Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 5/22/15 Ready to make the leap and get access to the exclusive projection system that produces these picks? Sign up now and get a free 3 day trial to our lineup construction tool for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster. It also happens to work for MLB, for when basketball season ends, and you still need your fix. Forget the salary caps by playing ScoreStreak. Get involved today by clicking the banner below!   Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks Analysis Note: Because of the short, two-day slates, this is the same analysis that appeared in yesterday's write up. It wasn't a pretty game to watch. There was a lot of hobbling around, shoes falling off, arguing with refs, wild shots, and some other pieces that contributed to it being less than a fantastic viewing experience. At times it seemed like every player was getting hurt at once. I don't mean this as a way to make light of injuries. They suck, and have been an underlying story throughout most of these playoffs. It's just that the product is somewhat compromised by the injuries. That's all. The other big story of game one was Mr. J.R. Smith. He of the unflagging moral compass and astute values, Smith was really the story of the game. He went nuts from the field and especially from three where he shot 8/12. Taking over that scoring burden from a clearly-not-himself Kyrie Irving saved the Cav's bacon. It won't be a consistent thing, but to steal a game in Atlanta with Irving hobbled was a big thing.   Elite Plays LeBron James - FD 11700 DK 11400 He's the do-everything piece for the Cavs and that really isn't a surprise. He was already a mismatch for the Hawks and will be even more of one with Demarre Carroll most likely out for next game. Lebron is going to cause major problems for Paul Millsap or whoever they really stick on him at this point. If it's Millsap then James will work him around the perimeter. If it's anyone else, he'll post them up to oblivion. The injury to Carroll really boosts James's expectation. But stay tuned and see about Carroll. Jeff Teague - FD 7200 DK 7300 Our system has him as one of the best plays on the slate and dude delivered in game one with a 27/4/3 line thanks to a high volume of shots. Kyrie and the Cavs aren't good at defending opposing point guards to begin with. And with Irving banged up it opens up even more opportunity for the one. Teague took advantage and put up 24 shots. Don't doubt something similar happens...

Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 5/21/15 Ready to make the leap and get access to the exclusive projection system that produces these picks? Sign up now and get a free 3 day trial to our lineup construction tool for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster. It also happens to work for MLB, for when basketball season ends, and you still need your fix. Forget the salary caps by playing ScoreStreak. Get involved today by clicking the banner below!   Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors Analysis Note: Because of the short, two-day slates, this is the same analysis that appeared in yesterday's write up. Man that was an exciting game one. Somewhere around the middle of the second quarter I started thinking, "Golden State might be in trouble here." They were down double digits and struggling on both ends of the court. Flash forward about three and a half minutes and all of that was forgotten. The Warriors can score at such a rapid-fire pace that almost no opposing lead is safe. When they start raining threes, pushing the tempo and clamping down on defense it is very tough for other teams to come up for air. The Rockets showed as much. They sagged for a bit in the second quarter, allowed Golden State signs of life and that's what the Warriors needed to up the tempo. This isn't to say it was all bad for the Rockets. They hung close for sure and could make a series out of it. Losing Dwight Howard definitely hurt their interior presence and allowed Golden State to attack with small ball for much longer stretches than if dude had been on the court. He should be back in game two. The Rockets will have to play near perfect to keep this a series, but they showed in game one that they can at least keep pace with the scoring.   Elite Plays James Harden - FD 9900 DK 9500 He was just a beast in game one, coming very close to a triple double. With Howard out a lot of the game, Harden carried even more of the burden than usual and was up to the task. He played nearly the entire game which should happen again in game two. The Rockets will need every minute and bucket out of him to keep up with the Warrior scoring. Harden didn't get to the line as much as he usually does, so look for him to penetrate more in game two. But he was efficient from the mid range and did give Klay Thompson fits. He's the top dollar for dollar big money player if he's getting this kind of run....

Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 5/20/15 Ready to make the leap and get access to the exclusive projection system that produces these picks? Sign up now and get a free 3 day trial to our lineup construction tool for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster. It also happens to work for MLB, for when basketball season ends, and you still need your fix. Forget the salary caps by playing ScoreStreak. Get involved today by clicking the banner below!     Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks Analysis Note: Because of the short, two-day slates, this is the same analysis that appeared in our first write up. I suppose if you are a Cleveland native you are somewhat confused about your lot in life. On the one hand, Lebron came back and is turning up the awesome in this playoff run as he puts the team on his back. On the other hand, he shouldn't have to except for injuries to the next two best players on the team. With no Love and now and ailing Kyrie, the Cavs' chances in these playoffs took a definite hit. They did themselves a favor by closing out the Bulls a game early and giving themselves an extra day of rest. Because they'll need it against the Hawks who have home court advantage in this series. Now home court for Atlanta isn't the same as other teams because it isn't a city living and dying with NBA basketball. But it will still be tough on Cleveland in this matchup. They'll have to contend with a balanced team that can put it to you in a number of ways. The Hawks aren't an elite bunch, but they are balanced and that could be a problem for Cleveland that's very top heavy. I'm having trouble getting a good read on what this series is going to look like.   Elite Plays LeBron James - FD 11700 DK 11400 The most expensive play on the slate and it isn't by accident. He's taking a lot of shots in these playoffs. In the last two games against the Bulls he put up 23 and 24 shots respectively. The burden of the offense falls on him with Kyrie banged up and no love. It'll be interesting to see how Atlanta defends him, though they'll be mismatched almost anyway they go. My only hesitation with playing Lebron is the price as I think I'd rather play Steph and Harden together. But who would blame you for playing the King? He's putting this team on his back. Jeff Teague - FD 7200 DK 7300 If Kyrie is hobbled even a little bit and the Hawks play Teague a full...

Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 5/19/15 Ready to make the leap and get access to the exclusive projection system that produces these picks? Sign up now and get a free 3 day trial to our lineup construction tool for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster. It also happens to work for MLB, for when basketball season ends, and you still need your fix. Forget the salary caps by playing ScoreStreak. Get involved today by clicking the banner below!   Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors Analysis Equal parts L.A. Clippers egg-laying plus the Rockets turning it on offensively, has Houston (somewhat improbably) in the Western Conference Finals against the Warriors. I mean, they were the two seed after all, but I had just mentally penciled the Clippers into this matchup. The Rockets are heavy, heavy dogs in this series with the Warriors somewhere around -850 to take the series and head to the finals. Golden State, after getting a little scare in losing games two and three to the Grizz, turned their offense back on and promptly laid waste to Memphis in the final three games of the series, outscoring the Grizzlies by an average of seventeen in the final three games. Golden State, when they are rolling, just have too many weapons. The three pointers just decimate opponents as they can turn a closer game into a blowout very quickly. The Rockets will be at a disadvantage defensively against the Warrior backcourt. This will be a fast-paced and high scoring series, but Vegas probably isn’t wrong in how much better the Warriors are than Houston.   Elite Plays Stephen Curry - FD 10100 DK 10400 I still have him as the top big money option on these small slates. Without Patrick Beverley, the Rockets lack the elite defender needed to stay with Curry as he performs his nightly feats of wizardry. Steph was bombs away in the final two games of the Memphis series, taking thirteen threes in each of those contests. That’s just a ton of three point volume and I think he keeps the pace. These will be high scoring affairs with Curry asked to provide a lot of the Golden State offense. HJames Harden - FD 9900 DK 9500 arden I think I’m taking both Curry and Harden over Lebron on these slates. That’s a tough call though we need to split hairs with so very few options. You can’t play all of them. The Rockets are going to need to play Harden almost the entire game to be able to keep the scoring pace. Seeing him play minutes into the 40’s in these games isn’t anywhere out of the question. And if...

Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings 5/12/15 Ready to make the leap and get access to the exclusive projection system that produces these picks? Sign up now and get a free 3 day trial to our lineup construction tool for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster. It also happens to work for MLB, for when basketball season ends, and you still need your fix. Forget the salary caps by playing ScoreStreak. Get involved today by clicking the banner below!   Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls Analysis Well that was something now wasn’t it? In a game that was all over the map, Lebron wiped away much of his disaster game with one jump shot from the corner at the buzzer. He didn’t play well. He even admitted as much in his post game interview in which he said “I made mistake, after mistake after mistake.” And it was true. The Cavs, even after fighting and clawing their way back into the game late, nearly cost themselves the effort with a bunch of blunders late game. This series is going to remain close for a couple of reasons. The Cavs are really lacking primary scoring options after Lebron and Kyrie (with the latter clearly not a 100%). Plus they got lucky with Pau Gasol sitting out. The Bulls on the other hand have scoring woes of their own beyond Rose and Butler. These games are grind-em-out affairs. The intensity is high, but it isn’t exactly polished.   Top Plays LeBron James - FD 11600 DK 11400 Lebron isn't exactly crushing these prices, but I'm not interested in fading him on these short slates. With Love out and Kyrie and little banged up, so much of the burden of everything falls on LBJ. He put up thirty shots last game and I expect more of the same in this one. They just don't have much else on offense and it's clear that he wants to totally carry this team. Derrick Rose - FD 8300 DK 8500 Point guard is thin on this slate because of some injuries so I think you basically have to play Rose. He's so much of the Bulls' offense and the price doesn't totally reflect his usage. Because you can get away with some cheap plays elsewhere, getting Rose in there with some other big money players like Lebron is easy because Rose is priced just a hair on the cheaper side. Taj Gibson - FD 4100 DK 4600 With Pau Gasol set to sit again, Taj becomes the clear minutes benefactor. He started and got 34 minutes of run in game four on his way to a 6/8/2 line. That isn't great by any means,...