Monday News and Notes

Monday, March 27, 2006

Sunday we won again led by Wise Guy on George Mason outright.  Not even the brutal loser on the Florida total prevented yet another winning night from The Center of the Handicapping Universe Godspicks.com.

Our first NBA Wise Guy since Wednesday goes tonight as we improve to 26-12 with our latest Wise Guy run. The ENTIRE card is just $17 at www.godspicks.com.  We now take virtually every credit card, PayPal and eCheck.  Also we now have yearly and other packages available via Western Union. Every play, every sport for a year is $2,450.  Email us at the contact form at Godspicks.com to make arrangements or for Neteller payments. Updated and advance news and notes FREE at JoeDuffy.net—a MUST for March Madness.

NBA

Pacers-Heat

Miami Herald

They lost their best player for two months, their point guard for half of the season and endured the Ron Artest ordeal, yet regardless of the state of their team, the Indiana Pacers get good results when they play the Miami Heat. The Pacers have won 14 of the past 15 games against the Heat as they enter tonight’s game at AmericanAirlines Arena. Indiana finally got its starting lineup back in Sunday’s 92-79 win over Philadelphia. All-Star forward/center Jermaine O’Neal made his first start after missing the past two months with a torn right groin. Point guard Jamaal Tinsley, who missed 34 of the Pacers’ 68 games with an elbow injury, also returned to the starting lineup after coming off the bench the past 10 games. And after getting rid of Artest in a trade to Sacramento for sharpshooting Peja Stojakovic, the Pacers have found some harmony. “They are a different team,” Heat coach Pat Riley said. “They’re still solid defensively. They’re right up there with all the best defensive teams as far as the numbers go. Indiana has won both meetings with Miami this season: a 105-102 victory on Nov. 3 in Miami and 95-90 in Indianapolis six nights later. The Heat has struggled against some of the better teams in the NBA this season, and there is still the possibility the Pacers might drop to the seventh spot in the East, meaning a likely first-round series with Miami.

Suns-Nets

East Valley Tribune

Over the last two years, D’Antoni’s Suns haven’t wasted many games, especially against Eastern Conference foes. With their final five games starting tonight against the surging New Jersey Nets, the Suns are 20-5 against the East and could better last year’s impressive 24-6 mark with a sweep. It won’t be easy. It starts with the Nets, who have won 15 of their last 18 at home. But for a team that has won 44 of the last 55 against the East — the 11 losses include a triple-overtime loss in New York to the lowly Knicks and blowing a 17-point lead in Cleveland — no game will be sacrificed. Why are the Suns so good against the other conference? The lack of quality teams certainly helps. Phoenix’s runand-gun, long-distance style of offense is a big departure from the normal fare and difficult for Eastern teams to adapt to for one game. And when the East comes to sunny Arizona, where Phoenix has won 27 of 30 games over two seasons, an early show of firepower can lead to a quick surrender.

Hornets-Jazz

Times Picayune

For those who like betting halftime and quarter lines: For an entire month, the Hornets virtually have given the same performance. They can’t put together a complete effort for the entire 48 minutes. They mostly have started out good, hitting shots and defending well. But by the second or third quarters they go into their unshakable cycle of playing miserably. With 14 games remaining, they are running out of time. Entering Sunday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Hornets had lost 10 of 11 games.

Now, instead of trying to make a push to surpass the Sacramento Kings for the eighth and final playoff spot, the Hornets are concerned about seeing the Utah Jazz possibly overtake them for the ninth spot. A loss to the Lakers would give the Hornets only a half-game lead over the Jazz, who they play tonight at the Delta Center. Since the All-Star break the Hornets have lost 12 of 15 games. When they trail at halftime, they are 4-20. And they have lost 15 of 16 games when they allow an opponent to score a 100 or more points.

Wizards-Warriors

USA Today

Coming off an important win, the Golden State Warriors seek their fifth victory in six games when they host the Washington Wizards in the opener of a three-game homestand at The Arena in Oakland. Golden State, which has won six of its last nine home games, is seeded 11^th in the Western Conference, four games behind the Kings for the eighth and final playoff spot. The Warriors haven’t been to the postseason since 1993-94 and showed promise this year after a 12-6 start. However, they are just 18-32 since and haven’t won three consecutive games since the end of December.