Now that the 2nd round has begun, let's take a look at what handicapping techniques have proven to be successful so far in the NBA playoffs. Home teams have been very successful in the opening few games of each series. New Orleans, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Detroit, Boston, Cleveland, and Orlando were a combined 11-3 against the spread in the first two games of the 1st round. All of those teams played their first round games at home. It should be noted though, that many of them failed to cover in later games in the series. The obvious thing to take from that stat is that the better teams are able to dominate their lesser quality visiting opponents. However, once these visitors become used to playing at the same arena, they are able to keep games much closer and in some cases pull out the win. Washington and Cleveland both won the last two games of their series on each other's court. Overall, be very wary of some of these teams coming into game 2 after losing against the spread in game 1. All of these teams are very good and have the ability to make adjustments. The key is to look for situations where one team has obvious advantages to the point where the visitor cannot adjust enough to cover the spread. A perfect example of this theory is last night's game 2 between San Antonio and New Orleans. New Orleans is a very tough draw for San Antonio, regardless of what adjustments they make. The Spurs have NO ONE who can defend David West, but I look for the emotional West to have problems on the road in games 3 and 4. The Hornets have the best player on the court in Chris Paul. They also play outstanding defense at home because of the energy that this team gets from their home fans. San Antonio adjusted somewhat, but it didn't matter as the above mentioned intangibles were too much for the Spurs. Accordinly, my top selection for last night easily cashed in for my clients. Look for more profitability from my NBA selections throughout the playoffs.
 

Evan Altemus
	NFL PRESEASON GAME OF THE YEAR I am feauring my NFL Preseason PLAY OF THE YEAR. This selection has several situational and match-up advantages pointing to it. This edges are so strong that it makes this play worthy of being labeled as my PLAY OF THE YEAR IN THE PRESEASON.
	COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 1 BLOWOUT Get this line while you still can!! This game is going to be a no doubt rout. However, get the number now before it gets bet up. Sit back and watch this team easily cover the number in a complete BLOWOUT.

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