**NBA TOP PLAY** Eastern Conference GOW Can a road team finally break through with a victory? You would think that one team that will do that is the Celtics as they are no strangers at winning games away from home. The team with the best record in basketball has now lost all five road playoff games but now is the time to break out of that slump. Boston went a league-best 31-10 in away games during the regular season so it certainly knows what it takes to win on the road. Simply put, they are hands down the better team.

The loss of Daniel Gibson is big and not just because of his contributions as inexperience will be taking over. Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said Gibson's minutes could be divvied up among the current eight-man rotation, or fall to guards Devin Brown and Damon Jones. Brown, a starter at the end of the regular season, has played a total of six minutes in this series, while Jones played only 13 minutes in three playoff games against Washington.

Nationally, the Celtics aren't receiving much respect these days. But it's not fair when you consider how the Lakers, the Jazz, the Hornets, the Cavaliers and the Spurs have played on the road. In the Celtics' case, they have lost their aggressiveness on the road, and aggressive defense is the exact thing that led to victory in Game Five. Now Boston needs to bring that aggressiveness on the road. Even though Game Seven is at home, the Celtics to not want to have to play it as rest is becoming a big factor as well.

Some of the same trends hold true for this game as they did in Game Four. Boston has been a solid rebound team as it is 24-11 ATS in road games after one or more consecutive losses over the last two seasons. Getting the Celtics as underdogs is rare but effective as they are 11-5 ATS when getting points this season. The Cavaliers are 6-17 ATS in their last 23 games following a win against the spread. Facing teams with a winning road mark, Cleveland is just 3-8 ATS in its last 11. Play Boston Celtics 2.5 Units

Tampa Bay has been hot but this line is a little aggressive for the upstart Rays. Coming off a series win over the Yankees was huge but now it is letdown time, especially now that it is once again time to hit the road. As usual with this team, it is much better at home than on the road. This season, the Rays are 8-9 away from home and this follows records of 29-52, 20-61, 27-54, 29-52, 27-54 and 25-55. You get the picture. Until Tampa Bay can start winning on the road, it should never be a favorite or even close to it.

The Cardinals have gone through a bit of a struggle with only two wins in their last nine games but I still consider them the superior team here. St. Louis is 15-9 at home this season and the success has come from a combination of solid pitching and consistent hitting. The Cardinals have a team ERA of 3.31 at home including 2.92 from the starting rotation. The bullpen has been struggling of late so the starters are the key. As for the offense, St. Louis is hitting .285 at home, the 5th best home average in baseball.

Braden Looper looks to recover from two straight below average performances against the Rockies and Brewers. However, it is important to note that those two outings came on the road where his ERA is close to a run and a half higher than it is at home. Looper has a 3.67 ERA at home and that includes one blowup game against the Giants where he allowed seven runs in just three innings. He has allowed two runs or fewer in his other four home starts, posting a solid 1.50 ERA in those games.

Andy Sonnanstine started the season slow, got hot, but is now once again in a funk. He has allowed nine runs in his last two starts which followed three straight quality outings. Surprisingly, all five of those games resulted in Tampa Bay wins. The winning streak is impressive but it has more been coincidence than it has been of solid pitching. Only three of his eight starts have been on the road where his ERA is 4.43 for the year and 5.17 in his 15 career road outings. Play St. Louis Cardinals 1.5 Units

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**MLB TOP PLAY** I.L. Game of the Week It has been a streaky season for the Dodgers and they look to be heading into another one of the good streaks. After a 5-11 run, Los Angeles won 10 of 11 only to lose its next five games. It has now won two straight following a big victory over Ben Sheets yesterday and that makes it wins in seven of the last nine on the road. After scoring a total of 10 runs during that five-game losing streak, the Dodgers have plated 13 over the last two games.

The Angels have dropped two in a row and six of their last eight as the offense continues to struggle. They have scored three runs or fewer in five of their last seven games including three straight. For the season, the Angels are hitting only .266 which is very substandard for an offense coming into the season with such high expectations. That average drops even more at home and is sitting at just .242 over the last 10 games. Normally a strength, the bullpen has been just the opposite, posting a 6.64 ERA at home.

Joe Saunders has been a pleasant surprise for the Angels this season, posting a 2.48 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. He is 6-1 while the Angels are 7-1 in his eight starts on the year. He is coming off his 5th quality start of the season but over his last tow starts, his command has been lacking. I don’t expect things to get better here as he is not only facing a strong offense but one that is killing lefties. The Dodgers are hitting .308 on the season including .316 on the road and are 10-3 against left-handed starters on the season.

The Dodgers counter with Hiroki Kuroda who has been solid all season sans one start. He has allowed three runs or fewer in seven of his eight starts with five of those being quality outings. He has done his best work on the road as he has posted a 2.81 ERA and 1.17 ratio in four starts. Three of those were quality with the fourth missing out by just one-third of an inning. As mentioned, the Angels are struggling at the plate and they are hitting only .233 against righties over their last 10 games. Play Los Angeles Dodgers 2.5 Units