Winner's Circle: NBA stat corrections are just a part of the game, but you might get your money back

Welcome to the Winner’s Circle, a weekly column by Bet For The Win senior writer Prince J. Grimes. Here, you’ll read about stats and trends that can help you make informed betting predictions for the week ahead and beyond. Got something you want to see in the next Winners Circle, shoot Prince a message and check back next week for the response.

Prior to the Masters last week, I said I would bet on Tiger Woods to win but wasn’t actually expecting that he would. I was just happy to see him back competing and wanted a stake in any potential miracles.

Well, it went as expected, with Woods finishing the tournament 13 over and way off leader Scottie Scheffler. But looking back on the whole thing, he absolutely still won the weekend. His comeback was miraculous in itself and we shouldn’t lose perspective of it. The man needed extensive emergency surgery to stabilize a right leg that had multiple open fractures affecting the upper and lower portions of his tibia and fibula…14 months later he was making the cut of a major in his first tournament back.

To me, that’s a level of dedication that makes it tough to doubt what he’s able to accomplish going forward, which is why he’ll continue to be a name to monitor for more than simply nostalgia the next time he decides to play. As for betting the Masters, a better pick for next year might be the odds on a hole-in-one because the 16th continues to produce them at a high rate – as Stewart Cink demonstrated.

Last week also brought a close to the NBA’s regular season. MVP candidate Joel Embiid locked up the league’s scoring title, but his 76ers got a rough first-round draw against a Raptors team that can absolutely pull off an upset of Philly. Another interesting first-round series will be whoever the Brooklyn Nets play, assuming they’re one of the four teams to advance from the play-in tournament (I don’t think they’ll have too hard a time against the Cavaliers in tonight’s seven-seed game). The winner gets the Celtics in the first round, and damn. Having to play as a No. 2 seed against a team with some of the best odds to win the title is a tough draw for Boston.

Here are a few more things I’m looking at in the week ahead.