Anyone that is following the NBA playoffs with Miami Heat v Dallas Mavericks?
First 3 games all ended under and the line for game 4 is set at 185.5 points (under BP 1.91). The line opened at 186.5.
I had unders in game 3. The line opened at 187 and went out to 188.5 over the weekend (game played Monday 1am).
Does anybody like the unders for game 4? Expect the line to increase?
_________
Article from SBR:
The Miami Heat took a big step towards winning the NBA Title but Dallas is not out yet.
The Heat now hold a 2-1 lead in the Playoff finals against the Dallas Mavericks and are assured that the series, at the worst, will go back to Miami. There's no margain for error anymore where Dallas is concerned. They lost game 3 at home and can't afford to go down 3-1 against a team like the Miami Heat with home court advantage. Game 4 is set for Tuesday, 9:00 pm ET on ABC and it was the Mavs who opened as the favorite in the NBA lines. The Books have them at -3 with the total at 186.5.
In the last game, it was the Dwayne Wade show as Wade erupted for 29 points and 11 rebounds. He was an unstoppable force and scored 7 of Miami's final 9 points as Miami defeated Dallas 88-86. Much maligned Chris Bosh knocked down the game winning shot with 39 seconds to go. Dirk Nowitzki didn't get much team support but made a costly late errant pass that gave possession to the Heat and missed a tough fade away jumper at the buzzer that could've tied the game. Chris Bosh added 18 points for the Heat.
Dallas only shot 40% from the field and were led by Dirk Nowitzki with 34 points and 11 rebounds. Jason Terry chipped in with 15 points.
The Miami Heat are just 2 games away from the NBA title and Dallas has had a poor series. The only game that they won, they came back from a 15 point deficit with 7 minutes to go in game 2. Dirk Nowitzki can't win the title by himself. Will his team, who is known for their offensive efficiency, step up in game 4 and even up the series or will Miami put this series away on Tuesday night and be 1 game away from the coveted 2010-2011 NBA Championship Title? The Dallas faithful will be rooting their team on and will be covered in a blanket of blue. This is what the finals is all about.
Who's the best? James or Wade?
The question has come to mind, who really is the best player in the NBA? Most people including me, thought that it was Lebron James with his combination of power and athleticism. After game 3, it's become clear that Dwayne Wade is the closer and the player that the Heat go to when they need a crucial basket. Wade hasn't had the greatest post season but the man has shown that he has ice water running through his veins when it's time to take over the game. He's clearly the most confident player on the court and it seems like he just wants it more than everyone else. How many times has Dallas turned the ball over and Wade has broken loose off of pure speed for a power dunk? I'm starting to lose count. He's knows what it's like to win, when the Heat defeated the Mavericks in the finals before and clearly he wants a 2nd ring on his finger. Nobody can stop him defensively. The only thing that can stop Wade and his team in game 4 is a monster game from Dirk Nowitzki and better shooting from the rest of the Mavericks. Look for Wade to be a factor.
Second fiddle
Clearly in this championship series, Lebron James has taken a backseat to Dwayne Wade. They're not playing against each other but as great as Lebron is, he might be slightly overrated in being considered the number 1 guy on his team. James was having difficulties penetrating through the Dallas defense in game 3 and wasn't looking to take over the game. In the 2 games played in the finals, James has averaged 18.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game. He's also shot just 3 of 11 from 3 point range and has attempted just 8 free throws. A man of Lebron James' stature should be shooting double figures in free throws per game and he's averaging 4 per game. Lebron can go off at anytime but I don't expect anything out of the ordinary from him when the Mavericks are at home and in a desperate situation.
Dwayne Wade has averaged 32.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. He's been on the mark, shooting 25 of 41 from the field. Not only that, the baskets that he's making are at crucial moments of the game. This is no surprise but look for Wade to keep the pressure on in game 4.
Difference maker
Mario Chalmers has been able to do something that noone outside the big 3 has been able to do in the post season. He's coming up with big shots and he picked a great time to step up his game. Chalmers was 4 for 6 from beyond the arc in game 3 and each shot was a big one. For the series, he's averaging 10.5 points, 2.5 assists, and 2 rebounds per game. If he can play the way that he's been playing, Miami will be having a championship parade in Florida in the near future.
Pressure
Dirk Nowitzki has had the weight of Texas on his shoulders in the NBA finals. Even with a torn tendon on his non-shooting hand, Nowitzki has single- handedly carried the Mavericks and they're only one game away from evening up the series. After game 3, Jason Kidd said that players need to help Dirk out. Truthfully, I've seen Dirk play better but even when he's just good, he's better than everyone else. Nowitzki is averaging 29 points and 11 rebounds for the series. He's shooting free throws as good as anyone in professional basketball has ever shot them. He's flawless in 12 attempts thus far. Joel Anthony isn't a productive player offensively but he's been a real thorn in Dirk's side. Several times, Dirk has either had to alter his shot or has gotten it blocked. Aside from that, nobody can stop Dirk Nowitzki. He can't hit every shot as we saw at the buzzer of game 3 but if he had gotten some help from his teammates, Dallas would be a lot better off than they are now. Expect another brilliant Nowitzki performance in a "must win" situation.
The Jet has landed
Jason Terry can't matchup with Lebron James and Dwayne Wade but he's the next best thing to Dirk Nowitzki that Dallas has for instant offense. James was keying in on Terry in game 1 and that created a problem. Terry scored 15 points in game 3 but his shot hasn't been there and he hasn't been the clutch player that he's been all season. The entire Dallas bench has shot poorly and that's been the difference in this series. J.J. Barea is shooting scared. Dallas isn't the type of team to shoot 40% in a game. The numbers don't look bad but Jason Terry hasn't played up to his numbers. He's averaging 15.5 points and 3.5 assists per game. Terry is shooting 10 for 24 from the field and 1 for 5 from 3 point range. Terry needs to knock down his shots the way that he's been doing in the post season previous to this series. Look for Jason Terry to come up big in game 4.
Disappointments
J.J. Barea and Peja Stojakovic have been a disaster in this series. Barea is undersized but he's missing shots that he's hit before. He looks intimidated by the opposition. Barea is averaging 5.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game on just 4 for 15 from the field. If he plays like the old J.J., Dallas will be in good shape but at this point, it's not expected.
Outcome of the Game
I've been riding Dallas for most of this series, including the Game 2 win, but they just haven't been hitting their shots and the Miami defense has been tough. The NBA odds makers have Dallas favorite by 3 and the total is 186.5 . I don't want to mess with the total because with the players in this game, you just don't know if someone will go on an offensive explosion. These games have been close and this is a must win for Dallas. Take Dallas in this spot with the ML to even up the series.
First 3 games all ended under and the line for game 4 is set at 185.5 points (under BP 1.91). The line opened at 186.5.
I had unders in game 3. The line opened at 187 and went out to 188.5 over the weekend (game played Monday 1am).
Does anybody like the unders for game 4? Expect the line to increase?
_________
Article from SBR:
The Miami Heat took a big step towards winning the NBA Title but Dallas is not out yet.
The Heat now hold a 2-1 lead in the Playoff finals against the Dallas Mavericks and are assured that the series, at the worst, will go back to Miami. There's no margain for error anymore where Dallas is concerned. They lost game 3 at home and can't afford to go down 3-1 against a team like the Miami Heat with home court advantage. Game 4 is set for Tuesday, 9:00 pm ET on ABC and it was the Mavs who opened as the favorite in the NBA lines. The Books have them at -3 with the total at 186.5.
In the last game, it was the Dwayne Wade show as Wade erupted for 29 points and 11 rebounds. He was an unstoppable force and scored 7 of Miami's final 9 points as Miami defeated Dallas 88-86. Much maligned Chris Bosh knocked down the game winning shot with 39 seconds to go. Dirk Nowitzki didn't get much team support but made a costly late errant pass that gave possession to the Heat and missed a tough fade away jumper at the buzzer that could've tied the game. Chris Bosh added 18 points for the Heat.
Dallas only shot 40% from the field and were led by Dirk Nowitzki with 34 points and 11 rebounds. Jason Terry chipped in with 15 points.
The Miami Heat are just 2 games away from the NBA title and Dallas has had a poor series. The only game that they won, they came back from a 15 point deficit with 7 minutes to go in game 2. Dirk Nowitzki can't win the title by himself. Will his team, who is known for their offensive efficiency, step up in game 4 and even up the series or will Miami put this series away on Tuesday night and be 1 game away from the coveted 2010-2011 NBA Championship Title? The Dallas faithful will be rooting their team on and will be covered in a blanket of blue. This is what the finals is all about.
Who's the best? James or Wade?
The question has come to mind, who really is the best player in the NBA? Most people including me, thought that it was Lebron James with his combination of power and athleticism. After game 3, it's become clear that Dwayne Wade is the closer and the player that the Heat go to when they need a crucial basket. Wade hasn't had the greatest post season but the man has shown that he has ice water running through his veins when it's time to take over the game. He's clearly the most confident player on the court and it seems like he just wants it more than everyone else. How many times has Dallas turned the ball over and Wade has broken loose off of pure speed for a power dunk? I'm starting to lose count. He's knows what it's like to win, when the Heat defeated the Mavericks in the finals before and clearly he wants a 2nd ring on his finger. Nobody can stop him defensively. The only thing that can stop Wade and his team in game 4 is a monster game from Dirk Nowitzki and better shooting from the rest of the Mavericks. Look for Wade to be a factor.
Second fiddle
Clearly in this championship series, Lebron James has taken a backseat to Dwayne Wade. They're not playing against each other but as great as Lebron is, he might be slightly overrated in being considered the number 1 guy on his team. James was having difficulties penetrating through the Dallas defense in game 3 and wasn't looking to take over the game. In the 2 games played in the finals, James has averaged 18.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game. He's also shot just 3 of 11 from 3 point range and has attempted just 8 free throws. A man of Lebron James' stature should be shooting double figures in free throws per game and he's averaging 4 per game. Lebron can go off at anytime but I don't expect anything out of the ordinary from him when the Mavericks are at home and in a desperate situation.
Dwayne Wade has averaged 32.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. He's been on the mark, shooting 25 of 41 from the field. Not only that, the baskets that he's making are at crucial moments of the game. This is no surprise but look for Wade to keep the pressure on in game 4.
Difference maker
Mario Chalmers has been able to do something that noone outside the big 3 has been able to do in the post season. He's coming up with big shots and he picked a great time to step up his game. Chalmers was 4 for 6 from beyond the arc in game 3 and each shot was a big one. For the series, he's averaging 10.5 points, 2.5 assists, and 2 rebounds per game. If he can play the way that he's been playing, Miami will be having a championship parade in Florida in the near future.
Pressure
Dirk Nowitzki has had the weight of Texas on his shoulders in the NBA finals. Even with a torn tendon on his non-shooting hand, Nowitzki has single- handedly carried the Mavericks and they're only one game away from evening up the series. After game 3, Jason Kidd said that players need to help Dirk out. Truthfully, I've seen Dirk play better but even when he's just good, he's better than everyone else. Nowitzki is averaging 29 points and 11 rebounds for the series. He's shooting free throws as good as anyone in professional basketball has ever shot them. He's flawless in 12 attempts thus far. Joel Anthony isn't a productive player offensively but he's been a real thorn in Dirk's side. Several times, Dirk has either had to alter his shot or has gotten it blocked. Aside from that, nobody can stop Dirk Nowitzki. He can't hit every shot as we saw at the buzzer of game 3 but if he had gotten some help from his teammates, Dallas would be a lot better off than they are now. Expect another brilliant Nowitzki performance in a "must win" situation.
The Jet has landed
Jason Terry can't matchup with Lebron James and Dwayne Wade but he's the next best thing to Dirk Nowitzki that Dallas has for instant offense. James was keying in on Terry in game 1 and that created a problem. Terry scored 15 points in game 3 but his shot hasn't been there and he hasn't been the clutch player that he's been all season. The entire Dallas bench has shot poorly and that's been the difference in this series. J.J. Barea is shooting scared. Dallas isn't the type of team to shoot 40% in a game. The numbers don't look bad but Jason Terry hasn't played up to his numbers. He's averaging 15.5 points and 3.5 assists per game. Terry is shooting 10 for 24 from the field and 1 for 5 from 3 point range. Terry needs to knock down his shots the way that he's been doing in the post season previous to this series. Look for Jason Terry to come up big in game 4.
Disappointments
J.J. Barea and Peja Stojakovic have been a disaster in this series. Barea is undersized but he's missing shots that he's hit before. He looks intimidated by the opposition. Barea is averaging 5.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game on just 4 for 15 from the field. If he plays like the old J.J., Dallas will be in good shape but at this point, it's not expected.
Outcome of the Game
I've been riding Dallas for most of this series, including the Game 2 win, but they just haven't been hitting their shots and the Miami defense has been tough. The NBA odds makers have Dallas favorite by 3 and the total is 186.5 . I don't want to mess with the total because with the players in this game, you just don't know if someone will go on an offensive explosion. These games have been close and this is a must win for Dallas. Take Dallas in this spot with the ML to even up the series.
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