NBA
Philadelphia 76ers @ New York Knicks: Philadelphia 76ers (to win) /// 2.50
Last bet won. Oklahoma surprised me with their rotation. Usually 8-9 players play in Playoff games (if we don't take those games where reserve players are intentionally put out if the team realizes that the score difference is too big to expect to win), but the Thunder had 11 players in this game. In the end Oklahoma won, but if I hadn't been following the NBA this season I would have thought this was still a Play-in game between the 8th and 9th team in the West. I have a feeling Oklahoma will have more confidence going into Game 2 and win by a bigger score. Though, of course, the problem with Jonas Valanciunas will remain. The Thunder don't have a center who can give the Lithuanian problems in the paint. Yeah, Chet was very good. He certainly had a good debut in the postseason, and he should play even better in the Game 2. My betting scores: NBA 79-83 in favor of unsuccessful, MLB 31-31 tie, NHL 2-3 in favor of unsuccessful, NFL+NCAAF 3-8 in favor of unsuccessful.
New bet: Philadelphia on the road will beat the Knicks in Game 2. I expected to see the opposite odds from the bookies for a Philadelphia win lower than it was in Game 1, somewhere "2.00-2.10". Since Joel Embiid didn't injure his knee, which realistically could have been when in Game 1 he fell and held his knee during the match. And yes, De'Anthony Melton is still injured. So the same players from both teams that played in Game 1 will still play in Game 2. We all remember how Philadelphia succeeded in closing out Jalen Brunson, but then the role players (and especially Josh Hart in the clutch) played unexpectedly awesome. I think an experienced coach in Playoff games like Nick Nurse will make adjustments to the scheme and Philadelphia will win. Especially for such juicy odds - "2.50"! You want to bet? Sure! 😎😉