Sun 6/17

Following are my remaining players who are averaging more than 10 PRA:
Chris Bosh - 18.8
Udonis Haslem  - 13.2
Kendrick Perkins - 11.5
Shane Battier - 10.8

Shane Battier is hot recently and I am going with him.

Remaining Picks

Its NBA finals and following are my remaining top players.

James Harden – 26.1

Chris Bosh – 19.2

Serge Ibaka – 17.1

Udonis Haslem – 13.1

I have only one player left who is average more than 20. Seems like I should go down in ranking for rest of the games. We will see.

I am gonna pick players at home if possible. This is 2-3-2 format and I am thinking about following picks to start with.

Ibaka on Tue 6/12

Harden on Thu 6/14

Haslem on Sun 6/17

Bosh on Tue 6/19

Sat 6/9

If there is a game 7, I will go with Chrish-Bosh hoping that Heat coach doesnt think about fair/unfair too much and let Bosh on the court.

The way James played game 6, I thought Miami would end up winning eastern conference finals and I changed my pick to Brandon Bass.

Fri 6/8

If there is a game 7, I will go with James Harden as he is my best available option from this match-up

Thu 6/7

I did not think that Boston Celtics would be up 3-2, but they are and Miami Heat is playing in Boston in an elimination game and I am going with LeBron James.

Wed 6/6

Simple pick for me
San Antonio Spurs are playing an elimination game and I am picking my best available Spur, Tim Duncan

Sat 6/2

San Antonio Spurs is going to play at Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night. Thunder ended Spur’s winning streak yesterday and they beat them badly! Also Thunder’s first two losses of this series were close and this series might go longer than what I initially thought. I already used Manu Ginobili, Westbrook and Durant from this series. When I see my options from this series, I have more options available from Spurs than Thunder. I think Spurs would win this series, but looking at my available options from Spurs, I don’t think I would run out of options to pick from in next series and I am going with a Spur, Tony Parker.

Fri 6/1

Miami Heat is playing at Boston Celtics tonight. From this series, I already used Kevin Garnett and Mario Chalmers. I think Heat would end up winning this series. Rondo and Paul Pierce are my options. I think Paul Pierce will play with more passion in order win their first game of this series especially when they are playing at home and I am going with him.

I wanted to pick Paul Pierce, but when game started I realized that I had Rajon Ronodo. Errr... User error!!

Tue 5/28

There is one game on Tuesday:

Oklahoma City at San Antonio Game 2 - Spurs lead 1-0

I think Spurs would be champions this season by beating Miami Heat this season and I am going with Russell Westbrook.

Mon 5/28

Boston Celtics are playing at Miami Heat for game 1 of eastern conference finals and I am going with Kevin Garnett thinking Miami advances.

Sat 5/26

Schedule for Saturday:

Philadelphia at Boston Game 7 - Series tied 3-3

If Necessary Indiana at Miami Game 7 - Heat lead 3-2

Though Heat is going to be very small on Thursday without Bosh and Haslem, I still think that Heat would get a W because of James and Wade’s firepower. They are playing amazing basketballs for two games in a row. James was able to bring Cleveland too dip into playoffs on multiple occasions single handedly in the past. Wade got championship for Heat single handily in the past. And they are playing on the same team and playing high potential. It would be too difficult to stop them for two games in a row. I doubt that there will be game 7 for Heat, but if it happens we will see.

If 76ers and Celtics is the only game on Saturday,

I think Celtics would win, but 76ers have been able to win 3 games in this series and I won’t be surprised if they win 4^th one. So I am going with my best available option from this match-up. I am going with Kevin Garnett.

I changed my pick to Louis Williams thinking Celtics would advances.

Thu 5/24

Miami at Indiana Game 6 - Heat lead 3-2 is on Thursday.

Miami Heat dominated in game 5 again. As soon as we all started talking about Heat not winning, they came back stronger and James and Wade had two back to back heroic performances in a row. This pick is simple for me. Udonis Haslem is suspended for one and and would it impact on result of Game 6? If definitely can, but I think Pacers are going home and I am going with Roy Hibbert. Would absence of a Haslem result in Hibbert producing better line up than otherwise? I hope so.

Wed 5/23

There is one game on Wednesday:

Boston at Philadelphia Game 6 - Celtics lead 3-2

Pick for this game is very simple for me. I think 76ers would not advance and I am going with Evan Turner

Tue 5/22

There is one game on Tuesday:

Indiana at Miami Game 5 - Series tied 2-2

In Game 4, James and Wade had heroic performance and Heat ended up winning. Though I think it would be hard to repeat that performance on regular basis, I think Heat would win. Also when Roy Hibbert is not on the floor, Pacers seems awful. Followings are my options from Pacers:

Danny Granger – 26.8

Roy Hibbert – 24.6

George Hill – 19.1

Paul George – 18.3

Daren Collison - 14

I am going with Danny Granger

Fri 5/18

There are two games on Friday:

Boston at Philadelphia Game 4 - Celtics lead 2-1  

Oklahoma City at LA Lakers Game 3 - Thunder lead 2-0

I think Lakers are going to be eliminated from playoffs soon. After using Kobe and Bynum I was thinking about going with Gasol, but when I looked next day’s schedule, I realized that both teams from Los Angeles are playing on the same day and I would have to pick Session as he is my best available after Gasol. I am not sure if I wanna go that low at this point. So I decided to pick a player from other match-up.

It’s impressive the way Celtics are playing for a while now. Every year we hear that they are old and won’t do much, but they keep proving everyone wrong and keep going far into playoffs. Seems like this might be the case this year as well. So I am going with a 76ers. Andre Iguodala is my best available option and I am going with him.

Thu 5/17

There are two games on Thursday:

Miami at Indiana Game 3 - Series tied 1-1 

LA Clippers at San Antonio Game 2 - Spurs lead 1-0

With Bosh out, I thought Heat vs Pacers s series would last longer than otherwise, but I did not think that Pacers would win in Miami. Both 76ers and Pacers achieved home field advantage by winning against teams that many of us thought would play in eastern conference finals. Playoffs got even better. 

It’s sad that LeBron James is such a talented player and we won’t miss attacking him when something goes wrong. Most of us find all reasons we can to blame James whenever his team loses. After Tuesday’s loss everyone is talking about James choking, missing free throws and passing ball to his team mates in last couple of possessions.  May be because he is such a talented player that no one wants to miss as opportunity to criticize him. 

Anyways this blog is about picking players for drive to the finals so let’s talk about Thursday’s pick. Though Pacers won second game in Miami and Bosh is out for a while, I still think that Heat would advance, but I won’t be shocked if Pacers would advance. So I am not touching anyone from this match-up on Thursday especially when I know that both teams from Los Angeles are playing against very good teams and probability of LA teams going home is higher. So I am picking Blake Griffin based on my assumption that they would be eliminated in this round.

Wed 5/16

There are two games on Wednesday:

Boston at Philadelphia Game 3 - Series tied 1-1

LA Lakers at Oklahoma City Game 2 - Thunder lead 1-0

76ers not only won one out of first two games to get home field advantage, but they also won the second game to do so. Because they won second game, they are carrying the momentum with them. This year’s playoffs just got better. Now I do not want to pick anyone from this match-up specially when picking someone from other match-up seems a lot straight forward.

Lakers were beaten badly. Before watching this game, I thought thunder would advance to go to next round, but they way they won first games, I won’t be surprised if this would be a very short series. Based on that assumption, I am rolling dice with a Laker. My options are: 

Bynum - 30.4

Gasol - 26.3

Ramon Sessions - 19.1

I am going with Andrew Bynum.

Tue 5/15

There are two games on Tuesday:

Indiana at Miami Game 2 - Heat lead 1-0

LA Clippers at San Antonio Game 1

I am confident that Spurs would beat Clippers, but Griffin is my only option when it comes to picking Clippers.

First game between Pacers and Heat was close one. Pacers are a very good team and now because Bosh is not going to play for a while, Heat is a very small team all of a sudden. David West and Roy Hibbert are strong big men and rest of the series can get more interesting. I still think that Heat would win, but it would be long series than I initially thought of. My options are: 

David West - 28.2

Granger - 27.5

Hibbert - 24.2

Geroge Hill - 18.5

I am going with David West.

Mon 5/14

There are two games on Monday:

Philadelphia at Boston Game 2 - Celtics lead 1-0

LA Lakers at Oklahoma City Game 1

I think 76ers and Lakers wont advance to next round. Following are my options from these match-up:

Bynum 30.4

Holiday 26.6

Gasol 26.3

Iguodala 22.7

Turner 22

Hawes 21.9

Ramon Sessions  19.1

76ers already played one game and I have 4 76ers to pick from. On the other hand I just have 2 (may be 3) options from Lakers and they are going to play first game. So I am going with a 76er, Jrue Holiday.

Sun 5/13

There are two games on Sunday:

LA Clippers at Memphis Game 7 - Series tied 3-3
Indiana at Miami Game 1

I think Heat would beat Pacers to go to conference finals.

Between Clippers vs Memphis series, I am not sure who is going to advance by winning 7th game and I don't want to miss not picking Chris Paul. So I am going with him.

Sat 5/12

There are two games on Saturday:

Philadelphia at Boston Game 1

Denver at LA Lakers Game 7 - Series tied 3-3

I think Celtics would beat 76ers and will play against Miami Heat who would beat Pacers to play in conference finals. So picking a 76er should be fine. My options are: 

Jrue Holiday – 29.4

Evan Turner – 22

Spencer Hawes – 21.4

Andre Iguodala – 19.4

I did not see Lakers playing 7th game in first round of playoffs against Nuggets especially the way they won first two games of the series. But here we are having first series with 7th game for this year’s playoffs. I don’t want to miss not picking black mamba. Even though I think Lakers would win, I am going with Kobe Bryant.

Fri 5/11

Grizzlies are playing against Clippers in LA on Friday. Clippers are leading series 3-2. In the game 5, Gasol and Randolph came to play and they dominated during first half. But as usual, clippers woke up and started playing in second and as a result it was one more close game. CP3 had to sit out last few minutes because of his groin injury. Griffin was in and out during last few minutes because of his leg injury. It would be interesting to see their status before start of the game and I might change my pick based on that news, but for now I am going with Mike Conley.

Thu 5/10

There are three games on Thursday:

Chicago at Philadelphia Game 6 - 76ers lead 3-2

Atlanta at Boston Game 6 - Celtics lead 3-2

LA Lakers at Denver Game 6 - Lakers lead 3-2

Bulls, Hawks and Nuggets all survived first elimination game.

Nuggets were immersive as Lakers were not able to close the series at home. JaVale McGee played like a beast. For a while they looked like old Lakers where Kobe was the man among boys. He had to take over in 4th quarter, but he was not able to close. I still think Lakers would advance to be beaten by Spurs. Following are my options from Nuggets:

Andre Miller – 24

Kennenth Faried  -20.8

JaVale McGee – 20.8

I think Bulls would be eliminated and I have yet to pick following Bull:

Loul Deng – 20.8

Al Horford is back and healthy. He was am important factor in Hawks win against Celtics. I still think Hawks would be eliminated and following are my options:

Al Horford – 25.5

Jeff Teague – 23.2

I like to keep mu picking strategy simple. Figure out teams that I think are going to be eliminated and pick a player with highest PRA from available options. Al Hordord fits my strategy for Thursday and I am going with him.

For Friday:

If Grizzlies are playing on Friday, I might go with Mike Conley

If Grizzles would be eliminated on Wednesday and Knicks survive, I might go with J. R. Smith

Wed 5/9

There are two games on Wednesday:

New York at Miami Game 5 - Heat lead 3-1          

LA Clippers at Memphis Game 5 - Clippers lead 3-1          

It is interesting that there are six first round games on Monday and Tuesday and all of them are elimination games with 3-1 record.

I already used Melo and Amare. I don’t think any Knicks are worth a pick in first round. I haven’t picky anny Grizzly yet and am going with Rudy Gay.

Tue 5/8

There are 4 games on Tuesday:

Orlando at Indiana Game 5 - Pacers lead 3-1

Boston at Atlanta Game 5 - Celtics lead 3-1

Philadelphia at Chicago Game 5 - 76ers lead 3-1 9:30 PM

Denver at LA Lakers Game 5 - Lakers lead 3-1

Its win or go home day.

I think Magic, Hawks, Bulls and Nuggets wont not advance to next round and following are my choices:

Carlos Boozer 25.5

Joakim Noah 20.5 (may not play)

Richard Hamilton 20

Jeff Teague 23.3

Jameer Nelson 23.5

Andre Miller 21.5

Kenneth Faried 21.3

I am going with Carlos Boozer because in addition of playing home, he is averaging highest PRA from my available options.

Mon 5/7

There are two games on Monday:

San Antonio at Utah Game 4 - Spurs lead 3-0

Memphis at LA Clippers Game 4 - Clippers lead 2-1

I think series between Clippers and Grizzlies is a coin-toss and I am not touching anyone from this match-up.

Monday might be the last day that Jazz in playing in this playoff and I am going with best available player from Utah, Paul Milsup. 

Sun 5/6

There are 4 games on Sunday:

Chicago at Philadelphia Game 4 - 76ers lead 2-1

Miami at New York Game 4 - Heat lead 3-0

Atlanta at Boston Game 4 - Celtics lead 2-1

LA Lakers at Denver Game 4 - Lakers lead 2-1

Bulls were favorite to go far, but they lost Rose in first game and Noah got injured in last game. 76ers are leading and I don’t know what to make out of this series. So I am not touching anyone from this match-up.

Game 4 might be the last game for Knicks, but I don’t want to pick anyone from Knicks because none of the available Knick is averaging more than 20 PRA.

The way lakers played first two games, I thought they would go very far, but they lost 3rd game. I still thik lakers would win the series and Kennenth Faried, Andre Miller or JaVale McGee should be good options to pick.

From Celtics vs Hawks series, Celtics should advance to next round and picking Jeff Teague or Joe Johnson makes sense.

Out of all my option, I think Joe Johnson can score the most PRA and I am going with him.

Sat 5/5

There are 4 games on Saturday:

Indiana at Orlando Game 4 - Pacers lead 2-1

Memphis at LA Clippers Game 3 - Series tied 1-1

Oklahoma City at Dallas Game 4 - Thunder lead 3-0

San Antonio at Utah Game 3 - Spurs lead 2-0

I am not sure about winner from Grizzlies vs Clippers series and am not touching anyone from this match-up for now.

Among other series Magic, Mavericks and Jazz would not advance to next round and following are my options:

Glen Davis – 28.3

Shawn Marion – 22.3

Jameer Nelson – 21.7

Paul Milsup – 21.5

Jason Kidd – 21.0

Jason Terry – 20.3

And I am going with Glen Davis simply because he is averaging most PRA than any other option I have.

Fri 5/4

There are three games on Friday:

Atlanta at Boston, Game 3 - Series tied 1-1 

Chicago at Philadelphia, Game 3 - Series tied 1-1  

LA Lakers at Denver, Game 3 - Lakers lead 2-0

From Hawks-Celtics, I think Celtics will win. I already picked Josh Smith and might pick Johnson for a home game.

I am less confident about winner when it comes to Bulls vs 76ers compare to picking winners from other two match-ups. So I am staying away from this match-up for now.

The way Lakers are playing, I don’t see them being stopped. I picked Danilo Gallinari on Tuesday and am going with Ty Lawson on Friday. 

Thu 5/3

There are two games today:

Miami at New York

Oklahoma City at Dallas

Heat and Thunder are leading series 2-0. Mavericks and Thunder series is fun to watch and total point difference for first two games was only 4 points. I already used Dirk from this series. On the other hand, Heat is killing Knicks. Now there wont be Amare in game 3. I wont be surprised if Heat sweep the series. I am going with Carmelo Anthony tonight.

Wed 5/2

There are three games on Wednesday:

Utah at San Antonio

Indiana at Orlando

LA Clippers at Memphis

Game 1 between Clippers and Grizzlies was an epic. I turned off game in first qtr thinking it was getting one sided. Later on, I was getting bored and decided to turn back on. Clippers were 20+ points behind with less than 10 minutes to go and they came back to win the game! This is one of those games that if they had made a movie out of it, I would have said: its not gonna happen in real game, but it did. Its NBA where amazing happens. I am looking forward to see game 2. I am not sure who will this series and I am not touching anyone from this match-up right now.

From other two games, I am very confident that Spurs and Pacers would advance to next round. Magic situation is a mess and I don’t want to pick anyone from Magic coz I am not confident of any Magic picking a big line up especially when I know that Jazz would loose and I have Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson to pick. I think Paul Millsap would be a better pick at home and I am going with Al Jefferson.

Tue 5/1

There are three games today:

Boston at Atlanta

Philadelphia at Chicago

Denver at LA Lakers

I thought Hawks would not advance to next round, and I picked Josh Smith for their first game, but Hawks won first road game comfortably. Rondo is not going to play second game. We all know Allen’s situation.  I still think Celtics would advance, but I am less confident than I was so I am not picking anyone from this match-up right now.

It was unfortunate that Rose got injured in first game and he is done for the season. I still think that Bulls would advance to next round and picking a top 76ers should be okay.

I picked Lakers to win against Nugget in first round, but I did not think that Andrew Bynum would play like a beast. If he plays like this in rest of playoffs, Lakers might end up winning everything, but it was just one game and we will see how things go.

I was thinking about going with a 76er initially, but Rose is out and 76ers were doing very well in beginning of the season so I would like to see one more game before picking a 76er. That is why I decided to go with a Nugget and I am going with Danilo Gallinari.

4/30

There are three games on Monday:

Knicks @ Heat

Magic @ Pacers               

Mavericks @ Thunder

Heat beat Knicks badly in game 1 and I wont be surprised if it happens in game 2 as well. I already used Amare in game 1 and I think Melo can perform better at home so I am not picking a Knick for now.

I thought Magic would not win in absence of superman, but they won first game and now have home court advantage.  I still think that Pacers would win, but I am less confident than I was before game 1.

Thunder should advance to next round so I am rolling dice with Dirk Nowitzki.

Sun 4/29

There are 4 games on Sunday:

Jazz @ Spurs

Nuggets @ Lakers

Celtics @ Hawks

Clippers @ Grizzlies

I think Jazz, Nuggets and Hawks would not advance to second round of playoffs. Clippers vs Grizzlies is going to be very interesting series.

Since Hawks are playing at home, I am going with a Hawk. Josh Smith and Jo Johnson are best players in Hawks and I am going with Josh Smith.  

Sat 4/28

There are 4 games on Saturday:

76ers @ Bulls

Knicks @ Heat

Magic @ Pacers               

Mavericks @ Thunder

I think 76ers, Knicks, Magic and Mavericks would not advance to next round of playoffs.

From these teams,

Melo and Dirk are two best players and I would like to pick them for home game. I think Amar'e Stoudemire is the 3^rd best available players after them and I am going with Amar'e Stoudemire.

Last few picks

Apart from Dirk, Tyson Chandler was best available player and I picked him on 6/5.

For 6/7, I was thinking between Mario, Barea and Haslem and I ended up picking Mario Chalmers. The reason being picking him was that he was producing in double digits in last few games.

For 6/9, I was confused between Haslem and Jose Barea and I ended up picking Jose Barea.

For Sunday 6/12,

Mavs are up 3-2 and though I think Heat will win this game, I don’t wanna take my chances and I am going with Dirk Nowitzki.

Thu 6/2

The way Heat won game1, I won’t be surprised to see if they clinch title in Dallas. James, Dirk and Chandlers are best available my options and I am going with James as next game is in Miami and though LeBron James performs well on the road as well, I would prefer to pick him for a home game.

Tue 5/31

Its exciting that Mavs are playing against Heat in finals. Good news is that we wont need to worry about picking up a player from loosing team as this is the last round. James, Bosh, Dirk and Chandler are four best players available for in with highest PRA. For the first game, I am going with Chris Bosh at home.

Tue 5/24

Heat is leading series by 2-1 and I think Heat should beat Bulls. I already picked Deng and Boozer from Bulls and going with Joakim Noah in this game

What if

If Bulls win, I will go with Bosh.

If Bulls loose, I will go with Rose.

Mon 5/23 and Wed 5/25

Mavs won in OKC and got home court advantage back. I think Mavs will win the series.  I have yet to pick Harden and Ibaka from Thunder and I am going with them in next two games. James Harden on Monday and Serge Ibaka on Wednesday.

Sat 5/21

Mavs are playing against Thunder in OKC. I thought Mavs would win the series including first two games and I would use Harden for game3. Mavs didn’t win game 2. I still think that they will win the series, but I am little less confident after last game. I just had two players to pick from Thuder and I will pick a thunder in next game if Mavs win game 3. For now I have few Mavs to pick from an picking a Mav won’t be bad for me in next round and I am going with Shawn Marion.

Sun 5/22

Now that Heat was able to win second game, I am more confident that they will beat Bulls in this series. I think Bulls will lose and I should pick a Bull, but after return of Haslem, I have 4 heat players to pick from and there is no point in carrying 4 players to next and final round even if I think Heat will advance. I already made my mind of saving James for elimination game if at all it happens so I am going with Dwyane Wade as he is the best available option after him.

What if..

If Heat win, I might go with Noah

If Bulls win, I might go with Bosh

Thu 5/19

Mavs are playing with Thunder on Thursday.

I have these players left from this match-up: Dirk, Kidd, Harden, Marion, Ibaka, Chandler, Barea, Peja. I think Mavs will win and I would pick Harden and Ibaka in game 3 and 4. I am going with Jason Kidd at home and will still have handful of Mavs to pick during next round.

Dirk had a monster game yesterday. Thunder played very well, but Mavs played much better. It was amazing the see Dirk playing at that level. He has been playing great basketball this playoff. Ibaka is not a bad defender, but 7 footer kept making shots. I would love to see Mavs winning championship, but we all know that they are famous for loosing in playoffs. I sure hope that this is not the case this time.

What if...
If Mavs win, I might go with Harden
If Thunder win, I might go with Marion

Wed 5/18

Game 2 between Miami and Bulls

I thought Miami would beat Bulls in this series, but Bulls defeated Heat easily in game 1. For this match-up, I will save MVP for elimination game and will try to pick James as late as possible. Since Heat lost game 1, I am going with a Heat and picking Dwyane Wade.

On 5/18,
I changed my pick to Carlos Boozer. There are just 3 players from Heat to pick and potential 4 players from Bulls (Rose, Boozer, Noah and Gibson-I am not sure I would need to pick Gibson or not but he is better than 4th available option on Miami roster). So even if Bulls win, I would be okay going with Rose, Noah and Gibson in NBA finals because right now I am thinking that Mav will be in the finals and I am planning to keep Dirk, Marion, Chandler and Barea for finals. I would rather use a Bull player at home today than using a Heat player on Road.

The way Heat was playing, I thought they would able to beat Bulls in this series. But I dont know what to say after game1. Bulls were far better in second half. I still think that Bulls cant contain James the way they did in game1. After successful game1, I dont think Bulls are going to make any changes. I think they will have same strategy. For sure Heat would change their game plan. I am very excited to watch tonight's game.

Tue 5/17

Mavericks are playing with Thunder for game 1 of Western conference finals. I think Mavs will win the series. I already used KD and Westbrook previously and am going with a Mav as I only have Ibaka and Harden to pick from Thunder. Dirk is the best Mav to pick but, I would like to pick him in next round coz I think he is the only one who could give me 30+ points from this match-up and I would like to see my percentile jump up a bit later on and not on Tuesday. So I am going with Jason Terry.

Sun 5/15

I thought Grizzlies would be eliminated and I had Marc Gasol yesterday

Fri 5/13

There is just one game on Friday
Oklahoma City at Memphis, Game 6 - Thunder lead 3-2
The way Thunder crushed Grizzlies yesterday, it is likely that they will advance to next round. Grizzlies are going to play to avoid elimination game and picking a Grizzly is an obvious choice for me.

Grizzlies won first game of the series and they got home court advantage for first few games. They also eliminated Spurs in first round. As a result I picked KD and Westbrook and seem like Friday’s game might be the last and I will able to use only one Grizzly as I haven’t picked any Grizzly yet. Also I would have very limited choices if Thunder advances to the next round.

For Friday I am going with Zach Randolph

What if…
There MIGHT be two games on Sunday
Memphis at Oklahoma City, Game 7 - Thunder lead 3-2
Atlanta at Chicago Game 7 - Bulls lead 3-2

If Bulls are not eliminating Hawks today, I would go with Rose.
If Thunder won’t able to eliminate Grizzlies tomorrow, I will go with Junior Gasol

Thu 5/12

There is just one game on Thursday
Chicago at Atlanta, Game 6 - Bulls lead 3-2

I am going with a Hawk because they are trying to avoid being eliminated. I already used JJ and Horford and going with Josh Smith.

Wed 5/11

There are two games today

Boston at Miami, Game 5 - Heat leads 3-1

Memphis at Oklahoma City, Game 5 - Series tied 2-2

Pick is simple for me. Celtics are playing in an elimination game and I am going with a Celtic. KG and Allen are my options and I am going with Kevin Garnett.

Tue 5/10

There is one game on Atlanta at Chicago, Game 5 - Series tied 2-2

Though series is tied, I think that jump ball call was a foul and game result might have been different if Rose was able to knock down three free throws. I think Bulls will beat Hawks in this series. Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Jamal Crawford are my options and I am going with Joe Johnson because I think he is a leader of the team and Hawks need him to deliver to have a chance to beat Bulls.

What if
If Bulls will win, I will go with Josh Smith
If Hawks will win, I will go with Rose

Mon 5/9

There are two games today:

Miami at Boston, Game 4 - Heat lead 2-1

Oklahoma City at Memphis, Game 4 - Grizzlies lead 2-1

I am thinking about picking a player from loosing team. I haven’t picked KG and Allen from Celtics. From Thunder my good options are Westbrook, Ibaka and Harden. Since I have one more players to pick from Thunder, I am going with Russell Westbrook.

What if
If Miami win, I will go with a Celtic

If Celtics and Thunder win, I will go with a Grizzly
If Celtics and Grizzlies win, I will go with a Celtic

Sun 5/8

I had Andrew Bynum yesterday.

Fri 5/6

There are two games tomorrow
Chicago at Atlanta, Game 3 - Series tied 1-1
LA Lakers at Dallas, Game 3 - Mavericks lead 2-0

Defending champs lost first two home games and one of their starters, Artest got suspended for game 3 which is gonna be in Dallas. It’s not impossible, but I think chances of Lakers going home are higher than predicting winner from Bulls vs Hawks series. Also I already picked a Bull and a Hawk and don’t wanna pick any more players from these teams when I haven’t picked a single player from Lakers-Mavs series. So I am going with a Laker tomorrow. I think Kobe Bryant is the best in the team and I am going with him.

What if?
I was getting bored and thought I would do what if scenarios. I am trying to decide on next pick based on various scenarios from tonight’s game.

If Lakers loose, I will pick a Laker on Sunday

If Lakers and Bulls win, I will go with a Hawk

If Lakers and Hawks win, I will go with a Bull

Sat 5/7

There are two games on Saturday
Oklahoma City at Memphis, Game 3 - Series tied 1-1
Miami at Boston, Game 3 - Heat lead 2-0

Thunder vs Grizzlies is getting interesting. Heat is up by 2 games and I think they should win the series. So I am going to pick a Celtic. I already used Rondo and going to pick available Celtic who is averaging highest PRA. Paul Pierce is my pick.

What if (for 5/9)
If Celtics looses, I will pick a Celtic

If Celtics and Thunder win, I will a Grizzly coz I haven’t picked any Grizzly yet

If Celtics and Grizzlies win, then I will pick a Thunder as I have two Celtics (Ray Allen and KG) and three Thunders (Westbrook, Ibaka, Harded) to pick from

Wed 5/4

There are two games on Wednesday:

Atlanta at Chicago, Game 2 - Hawks lead 1-0

Dallas at LA Lakers, Game 2 - Mavericks lead 1-0

I thought Bulls and Lakers would advance for the sure, but both lost their first home game. I am not convinced, but I am gonna stop using my brain and pick a player from a team which is behind.

Bulls and Lakers both are behind by a game. I haven’t picked any players from these two teams so far. Being a Lakers fan I am biased and I don’t wanna pick a Laker especially when I haven’t picked any Bulls yet. So I am gonna go with a Bull. I would save MVP for elimination game if at all it’s gonna happen in this series and going with the Bull with highest PRA. That is Luol Deng .

Tue 5/3

There are two games on Tuesday

Boston at Miami, Game 2 - Heat lead 1-0

Memphis at Oklahoma City, Game 2 - Grizzlies lead 1-0 

Before they played even a game, I thought Heat and Thunders will win series. I was more certain about Heat beating Celtics than Thunder beating Grizzlies so I picked a Celtic. I still think that Heat will beat Celtics and picking a second Celitc doesn’t seem bad idea.

I wasn’t surprised that Grizzlies beat Thunder specially after seeing the way they beat Spurs in first round.  They beat Thunder in Oklahoma City in first game. Very impressive. They outscored Thunder in first three qtrs and both teams scored 30 points each in 4^th. Now they have the home-court advantage and I won’t be surprised if they beat Thunder. I am a big Lakers fan and think that winner of this series is going to be beaten by Lakers in next round. So I am thinking about picking a Thunder right now. At this moment I think, I might go with Kevin Durant on Tuesday.

Mon 5/2

There are three games on Monday

Atlanta at Chicago

Dallas at LA Lakers

I think Bulls and Lakers will eliminate Hawks and Mavs and I am thinking about picking a Hawk because there are 4 Hawks to pick from and that series might get over early compare to series between Lakers and Mavs.  I am going with Al Horford.

Sun 5/1

There are two games on Sunday

Memphis at Oklahoma City

Boston at Miami

Out of all 4 second round match-ups I am more confident about other match-ups than these.  I think Bulls will beat Hawks and Lakers will eliminate Mavs, but they are gonna play on same days and we will have to select players from Heat vs Celtics and Thunder vs Grizzlies.

I am not sure about winner from these match-ups, but I will have to pick a player from teams that I think are going to be eliminated. KD and company are favorites, but Grizzlies are playing awesome basketball and there are chances that they can advance to next round specially after eliminating Spurs in 1st round.

Celtis and Heat were able to win 1st round easily. Celtics beat Knicks 4-0 and Heat didn’t have too much trouble as well. I think Heat will beat Celtics, but it is not clear as mud.

I think Heat and Thunder will advance, but I am not sure. For now I am going with teams with home court advantage and thinking about picking either a Celtic or a Grizzly. I personally think that chances of Heat beating Celtics are higher than chances of Thunder beating Grizzlies so I am going with a Celtic. Rajon Rondo is my pick.

Fri 4/29

There is just one game on Friday
San Antonio at Memphis, Game 6 - Grizzlies lead 3-2

Spurs were favorites to start the series, but Grizzlies are leading 3-2 right now and this game is gonna be in Memphis. I think home team will win and I am picking a Spur. Parker and Manu are my options and I am going with Manu Ginobili

Thu 4/28

There are three games on Thursday
Orlando at Atlanta, Game 6 - Hawks lead 3-2
LA Lakers at New Orleans, Game 6 - Lakers lead 3-2
Dallas at Portland, Game 6 - Mavericks lead 3-2   

I think Dallas will advance to next round, but I won’t be surprised if Portland comes up with a W on Thursday.

It is likely that Hawks will send Magic home tonight and picking a Magic should be fine. One might think that after yesterday’s performance Magic gained confidence which might be enough to win rest of the games in this series. But still picking a Magic might be okay coz I think Bulls will beat winner of this series in next round.

Lakers should finish the series on Thursday and picking a Hornet seems a way to go. But Hornets are playing at home and Lakers are playing sloppy basketball for few weeks now. CP3 was able to beat them twice by himself. Can he repeat it for two more times in next two games? I don’t think so. Also compare to Hornets, Lakers are so tall that they hardly let Hornets grab any rebounds. Yesterday Lakers out rebounded Hornets 42 to 25 and I don’t think its enough to win remaining two games.

If I have to bet my money on the team who will advance to next round on Thursday, I’d say its Lakers and I am going with a Hornet. Trevor Ariza is my pick

Wed 4/27

There are three games on Wednesday

Philadelphia at Miami, Game 5 - Heat leads 3-1

Memphis at San Antonio, Game 5 - Grizzlies lead 3-1

Denver at Oklahoma City, Game 5 - Thunder leads 3-1     

I think Heat, Grizzlies and Thunder will advance. My options are: Duncan, Ginobili, Parker and Iguodala. I think Tim Duncan is the most reliable and skilled player among these and I am going with him.

Tue 4/26

Tuesday’s pick is very simple for me. Magic is down 3-1 and though I think they might win home game to keep series alive, I don’t wanna take a chance of not picking someone averaging 50 PRA. So I am going with Dwight Howard.

Mon 4/25

There are three games today:

San Antonio at Memphis, Game 4 - Grizzlies lead 2-1

Portland at Dallas, Game 5 - Series tied 2-2

Oklahoma City at Denver, Game 4 - Thunder leads 3-0

Picking a Nugget is obvious today, but after picking Nene and Lawson, I am not sure if I wanna pick any other Nugget or not.

I think Mavs should beat Blazers, but series it tied at 2-2 and given the fact that both these teams were able to beat each other at opponent’s home court in regular season, nothing is certain. On my personal assumption of Mavs going to round 2, I already picked Aldridge and I don’t wanna pick any other player from these teams right now.

Initially I thought Spurs will beat Grizzlies, but they are down 1-2 and playing in Memphis tonight. It is likely that Grizzlies will win tonight and Spurs will be down by 3-1,  and then it will be very tough for them to come back and since I haven’t pick any player from these teams, why not pick a Spur? It won’t be that bed even if they will win as picking just one player won’t harm that much, correct?

Well, we have seen good players not producing enough PRA and there is no guarantee that they will produce their average PRA on the night we pick them. So far in the playoffs, we have seen Amare (10), Kobe (16), Pau Gasol (14), Boozer (18), Miller (18), Horford (21), Randolph (19) and few more poor performances. So I am not gonna pick a player from a team that I think might advance and will pick a player from a team I am confident that will loose. So I am picking Kenyon Martin from Denver tonight as I am confident that Nuggets will be eliminated in first round.

Sun 4/24

I wanted to pick a player from 76er because I thought they will be eliminated today, and I went with Elton Brand. Good thing that they won, I might go with AI for their next game.

By the way, my wife (5k in just little over 30 minutes) and I (10k in just little under an hour) completed our races yesterday and it felt good. We also went to a party which was hosted by my three newly wedded friends and it was a lot of fun.

Sat 4/23

There are 4 games on Saturday
•    Chicago at Indiana, Game 4 - Bulls lead 3-0
•    Dallas at Portland, Game 4 - Mavericks lead 2-1
•    San Antonio at Memphis, Game 3 - Grizzlies lead 1-1
•    Oklahoma City at Denver, Game 3 - Thunder lead 2-0

This might be the last chance to pick a Pacer. I could pick Hansbrough or Collison. Both are averaging less than 20 fantasy points a game. I will pass because I think I can find other options from loosing teams who are average more than 20 fantasy points a game.

I think there is a tiny chance that Mavs might be eliminated and after picking Aldridge I don’t wanna pick a second Blazer now.

Grizzlies are playing home with 1-1 record. Though Manu was not playing when Grizzlies won, I still think that Grizzlies have a shot at advancing to second round.

I think Nuggets won’t able to advance to second round and I wanna go with a Nugget. I already picked Nene so I am going with Ty Lawson

Fri 4/22

There are three games on Friday
Boston at New York, Game 3 - Celtics lead 2-0
Orlando at Atlanta, Game 3 - Series tied 1-1
LA Lakers at New Orleans, Game 3 - Series tied 1-1

I still am not sure about the winner between Magic vs Hawks. So I am not touching this match-up.

I think Lakers will beat Hornets. I have already used Chris Paul and I am not sure that I will need to use other Hornets (Ariza, Landry and Jarrett Jack) as there are plenty of better options to choose from during first round.

So I am gonna pick a Knick. I have already used Amare and I think Melo is the only reliable Knick who can give me 25+ fantasy points so I am going with Carmelo Anthony.

Thu 4/21

There are three games on Thursday

Chicago at Indiana, Game 3 - Bulls lead 2-0

Miami at Philadelphia, Game 3 - Heat lead 2-0

Dallas at Portland, Game 3 - Mavericks lead 2-0

76ers and Pacers are horrible and I am not sure that anyone is reliable to produce more than 25 fantasy point. I am going with Aldridge.

This pick seems very simple, but it was not. When I started playing drives to the finals this season, I was thinking that I will keep picking best players from loosing teams and will be do good overall. Sounds simple, right? Buy it is not. My last two picks (Holiday and Amare) were horrible and I found myself at bottom. So before deciding on this pick, I was thinking a lot. I thought now I wanna pick a player who is from loosing teams, but not the best ones as everyone else is going to pick the best player. So in order to beat the rest, I need to pick a player that is not popular pick. So I was thinking about picking Miller! But after sipping a coffee, I told myself that there is no point on changing my strategy right now. The main reason, I am playing this fantasy game is because I love it and I love it because I get to do whatever I like. So I am sticking to my original plan of choosing best players from loosing team.

My other choices:

Miller

Iguodala

Wallace

Wed 4/20

There are three games on Wednesday

Denver at Oklahoma City, Game 2 - Thunder lead 1-0

Memphis at San Antonio, Game 2 - Grizzlies lead 1-0

New Orleans at LA Lakers, Game 2 - Hornets lead 1-0

West is very interesting as of now. I think Spurs and Lakers will advance to next round, but both lost first game! I still think that they should advance to next round, but series might go to 6-7 games so I am gonna wait for a game before I pick up players from these teams.

Thunder vs Nuggets was a close game, but at least Thunder won and I expect them to beat Nuggets and I wanna pick a Nugget. Among Nuggets, Nene produced most fantasy points (31) in the first game and I won’t be surprised if he does it again. I am going to with Nene.

My second and third choices:

Zach Randolph

Marc Gasol

Apart from Nene, I don’t think that any other reliable Nugget will give me 25+ points. So I would go with a Grizzly as I haven’t pick any Grizzles yet based on my assumption that they will be eliminated.

Tue 4/19

There are 3 games on Tuesday
New York at Boston, Game 2 - Celtics lead 1-0
Atlanta at Orlando, Game 2 - Hawks lead 1-0
Portland at Dallas, Game 2 - Mavericks lead 1-0

Magic created a record by sweeping Hawks by the margin of 100+ points in 4 games last season. Experts are predicting that Magic will beat Hawks this season as well. In the first game, superman posted monster states: 46-19-1, BUT Hawks are leading series 1-0 and I am not touching this match up right now.

I think Trailblazers and Nicks wont advance and I wanna pick a player from these two teams. Mr Big shot got injured in last game and he might play next game. If he does, he might not be 100% – that tells me that Nicks vs Celtics series might get over earlier than Mavs vs Trailblezers and I am going to pick a Knick. I think Melo will perform better at home and I am going with Amar'e Stoudemire.

If I didnt have Amare:

1. Aldridge

2. Melo

Mon 4/18

There are two games on Monday

Philadelphia at Miami, Heat leads 1-0

Indiana at Chicago, Bulls lead 1-0

I think 76ers and Pacers will not advance to next round and I want to pick a player for these two teams.

I already picked Granger. I am going with Jrue Holiday. He scored 29 fantasy points (19, 5, 5) in last game and I think he should produce similar line in next game.

Followings are my other choices in descending order:

• Darren Collison scored 32 fantasy points (17, 6, 9) in last game. I think he should score 25 or more points.
• Elton Brand scored 24 fantasy points (17, 7, 0) in last game. He should be a good pick as Heat is not very strong in inside. I think he should score 25 or more points.
• Tyler Hansbrough scored 28 fantasy points (22, 4, 2) in last game. I think he is a decent pick.
• Roy Hibbert scored 20 fantasy points (11, 8, 1). I think he can do better than this in next game.
• T young scored 32 fantasy points (20, 11, 1) in last game. I don’t think he can produce similar result consistently.

Sun 4/17

There are four games on Sunday:
Memphis at San Antonio
New Orleans at LA Lakers
New York at Boston
Denver at Oklahoma City

Nuggets vs Thunders should be excited. I think KD and company should advance to the next round, but Nuggets are playing great after departure of Billups and Melo. I am not touching this match-up for now.

Spurs know how to play playoffs basketball and win championships. They are getting older and Manu might not be 100% in first game. Grizzlies are young and loaded. If Spurs are going to win championship, they will have the toughest run starting from first round. Though #1 Spurs are taking on #8 Grizzlies, it isn’t going to be that simple and they will have to fight hard. I am very sure that I am gonna pick Z. Randolph, but not today.

Kicks are all about playing fast breaks. It’s always fun to watch Mike D'Antoni’s team. They score a lot and they score fast, but as we all know Mike D'Antoni doesn’t like to play defense.  On the other hand Cetics are all about defense. I think Celtics will beat Knicks and there are so many players to choose from: Amare, Melo and Mr. Big Shot...  Mike D'Antoni’s roster always provides so many options to choose for fantasy junkies like us.

I am very tempted to pick a Knick, but being a Lakers fan, I feel obligated to pick a Hornet. I won’t be surprised to see Lakers getting three-peat and am rolling my dices with CP3!

Sat 4/16

NBA Playoffs starts this Saturday and I can’t wait! I am also excited to play NBA drive to the finals.

There are 4 games this Saturday

Indiana at Chicago

Philadelphia at Miami

Atlanta at Orlando

Portland at Dallas

I think Orlando should beat Atlanta, but I am not 100% sure as Hawks beat Magic 3 times in 4 games during regular season so I am not going to pick any player from these two teams.

Dallas should beat Portland, but I am not 100% sure as Mavs are famous for loosing in playoffs so I am staying away from this match-up for now.

I am very confident that Bulls and Heat should eliminate Pacers and 76ers. So I am thinking about picking a player from Pacers or 76er. I am picking Danny Granger.