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One or more smart and researched thoughts by veteran gambler and writer Malcolm Darnley to make your day and make your play.
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About Malcolm Darnley
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Malcolm loves to watch all kinds of different sports. He also writes about them.
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For those old enough to remember, 1987 was a very cool year in sports and sports entertainment.
– A 24-year-old Michael Jordan somehow averaged over 37 points per game, something that hadn’t been accomplished since the early 1960s.
– A 21-year-old Mike Tyson was already 32-0 and had unified the heavyweight championship belts, which hadn’t been done in a decade.
However, arguably the most popular sports entertainer on the planet that year was WWF legend, Hulk Hogan.
Hulk-A-Mania was running wild in North America and across the world.
That is, until Hogan ran into a literal Giant.
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When fan favorite Andre the Giant turned heel and ripped the chain off Hogan’s neck, this 12-year-old sat up in his chair and took notice.
I never cheered against a villain as hard as when Andre turned his back on the Hulkster.
That is, until Memphis Grizzlies wanna-be star, Dillon Brooks somehow decided he was good enough to call out LeBron James.
Brooks is 6’ 6” and weighs 225 pounds, but he is no Andre the Giant.
Q – What’s more fun than cheering against a heel?
A – Betting against them!
Let’s go!
The Name Is James, King James…
LeBron James needs no introduction.
When you search the BestOdds Edge sports betting platform, the system tells us that sportsbooks are aware bettors have clued into LBJ being pretty good at basketball.
In fact, the system suggests that LeBron’s prop totals for points, assists, rebounds, and even steals are all set a little too high.
LBJ’s points total tonight is set at +26.5. BestOdds Edge doesn’t love that number, as we can tell by the trends listed below.
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But when you hunt around the platform, there are still many opportunities to bet against our villain, Mr. Brooks.
Lakers In 6!
After splitting the first two games of the series in Memphis, LeBron and company returned home to win games three and four.
Memphis rebounded in Game 5, but the series returns to La La Land tonight for what will hopefully be Brooks’ last game of the season.
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The BestOdds Edge Team Trends page is strongly pointing us towards the Lakers tonight.
LA has played well as a favorite AND at home recently, which is a very good sign.
An even better sign for those of us rooting against Brooks is the trends the platform provided for the Memphis Grizzlies.
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There is no doubt that the BestOdds Edge system likes the Lakers at home, but what is even more obvious is that they HATE the Grizzlies to win this game on the road.
4-21 as an Underdog in their last 25 games is a powerful stat.
Canadian, Eh?
Little known fact – Dillon Brooks is Canadian.
Across the world, Canadians have a bit of a reputation for being apologetic and easy going unless they have a hockey stick in their hands.
I called some of my Canadian friends after hearing Dillon Brooks sound off about LeBron, and true to form, they all apologized for his behavior, even though several of them thought he was a minor-league hockey player from Saskatchewan.
Not since Vince Carter turned his back on the Toronto Raptors has Canada DISLIKED an NBA player like they DISLIKE Dillon Brooks.
I would have used the word hate, instead of dislike – but they are Canadian after all, and they all took offense to such strong language.
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Never change Canada, never change.
Best of luck with all your NBA playoff picks and parlays this weekend.
It might be too much to expect LeBron to body slam Brooks as the Hulkster did to the 500-pound Giant, but a Game 6 win will suffice.