BIG AL McMORDIE
SAN ANTONIO/LOS ANGELES GAME 2 WINNER. [ NBA ]
At 9 pm, our selection is on the San Antonio Spurs over the Lakers. In getting out to a big lead on Los Angeles, San Antone did a lot of things right in game 1. They defended the 3-point line, and forced the Lakers to shoot a lot of mid-range jumpers. And, of course, they played great position defense, and refused to foul (the Spurs are the best team in the league at not committing fouls). Kobe Bryant, for example, had just four free-throw attempts for the game, and he usually gets to the line an awful lot more. Also big for the Spurs was Tim Duncan, who no longer has to go up against Shaquille O'Neal and Tyson Chandler. Pau Gasol is a lot easier for Duncan to handle, and this was evident in Timmy's big Game 1 performance (30 points, 18 rebounds). The key to the Spurs' loss was not, Kobe Bryant, as many have written, but Manu Ginobili. The Spurs' Argentine guard was downright awful, with just 3 made shots of 13 taken, and four turnovers. Even more glaring was his plus/minus figure of -19 (i.e., the Spurs were outscored by 19 points in the time he was on the court). Compare that to Kobe Bryant's +/- figure of +2, and you can see how important Ginobili's terrible play was to the outcome of the game. But one thing I have learned over the years is that Manu is the most competitive player in the league, and he will bounce back from this bad game. Even if he doesn't score, he will be smarter enough tonight to let the game come to him, and he'll make the extra pass to get his teammates good shots. In Game 1, he forced the action way too much and committed senseless turnovers. Look for the Spurs to play another competitive game tonight. Take the points.
San Antonio Spurs
49-15 AMERICAN LEAGUE GAME OF THE WEEK. [ MLB ]
At 8:10pm our selection is on the Los Angeles Angels over the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox are on fire lately, having won eight straight games. What's amazing about Chicago being 26-20 at this stage is that they're doing it with the second-worst team batting average in the American League at .248. This tells you that the White Sox probably cannot continue winning games at this pace, but they are sure going to enjoy it while it lasts. Their batting average is even worse against lefties (.243) and tonight they face one of the best in the American League this season in the Angels' 26 year old Joe Saunders. Saunders has done everything that's been asked of him this season and then some. He is the prototypical "crafty lefty" who doesn't throw particularly hard (only 25 strikeouts in almost 62 innings) but knows how to change speeds and paint the corners effectively. It also doesn't matter much where Saunders is pitching as he is 4-0 with a 2.72 ERA at home and an even more impressive 3-1 with a 2.13 ERA on the road. The Angels are also slightly better on the road than at home. Take Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Angels
