The Washington-Cleveland series reminded me of those Sunday afternoons spent at Grandpa's house watching the NBA on CBS - the wide open style of play, quick pace, little defense, and 200+ totals. Gosh, do I miss Dick Stockton and Tommy Heinsohn. It's a wonder the NBA has prospered without those two illustrious men front and center. Tommy Points! There will be much talk about how a goaltending violation was missed as Varejo stuck his hand through the net with seconds to play. Yes, that did happen. Yes, it woulda been a game-deciding call. And no, it had no impact on the shot. Arenas puts it up, Varejo goes through the net - never touching the ball - the ball caroms off the rim. I like the non-call. The shot was a miss whether Varejo committed a violation or not. Another crucial play occurred earlier in the 4th quarter. According to the AP recap, "James sprawled on the floor to retrieve a rebound after Washington's Jared Jeffries missed the second of two free throws with 1:10 to play." And seconds later, he committed an 8 second violation that was not called by the officials. Here's what happened: Jeffries misses the FT, the 24 second clock begins when the ball hit the ground. James eventually recovers it and slowly walks the ball up the court. He clearly does not get the ball across the halfcourt line until 15 seconds are left on the clock - this was a clear, key officiating error that both the refs and announcers missed. Hubie "Model" Brown can be occasionally mindless. Example: Arenas nails a trey from 40 feet to tie the game with 2 seconds left in regulation and Hubie criticizes the Cavs for giving Arenas an open shot. Let's go over this - Arenas is 40 feet out! 40, yes 40. If you're going to hit a 40 footer, you deserve it. And Hughes was close to him by the way. After Damon Jones hits the dagger to win it, ESPN cuts back to the studio where the power quartet are at work. Asked to comment on the game, all criticize the Wiz for allowing the open Damon Jones jumper. "You can never leave a man open at the end of a game" Greg Anthony says. Bewildering. Do you want LeBron to shoot it? Or an open Damon Jones? I'm fine with Damon getting the look. Another reason why I try to never watch NBA on ESPN.    - farfel

Let's Talk Poker

Michael Cappelletti wrote a great book on Omaha Split. If you want to borrow it, lemme know. He makes a novel observation in his latest CP column: "there are many situations in no-limit hold’em in which a good player avoids calling what might be an even-money or slightly better bet, simply because getting approximately even odds when facing possible elimination compares unfavorably with the overall expectations of his current position." - farfel

Cry me a River

A marvelous season ended tonight and my sadness has just begun. I'll miss Kirk running the point, Ben banging from outside, Noc causing havoc all over the court, Tyson being a monster on the defensive end. Notes: 1) Kirk's emergence. He is clearly the Bulls best player, the one who runs the show. His defense is above average , his mere presence on the floor makes the Bulls a better team - even if he is shooting poorly. He needs to finish shots, to improve his jumper. His improvement has been consistent and fun to see. He plays like a grizzled veteran. 2) Ben. He didn't have the masterful 4th quarters like last season, he did win several games this season with his offense. He's proven last year was no fluke and he's an instant offense machine who can hit 9 straight treys when he gets hot. His defense and playmaking have improved, both still need work. He was the worst defensive player among all in the Miami series, unable to guard Williams or Payton, proven by their countless drives to the hoop. However, he would be a valued player on every team in the league and certainly so on the Bulls. There's rumors of a rift with Skiles, of the team's feeling that he may not be a fit, all have not been discussed by the principals involved. Is he a 1? A 2? A power guard? Probably the latter. Can he work in a backcourt with Hinrich? I don't know. He may be one of those few players who needs to be on the court regardless of the matchup. 3) Tyson. This was a year of regression. He entered the season out of shape and struggling with minor maladies. He didn't improve much as the season went on. He is the Bulls most valuable big man. Next season can only be an improvement. I enjoy watching him play and he is my 2nd favorite player behind... 4) Nocioni. He was awesome in the playoffs. His offense, his grit, his energy, a joy to watch. He has stepped up big time in both playoff series, versus the Wiz last year and the Heat this year. More in coming days and weeks. For now, sorrow reigns. - farfel

CLEVELAND SUCKS

So LeBron is the man and more mature seemingly than most young players in the league but how is it possible that these guys don’t realize that they argue too often with the referees. They must go over the tapes and realize that they are wrong most of the time when they argue calls. LeBron traveled but they got a huge break and won that game so maybe he doesn’t have to cry about what he thinks is a bad offensive foul call in the second quarter. By the way, LeBron’s footwork is awful. It’s about as good as Shaq’s- add to that his tendency to clear out with the forearm and I wonder if there is anyone in Cleveland that wants to step up and tell him he is doing something wrong. I don’t know how to evaluate Mike Brown as a coach but I think it is strange that new management didn’t get someone who has experience coaching a superstar. Maybe this coach is the real deal but everytime I look at him I am reminded of Al Roker. The other day, Jim Thome returned to Cleveland, a place where he dominated and played more than nine full seasons, was a 3-time all-star, and reached the post-season in 1995, ‘96, ’97, ‘98, ‘99 and 2001. Before his arrival the Indians hadn’t made the playoffs since 1954 and they haven’t been back to the post-season since he left. The Indian’s paralleled the fortunes and misfortunes of the Indians in Major League. Now, he wasn’t the sole reason for their success, but he was part of one of the most dominant offensives in baseball. Now with the White Sox he gets booed in his return and then when he almost gets hit in the head with some chin music, there is a standing ovation? Even Johnny Damon in his return to Boston got more cheers than boos by the Boston faithful in recognition of what he gave to the city. They're still shitty. - nutlow

Nutlow Goes All-In!

Bubblehead inspired me- so I stepped out on 1 parlay: Halfway home which means I have about a 90% chance of losing it- and about a 60% that it’s a bad beat. Won 100 on the Pirates though straight up. Got lots of smaller parlays and bball action 4 Team Parlay #36171025 (902) Cincinnati Reds +119 Tue@12:35p (903) Pittsburgh Pirates -107 Tue@2:20p (907) Philadelphia Phillies -135 Tue@7:05p (915) Los Angeles Dodgers vs. (916) Arizona Diamondbacks Under 9½ (-110) Tue@9:40p    - farfel

A Perfect Night for Jo Jo Bubblehead

Hey check it out, I've been getting pounded lately, but had a good night tonight, with a parlay and a couple of roundies. 3 Team Parlay # 36140568 (709) Detroit Pistons -320 Mon@8:35p (711) Dallas Mavericks -2 (-105) Mon@8:05p (714) Los Angeles Clippers -300 Mon@10:35p Outcome: Win 2 Team Parlay # 36126791 (709) Detroit Pistons -5½ (-130) Mon@8:35p (Bought 1.0 points) (714) Los Angeles Clippers -5½ (-130) Mon@10:35p (Bought 1.0 points) Outcome: Win 2 Team Parlay # 36126792 (711) Dallas Mavericks -2 (-105) Mon@8:05p (714) Los Angeles Clippers -5½ (-130) Mon@10:35p (Bought 1.0 points) Outcome: Win 2 Team Parlay # 36140819 (709) Detroit Pistons -320 Mon@8:35p (714) Los Angeles Clippers -300 Mon@10:35p Outcome: Win 2 Team Parlay # 36140821 (711) Dallas Mavericks -2 (-105) Mon@8:05p (714) Los Angeles Clippers -300 Mon@10:35p Outcome: Win 3 Team Parlay # 36126591 (709) Detroit Pistons -5½ (-130) Mon@8:35p (Bought 1.0 points) (711) Dallas Mavericks -2 (-105) Mon@8:05p (714) Los Angeles Clippers -5½ (-130) Mon@10:35p (Bought 1.0 points) Outcome: Win

Inside Jo Jo's Mind: How I Made it Happen

Well, I knew Dallas was gonna close out. Memphis is a pretender, and after losing that last game going down 3-0, I figured they’d fold. Detroit was on the road and -5 1/2 after I bought a point. This one was a little more difficult(esp. w/ the emergence of Redd), but I hoped they would bounce back after being thrashed in the last game. The Pistons still have all the horses, so I was banking on their defense and experience. Is that worth 5.5 on the road? Probably not, although they won by wide margins in the first two games at home. This was the closest game, and very nearly did not work out, I think Detroit was down 4 in the third after leading by 6 at half (I also couldn’t view this game, except for snippets of “Bonus Coverage” on TNT), but I guess they got some stops at the end and hit their free throws. The third game was also at -5 ½, but I really liked the Clippers to close out at home against another pretender in the Nuggets. What a disappointing team the nuggets are. They can’t stop anyone, and rely on Melo to score. Also they like to run, and the Clips did a nice job of mixing it up with a good halfcourt and a good transition offense. Also after what Evans did to Kaman, I thought he would be ready to go. I really like the Clippers. I like Sam Cassell and I liked the way he ran the clock down at the end, but I think they are better when he’s not on the floor, even though I like him a ton. I think he’ll make a good coach some day. Mostly though, it was luck that I won, and a willingness to stick with my instincts, which are usually wrong, and to lay some wood on it. Where is Barkley tonight? All-Soft Team Pau Carmelo Xxxxxx Xxxxxx xxxxxx    - farfel

Tonight's Picks from Jo Jo Bubblehead

Here's what I did for tonight, a parlay and a round robin taking the points with CHI, LAL, and SAC. I don't know too much about the Pacers or Nets, and they seem more evenly matched, so I'm staying away from that. I've got a few question marks(will the Spurs bounce back at home) but I like the mismatches created by Artest and Bonzi. Also a little worried about CHI and Chandler's health. I placed these this morning, I haven't checked to see about the line move. 2 Team Parlay #36166559 (719) Sacramento Kings +9 (-115) Tue@9:35p (721) Los Angeles Lakers +7½ (-130) Tue@10:35p (Bought 1.0 points) 2 Team Parlay #36166558 (717) Chicago Bulls +8½ (-115) Tue@8:05p (721) Los Angeles Lakers +7½ (-130) Tue@10:35p (Bought 1.0 points) 2 Team Parlay #36166557 (717) Chicago Bulls +8½ (-115) Tue@8:05p (719) Sacramento Kings +9 (-115) Tue@9:35p 3 Team Parlay #36166553 (717) Chicago Bulls +8½ (-115) Tue@8:05p (719) Sacramento Kings +9 (-115) Tue@9:35p (721) Los Angeles Lakers +7½ (-130) Tue@10:35p (Bought 1.0 points)    - farfel

RIDE THESE GUYS TO VICTORIES

Brent Musburger enthusiastically recommended "A Cause to Believe" for the Kentucky Derby during the blowout between the Clips and Nugs the other night. We have learned to give the utmost respect to The Musburger’s picks and so I immediately put my 30 down on this 30-1 shot. That was the worst game I have seen in a long time, and I realized that Tom Tolbert is a good guy to broadcast a blowout. Tolbert, doesn’t mind talking about random things and is somewhat irreverent but not as annoying as listening to Bill Walton. Did anyone hear Walton talk about the population density of Australia and how most people are concentrated in the eight major cities… which he proceeded to name?! I think that I am focusing in on a number of teams and plan on betting them for most of the year. These teams include the Reds, Cardinals, White Sox, Angels, Mets and Detroit though seemingly only on the road. These teams don’t piss me off and that is paramount to anything else. I will lose my sanity if I bet on teams who don’t advance runners when they need to, walk the opposing pitcher, commit crucial errors and have bullpens that require divine intervention to not blow a game. The White Sox bullpen doesn't have great numbers but has worked only 52 innings in 22 games, which is by far the lowest in the majors. The second least innings worked by relievers is Milwaukee at 66. Two of these teams play each other tomorrow, as the Cardinals go to Cincinnati. Cincy is hitting .297 versus lefties this year along with having the highest Slugging percentage among NL teams. Mulder already faced Cincinnati earlier this season and had some issues, allowing 4 runs and 10 hits in 5 innings. St Louis hasn’t seen Arroyo since he came over from the AL. He is 4-0 with an ERA of 2.34. Reds. Toma Ohka is hit or miss- and usually he gets hit. Over the last 5 starts, he has gone 7 innings three times and 4 innings twice, allowing 4 homeruns in each of his early departures. And you gotta like Wandy Rodriguez. Besides his name being Wandy, he is 4-0 thus far with a 2.53 ERA. But Milwaukee hits the lefties to the tune of .325 with an OPS of .995. The Brewers might be in some trouble if Ohka doesn’t pitch 6 innings. This looks like an over. Brad Penny vs. Claudio Vargas Penny has been solid as has the Dodgers pen. Vargas has an ERA over 5 which includes allowing six runs at home to the Giants in 2.2 innings and 5 runs to Houston at home in 3.1 innings. Arizona’s bullpen is as good as the Dodgers’ so it really a question of how many can they get off of Vargas. Dodgers. Zito owns almost everyone on the Angels with the exception of Garret Anderson. Both teams have strong pens and Carrasco with three straight poor outings doesn’t inspire too much confidence. And lets also go with Minnesota against Seattle and Pinero…. Also, that isn't really a picture of A Cause to Believe but I doubt that anybody cares. - nutlow

THE WORM HAS TURNED

or more accurately, the self-proclaimed "Black Mamba" has. Something strange happened, I started to root for Kobe instead of against him. Gladly, I am not alone. There are a group of others over on FreeDarko that are experiencing the same metamorphisis: "So how fucked up is this: lovable, floppy-haired Steve Nash has somehow managed to become a villain in my universe while likely rapist and pathological competitor Kobe is cast as the heroic dramatic foil? And keep in mind, objectively, I hate Kobe. I can't stand his personality, his usual disdain for people not named "Kobe," his distant gazes--he's horrible. But yet, the supremacy of his ability and the triumph of his will--I ain't mad at either of those things." Others posit that it has to do with a sense of justice, that Nash doesn’t deserve the MVP. There is an analogy to the Vienna Philharmonic, another to Jack Bauer on “24” and some other bizarre theories. They are worth a read. So Kobe has turned the corner, I think. I wonder if Phil played the Jordan card on him and Kobe realized he’d never be as well respected as MJ no matter how many points he scores unless he buys into the system. Looks like they will advance and play the Clippers. That will be awesome. All games at Staples Center?! How does that work, will the breakdown in fan support be for the Lakers even during Clipper home games? Or are there enough Clipper season ticket-holders to offset them? Will the scoreboard say “Go Clippers,” chant “DE-FENSE” or turn off the lights during their introductions? BTW, I can’t imagine that they turn the lights off for the Clippers anyway. If both LA teams advance, it will be a much tougher series as the Clippers have so much more size down low. But win or lose, this dramatic finish that we saw in game 4 could be the moment that turns Kobe’s career back on an upward trajectory. I don’t want to be a hater, so don’t give me something to hate on.    - nutlow

My Favorite Martian

Some say it takes a big man to step up and apologize for his mistakes. Well, I'm not a big man. Duhon still belongs on the bench. Today though, he had the best game of his career in the most important game of his career. Duhon guarded Wade well, hit a big leaner late, and added 6 rebounds along with 2 assists and 2 steals. Here's a recap of Duhon's 4th quarter activities via ESPN's play-by-play data: 9:56, 61-70 (Bulls leading), Dwyane Wade blocks Chris Duhon's 7-foot jumper comment: Why is Duhon shooting over Wade? 7:41, 69-72, Chris Duhon enters the game for Luol Deng comment: I question Skiles' sanity, Deng is my favorite player on the Bulls along with Tyson. I get nervous whenever Duhon touches the ball. 3:05, 80-82, Chris Duhon defensive rebound comment: First thing he's done in nearly 5 minutes. Big board, Duhon rebounds well for a guard. 1:53, 83-83, Chris Duhon defensive rebound comment: Does it again, makes me proud to be a Bulls fan. Miracles happen. 1:42, 83-85, Chris Duhon makes 8-foot two point shot (Kirk Hinrich assists) comment: WOW! Huge driving leaner over the Diesel and others. Duhon has big nads! Gives the Bulls the lead. 1:08, 83-88, Kirk Hinrich makes 27-foot three point jumper (Chris Duhon assists) comment: This is the play credited by ESPN as the shot of the game. It wasn't. The key was Duhon's leaner with 1:53 to go as that shot put the Bulls ahead to stay. Hinrich was the pastry chef, Duhon the one who cooked the meal. For one day, my goal became my hero. Props to Duhon for a great performance. Thank you.    - farfel

From a Denver Post piece today. "While the Clippers are supposedly building a practice facility in Playa Del Ray, Calif., Baylor said he did not know when it was scheduled to be completed. For now, the Clippers practice at the Spectrum Club in El Segundo, Calif., where they don't have private lockers or showers, share workout equipment with members and sometimes get distracted by guests looking for a game of H-O-R-S-E." The Clip Joint is pure class. I'd love to play Kaman head-up.    - farfel

Live-blogging of Bulls-Heat 1st half

Ben Gordon's mouth has a certain devilish quality to it, enjoy these new ABC intro's where the players introduce their fellow starters rather than the customary graphic/Bill Walton says Antoine Walker is one of the worst shooters in the United States. He has a .416 career FG% http://basketball-reference.com/players/w/walkean02.html / Not terrible though I wouldn't count on Walk to hit the big shot. Walk's FT% improved to 63% in 05-06 after slipping to 54% last season. Michael Sweetney was open from 15 and hit the top of the backboard. That is hard to do when trying. Sweetney is obviously very nervous going against the Diesel. Tyson came in, got his customary foul and travel early, then settled in and drew 2 offensive fouls on Shaq and has stayed on the floor for much of the half. Hinrich is the Bulls MVP. He is the unquestioned floor leader. He is awesome and the reason the Bulls are making this series close. He is the driver of the bus, Gordon and Nocioni are giving a big push. Ben Gordon has to be one of the worst defenders in the league. Jason Williams attacks him at every opportunity. Gordon is providing ball pressure which is important to Skiles and seems to get Gordon himself energized during the game. Ben is an amazing shooter. And so confident - I've never seen him pass up a good shot. Conversely, Williams is also a terrible defender and may be worse than Gordon. He couldn't stop a corpse. While Hinrich guards Wade, Miami puts Wade on Gordon as Williams has no chance of stopping BG. Hinrich feels very comfortable with the ball when Williams is guarding him. Hinrich loves the high screen roll going to his left and Malik Allen has developed a reliable jumper from the wings. Andres Nocioni is amazing. He is my guy. Elongated post to follow on this. Nocioni's shooting, defense, energy, has been awesome. So fun to watch, in agreement with my guy Big Bill. Duhon drives me nuts. He belongs on a bench - a Church League bench. He hits a 3 then decides to drive on Mourning. Result? An embarassing miss that grazes the rim. Wade has only scored a couple baskets since Hinrich left so I can't completely dismiss his lack of skills. I can't wait until Duhon experiences a minor, nagging injury that prevents him from playing major minutes. Wait, he does have that injury, a bad back. So why is Skiles playing him? I want Pargo. Bulls up 6 with 1 minute to go in the half, halved from 12 point lead minutes ago. Imagine Doug Collins lecture about closing quarters here, man do I miss that. Bulls closed this half horribly. Dwayne Wade has no jump shot. Absolutely none. He knows not to shoot from 20+. Helluva player inside 20 feet. Bill Walton says "Chris Duhon, that's a winner right there." I've never agreed with those who question the Big Man's sanity. I may agree now. The only question when you see Pargo is how fast the shot is going up. I'd set the o/u for any game at 1 minute, difficulty is whether he'll jack it on the 1st possession or the 2nd.    - farfel

Sunday NBA Betting Recap

Forgot to post my picks from yesterday. $186.86 with Memphis -.5 vs. Dallas (loss) $50 parlay with Bucks ATS and over (win) -$50 net loss. Frustrating loss with MEM. They had the game and let up multiple offensive rebounds in the last minute leading to a late Dirk trey. Chucky Atkins had an open, running, 7 footer to win at the regulation but missed it wide right. Very unhappy with this loss. Liked Milwaukee and figured if they're gonna win, it's gonna be an over. That's what happened big-time. Even happier that I didn't go with my read and take Memphis and the under for big money. Gotta be disciplined, though the Tamer would say you gotta step out sometimes. Mem took a bad beat though, as the Stallion would say, it was the "right pick." The under got nailed by overtime, condolences to the Tamer and nutlow.    - farfel