Let's Hope for a Sweeter Night

By Dan Rodgers

Well, last night was unfortunate. Tonight, I'm not feeling the Sweet 16 match-ups so much as a few NBA games. I'm just going to enjoy March Madness and leave the games tonight alone.

Phoenix Suns @ Indiana Pacers -3.5 = This spread is WAY off. The Pacers were down over 20 points last night in Washington and fought back for the outright win. They come back home tonight and face a Suns team that isn't playing poorly but has lost two straight and struggles on the road. The Pacers should rebound from their off-night yesterday and put together a complete game that should lead to them scoring well over 100 points. Go big on Indiana tonight. INCORRECT - Apparently, Indiana didn't feel like playing defense last night. They should be embarrassed by that loss and giving up those points to a far inferior team.

Minnesota Timber Wolves @ Oklahoma City Thunder -10.5 = The T-wolves haven't been playing very good defense, and I fully expect the Thunder to take advantage of that. Oklahoma City has scored over 100 points in four of their last five games while Minnesota has given up over 110 in three of their last five. This is just a game between two teams where one team is clearly the better team. I don't see any way Minnesota has the offense to keep up with an Oklahoma City team that tries to play defense. INCORRECT - Basically the same thing as written above, but the Thunder were able to win. Minnesota scored 140 points (in double OT, 116 in regulation). Kevin Love scored 51 points, including seven threes. He is clearly their best player and the one player OKC should have keyed in on him.

The last is another 8-point sweetheart teaser:

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Orlando Magic -1 = Once again we have the Cavs on the road against a team that is better than them. This is the same scenario and I wouldn't be surprised if Orlando covered the original nine, but we will play it safe and take them to one. CORRECT

Miami Heat -.5 @ Detroit Pistons = I got the Pistons game wrong the other night and they threw everything they had at Denver. Now they come home, most likely completely deflated because they lost at the end to the Nuggets. Miami will probably win be 20, but once again we will play it safe and make it so they only have to win. CORRECT

New Jersey Nets @ Atlanta Hawks +1 = The Hawks came through the other night when we needed them to so we will go with them again. The Nets struggle on the road, and Atlanta can even lose this game by one. The Hawks need to get their act together and play consistently if they want to put up a fight in the playoffs. CORRECT

The Knicks go into Toronto tonight looking to go 6-0 under interim head coach Mike Woodson. I wouldn't be surprised if the Knicks took care of business again tonight because they are clearly a more talented team than the Raptors. Hopefully they can keep this good defensive play going and get some confidence going into the playoffs. INCORRECT - Of course, the one night I write about the Knicks they get destroyed...

Enjoy the Sweet 16 and the NBA action tonight. I've got Baylor, UNC, Kentucky and Kansas advancing in my bracket.

Rodgers That

CBB Lite

By Dan Rodgers

Today there aren't too many games, but a lot of the games are good ones. I'm going to start with Memphis. They play the smoking hot Marshall.

Marshall @ Memphis -12 = The Thundering Herd destroyed Southern Methodist and beat Tulsa in three overtimes before a convincing 9-point win over Southern Miss. A lot of people are picking Marshall because they are so hot, but I think they are going to run out of gas. I expect them to hang with the Tigers early and for Memphis to pull away in the second half. The Tigers are also hot, and playing at home. Memphis has won six in a row, all by double digits, and is shooting lights out this season (fifth in nation in FG%). CORRECT

I'll be back in a bit and post more games...

I like Ohio State, Michigan didn't play very well yesterday. The 7.5 is a bit high, but the pick would definitely be them - CORRECT. I also like Missouri (-3) over Baylor.

Colorado vs. Arizona -3.5 = The Wildcats beat the Buffaloes by 14 in the regular season. I think they are clearly the better team and couldn't believe that the line was so low. I don't have much else to say other than I think Colorado much struggle offensively. I think this is an easy win. INCORRECT

Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt -6.5 = Vandy destroyed Ole Miss by 26 in the regular season. They are coming off of a 22-point win over Georgia, and I can't figure out for the life of my why this line isn't bigger. I don't see any reason why Vandy doesn't give us a repeat performance for an easy win. CORRECT

I'm going to try to hit a sweetheart teaser because the lines work so well:

NC State vs. UNC -1 = Bringing this line down to one is what makes this so damn appealing. The Wolfpack has been playing well recently but I don't see anyway they can beat UNC. The Tarheels are smoking right now and looking to leave no doubt that they deserve a No. 1 seed in the tournament. CORRECT

Massachusetts +11.5 vs. St. Bonaventure = UMass has just been playing really well the last few games and I don't see this one turning into a blowout. I'm not too well versed on these two A-10 teams, but getting 11.5 after UMass beat the Bonnies outright earlier in the season sounds good to me. CORRECT

Wisconsin +12 vs. Michigan State = I usually don't like picking against the Spartans because they are such a dangerous team. However, the Badgers have been playing incredibly well as of recent and I think their tough defense will keep them in this game. INCORRECT - The Badgers cut the lead to 11 with 20 seconds left and for some reason felt the need to foul. MSU made both to make the lead 13. Wisconsin missed a three and a layup after getting the offensive rebound... a very brutal way to lose.

I'll be back later with some NBA.

There isn't much I like in the NBA tonight, because all of the bad teams are on the road playing good teams and the spreads are huge.

Utah Jazz @ Chicago Bulls -11 = I know this is a big spread, but I made a play against the Jazz last night and it paid off. As I said last night, Utah is an awful road team and they lost by 13 in Philly yesterday. There is no reason for them to not be dominated again tonight by the Bulls. CORRECT

Also, I like the UNDER 197 in the OKC/Charlotte game. Charlotte has trouble scoring anyway and five of the Thunder's last seven games have gone under. INCORRECT

Rodgers That

Mostly NCAAB with a Pinch of NBA

By Dan Rodgers

Tonight is a huge night in the world of college basketball. A few conference tournaments get underway or continue tonight (Atlantic Sun and WCC) and three top 25 teams play tonight, including No. 1 Kentucky. They face Georgia at home, and while they may not cover the huge spread on the game (19.5), they shouldn't have any issue retaining the No. 1 spot.

As you might know, I'm a Virginia Tech fan. They play in Clemson tonight and basically need to win out the regular season and win the ACC tournament if they want to go dancing. They've gotten screwed a lot this season and been on the short end of a ton of close games (lost 9 games by 5 or less, 5 games by one possession). I'll be rooting for them as always (6.5 underdogs tonight), but it sucks to see them so close to making the tournament every year and getting screwed.

On to my game of the night.

There is one game, from a spread viewpoint, that stands out to me: Washington -7 @ USC

USC lost in Washington by 28. I'm sorry but I don't think that USC should be getting 21 extra points just for being at home. USC is the worst team in the Pac-12 and Washington is in first. Two of Washington's three conference losses were on the road and they were to three out of the other top five teams in the conference. USC hasn't won a game in over a month, hasn't scored over 54 points in over a month, and Washington averages more than 20 more points per game than USC (74.9 - 53.3).

I honestly see no way that USC covers this and wouldn't be surprised if Washington had this covered well before halftime and cruised from there.

Washington 72 (-7) USC 49

NOTE: I'm not going to do units right now, I'm just going to make picks.

There aren't many games going on tonight in the NBA, but there is one really good one: Oklahoma City Thunder @ Orlando Magic

The late game on TNT (the early one is above) is Miami Heat @ Portland Trail Blazers. That is definitely not a bad game and I think the Blazers will give Miami all they can handle. I'm not a big fan of any of these games, unlike the Lakers last night or the Pacers two nights ago (I felt the same about them as I do about Washington). So I'm just going to sit back, relax, and enjoy the games.

Rodgers That

NOTE: This is not a gambling website, nor does it promote gambling.

NBA trades shake up league

By Dan Rodgers

A few notable trades, other than Melo to the Knicks, took place before the deadline. The most notable of those other trades was probably former-Jazz PG Deron Williams being traded to the New Jersey Nets. In return, the Jazz received PG Devin Harris, rookie forward Derrick Favors, a 2011 first-round pick, a 2012 first-round pick (via Golden State) and cash considerations.

I think the Jazz absolutely destroyed in this trade. The Nets needed a star because they didn't win the Melo sweepstakes so they settled for Williams. The Jazz were smart enough to realize that Williams probably wouldn't have re-signed with them when his contract is up in 2012.

Devin Harris is a solid guard and Favors is a rookie so it can't hurt to take a chance on him. The draft picks are always good to pile up because you have to replenish the talent pool and there is nothing wrong with cash.

Other trades include Charlotte sending Gerald Wallace to the Blazers for bench players and draft picks. Boston also sent Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green, Nenad Krstis and a draft pick.

Melo and Deron Williams were the high-profile players to change teams but players like Harris, Wallace and Perkins can be important to a teams success. We'll see how much of an impact they have on their teams since all are playoff bound.

Rodgers That

Around the league

By Dan Rodgers

Today was a good day for a sports fan:

• NHL all-star game, Team Lidstrom 11 Team Staal 10
• NFL Pro Bowl game, NFC 55 AFC 41
• St. John's 93 Duke 78
• Heat 108 Thunder 103
• Celtics 109 Lakers 96

As you can tell (above), there were a ton of points (or goals) scored today. I don't really have much to say about the NHL game because I think the captains drafting their teams is a complete joke and the league not taking the game seriously.

I thought the AFC was gonna win the Pro Bowl but it's a game where the players just go through the motions and have fun. St. John's shocked me and the rest of the world by completely owning Duke the entire game. The Big East is ridiculous.

The Heat edged the Thunder is a great game. Kevin Durant looked great as usual but it wasn't enough to get past Wade/LeBron/Bosh.

Kobe is amazingly normal I guess. 16-29 for 42 points. However, he was basically the only offense for the Lakers as Pierce, Allen, Rondo and Garnett were all in double figures for the Celts.

THIS JUST IN:

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=310130019

Go to that site and look at Gilbert Arenas' line. He DNP (Did Not Play) for his apparent 'Left Knee CONFUSION'.

They will probably change this as soon as they notice, but I love when things like this get messed up. It's probably from a semester in a news editing class.

Rodgers That

Some love for the USA

By Dan Rodgers

While MLB heads for the final stretch and the NFL gets ready to kick off, many people have pushed the NBA to the back of their minds. While it might stay there, don't forget to give some love to the U.S.A. team that is competing in the 2010 FIBA World Championships.

While the "superstar" names aren't playing, there are still quite a few young stars that are competing. Headlining the team is Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant. Playing along side him include: Durant's OKC teammate Russell Westbrook, Chicago's Derrick Rose, and Memphis' Rudy Gay, among others.

U.S.A. is 2-0, tied atop their pool with Brazil. Their wins, both by double-digits, were over Croatia and Slovenia.

This post is probably not necessary because, as usual, we will probably dominate most teams and come away with the championship or gold medal, etc. Nevertheless, these guys deserve credit, and I'll come back with another update in a few days.

Rodgers That

Slide over Gil

By Dan Rodgers

No surprise to anyone the Washington Wizards selected John Wall first over in the 2010 NBA Draft. We expect the Wiz to ask Gilbert Arenas to slide over and play shooting guard. If Gil does so, and does so well then the Wizards could surprise people and make the playoffs next season.

The 76ers followed by taking Evan Turner...oh gosh...another surprise...

Some pretty weird stuff going on though...Kentucky's Eric Bledsoe fell to Oklahoma City at 18 and James Anderson fell to number 20 (he was projected 10).

Teams are proposing trades like crazy...reports that Oklahoma City is looking to trade Eric Bledsoe to the Clippers and get Cole Aldrich from the Hornets. There are also reports of the Bulls trading players to the Wizards to relieve cap room.

If any of the trades actually go through or any other crazy stuff happens...I'll report back.

Rodgers That

LeBron...the king once again

By Dan Rodgers

Cleveland Cavaliers SF LeBron James was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive year.

2010 NBA Most Valuable Player Voting

LeBron James, Cle - 1205
Kevin Durant, OKC - 609
Kobe Bryant, LAL - 599
Dwight Howard, Orl - 478
Dwyane Wade, Mia - 119

Personally, I thought that Kevin Durant deserved the MVP award this year. Kevin Durant is the youngest player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring, barely ousting James.
KD - 30.1 ppg
LBJ - 29.7 ppg

However, LeBron does average more assists and rebounds per game and led his team to the number one seed in their conference. Durant also led the Thunder to the playoffs, but they were the eight seed. They did put up a fight against the Lakers, but were knocked out four games to two.

I think that if the Thunder had upset the Lakers, Durant would have put up a much bigger fight in the voting.

Maybe next year, good luck KD.

Rodgers That

Cavs win without LeBron, Durant for MVP

By Dan Rodgers

The Cleveland LeBron's were without, well, LeBron for the past two games due to a tweaked ankle in his 40-point performance four days ago against Detroit. These were the first two games James has missed all season, Cleveland went 1-1.

James isn't too accustomed to missing games as the seven-year pro has only missed 20 games in his entire career. However, this was a special occasion because the Cavaliers are also without, and will be without for the rest of the season Shaq O'Neal. O'Neal has been out since late Feb. and recently had surgery on his thumb. He was expected to miss the entire season, but doctors are now optimistic about an earlier return.

Oh, and about King James, don't worry because he is to return to the lineup for their next game at the Philadelphia 76ers.

On a side note: LBJ is averaging 30.0 points, 8.5 assists, and 7.2 rebounds per game. So you're probably thinking he is the clear favorite for MVP right? Well, duh. However, don't be surprised to see Kevin Durant's name mentioned during the discussion. The "Durantuala" is averaging 29.6 points, 2.8 assists, and 7.6 rebounds per game for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

While you might be thinking..."LBJ's stats are better in every category!" Take into consideration that Durant is on a Thunder team that has already won 15 games more than they did last season and is 14 games over .500. Not to mention they are sitting pretty to make the playoffs, currently holding the sixth seed in the Western Conference. Durant definitely has my vote.

Rodgers That