Cnotes 2018 - 2019 NBA Thru The Playoffs-Picks/Trends/News !

[Cnotes53]

Leonard scores 35, Raptors beat Bucks 105-99 for 3-2 lead
May 23, 2019
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MILWAUKEE (AP) Kawhi Leonard scored 35 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the Milwaukee Bucks 105-99 on Thursday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

Leonard showed no obvious signs of the leg soreness that bothered him in Toronto's victories in the previous two games, hitting the 30-point mark for the fourth time in the series. He made five 3-pointers and had seven rebounds and nine assists.

Fred VanVleet scored 21 points, hitting seven 3s. Kyle Lowry added 17 as the Raptors put themselves in position to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time. A victory at home Saturday would set up a matchup with two-time defending champion Golden State.

''This was a super-hard win tonight,'' Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.

The Raptors battled out of an early 14-point hole, then got 15 points from Leonard in the fourth quarter to send the top-seeded Bucks to their first three-game losing streak of the season.

''We weathered the storm early,'' Leonard said.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points for Milwaukee hours after being announced as a unanimous first-team, All-NBA selection. Eric Bledsoe scored 20 and Malcolm Brogdon added 18 points and 11 rebounds in his return to the starting lineup.

''It's first to four. We've got to go to Toronto, get a game. I think the group will be ready,'' Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.

The Raptors were clinging to a two-point lead in the closing minute after Khris Middleton drove around Leonard on the baseline for a layup.

Toronto was initially called for a shot-clock violation when Leonard missed a fadeaway jumper with 35 seconds left. That got overturned by a replay review, and Brook Lopez was called for a foul, instead, for bumping Marc Gasol after he retrieved the loose ball.

Gasol hit both free throws to make it 100-97. Another replay review went in Toronto's favor when officials determined a ball went out of bounds off Brogdon with 26.8 seconds left. Brogdon pulled his hand away, thinking his dribble had gone off Pascal Siakam's foot.

Siakam then drove for a dunk, making it 102-97, and the Raptors hung on from there.

Milwaukee was leading 81-79 with about 8 1/2 minutes left when Leonard nailed back-to-back 3-pointers. He hit two free throws before Siakam threw down a put-back dunk to make it 89-81.

The Bucks tied it at 93-all with 2:44 left on a 3-pointer by Lopez. VanVleet answered with one of his own before Antetokounmpo threw down an alley-oop dunk to cut it to 96-95 with just over two minutes remaining.

The Bucks set a fast pace early on and led by 10 after the first quarter, delighting the towel-waving fans chanting ''Fear The Deer! Fear the Deer!'' They withstood a 16-2 run by Toronto to start the second, with Antetokounmpo nailing a 3 to stop it.

The Bucks also went on a 14-2 run early in the third, with the Greek Freak throwing down a hard dunk off a feed by Middleton for a 63-51 lead. But the Raptors got right back into it.

TIP-INS

Raptors: Lowry now has 1,126 points in 66 playoff games for Toronto, surpassing DeMar DeRozan (1,117) as the franchise's postseason scoring leader.

Bucks: Brogdon started all 64 games he played in during the regular season, before missing basically all of the first two rounds because of a heel injury. With Brogdon back in the lineup, Nikola Mirotic came off the bench.

UP NEXT

Game 6 is at Toronto on Saturday.

 

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY MAY 25, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:30 PM Milwaukee Bucks Toronto Raptors Scotiabank Arena

SCHEDULE FOR MONDAY MAY 27, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:30 PM Toronto Raptors Milwaukee Bucks Fiserv Forum


******************************


NBA PLAYOFF RECORD OPINIONS AND BEST BETS !

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

05/23/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/21/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/20/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
05/19/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
05/18/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/17/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/16/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
05/15/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/14/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/12/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
05/10/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
05/09/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
05/08/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
05/07/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
05/06/2019 1-2-1 33.33% -6.00
05/05/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
05/04/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/03/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -11.00
05/02/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/01/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50

Totals..............24-29-1 45.28% -40.00


******************************


BEST BETS:

DATE........................ATS................... ..UNITS..................O/U..................UNITS.............TOTALS


05/23/2019.............1 - 0....................+5.00....................1 - 0.................+5.00............+10.00
05/21/2019.............1 - 0....................+5.00....................1 - 0.................+5.00............+10.00
05/20/2019.............0 - 1....................-5.50.....................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-11.00
05/19/2019.............0 - 1....................-5.50.....................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-11.00
05/18/2019.............0 - 1....................-5.50.....................1 - 0.................+5.00.............-0.50
05/17/2019............,0 - 1....................-5.50.....................1 - 0.................+5.00.............-0.50
05/16/2019.............0 - 1....................-5.50.....................0 - 1..................-5.50.............-11.00
05/15/2019.............1 - 0....................+5.00....................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
05/14/2019.............1 - 0...................+5.00....................0 - 1..................-5.50..............-0.50
05/12/2019.............1 - 1....................-0.50.....................1 - 1..................-0.50.............-1.00
05/10/2019.............0 - 1....................-5.50....................0 - 1...................-5.50.............-11.00
05/09/2019.............0 - 2....................-11.00...................1 - 1...................-0.50............-11.50
05/08/2019.............1 - 1....................-0.50.....................1 - 1...................-0.50.............-1.00
05/07/2019.............0 - 2....................-11.00...................1 - 1...................-0.50.............-11.50
05/06/2019.............0 - 2....................-11.00...................1 - 0..................+5.00.............-6.00
05/05/2019.............1 - 1....................-0.50.....................1 - 1..................-0.50..............-1.00
05/04/2019.............1 - 0....................+5.00....................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
05/03/2019.............0 - 2....................-11.00...................1 - 1..................-0.50..............-11.50
05/02/2019.............1 - 0....................+5.00....................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
05/01/2019.............0 - 1.....................-5.50....................1 - 0.................+5.00..............-0.50


Totals...................9 - 18.....................-54.00..................15- 11.................+14.50...........-39.50


**************************

APRILS NBA BEST BETS


Totals....................23 - 21..................-0.50.................25 - 27................-19.50..............-20.00

 

[Cnotes53]

Saturday?s 6-pack

Updated Week 1 odds for the NFL:

? Falcons @ Vikings (-4, 47.5)

? Redskins @ Eagles (-9, 46.5)

? Bills @ Jets (-3.5, 38.5)

? Ravens (-4.5, 37) @ Dolphins

? 49ers @ Buccaneers (-1, 49)

? Chiefs (-3.5, 51.5) @ Jaguars

Quote of the Day
?I?m not hesitating on that. I am a Hall of Famer. My numbers speak for itself. My numbers are better than Troy Aikman, but he has Super Bowl rings.?
Donovan McNabb

Saturday?s quiz
How many teams are in the Canadian Football League?

Friday?s quiz
WNBA teams play 34 regular season games each season.

Thursday?s quiz
Bill Laimbeer is the head coach/GM of the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA.

****************************

Saturday?s List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind??.

13) George Springer leads the American League in homers and RBIs; he bats leadoff. No leadoff hitter has ever led their league in homers or RBI for a full season.

Springer hurt his left leg in Friday night?s game and appears headed to the IL.

12) Fran Fraschilla posted a note on Twitter this week that college basketball coaches spend 30% of their time on actual basketball. NBA coaches spend 99% of their time on basketball, and that is the appeal of the NBA to guys like Brad Stevens, Billy Donovan, John Beilein.

11) From 2011-18, when Max Scherzer started a game, his teams went 176-85 in those games.

This season, Washington is 2-9 when Scherzer starts. Go figure.

10) Findlay Prep in Las Vegas, which has won three National High School Invitational basketball championships, isn?t expected to field a team next season. Findlay had a run of 11 consecutive appearances in the national tournament stopped this year- the school is going to look for a new campus and could resume play for the 2020-21 season.

Since starting the program in the 2006-07 season, Findlay is 378-43; they could have three alums taken in the NBA Draft in June.

9) Raiders-Packers might play a preseason game in Winnipeg this summer. Seriously.

8) There are four NFL head coaches who played QB in either the Arena League or the Indoor Football League:
? Jay Gruden: Tampa Bay Storm, Orlando Predators, Nashville Kats
? Matt LaFleur, Omaha Beef, Billings Outlaws

? Matt Nagy: New York Dragons, Carolina Cobras, Georgia Force, Columbus Destroyers
? Sean Payton: Chicago Bruisers, Pittsburgh Gladiators

7) Baseball stuff:
? A?s put DH Khris Davis (oblique) on IL.
? Marlins put C Chad Wallach (concussion) on IL.
? Arizona put OF David Peralta (AC joint) on IL.
? Mets signed Ervin Santana, Matt Kemp to contracts.

6) This week in 1935 in Cincinnati, the first-ever night baseball game was played; there were 20,422 fans there to see the Reds beat the Phillies, 2-1.

5) Kansas Jayhawks get Silvio DeSousa eligible to play this coming basketball season, which is very good news for them.

4) Former Baylor football coach Art Briles is the new coach at Mount Vernon HS in Texas.

3) In case you were wondering, the 2011 Mets went 77-85; they left 1,257 men on base that year, the most of any team in this decade. Six of the top nine teams on this list won 91+ games.

#8 on the list are the 2016 Cubs, who won the World Series that year.

2) Tres Tinkle dropped out of the NBA Draft and will return to Oregon State for his senior year; he is a very good player, but his dad is also the OSU head coach. Beavers finished 10-8 in Pac-12 games last year, their first winning season in conference play this century.

1) Chicago Bears are -4 over Green Bay in Week 1 this season; Bears are getting 59% of the money so far, in wagering at William Hill sportsbooks nationwide; of the 16 Week 1 games, that is the game where the money is most evenly divided.

 

[Cnotes53]

G6 - Bucks at Raptors
May 24, 2019
By Kevin Rogers

Golden State is waiting in the wings to see where it is traveling for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. We were destined for a Warriors/Bucks NBA Finals after Milwaukee grabbed the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals against Toronto. However, the Raptors have rebounded to not only climb back into the series, but sit one victory away from their first ever Eastern Conference championship.

After the Bucks captured the first two games at Fiserv Forum, the Raptors needed to stave off Milwaukee in double-overtime of Game 3 just to avoid a 3-0 hole. Following an 18-point rout in Game 4 to even up the series, all of the sudden the Eastern Conference Finals turned into a best-of-three series for the right to end Golden State?s championship run.

Entering Thursday?s contest back in Milwaukee, the last 10 teams tied at 2-2 in the playoffs heading home won 10 consecutive Game 5?s, including a 5-0 mark in 2019. Milwaukee jumped out to a commanding 18-4 advantage in Game 5, as the Bucks have not lost three straight games all season. However, the Raptors rallied back to grab a 38-34 lead in the second quarter before Milwaukee settled for a 49-46 halftime edge.

Milwaukee built a 10-point third quarter lead, but Toronto sliced the deficit to 75-72 heading into the final 12 minutes. The Raptors ripped off 10 consecutive points after trailing 81-79, including eight points from star forward Kawhi Leonard, who finished with 35 points. Toronto held off Milwaukee, 105-99 to hold the Bucks below 100 points for the first time in the series, while the Raptors cashed as 7 ?-point underdogs.

The question after Game 2 was can Leonard?s teammates step up and help carry the scoring load. In Game 4, guard Kyle Lowry responded with 25 points, while Norman Powell (18) and Serge Ibaka (17) each contributed solid numbers off the bench. Another efficient game was put up by Fred VanVleet, who knocked down a trio of three-pointers for 13 points in Game 4, but the former Wichita State standout outdid himself with a 21-point performance in Game 5, including hitting seven shots from downtown.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has put a rough Game 3 (12 points on 5-of-16 shooting) behind him with 24 points in Game 4 and 25 points in Game 5. But, Antetokounmpo failed to reach double-digit rebounds for the first time in the series by grabbing only eight boards in Game 5. Khris Middleton struggled from the floor for the Bucks with only six points on 2-of-9 shooting after posting 30 points in Game 4.

Milwaukee hoisted plenty of three-point attempts in the first two wins (44 in Game 1, 41 in Game 2), but those numbers have dropped recently. The Bucks put up 44 attempts in the Game 3 double-overtime loss, as 40 of those shots came in regulation, while Mike Budenholzer?s team tried 35 three-pointers in Game 4 and 31 in Game 5. The 10 makes in Game 5 were the fewest in the series for Milwaukee, who hit at least 15 three-pointers in three of the four wins in the Boston series.

After watching the ?over? cash in three of the first four games in this series, the ?under? connected easily in Game 5 as the pair combined for 204 points, which was the lowest production between them through five contests. The total for Game 6 opened as high as 214 on Thursday and the number has dropped to as low as 211 ? as of Friday.

Chris David of VegasInsider.com offered up his thoughts on Saturday?s total.

He explained, ?The ?total? pendulum continues to swing back and forth in this series and bettors have already shown their hand for Saturday with a barrage of ?under? wagers. Based on what we?ve seen recently from Milwaukee?s offense in this series, you can certainly see why bettors are buying the low side. The Bucks are shooting 42.8 percent from the field and only 30.3 percent from the 3-point land against the Raptors, both well below their season averages (47.3%, 35%). Another factor that played into Game 5?s loss was the free throw battle. Toronto took 31 attempts and made 25, while Milwaukee only earned 18 trips to the stripe and it connected on 13. The Bucks have feasted at the free throw line this season, averaging 23.9 attempts and the number was a tad higher on the road (24.2). If Milwaukee isn?t connecting from distance and it?s not earning freebies, then another Toronto-Under ticket seems likely.?

Even though we?ve seen some solid trends come to an end in this year?s playoffs, like the Bucks incredible record off losses, David believes there are two angles that could have you riding Milwaukee?s offense on Saturday and possibly the ?over? in Game 6 too.

?Thursday's 99-point effort in Game 5 was just the seventh time this season that Milwaukee was held under 100 points. Not surprisingly, they went 1-6 in those games and that includes their Game 1 loss (112-90) to Boston in the second round. In the seven games following the low production, the Bucks averaged 116.8 PPG but that number was assisted with a 140-point effort. Defensively, they were more impressive during this span as they only surrendered 104.2 PPG in the same seven games. This Bucks squad can drop crooked numbers on anybody and catching a Team Total of 105 ? makes me want to go ?over? in this elimination spot,? he said.

David added, ?As I mentioned before, trends aren?t always your friends but it should be noted that we?ve had five Game 6?s in this year?s playoffs. We saw an average combined score of 226.6 in those games, which helped the ?over? easily go 5-0.?

VegasInsider.com NBA expert Tony Mejia checks in on what has changed for Toronto, ?The Raptors have seen their bench go from struggling as the weak link in the 76ers series through the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals to being the reason for their resurgence. With VanVleet and Powell finding the range and Ibaka providing steady play on both ends behind Marc Gasol, head coach Nick Nurse?s rotation has found the right balance and actually swung Game 5 after the starters got off to a slow start.?

?Although all looks lost after their first three-game losing streak of 2019, it?s worth pointing out that the Bucks matched the Warriors with the league?s top road record and dominated games in Detroit and Boston in previous rounds. I expect the team that showed up and fought until double-overtime in Game 3 to show up instead of the overwhelmed version that last took the floor there on Tuesday. Surviving the first quarter will be essential, but I think the Bucks will win the third quarter and would look into a wager on that, likely getting a half-point. I believe we?ll get a game that will come down to the final minutes,? Mejia notes.

The last time the Bucks posted four consecutive non-covers came in late November, as each ATS loss came in the favorite role. Milwaukee has compiled an 8-2 ATS record as a road underdog this season, including a 2-1 ATS mark in the postseason with the lone loss coming in Game 3 to Toronto. Saturday marks the first time in Raptors? franchise history that they can close out a playoff series in Game 6 at home.

 

[Cnotes53]

Stakes are high as Bucks, Raptors meet in Game 6
May 24, 2019
By The Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) There's no escaping the reality of what's at stake when the Toronto Raptors host the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night.

The surging Raptors have won three straight, putting them on the brink of the first NBA Finals berth in team history.

The Bucks, who finished as the NBA's top team in the regular season and once led this series 2-0, have no more room for error after their first three-game losing streak all season.

These two teams have spent months trying to stay even-keeled, treating everything as just another game. That's starting to get a lot tougher.

''It's an elimination game,'' Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said Friday. ''It's just a fact.''

Raptors coach Nick Nurse added to that, suggesting the outcome of the series could have franchise-altering implications.

''These are games that now have significance as far as one team's going one direction, and one going the other, possibly,'' Nurse said.

No doubt. Milwaukee starters Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and Malcolm Brogdon are all headed for free agency, although the Bucks can match offers for Brogdon. Nikola Mirotic is also a free agent this summer.

The Raptors, meanwhile, have no bigger free agent than two-way star Kawhi Leonard, who can opt out of the final year of his deal. An NBA Finals berth, or better, in Leonard's debut season north of the border would certainly be a boon to Toronto team President Masai Ujiri when free agency opens on June 30.

MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks need a win to prolong their hopes of reaching the finals for the first time since 1974. Then a Western Conference team, Milwaukee lost to Boston in seven games. One season later, star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar left for the Lakers, and the Bucks haven't played for a ring since.

Toronto won twice in its previous Eastern Conference finals appearance, taking Games 3 and 4 at home against Cleveland in 2016. After that, LeBron James and the Cavs showed their class in Games 5 and 6, outscoring the Raptors by a combined 64 points.

Cleveland swept the Raptors out of the second round in each of the past two seasons, but LeBron's departure from the East and Leonard's arrival in Canada have helped put Toronto in its best position ever.

With his team heading home in need of one more win to set up a finals showdown with Golden State, Nurse knows the Raptors still face a daunting task in Game 6.

''As hard-fought as all these have been, and believe me, they have been, I expect this one to be the hardest fought of them all,'' Nurse said.

Here's what to know before Game 6:

NO LIMITS

Nurse won't be worrying about how much playing time his stars log on Saturday night.

''It's a whatever-it-takes game,'' he said. ''It's an unlimited-minutes night.''

BREATHER BENEFITS?

Budenholzer, on the other hand, said he sees value in keeping Antetokounmpo's minutes below 40.

''You need to be able to produce and perform, including in the fourth quarter, so I don't feel any different about how much we use him,'' Budenholzer said.

Antetokounmpo played 39 minutes in Game 5. He played 45 minutes before fouling out in Toronto's double-overtime win in Game 3, but hasn't topped 39 in any other game this postseason. His regular-season high was 42, in an overtime loss to the Knicks on Dec. 1.

TURNOVER TURNAROUND

Toronto trailed 16-4 after making its fourth turnover of the game with 7:55 left in the first quarter of Game 5. The Raptors had just two more turnovers the rest of the game, one each in the second and third quarters.

MORE MIDDLETON?

Middleton shot 2 for 9 in Game 5, the second time this series he has taken fewer than 10 shots. MIddleton has had 11 or more attempts in Milwaukee's other 12 postseason games. Budenholzer said he didn't mind the low shot total in Game 5, pointing to Middleton's 10 assists.

''The ball is in his hands, he's making great decisions, he's doing things that are really positive and really impactful,'' Budenholzer said.

Middleton had one 10-assist game in the regular season, against Miami on March 22.

 

[Cnotes53]

 

[Cnotes53]

511Milwaukee -512 Toronto
MILWAUKEE is 9-0 ATS (9 Units) in road games off a upset loss as a favorite in the current season.


NBA
Dunkel

Saturday, May 25


Milwaukee @ Toronto

Game 511-512
May 25, 2019 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Milwaukee
130.466
Toronto
127.388
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Milwaukee
by 3
219
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toronto
by 2 1/2
213
Dunkel Pick:
Milwaukee
(+2 1/2); Over


NBA
Long Sheet

Saturday, May 25

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MILWAUKEE (70 - 26) at TORONTO (69 - 30) - 5/25/2019, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MILWAUKEE is 159-201 ATS (-62.1 Units) on Saturday games since 1996.
MILWAUKEE is 57-36 ATS (+17.4 Units) in all games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 28-17 ATS (+9.3 Units) in road games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 144-106 ATS (+27.4 Units) in road games against Atlantic division opponents since 1996.
MILWAUKEE is 16-4 ATS (+11.6 Units) off a upset loss as a favorite this season.
MILWAUKEE is 151-112 ATS (+27.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1996.
MILWAUKEE is 26-17 ATS (+7.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
MILWAUKEE is 47-31 ATS (+12.9 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game this season.
MILWAUKEE is 29-20 ATS (+7.0 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
MILWAUKEE is 46-29 ATS (+14.1 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game this season.
MILWAUKEE is 27-18 ATS (+7.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 106+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
TORONTO is 214-269 ATS (-81.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 11-11 against the spread versus MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 13-9 straight up against MILWAUKEE over the last 3 seasons
11 of 22 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


NBA
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, May 25

Toronto won/covered last three series games, after falling behind 2-0 in series; they can move on to NBA Finals for first time with win here. VanVleet scored 21 points in 37:00 off bench in last game; Raptors were +28 with VanVleet on the floor, -22 when he was off floor. Bucks had won six games in a row before losing last three games; they won/covered three of last five visits to Canada, but their bench was -54 in the Game 5 loss. Three of last four series games went over total. Toronto was 18-43 on arc in Game 5, only 13-41 inside the arc.


NBA

Saturday, May 25

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games
Milwaukee is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games
The total has gone OVER in 14 of Milwaukee's last 21 games
Milwaukee is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Milwaukee is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Milwaukee's last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Milwaukee's last 12 games when playing Toronto
Milwaukee is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Milwaukee is 5-12 SU in its last 17 games when playing on the road against Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Milwaukee's last 8 games when playing on the road against Toronto

Toronto Raptors
Toronto is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Toronto's last 18 games
Toronto is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games at home
Toronto is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Toronto's last 12 games when playing Milwaukee
Toronto is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
Toronto is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 8 games when playing at home against Milwaukee

 

[Cnotes53]

SATURDAY, MAY 25
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

MIL at TOR 08:30 PM

TOR -2.0

O 212.0

 

[Cnotes53]

Leonard scores 27, Raptors advance to first NBA Finals
May 25, 2019
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TORONTO (AP) Kawhi Leonard had 27 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Toronto Raptors into the NBA Finals for the first time with a 100-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.

The Raptors overcame a 15-point deficit to win the series in six games and will host the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.

Pascal Siakam scored 18 points, Kyle Lowry had 17 and Fred VanVleet 14 for the Raptors, who used a 26-3 run late in the third quarter and early in the fourth to turn the game in their favor.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 21 points and 11 rebounds, but the NBA's top team in the regular season saw its bid for a first finals berth in 45 years come to a disappointing end with a fourth consecutive defeat.

Down 76-71 to start the fourth, the Raptors tied it with an 8-2 run while Leonard and Antetokounmpo were both on the bench. Ibaka's dunk with 10:32 to go tied it at 78.

Antetokounmpo returned after a timeout, but Leonard kept sitting. That didn't matter to Toronto, with Siakam's basket giving the Raptors an 80-78 lead, their first lead since it was 6-3.

Leonard's one-handed slam after Lowry's steal gave Toronto an 87-79 lead with 6:46 to go before the Bucks responded. George Hill answered with a layup, Brook Lopez converted a three-point play and Antetokounmpo scored to cut it to 87-86 with 5:19 to go.

Lowry and Lopez swapped baskets before Gasol's 3 put the Raptors up 92-88 with 3:50 left. After another basket by Lopez, Leonard made a 3 to push Toronto's lead to 95-90 with 3:04 to play. It was Leonard's first 3 after missing his first seven attempts of the game.

Toronto made 12 of 27 3-point attempts, including four of eight in the fourth quarter.

Siakam, who missed a pair of free throws late in the fourth quarter of Toronto's double-overtime win in Game 3, hit one to make it 98-94. Leonard grabbed the rebound on the second and was fouled. He made both, putting the Raptors up 100-94 with 3.9 seconds to go.

Brogdon and Middleton each made a pair from long range as the Bucks shot 6 for 9 from 3-point range in the first and closed the quarter with 10 unanswered points to lead 31-18. Toronto shot 6 for 19 in the opening quarter, missing six straight twice in the first 12 minutes.

The Bucks extended their lead to 38-23 on a 3 by Ersan Ilyasova with 7:46 left until half. Toronto cut the gap to 46-43 on a 3 by VanVleet with 1:07 left in the second, but Eric Bledsoe answered with a 3 and Antetokounmpo split a pair at the line, giving the Bucks a 50-43 advantage at the intermission.

The lead went back to 15 in the third before Leonard finished the period with a flourish. He had eight points in the final 2:01 and Toronto closed with a 10-0 run, cutting a 15-point deficit to 76-71.

TIP-INS

Bucks: Milwaukee shot 4 for 16 in the second but three of its made baskets were 3-pointers. ... The Bucks had six points in the paint in the first half. ... Coach Mike Budenholzer was called for a technical foul on Milwaukee's first possession of the second half. Leonard missed the free throw. ... Antetokounmpo shot 5 for 10 at the free throw line.

Raptors: Danny Green, who missed all three of his field goal attempts in 16 minutes in Game 5, had another rough night. Green shot 0 for 4 in 14 minutes. ... Leonard's 17 rebounds were his most in any game this postseason. ... Lowry had eight assists.

DRAKE WATCH

Raptors fan and `global ambassador' Drake sat in his regular seat adjacent to the Toronto bench. The rapper wore a black hoodie with `KAWHI ME A RIVER' printed on the back.

UP NEXT

The NBA Finals comes to Canada for the first time when the Raptors host the Warriors on Thursday night. Toronto swept Golden State in the regular season.

 

[Cnotes53]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY MAY 30, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
9:07 PM Golden State Warriors Toronto Raptors Scotiabank Arena


***************************


NBA PLAYOFF RECORD OPINIONS AND BEST BETS !

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

05/25/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/23/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/21/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/20/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
05/19/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
05/18/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/17/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/16/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
05/15/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/14/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
05/12/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
05/10/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
05/09/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
05/08/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
05/07/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -11.50
05/06/2019 1-2-1 33.33% -6.00
05/05/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
05/04/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/03/2019 1-3-0 25.00% -11.00
05/02/2019 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
05/01/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50

Totals..............25-30-1 45.45% -40.50


******************************


BEST BETS:

DATE........................ATS................... ..UNITS..................O/U..................UNITS.............TOTALS

05/25/2019.............1 - 0....................+5.00....................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-0.50
05/23/2019.............1 - 0....................+5.00....................1 - 0.................+5.00............+10.00
05/21/2019.............1 - 0....................+5.00....................1 - 0.................+5.00............+10.00
05/20/2019.............0 - 1....................-5.50.....................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-11.00
05/19/2019.............0 - 1....................-5.50.....................0 - 1.................-5.50..............-11.00
05/18/2019.............0 - 1....................-5.50.....................1 - 0.................+5.00.............-0.50
05/17/2019............,0 - 1....................-5.50.....................1 - 0.................+5.00.............-0.50
05/16/2019.............0 - 1....................-5.50.....................0 - 1..................-5.50.............-11.00
05/15/2019.............1 - 0....................+5.00....................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
05/14/2019.............1 - 0...................+5.00....................0 - 1..................-5.50..............-0.50
05/12/2019.............1 - 1....................-0.50.....................1 - 1..................-0.50.............-1.00
05/10/2019.............0 - 1....................-5.50....................0 - 1...................-5.50.............-11.00
05/09/2019.............0 - 2....................-11.00...................1 - 1...................-0.50............-11.50
05/08/2019.............1 - 1....................-0.50.....................1 - 1...................-0.50.............-1.00
05/07/2019.............0 - 2....................-11.00...................1 - 1...................-0.50.............-11.50
05/06/2019.............0 - 2....................-11.00...................1 - 0..................+5.00.............-6.00
05/05/2019.............1 - 1....................-0.50.....................1 - 1..................-0.50..............-1.00
05/04/2019.............1 - 0....................+5.00....................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
05/03/2019.............0 - 2....................-11.00...................1 - 1..................-0.50..............-11.50
05/02/2019.............1 - 0....................+5.00....................1 - 0.................+5.00.............+10.00
05/01/2019.............0 - 1.....................-5.50....................1 - 0.................+5.00..............-0.50


Totals..................10 - 18.....................-49.00..................15- 12.................+9.00...........-40.00


**************************

APRILS NBA BEST BETS


Totals....................23 - 21..................-0.50.................25 - 27................-19.50..............-20.00

 

[Cnotes53]

Sunday?s 6-pack

Updated Week 1 odds for the NFL:

? Tennessee @ Cleveland (-5.5, 45.5)

? LA Rams (-3, 51) @ Carolina

? Detroit (-1.5, 48.5) @ Arizona

? Cincinnati @ Seattle (-9, 43.5)

? Indianapolis @ LA Chargers (-3, 48)

? NY Giants @ Dallas (-7.5, 46.5)

Quote of the Day
?He has no idea how much milk costs. He?s like, ?What is that, about 20 dollars?? I?m like, ?What kind of goat?s blood milk are you drinking?? No! It?s? like what??
Gabrielle Union, talking about her Dwyane Wade (her husband) doesn?t know much about the price of normal groceries

Sunday?s quiz
Michael Jordan was the 3rd pick in the 1984 NBA Draft; Hakeem Olajuwon was the first pick. Who was the second pick?

Saturday?s quiz
There are nine teams are in the Canadian Football League.

Friday?s quiz
WNBA teams play 34 regular season games each season.

*****************************

Sunday?s List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday??.

13) Was watching a ballgame the other day; Pittsburgh shifted against a lefty hitter, putting the 3B where the SS usually is, which confuses me.

Why not just leave the SS where he is supposed to be, and put the 3B behind 2B? Having the rangier fielder as the only guy on the left side seems smarter.

As it was, Colorado dunked a pop-up for a hit into short left-field, because 3B Colin Moran does not have great range, and Melky Cabrera was playing LF and he has virtually no range.

Different teams approach shifts differently, which makes it interesting.

12) Minnesota Twins hit 101 homers in their first 50 games, joining the ?99 Mariners as the only teams to homer 100+ times in their first 50 games of a season.

11) Major league baseball teams hit 59 homers in 14 games Friday, 2nd-most in a single day in baseball history, trailing only the 62 homers hit on July 2, 2002- there were 16 games played then, with a doubleheader in Boston that day.

10) Wrigley Field organist Gary Pressy worked his 2,633rd consecutive game Saturday; that means he hasn?t missed a home game since sometime in 1987- very impressive.

9) Went to an AAU tournament Saturday, first time I?ve done that in a couple years; the Gym Rat Challenge is a Memorial Day weekend tradition here in Albany? it is very well organized, spread out all over the Albany/Troy/Saratoga area.

They have three courts in the Times Union Center in downtown Albany, a 15,000-seat arena that is way too big for an event like this, but kids must enjoy playing there. Teams from all over the northeast come to the Gym Rat? good chance for kids to play against solid competition.

8) Astros 4, Red Sox 3? Boston starter David Price left this game after three batters with flu-like symptoms. Correa walked it off with a single in bottom of 9th.

7) College basketball transfer portal:
? Middle Tennessee State poaches Jalen Jordan from St Francis NY.

6) Diamondbacks 10, Giants 1? Arizona outscored San Francisco the last two days by combined score of 28-6. Going to be a rough summer for the Giants.

5) Mets 5 Tigers 4 (13)? Both teams ran out of position players, used a starting pitcher as a pinch-runner, graphic evidence that baseball is more interesting without the DH.

4) Phillies sent OF Nick Williams down to AAA earlier this week; he took the maximum amount of time to report, then played one game (went 2-5) and was given the weekend off by the Phillies to attend his girlfriend?s college graduation. I wish I was making this up.

Two years ago, Williams hit .288 with 12 homers in 83 games for the Phillies, but when the new regime took over last year, Williams? star dimmed noticeably, and with Harper/McCutchen now in the Phils? outfield, Williams is the odd man out.

I?m assuming he wants to be traded, but taking a weekend off to attend your girlfriend?s college graduation raises red flags about how much you care about playing, which makes it more difficult for you to be traded.

3) Baseball stuff:
? Angels put P Matt Harvey (back) on the IL.
? White Sox put C Welington Castillo on the 7-day concussion list.
? Pirates put P Chris Stratton on the IL.
? Astros put OF George Springer (hamstring) on IL.

2) Raptors 100, Bucks 94? Toronto advances to NBA Finals for first time, by sweeping last four games of series after losing Games 1-2 in Milwaukee.

1) Thoughts/prayers to Wisconsin assistant basketball coach Howard Moore, whose family was involved in a deadly car accident Saturday morning; coach Moore lost his wife and his daughter- he and his son are fighting for their lives. We wish them well.

 

[Cnotes53]

NBA Finals are set: reigning Warriors vs newcomer Raptors
May 25, 2019
By The Associated Press

The first NBA game was in Toronto.

And now, the NBA Finals are headed there.

Finally.

The NBA Finals are set after the Toronto Raptors won the Eastern Conference championship on Saturday night and earned the right to play the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors. For the Raptors, it'll be the first time on this stage; for the Warriors, it'll be an 11th trip to the finals and fifth in a row, as they look for a fourth crown in the last five seasons.

Game 1 is Thursday night in Toronto, which will become the first city outside the U.S. to play host to a finals game - a milestone that comes just about 73 years after Toronto was the site of the first game in NBA history.

The Raptors weren't around then: Toronto's first NBA team was called the Huskies, a club that went 22-38 in its only season. The Raptors have been around since 1995, and in their 24th season they're finally going to play for a ring.

''They're the champions,'' Raptors star Kawhi Leonard said of the Warriors. ''We've got to go in, have the mental focus, enjoy the moment and take the challenge.''

While it is the first finals trip for the Raptors franchise, many Raptors players have been there. Leonard and Danny Green got there with San Antonio in both 2013 and 2014, with Leonard winning MVP of the series against Miami five years ago. Serge Ibaka was with Oklahoma City for its appearance in 2012 and Raptors reserve Patrick McCaw was part of the Warriors for their title runs in each of the past two seasons.

''We're not satisfied,'' Raptors President Masai Ujiri said. ''We want to win the championship.''

For the Warriors, this has almost become an annual rite.

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston have been part of each of these five runs to the finals by Golden State. Kevin Durant is going to his third in a row and fourth overall; if he wins Finals MVP - that would seem unlikely at this point, since he isn't expected to play in Game 1 and it's unknown if he'll actually appear in the series at all because of a calf injury - he would join Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal as the only players to win that trophy in three consecutive seasons.

By the time Game 1 rolls around, the Warriors will have been off for 10 days. They scrimmaged Saturday to break up the monotony.

''I think we try and be smart with it,'' Iguodala said. ''We got a few guys just trying to get back from injury and it's given us some time to get that rest and take advantage of it.''

Warriors coach Steve Kerr has a chance at his ninth championship. He won five as a player, has three already as a coach and is going to the finals for the 10th time in his last 13 seasons in either of those roles.

''It's not like we've come to expect it, but we're veterans of this experience and this run and our guys know how to finish games,'' Kerr said. ''They know how to win playoff series, and so there's a sense of confidence going into every round. There's still a sense of joy and accomplishment getting to the finals. It's so hard to do.''

For Leonard, it'll be the first trip to the finals since he was MVP of the series in 2014.

And it only continues to prove that his first year in Toronto was a complete and total success.

Traded to the Raptors last summer by San Antonio - DeMar DeRozan was the big piece the Spurs got - one of the major storylines entering this season was Leonard's health and whether he'd fit in Toronto.

Asked and answered. Leonard has averaged 31.2 points and 8.8 rebounds in the playoffs, had a 27-point, 17-rebound, seven-assist effort in the win over Milwaukee that clinched the East on Saturday, and had perhaps the best moment of this postseason when his buzzer-beater hit the rim four times before dropping to beat Philadelphia in Game 7 of the second round.

''He's been great,'' Kerr said of Leonard. ''Not surprising, though. He's got his finals MVP a few years ago. One of the best players in the league, so he's been great.''

Game 2 is in Toronto on June 2, followed by Games 3 and 4 at Oracle Arena on June 5 and June 7.

Either Game 4 or Game 6 - on June 13, if it goes that far - will be the final time the Warriors call that building home. They're leaving Oakland after this season for the brand-new Chase Center in San Francisco.

The Raptors swept the season series, though there are plenty of reasons not to make too big a deal out of that. For starters, the teams haven't played since Dec. 12. And neither team was at full strength in either of those games - Durant scored 51 in a 131-128 loss at Toronto in a game where the Warriors didn't have Curry, Cousins or Green; the Raptors won by 20 at Oracle even without Leonard two weeks later.

Regardless, it can now be said: Toronto and the Bay lay claim to the NBA's two best teams this season.

All that's left to decide now is who'll be hosting the championship parade and hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

 

[Cnotes53]

Warriors know this is something special
May 24, 2019
By The Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Stephen Curry hears the dynasty discussion about his Golden State Warriors during another postseason run.

Draymond Green realizes special teams only stay together for so long before something breaks them apart.

That's why the Warriors decided from Day 1 of training camp to cherish this season.

Golden State is a franchise in its prime - five straight trips to the NBA Finals and seeking a third consecutive title. But the clock is ticking and the Warriors are well aware of the possible ramifications of free agency and how things could change in a hurry this summer.

''Basketball careers aren't that long. If you can get 10 out of it, you're lucky,'' Green explained. ''To be to five straight finals, I don't even know what to say about it. This is what you play for. This is our goal every year and to get here five straight times is special.''

The Warriors started this run with three All-Stars in Curry, Green and Klay Thompson. They added two more in Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins. How many they'll have after free agency is any and everyone's guess.

Curry - with nearly 11-month-old son Canon regularly in his arms for the ride - is certainly relishing this stretch of his decorated career, appreciating how far the Warriors have come during the 10 years he has been in the league.

A third straight title is suddenly within reach, which would be Golden State's fourth championship in five years.

''We know what's at stake and what we're chasing this year, this series, this game, and that's the only way that you can really put your best foot forward in terms of trying to get back to the mountaintop,'' Curry said. ''We'll have plenty of time when we hang the sneakers up to really go back and think about all the different experiences and highs and lows, but right now, we're two games away from another finals appearance. It's pretty special.''

The Warriors are the first team to reach five straight finals since the Celtics advanced to 10 in a row from 1957-1966.

Another championship would cement this run of titles among the best ever.

The Los Angeles Lakers of 2000-02 - led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal - are the last team to capture three straight titles.

Golden State advanced without Durant, the reigning two-time finals MVP, and Cousins. Both were sidelined with injuries for the entire Western Conference finals. The finished off Portland without Andre Iguodala, another finals MVP who sat out Game 4 with an injury.

While the Bucks and Raptors are slugging it out in the East, the Warriors are rehabbing.

''I hope it doesn't go unnoticed or underrated. Five straight finals hasn't been done since the 60s, since Bill Russell's Celtics,'' fifth-year Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. ''Hasn't been done for a reason: It's really, really difficult. I just can't say enough about the competitive desire about the group of players that we have here and the culture that they have built together, playing together regardless of injury.''

Each Warriors run has been unique. When they won in 2015 it was the first title for the franchise in 40 years.

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers derailed them in 2016, but the Warriors bounced back in 2017 with a dominant 16-1 record during the postseason.

Last year, Golden State joined Russell's Celtics, Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls and trio of Lakers teams - including George Mikan and company in the 1950s, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the `80s, and Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant nearly 20 years ago - as the only franchises in NBA history to capture three championships in four years.

''When I was here the first time, they rebuilt and retooled,'' said Andrew Bogut, a member of the 2015 title team before rejoining the Warriors in March.

''They didn't just sit on their hands thinking it was going to last forever. They freed up cap space, you have to give (general manager) Bob Myers, (owner) Joe Lacob and the coaching staff a lot of credit. There are a lot of teams that win a championship and kind of reward the whole roster, then they end up two-three years down the track and end up in a bit of a hole. Whereas this is a great run for a franchise that will end up as one of the all-time greats.''

The Warriors enjoy playing together and with so many selfless stars and a deep bench they are rarely out of any game.

That doesn't mean it has been easy, especially with the constant free agency chatter this season.

Durant is an impending free agent and the basketball world continues to speculate on his next move. Thompson's future with the Warriors is unclear as well, while Green is signed through next season.

''We know that these runs don't last forever, and obviously there are so many questions and things that could possibly happen with this team this summer,'' Green said. ''So want to try to take advantage of this opportunity and make the most of it, and deal with the things that come after whenever those things arrive, but right now we're focused on the task at hand and try to do something that hasn't been done in a long time, or many times.''

The Warriors are aware of the dynasty talk, but aren't labeling themselves. They have consistently said their focus is the task of raising another banner in the final season at Oracle Arena before the franchise moves into Chase Center in San Francisco to begin 2019-20.

''I don't think in those terms. It's just every opportunity we have to play, these are big moments, big games,'' Curry said, ''and the context of what this five-year run has been and all that stuff doesn't really dominate my mind when we're out there competing.''

 

[Cnotes53]

NBA Finals Odds
May 26, 2019
By VI News

Home Team listed first - Best of 7 Games (2-2-1-1-1)
(Opening Odds in parentheses)

NBA Finals

Toronto vs. Golden State
Warriors (-285)
Raptors (+230)

Exact Game Props - Prior to Series

Toronto vs. Golden State

 

[Cnotes53]

Trends to Watch - Game 1
May 26, 2019
By VI News

NBA Finals Betting Trends - Game 1

-- The home team has gone 19-3 straight up in Game 1 of the last 22 NBA Finals.

-- Twelve of the last 15 victories have come by double digits.

-- The ?under? has gone 10-4-1 in the last 15 openers and is 14-7-1 in the previous 22.

-- In the last 22 years, we've only seen both teams score triple digits three times in Game 1 and all of those games went to overtime.

-- Toronto has gone 1-2 both straight up and against the spread in Game 1 of this year's playoffs, with two of the games played at Scotiabank Arena.

-- The Raptors are 8-2 straight up and 7-3 against the spread at home in this year's playoffs.

-- Golden State is 3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS in series openers, all decisions coming at home. In the first road game of a series in this year's playoffs, it has gone 2-1 both SU and ATS.

-- Overall, the Warriors have gone 6-2 SU and 4-4 ATS on the road in this year's postseason.

Listed below are the past 22 openers in the NBA Finals, with total results.

GAME 1 OF THE NBA FINALS (1997-2018)
Year Matchup Total
2018 Golden State 124 vs. Cleveland 114 (OT) Over (218)
2017 Golden State 113 vs. Cleveland 91 Under (225)
2016 Golden State 104 vs. Cleveland 89 Under (211)
2015 Golden State 108 vs. Cleveland 100 (OT) Over (203.5)
2014 San Antonio 110 vs. Miami 95 Over (198.5)
2013 Miami 88 vs. San Antonio 92 Under (190)
2012 Oklahoma City 105 vs. Miami 94 Over (195.5)
2011 Miami 92 vs. Dallas 84 Under (188)
2010 L.A. Lakers 102 vs. Boston 89 Push (191)
2009 L.A. Lakers 100 vs. Orlando 75 Under (205.5)
2008 Boston 98 vs. L.A. Lakers 88 Under (191.5)
2007 San Antonio 85 vs. Cleveland 76 Under (179.5)
2006 Dallas 90 vs. Miami 80 Under (194)
2005 San Antonio 84 vs. Detroit 69 Under (176)
2004 L.A. Lakers 75 vs. Detroit 87 Under (171)
2003 San Antonio 101 vs. New Jersey 89 Over (187)
2002 L.A. Lakers 99 vs. New Jersey 94 Over (191)
2001 L.A. Lakers 101 vs. Philadelphia 107 (OT) Over (191)
2000 L.A. Lakers 104 vs. Indiana 87 Under (194)
1999 San Antonio 89 vs. New York 77 Under (172)
1998 Utah 88 vs. Chicago 85 (OT) Under (186)
1997 Chicago 84 vs. Utah 82 Under (190.5)

 

[Cnotes53]

Raptors advance to first NBA Finals
May 25, 2019
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TORONTO (AP) Kyle Lowry stole the ball and pushed it ahead, then waited for Kawhi Leonard to arrive before feeding his All-Star teammate for a thunderous one-handed slam over Giannis Antetokounmpo .

''The building exploded after that dunk,'' Leonard said.

It sure did. Now imagine how it will sound when the NBA Finals come to Toronto for the first time next week.

Leonard had 27 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Raptors into the finals for the first time with a 100-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. His big dunk with 6:46 to go in the fourth quarter was the final basket in a game-changing 26-3 run that began late in the third.

''It was kind of a momentum capper,'' Lowry said. ''We were on a run, and why not feed the big dog? Let the big dog eat.''

The Raptors overcame a 15-point deficit to win the series in six games and will host the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.

It will be the two-time defending champions against a Raptors team that will finally bring the NBA Finals outside the U.S. after entering the league in 1995.

''They're one of the greatest teams in history,'' Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of the Warriors. ''It will be a tall task, but we'll try to figure it out.''

Pascal Siakam scored 18 points, Lowry had 17 and Fred VanVleet 14 for the Raptors.

Lowry held the game ball and picked up his children after the game, finally getting to the championship round after the Raptors kept falling short against Cleveland.

''It's taken a long time to get here in my career,'' Lowry said. ''I've run into one guy for a while.''

Toronto was eliminated by LeBron James and the Cavaliers in three straight postseasons before shaking things up last summer with the acquisition of Leonard, the 2014 NBA Finals MVP who was acquired from San Antonio and has carried the Raptors in this postseason.

''He's the best player in the league and we're happy he's in Toronto,'' Raptors President Masai Ujiri said.

Asked about Ujiri's compliment, Leonard said he's focused on different goals.

''I just want to win,'' he said. ''I don't care about being the best player. I want to be the best team.''

Antetokounmpo had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Bucks, but the NBA's top team in the regular season saw its bid for a first finals berth in 45 years come to a disappointing end with a fourth consecutive defeat.

''Man, obviously when you're up 2-0, that doesn't mean nothing,'' Antetokounmpo said. ''You've got to learn how to come out and close out games, especially after Game 3. We've got to get better as a team, and we've got to get better individually.''

Even Nurse found his team's turnaround hard to believe.

''Beating this team four times in a row is almost mind boggling,'' Nurse said.

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said it hurt to see a great season end.

''The roster that was put together for this season, as the season started going, you started feeling like it was special and could do special things, including advancing past tonight, but it didn't happen,'' Budenholzer said.

Down 76-71 to start the fourth, the Raptors tied it with an 8-2 run while Leonard and Antetokounmpo were both on the bench. Serge Ibaka's dunk with 10:32 to go tied it at 78.

Antetokounmpo returned after a timeout, but Leonard kept sitting. That didn't matter to Toronto, with Siakam's basket giving the Raptors an 80-78 lead, their first lead since it was 6-3.

Toronto made 12 of 27 3-point attempts, including four of eight in the fourth quarter.

Siakam, who missed a pair of free throws late in the fourth quarter of Toronto's double-overtime win in Game 3, hit one to make it 98-94. Leonard grabbed the rebound on the second and was fouled. He made both, putting the Raptors up 100-94 with 3.9 seconds to go.

Malcolm Brogdon and Khris Middleton each made a pair from long range as the Bucks shot 6 for 9 from 3-point range in the first and closed the quarter with 10 unanswered points to lead 31-18. Toronto shot 6 for 19 in the opening quarter, missing six straight twice in the first 12 minutes.

The Bucks extended their lead to 38-23 on a 3 by Ersan Ilyasova with 7:46 left until half. Toronto cut the gap to 46-43 on a 3 by VanVleet with 1:07 left in the second, but Eric Bledsoe answered with a 3 and Antetokounmpo split a pair at the line, giving the Bucks a 50-43 advantage at the intermission.

The lead went back to 15 in the third before Leonard finished the period with a flourish. He had eight points in the final 2:01 and Toronto closed with a 10-0 run, cutting a 15-point deficit to 76-71.

TIP-INS

Bucks: Milwaukee shot 4 for 16 in the second but three of its made baskets were 3-pointers. ... The Bucks had six points in the paint in the first half. They finished with 28. ... Budenholzer was called for a technical foul on Milwaukee's first possession of the second half. Leonard missed the free throw. ... Antetokounmpo shot 5 for 10 at the free throw line.

Raptors: Danny Green, who missed all three of his field goal attempts in 16 minutes in Game 5, had another rough night. Green shot 0 for 4 in 14 minutes. ... Leonard's 17 rebounds were his most in any game this postseason. ... Lowry had eight assists.

DRAKE WATCH

Raptors fan and `global ambassador' Drake sat in his regular seat adjacent to the Toronto bench. The rapper wore a black hoodie with `KAWHI ME A RIVER' printed on the back.

STREET PARTY

Outside the downtown arena, fans flooded streets, bringing traffic to a standstill. One video posted on social media showed a group of fans partying on the roof of a Toronto city bus. Fans surrounded Marc Gasol's car as he was driven out of the arena , and the center rolled down his window to trade high fives with the crowd.

BIRTHDAY BOY

Toronto' reserve Norman Powell scored nine points on his 26th birthday. Standing at the back of the room, Powell's mother wished him a happy birthday at the end of her son's press conference.

FAMILIAR POSITION

The last team to overcome an 0-2 deficit and win a conference finals was Oklahoma City, which beat San Antonio in six games in 2012 after losing the first two on the road. Ibaka played for that Thunder team, while Leonard was a Spurs rookie.

UP NEXT

The NBA Finals comes to Canada for the first time when the Raptors host the Warriors on Thursday night. Toronto swept Golden State in the regular season.

 

[Cnotes53]

Matchups for the NBA Finals set
May 26, 2019
By The Associated Press

The position matchup breakdown for the 2019 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors:

STARTING GUARDS

Golden State: Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

Toronto: Kyle Lowry and Danny Green.

Analysis: All respect to Lowry, whose toughness and leadership are both comically overlooked because people tend to see only scoring, but this matchup clearly tilts Golden State's way. Curry and Thompson have averaged 42.5 points combined in their first 22 finals games together and even on their bad days are two of the most feared shooters in the game. Toronto simply needs more from Green, who is shooting only 32 percent in the playoffs and 31 percent from 3-point range. Toronto won the last four games of the Eastern Conference finals even while Green went a staggering 1 for 15 from 3-point range. But he's had enormous moments in the finals before, and is a 52 percent shooter from 3-point land in 12 previous finals games.

Edge: Warriors.

STARTING FORWARDS

Golden State: Kevin Durant/Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green.

Toronto: Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam.

Analysis: Durant isn't expected to be available for Game 1 because of his calf strain, and it remains unclear if he'll play at any point in the finals. Iguodala is a past Finals MVP and Green may be playing the best basketball of his life right now, with keeping his emotions in check yet another bonus for the Warriors. Siakam has had great moments in these playoffs and is likely the most improved player in the NBA this season. But this matchup comes down to Leonard, who has willed the Raptors through every tough moment they've faced in the postseason and has put himself in the best-player-in-the-world-right-now conversation. The Leonard vs. Green (or Iguodala) matchup when the Raptors have the ball will be fascinating.

Edge: Even, based on the plan that Durant is missing some of the series.

STARTING CENTER

Golden State: Jordan Bell (presumably).

Toronto: Marc Gasol.

Analysis: Gasol has waited a long time for this first taste of the finals, and Bell - if he does actually start, which is in some doubt - has 35 points in 11 games this postseason. And don't be surprised if DeMarcus Cousins, who has never played in a finals game and missed most of these playoffs with a quad injury, is back on the floor early in the series for the Warriors and back as a starter not long after that. So far in the playoffs, Gasol has made more 3s (28) than 2s (27) and 55% of his points have come from beyond the 3-point line.

Edge: Raptors, largely because of the uncertainty surrounding Cousins' availability.

BENCH

Golden State: Kevon Looney, Shaun Livingston, Quinn Cook, Andrew Bogut.

Toronto: Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, Serge Ibaka.

Analysis: The Warriors' bench rotation will change if Cousins and/or Durant return. Golden State has averaged 24.6 points off the bench in the playoffs, which doesn't look so hot, but a deeper dive shows how effective certain things have been for the Warriors. Looney has been fantastic, shooting 72% (50 for 69) in 329 minutes off the bench, and Livingston is looking for his fourth ring as a key reserve. Ibaka, assuming he doesn't start at center, will get big minutes for Toronto and plays the two-man game with Leonard like they've been together for seven years instead of seven months. And VanVleet came up big time and time again toward the end of the East finals, his emotions bolstered by the birth of his son midway through that matchup.

Edge: Raptors, slightly.

COACHING

Golden State: Steve Kerr.

Toronto: Nick Nurse.

Analysis: Kerr won five rings as a player, has three already as a coach and somehow seems to always push the right buttons. Nurse has dealt incredibly well with the pressure that accompanied being a first-year coach who just happened to be replacing the reigning NBA coach of the year in Dwane Casey and had to lead a win-now-or-else team that went all in on moves to get players like Leonard and Gasol.

Edge: Warriors.

INTANGIBLES

The Warriors have 10 players with a combined 140 games of finals experience; the Raptors have four players who have been in a combined 38 finals games. And the Warriors' total doesn't even count 49 finals games for Kerr (27 as a player, 22 as a coach). ... First time in the finals for Toronto, last time in the finals for Oakland - the Warriors are leaving Oracle Arena for the new Chase Center in San Francisco after this season. ... By the time the finals start, the Warriors will have gone 24 days since losing a game (May 6, Game 4 of the West semis against Houston) and by the time the series shifts to Oakland on June 5 they will have gone 20 days without a home game. ... Toronto won the regular-season series 2-0. Before that, the Warriors had won 16 of the last 18 games between the teams.

Edge: Warriors, because of the experience factor.

 

[Cnotes53]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

NBA Finals odds:

Warriors in 4: 5-1

Warriors in 5: 7-2

Warriors in 6: +275

Warriors in 7: 5-1

Raptors in 4: 25-1

Raptors in 5: 10-1

Raptors in 6: 12-1

Raptors in 7: 6-1


**********

Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend??.

13) We need to recognize more people who do good stuff in their free time. Toronto Raptors? Marc Gasol spent his offseason last year volunteering on a boat in the Mediterranean Sea with a mission to rescue and assist migrants and recover the bodies of those lost at sea.

12) Twins 7, White Sox 0? In their last 20 games, Minnesota has scored 149 runs, an average of 7.45 runs per game. Over is 7-4 in their last 11 games.

11) Braves 4, Cardinals 3 (10)? St Louis led 3-0 in 9th inning, blew the lead and lost for the 16th time in their last 22 games. Atlanta scored the winning run on a bases loaded walk.

Coming into the game, major league teams were 423-2 this season when leading by 3+ runs after eight innings. Now they?re 423-3.

10) Bullpens have become so hit/miss lately; lot of bettors are leaning towards betting on first five inning results, rather than nine-inning results. Keeps the starting pitcher as the essential piece of the equation.

9) Mets 4, Tigers 3? Mets split their last dozen games; this was their only win by a starting pitcher in that span. Hechevarria homered to the opposite field for the winning homer.

8) Baltimore Ravens will be using a completely new offense in 2019, but no one told the team?s QB, Lamar Jackson. Odd way to do business.

7) College basketball transfer portal:
? Joel Ntambwe bolts from UNLV to Texas Tech.

Texas Tech is coached by Chris Beard, who was UNLV?s coach for three weeks in March 2016, before jumping to the Red Raiders. This should make him even more popular in Las Vegas.

6) NBA Finals start Thursday in Toronto:
? Home team has gone 19-3 SU in Game 1 of the last 22 NBA Finals.
? Last 22 years, under is 14-7-1 in Game 1 of the Finals.
? Raptors are 8-2 SU, 7-3 ATS at home in this year?s playoffs.
? Warriors are 6-2 SU, 4-4 ATS on the road in the playoffs.

Golden State is -$285 to win the series.

5) Since 2000, most games a major league team has won without making the playoffs is 93:
? 2002 Mariners
? 2002 Red Sox
? 2003 Mariners

? 2005 Indians

4) One thing you hear baseball people say a lot: You have to have good up-the-middle defense. Apparently, baseball people in Detroit don?t say that a lot.

Detroit Tigers are playing JaCoby Jones in CF; he?s not good. He went 6-13 this weekend to get his batting average over .200. He looks very shaky in the outfield; not really sure what Detroit sees in him.

Niko Goodrum started all three games of the Tigers? series at Citi Field this weekend, but he started at three different positions. Detroit has sketchy defense in part because they jerk around their players around so much, and in part because their players just aren?t very good.

3) Baseball stuff:
? Pirates put D Francisco Cervelli on the 7-day concussion IL.
? Padres scratched Chris Paddack from his start Sunday (stiff neck)
? Astros? 2B Aledmys Diaz (hamstring) left Sunday?s game early.
? Tampa Bay moved P Tyler Glasnow to the 60-day IL.
? Orioles put 1B Chris Davis (hip) on the IL.

2) Get well soon to Cleveland Cavaliers? owner Dan Gilbert, who was hospitalized Sunday after experiencing stroke-like symptoms.

1) RIP Bart Starr, 85, who passed away this weekend; Starr led the Packers to five NFL titles, including wins in the first two Super Bowls.

Starr played college ball at Alabama; he was drafted by Green Bay in the 17th round of the 1956 draft. He also coached the Packers from 1975-83.

 

[Cnotes53]

Analysis: NBA Finals will decide a champion, and much more
May 27, 2019
By The Associated Press

It all comes down to this.

No, really.

It ALL comes down to this.

The next four, five, six or seven games of the NBA Finals between Golden State and Toronto will not only decide the 2019 championship, but how this series plays out is inevitably going to affect how free agency unfolds starting in a month or so.

It'll affect Warriors star Kevin Durant and his annual stay-or-go decision. It'll affect Raptors star Kawhi Leonard as he ponders his next move, or if he'll be moving at all. Klay Thompson will be a free agent this summer. DeMarcus Cousins will be free this summer. Their thinking will inevitably be moved one way or another by this series; the decisions they'll all make in the coming weeks will have a ripple effect on the rest of the NBA.

Durant made clear over the weekend that he's tired of the incessant talk about his future.

''I know what I bring to the team,'' Durant said, ''but I also know that a lot of people on the outside don't like to see us together.''

New York will be paying intense attention to everything that gets said, tweeted, Instagrammed and intimated. Brooklyn will be in the same boat. So will the Los Angeles Clippers, who think they're on the cusp of building something really good, and the Los Angeles Lakers, who made the biggest signing of last summer by getting LeBron James and have done very little right since.

They will all be waiting to hear what Durant, Thompson, Leonard and Cousins decide.

And those are just the biggest fish - the whales, to use a term Miami President Pat Riley likes.

After that, there's an additional 60 or so players who could be free agents this summer - some have opt-ins and might not be relocating - and who are coming off seasons when they averaged at least 10 points per game. Their teams next season will be affected on some level by who gets whom in the draft. How some teams pick in the draft will be influenced by what they're hearing about free agency. And that hinges on this series.

So it's not just a ripple effect.

The finals may create a tsunami.

''The latest I've heard from our basketball operations group is that, I believe, 40% of our players are going to be free agents this summer,'' NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said at All-Star weekend in February. ''So it's two sides of the coin. Some people could say, `Oh my God, look at all that player movement.' On the other hand, that player movement could be very positive for a lot of teams.''

Maybe, maybe not.

If the Warriors win this series, as the oddsmakers in Las Vegas expect, it'll be a third consecutive championship for Golden State - and some history. The Celtics, Lakers and Bulls are the only franchises to win three or more in a row. And out of that group, only the Celtics have won four in a row (eight, actually). Michael Jordan never did. Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant never did.

That would be the obvious recruiting pitch the Warriors would make to Durant and Thompson: ''Come back and try to win No. 4. Come back and try to do something that very few players have done and something no one has done in a half-century.'' That lure would undoubtedly be strong. But if they lose this series, it would seem much easier for either player to say it's been a great run and it's time to go play somewhere else.

If Durant stays, then the Knicks, Nets and Clippers would have to move on to Plan B for free agency.

Therefore, they probably should be rooting for the Raptors.

Durant is difficult to read because he uses social media to give cryptic hints that usually aren't hints at all. Leonard is impossible to read. For all anyone knows, he already has decided to stay in Toronto or sign elsewhere. Or maybe he hasn't even thought about the summer. Maybe he is as robotic as he tries to convey.

But the same theory applies: If Toronto wins this series, it'll be harder for Leonard to leave. So for the teams that want him, they might want to root for the Warriors.

Let's use the Knicks solely for example purposes. If they don't get Durant or Leonard, then maybe Kyrie Irving crosses them off his list. Maybe that would mean Kemba Walker climbs up their charts. Maybe that means Jordan decides to offer Walker the super-max of $221 million or so to stay in Charlotte.

And the ripples go on and on.

They won't be little waves gently rolling onto the shores, either.

This will be a summer of change and a summer of major spending in the NBA. This series is going to decide much more than who gets rings. This series will likely decide who plays where for many years to come.

 

[Cnotes53]

NBA Finals Predictions
May 27, 2019
By VI News

The 2019 NBA Finals begins on Thursday May 30 from Scotiabank Arena as Toronto and Golden State will square off for the championship. The Warriors have won three of the last four titles and the oddsmakers have installed them as series favorites over the Raptors despite not having homecourt advantage in the best-of-seven battle.

Toronto finished the regular season at 58-24 and was the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference while Golden State earned the top spot in the Western Conference with a 57-25 mark.

The best-of-seven series will be played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format with a possible Game 7 taking place on Sunday June 16 from Canada.

In this year's regular season, Toronto and Golden State played each other within a two-week span in late November and early December. The Raptors earned a 131-128 victory at home on Nov. 29 and completed the sweep with a 113-93 win at Oracle Arena on Dec. 12. In the wild shootout from Canada, Warriors All-Star Stephen Curry sat out due to a groin injury. He was available in the second encounter and the Raptors still earned the win and they did so without their best player Kawhi Leonard, who was nursing a hip injury.

Throughout the 2019 playoffs our trio of NBA experts listed below have offered up their fearless predictions on every series and their records are listed below (Exact Games).

Kevin Rogers: 10-4 (3)
Chris David: 10-4 (4)
Tony Mejia: 11-3 (3)


2019 NBA FINALS

Matchup Kevin Rogers Chris David Tony Mejia

E2 Toronto vs. W1 Golden State

4-3
4-2
4-2

Analysis - Kevin Rogers

In a strange twist, the Raptors go from not owning home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals to now possessing it in the NBA Finals against the Warriors. Golden State is in familiar territory by making its fifth consecutive NBA Finals, but two things are different this time around. The Warriors don?t have to worry about containing LeBron James and Golden State will be on the road for the first two games and a potential Game 7.


Two games into the Eastern Conference Finals, it looked like Milwaukee would be heading to the NBA Finals, but four straight victories by Toronto has the Raptors vying for their first ever championship. No LeBron this time around, but Kawhi Leonard has put together a fantastic postseason by averaging 31.2 ppg, which is nearly five points higher than his regular season average.

Kevin Durant?s status is up in the air for Golden State after missing the Western Conference Finals with a calf injury. The big question heading into this series for the Warriors (besides the availability of KD) is if all those holes Portland dug for Golden State to climb out of was a sign to things to come or just poor starts for the Warriors.

Toronto swept the season series, including a blowout win at Oracle Arena without Leonard. Stephen Curry didn?t suit up in an overtime loss at Toronto, as Durant lit up the Raptors for 51 points. If Durant doesn?t play and the Warriors owned home-court advantage, then Golden State should be alright. But with Durant out to start the series and the Warriors have to travel early, that could spell problems for the champs.

Analysis - Chris David

In the 2008 NBA Finals, the L.A. Lakers (-180) met the Celtics (+160) in the finals without homecourt advantage and that was the last time we saw a club with the venue disadvantage listed as favorites in the series. Boston won the matchup in six games and while the extra home matches played a factor in that series, it?s not always the telling factor. Since that best-of-seven battle, we?ve seen three teams in the Mavericks (2011), Heat (2012) and Cavaliers (2016) win the finals without homecourt advantage.

While I believe Toronto will be much more competitive than last year?s LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in the finals, I can?t see the Raptors sustaining their defense against this well-tuned Warriors squad. Holding the Bucks to 102, 99 and 94 points in the last three games of the East Finals was very impressive but Milwaukee helped that cause by only hitting 31 percent from 3-point land in the series. Outside of the Game 4 win at home, every contest was tight and they?re now facing a group that is better than anybody in finishing games.

The Raptors have a slight edge in the frontcourt due to the uncertain status of Golden State forward Kevin Durant. If he was healthy, the Warriors would likely be -500 favorites knowing how much success he?s had against Toronto. He averaged 40.5 points per game in the two losses to the Raptors this season and his career numbers (27.7 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 4.2 APG) versus the Canadian club are off the charts as well. Without KD, the Warriors are 5-0 in the postseason and his absence has helped give minutes and confidence to Steve Kerr?s reserves. If Durant returns and possibly DeMarcus Cousins too, the added talent should only create more issues for the Raptors.

I expect Toronto to win at least one, possibly two games at home in this series and I wouldn?t be surprised to see a blowout as well since we?ve seen this Golden State team get run plenty of times this season. However, the Warriors have been very solid off losses and their playoff record at home is ridiculous. Golden State in six games (9/4) is the top choice for Exact Game Odds and that?s my lean in the finals.

Analysis - Tony Mejia

It's difficult to look ahead in this series since we don't know when Kevin Durant will return to alter the dynamic, but I'm of the belief we'll see him by the time the series returns to Oakland. The Warriors can theoretically win this series without him but will certainly be able to use his services to help make life more difficult for Kawhi Leonard. It's hard to imagine Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet staying as hot as they were late in the Eastern Conference finals, which means it's going to be tough to hang with the Splash Brothers, especially since Danny Green is mired in such an awful slump. Golden State will need Draymond Green to stay out of foul trouble and Andre Iguodala's calf to hold up but should win a third straight title, breaking Canadian hearts in spoiling Toronto's first Finals.