Tag: Cleveland Cavaliers

1.27.21 Hoop Tales: What’s your Favorite Scary (Terry) Movie Edition?

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Terry Rozier at the forefront of Hornets' youth movement - The Boston Globe

Last Thursday: 4-3 (+.52 units)

Season: 27-33 (-9.93 units)

Recap: Last Thursday looked oh, so promising until Malcolm Brogdon decided to hit his over as the game-winning 3-pter in OT against the Magic.


First Pick: Terry Rozier O17.5 pts vs IND (-120)

Fact #1: The Pacers are allowing an average of 25 PPG to the two-guard position over their last seven games.

Fact #2: Rozier has eclipsed 18 pts in four of his last six.


Second Pick: Jerami Grant O23.5 pts vs CLE (-110)

Fact #1: Grant went for 28 the first time these teams played and has eclipsed 24 pts in four of his last six.

Fact #2: The Cavs are allowing 28.5 PPG to the small forward position — the 2nd-most by any team — over their last seven games.


Third Pick: Evan Fournier O17.5 pts vs SAC (-134)

Fact #1: Fournier has eclipsed 18 points in all four games since returning from injury.

Fact #2: The Kings are allowing 27 PPG to the two-guard position over their last seven contests.


Obligatory homer picks incoming…

Fourth Pick: Kyrie Irving O24.5 pts vs ATL (-118)

Fact #1: Irving has hit this number in three of four games since Harden’s arrival

Fact #2: The Hawks allow an average of 25 PPG to the PG position over their last seven.


Fifth Pick: James Harden O9.5 assists vs ATL (+107)

Fact #1: Harden has recorded double-digit assists in five of six games since joining Brooklyn and this game should be very high-paced as the previous two matchups were.


Sixth Pick: Nets -5.5 vs ATL (-110)

Fact #1: The Nets are catching the Hawks in their third-game-in-four-nights and they struggled to get past a Kawhi and PG13-less Clippers team last night.


Seventh Pick: Bucks -2.5 1st quarter vs TOR (-108)

Fact #1: The Bucks are an NBA-best 12-4 against the 1st quarter spread this season. Yes, Toronto is 11-6, but they will be with OG Anunoby, while Siakam is a game-time decision.

1.22.21 Hoop Tales: You’re on the Mark-kanen, Lauri Edition

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Lauri Markkanen Close to Returning - On Tap Sports Net

Wednesday: 1-4 (-3.25 units)

Season: 23-30 (-10.46 units)

Recap: Friendly reminder to you all + self: make sure to see if the player you pick is starting before selecting him for two props (i.e. Joe Harris).


First Pick: Lauri Markkanen O17.5 pts vs CHA (-125)

Fact #1: Markkanen has eclipsed 18+ points in two straight.

Fact #2: The Hornets are allowing an average of 24 PPG to the SF position over their last seven games.


Second Pick: Bulls 1st Quarter ML vs CHA (+105)

Fact #1: Due to a postponed game against Washington on Wednesday, the Hornets have had the past five days off, so I’d expect the tiniest bit of rust to be shaken off through the first 12 minutes.

Fact #2: The Bulls are 9-5 ATS in the 1st quarter this season.


Third and Fourth Picks: Mason Plumlee O8.5 pts (-110) and O7.5 rbs (-122) vs HOU

Fact #1: Christian Wood is out tonight. For you “casuals” out there like Shaq, that means there are a lot of rebounds up for grabs tonight.

Fact #2: With PJ Tucker playing the 5, I have to imagine he draws Plumlee and Blake is matched with Boogie Cousins on both sides. That’s a 5-6 inch advantage for Plums.

Fact #3: Plumlee has eclipsed 9+ points in three straight and has 8+ boards in three of his last five.


Fifth Pick: Malcolm Brogdon U22.5 pts vs ORL (+105)

Fact #1: Brogdon has yet to string together consecutive games over 23 points — that’s literally the logic behind this pick.


Sixth Pick: Kyrie Irving O26.5 pts vs CLE (-117)

Fact #1: Collin Sexton got the best of Irving, so it’s only fair for Kyrie to return the favor. Irving returned with 37 points on Wednesday and no Durant should mean he could get at least 30 this season.


Seventh Pick: James Harden O28.5 pts vs CLE (-110)

Fact #1: Harden’s point totals in three games with BRK are 32, 34 and 21. The 21 came with Durant on the floor. With him out tonight, that’s a lot of shots for him and Kyrie to have in their quest for 30 each.

1.20.21 Hoop Tales: Scary Hours in Cleveland Edition

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Nets news: James Harden intrigued with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving team

Monday: 4-1 (+2.35 units)

Season: 22-26 (-7.21 units)


First and Second Picks: Joe Harris O12.5 Pts (-107) and O2.5 3Pters (+105) vs CLE

Fact #1: The debut of Brooklyn’s Big Three is tonight.

Fact #2: As a result, Joe Harris should never see a contested three-point attempt when they are on the court with him.

Fact #3: Harris has 15+ pts in 4 straight and has attempted exactly 8 3pters/gm over his last three.


Third Pick: D’Angelo Russell O24.5 Pts vs ORL (-130)

Fact #1: Russell worked for us on Monday against Atlanta, so let’s go back to the well.

Fact #2: The Magic are allowing an average of 28.4 PPG to point guards over their last seven.

Fact #3: Russell has hit 25+ in three straight and five of his last six.


Fourth Pick: Nikola Vucevic O23.5 Pts vs MIN (-134)

Fact #1: Vucevic has eclipsed 24+ in two straight and four of his last five.

Fact #2: The Wolves are giving up a league-high 28.4 PPG to the center position over their last seven.


Fifth Pick: Kings/Clippers O59 Pts 1st Quarter

Fact #1: The Kings 1st quarter over is 10-4 this season, while the Clippers is 8-6 — 1st and 4th most overs, respectively.

Fact #2: These teams combined for 65 when they played 5 days ago.

1.7.21 Hoop Tales: Pick Against the Blazers Edition

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Grading D'Angelo Russell's debut with Timberwolves

Tuesday: 1-2 (-1.24 units)

Season: 13-19 (-8.05 units)

Recap: Took yesterday off from doing props for obvious reasons, but on Tuesday, Kyrie’s numbers without Durant were great, while Jokic decided to remind people that his scoring his better than his passing.


First Pick: Sixers -4 spread vs BKN (-112)

Fact #1: Durant (health protocols) is already out and apparently so is Kyrie Irving (personal reasons).

Fact #2: Seth Curry (ankle) is out for the Sixers.

Fact #3: I know this is the third game in four nights for Philly, but they’re rolling and I’m not sure how the Nets keep this within 4 with north of 50 points missing from the starting lineup this evening.

Second Pick: Joe Harris O2.5 made 3pters (+100)

Fact #1: The Sixers are allowing 27.6 PPG to the 2-guard position this season.

Fact #2: Harris has 3+ made 3s in three of his last six contests.


Third Pick: Kyle Anderson O13.5 pts vs CLE (-110)

Fact #1: Yes, I know I missed with him on Tuesday, but today is Thursday (lol).

Fact #2: The Cavs allow an average of 25.3 PPG to the PF position, which is the second-most in the Association.

Fact #3: Anderson has eclipsed 18+ in four of his last six.


Fourth Pick: D’Angelo Russell O22.5 pts vs POR (-110)

Fact #1: The Blazers are allowing a league-high 35.9 PPG to the point guard position — that’s all you need to know.

12.31.20 Hoop Tales: 2020 Will End, but the Props Never Will Edition

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Cleveland Cavaliers vs. San Lorenzo de Almagro recap”: Darius Garland impresses in his debut - Fear The Sword

Wednesday: 0-2 (-2 units)

Season: 4-7 (-3.58 units)

Recap: The Bucks were leading by 5 with 2:20 left in the first and then surrendered an 11-0 run by the Heat to close the quarter. Elsewhere, Durant did everything against the Hawks, except cook three times from behind the arc.


First Pick: Cavs +2 1st Quarter vs IND (-109) – Loser

Fact #1: The Pacers have yet to hold a lead entering the 2nd quarter in this young season and are 0-4 ATS in the 1st quarter thus far

Fact #2: The Cavs are 3-1 ATS in the first quarter thus far


Second Pick: Darius Garland O14.5 pts vs IND (-121) – winner

Fact #1: Garland has posted 15+ points in three of four games this season

Fact #2: The Pacers are allowing an average of 28.5 points to the 2-guard position through 4 games


Third Pick: Pascal Siakam O19.5 pts vs NYK (-110)

Fact #1: I’m not stopping this “Skilled Big Man Point Total Over vs NYK” narrative until it goes ice cold. I played Drummond on my own the other night, but felt shaky about it blog wise and it didn’t hit because he didn’t get the shot attempts. So it’s like it never happened in our world.

Fact #2: Siakim dominated this matchup a season ago, posting point totals of 23 and 31 points, respectively.

Fact #3: Siakim has eclipsed 20+ points in two of three games thus far and the Knicks allow an average of 25.6 points to the PF position.


Fourth Pick: 5-Pt Teaser of Thunder +10.5/Suns +9 (+107)

Logic: The Thunder have been playing close games to start, so the points are just for comfort here against a Pelicans team off to a 2-2 start. On the other side, the Suns played the Jazz well in two meetings last season + aside from a thrashing of the Blazers to open the season, teams have kept it close with Utah out the gate

Marcus Morris Chirps Tristan Thompson and Continues Preseason Rampage

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Image result for marcus morris

Look, I know it’s only the preseason, but Marcus Morris is really getting me amped up with his strong showing over the past week – both on and off the court.

For those who missed it, Cavalier’s big man Tristan Thompson told the media last Thursday that Cleveland is still the team to beat in the East, even with the King now in L.A.:

Yeah, I LAWLed pretty hard at that one, too, as the kids say, and Marcus Morris made sure to let Thompson know what was really good almost immediately afterward:

Apparently their trash-talking days date back over a decade, as Morris and his brother Markieff, who plays for the Washington Wizards, used to face off against Thompson on the circuit in high school. The three also participated in two tough collegiate battles back in 2011 while playing in the Big 12, with the Morris twins’ Kansas Jayhawks beating Thompson’s Texas Longhorns in the conference championship that year.

Image result for morris thompson college

These two have quite the history.

Thompson has definitely had the upper hand on both of the Morris brothers since entering the NBA, and his Cavaliers did indeed beat the Celtics 102-95 at the TD Garden on Tuesday night. However, Morris continued to back up his big mouth with 14 points in 21 minutes on 50 percent shooting. He also added a block and two rebounds to boot.

Again, does last night’s performance really mean anything? Not really. But it does further demonstrate just how ready Morris seems to be and just how serious he is about the fact that this is both he and the Celtics’ year. Morris is quickly becoming one of my favorite guys on the roster, and I can’t wait to see wait to see the havoc that he and the rest of BWA are going to wreak on the NBA this season.

Though we’re still two weeks away from the real deal, the Celtics play their final preseason game this Saturday night on the road against Cleveland.

Believeland: 2014-2017

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2015-nba-draft-lottery-ping-pong-balls

Last night’s ping pong balls won’t have any impact on the Eastern Conference Finals. I fully expect the Cleveland Cavaliers to defeat the Boston Celtics in six games. They won’t sail through the Eastern Conference Playoffs undefeated, but they’ll get back to the NBA Finals in 2017. What last night’s ping pong balls mean is that this trip to the NBA Finals could be the last for LeBron and Co. At least for a little while.

LeBron has brought a team to the NBA Finals six years in a row, and seven times in the last 10 years. Defeating the Celtics in 2017 would make it seven trips in a row to the NBA Finals, and eight trips in the last 11 years. You can say whatever you want about LeBron, that he’s *only* won three titles, but those numbers are Jordanesque. More aptly, those numbers are Russellesque.

The Boston Celtics went to ten straight NBA Finals from 1957-1966. No team since has been to more than four NBA Finals in a row. LeBron’s streak has been dominant. And as a rule, I don’t hold championship losses against athletes. Why should it be held against LeBron that he took teams to the NBA Finals that had no business being there? Would his *legacy* look better with a second round loss in 2007 than a loss in the Finals?

Tom Brady has lost two more Super Bowls than Troy Aikman. I don’t see anyone putting Aikman ahead of Brady because of that.

All that said, the clock is about strike midnight on LeBron and Co. I’m not saying he’ll never go to another NBA Finals, but he might need to work on his entourage after this season. He will soon have legitimate competition in the East for the first time in almost a decade. The Boston Celtics are going to be a wagon.

The Celtics are a pretty good team as is. They are going to add The Number One Overall Pick and Gordon Hayward. They have one of the best, young coaches in the game. The East will be under new management this fall, and I can’t wait.

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Tyronn Lue Wins My Heart: Tells LeBron to Shut the Fuck Up

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tyronnlue

Yahoo Sports – Tyronn Lue changed that the moment he first told James in a huddle, “Shut the [expletive up]. I got this,” according to a person who heard the exchange — and a few others like it. If Lue was going to get the stars and the role players to buy into the strategic changes he was determined to implement — play faster, space the floor, move the ball, take full advantage of Love’s versatility — he was going to have to restore order first.

Love this move and what makes it even funnier is that it probably cuts LeBron down to his core because it’s some bum ass former player telling him to pipe down. No one’s talked to him like that since he was 12. Just burning through coaches, not even pretending to listen, running his own plays. Then Tyronn Lue struts into town after Blatt gets dusted and promptly tells LeBron to shut the fuck up. Shut that shit down like you’re late on the cable bill. Shocked we haven’t seen a mopey Instagram post from LeBron about doing unto others or something. Team Ty all day.

sadlebron