Monday's game have two matches only, and it's a squeeze.
Most drivers picked a Pelican in Day 1, and the injury to Tyreke Evans put a damp on our plans. Another Pelican will take up the slack, but it is too early in DTTF to even figure and pick that player out. Quincy Pondexter had 35 PRA in Game 1, but who among you would bet he can repeat that and even get 20 PRA? For those who haven't picked Anthony Davis yet, you may want to hold on to him as their series may pose a shortage problem for you later on.
The Bucks, unfortunately, are what's left for us. Michael Carter-Williams and Giannis Antetokounmpo (seriously I had to type that) had abysmal shooting performances in Game 1. Both will look to bounce back, and it is a toss up. My coin fell and told me to pick The Greek Freak.
What did your coin give you?
Hmm Quincy is starting to smell better.
Thoughts on the day:
ReplyDeleteBOS/CLE: It feels good to get it right. Isaiah Thomas changed the game for Boston and got me a sweet 37 along the way. Not sure there's anyone else I'm going to pick from Boston, no one else really looks like they post a constant threat. Which means the Cavs are likely going to work out a plan to try to contain Thomas. No matter what, I think he's good for at least 20 PRA (he's almost guaranteed at least 7 or 8 a night from the foul line alone), but I'm glad I got him early. Still, if you haven't picked Thomas, he's your best bet from this series.
Nets/Hawks: Not worried about Horford. By the time I'm ready to pick a Hawk, it will be round 3. Solid performances from Johnson and Lopez, their players should be happy with the 31s. Deron Williams has really fallen off track, I don't think he'll be on my team this year. Pick Lopez next.
POR/MEM: Congrats to all who picked LMA. Even bigger congrats to the one dude who accidentally picked Beno Udrih, if you do exist. I still think this series will be closer than game 1 hints at, so I'm not likely to pick a Blazer just yet. If game 2 goes the same way though, LMA at home for game 3. He's the next guy to take from this series. Good to see Batum shooting well, that's something the Blazers will need.
Clippers - Spurs: TBA
My Pick: Isaiah Thomas (37). Couldn't be happier.
If I had to do it over: Beno Udrih (34).
Tomorrow:
NO - GS: Pick Anthony Davis. If you haven't picked him yet, this is the time. He'll be looking for a quick start this time, and he'll get more looks if Evans isn't dressed/100%. I'd be surprised if he doesn't pass the 43.
MIL-CHI: The lack of options today pretty much forces most of us towards this game. I agree, coin toss between Giannis and MCW, both looking to bounce back and feeling like a loss might mean the series slipping away. I flipped my Canadian quarter and got Tails (which is, coincidentally, a picture of a Buck), meaning MCW gets my pick. He was the player originally slotted in at this spot when I first drew my gameplan. So far, nothing at all has changed from the gameplan. We all know that's not going to last.
My progress/Best picks:
Day 1: Anthony Davis (43) / Quincy Pondexter (35)
Day 2: Isaiah Thomas (37) / Beno Udrih (34)
Total: 80 / 69
Just saw that Giannis has been picked by 25% as is the hottest pick. There's another reason for me not to go that way.
DeleteLA/SA : As I expected, Los Angeles not going down without a fight. Best Spur got 27. Hold back on this series.
DeleteI might be overthinking, but looking at the coming games, I think that, with Davis already picked, I need to pick a Bull at some point because I don't want to pick 2 Bucks. With this being said, Derrick Rose is the perfect candidate due to concerns that he won't last the entirety of the playoffs. I'd rather have Rose and MCW on home court, so I'm seriously considering taking Rose today now. I'll make a decision later.
DeleteI actually like Rose on the road more... More likely to take it upon himself and dominate. I have no stats to back that up; just my gut feel. But I also prefer him against Kyrie than the long Bucks guards.
Deletetoo early for Rose. he can have another road game in G5 or Round2
DeleteI hate getting less than 30 in the first round, especially the first week. I just don't trust Milwaukee, and rightfully so. I'll take the 31 from Rose and feel OK with it considering that only two players hit above 30 in the game, and I'd rather have Noah/Gasol/Butler available in later rounds. Not thrilled with the outcome, but satisfied.
DeleteI also am picking MCW tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteMy progress so far is Davis & Aldridge for 90 total. Not too shabby.
Have the same gameplan Jerry, MCW for me today. Happy to have picked LMA yesterday, his 47 will not be easy to beat for him against randolph and marc in the next games.
Deletei hope i can catch MCW's groove at home
DeleteDavis and Aldridge to date. Happy enough.
ReplyDeleteChanged Lopez to LA last minute, but think either would have been solid picks. Can't see Lopez matching his rebound total from GM1 but think he may see more looks and boost his points tally with Horford possibly hurt. Lopez a sure pick in GM2 if that's the case.
As for tonight - the pick is either MCW, Giannis, Middleton or Eric Gordon.
Gordon - The only reason I'd consider Gordon is that he's a streaky shooter, and with Holiday still limited, and Tyreke uncertain, he'll be needed more than ever. But there's so much potential for a complete dud so I'll give him a miss for as long as possible. His 21 from Game 1 is about his level, would be a surprise if he got to 30, unless he handles the ball much more, which is even more unlikely since NoCo will get minutes.
MCW - I love this guys upside. He can go for 20/7/7 quite easily, but his floor is also quite low. When he shoots horribly, he tends to make up for it in boards and assists, but he's shot and played better since being coached by the PG who wrote the book on shooting horribly but still being pretty good! First playoff game always carries nerves; I expect him to play better and beat his 16 from game 1. Bounce back!
Giannis - The hot pick from the Bucks, and I prefer to avoid the hot pick where possible... His 21 is roughly his season averages; his good play doesn't translate into worthy PRA.
Middleton - See Giannis. Can't see him getting more than mid-20's on a good day.
MCW it is, and will be for most I imagine. Next couple of picks looking like Lowry (bounce back...) and Lopez (while Al is lingering).
definitely Lopez while Al recovers. When he comes back 100%, he'll get back at Lopez
DeleteHi guys!!
ReplyDeleteSome considerations about last night:
- Isaiah Thomas surprised me a lot, i didn't think he could get 37 PRA and I'll probably look at him as a possible pick advancing in the series.
- Brook Lopez will get my pick on wednesday, he had 31 PRA with just 7 shoots from the field. I expect him to be a lot more involved in the Nets offence in game 2 and I consider Joe Johnson only in the elimination game, or at home.
- I keep on saying that the Grizzlies will easily beat Portland. Lillard will be my pick in their elimination game; happy with LMA's 47 PRA, against memphis defence will not easy for him to do better than this.
- Clippers-Spurs is an amazing, balanced series, i don't think game 1 can change my idea (Spurs in 6/7 games) . I'll wait at least for game 2 to decide something about it.
As for tonight, I won't consider any Pelicans player having played AD in game 1. My decision was between Giannis and MCW. The second one gets my pick, cause i think he can do way better than the 16 PRA of game 1. Bounce back for him!
As for tomorrow I already decided and Lowry gets my pick. The Raptors will lose the series and tomorrow is the best moment to pick him after the poor performance of game 1. Bounce back 2.0!
I am not sure about WizRap series. Still too early
DeleteOkay, what's going on here? Two daily leaders picked and still in first place (among with about 1500 other players)? Time to screw it up.
ReplyDeleteI tend to stick to my initial picks, so I will still pick Joakim Noah for tonight. No Pelican, no Warrior, no Buck. And Noah was so not-good in game, time to bounce back.
Tomorrow I don't want to pick from the Celtics, because Thomas was too good in game 1. Maybe back in Boston. I definitely won't go Mavs, not only because I still hope for the split but also because I don't know who to pick. Dirk also was too good in game 1, maybe Monta back in Dallas. I will go to the toss up in Toronto. Kyle Lowry fouled out and really wants game 2. The next bounce back, please.
Day after tomorrow, just to wrap up all the games 2, I won't dip in the killer series between the Clips and the Champs, and I already had LMA, waiting for Lillard. So, back to the East again. The Nets will go out, so they get my pick. Lopez or Johnson? Everybody goes for Lopez, because Johnson is supposed to be better at home or in an elimination game, but I am still working on that screw-it-up-by-overthinking-idea, so I will pick Johnson who wants to show the ole home crowd what he can really do before the series goes to Brooklyn and doesn't dome back to Atlanta because of the sweep.
How is that for a follow-up to Davis and LMA?
I'm ok with this. Bucks talked about better defending the paint tonight, which could spell bad news for Noah, but it could also mean more assists, so we'll see. Lowry and Johnson are both good picks. I have two different guys slotted in for those two games, but I would still feel confident with your two.
DeleteBest of luck!
don't screw it up :D
DeleteIs anybody gonna "Buck the trend" and pick Middleton tonight? Or Zaza? Or Ersan? So far it seems like we're all picking MCW or Greek Freak on "obligatory pick a Buck and pray day". I'd love to hear if somebody is taking a chance on one of the less heralded Bucks.
ReplyDeleteDon't pick 3 Bucks this Round1
DeleteOh absolutely agree. No reason to pick that many Bucks. I was wondering if somebody's Buck was somebody other than the 2 popular picks. I mean, Middleton isn't that far off from MCW or Giannis, so I was interested in seeing if somebody was using him.
DeleteAt the half, Middleton has better numbers than the two others. Or any other Buck/Bull. Uh-oh.
Deleteso who picked Middleton? he's making you look smart. 20pts after 3.
DeleteBoth Golden State and Chicago should easily win tonight. Can't see much on the Milwaukee Bucks team that excites me to pick them. Best case scenario I see a lot of 20 PRA players if you are lucky. The Bucks don't match up well vs. the Bulls at all especially playing @ Chicago, at least they have not in the recent past.
ReplyDeleteIf John Henson actually started for the Bucks, everyone should jump on that as he put up 41 PRA and 26 PRA in two prior games vs. the Bulls. Coming off the bench in the last game he put up 20 PRA in 25 minutes. Ersan Ilyasova could put up mid 20s PRA, he could also put up 9 PRA. Huge risk player there.
For me, I'll go with the higher scoring series NO vs GS, and hope that Quincy Pondexter has another 20+ PRA game in him. Hopefully his monster 35 PRA effort was not aided by the fact that Anthony Davis was in foul trouble, and that wasn't the reason he exploded in the last gave vs the Warriors. Anthony Davis should be huge for New Orleans, but he will/should be just as huge if not more in a home game.
Norris Cole (rotowire) is slated to start in place of Tyreke Evans tonight. Would have rather seen Jrue Holiday in there, but will watch what Cole does and hope Holiday gets the start at home for another better option later, unless Cole really steps up tonight.
Anyway Quincy Pondexter should be good for at least 20+ PRA, or at least I hope so, and another 35 PRA game would be outstanding if it happened again tonight.
good luck on your Quincy pick, Daytona.
DeleteThanks Taong. Good luck to you as well!
DeleteOther than his mom, who picked Beno Udrih for 34 PRA yesterday? If you did, Congrats! Always something unexplained that completely throws everything out the window. Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmm.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I find some off the wall stats, but I never saw that happening at all.
Just an isolated case. Can't risk looking for hidden gems like that.
DeleteLove to see those off the wall stats though from time to time :)
DeleteUugh, I took Damian Lillard yesterday and now Giannis Antetokounmpo today, naturally neither can shoot, Lillard went 5/21 including 0/6 at 3s, it's amazing he even got 25 PAR, but his worst ever playoff game has put me 22 behind D1 Davis/D2 Aldridge picks and a terrible 68% granted it's only 2 days in but.... Antetokounmpo is 2/10 with only 14 PAR after 3 quarters, inline to be the worst of the 3 major Bucks, I was planning on switching to Michael Carter-Williams but forgot to.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone was going to misfire, today was the day. No one is over 30 yet, and the best performer with more than 5% is at 15 pts. It's just a dud of a night.
DeleteMCW ended up even worse than Giannis. Dud dayyyy
Deletegiannis and MCW subpar... again.
DeleteIt turned out forgetting to switch was a good thing even if it's only a 2 PAR difference. No disrespect to those who took LA yesterday, this is on my foolishness I gained 2 back on AD/LA/MCW picks, only 20 more to gain! lol
DeleteTyreke Evans actually started for New Orleans FYI. Rotowire was initially wrong, but since corrected.
ReplyDeleteLooks like my classic reverse order fiasco I am all too famous for. Picking Eric Gordon and Quincy Pondexter on the wrong days in reverse order. Eric Gordon is the player on a roll tonight, Pondexter apparently is going to be totally invisible.
ReplyDeleteGuess I missed the boat once again, like usual. Nothing new.
Looking like Evans Game 3 at home for me as long as his health holds up
ReplyDeleteWas either going with middleton or gordan tonight, went with gordan. Happy with either one tonight. So far so good this fantasy playoff season for me
ReplyDeleteMCW, LALA, Gordan (could be better though, that mcw pick ycuk)