Okay. Clearly, the regular season was not particularly kind to me. But now we’ve arrived at the playoffs, where the teams are all (reasonably) good and (assumedly) playing hard every night. COVID is much less of a day-to-day concern than, say, an American’s lack of vaccination in Canada is right now. It’s the dawning of a new day. It’s a new chapter, a new leaf, the past is gone, all of that. The postseason is where I mount my revenge: on the vagaries of the NBA regular season, on the randomness of mid-season malaise, on the doubters, the haters, on my own self-loathing. The playoffs are here, and I intend to make some hay while the sun still shines. You can join me or not…
Follow my picks on Twitter: @OSullyPicks
Seattle O’Sullivan 2021-2022 NBA Season so far: 201-226-7, -$828.44
(Last Night: 1-0, +$10)
(Standing Caveat: The universe is chaotic. Life is unpredictable. Things happen. Like injuries. And COVID protocols. In following Seattle O’Sullivan’s betting advice, be advised that you should always monitor your bets during the day to make certain unforeseen things have not occurred which might change your wagering opinion. Thank you.)
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Brooklyn Nets, 7 pm Eastern
The Pick: Brooklyn -375, bet $45 to win $12
I know, I know. That preamble was a lot of tough talk leading up to laying a chunk down on some chalk’s moneyline. I get it. But my defense is that this is one game and out, not a playoff series. Once the opening rounds start, I’ll be a little more ambitious with series picks, etc. But for this game, I just want to feel comfortable getting off on the right foot. Brooklyn is not the dominant team everyone expected last fall, but Cleveland is expected to be without Jarrett Allen and that will be the key. Allen was the rim protector that helped Cleveland get to its overachieving start, but without him Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant will have free rein to get to the hoop. When they’re at their best, the Nets are still a contender for the Finals - even if I don’t think it’s as cut-and-dried as many people think. They’ll get past this game.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, 9:30 pm Eastern
The Pick: Los Angeles +3.5 (-115), bet $11.50 to win $10
This is this crop of Timberwolves’ first exposure to the playoffs, while even if the results have been mixed, the Clippers have been here before. Los Angeles forward Paul George is back…and there’s some mystery now surrounding Kawhi Leonard; will he be back too? I doubt that, but even without Leonard, Los Angeles has been this year’s mystery team. The Timberwolves went 3-1 against the Clippers this season, but L.A. is 15-6-1 against the spread in their last 22 games against Minnesota. I think George has a big game, and I think Minnesota stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards are just tentative enough to keep the game close.
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