 |
 Basketball Betting |
 |
||||
|
 |
||||
|
||||
James, Cavs hope to rebound in ChicagoBasketball Betting Lines04/25/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers hope to bounce back from a tough Game 3 loss and regain control of their Eastern Conference quarterfinals set with the upstart Chicago Bulls this afternoon. The Bulls got back into the set on Thursday when Derrick Rose scored 31 points and Kirk Hinrich stepped up with 27, as Chicago held on for a 108-106 victory over Cleveland. Chicago made just 4-of-8 foul shots in the final 30 seconds and nearly lost an eight-point lead to a barrage of Cleveland three-pointers. Yet, in the Cavs' final mad dash for an insurmountable series lead, the ball found its way into Anthony Parker's hands, not LeBron James. Parker collected a rebound off a missed free throw and did not have time to find James. Instead, he missed a halfcourt heave at the horn. Luol Deng added 20 points and Joakim Noah notched a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds for the Bulls, who now trail the best-of-seven series, 2-1. "They just kept coming at us," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "Cleveland is so difficult to guard when LeBron is coming at you like that. We just had to find a way to battle." James led Cleveland with 39 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and Mo Williams added 21 points. The duo took 42 shots -- over half of Cleveland's 82 team attempts. Antawn Jamison registered a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds in defeat. "We did clean up what we wanted to do from Game 2 to Game 3," James said. "They made adjustments, we made adjustments, but they were able to knock down some open shots." Chicago and Cleveland split a four-game regular season series this year but the last Bulls win came when the Cavs had shut it down and were resting James. Since the NBA changed its playoff format in 1984, there have only been three occasions when a No. 8 seed has shocked a No. 1, and its only happened once in the Eastern Conference when Miami stunned New York in a five-game set back in 1999. The last time an eight topped a No. 1 was in 2007 when Golden State upended Dallas in 2007. These two Central Division rivals were regular postseason opponents during the Michael Jordan-era with the Bulls taking five straight series between 1987-88 and 1993-94. Game 5 of the best-of-seven set is scheduled for Tuesday back in Cleveland.
<< Canucks aim to finish series in LA
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks will try to punch their ticket to the Western Conference semifinals tonight, when they visit the Los Angeles Kings for an elimination game at Staples Center. The third-seeded Canucks enter this evenin
<< Red Wings try to eliminate Coyotes in Detroit
<< Nuggets try and even series vs. Jazz
<< Spurs shoot for 3-1 series lead over Mavs
<< Celtics try and finish off Heat in Miami
Rays close out series with Blue Jays >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays can start a homestand with a series victory today when they meet the Toronto Blue Jays in the finale of a three- game series at Tropicana Field. The Rays rallied with a seven-run eighth inning in Saturda
Red Sox send Wakefield to the hill versus Orioles >>
Fast-starting Twins seek sweep of Royals >>
White Sox end drama-filled series against Mariners >>
Lewis aims to extend hot start for Rangers in finale with Tigers >>
Horse Betting(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine). The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late. "You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest. "A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve." When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential: CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped. DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins. PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge. You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike. "You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders." Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of. (By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.) Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout." But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing." Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you." Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front." All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold. In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse. "Now," says Avello, "it's time for action." To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs. MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2. Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season. Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money.
For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com. |
|
