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Hawks, Magic kick off Eastern semis in OrlandoBasketball Betting Lines05/04/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The well-rested Orlando Magic finally will get back to work on defending their Eastern Conference championship when they kick off the second round of the postseason against their division rival, the Atlanta Hawks. The second-seeded Magic have been idle since finishing a sweep of the overmatched Charlotte Bobcats back on April 26. Orlando had little trouble disposing of the Bobcats despite All-Star center Dwight Howard being in constant foul trouble throughout the set. It was the first sweep in a best-of- seven series in Magic franchise history. "When you write it down in the books it's a sweep, but that was a very difficult series," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. "It was physical, tough and they made it very tough on us. We just struggled to score points and get shots. I thought they had a great defensive game plan in the series." Howard was able to play in just 105 minutes in the entire series and averaged a pedestrian 9.8 points and 9.3 rebounds, although he was his usual disruptive self on the defensive end, swatting away 20 shots, an average of 5.0 per game. "Regardless of us winning with him in foul trouble throughout the series, we still need him on the floor," Orlando forward Vince Carter said. "He's a big part of what we do. We can go as far as he takes us. Our job is to help him." The All-Star center and two-time reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year fouled out of the final two games in the series with Charlotte and committed five fouls in each of the first two contests. Howard was so upset with the officiating, he was fined $35,000 for using his personal blog to criticize the referees a day after the sweep. "I'm not looking to say anything to get myself in trouble with the league, but I just don't see other star players getting called for fouls the way I get them," Howard's blog read. "No star player in the league is outta games the way I am." Van Gundy and forward Matt Barnes also were fined $35,000 apiece last week for criticizing officials earlier in the series. The Hawks, meanwhile, had to fight tooth-and-nail to fend off a Milwaukee Bucks team that was missing star center Andrew Bogut. After falling behind 3-2 in the set, Atlanta routed the Bucks in Brew City during Game 6 and repeated that with an emphatic Game 7 win in Dixie on Sunday. "These guys didn't stop believing," Hawks head coach Mike Woodson said. "We got beat in Game 5 and it was tough to swallow because we controlled that game. But to bounce back like they did and go back into Milwaukee and bring it back home and win it is unbelievable." On the injury front, Magic swingman Mickael Pietrus sprained his left ankle during practice on Sunday but is expected to play tonight. Meanwhile, star point guard Jameer Nelson, who averaged a team-best 23.8 points and 4.5 assists against the Bobcats, is battling a stomach virus but is also expected to go. Orlando, which has won 10 straight games dating back to the regular season, took three of four games from the Hawks this year and won the Southeast Division by six games over Atlanta. The two teams have met just one time in the postseason, however, a 4-1 Magic win in the 1995-96 Eastern Conference semifinals. Game 2 in the series is scheduled for Thursday in Orlando.
<< Bulls fire Del Negro
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls have fired head coach Vinny Del Negro and will discuss the move at a noon (et) news conference on Tuesday. Bulls general manager Gar Forman will meet the media at the Berto Center to address t
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Lakers aim to continue dominance over Jazz at Staples Center >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah Jazz will try to avoid falling in a 2-0 series hole when they face the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers tonight in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals at Staples Center. Los Angeles survived in Game 1 when Ko
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MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season. What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season. Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all. Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13). Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two. Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury. Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven. Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury. Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season. In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons. Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4. Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1). The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this. No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate. Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend. Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend. With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend. MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds: Atlanta Hawks 1000-1 Boston Celtics 5000-1 Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1 Chicago Bulls 20-1 Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1 Dallas Mavericks 2-1 Denver Nuggets 25-1 Detroit Pistons 6-1 Golden State Warriors 250-1 Houston Rockets 12-1 Indiana Pacers 60-1 Los Angeles Clippers 45-1 Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1 Miami Heat 9-1 Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1 Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1 New Jersey Nets 50-1 New Orleans Hornets 150-1 New York Knicks 150-1 Orlando Magic 75-1 Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1 Phoenix Suns 5-2 Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1 Sacramento Kings 250-1 San Antonio Spurs 9-1 Seattle Sonics 5000-1 Toronto Raptors 35-1 Utah Jazz 20-1 Washington Wizards 25-1 About MySportsbook.com:
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NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super BowlThe AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East. Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around. The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win. To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs. |
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