NBA Playoff Betting Picks, NFL Draft Preview & MLB Predictions - Ride the Line Ep. 9

A new episode of the “Ride The Line” podcast is out now, and co-hosts Grant Mitchell and Tanner Kern spared no words in dissecting the NBA playoffs, the NFL Draft, and many of the top MLB storylines.

NBA Playoffs Heating Up

The show starts with reactions to Jimmy Butler’s shocking 56-point game against the Milwaukee Bucks that helped give the eight-seed Miami Heat a 3-1 series lead. Butler set a franchise record for playoff scoring (ahead of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and other all-time greats) and tied the fourth-highest postseason scoring total in league history.

After that, the show reacted to LeBron’s first-ever 20-point, 20-rebound game in the Los Angeles Lakers’ Game Four win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The winner of that series will move on to play the winner of the Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors series, which is where Grant and Tanner disagreed for the first time in the show.

Tanner is riding with the reigning world champion Warriors, while Grant believes in the youthful Kings who have a decided advantage because they play at home in four of seven games in the series. The Warriors are just 2-22 on the road against teams that are .500 or better but held serve at home and knotted the series at two apiece.

NBA talk finished with a recap and pick for the New York Knicks’ and Cleveland Cavaliers’ ongoing series. Both Grant and Tanner declared their respect for the Knicks, but Grant in particular reserved optimism for the Cavs.

What’s Going On in MLB?

The show then transitioned over to the diamond for some baseball talk. Among the stories discussed were the Boston Red Sox’s early-season performance and the dominance of the American League East. At the time of recording, every team in the division had a record of .500 or better, led by the Tampa Bay Rays’ league-best record.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, and several other unheralded teams have also gotten off to red-hot starts against the grain of many expert predictions.

While those teams are enjoying life early in the 2023 campaign, National League West contenders, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, are not. Tanner theorized that the Dodgers are treading water until Shohei Ohtani shows up in the next free agency period but also believes LA has a World Series roster as presently assembled.

Grant and Tanner then transitioned to a podcast-favorite segment called “Did You Hear?” where the co-hosts review the wackiest and wildest moments, situations, and developments in the world of sports, like one Chicago White Sox broadcaster that shared a very NSFW story on the air.

NFL Draft Frenzy

The show closed out with a preview of Thursday’s NFL Draft, and both Grant and Tanner delivered some of their favorite predictions and betting picks. Both are high on Texas running back Bijan Robinson going to the Philadelphia Eagles with the 10th overall pick, which had +850 odds at the time of recording (now +750). 

Grant and Tanner also did a full first-round NFL mock draft in a bonus episode Monday. Spoiler alert: they picked Alabama quarterback Bryce Young to go to the Carolina Panthers with the first overall selection, and also came up with a blockbuster trade involving the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers.