Daily Three 2/6

 Hello,

 Well, I guess if you needed more proof that you should never bet against the Patriots, last night was probably all you needed. Tom Brady and James White led the greatest comeback in NFL history to get us of the "schneid." I am still shocked that Joe Buck did not mention lacrosse once last night. Chris Hogan did have a very quiet, but it could have come up on any of the few catches he did make. I think Buck was aware of the props and did his best to not mention things that were placed in them. For example, this is really my fault, apparently, Buck went on Howard Stern last week and straight-up said he would not use the nickname "Matty Ice." I totally missed that until this morning, and so that would have been an easy prop bet win. Shows what can happen with a little research, I am sorry for the oversight and will do my best to reduce it in the future. Tonight, we hit up all three major sports, so let's do it.

NBA 
Cleveland Cavaliers at Washington Wizards -1.5 (10 units wagered, 9 units won)

 Man, have I been waiting to tell you about the nickname of the Washington basketball franchise. The Wizards used to play in Baltimore where they were originally called the Bullets. The team was named after a nearby ammunition factory in the city. Baltimore is also home to the great Fort McHenry, where our wonderful national anthem was written by Francis Scott Key (doesn't entirely have to do with the nickname, but there were bullets used during the battle that inspired the song). In 1973, the team drove down to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and set up shop in Landover to become the Washington Bullets. The team decided to keep the nickname and hoped that Baltimore would still embrace the team even though it was moving a bit down south. 23 years later, team owner, Abe Pollin (RIP), decided that the team name had very violent overtones and set a terrible example for a family-friendly business. He also felt that the name hit too close to home as the DC area was going through record-high homicide and shooting rates. He decided to change it to the Wizards as he felt, yes this is actually real, "The name depicts energy and an omnipresent power, and brings to light what is hoped to be the wise and magical nature of the team" (Wizards website). I love Abe Pollin. He is the reason why the Washington Capitals, and I am so very grateful for that. But c'mon man, the team just needs a better name. Since the name change, the team has never gotten past the second round of the playoffs or even won their division. Despite the many struggles, things look like they may finally be taking a turn. The Wizards are currently in first place in the Southeast division and have won 17 straight home games. The recent turn in their production has really had to do with the fact that coach, Scott Brooks, no longer trusts his bench. Like actually, the Wizards play their starters almost the entire game. The only guy on the bench that gets significant run at this time is former Kansas forward, Kelly Oubre. Jr. This choice from Brooks make sense. According to a very nice Ringer article today, The Wizards starting five is the third most productive in the league behind the Warriors and the Clippers. Eventually, the Wiz Kids are probably going to have to get a little depth, but for the time being, the squad is rolling. I know the Cavs can be intimidating, but I think this home streak is going to continue. Wall, Beal, and Porter will probably play upwards of 40 minutes tonight, and the new big 3 in DC, will push them to another big victory at the Phone Booth. .

NCAAB
Louisville Cardinals at Virginia Cavaliers -7 (10 units wagered, 9 units won)

 If we are looking at the Kenpom only, this would be a ridiculous pick to take. Louisville is currently ranked #2, while Virginia is ranked #3. However, the Kenpom does not give us the full picture tonight. The Cardinals will be without four players tonight, including three of their top five scorers. The fourth guy is a role player that doesn't do that much but still sees time on the court. The Cardinals are already going to have their hands full going into Charlottesville as the Wahoos have won four of the last five meetings and currently have the third most efficient defense in the country . Now, they have to find away to replace the 35 points a game that these four dudes bring to the table each day. I think it is too much to ask of this Louisville squad to go into a raucous environment like John Paul Jones arena and keep this game competitive without such key members of their roster. I'm going all-in with the Cavs, as Tony Bennett continues his winning ways over Rick Pitino and the Cards. 

NHL
Buffalo Sabres at New Jersey Devils -120 (10 units wagered, 8.3 units won)

 I'm banking on the duo of Taylor Hall and Cory Schneider tonight in Newark. Taylor Hall was involved in of the more shocking offseason trades as he was shipped out of Edmonton for defenseman Adam Larsson. Ever since the departures of Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise, the Devils have lacked a true playmaker that could create goals for himself and others. Feeling like they had enough depth on the back end, they gave up a solid blue liner for a former number one pick in Hall, and Hall has not disappointed. Hall leads the team in points and assists and is only one goal behind the team lead for goals. Imagine how little production this team would be getting offensively if the team had not acquired Hall. Expect Hall to get a couple of points tonight. While Hall will be manning the offensive effort, Schneider will be in between the pipes for New Jersey. Schneider has had much recent success against the Sabres winning five of his last six games against Buffalo. Along with this recent success, Schneider is also traditionally better in the Prudential Center than he is on the road. He currently has 10-5-3 record at home, and I think he is going to be able to make it 11 wins. Watch the Devils tonight as they complete the season sweep of the Buffalo Sabres. 

Yesterday: 1-2
Overall: 50-38-5 (+109 units)
February: 6-8-1 (-17 Units)