just saw him posting over at pergame didnt realize he was back making picks anywhere. guy was S-O-L-I-D over the summer last year then disappeared........
2* Bulls +11
I think that was a pretty fair assumption. Now I'm going to take advantage of the aforementioned situational angle and HAMMER the Bulls. As expected, Chicago's nerves took center stage in Game 1 as the Bulls were ICE cold from the floor in the entire first half and several players were throwing up the infamous "this is short because I'm scared to be here" jumper. I did, after all, expect a screeching halt from Chicago after they finished 6-2 to close out the regular season and clinch the final playoff position. They were due for an embarrassing loss and that's exactly what came their way Saturday. Not to take anything away from how well King James and Shaq played, but I think it was how poorly Chicago played in the first half that made Cleveland look so damn dominant. As Stevebeav pointed out, after Cleveland had the MONSTROUS first quarter, the rest of the game was pretty much back-and-forth. I expect that sort of tempo to carry over into tonight as Chicago has woken up, smelled the coffee and trust me when I say that this could be the closest game of the entire series. It's not so much that I think the Cavs will coast through Game 2, I just know that Derrick Rose and his teammates were embarrassed in the opener, and they are hungry to prove that they can compete with the league's best. (I said compete, not win). "We can't wait to play," Rose said. "I know I can't. This is something I live for. I think about it every minute of the day, playing against the best team in the NBA."
Chicago is an extremely scrappy ball club and I'll never forget the way they badgered Boston in the postseason last year, when 5 of the 7 games were decided by three points or less. Granted, Cleveland is an entirely different monster with James doing whatever he wants and Shaq running wild in the low post, but I cannot stop thinking about how Derrick Rose got maybe one officiating call in his favor the entire game, Joakim Noah found himself in early foul trouble and the Bulls shot 1-for-7 from downtown. NONE of those characteristics are the norm for the Bulls and I really expect them to turn things up a notch and play with hunger and poise that the general public isn't used to seeing. Everybody seems to be so caught up in Cleveland's HUGE first half and their drive toward an NBA championship, but I just cannot fathom a BLOWOUT tonight in Game 2. Hell, even the line is moving in our favor with more than 66% of the public on the Cavs. Don't be surprised if the Baby Bulls bring this game down to the wire. They'll be much more motivated tonight and they know that one GREAT game against Cleveland this postseason could be a major lure for an upcoming free agent in the summer.
2* Bulls +11
I think that was a pretty fair assumption. Now I'm going to take advantage of the aforementioned situational angle and HAMMER the Bulls. As expected, Chicago's nerves took center stage in Game 1 as the Bulls were ICE cold from the floor in the entire first half and several players were throwing up the infamous "this is short because I'm scared to be here" jumper. I did, after all, expect a screeching halt from Chicago after they finished 6-2 to close out the regular season and clinch the final playoff position. They were due for an embarrassing loss and that's exactly what came their way Saturday. Not to take anything away from how well King James and Shaq played, but I think it was how poorly Chicago played in the first half that made Cleveland look so damn dominant. As Stevebeav pointed out, after Cleveland had the MONSTROUS first quarter, the rest of the game was pretty much back-and-forth. I expect that sort of tempo to carry over into tonight as Chicago has woken up, smelled the coffee and trust me when I say that this could be the closest game of the entire series. It's not so much that I think the Cavs will coast through Game 2, I just know that Derrick Rose and his teammates were embarrassed in the opener, and they are hungry to prove that they can compete with the league's best. (I said compete, not win). "We can't wait to play," Rose said. "I know I can't. This is something I live for. I think about it every minute of the day, playing against the best team in the NBA."
Chicago is an extremely scrappy ball club and I'll never forget the way they badgered Boston in the postseason last year, when 5 of the 7 games were decided by three points or less. Granted, Cleveland is an entirely different monster with James doing whatever he wants and Shaq running wild in the low post, but I cannot stop thinking about how Derrick Rose got maybe one officiating call in his favor the entire game, Joakim Noah found himself in early foul trouble and the Bulls shot 1-for-7 from downtown. NONE of those characteristics are the norm for the Bulls and I really expect them to turn things up a notch and play with hunger and poise that the general public isn't used to seeing. Everybody seems to be so caught up in Cleveland's HUGE first half and their drive toward an NBA championship, but I just cannot fathom a BLOWOUT tonight in Game 2. Hell, even the line is moving in our favor with more than 66% of the public on the Cavs. Don't be surprised if the Baby Bulls bring this game down to the wire. They'll be much more motivated tonight and they know that one GREAT game against Cleveland this postseason could be a major lure for an upcoming free agent in the summer.