*Original betting lines and lineups taken game morning, adjust accordingly.
NBA Playoff Picks
The Midfield Parlay:
Cleveland @ Indiana – Cleveland -2.5
Toronto @ Milwaukee – Toronto +1.5
San Antonio @ Memphis – San Antonio -3.5
Cleveland @ Indiana
EASTERN CONFERENCE 1ST ROUND – GAME 3
CLEVELAND LEAD 2-0
Picks against the spread
| Spread Pick | O/U Points | Result |
| Cleveland | Over | Cleveland |
| -2.5 | 211.5 | 119-114 |
Win/Loss
| TEAM | HOME | ROAD |
| Cleveland | 31-10 | 20-21 |
| Indiana | 29-12 | 13-28 |
Points +/-
| TEAM | PPG | OPP PPG | DIFF |
| Indiana | 105.1 | 105.3 | -0.2 |
| Cleveland | 110.3 | 107.2 | +3.2 |
SEASON SERIES:
| GAME 2 | Cleveland | Indiana | 117 : 111 |
| GAME 1 | Cleveland | Indiana | 109 : 108 |
| 03.04.17 | Cleveland | Indiana | 135 : 130 (104 : 104) |
| 16.02.17 | Cleveland | Indiana | 113 : 104 |
| 09.02.17 | Indiana | Cleveland | 117 : 132 |
| 17.11.16 | Indiana | Cleveland | 103 : 93 |
The Say –
The Cavs barely fell over the finish line at the end of the regular season, but have managed to pull a 2-0 series lead, also barely.
Cleveland have beaten Indiana five straight times and are 12-0 when leading a playoff series 2-0. Things aren’t getting any better for the Pacers off the court either, with PG13 poking not so subtle jabs at the men by his side, this time around the target was Lance Stephenson –
“He’s got to learn to control himself and be in the moment,” Paul George told ESPN. “Lance, in our locker room, is looked upon as a leader. His body language has to improve — just for the team. We all know that Lance is an emotional guy. … He’s got to channel that toward making effort plays on the court and doing whatever he needs for us to succeed.”
With Indiana’s star prodding seemingly all by his side, the cohesion factor of the Pacers heading into this one will either improve or drop. We’ll go with the latter.
Cavs at the line, bet your house on it.
Picks –
Best Pick – Cleveland -2.5 – WIN
Feeling Lucky – Take the Best Pick and run
Toronto @ Milwaukee
EASTERN CONFERENCE 1ST ROUND – GAME 3
SERIES DRAWN 1-1
Picks against the spread
| Spread | O/U Points | Result |
| Toronto | Over | Milwaukee |
| +1.5 | 196.0 | 104-77 |
Win/Loss
| TEAM | HOME | ROAD |
| Toronto | 28-13 | 23-18 |
| Milwaukee | 23-18 | 19-22 |
Points +/-
| TEAM | PPG | OPP PPG | DIFF |
| Toronto | 106.9 | 102.6 | +4.3 |
| Milwaukee | 103.6 | 103.8 | -0.2 |
SEASON SERIES: Toronto 3 – 1 Milwaukee
| GAME 2 | Toronto | Milwaukee | 106 : 100 |
| GAME 1 | Toronto | Milwaukee | 83 : 97 |
| 05.03.17 | Milwaukee | Toronto | 101 : 94 |
| 28.01.17 | Toronto | Milwaukee | 102 : 86 |
| 13.12.16 | Toronto | Milwaukee | 122 : 100 |
| 26.11.16 | Milwaukee | Toronto | 99 : 105 |
The Say –
Milwaukee took Game 1 in a dominant defensive display, while Toronto leveled the series by holding off late charges from the Bucks to even things up in Game 2.
Toronto won three of the four meetings with the Bucks during the season and split two encounters in Milwaukee. Toronto traveled well during the regular season, and we’re liking the line for the visitors tonight, with the lineup for the Bucks still trying to figure out their rotations.
Toronto are 4-1 ATS over their last 5 meetings in Milwaukee.
Picks –
Best Pick: Toronto +1.5 – LOSS
Feeling Lucky – Total Points Over 196.0 – LOSS
San Antonio @ Memphis
WESTERN CONFERENCE 1ST ROUND – GAME 2
SAN ANTONIO LEAD SERIES 2-0
Picks against the spread
| Spread Pick | O/U Points | Result |
| San Antonio | Under | Memphis |
| -3.5 | 184.5 | 105-94 |
Win/Loss
| TEAM | HOME | ROAD |
| San Antonio | 31-10 | 30-11 |
| Memphis | 24-17 | 19-22 |
Points +/-
| TEAM | PPG | OPP PPG | DIFF |
| San Antonio | 105.3 | 98.1 | +7.2 |
| Memphis | 100.5 | 100.0 | +0.5 |
SEASON SERIES: San Antonio 2-2 Memphis
| GAME 2 | Spurs | Memphis | 96 : 82 |
| GAME 1 | Spurs | Memphis | 111 : 82 |
| 05.04.17 | Spurs | Memphis | 95 : 89 (84 : 84) |
| 24.03.17 | Spurs | Memphis | 97 : 90 |
| 19.03.17 | Memphis | Spurs | 104 : 96 |
| 07.02.17 | Memphis | Spurs | 89 : 74 |
The Say –
Well what else can you say about this series other than home court had better be worth an extra 20 points to the Grizzlies, and they’d better bring their own refs.
Sadly, it wont, and they won’t.
In his post-game press conference on Tuesday, Memphis Coach, David Fizdale, called the officiating “unprofessional and “unacceptable”, before delivering a quote to remember.
What annoyed Fizdale most was the difference in fouls called. The Spurs made 31 of 32 free throws, while the Grizzlies were 13 for 15, with Kawhi Leonard going 19 for 19.
Whether the Fizdale rant has sparked his team remains to be seen, but we tip it won’t.
Spurs to cover the measly -3.5 line, and then some.
Picks –
Best Pick – San Antonio -3.5 – LOSS
Feeling Lucky – Nope.
