Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza 6/6/2017

by Doc's Sports - 6/6/2017

The betting action in this year's NHL Stanley Cup Finals between Nashville and Pittsburgh is heating up with the series now tied at two games apiece, while the hype surrounding this year's rematch between Golden State and Cleveland in the NBA Finals has cooled dramatically with the Warriors completely dominating the first two games of that best-of-seven showdown. In this week's discussion with Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza , we will get his take on which direction he has both of these series headed.

During a long and successful career in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry, Raphael also honed his skills as an expert sports handicapper to become one of the best in the nation. Once known in Las Vegas betting circles as the Vegas Sports Informer, he held the prestigious position as the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria until his retirement from the sportsbook industry in 2013. Since then he has been splitting his time between Las Vegas and the Big Easy in New Orleans running a successful and diverse sports investment service. The following is this week's Q&A with one of Doc's most interesting handicappers.

Doc's Sports: Golden State has looked almost unbeatable in the first two games of this year's NBA Finals, but those first two wins came on the Warriors' home court. Is this series basically over or can Cleveland respond with a pair of wins on its home court in the next two games?

RE: I do think that Cleveland will win Game 3 at home if it can successfully slow down the tempo of play, but that is probably as close as things get. Everyone has focused on the stellar play of Kevin Durant as the big difference between this year's NBA Finals and last season's, but another big factor for Golden State has been a healthy Stephen Curry and that is just too much firepower for the Cavaliers to overcome.

Doc's Sports: Pittsburgh also jumped out to a 2-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Finals with a pair of victories on its home ice, but most hockey bettors would agree that Nashville has actually dominated this series from the start on both ends of the ice. Now that the Predators have evened the score with a pair of wins on their home ice the last two games, what would be your prediction for Thursday's Game 5 in Pittsburgh?

RE: I have this series going the full seven games with both teams winning the next two games on their home ice. We all know that anything can happen in Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final, and this is where Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne could be the difference. He was able to regain his form in those last two games at home. And if plays like that in a winner-take-all series finale, the Predators have a good shot at pulling off the upset.

Doc's Sports: This Saturday marks the final leg of the 2017 Triple Crown racing series for this year's top three-year-old thoroughbreds with the running of the Belmont Stakes. Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming and Preakness winner Cloud Computing are not in the field for this race, so can you give us a few horses at the top of your list to round out this trio of champions with a victory at Belmont Park?

RE: The luster of this race is lost a bit with those two previous winners not in the field, but I am still excited for one last chance to cash in on some head-to-head matchups and a few exotics this Saturday at Belmont Park for the final leg of the Triple Crown. Two horses that have what it takes to win given the added distance of this 1 ¼ miles race would be Lookin At Lucky and Irish War Cry, and I also plan to use Meantime in a possible trifecta play.

Doc's Sports : You mentioned last week that you were going to pay close attention to the early regional play in advance of this year's College Baseball World Series. As tournament play continues with the upcoming Super Regionals, can you give us a few teams that have caught your eye as legitimate contenders to win a NCAA Championship this season.

RE: The matchup at the top of my list in the Super Regionals would be Kentucky against Louisville in an unlikely baseball showdown. As far as the College World Series itself, I am still going with Oregon State and TCU as my top two teams, but this should still be a very competitive tournament that is prone to upsets.

Doc's Sports: You have gained a reputation for covering a wide array of betting events as part of the selection packages you offer. Is there anything we missed on the schedule that might be part of this week's picks?

RE : There is UFC Fight Night 110 on Saturday night with a couple of mildly-intriguing bouts as a follow up to a big day of horse racing. Sunday's main event is an important World Cup qualifying match between the United States and Mexico in Mexico City, which is never a fun place to play soccer. Mexico should win, but I would love to see the US team pull out a possible draw.

Click here to visit Raphael Esparza's Insider's Page at Doc's Sports for more information on his amazingly-profitable sports handicapping picks. Also, get $60 worth of Esparza's member's picks absolutely free - no obligation, no sales people - you don't even have to enter credit card information. You can use this $60 credit for any sport Esparza handicaps. Click here for $60 worth of free picks from Raphael Esparza .

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