Second verse, same as the first; another day, another play that covers for 47 minutes, and loses, somehow, in the final 60 seconds. Just par for the course, these days.
A good buddy of mine reminded me, though, that while it's very easy to get caught up in our bad luck - and believe me, this is about as bad as the luck will get - we are still RIGHT WHERE WE WANTED TO BE at this point in the season when we set our goals a few months back. We've taken a bit of a circuitous route, repeatedly going, roughly, 7-6 every week for the month of January, then dominating February before curling off a bit of a stinker in March so far. But, when all is said and done, we're winning, and if we try to forget how brutal this last week has been and just look at the results as a whole, I think we can all be pretty pleased.
It's that fresh taste of getting shot in the heart the last couple nights that gives us the FEELING that things aren't going well, and short term, let's be honest, they're not. The last week has been riddled with bad beats, injuries, overtime periods that ruin perfectly good bets, and general malaise. But the bad breaks won't last forever - they never do. We're righting the ship, and there is certainly something to the notion that when it takes these kinds of endings just to beat us, we're onto something, and we're going to keep hammering it until the storm stops.
I think I've figured out the PERFECT middle ground on blog writing, by the way, to keep me from losing my precious sanity. On WEEKENDS, each game will be LEANS ONLY, and you guys can feel free to ask about any particular game. I'll respond to questions on weekends specifically, but you'll still see which way I'm leaning on EVERY game on the card. It just won't be in eloquent prose, like usual! I'll try to include the most important angle I'm considering in each game, though obviously there are many others going unlisted. Let's see how this goes.
Sports Wagering
Bulls @ Sixers - This line is OFF. Lean to Philly (yes, even though they took a metaphorical dump on us last night), and lean to Over.
Raptors @ Nets - This line is OFF. Lean to the Nets (Toronto on back-to-back), lean to the Over.
Bobcats @ Heat - Miami by 6 with a total of 182.5. Lean to Charlotte (Miami just can't get over that hump), and lean to the Over.
Warriors @ Grizzlies - This line is OFF. Lean to Warriors (GS off huge loss, Grizzlies giving up on season), and lean to the Over.
Hornets @ Jazz - This line is OFF. No lean on the side, slight lean to the Over.
Bucks @ Nuggets - Denver by 9 with a total of 205. Lean to Denver (you guys know my take on this situation, and add 2-OT - yikes!), and lean to the Under.
Celtics @ Mavericks - Dallas by 4 with a total of 202. Lean to the Celtics (because no one expects them to play strong two nights in a row), lean to the Under.