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Celtics can punch ticket to NBA Finals
We've said goodbye to two playoff series after last night with the Warriors covering and advancing to the Finals while goals continued in the Battle of Alberta and Edmonton winning in overtime to clinch the series.
Tonight's postseason action has just two games, with the series on the line in each. Let's dig into the betting angles worth knowing on this Friday before Memorial Day Weekend.
Boston can close out the series tonight at home - Winners of two straight games, the Boston Celtics are now just one win from the NBA Finals, and they get a chance to get there on their home court. The Celtics beat the Heat by 20 in Game 4 and 13 in Game 5. Tonight's spread is set at -8.5, and we like Boston to take care of business. No disrespect to the Heat, who have had a great season, but it's clear that when Boston is on, they are a better team in this matchup. Robert Williams and Marcus Smart are questionable again, but the expectation here is that they will be playing. Back the Celtics tonight.
Colorado brings its road dominance to St. Louis tonight for Game 6 - A hat tip to St. Louis for climbing out of a 3-0 deficit in Game 5 to force overtime and win, but we still think this series belongs to Colorado. The Avalanche have done far more scoring on the road this postseason and currently hold a 4-0 record on away ice. We like Cale Makar to have a big game to lift the Avalanche into a Western Conference Finals matchup against Edmonton. Bet on Colorado winning in regulation at -115.
In other news...
Connor McDavid lifts Oilers to Western Conference Finals - The Battle of Alberta concluded with an electrifying game on Thursday night that saw Connor McDavid net the overtime winner in a 5-4 slugfest. In the span of one minute and 11 seconds, a remarkable four goals were scored in last night's second period, putting a bow on what has been a great series. McDavid and the Oilers are rolling right now on offense, and the Edmonton captain is currently +500 to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for the top player on the Stanley Cup-winning team. That's a future worth making.
Warriors punch their ticket to NBA Finals - Golden State is back in the NBA Finals for the sixth time in eight years, a truly remarkable run for this Warriors core. After a few years of injuries for Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, this team has shown their dynasty run is not yet over. Thompson had the big Game 5, finishing with 32 points, and if you like following his story for a potential darkhorse Finals MVP award, you can bet him to win the honor at +1700.
Big racing weekend awaits - We have a big racing weekend on our hands with the Indy 500, Coca-Cola 600 and F1's Monaco, all of which offer betting value. Kyle Larson is the favorite in the Coca-Cola 600, considering he dominated on this track last year. We'll bank on a repeat performance from Larson at +550. Monaco is headlined by Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. Leclerc had himself a good week of preparation, but we like the +145 value on Verstappen a bit more.
Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll
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- The 'Basketball Association of America (BAA)' quiz
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Celtics Seeking Another Blockbuster Trade on $100 Million Scorer
The Celtics need not be in a hurry to get further under the NBA's luxury tax threshold, now that they've successfully navigated the dreaded second apron, unloading stars Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in trades and letting the likes of Luke Kornet and, likely soon, Al Horford walk in free agency. Still, Boston is looking to create as much flexibility as possible this season, with star forward Jayson Tatum out for the year with an Achilles tendon tear and the roster generally depleted all around, as the Celtics begin paying the cost for the contracts team honcho Brad Stevens handed out as they were winning the 2024 NBA championship. That means the chief prize the Celtics got back in making the trade that sent Holiday to the Blazers--Anfernee Simons, the 26-year-old scorer who is in the final year of a four-year, $100 million contract--is still available on the trade market, according to league insider Jake Fischer. Celtics Salary Dumps Continue The Celtics did make one salary-dump trade this week, sending Georges Niang to Utah. Niang was owed $8.2 million for the 2025-26 season, and is now the Jazz's problem. He was sent to Boston in the Porzingis trade. Writes Fischer on The Stein Line substack on Sunday: "The Celtics discussed trading Niang with various teams around the league, sources say, in their continued salary-shaving campaign following the luxury-tax-slashing trades that shipped out Jrue Holiday and Porzingis. "The expectation persists, furthermore, that Boston will continue to invite trade discussion involving Anfernee Simons from now through next season's trade deadline on Feb. 5 at 3 PM ET." Simons averaged 19.3 points per game last season in Portland, and was down somewhat on his 3-point shooting, at 36.3%. Still, he should bounce back, as he is a 38.1% career 3-point shooter, and if he returns to form, his market value will only get that much stronger ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
New York Rangers Expected to Make Controversial Decision With New Captain, Per Longtime Analyst
Longtime New York Rangers analyst Larry Brooks has suggested that the team could name JT Miller, who was re-acquired this year, as their new captain and official successor to ex-Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba. The New York Rangers do not have a captain right now following the controversial trade of Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks in December. But according to Larry Brooks, they may have found one. Why Naming Miller Captain Could Signal a Culture Shift for the Rangers It followed a period of tension between Trouba and Rangers management led by GM Chris Drury, who reportedly threatened to waive him if he didn't accept a trade. Months later, the Rangers re-acquired JT Miller from the Vancouver Canucks; he was taken by the Rangers with the 15th pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Per longtime Rangers analyst Larry Brooks of The New York Post, the Rangers should name Miller their new captain and the successor to Trouba. The captain's sweater is not just another piece of laundry. It represents the organization's ethos. The Rangers acquired J.T. Miller to change the team culture. The 32-year-old is hard-edged and can be abrasive. That is the identity the Blueshirts should adopt. Miller was traded to the Rangers after a long public feud with Canucks teammate Elias Pettersson was confirmed by executive Jim Rutherford. JT Miller Expected to Be Named Captain of the New York Rangers, Less Than a Year After Trade From Vancouver The Canucks traded Miller to the Rangers, who took him in the 1st round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a 1st round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Miller returned to the place where he began his NHL career, and had 35 points (13G, 22A) in the 32 games he played after the trade. If Miller does become captain of the Rangers, he would be the 29th player in team history to wear the 'C' on his sweater.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott makes big proclamation he probably can't keep
Quarterback Dak Prescott seems optimistic about the 2025 Dallas Cowboys. Perhaps he's a little too optimistic. On Saturday night, Mike Leslie of WFAA-TV in Dallas shared a clip of the Cowboys QB chatting with Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke. At the end of the conversation, Prescott issued a bold prediction. "We'll meet y'all in the NFC Championship," he said. Prescott's comment may have been tongue-in-cheek. Throughout the offseason, however, the 32-year-old QB has made it clear he believes Dallas is a championship contender. After the Philadelphia Eagles won their second Super Bowl in February, Prescott said there isn't a massive gap between the Cowboys and their NFC East rival. Despite Prescott's confidence, it's hard to envision the Cowboys threatening the Eagles or the Rams as one of the NFC's top teams. The Cowboys went 7-10 last season, missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season. Prescott suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in 2024, missing nine games. The 2023 second-team All-Pro could rebound with new star wide receiver George Pickens. Still, a coaching change may make that more challenging. This offseason, Dallas rookie head coach Brian Schottenheimer replaced Mike McCarthy. While it's just preseason, the team looked sloppy in the coach's first game. During the 31-21 road loss to the Rams, the Cowboys committed 11 penalties for 83 yards. The contract standoff with EDGE Micah Parsons, who's entering the final year of his rookie deal, is lingering over the team. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones indicated they hadn't made any progress before Saturday's loss. "I'm glad to see [Parsons is] working out, in shape, and feels great, and so all of that's good," the owner told Kristi Scales of KRLD-FM in Dallas. "And I don't have anything to comment on." The Rams and Eagles, meanwhile, don't have as many problems as the Cowboys, making their path to a championship seem much easier. As of Sunday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook gives the Eagles the best odds (+360) to win the NFC and the Rams the fourth best (+950). The Cowboys have +2200 odds. Prescott should consider lowering expectations. It may be challenging for the Cowboys to make the playoffs this season, let alone the NFC Championship Game.
Cowboys' Micah Parsons gives Giants' rookie pass-rusher the ultimate compliment
Abdul Carter showed flashes of dominance in his preseason debut with the New York Giants on Saturday, and fellow pass-rusher Micah Parsons believes fans are going to see a lot more of that for years to come. Carter was disruptive on several plays at the line of scrimmage during the Giants' 34-25 win over the Buffalo Bills. He showed tremendous burst and appeared to get into the backfield with ease, and that was against Buffalo's first-team offense. On Sunday, Parsons shared a video on social media that showed Carter giving the Bills fits. Parsons also paid the rookie a massive compliment. "They asked me if Abdul could be a (sic) another great ! I told them he could be the best one!" Parsons wrote on X. Carter responded by telling Parsons he can't wait to see the four-time Pro Bowl linebacker "get paid what you EARNED!!" Parsons and Carter are both Penn State alumni. They each wore the No. 11, which is a famous jersey number for the Nittany Lions and has been worn by some of the best players in program history. Parsons, of course, has already established himself as one of the best defensive players in football. He is currently in a contract standoff with the Dallas Cowboys. Carter was the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. If he lives up to expectations, he should be just as productive as Parsons in relatively short order.
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