NBA Playoff Pick-a-thon Day 31: Pop Goes the Weasel

POST-SEASON RECORD TO DATE: 43-24 ATS 

CONFIDENCE EFFICIENCY RATING (CER): 83/127 or .66

TOP CONFIDENCE PICKS: 18-9 ATS 

CONFERENCE FINALS: 0-1 ATS

From this point forward, we will only be picking one NBA game per post, so the Top Confidence Picks and CER rating categories become undefined without the relative Middle and Bottom Confidence Picks. With Kyle covering the NHL, MLB, and most recently UFC, Marco and I feel like we're going to have to up the ante and start handicapping some pre-season WNBA, some international cricket matches, or maybe just the Premier League soccer playoffs. I have three questions about that last one - please submit answers in the comments section if you know them.


1. What's the typical O/U in a soccer game - half a goal? Maybe it's just prop bets like, "How many minutes after the yellow card is issued will the gentleman in red stop rolling around in agony and return to running full speed?" 

                       

2. Doesn't it feel like international soccer playoffs go on perpetually, ad nauseaum and infinitum, all year round? I sometimes wonder if there's even a regular season.

                              
                 "No school during the playoffs? Fuck yeaaaaaaaahhhh."

3. Wouldn't it be awesome if we had that for American sports? Or maybe just some off-season hybrids.

                                   

As it is, the post-seasons here for the four major sports is already half as long as the regular season, but wouldn't it be cool to have four mini-seasons with four mini-playoffs, and then one month where the four split-season champs play for a Grand Master Flash Champion of the Year? I know there's no way it would work because of the fact that one team might win all four quarters, get the automatic GMFCY, and cost the NBA and Turner Networks a month of post-season revenues. One can still dream...

                        

Especially when there are three days with nothing else to do until the Miami-Indiana series kicks off. I suppose we could go over the disappointing/impressive showing in the Western Conference opener depending on which team you were rooting for. We really should have known better than to bet against Coach Pop playing a slow-tempo team from his own division. As though he didn't have material from which to game plan. Silly us. 

It was the perfect storm for the San Antonio Spurs yesterda as their defense managed to contain and frustrate Zach Randolf while their offense milked every possession, exhausted the Grizzly defense, and proceeded to sink 14 of 29 three pointers - almost all with about three seconds left on the twenty-four. 

Fourteen three pointers!!! Four of them by reserve power forward Matt Bonner. 

                              

Yes, somebody who loves the reliable, white, journeymen from the University of Florida did that. His follow-up Lee Humphrey hair cut  in 2008 was not nearly as prophetic, but the jury remains out on his current Chandler Parsons weave. 

Speaking of Matt Bonner, since we have a few minutes and some space to fill, let's learn a little bit about The Red Rocket. Bonner grew up in Concord, New Hampshire where he led the local high school team to three national championships before playing under Billy Donovan at the University of Florida from 1999 to 2003. As a Gator, Bonner amassed almost 1,600 points, 800 rebounds, and 165 three pointers, finishing his career in the top ten in six categories - probably just until Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Taurean Green, and Corey Brewer showed up a few years later. 

                       

Bonner was originally drafted by the Chicago Bulls but was traded almost immediately to the Toronto Raptors who recognized his potential but didn't have a position for him. With their permission, Bonner went to play in Italy to hone his game rather than ride the bench. Half way through the season, his team filed for bankruptcy and stopped paying its players. Bonner's water and electricity were shut off, he received eviction notices, but he finished the season nonetheless - averaging almost a double double (19 and 9). His wardrobe left something to be desired.

                             

Back in the NBA, Bonner became a fan favorite in Toronto immediately when he knocked Kevin Garnett to the ground during a heated game with the Timberwolves. In 2006 Bonner was traded to the San Antonio Spurs just in time to join them for their third championship in five years. In 2010, this three ball shooting son of an elementary school teacher and Academic All-American at Florida was voted 19th smartest athlete by Sporting News. I don't know what that means, but I think it's pretty cool.

The most surprising piece of information I found, however, was the fact that Bonner is the sixth highest paid San Antonio Spur on the roster. Only slightly more surprising was the order of the players above him:

1. Manu Ginobli - $14,107,000
2. Tony Parker - $12,500,000
3. Tim Duncan - $9,639,000
4. Boris Diaw - $4,500,000
5. Tiago Splitter - $3,944,000
6. The Red Rocket - $3,630,000

That means Bonner makes approximately $3,700/minute played during the regular season or $55,000/three pointer made. Pretty darn good.

                      

So here's to you Mr. and Mrs. Bonner. And good for you Matt for somehow avoiding the Curse of the Hot WAG. You've come a long way since the light-less, heat-less days in Sicily.

Enjoy your week, everyone. See you tomorrow.

Vinny and Marco