Spurs, Pistons not dead yet
This isn?t just a changing of the guard ? this is a revolution.
The Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs are both facing elimination Friday in their respective conference semifinals. It?s not necessarily a shock that the Spurs are down 3-2 to the outstanding Dallas Mavericks; few people, however, could have imagined Detroit would be on the verge of losing in six games to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Imagination has its limits. Despite facing a 3-2 deficit in their best-of-seven series with Cleveland, the Pistons are still ?210 favorites to make it to the Eastern final for a rematch with the Miami Heat. Cleveland is a big +175 underdog to prevent the Pistons from winning two games in a row. That?s a solid value given that the Cavs are +215 on the moneyline to take Friday?s Game 6 at Quicken Loans Arena. They?re also 5-point underdogs against the spread; Cleveland is 4-1 ATS in this series after bagging the cash in each of the last four matchups.
If the Cavs have exposed any weaknesses in Detroit?s lineup during the past three games (all Cleveland victories), nobody seems able to identify them. The Pistons are getting their opportunities; they just aren?t making their shots, hitting a mere 41.9 percent of their field-goal attempts compared to 48.4 percent in the previous round against the Milwaukee Bucks. Disbelief in Detroit?s drought keeps Motown on top of the futures market at +120 to win the NBA title. The Cavaliers are way down the odds list at +2500.
Maybe it?s time to pay respect to the King. LeBron James has put the Cavaliers on his back with an authoritative 25.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, seven assists and 1.6 steals per game. His rotating cast of supporting players, adeptly handled by rookie coach Mike Brown, has held the fort with composure and strong interior play. In Game 5, center Zydrunas Ilgauskas returned to All-Star form with 14 points, 10 boards and an amazing six blocks in just 28 minutes before fouling out late in the game. Donyell Marshall stepped up with a double-double and a pair of blocks, sealing the game by rejecting Tayshuan Prince?s game-winning attempt in the waning moments.
This is a Cavs team that has galvanized around shooting guard Larry Hughes. His 20-year-old brother Justin, who had a history of heart trouble, died last week, and the team attended the funeral service Tuesday in St. Louis. Hughes hasn?t played since Game 2; his difficulties on defense against the Wizards suggested he wasn?t really ready for the playoffs anyway after missing more than half the regular season with a broken finger. Detroit will need to find another gear and play with enthusiasm Friday in order to counter the emotionally driven Cavs and extend the series.
The Spurs have already staved off elimination once against Dallas, taking Game 5 of their Western semifinal 98-97 thanks in part to a master performance by Tim Duncan (36 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks). But the Mavericks are still 4-1 ATS in this series, and were big ?300 faves to advance to the next round. ?Were? is the important word here. Things changed somewhat after Thursday?s announcement that Jason Terry was levied an automatic one-game suspension for throwing a short jab at Michael Finley?s nether-regions during a scramble for the ball in the dying seconds of Game 5. The Mavs are now down to ?250 to finish off the Spurs. They also saw the pointspread shrink from Dallas ?3 to Dallas ?1 ? after the Terry suspension was announced.
As sharp handicappers know, timing is everything. The Spurs were listed at +1000 to win the NBA title before the Terry announcement was made, with Dallas priced at +200. Those numbers were taken off the board after the NBA brass handed down their ruling. New odds were pending as of this writing. Although the Mavs have the benefit of playing Game 6 at home, the loss of Terry will be difficult to overcome. You?re probably feeling pretty good if you were able to grab the defending champions at +1000.
Duncan?s 30 points weren?t the killer blow in Game 5 ? the two-time MVP has four such games already in this series. The difference was a surprisingly pedestrian effort from the Mavericks bench. Even with the added depth provided by the return of power forward Keith Van Horn from a broken hand, the bench scored just 12 points in Game 5, with Jerry Stackhouse shooting 4-for-12 for 10 points in his worst effort of the series. Stackhouse will have to perform better than that now that he?s being thrust into the starting lineup in Terry?s absence.
ESPN has the television coverage for both games, with the Pistons-Cavs at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time followed by the Spurs-Mavs at 9:30 p.m.
--Perry
BetWWTS.com
This isn?t just a changing of the guard ? this is a revolution.
The Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs are both facing elimination Friday in their respective conference semifinals. It?s not necessarily a shock that the Spurs are down 3-2 to the outstanding Dallas Mavericks; few people, however, could have imagined Detroit would be on the verge of losing in six games to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Imagination has its limits. Despite facing a 3-2 deficit in their best-of-seven series with Cleveland, the Pistons are still ?210 favorites to make it to the Eastern final for a rematch with the Miami Heat. Cleveland is a big +175 underdog to prevent the Pistons from winning two games in a row. That?s a solid value given that the Cavs are +215 on the moneyline to take Friday?s Game 6 at Quicken Loans Arena. They?re also 5-point underdogs against the spread; Cleveland is 4-1 ATS in this series after bagging the cash in each of the last four matchups.
If the Cavs have exposed any weaknesses in Detroit?s lineup during the past three games (all Cleveland victories), nobody seems able to identify them. The Pistons are getting their opportunities; they just aren?t making their shots, hitting a mere 41.9 percent of their field-goal attempts compared to 48.4 percent in the previous round against the Milwaukee Bucks. Disbelief in Detroit?s drought keeps Motown on top of the futures market at +120 to win the NBA title. The Cavaliers are way down the odds list at +2500.
Maybe it?s time to pay respect to the King. LeBron James has put the Cavaliers on his back with an authoritative 25.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, seven assists and 1.6 steals per game. His rotating cast of supporting players, adeptly handled by rookie coach Mike Brown, has held the fort with composure and strong interior play. In Game 5, center Zydrunas Ilgauskas returned to All-Star form with 14 points, 10 boards and an amazing six blocks in just 28 minutes before fouling out late in the game. Donyell Marshall stepped up with a double-double and a pair of blocks, sealing the game by rejecting Tayshuan Prince?s game-winning attempt in the waning moments.
This is a Cavs team that has galvanized around shooting guard Larry Hughes. His 20-year-old brother Justin, who had a history of heart trouble, died last week, and the team attended the funeral service Tuesday in St. Louis. Hughes hasn?t played since Game 2; his difficulties on defense against the Wizards suggested he wasn?t really ready for the playoffs anyway after missing more than half the regular season with a broken finger. Detroit will need to find another gear and play with enthusiasm Friday in order to counter the emotionally driven Cavs and extend the series.
The Spurs have already staved off elimination once against Dallas, taking Game 5 of their Western semifinal 98-97 thanks in part to a master performance by Tim Duncan (36 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks). But the Mavericks are still 4-1 ATS in this series, and were big ?300 faves to advance to the next round. ?Were? is the important word here. Things changed somewhat after Thursday?s announcement that Jason Terry was levied an automatic one-game suspension for throwing a short jab at Michael Finley?s nether-regions during a scramble for the ball in the dying seconds of Game 5. The Mavs are now down to ?250 to finish off the Spurs. They also saw the pointspread shrink from Dallas ?3 to Dallas ?1 ? after the Terry suspension was announced.
As sharp handicappers know, timing is everything. The Spurs were listed at +1000 to win the NBA title before the Terry announcement was made, with Dallas priced at +200. Those numbers were taken off the board after the NBA brass handed down their ruling. New odds were pending as of this writing. Although the Mavs have the benefit of playing Game 6 at home, the loss of Terry will be difficult to overcome. You?re probably feeling pretty good if you were able to grab the defending champions at +1000.
Duncan?s 30 points weren?t the killer blow in Game 5 ? the two-time MVP has four such games already in this series. The difference was a surprisingly pedestrian effort from the Mavericks bench. Even with the added depth provided by the return of power forward Keith Van Horn from a broken hand, the bench scored just 12 points in Game 5, with Jerry Stackhouse shooting 4-for-12 for 10 points in his worst effort of the series. Stackhouse will have to perform better than that now that he?s being thrust into the starting lineup in Terry?s absence.
ESPN has the television coverage for both games, with the Pistons-Cavs at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time followed by the Spurs-Mavs at 9:30 p.m.
--Perry
BetWWTS.com
