Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) - 8:00 PM EDT Premium Pick
Pick: Point Spread: 10.0/-107 Miami Heat Pick Title: Mike's 1st NBA Smiling Cobra Play Of Year (WIN OFF BUY)
It's not often where you'll find a good defensive team getting double-digits. Approaching this elimination game (for Miami) has its advantages. The missed perception of this game by the mushes has over-emphasized Philadelphia's 31-11 SU & 28-14 ATS records @ the Wells Fargo Center. Yes, accolades must be given to HC Brett Brown & Co. for winning 19 of their last 20 games SU entering in (about half without Embiid). They also must be given added kudos for the excellent play of Ben Simmons who became the 1st rookie since L.A.'s Magic Johnson (in 38 years) to record a triple-double in the playoffs. However, I believe the 76ers are feeling the inexperienced pressures of marching on to the next round as witnessed by their 7-for-31 shooting beyond the arc & 27 turnovers committed in Game 4. In addition, catalyst C Joel Embiid is still working off some rust after a 2-for-11 shooting performance & 8 turnovers last game. Philadelphia caught a HUGE break in Game 4 when the Heat shot an uncharacteristic 13-fr-25 from the FT line along with SF Josh Richardson sustaining a shoulder injury. I'm not saying that Miami becomes the 12th team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit. But what I am saying is this game will be a war that may be difficult to pull away from. The Sixers already had 2 blowout in Game 1 & 3. I feel it difficult for this young Philly team to register another lopsided win. Even though Philadelphia has a well-balanced team (7 players reached double-digits last game), the Heat play well against good winning home teams as they've registered a very profitable 33-16-2 the last 51 in that role. Getting right back on the winning track, we'll go to the 21,000+ fan-filled Wells Fargo Center off Broad Street to play Eric Spoelstra's charges, the MIAMI HEAT @ OUR NUMBER (+ 13 1/2) as my 1st NBA Smiling Cobra Play Of The Year!
NOTES: An uncharacteristic slow start for me hopefully has turned around with this "W". Once again, I believe buy points matter in given situations. This is true especially when YOUR line matches or is in the vicinity of the adjusted one. We'll move on & see what teams are over-priced & concentrate on making a BIG run that we've enjoyed the last 2 seasons.
Mike Handzelek's 2016-18 NBA Record: 27-8 for a surreal 77%
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