 |
 Basketball Betting |
 |
||||
|
 |
||||
|
||||
Phil: 'I have trouble making commitments.'Basketball Betting Lines05/26/2010 - Considering how badly his night went, it's worth remembering why Phil Jackson woke up to find himself the most sought-after free agent in the NBA. One report Tuesday morning quoted two anonymous sources saying the Chicago Bulls were going through back channels to find out whether Jackson was interested in leaving Los Angeles and returning to the town where he won six NBA championships. A second report had the New Jersey Nets doing the same. Never mind that the people pushing the latest rumors have been waiting a week for the Brinks truck dispatched by Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert to pull up to the curb outside Jackson's home. No matter what you hear, nothing is likely to happen until July 1, at least not officially, because that's when the NBA's free-agent signing period begins. The only way Jackson seriously considers leaving LA is if LeBron James is already under contract and waiting at his new destination. And that's if the 64-year-old coach with the most championships in league history doesn't make good on a vague threat to retire first. Jackson predictably laughed off the latest rumors during a brief session with reporters before Game 4 against the Suns in Phoenix. He said he had ``no desire at all'' to retrace his footsteps in Chicago. And that the extent of his interest in New Jersey was to throw down a vodka with the Nets' new billionaire owner, Mikhail Prokhorov, that rare Russian who claims to never have even tasted the stuff. The line that got the best laugh of the night came when Jackson was pressed to commit to the Lakers or no team next season. ``I have trouble making commitments,'' he said, which some in the room took as a mischievous reference to his long-running relationship with Lakers executive Jeannie Buss, who also happens to be owner Jerry Buss' daughter. No matter, the repartee wasn't nearly that funny after the Suns pulled away for a 115-106 win that evened the series at 2-2. Just as in Game 3, Phoenix played a 2-3 zone defense that effectively forced the Lakers to score from the perimeter, something they rarely do well. Yet Jackson breezily pointed out that Los Angeles still had the edge in field goals made and instead put the loss down to the disparity in free throws - the Suns made 22 of 32; the Lakers 7 of 13 - saying, ``They beat us at the foul line both nights, and that's the difference in the margin of the game.'' His actions during the game, however, spoke louder than what he said afterward. Jackson was uncharacteristically agitated for stretches of the second half, even getting in Andrew Bynum's face during a third-quarter timeout on the heels of a poor defensive sequence. And Lakers star Kobe Bryant was withering about those same defensive lapses. The first time he was asked about his teammates' failure to get him the ball in scoring positions, he cut off the question. The next time he was asked a version of the same question, he glowered. ``That's not what wins championships. Everybody wants to talk about the offensive side of the ball. That has nothing to do with it,'' Bryant said. ``We've got to defend.'' About the only thing Jackson said on the topic was, ``I thought we were standing around watching.'' Based on the admittedly slim evidence available Tuesday night, you might wonder why the Lakers are paying Jackson $12 million a year, let alone why suitors are lining up in a handful of other NBA towns to up the ante if they happen to win the LeBron sweepstakes. Here's why: Bryant, just like Michael Jordan, the other transcendent star that Jackson coached, long ago bought into the idea that he wasn't going to win championships by himself. So much so that his harping about defensive lapses after the game could have been written by Jackson himself - except that he seemed much more upset by the problem than his coach did. Jackson understands he can't make Bryant - or Jordan or James - a better player. No coach is going to do that. But Jackson also knows the only way to make the players around him better is for Bryant to be as invested in their progress as he is, especially on defense. Most coaches boast they treat every player the same, but Jackson doesn't even pretend. Jackson knows a fragile ego when he sees one. Bynum finished with 12 points and eight rebounds, an improvement from his two-point, two-rebound effort in Game 3. Like the rest of the Lakers' contributions, though, it was not nearly enough to salvage another brilliant, 38-point, 10-assist effort from Bryant. ``I was heartened by his play tonight,'' Jackson said about Bynum. What Jackson really meant is that he expected a lot more from Bynum, and just about everybody else up and down the roster, when the series shifts back to Los Angeles. How much he gets could go a long way in determining whether - let alone where he winds up watching games from next season. --- Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.orgCopyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Giants' Renteria leaves against Nats
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Giants shortstop Edgar Renteria left after the bottom of the seventh inning Tuesday against Washington with a strained hamstring. Renteria, who was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list on
<< Santana goes the distance as Angels down Blue Jays
<< Sandoval, Giants double up Nationals
<< Garland wins duel against Wainwright as Padres clip Cardinals
<< Bradley, Gutierrez star as M's trip up Tigers
Venus rolls into third round at French Open >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Venus Williams was an easy winner Wednesday in the second round of the 2010 French Open. The second-seeded Williams notched a 6-2, 6-4 triumph over Spain's Arantxa Parra Santonja. Also winning Wednes
Soderling rolls in rainy Paris >>
Magic aim to hold off Celtics again in Game 5 >>
Arroyo aims to stay hot when Reds battle Pirates >>
Marlins continue series with Braves >>
COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTINGNCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking. No. 1 always seems to fit USC. Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent. Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory. Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3. "We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team." Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time. "Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team." The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points. "I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won." Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State. "There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?" USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll. "It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter." While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls. As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule. But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference. Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com. The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road. The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second. The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia. No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday. Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee. Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina. Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson. The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996. South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20. The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24. Get free Sports Betting lines RSS feeds from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
MySportsbook.com week 1 NFL linesNow that the 2008 NFL schedule is finally out, it is only matter-of-course for lines on “Week 1” to follow. Of course MySportsbook.com is the first to churn out odds for the NFL’s inaugural week for the upcoming season. Expect a lot of fireworks the first Thursday night of the season as the defending champion Indianapolis Colts face off against the surprise of the 2008 season, the New Orleans Saints. These teams were ranked #1 and #3 in the NFL respectively a season ago so a high scoring affair could be in order. As of now, the Colts will be giving 6 points to the Saints; keep in mind the Saints were one of the better road teams last season going 6-3 SU and 7-2 ATS. The first Monday night of the season will again provide a “double feature”. Coming off a disappointing season, the Cincinnati Bengals will look to get back to playoffs and improve their public image as they take on the AFC North favorite Baltimore Ravens. The second game features a couple of teams that haven’t had too much success recently but each could make some noise if the NFC is as weak as it was last year as the San Francisco 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals. The most interesting game of the opening week will feature the NFC champion Bears as they hit the road to take on the NFL’s top team during last year’s regular season, the San Diego Chargers. MySportsbook.com Week 1 odds: Saints +6 @ Colts -6 Falcons @ Vikings (pick ‘em) Panthers @ Rams (pick ‘em) Broncos -3.5 @ Bills +3.5 Chiefs -1 @ Texans +1 Dolphins +3 @ Redskins -3 Patriots -5 @ Jets +5 Eagles -3.5 @ Packers +3.5 Steelers -4 @ Browns +4 Titans +6 @ Jaguars -6 Bears +6 @ Chargers -6 Lions +3 @ Raiders -3 Bucs +6.5 @ Seahawks -6.5 Giants +4 @ Cowboys -4 Ravens +3 @ Bengals -3 Cardinals +3 @ 49ers -3 Super Bowl line (2008) NFC +6.5 vs. AFC -6.5 MySportsbook is a large, publicly traded company with strong financial backing. You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards. |
|
