Rondo, Celtics rout Magic to put Orlando on the brink
Basketball Betting Lines
05/22/2010 -
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rajon Rondo finished with 11 points, 12 assists
and four steals, as the Boston Celtics moved to the brink of a return trip to
the NBA Finals with a 94-71 rout of the Orlando Magic.
Glen Davis had 17 points off the bench for the Celtics, who lead the Eastern
Conference finals 3-0 and can finish off the sweep on Monday at TD Garden.
They've won six straight playoff games, and the most recent victory came
thanks to a surge in the opening quarter.
The Celtics held a 27-12 lead after the first quarter, holding Orlando to
4-of-17 shooting in the period.
Paul Pierce added 15 points and nine rebounds, while Ray Allen chipped in 14
points for Boston, which is aiming for its second title in three seasons,
having beaten the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008. Kevin Garnett scored 10 points.
Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson each had 15 points for the defending Eastern
Conference champions, who will try to overcome tremendous odds, as no team in
NBA history has rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven series.
<< Dodgers continue May success, hold off Tigers
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Kemp and Casey Blake homered to back
the strong pitching of John Ely, as the Los Angeles Dodgers continued their
May success with a 6-4 win over the Detroit Tigers.
Blake DeWitt hit a two-run trip
<< Dice-K flirts with no-hitter as Red Sox handle Phillies
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daisuke Matsuzaka had a no-hitter broken
up with two outs in the eighth inning with Juan Castro's flare single to
shallow left, and the Red Sox handled Philadelphia, 5-0, in the second
install
<< Fontenot, Cubs hold on to beat Rangers in 10 innings
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Fontenot had a pinch-hit RBI single in
the 10th inning to put the Cubs in front, and Chicago took a 5-4 win over the
Texas Rangers in the continuation of this weekend's interleague series.
Alfonso So
<< Wizards hope to take advantage of Crew club on short rest
Kansas City, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Crew put their unbeaten record
on the line when they travel to take on the Kansas City Wizards at
CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Sunday evening.
The Crew (5-0-2) are playing on just
<< Wright helps Mets take down Yankees
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Wright broke out with two hits and two
RBI as the New York Mets held on for a 5-3 win over the New York Yankees in
the second installment of the Subway Series.
Mike Pelfrey (6-1) earned the win a
U.S. women top Germany, 4-0 >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The United States women's national soccer
team topped Germany, 4-0, in a friendly match at Cleveland Browns Stadium on
Saturday night.
Abby Wambach scored two goals sandwiched around goals from Heath
Tigers rookie Austin Jackson beaned in head >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Tigers outfielder Austin Jackson
took a fastball to the side of his batting helmet in the eighth inning of
Saturday's 6-4 loss to the Dodgers and was taken to the hospital as a
precaut
Million dollar night for Kurt Busch in all-star race >>
Concord, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kurt Busch overcame two encounters with the
wall and then survived a wild 10-lap shootout to the finish to win the NASCAR
Sprint All-Star Race Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Busch, the 2004 Cup Series ch
Braves stay hot, top Pirates >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eric Hinske and Melky Cabrera homered and
Derek Lowe remained perfect in his career against Pittsburgh, as the Atlanta
Braves won their fifth straight game, taking a 4-2 decision over the Pirates.
Lowe
Late Espindola winner ensures RSL the full points at Chivas USA >>
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake earned its fourth straight Major
League Soccer victory with a 2-1 win over Chivas USA on Saturday night at the
Home Depot Center.
Second-half substitute Fabian Espindola scored the game winn
Pacific-10 Conference odds
Teams that should be in: Stanford
 Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.
Should be in:
Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.
| Southeastern Conference odds |
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State
 It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.
Work left to do:
Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.
Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.
Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.
Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile. |
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