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Celtics and Magic kick off East finals in OrlandoBasketball Betting Lines05/16/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics were able to put the NBA's best player, LeBron James, in the rear view mirror and are now moving on to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in three years. Things don't figure to get any easier for the C's, however, as the well- rested, red-hot Orlando Magic, the defending conference champs and a far more well-rounded team than James' Cleveland Cavaliers, lay in wait. Kevin Garnett had 22 points and 12 rebounds as the Celtics beat Cleveland, 94-85, in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal set on Thursday. Rajon Rondo contributed 21 points, 12 assists and five steals for Boston, which gained the 4-2 series victory by winning the final three games. "I'm really not that proud of this, truthfully because our goal was to win a championship," forward Paul Pierce said. "We didn't say we wanted to come into this year and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs. Our goal is a championship." The second-seeded Magic will have home-court advantage against Boston, which came into the playoffs seeded fourth. The Magic, who beat Boston in seven games in the conference semifinals last year, are a perfect 8-0 this postseason and have won 14 straight games dating back to the regular season. Orlando, which is an amazing 28-3 since Feb. 28, finished its semifinals series back on May 10 when Vince Carter struck for 22 points and the Magic made 16 shots from beyond the arc, as Orlando advanced to the East finals for a second straight year, beating Southeast Division-rival Atlanta, 98-84, to finish off another playoff sweep. The Magic's dominance over Atlanta was breathtaking. Orlando recorded the largest victory margin in a four-game sweep in NBA playoff history, winning the series by a total of 101 points. "That's always the goal," Carter said. "Just like every other team that enters the playoffs, when you want to show your dominance it's definitely the playoff time. I think we've done that." The Magic also swept Charlotte in the first round before disposing of the Hawks in the conference semifinals. "I think it's good, but last year Cleveland won their first eight and then we beat them in the conference finals," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "The one thing you have to understand about playoff basketball, you've got to get beyond the last game in the last series. It has no meaning for the game or the series coming up whatsoever. You go in with good confidence, you get a little bit of rest, but it will all come down to how you play in the next matchup." On the injury front for Orlando, forward Matt Barnes missed practice Saturday with back spasms but expects to start in Game 1 at Amway Arena. The defensive stalwart is expected to check both Pierce and Ray Allen in the series and is a important part of Van Gundy's defensive philosophy. For the Celtics, center Kendrick Perkins, the team's first line of defense against All-Star Dwight Howard, missed practice Saturday in order to rest his sore right knee. He is also expected to start. The Magic won three of four games vs. the Celtics in the regular season this year and has taken both playoff matchups between the two franchises, last year's Eastern Conference semifinals set and a first round win back in the 1994-95 season. Garnett, the Celtics' leader, was sidelined with a knee injury when Boston lost to the Magic last year but the Orlando was also shorthanded as starting point guard Jameer Nelson was absent with a tear in his right shoulder. Both players are back this time and playing at a very high level. "Orlando was the team coming into the season where if you wanted to get out of the East, you had to beat Orlando," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "They are the team that won the East last year, not Cleveland, and I want to make sure our guys focus on that. I'm confident we're going to get the effort." The best-of-seven series continues on Tuesday for Game 2, also in Orlando.
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sporting the longest current win streak in the American League, the Toronto Blue Jays try to make it four in a row this afternoon as they entertain the Texas Rangers in the finale of a three-game set at the Rogers Centre.
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SPORTS BETTINGNFL Football Betting OnlineIn terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy. 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. Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
NFL Football BettingBILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover. BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week. COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy. TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win. RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win. PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start. JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch. SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do. VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams. DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home. SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one. BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1. BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses. RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw. PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1. Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting. |
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