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02/16/2007 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 56th NBA All-Star Game will be played this Sunday night. The East has won the last two and six of the last 10 overall. Most of these "exhibition style" games go down to the wire and last season was no exception, as the Eastern Conference returned home with a 122-120 victory.
The East trailed by 21 in the third quarter but stormed back to take a 117-107 lead with a little less than 3:30 to go. The West then went on a 17-3 run and tied the game at 120 with 32 seconds left. Dwyane Wade nailed the game-winning shot, but it was LeBron James who stole the show.
King James, who became the youngest player to win the games MVP Award, finished with 29 points and gave coach Flip Saunders his second All-Star Game victory. Unfortunately for Saunders, he wont have the chance for a three-peat since NBA coaches are not allowed to be behind the bench in consecutive seasons. Washingtons Eddie Jordan will coach his own Gilbert Arenas and 11 other Eastern stars against Mike DAntoni of Phoenix and 12 superstars from the West.
The East has 34 wins to the Wests 21, but most of those victories (14) came during the first 20 years. The Eastern Conference has won eight of the last 15 although the West leads 4-3 in the games played this decade. Regrettably, there arent too many handicapping angles to delve into in these types of match-ups. Last season was a bit of an exception, as four Pistons made the roster and Flip Saunders used them at the same time, especially in the second half when the famed Pistons defense limited the West to just 50 points.
For the second straight year, the final tally fell under 250. The 242 total was two points more than the 240 back in 2005. With so many injuries knocking out key players (Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, Yao Ming) in the West, the East has to be given the slight edge. One other interesting note, six of the top nine players favored to win the games MVP Award are from the Eastern Conference.
Four points or less have decided half of the games the last six years with one other contest going into double overtime. So it pays to grab the points if one desires to wager money on this exhibition affair.
Take the East plus the points and the UNDER.
PROP BETS
Speaking of the MVP, Dwyane Wade is the 4-1 favorite to win the award. Miamis guard played over 30 minutes in last years game and hit 9-of-11 from the field for 20 points. LeBron James was awarded the honor after posting a team- high 29 points on 12-21 shooting. James took more shots than anyone on both rosters except for Tracy McGrady, who hit 15-of-26.
The last time there was a repeat winner was way back in 1958-59 when Bob Pettit took the honors. Even so, he had to share the award with Elgin Baylor in 59. Can James stop the trend? If he dominates the court as he did last year, there is no reason why he cant. In addition, 6-1 is a healthy price.
Go with King James for back-to-back MVP Awards and take a flyer at 8-1 on Chris Bosh.
Which player will score the most points? Kobe Bryant is the current choice at 2-1, while Gilbert Arenas is close behind at 2.30-1. For some reason, LeBron isnt getting much credit as hes listed at 7-2. If James is not the leading scorer, it will be someone from the Western Conference, probably an outside shooter since Nash and Iverson wont be available. Kobe is tough to take at the price and Ray Allen is in the Field where theres not much value at 7-2.
The pick: Dirk Nowitzki at the juicy odds of 5.5-1
SATURDAY SHOWDOWNS
What most people care about these days are the events leading up to Sunday nights contest and thats the Three-Point Shootout and the ever-popular Slam Dunk Contest.
Nowitzki looks to make it two straight victories in the "bombs away" shootout as the Mavericks sharpshooter defeated Gilbert Arenas to take the crown. Surprisingly, neither is favored this season. Miamis Jason Kapono is the 2-1 choice mainly due to his 47% career three-point percentage. However, those numbers are from just a short sample of attempts since the UCLA product has been in the league only a few years.
Kapono is the only member of the field to attempt less than 2,000 treys. In fact, hes put up less than 500. Hell get his props if he continues at that pace for another five years or so. Still, one cant argue with his success hitting an amazing 56% this season from beyond the arc!
Nowitzki has stated that its one thing to be able to nail three-pointers, but its another to do so in a time-controlled setting. Experience plays a big part in these contests as one can plainly see from the list of previous winners. The three-point show has been around for 20 years and there has already been five repeat winners, with the latest coming back in 2002-2003 when Peja Stojakovic won in back-to-back seasons.
Stay away from the Kapono at 2-1 and set your sights and money on Nowitzki at 5-2.
Longshot play: Jason Terry at 6-1.
The Slam Dunk Contest has lost a ton of luster from the days of Michael Jordan and Dominque Wilkins. The Knicks Nate Robinson became just the second player under six-feet to win the battle when he defeated Philadelphias Andre Iguodala last season. (Spud Webb was the first back in 1986.)
Unlike the Three-Point Shootout, the Slam Dunk Contest rarely produces back- to-back champions. In the previous 21 match-ups, there have been just two players to win consecutive titles: Jason Richardson and Michael Jordan. Its safe to say there are no Jordans in this years event.
Robinson is 5-2 to join that twosome but the public has jumped all over Gerald Green. Bostons first-round pick in 2005 is even money so theres no value there. Tyrus Thomas will not win it in his first NBA season so that leaves Dwight Howard. He might be too big to take the crown and history suggests the Slam Dunk Contest is a guard-swingmans show. However, Larry Nance did win the inaugural "SDC" back in 1984.
Go with Howard at the huge price of 5-1.
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Last season, the former University of Minn
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Real Madrid look for revenge on Betis >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When the Spanish La Liga gets underway
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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
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