Ness Notes (May 10)
I apologize for missing yesterday’s notes (computer problems). The NBA didn’t take a day off, though, 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. The second round 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 a 15* pitching mismatch.
The home teams opened 4-2 SU but just 2-4 ATS in the second round after going 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 SU loser from the previous game) finished the first round with eight consecutive losers with separate points, but “zig-zaggers” went a perfect 2-0 last night, to open the second! round!
tuesday recap
Detroit used a 19-3 first-half run to open a 52-38 lead over Cleveland in last night’s Game 2. The Cavs made a late run (to cover) but were never really in the game. LeBron, who had 22 points in the first half of Game 1, had 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 off their bench in their 27-point Game 1 victory. All five of Detroit’s starters scored in double figures (including 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 take a 58-1 halftime. 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 a seven-point favorite with a total of 187 1/2) 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.