One would think that three days of "success" on a petty little thing such as a streak game wouldn't have much of an effect on one's mood. That person is a FOOL. Three straight double downs with some solid Drive To The Finals selections sprinkled in and I'm feeling damn skippy. The exact meaning of damn skippy eludes me at the moment but I am going on the assumption that it is a good thing. We're nearing the end of April. That means that very soon I'll be making Streak for the Cash picks again and this brief feeling of euphoria will vanish. Until then, I am going to party like it's 1999 and the Knicks just made the Finals.
I really wanted to pick Dee Gordon again today on Beat the Streak. Flash has been a stalwart for my BTS team this season. Though Howie Kendrick has been solid at second for the Dodgers, I miss Gordon there as well. I just could not pick him with the living personification of the Blob, Bartolo Colon, on the mound for the Mets. He somehow gains weight during the course of a game but has been one of the more effective pitchers in the NL thus far. Instead I am going with one hell of a backup plan in Adrian Gonzalez and Billy Butler. I don't have to say much more about El Titan as I've written full articles about the slugger and picked him four previous times in the game. I'll pair him with Billy Butler today, who has had a career renaissance in Oakland. Butler was left for dead during his past couple years with the reigning AL pennant winners, but has seen a resurgence in the skills that made him a consistent 100 RBI guy and All-Star in the past.
In the NBA Playoffs, my Drive To The Finals pick for today is Damian Lillard. The top two choices, in term's of expert picks, for tonight were Lillard and Brook Lopez of the Nets. My deciding factor between the two is what has been driving my decisions for the past couple days. I think the Blazers are going home tonight while the Nets will play another day. If the Nets lose Game 5 however, it is going to make it a tricky pick for me between Lopez and the seemingly back from the dead Deron Williams in a potential elimination Game 6. HAPPY STREAKING EVERYBODY!!
Image Credits: Gonzalez/Butler BTS (mlb.com), Lillard DTTF (nba.com)