Allen's sweet stroke saves Celtics
Basketball Betting Lines
06/07/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There is nothing more deflating for an NBA team than
watching a great shooter get a good look from the three-point line.
The ball comes off the hand and almost seems frozen in time for a second or
two before splashing through the net, never touching the cylinder.
It's an almost helpless feeling.
At some point in the NBA Finals, you knew the Boston Celtics were going to
exploit a mismatch in the backcourt.
Kobe Bryant may be the best on-ball defender in professional basketball but
the aging Derek Fisher was going to have trouble matching up with either Rajon
Rondo or Ray Allen.
As one of the best shooters in the history of the game, a date with Bryant's
torturous defense used to be a virtual guarantee for Allen, but the emergence
of Rondo has made things difficult for Lakers coach Phil Jackson.
It's almost a "pick your poison" type of decision for Jackson. Kobe can stifle
just about anyone but if you put him on Rondo, Allen is going to get a lot of
open looks. Shut down Ray's outside shooting, and you open up the lane for
Rondo's penetration.
Jackson was clearly more concerned with Rondo's ability to get to the rim, and
made his decision to place Bryant on Rondo in Game 1.
"Teams have done that all year," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "It's nothing
new putting a big guy on Rondo and a small guy on Ray. And every time we do
that we feel we can give Ray shots."
Jackson's roll of the dice worked and the Lakers earned a rather emphatic Game
1 victory as Allen struggled with foul trouble and was unable to take advantage
of the 6-foot-1 Fisher's spotty defense.
"The other night was frustrating," Allen said of Game 1 "It was tough just
trying to adjust the referees on the sideline. Physically I felt great. I was
getting to the spots I needed to, just never really got in a great rhythm."
The NBA playoffs are all about adjustments between contests. Jackson stood pat
in Game 2 and Rivers made sure his team understood what went wrong, reminding
his players there was a significant mismatch to exploit. The result was Allen
setting an NBA Finals record by sinking eight three-point shots in a 103-94
Game 2 win over the Lakers.
"I'm trying not to do too much," Allen said when describing Rivers' game plan.
"Getting Fisher, run him off screens and forcing their bigs to help. That's
somewhat the thought process. Making a hard cut from one side of the basket to
the other."
Allen made his first seven from long range in the first half of Game 2 on the
way to an incredible 27-point effort by halftime, boosting the Celtics to a
54-48 advantage.
"I thought they (Lakers) did everything they could to keep me from shooting
threes and they worked tirelessly," Allen said. "We were setting great screens
and I was getting to my spots."
The Lakers adjusted their defense on Allen after the first half but the damage
was done. A deflated Celtics team was rejuvenated and able to take advantage
of Bryant's own foul trouble to hold off LA.
"He was unbelievable," Pierce said of Allen. "He just came out here and shot
lights out. You could tell he was frustrated from the last game because of the
foul trouble and I think he showed us that Ray Allen is a future Hall of Famer
and one of the greatest shooters to ever play."
Allen canned the record breaker with 4:40 left in the third quarter, helping
Boston even the best-of-seven series and seize home-court advantage. He
finished the game with 32 points, going 8-of-11 from three-point range,
breaking the mark he shared with Houston's Kenny Smith (1995) and Chicago's
Scottie Pippen (1997).
"I don't know what record it is that people are telling me that I got, but
it's great to have," Allen said after the game. "Great to be able to look back
on it and say I did that. This is definitely the time. There is no better
place, moment or time to play a game, to win a game than the finals."
<< NBA finals are Boston bound tied at a game apiece
BOSTON (AP) -Chin resting in his hand, mouth barely moving as he spoke, Kobe Bryant had the look of someone who would have rather been anywhere but Staples Center.The next few nights might make him long to be back home.The NBA's best rivalry is retu
<< Drosselmeyer: Not the best horse last Saturday
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Drosselmeyer won the 142nd Belmont Stakes
but the most promising colt that ran at Belmont Park was not even entered in a
stakes race.
The fourth race on the card gave horseplayers a glimpse of future grea
<< Selig and MLB slow to stifle replay controversy
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - To say Jim Joyce feels bad for costing
Armando Galarraga's chance at history would be a gross understatement. But
consider the silver lining that came from one of the game's all-time gaffes;
the realization th
<< Dodgers, Cardinals to face off in NLDS rematch
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Playing in close games has become a habit of the Los
Angeles Dodgers as of late. That wasn't the case the last time they faced the
St. Louis Cardinals.
Los Angeles and St. Louis square off for the first time since last sea
<< Rangers host Mariners at the Ballpark
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers will attempt to continue their season-
long success at home when the current American League West leaders welcome one
of the worst road teams in the majors, the Seattle Mariners, to Rangers
Ballpar
Rodriguez leads Independence past Sky Blue FC >>
West Chester, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Amy Rodriguez assisted on the opening goal
and tallied the winner as the Philadelphia Independence downed Sky Blue FC,
2-1, on Sunday at John A. Farrell Stadium.
Lori Lindsey opened the scoring jus
Etherington close to new Stoke deal >>
Stoke-on-Trent, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has
confirmed that Matthew Etherington is close to penning a new contract at the
Britannia Stadium.
The former West Ham star enjoyed a fine 2009-10 campaign and
Mauer leads AL All-Star voting, Morneau moves past Teixeira >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer continues to
be the top vote-getter after the third set of American League All-Star
balloting results, while his teammate, first baseman Justin Morneau, moved
into fi
Lennon named manager of St Mirren >>
Paisley, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St Mirren have named the highly-rated
Cowdenbeath boss Danny Lennon as their new manager.
The 40-year-old, who succeeds Gus MacPherson, arrives at St Mirren Park after
the Paisley-based club agreed t
Krasic hopeful over Juventus deal >>
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - CSKA Moscow's Serbia international playmaker
Milos Krasic is closing in on a move to Serie A giants Juventus.
The 25-year-old has been linked with a number of top clubs across Europe, but
is keen to try his
American Idol Betting Odds: Season 6
The online gambling websites are in the process of deciphering each American Idol contestant and his or her chances of winning Season 6 to come up with the early American Idol betting lines.
Tim Dalton of MySportsbook.com has been locked away in a soundproof room coming up with all the latest tallies, we are told. "American Idol has become one of the most significant betting events of the year," claims Jack Black of MySportsbook.com. "Last year, millions were bet during the season across the globe, not just in America.
It's tough early on since we really do not have a glimpse as to how well each of these individuals will perform solo on a week-to-week basis. It's like Week 1 of the NFL. Pre-season means nada!
We do know the 24 finalists however.
Sanjaya Malakar is the young man whose sister failed to make it into the Top 24. He's very low key but - unless he totally flubs - will probably win over the young girlie vote for a few weeks anyway. He's too young to go all the way, according to Payton O'Brien.
Brandon Rogers - Who?
Phil Stacy is the military guy who missed his daughter's birth because of the Memphis audition. He should go a good distance.
Chris Sligh - He's got the humor and in many ways he's the Anti-American Idol much like last year's winner Taylor Hicks was. And this is why he'll probably get pretty far in this competition. He's chubby, white with a big curly afro....but more importantly, a great voice! People love "real", not "real cute" to go all the way.
"Blake Lewis should go far because of his uniqueness and looks. He's the boy next store with a twist - he beat boxes. But on top of this, he's a great singer, and I adore him," Payton O'Brien relayed.
A talented beat-boxer Blake Lewis was a hit during the group sing in Hollywood but Simon explained that this is a singing contest just before he told him he was “in.”
Paul Kim has caught our own roving reporter, Jenny Woo's eyes.
"I love the fact that there is a Korean American on the show and he is bound to get more Asians tuning into the show," Woo said from her Miami Beach estate. "There has never been a major presence of Asian-Americans on American Idol in the past. He's a hottie with a nice voice so that should help to take him far. Expect heavy betting action from the Asian community."
Sundance Head - He's not perfect, but he's got the personality that will take him through a few weeks, plus he's got the lineage (son of Roy Head - whose 1965 single, "Treat Her Right," hit No. 5 in the charts)
And the others:
Rudy Cardinas
AJ Tabaldo - the 5th time is the charm
Nicolas Pedro
Chris Richardson
Jared Cotter
The girls
"Melinda Doolittle has one of the best voices," says MySportsbook.com Reporter and an acclaimed dancer in her own right, Destiney Lewis. "It is great to see a back up singer step out like she has. The girl needs to gain more confidence but that can also be a positive. I think she will go far."
Alena Alexander - Those tears (she never seems to stop bawling) should get her far.
"Single mom Lakisha Jones I suspect will be a pretty big favorite entering Week 1 of the competition," says Destiny Williams. Jones is an excellent singer and down to earth. "She'll have a wide appeal," echoed O'Brien.
Nicole Trellis - Seems to exert confidence.
Amy Krebs - a powerful singer.
Antonella Barba
Gina Glocksen
Hailey Scanardo
Jordan Sparks
Stephanie Edwards
Leslie Hunt
Sabrina Sloan
MySportsbook.com is offering a 20% signup bonus with an initial deposit (i.e. open your American Idol betting account with $300, receive another $60 in which to bet with).
Last two contestants will be?
1 Male/1 Female +100 (a $10 bet pays $10 plus your initial $10)
2 Males +170 (a $10 bet pays $17 plus your initial $17)
2 Females +130 (a $10 bet pays $13 plus your initial $10)
MySportsbook.com is an online sportsbook accepts Visa Credit Cards and online sportsbook accepts Mastercard Credit Cards for easy American Idol betting lines.
|