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06/15/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics have a chance to clinch their record 18th championship tonight when they visit the Los Angeles Lakers for Game 6 of the 2010 NBA Finals at Staples Center.
The Celtics pushed the defending champs to the brink of elimination on Sunday when Paul Pierce netted 27 points and Boston overcame a big night by Kobe Bryant to hold off the Lakers, 92-86, in the pivotal Game 5 at TD Garden.
Kevin Garnett tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Rajon Rondo contributed 18 points and eight assists for the Celtics, who hold a 3-2 lead in the best- of-seven series and are a victory away from their second title in three years. They also polished off Los Angeles in six games in 2008.
If Boston, which has won the past two games in the set, can't finish off the Lakers tonight in Game 6, a deciding Game 7 would be Thursday, again in Southern California.
"We have a challenge, obviously, down 3-2," said Bryant. "We let a couple opportunities slip away, but it is what it is. Now you go home, you've got two games at home that you need to win, and you pull your boots up and get to work."
The Lakers are 9-1 during the postseason on their home floor but the lone loss came to these very same Celtics in Game 2 of the finals back on June 6.
"The Lakers have played the best between us to get home court advantage, but we've played the best all year on the road," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "So our team will be ready, and it's going to be a hell of a challenge for us because they're going to be great, and we're going to have to beat them at their best."
Bryant scored 28 of his 38 points in the second half of Game 5 for the Lakers, who had won their previous 14 playoff games when a series was tied. Bryant had little offensive support as the next best scorer was Pau Gasol with 12 points and 12 rebounds. LA center Andrew Bynum, who continues to deal with a balky right knee, had six points in over 31 minutes of court time.
Bryant is averaging 30.2 points per game in the series, while fellow All-Star Gasol, although inconsistent, is netting 18.8 points and 10 rebounds. The rest of the Lakers, especially Ron Artest and reserves Lamar Odom, Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown have played poorly in the set.
The NBA Finals has been deadlocked at two apiece 25 times and the winner of Game 5 has gone on to win the series 19 times. Meanwhile. since the finals changed to a 2-3-2 format back in 1985, 13 of the 15 teams that have held a 3-2 edge in the set went on to win and 12 of them did it in Game 6.
The last time the finals were tied 2-2 and the Game 5 winner didn't win the series came in 1994 when the Rockets lost Game 5 to the New York Knicks, then won Games 6 and 7 in Houston to win the title.
"It's still anybody's series," Rondo said. "They're the world champions. They're the defending champions. I'm sure they're going to come out and fight hard, so it's not over, the series is not over yet."
If the Celtics win the series it would also halt an incredible streak by Lakers coach Phil Jackson. When Jackson's teams have won Game 1 of any playoff series, which they did in this set, they are a perfect 47-0. When holding a series lead of any kind, Jackson's teams are 54-1 all-time.
"If you look at it, they've come home and carried the 3-2 lead back," Jackson said. "It's basically home court, home court. Now we're going back to home court to win it. That's the way it's supposed to be, isn't it?"
The 2010 Finals marks the Lakers' 31st trip to the championship series and Boston's 21st appearance with 12 of those overlapping.
Their finals history dates all the way back to the 1958-59 season when the Lakers still called Minneapolis home. Boston and the game's ultimate winner, Bill Russell, dominated the early years of the rivalry. The Red Auerbach-era Celtics took the Lakers all seven times they met in the finals, although the Jerry West, Elgin Baylor-fueled LA clubs did manage to take Boston to seven games on three different occasions.
The rivalry lay dormant for 15 years until Larry Bird and Magic Johnson "saved" the NBA by bringing their own storied college rivalry to the pros. Bird avenged his loss at Indiana State to Magic's Michigan State Spartans in the 1979 NCAA Finals when the Celtics got past the Lakers in seven games to win the 1984 NBA title.
Johnson and his Lakers responded the next season as LA finally beat Boston in the finals for the first time. Magic also won the rubber match two years later before the rivalry went cold again, this time for 20 years as the Celtics struggled mightily in the post-Bird era.
Boston basketball chief Danny Ainge re-ignited things by acquiring both Garnett and Ray Allen before the 2007-08 season. The two All-Stars teamed with Pierce to create the "Boston Three Party" and the Celtics were relevant again. A 17th Boston championship was the result as Garnett and his Celtics got the best of Bryant's Lakers.
A rematch could have been in the offing last season but a knee injury to Garnett derailed any hopes of a Celtics repeat. Instead, LA earned its 15th championship by taking Orlando in five games.
The Lakers and Celtics have combined to win 32 of the NBA's 63 titles coming into this series.
<< New Zealand earns dramatic draw vs. Slovakia
Rustenburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Winston Reid scored three minutes
into stoppage time and New Zealand earned a dramatic 1-1 draw against Slovakia
on Tuesday in the FIFA World Cup Group F action at Royal Bafokeng Stadium.
Robert V
<< United signs Montenegrin midfielder Boskovic as a DP
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United signed Montenegrin midfielder
Branko Boskovic as a Designated Player, the Major League Soccer club announced
late Monday.
"We are excited to have concluded a deal to bring Branko to D.C.
<< Dementieva to skip Wimbledon
Monte Carlo, Monaco (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Elena Dementieva has withdrawn from
Wimbledon because of a calf injury that forced her to retire during the French
Open.
Dementieva said on her personal website that she has not fully recovered fro
<< Celtics know perils of road closeout games
LOS ANGELES (AP) -When the Celtics wrapped up Game 5 and moved one win away from an unprecedented 18th championship, the jubilant Boston crowd sent them off to the West Coast for the final time this season with one last chorus of that age-old ``Beat
Tough task: D-Backs try to halt road skid in Boston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A big reason for Boston's recent success has been its play
at Fenway Park. That's not good news for the Diamondbacks, who will be vying
to halt a 10-game road losing streak tonight in the opener of a three-game
interleague se
Athletics continue road trip against Cubs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics are still searching for a win on
their current road trip, as they begin a three-game series against the Chicago
Cubs this evening from historic Wrigley Field.
Oakland was swept in three games at San F
Komisarek would have been good choice, too >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fans of the Maple Leafs are a long-suffering
sort.
The Leafs now have the longest Cup-less streak in the NHL, having not won since
May 1967. The Chicago Blackhawks heaved the weight of going Cup-less since
Leafs' captain Phaneuf relishes new role >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the first time in two seasons, the
Toronto Maple Leafs have a captain and his name is Dion Phaneuf.
The former Calgary Flames defenseman was bestowed the captaincy of the historic
franchise at a media
The 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite.
Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense.
Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively.
A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey.
Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season.
Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back.
Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick.
And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker.
For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below.
2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win
Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1
Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1
Donald Brown (IND) 5/1
Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1
Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1
Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1
Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1
Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1
Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1
Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1
Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1
Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1
Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1
Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1
Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1
Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1
Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1
LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1
Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2
Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1
Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1
Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1
Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1
Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1
Jason Smith (STL) 40/1
Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1
Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1
Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1
Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2
Pat White (MIA) 30/1
Field (Any Other Player) 9/1
To visit this sports betting site go to BettingExpress.com for all your football betting lines needs.
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NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.
Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.
There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.
Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.
The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
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