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We started a contest to follow the Knicks this year. Let's see who does the best betting on Knicks games against the spread. Rules are below.
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SECTION 1 - SCORING
Every Wed. (except for this one) I will send out a link and it will cover the games from the following Monday to Sunday. The link will allow you to choose which team you think will cover. I will send out reminders, but I am hoping that you complete your picks by the following Sunday. So 11/7, I will send out a link, please complete it by 11/11.
This time the link will cover a week and a half of games (11/1 - 11/11). Please complete this by Wed, 10/31.
<a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WWD3L69">Click here to take survey</a>
If the link doesn't work or you make a mistake, email me with your picks.
To read the entry:
11/1 - Knicks (-3.5) @ BROOKLYN NETS
Game is played on 11/1 and the Knicks are favored by 3.5 points (a minus (-) Knicks are favored, a plus (+) the other team is favored). Game is played at the team that is in ALL CAPS. So Nets are home in this case. You pick the team that you think will cover the spread. If you happen to miss a week, your picks will default to the home team.
For scoring, I have split the Knicks schedule into 4 quarters. First 20 games, we get 1 point for each correct pick. Next 20 will be 2 points, next 21 is 3 points and the final 21 is 4 points. Every round of the playoffs will be an additional point. So first round is 5, second round 6, etc.
Highest point total at the end of the season wins.
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SECTION 2 - TRASH TALKING
Of course, trash talking is encouraged. Feel free to 'reply all' to this email. I will be posting results in some form with my own commentary so a direct post on the website is probably better: http://www.malajas.com/knicks/
NOTE - Anything in this email or posted on the website, I may reuse. Fair warning.
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SECTION 3 - SPREADS
You may notice as the games approach, the real spreads on any other site will be a lot different than the one I posted. This is because I made them up. In my naivete, I had actually thought vegas posts the NBA spreads like a week ahead of time. This is not the case, they only do it day of. I know very few of us wants to check and make picks on a daily basis so to keep picks weekly as originally planned, I decided to make up spreads. I toyed with just having us pick the winners without spreads, but that seemed too boring to me. Hopefully I get better with picking spreads as time goes along, but in the end I don't think it makes a heck of a lot of difference for what we are trying to achieve. And that is fun and a lot of trash talking.
I do have sort of a set equation to calculate spreads, so that I could remove any bias I may have. You are welcome to look at how I did it if you are interested. Basically, for the first ten games, I am using averages from the 2011-12 season. I compare the Knicks and the team they are playing against the league average in scoring from last season. There is a calculation comparing points scored and points against and then the spread is the differential between the Knicks and their opponent. I also factor in injuries and home court advantage, as well as any "special" points.
For example, the upcoming game on 11/1, Knicks @ Nets, the actual point differential from last year was Knicks advantage of 7.1. However, I factored in that the Nets are at home, plus Amare is possibly out for that game, and the special points are that it is a rivalry and it is a nationally televised game (TNT). Nets also get a slight favoring because they are home.
So it went from the original Knicks advantage of (-7.1) to still a Knicks advantage, but a little lesser one of (-3.5).
After ten games, the spread will be calculated on the current season. Again it's not that complicated and took me all of ten minutes to set up.
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SECTION 4 - PRIZE
Along with being able to say you beat all of us. As promised, there will be something handed out at the end of the season. Probably just a t-shirt or something, but there will be something.
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SECTION 5 - BIOGRAPHIES
This is quite a diverse group of people so I wanted to give you a little background on each other. I will be referring to everyone by their first name and first letter of the last name on this and the site. If you prefer to be called something else, a nickname works as well. I will also refer to myself in the third person when I am talking about points and who is leading. I am tentatively claiming either a simple 'JC' or 'JC Baller'
If you don't agree with your bio, feel free to let me know and I will change it. I will be posting these bios on the site.
JC Baller
Location: Boston, originally from NJ
Favorite Team: Knicks fan since the early 90s. Loved the tough D they exhibited in that era and his favorite player during that period was either John Starks or Anthony Mason.
Scouting Report: Prided himself on shut down defense and often gave up the easy shot for a complicated layup. Hails from the mean suburban streets of FL-Wyck.
Lani C
Location: Boston, originally from RI
Favorite Team: No current favorite team. Still mourning the retirement of her favorite player, Allen Iverson
Scouting Report: No real history to speak of.
Beau G
Location: Boston, originally from Staten Island
Favorite Team: Knicks
Scouting Report: Very limited exposure to Beau's game. Plays big down low. Monster rebounder despite having seen him when he was past his prime. Was probably a terror in his younger days. Dresses for the part with knee high socks and goggles. Beau's self-stated peak was 8th grade.
Every Wed. (except for this one) I will send out a link and it will cover the games from the following Monday to Sunday. The link will allow you to choose which team you think will cover. I will send out reminders, but I am hoping that you complete your picks by the following Sunday. So 11/7, I will send out a link, please complete it by 11/11.
This time the link will cover a week and a half of games (11/1 - 11/11). Please complete this by Wed, 10/31.
<a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WWD3L69">Click here to take survey</a>
If the link doesn't work or you make a mistake, email me with your picks.
To read the entry:
11/1 - Knicks (-3.5) @ BROOKLYN NETS
Game is played on 11/1 and the Knicks are favored by 3.5 points (a minus (-) Knicks are favored, a plus (+) the other team is favored). Game is played at the team that is in ALL CAPS. So Nets are home in this case. You pick the team that you think will cover the spread. If you happen to miss a week, your picks will default to the home team.
For scoring, I have split the Knicks schedule into 4 quarters. First 20 games, we get 1 point for each correct pick. Next 20 will be 2 points, next 21 is 3 points and the final 21 is 4 points. Every round of the playoffs will be an additional point. So first round is 5, second round 6, etc.
Highest point total at the end of the season wins.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SECTION 2 - TRASH TALKING
Of course, trash talking is encouraged. Feel free to 'reply all' to this email. I will be posting results in some form with my own commentary so a direct post on the website is probably better: http://www.malajas.com/knicks/
NOTE - Anything in this email or posted on the website, I may reuse. Fair warning.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SECTION 3 - SPREADS
You may notice as the games approach, the real spreads on any other site will be a lot different than the one I posted. This is because I made them up. In my naivete, I had actually thought vegas posts the NBA spreads like a week ahead of time. This is not the case, they only do it day of. I know very few of us wants to check and make picks on a daily basis so to keep picks weekly as originally planned, I decided to make up spreads. I toyed with just having us pick the winners without spreads, but that seemed too boring to me. Hopefully I get better with picking spreads as time goes along, but in the end I don't think it makes a heck of a lot of difference for what we are trying to achieve. And that is fun and a lot of trash talking.
I do have sort of a set equation to calculate spreads, so that I could remove any bias I may have. You are welcome to look at how I did it if you are interested. Basically, for the first ten games, I am using averages from the 2011-12 season. I compare the Knicks and the team they are playing against the league average in scoring from last season. There is a calculation comparing points scored and points against and then the spread is the differential between the Knicks and their opponent. I also factor in injuries and home court advantage, as well as any "special" points.
For example, the upcoming game on 11/1, Knicks @ Nets, the actual point differential from last year was Knicks advantage of 7.1. However, I factored in that the Nets are at home, plus Amare is possibly out for that game, and the special points are that it is a rivalry and it is a nationally televised game (TNT). Nets also get a slight favoring because they are home.
So it went from the original Knicks advantage of (-7.1) to still a Knicks advantage, but a little lesser one of (-3.5).
After ten games, the spread will be calculated on the current season. Again it's not that complicated and took me all of ten minutes to set up.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SECTION 4 - PRIZE
Along with being able to say you beat all of us. As promised, there will be something handed out at the end of the season. Probably just a t-shirt or something, but there will be something.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SECTION 5 - BIOGRAPHIES
This is quite a diverse group of people so I wanted to give you a little background on each other. I will be referring to everyone by their first name and first letter of the last name on this and the site. If you prefer to be called something else, a nickname works as well. I will also refer to myself in the third person when I am talking about points and who is leading. I am tentatively claiming either a simple 'JC' or 'JC Baller'
If you don't agree with your bio, feel free to let me know and I will change it. I will be posting these bios on the site.
JC Baller
Location: Boston, originally from NJ
Favorite Team: Knicks fan since the early 90s. Loved the tough D they exhibited in that era and his favorite player during that period was either John Starks or Anthony Mason.
Scouting Report: Prided himself on shut down defense and often gave up the easy shot for a complicated layup. Hails from the mean suburban streets of FL-Wyck.
Lani C
Location: Boston, originally from RI
Favorite Team: No current favorite team. Still mourning the retirement of her favorite player, Allen Iverson
Scouting Report: No real history to speak of.
Beau G
Location: Boston, originally from Staten Island
Favorite Team: Knicks
Scouting Report: Very limited exposure to Beau's game. Plays big down low. Monster rebounder despite having seen him when he was past his prime. Was probably a terror in his younger days. Dresses for the part with knee high socks and goggles. Beau's self-stated peak was 8th grade.
Justin Y
Location: NJ?, originally from NJ
Favorite Team: Nets, with interest in the Celtics. Flirted with the Seattle Sonics in the mid-90s.
Scouting Report: Another player from the FL-Wyck days. Average height but played much bigger. Equated to either Malone or Barkley back in the street days.
Mike K
Location: CT, originally NJ
Favorite Team: Unsure, but I think the Knicks
Scouting Report: Great all around player. Kid is almost a decade younger than the group here. Would have loved to have played each other in our primes, but I suspect I would have been on the losing end.
Jon H
Location: CA, originally NJ
Favorite Team: Knicks, although I am trying to get him to make the Lakers his team
Scouting Report: Another young one. Deadly shooter, especially from the the right baseline, about ten feet out.
John T
Location: Boston, originally from FL
Favorite Team: "I f**ing hate basketball"
Scouting Report: "Basketball sucks, I will play anything else"
Jorge S
Location: NJ, originally NJ
Favorite Team: Knicks
Scouting Report: No recorded history. Based on personality, long range guy and persistent defender (no real basis for this)
Hometown Harry:
Not a participant but an avatar we can compare ourselves. Harry always favors the home team in any situation.
Favorite Frank:
Also not a participant. Frank always picks the favorite.