers are a prime UFN candidate right now, but Vegas is aware of whats up. If you place a 20 dollar bet on them to lose tonight you will be rewarded with 67 cents American if the Knicks win. UFN kidding me?
San Francisco +5.5 -106 vs BYU @ 12
MTD : -23
