Don't call me that. It's a ridiculous name. But for those of you interested, Bramah was an 18th century locksmith and invented the hydraulic press. Wikipedia, for the win! Onto today's locks (picks)...
Chris Bosh OVER 25.5 Points/Rebounds (+105)
Bosh has averaged about 35 total points/boards over the past 4 games and amassed 21 in only 30 minutes in the Legion's first matchup against the Magic even with a horrendous shooting night. He'll have to play big minutes tonight and some of those will come against Rashard Lewis. Plus, who else is going to rebound for the Legion? Udonis Haslem? Ohhhhhh! Too soon? Certainly not.
Jameer Nelson OVER 13.5 points (-105)
Nelson averages 14.3 ppg for the season and more than 15 when playing at home. He struggled in the first game vs the Legion (like everyone else) but minimal interior defense and poor defensive point guards have made the Legion vulnerable against good point guards. and hell have to score more without Vince Carter.
Previous Locks (11/17): 1-1
Season: 1-1 (If all bets were made to make $10 if successful I am down...$1.00)
"And I was born a ramlin' gamblin' man" Bob Seger in Ramblin' Gamblin' Man
November 24, 2010
Reason #2147 Phil Jackson Is Awesome
“Don't try to frighten us with your sorcerer's ways, Lord Vader.” General Motti from Star Wars
Phil Jackson and Red Auerbach are universally regarded as the two best basketball coaches in NBA history. While they are both known as good teachers and tactically proficient, the majority of their successes can be attributed to their motivational techniques (and of course, always coaching teams with multiple Hall of Famers). Jackson and Auerbach always put their players in a position to succeed while doing their best to disrupt their opponents' focus. Auerbach literally fought opposing players and fans in defense of his team. Jackson has never actually gone Van Gundy on the opposition but he has been manipulating referees and opponents through the media for the past twenty years. Most of the first thousand reasons why P-Jax is awesome involve getting Jordan, Kobe and Shaq to all embrace the triangle offense during their respective primes. Many of the rest touch on his player management skills and unmatched ability to wage psychological warfare on an opponent. If there is any doubt about his success there is only one thing to do...Count The Rings (but you'll need more than two hands to do it)! Earlier this week, Jackson added to his reputation as a master manipulator by offering his thoughts on Pat Riley and the Legion of Doom's rough start.
November 17, 2010
The (Eddie) House Always Wins (But Not in This Case)
I know what you're thinking. Why would Tony Parker cheat on Eva Longoria? I don't know. But I think we can all agree that this is another mark against the French and that things have been all downhill since they were kind enough to help us out with the whole American Revolution thing. Even more important than continuing to insult the French is the matter of examining Tony Parker's decision making. Not with the basketball in his hands leading the fast break, but with women. Eva Longoria is clearly ranked second on this list of attractive WAGs of athletes while Erin Barry is (quite generously) given the number five spot.
Certainly Brent Barry's better half
Stats Don't Lie
The first three weeks of the NBA season have been, statistically speaking, awesome. Rajon Rondo notched 24 assists while posting a triple double and Kevin Love helped himself to 31/31/5. Even the 29th ranked Milwaukee Bucks offense scored 41 points in a quarter with a forward pairing of Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Drew Gooden. And that's just the list of performances that have come against the Knicks! (Note: How do you know you’re a hardcore NBA fan? When you can spell Luc Richard Mbah a Moute without a Google search. Also…Szczerbiak.) History will undoubtedly be made again this week, as I anticipate the NBA will present its’ player of the week award to an athlete from the NFL for the first time since Mark Sanchez threw it down with surprising authority after a touchdown against the Raiders. Mike Vick’s dunking this past Monday was only metaphorical but his performance against the Redskins leaves David Stern no choice because, well, did you see that guy??? There is no word yet on whether he will also capture the MLS and NHL player of the week awards, mostly because no one cares if the aforementioned awards do, or do not, exist.
November 8, 2010
The Quest to be the Best of the Rest in the West
Be my guest to profess but I must express that it's anyone's guess?
The Los Angeles Lakers have won the past two NBA championships and cruised through the Western Conference since their acquisition of Pau Gasol in 2008. This year’s Lakers team has been without starting center Andrew Bynum but is still off to a 7-0 start and appears to be superior to previous Lakers teams . They are -200 to again represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals (Just to let everyone know, the best value on the board right now is the San Antonio Spurs at +1400). If you read a preseason NBA prediction column that didn’t have the Lakers winning the West, the author was likely purposefully contrarian for the attention, a complete idiot, a gigantic homer from the state of Oregon (this is Greg Oden’s year!) or Bill Simmons. This doesn’t mean that no one can challenge the Lakers in the Western playoffs, only that the Lakers’ best will easily win the West (and probably the Finals, too) and that a number of things have to fall in place for any other team to take the next step toward being a legitimate contender. Individually, each team faces long odds (as SportsBook correctly notes) but collectively, it is possible, perhaps even probable, that one or two teams will get lucky this season and have the chance to extend the Lakers in a playoff series next May.
The Thunder, Trail Blazers, Spurs, Mavericks,Clippers, Rockets, Hornets, Jazz and Nuggets all may believe that they can wind up as the number two seed in the Western Conference. That’s 8 teams, more than half the conference! Some of these teams matchup “well” against the Lakers (Thunder, Rockets, Blazers) while others have no real chance at defeating the Lakers in a playoff series even if everything does fall their way (Mavericks, Hornets, Jazz). But it only takes a single team to knock off the champs and plunge the whole conference into chaos/Finals fodder for the Legion of Doom.
Most of the questions center on the health of the prospective challengers, or more specifically, the lack thereof. Greg Oden has no timetable on his return but what if this is his year? Or perhaps the perpetually injured center to finally find his way onto the court for consistent minutes is Yao Ming in Houston. Maybe San Antonio reverses the aging process and goes on a run reminiscent of their championship years. Can the Thunder party like its 2012 and arrive earlier than anticipated? Call me crazy but that Darko guy seems like manna from heaven and the Timberwolves might really be able to turn things around this year. Who knows what havoc they could wreak in the playoffs if they snuck into the eighth spot? They do have eight lottery picks on their roster! (Free Kevin Love)
The Eastern Conference has more elite teams but most of the drama should remain out West, as it is the superior conference (16-8 vs. East so far) and has greater overall depth while maintaining room for potential growth (Warriors, Kings, Grizzlies). That being the case, it will take a great effort for any of these teams to reach the Western Conference finals and every franchise's fan base would likely be satisfied with that result. Of course, even emerging from the balanced middle of the Western Conference may not mean anything in terms of influencing the outcome of the NBA championship. The Lakers still loom.
“You guys are pros. The best. I'm sure you can make it out of the casino. Of course, lest we forget, once you're out the front door, you're still in the middle of the fucking desert!” Reuben from Ocean’s Eleven
Bear in mind, the ability to finish near the top of the Western Conference does not necessarily mean a greater chance of defeating the Lakers in a series. The Hornets are currently undefeated and have beaten the Heat and Spurs in impressive fashion. But the interior size of the Lakers will swallow up the frontcourt of David West and (a rejuvenated) Emeka Okafor like Kobayashi swallows hot dogs (disgustingly often and in rapid succession). In lieu of a season preview, I will (maybe) take the time over the next few weeks to look at the contenders and assess their chances at making the playoffs (and, once there, knocking off the Lakers). First up is my preseason favorite, the 1-win Houston Rockets! Clearly not doing a season preview was a smart idea.
The Los Angeles Lakers have won the past two NBA championships and cruised through the Western Conference since their acquisition of Pau Gasol in 2008. This year’s Lakers team has been without starting center Andrew Bynum but is still off to a 7-0 start and appears to be superior to previous Lakers teams . They are -200 to again represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals (Just to let everyone know, the best value on the board right now is the San Antonio Spurs at +1400). If you read a preseason NBA prediction column that didn’t have the Lakers winning the West, the author was likely purposefully contrarian for the attention, a complete idiot, a gigantic homer from the state of Oregon (this is Greg Oden’s year!) or Bill Simmons. This doesn’t mean that no one can challenge the Lakers in the Western playoffs, only that the Lakers’ best will easily win the West (and probably the Finals, too) and that a number of things have to fall in place for any other team to take the next step toward being a legitimate contender. Individually, each team faces long odds (as SportsBook correctly notes) but collectively, it is possible, perhaps even probable, that one or two teams will get lucky this season and have the chance to extend the Lakers in a playoff series next May.
The Thunder, Trail Blazers, Spurs, Mavericks,
Most of the questions center on the health of the prospective challengers, or more specifically, the lack thereof. Greg Oden has no timetable on his return but what if this is his year? Or perhaps the perpetually injured center to finally find his way onto the court for consistent minutes is Yao Ming in Houston. Maybe San Antonio reverses the aging process and goes on a run reminiscent of their championship years. Can the Thunder party like its 2012 and arrive earlier than anticipated? Call me crazy but that Darko guy seems like manna from heaven and the Timberwolves might really be able to turn things around this year. Who knows what havoc they could wreak in the playoffs if they snuck into the eighth spot? They do have eight lottery picks on their roster! (Free Kevin Love)
The Eastern Conference has more elite teams but most of the drama should remain out West, as it is the superior conference (16-8 vs. East so far) and has greater overall depth while maintaining room for potential growth (Warriors, Kings, Grizzlies). That being the case, it will take a great effort for any of these teams to reach the Western Conference finals and every franchise's fan base would likely be satisfied with that result. Of course, even emerging from the balanced middle of the Western Conference may not mean anything in terms of influencing the outcome of the NBA championship. The Lakers still loom.
“You guys are pros. The best. I'm sure you can make it out of the casino. Of course, lest we forget, once you're out the front door, you're still in the middle of the fucking desert!” Reuben from Ocean’s Eleven
Bear in mind, the ability to finish near the top of the Western Conference does not necessarily mean a greater chance of defeating the Lakers in a series. The Hornets are currently undefeated and have beaten the Heat and Spurs in impressive fashion. But the interior size of the Lakers will swallow up the frontcourt of David West and (a rejuvenated) Emeka Okafor like Kobayashi swallows hot dogs (disgustingly often and in rapid succession). In lieu of a season preview, I will (maybe) take the time over the next few weeks to look at the contenders and assess their chances at making the playoffs (and, once there, knocking off the Lakers). First up is my preseason favorite, the 1-win Houston Rockets! Clearly not doing a season preview was a smart idea.
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