Washington Wizards +4.5 (44-38, 22-19 away) @ Indiana Pacers (56-26, 35-6 home)
(Wizards Lead Series 1-0)
I recommend a play on the Washington Wizards plus the points (+4.5) in the NBA Playoffs tonight. I was on Indiana in Game 1 like a schmuck, thinking because they won 2 in a row against the Hawks they found themselves a little bit. I was completely wrong with that assertion. The Pacers are still the same Pacers we have seen the last 2-3 months of this season. They are a disgrunted bunch who hang their heads as soon as one negative thing happens on the court. They do not have a player on their team that wants to take and make the big shot. In Game 1 they actually had a chance to make it a game down the stretch, then three or four possesions in a row they came down and dribbled around a little bit, penetrated the defense, then stopped and looked to make a jump pass to a shooter, who would receive the ball and then look to get rid of it immediately. No one thought to make a play at the rim or even shoot the rock, and this is something that will kill them in this series. Washington is fearless and they have proved to me they are a hungry bunch that is not afraid of anything. They are 4-0 on the road in this postseason, with three wins being @ Chicago and the 1 win in Game 1 @ Indy. I thought Indy matched up better with the Wiz than they did against the Hawks, and schematically I may still be right, but the bigs on the Wiz are head and shoulders better than any of the bigs on Indiana right now. Indiana let Drew Gooden, (DREW FUCKIN GOODEN!) look like an All Star in Game 1, alongside great perfomances from Marcin Gortat and Nene. Washington also found their big shot taker and maker in the last game, in Bradley Beal, who has one of the smoothest J’s in the game. With Trevor Ariza hitting his threes and playing at a high level on the defensive end, and being able to disrupt Paul George with his length, and John Wall running the point, the Wiz are better across the board than the Indiana Pacers and provide extreme mismatches for the Pacers at pretty much every position on the court. I look for the Pacers to be more aggresive tonight on the offensive end, but I don’t expect the outcome of the game to change, becauase the Wizards defense is vastly underrated and proved to me they can handle the Pacers. I have been backing this Wiz team all year long and believe they have one of the most balanced and talented rosters in the league, with extrememly young talent, with just the right mix of veteran leadership. I expect the Wiz to continue their stellar play on the road and to defeat the free falling 1 seeded Indiana Pacers and take this thing back the DC up 2-0 so I am making the Washington Wizards plus the points (+4.5) my NBA Playoffs Play of the Day.
Wizards 92 Pacers 91