I apologize for missing yesterday’s notes (computer problems). The NBA didn’t take a day off, however, as the second round continued with the Pistons taking a 2-0 lead over the Cavs with a 97-91 victory and the Mavs tying their series with the Spurs 1-1. with an impressive 113-91 victory. Round two continues tonight on TNT with the Nets at the Heat (8:00 ET) and the Clippers at the Suns (10:35 ET).
My bye game for Wednesday is the Az Diamondbacks over the Pit Pirates at 7:05 ET. In tonight’s NBA, I’ll be featuring one of my signature LEGEND plays (3-0 in the playoffs) and in MLB, it’s my 20* AL Game of the Month plus 15* pitch mismatch.
The home teams opened 4-2 SU but only 2-4 ATS in the second round after finishing 31-14 (22-21-2 ATS) in the first round. Four of the six games have gone over, continuing a recent trend that has seen 13 of the last 16 playoff games go over the total. The “Zig-Zag” theory (playing ‘over’ the underdog SU from the previous game) finished the first round with eight straight underdogs on separate points, but “zig-zaggers” went a perfect 2-0 last night, to open the second round! round!
tuesday recap
Detroit used a 19-3 first-half run to open a 52-38 lead over Cleveland in Game 2 last night. The Cavs made a late run (to cover) but were never really in the game. LeBron, who scored 22 points in the first half of Game 1, scored just seven points in the half last night. He finished with 30 points (plus 14 rebounds) but again received little help from his teammates. Whether the Cavs’ 31-19 fourth quarter will give them any momentum in Game 3 remains to be seen.
As for the Pistons, they needed little help from their bench in Game 2, getting just six points from their reserves after getting 43 points from their bench in their 27-point Game 1 win. Detroit’s starting five scored in Double figures (even Ben Wallace, who had 10 points remaining with a team-leading 15 rebounds), led by Rasheed Wallace, who had 29.
The Mavs must have felt their Game 1 loss to the Spurs was a “missed opportunity,” but they surely didn’t show any negative side effects in Game 2. Dallas used a 32-16 second quarter to grab a 58-game break. -38 led and never looked back, winning 113-91. Howard led the way with 27 points (Mavs are now 20-0 this year when scoring 20 or more points!), Nowitzki had 21, Harris 20 and Stackhouse 19. Duncan led the Spurs 28-9.
wednesday games
The Nets face Miami tonight (the Heat are seven-point favorites on 187 1/2 total) but will probably have to play without Jefferson. Jefferson has been “Mr. Consistent” for the Nets in these playoffs, topping 20 points in six of the team’s seven playoff games. Jefferson scored 20 points in 22 minutes in Game 1, but left early in the third quarter with a sprained ankle and is listed as a doubt for Game 2.
