10/28/08 Opening Night Plays
- Thread starter JPicks
- Start date
Gorgolon Lives
The Reverend of CTG
Taking a quick look at undervalued teams to begin the year...
Pacers
This team finally has a PG who can fit O'Brien's run and gun system. And the cancer, Tinsley, is gone. This team can shoot the ball well, and they have a nice trio of big men who can rebound (Murphy, Foster, Rasho). But the most important aspect is Granger. He is in a contract year, still playing in his rookie deal. He'll be the next 10 million+ a year man next season. They should make the playoffs this season.
Heat
Why not? Wade looks healthy. Marion is in a contract year. Beasley and Chalmers should be in the mix to start in their first years. This team is pretty deep with the additions of Jones and Magloire. I can see them surprising people and grabbing the 8th spot in the East.
Pacers
This team finally has a PG who can fit O'Brien's run and gun system. And the cancer, Tinsley, is gone. This team can shoot the ball well, and they have a nice trio of big men who can rebound (Murphy, Foster, Rasho). But the most important aspect is Granger. He is in a contract year, still playing in his rookie deal. He'll be the next 10 million+ a year man next season. They should make the playoffs this season.
Heat
Why not? Wade looks healthy. Marion is in a contract year. Beasley and Chalmers should be in the mix to start in their first years. This team is pretty deep with the additions of Jones and Magloire. I can see them surprising people and grabbing the 8th spot in the East.
JPicks
Pretty much a regular
opcorn:
Cavs/Celtics Over 179.5
Also like the Cavs to cover the 7, but I'll take I'm taking it easy on the first night so no reason to play a side and total on the same game. More thoughts about the over later.
JPicks
Pretty much a regular
Found this stat reading around the internet:
NBA Champions are 19-40 (32%) ATS over the last 6 years in the first two weeks of the season following their championship.
And who can forget the Bulls destroying the Heat in the '06 opener after they got their rings. Portland also covered last year as a 13 point dog to the Spurs.
As emotional as the C's are I'll be really surprised to see them put in a business like effort and to me that will start with a sub-par effort on the defensive side of the ball. Love West, Mo, and Lebron out on the floor at the same time. Between CLE pushing the ball more this year and the C's in a party atmosphere I don't see how they list this total in the same range as last year's playoffs matchups. So love the total and like Cleveland quite a bit as well. Looking more and more likely I'll be on both.
reNew Orleans
Clubbin' with Rasual Butler
JPicks, cant wait for the year and look forward to discussing plays with ya.
interesting thoughts on the total there, definitely like the Cavs tomorrow night and may take them SU too.
interesting thoughts on the total there, definitely like the Cavs tomorrow night and may take them SU too.
Retburj13
SpongeBob Squarecapper
yup..like the trend and always try to cash on it
i will be at Gah-den tomorrow for the rings....nice time to be had for sure
opcorn:lean Cavs actually here...:whip:
i believe Celts will be lookin forward to get going but with all the hoopla, the men are still human so the moment may take away some focus and Cavs still remember they were minutes away from the ECF last year if not for PP goin off and a clutch PJ jumper...see some revenge here for Bron and what better then on Celts home court with the rings in hand
Celts wont be good fade material many times this year...they still should be a cover machine but will have their hiccups but they also have the leadership (KG) to right the ship and get team back on track to prevent long skids...
they know they are all gettin older so theres talk of grabbin as many chances as they can get but Cavs are one of few teams that will challenge Celts for EC title reins
i will be lookin for situational plays to fade the Green this season but fadin long term this season i feel will be a losing bet
gl guys...and bring on Stern's THUGS:tiphat:
JPicks
Pretty much a regular
Looking forward to it as well reNew. Hopefully the NBA season coming around is getting you back into the spirit of crunching some #'s. :shake:
Good to hear you like the Cavs as well. Looking forward to your thoughts all year.
I'm not much of a matchups guys, but Pierce vs Lebron?? I'll take Pierce taking the night off for sure. It's not that I expect the C's to not give a shit, because I do think they'll come to play. It's simply going to be impossible for KG and the rest of the C's to have the same intensity on the defensive end that they did for the playoffs last year. So why is the total set in the same range as the playoffs last year? Not only will neither team play with the same passion the Cavs clearly have more offensive weapons while the Celtics lost one of their better defenders in Posey.
Not once last year did these two teams have a listed total in the regular season under 186 so I think this line is purely based on the playoff series when you look at the additions and subtractions from each team.
JPicks
Pretty much a regular
Celtics ring in new year
By Mark Murphy
Many of Tony Allen’s teammates are worried.
When the Celtics [team stats] were measured for their championship rings, which will be presented prior to Tuesday night’s season opener against Cleveland, the guard insisted on having his right pinkie fitted.
Beyond the fact that he wanted to sport this chunky piece of bling with a John Gotti flair, he was risking injury.
“You never know with TA,” said Ray Allen. “I told him that it might be pretty intense. That little pinkie will have to do some weight training to keep that thing up.”
The effort will be exceeded only by the wait.
Though the Celtics are about to raise their 17th championship banner, that event will probably have more sway with the fans.
The players are clearly looking forward to the ring ceremony, which is being treated like an Olympic torch-lighting ceremony. The rings have an official sponsor: Southwest Airlines. Considering that Southwest flies into Providence, and not Logan, the rings will be delivered to Celtics legend JoJo White on the T.F. Green Airport tarmac on Tuesday.
The rings will be protected in a special case. Lucky the Leprechaun and the Celtics Dancers will be present. Limo service and a security escort have presumably been arranged.
Players are generally anxious to move beyond this kind of hoopla, but the allure of quality bling is different.
“I’ll enjoy every bit of it,” said Paul Pierce [stats]. “It will be great to raise the banner, get my ring, and then put it behind us.”
The Celtics captain isn’t worried about the gleam of gold causing a distraction. The Cavaliers, after all, will be at the other end of the floor. LeBron James hinted he may stay in the locker room, or the tunnel, while the rings are handed out.
“If you look at the way things go in our practices, it’s like we never even won a championship,” Pierce said of the way this team continues to approach the job.
Coach Doc Rivers, who has a lot to do with that attitude, certainly isn’t worried about a 10-minute ceremony infecting the game that follows.
“The good thing is that once you get the ring, then last year is over,” the Celts coach said. “But people are anxious about it. I got five e-mails today about the rings.
“I think players play for the ring,” said Rivers. “I don’t mind if people talk about it, either. The banner is a little different. With the Celtics, people can talk about our banner or 16 others.”
That’s why, according to Ray Allen, the banner holds a bit less weight.
“The ring ceremony is the pinnacle to winning the championship,” he said. “But then it’s eclipsed by the first game of the next season. Within 10, 15 minutes you have to pull yourselves together.”
Provided Tony Allen can pull that ring back off his right pinkie in time.
“It ain’t like I’m gonna wear it,” he said, clearly tired of the pinkie jokes. “It’ll get put up. Then if I get another, I’ll put it on my ring finger. But I won’t wear this except to banquets.”
By Mark Murphy
Many of Tony Allen’s teammates are worried.
When the Celtics [team stats] were measured for their championship rings, which will be presented prior to Tuesday night’s season opener against Cleveland, the guard insisted on having his right pinkie fitted.
Beyond the fact that he wanted to sport this chunky piece of bling with a John Gotti flair, he was risking injury.
“You never know with TA,” said Ray Allen. “I told him that it might be pretty intense. That little pinkie will have to do some weight training to keep that thing up.”
The effort will be exceeded only by the wait.
Though the Celtics are about to raise their 17th championship banner, that event will probably have more sway with the fans.
The players are clearly looking forward to the ring ceremony, which is being treated like an Olympic torch-lighting ceremony. The rings have an official sponsor: Southwest Airlines. Considering that Southwest flies into Providence, and not Logan, the rings will be delivered to Celtics legend JoJo White on the T.F. Green Airport tarmac on Tuesday.
The rings will be protected in a special case. Lucky the Leprechaun and the Celtics Dancers will be present. Limo service and a security escort have presumably been arranged.
Players are generally anxious to move beyond this kind of hoopla, but the allure of quality bling is different.
“I’ll enjoy every bit of it,” said Paul Pierce [stats]. “It will be great to raise the banner, get my ring, and then put it behind us.”
The Celtics captain isn’t worried about the gleam of gold causing a distraction. The Cavaliers, after all, will be at the other end of the floor. LeBron James hinted he may stay in the locker room, or the tunnel, while the rings are handed out.
“If you look at the way things go in our practices, it’s like we never even won a championship,” Pierce said of the way this team continues to approach the job.
Coach Doc Rivers, who has a lot to do with that attitude, certainly isn’t worried about a 10-minute ceremony infecting the game that follows.
“The good thing is that once you get the ring, then last year is over,” the Celts coach said. “But people are anxious about it. I got five e-mails today about the rings.
“I think players play for the ring,” said Rivers. “I don’t mind if people talk about it, either. The banner is a little different. With the Celtics, people can talk about our banner or 16 others.”
That’s why, according to Ray Allen, the banner holds a bit less weight.
“The ring ceremony is the pinnacle to winning the championship,” he said. “But then it’s eclipsed by the first game of the next season. Within 10, 15 minutes you have to pull yourselves together.”
Provided Tony Allen can pull that ring back off his right pinkie in time.
“It ain’t like I’m gonna wear it,” he said, clearly tired of the pinkie jokes. “It’ll get put up. Then if I get another, I’ll put it on my ring finger. But I won’t wear this except to banquets.”
I just worry about Boston in the reg season being a vet team who accomplished their mission . Lets not forget Allen and Pierce had injury concerns surrounding them as well. Which doesnt mean much in game 1 but what better way for team like CLE to start off the season by knocking off the Champs . So my intial sentence was trying to say is Boston a tad less hungry this year with nothing to prove ? Posey was huge as well they really did well in close games getting a big run to take the other team out of it .
Should be interesting I havent looked at anything NBA related though. really dont even know the rosters at at all. Unprepared is an understatement but alot of times thats works as I just keep it simple .......:cheers:
Should be interesting I havent looked at anything NBA related though. really dont even know the rosters at at all. Unprepared is an understatement but alot of times thats works as I just keep it simple .......:cheers:
JPicks
Pretty much a regular
I don't doubt the Celtics desire over the full season. KG has never been one who lacks the fire to win. I truly believe that if winning one championship was all he wanted he'd go out on top and wouldn't have played this year. Injuries, as SN pointed out, are their biggest hurdle this year IMO.
I just don't think on the night that three players, who have played for 35 years combined, get their first championship ring they'll be as focused as they were during the playoffs last year. Nor should they be.
JPicks
Pretty much a regular
:shake:
I agree but line is also 3 pts cheaper then the playoffs . Just seems thats it lacks value and will be a popular play . Really not impressed by CLE's bench and actually like Boston's changes . I am all for fading Champs but like everything else it had a certain logic to it. That being those teams would be overvalud the next season at least early on . Here just not sure thats the case. Boston even beat them twice in preseason which kinda diminshes the payback angle for CLE IMO as this is the 3rd time they meet already but obviously 1st that counts.
Think books might be on to this angle as seems like each year its less likely in different sports . Being home might be more of a plus then negative ......
If it was 8.5 to 10 then interested but not at 6.5 or less. Remember Miami was just flat terrible last year and had nothing to do with openoing night and well Port was catching +13 only needing to hang around .
GL .
Think books might be on to this angle as seems like each year its less likely in different sports . Being home might be more of a plus then negative ......
If it was 8.5 to 10 then interested but not at 6.5 or less. Remember Miami was just flat terrible last year and had nothing to do with openoing night and well Port was catching +13 only needing to hang around .
GL .
tuck321
Not all those who wander are lost
I believe you could remove everything else and just say that it is a popular play so you are against it. Cleveland played at Boston 5 times in 2008 and covered 4 of them. Cleveland lost by less than this spread in 3 of those games. Cleveland probably is better this year than last and we also have the standard angle of playoff revenge. The 2 preseason games mean---? No Cleveland starters played any minutes. Anyone put Lebron's minutes tomorrow under 38? You mentioned the spread was not 8 or 8.5. The reason they were laying that number at the end last year was they had demonstrated they were probably the best team in the East. This is a new year and they are playing a contending team. Why would they be laying such a huge number this early. Would any capper on the planet not bang Cleveland getting 8.5
Nut its ok to essentially never make a popular play. Just not that sure Cleveland is some big public play. Meanwhile we get to see if the Cleveland coach learned correct strategy vs Boston after watching the Laker's clowning around.
Nut its ok to essentially never make a popular play. Just not that sure Cleveland is some big public play. Meanwhile we get to see if the Cleveland coach learned correct strategy vs Boston after watching the Laker's clowning around.
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JPicks
Pretty much a regular
Thanks man. You as well.
Tuck--do you think Cleveland pulls off the SU upset? Agree with alot of what you said regarding the game. I also thought the line was about 3 points shorter than the playoffs last year, but Boston never managed to cover their share so it could almost be argued that had there been another game @Bos in the playoffs we might have seen a 7' or so. Also believe that Boston is getting penalized a point or two for the ring ceremony and the Cavs could get a point for the addition of MoWill. The line seems about right to me after giving it some thought. Hate taking 6 when I should have locked up 7 for the last 48 hours.
broadwayjoe
May 5Dimes MLB 2nd place
on that over tonight as well jpicks...also likely playing that o206 tomorrow. glad to be on the same side...bol this season
JPicks
Pretty much a regular
Ehh. Not as sure as you are. If Maggette sits out I'll be a bit more interested, but they still have plenty of people who can score. I look at the Warriors more as a sytem rather than players. Sure they don't have Davis and Monta but they tend to just plug new guys in and keep scoring. Harrington and Biedrins gave the Hornets fits last year and both of them are still on board. I'm just not a huge fan of laying points with a road team on opening night especially with the Hornets having the Suns on a b2b the next night and the Warriors leaving for Toronto immediately following the game.
JPicks
Pretty much a regular
I hear ya there. Detroit is DEEP and all, but fading them as DD favs at home is never a bad idea. Still think I'd rather have a couple extra points so they can get back doored and still not worry to much about losing. Still need to look into this one some more.
JPicks
Pretty much a regular
Thank you sir. BOL to you as well.
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