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Bookie Busters: NBA playoffs, NHL playoffs and soccer plays

Bookie Busters: NBA playoffs, NHL playoffs and soccer plays
Brad Stevens and the Celtics should get it done tonight. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

The results

Last week: 7-5-1 overall

Soccer 7-2-1

NBA 0-3

Last 3 weeks: 24-10-3  (70.5%)

Barcelona money line (DNB) 3x PUSH

Game Total Over 3.5 WIN

Match Result and Both Teams to Score: Barca and Yes   +185 LOSS

Will a goal be scored in both halves? YES WIN

Messi scores a goal 2x  WIN 2X

Both teams to score in 2nd half   +130 WIN

Barca and 2.5   LOSS

Last week's plays of the week

Germany

RB Leipzig vs. Wolfsburg

Over 2.5   -144 WIN

Over 3 +112    WIN

Mainz 05 vs. Dortmund

Over 3   PUSH

NBA Playoffs     

Pelicans vs. Warriors

Warriors over 30 1st quarter LOSS

Warriors Team total  1st half over 60 LOSS

Over 119.5 First Half LOSS

What to play next 

NBA playoffs

Celtics vs. 76ers

Wednesday brings us a pivotal Game 5 match-up where the visitors will try to keep their season alive. Winning at the TD Garden will be a tall task as Boston is undefeated at home this postseason. The Celtics won 70 percent of their regular season home games, cementing a 33-14 home record while covering the spread 62.2 percent of the time. In Game 5, Boston is currently favored by 1 point and was 18-17-2 ATS at home during the regular season when favored.

The Pick

The Celtics have shown all series long their ability to limit what Philadelphia wants to do. Boston's Head coach Brad Stevens has thrived on dead-ball situations and his ability to out-coach Brett Brown in late game situations. If the 76ers can steal Game 5, the pressure will weigh heavily on the Celtics for the remaining two games of the series. History is on the home teams side, as teams that are down 0-3 in a series are 0-129 all-time to advance. Boston has excelled this year off one-day rest and led the league going 38-19-2 ATS (66.7 percent). Give me the home team, in what Coach Stevens will label as a must-win situation for his squad.

Celtics -1

Soccer

EPL

Chelsea vs. Huddersfield

Huddersfield is fighting off regulation and did so beautifully securing a draw vs. Manchester City over the weekend. The visitors have now picked up 4 points out of the last five matches and will look to continue their success Wednesday at Stamford Bridge. The difference  in this match will be the motivation of their opponent as Chelsea is fighting to stay in the top 4 and need to win out to better their chances at a Champions League spot.

The Pick

Huddersfield will be looking to park the bus in hopes of securing at the minimum, a draw. Chelsea Manager Antonio Conte will have his team prepared and will be looking to get on the scoresheet as quickly as possible. I don't see the visitors holding off The Blues the entire match, and once they find the back of the net, they will repeat it with ease as the match opens up.

Chelsea -1.5     -155

Leicester vs. Arsenal

Over 3

Spain

Barcelona vs. Villarreal

Over 3.5

Barcelona Team Total over 2.5

Sevilla  vs. Real Madrid

Sevilla Pk

Real Madrid fatigue factor and Ronaldo, Bale, and Carvajal out.

NHL

Predators vs Jets Game 7

Predators Moneyline

2018 World Cup Deep Dive Preview and Picks coming soon!!

Any Questions or comments reach me @JerryBoKnowz on Twitter.

 

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The Rockets are in it to win it this year. Composite Getty Image.

While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.

The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.

Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.

As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.

The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.

VanVleet signs extension

Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.

For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!

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