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The Houston Rockets just needed to win their final game on Tuesday to secure the #2 spot in the west. Unfortunately for the Rockets, OKC had other plans and handed them their 29th loss of the season. But no worries, a Denver loss would still secure the 2 seed; a Portland loss would deliver them the #3 seed but neither of those scenarios happened either. Denver beat the Timberwolves and Portland played 5 bench players and overcame a 23 point deficit to beat the Kings

So James Harden and company will have to face the Utah Jazz in round one and assuming everything goes chalk, they will play the Golden State Warriors in the second round. To get past Utah, the Rockets will have to face a formidable defense and also play at least one game at altitude.

Let’s be clear, this isn’t exactly the classic Rockets-Jazz matchup between Malone and Olajuwon but it should be interesting. The Jazz bring a defensive-minded focus to the court and Harden is, well, pretty much unstoppable. And whichever team wins, it’s gonna be a tough road through Oakland and the Warriors. Should be fun!

When it comes to the NCAA Tournament, it’s generally a good rule to go chalk. The UMBC upset over #1 ranked Virginia in 2018 was absolutely thrilling but it had never happened in the 136 prior attempts and will likely not happen for another 50 years!

But there are certainly matchups where the odds are more favorable. Take the 5-seed vs 12-seed matchup. The actual stats on the matchups puts the odds around 64% for the 5-seed which makes taking the risk pretty good, especially if you’re in a bracket that rewards upsets. And now statistics are showing the 6-11 matchup is another great risk!

So who’s at risk? The pros think despite a great season, Mississippi State could falter against Liberty. And Oregon has been playing great down the stretch which could cause problems for Wisconsin.

Whatever you decide, the tournament never lets us down. We like Michigan State a lot and think that despite the great record, Gonzaga is vulnerable. Truth be told we’re not that great at selections but will be watching it all.

The Golden State Warriors dropped their 11th game of the year falling to the Utah Jazz 108-105…AND IT’S ALL OVER! Of course we jest but it’s hard not to feel like something is fundamentally wrong when the Dubs aren’t steamrolling every team in the league on a nightly basis. But here are some things to consider:

1) In the 2015-2016 season, the Warriors lost nine games during the regular season. Nine games. NINE GAMES! No NBA team has ever held their losses to single digits and there’s a good chance no team will ever do it again (especially after GS handed the championship to LeBron). Think about this for a second – the San Francisco 49ers lost more games that year and only played 16! So when the Warriors lose 11 before the mid-way point, it definitely feels like the sky is falling.

2) The bench is just not the same. Over the course of the Warriors championships in 2015, 2017 and 2018, the only constant coming off the bench has been Andre Iquadala. And Shaun Livingston. Harrison Barnes? Gone. JaVale McGee? Gone. Ian Clark? Gone. Now, the Warriors are relying on a very young bench with guys like Quinn Cook, Jordan Bell and Alfonzo McKinnie. The bench used to build on the starter’s lead. Now they are giving up a few making the jobs of the starters a bit harder when they return in the 4th. Look for that to change as the Dubs solidify their bench work.

3) No Swaggy. Let’s face it, despite the efforts of Curry and Green and Play and Durant, Nick Young was the glue that held the Warriors together. Without Swaggy P, the Dubs are just another team fighting in the West

All kidding aside, the Warriors will do what we’ve seen them do every year and that’s win when it counts. It will definitely be a tough playoff path in the West but we think they’ll be just fine come spring.

Both the American League and National League wild card games are still up in the air. It’s looking like the Yankees and the As will face off but it’s unclear where that game will happen. The Yankees hold a 1.5 game lead over the As but a lot can change with 9 games to go. The National League is looking like a Brewers-Cardinals matchup in Milwaukee but there’s a lot of uncertainty in the west. So what does it all mean?

Right now, ticket prices for the Wild Card game in New York are soaring. But prices are relatively low in Oakland. We are looking at really nice lower-level infield seats at the Coliseum for around $150 per ticket. Those same seats in New York are four times the price. And the best part is if you buy today on Cheapseatstickest.com in Oakland and New York ends up hosting, you get your money back…all of it! Same deal is true for any venue where the game doesn’t happen.

So we recommend really looking today and taking the plunge. Worst case, you get your money back. Best case, you get to see your team at a really good price! Call any of our agents for help finding the best seats.

Springsteen is back on tour but this time, it’s not Madison Square Garden or the Meadowlands. Springsteen is on Broadway in a resident concert series at the Walter Kerr theater. The 975 seat venue proves to be a lot more than just a small venue: Springsteen is raw and emotional as Springsteen shares aspects of his life story between a serious of songs.

But getting a ticket to this event isn’t for those light on cash. With all dates sold out through August and question as to how long the show might go on, expect to pay close to $1000 a ticket just to get into the venue. By our metric, the average ticket price has exceeded the $1400 mark making it the top event by ticket price on the exchange.

Why so high you might ask? The average Springsteen fan has been rocking with the Boss for more than 40 years putting most fans in that sweet spot of retirement with kids out of the nest. With extra cash, the demand for tickets has exploded. For many, it’s just a bucket list show that must be seen. And the reviews don’t disappoint. Expect a personal show with stories you’ll never forget.

Despite the doubts of many across the nation, LeBron James did what Lebron James does; take his team on his back and lead them to another Eastern Conference Championship. The Toronto Raptors looked like they might be the team to dethrone King James but in the end, it was just another series ending game where Lebron would score 29 points along with 11 assists and 8 rebounds.

Cleveland looks to be picking up steam as it will face either the Boston Celtics or the Philadelphia 76ers. But don’t count out this Cavs team from making another NBA Finals.

The Indiana Pacers made an epic comeback against Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers only to see it end in a loss due to a bad call in the final seconds and a brilliant 3 by Lebron. For those of you that missed it, it was all tied up with just 10 seconds left on the clock. Victor Oladipo made his move with 8 seconds and got Lebron to bite right; Oladipo then drove to the hoop where Lebron recovered and swatted the shot. Clearly a goal tend on review as the ball hit the glass before Lebron made contact, it all didn’t matter because the officials failed to make the call.

The NBA review rules are definitely nuanced but are clear on a goal tend: a goal tending call can be reviewed and overturned but a non-call on a goal tend cannot. In other words, you can’t go to the replay if the officials failed to make a call. Which is strange because the general theme of the replay is to get the call right. If the shot clock expires and the officials miss the call, go to review. If the official calls a fail and misses the clear-path, they can correct on review. But in this case, the NBA is satisfied that the clear violation on review is unreviewable.

All would have been fine if it hadn’t been for LeBron’s heroics in the final seconds. LeBron hit a fadeaway 3 and drained it. We’re pretty sure the call is not responsible for the Pacers woes; in fact, even with the correct call, the Pacers still would have lost as 3 still beats 2 every time. But it sure would be nice if they got all the call correct. And that starts with the ability to review a missed call by the refs. See you in game 6!

The San Francisco 49ers are looking very good for the 2018-2019 season. If the end of last year’s season is any indication of how they’ll play this year, things are looking bright for the Niners. We see at least a ten win season with deep prospects in the playoffs. Here’s how we break down the season:

Week 1 at Minnesota (WIN): This one will be a big test for the Niners as they face the experience of Kirk Cousins. We see an early first win for the Niners.

Week 2 vs Detroit (WIN): Detroit won’t have what it takes to etch out a road win.

Week 3 at Kansas City (Loss): Despite the departure of Alex Smith, the confines of Arrowhead are really difficult and Andy Reid will have a prepared team. Look for Garoppolo to suffer his first loss on the road.

Week 4 at Los Angeles Chargers (WIN): The Niners will once again make Los Angeles feel like a home game.

Week 5 vs. Arizona (WIN): The Cardinals will have a new coach and a new QB. We don’t think they will have enough time together to inflict damage against the Niners.

Week 6 at Green Bay (Loss): Weather will still likely be favorable but if Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers stay healthy, they will outperform the Niners in this Monday Night matchup.

Week 7 vs. Los Angeles Rams (WIN): This will be the matchup that will test the 49ers. We think they will split the series and will win the first at home on Sunday night on NBC.

Week 8 at Arizona (Win): The Niners haven’t done particularly well in the desert over the years but we think they will overcome a string of losses to best the Cardinals.

Week 9 vs Oakland (WIN): Despite coming off a short week with 4 days between games, the Niners will come prepared to Oakland. Gruden and company will need a few more seasons to button things up.

Week 10 vs New York Giants (WIN): With a long week of rest, the Niners will wait to steamroll the Giants. Look for the Niners to really showcase their talents.

Week 11: BYE

Week 12 at Tampa Bay (LOSS): Niners will come out sluggish after a week of rest and won’t have enough to overcome James Winson and the Buccaneers.

Week 13 at Seattle (WIN): Richard Sherman is all we have to say.

Week 14 vs Denver (WIN): The last time the Broncos won a big game in Levi’s was during Super Bowll 50! But they will not have the same power to beat the Niners in 2018.

Week 15 at Seattle (WIN): Richard Sherman will have a bone to pick and will get everyone on the Niners defense to join that fight.

Week 16 vs Chicago (WIN): Garoppolo got his first win as a Niners in Chicago last year. We think he’ll keep the tradition alive this year.

Week 17 at LA Rams (LOSS): With a playoff spot secured, we think the Niners will be in rest mode and suffer a minor loss for a 12-4 season.

The 2018 Major League Baseball season is under way and despite some winter-like conditions across the country, the weather is starting to warm up and fans are starting to hunt for the perfect game tickets. Here are some do’s and don’ts for the process:

DO: Start your search at your team’s official website for primary market tickets. All MLB baseball teams have addresses that start with mlb.com. For example, you can find New York Yankee tickets at www.mlb.com/yankees/tickets or San Francisco Giants tickets at www.mlb.com/giants/tickets. Don’t be fooled by websites that try to appear to be the primary website.

DON’T: Definitely don’t buy your tickets immediately from the primary site because they may not be the best deal. Baseball tickets are all listed at face value for single games but season ticket holders often get discounts because they are purchasing the entire season. So a $100 face-value seat might actually cost a season ticket holder much less. They often unload their extra tickets on the secondary market for less than face.

DO: Plan ahead. If you need large blocks of tickets, you will want to make sure you purchase those blocks early as you may not be able to find tickets together as the game date approaches.

DON’T: We don’t recommend buying a single ticket for a baseball game unless you absolutely have to sit in a very specific section or you don’t feel comfortable arriving without a ticket. Why? There are always single tickets floating around at the park and sometimes people with an extra ticket will just give it away!

DO: Compare, compare, compare. We like to shop at least two sites on the secondary market as well as the primary market. While many secondary sites have identical inventory, some have different tickets and all price their tickets differently. So shop around. Sometimes the savings are minimal but sometimes they can amount to hundreds of dollars.

DON’T: Don’t forget to consider the weather and check forecasts if you’re buying closer to game date. We bought tickets for a SF Giants game where the temps were in the high 90s (never happens in San Francisco). Fortunately, we bought seats on the shady first base side instead of the sunny third base side and stayed much cooler than most.

DO: Enjoy the game!!!

Northern California sports has witnessed a pair of new venues in the past few years with the Sacramento Kings moving to Golden 1 in 2016 and the San Francisco 49ers heading to Levi’s in Santa Clara in 2012. While the two venues offer some exciting new features over their prior locations, one thing is clear – the food is terrible.

At Levi’s, we think it best to stick to the hot dog as it’s pretty hard to mess that one up (although we have been there on several occasions where the hot dog stand has run out of hot dogs or buns – they were serving the dog on a hamburger bun!). The chicken sandwich occupied about 70% of the bun space. You would think that with the inflated stadium prices, they could get a piece of chicken large enough to cover the bun.

Golden 1 is no better. The “grass fed beef” burger at Bernardos was as disappointing as it gets. The burger filled the bun which was the size of a $1 burger at McDonalds. If you’re going to charge $13 for a burger, make it good. Or better yet, charge me $20 and give me a burger I’ll want to get again.

The Niners actually let you bring food into the game. With misleading locations like the Untied Club and the Levi’s Club, we recommend getting a sandwich at your local deli and pack in for the game.