Wednesday, 10:35 pm Eastern – TNT
Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Lakers (Series tied 2-2)
Current Odds: Lakers - 8.5, Total 213.5
The Los Angeles Lakers have hit a roadblock in their quest to reach the NBA finals as the Utah Jazz decided it won’t be a cakewalk for the Lakers. Utah won both of their home games to even the best of seven series at two games each. They now head to Los Angeles to face a Lakers team that may not have league MVP Kobe Bryant at full strength. He injured his back in Game Five and was still sore. "Quite a bit (of pain), but it's a lot better than it was yesterday," Bryant said, "It'll be fine." Kobe had 33 points in the Game Five overtime loss. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Jazz on the Road.
The Lakers head home where they have owned the Jazz in the past. "We know we have homecourt advantage. We earned it," Los Angeles head coach Phil Jackson said. "We feel very confident in our building." Los Angeles is 16-3 at home against the Jazz since Staples Center opened in 1999. "To win the series, we have to win on the road," Utah's Matt Harpring said, "So we haven't gotten anywhere yet. The series is basically 0-0 and now it's the best two-out-of-three.” Teams in the 2008 NBA playoffs just haven’t been able to win on the road. Entering Tuesday night the home teams were 15-1 in the playoffs. The Jazz know they must win a game on the road and they want it to be on Wednesday. They know they can’t start out slow and expect to recover. "This is a big game. It's a momentum game and it puts a lot of pressure on whoever doesn't win," Utah’s Deron Williams said. "You can always expect a couple guys to be the same at home and away. I think I have to be one of those guys. You've got to be maybe even more aggressive on the road and try to pick up some of the slack. That's what I'm trying to do."
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Monday, 8:05 pm Eastern – TNT
Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers (Celtics lead 2-1)
Current Line / Odds: Cavaliers - 2, Total 181
The Boston Celtics haven’t been able to win on the road in the playoffs and if that continues on Monday night their series against the Cleveland Cavaliers will be tied. The Celtics lost game three 108-84 on Saturday as they were blown out early and never recovered. "We can't spot a team 15-20 points and try to dig ourselves out of it," Boston’s Kevin Garnett said. "We talked about that in the locker room that we need to play with the same urgency like we have at home. We can definitely play better, and we will." SBG Global reports that early NBA betting odds has the public taking Cavaliers at Home.
The Celtics were the NBA’s best road team in the regular season so it is somewhat of a mystery as to why they are struggling in the playoffs. The Celtics were the NBA’s best defensive team in the regular season but have had trouble on the road in the playoffs. They gave up an average of 101 points per game to the Hawks on the road and then gave up 108 points to Cleveland on Saturday. The Celtics shut down LeBron James again but couldn’t stop the rest of the Cavaliers on Saturday. Joe Smith and Delonte West had big games as did most of the rest of the Cavaliers. They picked up the slack for James who has struggled in this series. "That's why it's a team game," West said. "That's why you have teammates you trust. ... We're a unit. In this locker room we don't separate ourselves and put that separation between LeBron and ourselves as a team. I think y'all more so do that. But here in this locker room, he brings the attitude. He brings the attitude like we're all in this together. And I think it's good to have his back for a change since he has ours so many nights."
Manchester United won its second straight Premier League title on Sunday, defeating Wigan 2-0. United was tied with Chelsea in points but had a big goal difference edge and just needed a win to clinch the title. Chelsea ended up playing to a 1-1 draw with Bolton and finished two points behind. The Blues will get their chance to win a title of their own in just over a week as they will play United in the Champions League final.
Arsenal finished in third place while Liverpool finished in fourth place. Manchester United had a total of 87 points while Chelsea finished with 85 points. It was the closest Premier League title race since 1999. "We wanted very much to win the league, but it was never, ever even for one minute in our hands," Chelsea manager Avram Grant said, "Even today, when it was 1-0. You cannot say it was disappointing because we were never in first place to lose it, so we need to be very proud of what we did this year."
Arsenal finished the season four points back of United but overall it was a disappointing season considering Arsenal was leading the league in February only to collapse.
In the battle for relegation, Fulham was the team to survive while Birmingham and Reading were relegated. Fulham was able to get a 76th minute goal by Danny Murphy to win 1-0 at Portsmouth. Birmingham beat Blackburn 4-1 and Reading beat last-place Derby 4-0 but the win by Fulham got them through. "I am delighted we did it but, at the same time, I can't help but think how close we were to going down and how sad it must be for Reading and Birmingham today," said Fulham manager Roy Hodgson, "In all the jubilation, I must say we were not that far away from it being us and not them, so they have all my sympathy tonight."
The good news could continue for Fulham as they have a chance to get into next season’s UEFA Cup. After Manchester City was humiliated on the final day of the season by Middlesbrough it is possible that Fulham could now get the spot. The final spot in the UEFA Cup goes to the Premier League team that is highest in the standings that has not qualified by other means. The last place qualification takes into account a number of factors including positive play, red and yellow cards, etc. It will be days before that decision is made.
Manchester United can win the Soccer Betting Premier League title with a victory on Sunday at Wigan. United is tied atop the Premier League standings with Chelsea but has a big goal differential advantage which means if the two teams tie, the title goes to United. If United loses or ties at Wigan the door would be open for Chelsea who hosts Bolton on Sunday.
Manchester United odds are 2 goal favorite with a total of 3.
Three-way-line – United -750, Wigan +1250, Draw +500
Wigan is managed by former Manchester United player Steve Bruce. He has said that his team will not give United an easy game. Everybody associates me with Manchester United for obvious reasons. But we're quite insulted that we are just going to roll over and hand Manchester United the title because of my connections, said Bruce, How can I go and say that to the players after the run they have had, Don not train tomorrow. Forget about Saturday and when Sunday comes just roll over and let Manchester United walk all over you? That will definitely not happen. SBG Global reports that early Soccer Betting has the public taking Manchester United on the Road.
Chelsea’s game against Bolton is probably going to be an easy win for the Blues since Bolton avoided relegation. United may face a more difficult test at Wigan. Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson sure thinks so. People have questioned Wigan's integrity but when you look at it, the different attitudes are quite interesting, said Ferguson, The Wigan players are coming out and saying, We want to beat Manchester United. That is fine, we are a big club. But both teams are safe, relaxed and confident. Yet one can celebrate and the other is all keyed up to play against Manchester United.
United is likely going to be without striker Wayne Rooney who has a hip injury. Maybe I will have him as a substitute on Sunday, Ferguson said. but he will certainly be fit for the Champions League final.
The Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves in a familiar situation in their series against the Boston Celtics as they are down two games to none after being blown away in Boston. Last year the Cavaliers lost the first two games in Detroit but then won the next four. Being down 0-2, that is a tough hole to dig yourself out of. Clevelands LeBron James said, But if we want to win the series we have got to do it.
James has been nothing short of miserable in the series so far against Boston. LeBron is now 8 for 42 in the series and if that lack of success continues this series will quickly be over. Boston broke out of their shooting woes in Game 2 as Paul Pierce had 19 points, Ray Allen 16 points while Kevin Garnett added 13 point and 12 rebounds. James finished Game 2 with 21 points on 6 for 24 shooting. A little shocked that he's 8-for-42, but this is what we work on. We work on trying to contain him, said Pierce, LeBron is what makes them go. And if we can somehow control him, we control their team. And with the help of the guys around me, we've been able to do that. James is not getting much help. The Cavaliers as a team shot 35.6 percent in the game. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 19 points for the Cavaliers. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Cavaliers at Home.
The Cavaliers must find a way to get James going in Game 3. They are doing what every team is doing to him, Cavaliers Coach Mike Brown said. Forcing his pick and rolls to baseline, double teaming him in the post. There are only so many types of defenses you can do, and he has faced them before. James has missed very easy shots in this series and is simply not playing well. I'm frustrated with that, I know how to protect the ball, James said. Just missing the shots that I normally make. The layups that usually go down for me are just jumping out of the rim. The jumpers that I usually make are not going down for me.
The Cavaliers will try and get back in the series on Saturday in a must win Game three. Boston should be confident about it, they have great stars, but it is what the series is about. It is not over until someone wins four games. Brown said, Half our team has been in this situation before, we know that game three is a separate entity and we will get energized from our crown and try to get a win. James is also ready to get back home and use the crowd as motivation to turn the series around. Home court has always been good for us. So we are going to use the crowd and we just have to continue to try to keep our heads up on offense and try to make the extra pass and get some teammates open, get some guys some good looks.
Friday, 9:05 pm Eastern – ESPN
Current Line / Odds: Jazz - 4.5, Total 215
Lakers coach Phil Jackson knows things will be different in Utah. They're scrumming around. That's much more decisive on their court, Jackson said.
The Lakers are now 6-0 in the playoffs as they swept the Nuggets before this series against Utah. We obviously have an advantage. What we did was take care of our home court, said Kobe Bryant, Now we've got to try and stop them from taking care of their home court.
Here are the NBA 2008 playoff betting odds for Friday’s game. The Lakers are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 Conference Semifinals games. The Lakers are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 vs. the Northwest. The Lakers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Lakers are 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games overall. The Lakers are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games as a road underdog.
The Lakers are 21-8-1 ATS in their last 30 games as an underdog. The Lakers are 35-16-1 ATS in their last 52 road games. The Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Friday games.
The Jazz are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 Friday games. The Jazz are 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 playoff games as a favorite. The Jazz are 38-13-1 ATS in their last 52 games as a home favorite. The Jazz are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Jazz are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The home team is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings between the two teams. The favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
The Under is 4-1 in the Lakers last 5 vs. the Northwest. The Under is 4-1 in the Lakers last 5 road games. The Over is 10-3 in the Lakers last 13 Friday games.
The Over is 21-7 in Utah’s last 28 vs. the Pacific. The Under is 6-2 in Utah’s last 8 games playing on 1 day of rest. The Over is 8-3 in Utah’s last 11 games as a favorite. The Over is 5-2 in Utahs last 7 playoff games as a favorite. The Over is 5-2-1 in Utah’s last 8 Friday games. The Over is 7-3 in Utah’s last 10 home games. The Over is 11-5 in the last 16 meetings between the two teams.
NEW YORK May 6, 2008 - Despite triumph and tragedy meeting at the Kentucky Derby this past weekend, fan interest and fascination in the possibility of a horse winning the Triple Crown is at an all time high. Affirmed remains the last horse to win the triple crown in 1978 and fans are wondering how Bog Brown stacks up – and what the field will look like at the Preakness.
This being the case, the largest most successful online sportsbook on the web, BetUS.com posted odds on a triple crown winner, as well as the Preakness.
"Fans are really eager for a horse to capture their imaginations like Affirmed did back in 1978," stated BetUS spokesman Reed Richards. "That's really where all of this interest stems from. They come to our site hoping the chances are good fro a Triple Crown winner – what those chances are EXACTLY."
Oddsmakers at BetUS.com posted the following odds on the Triple Crown and Preakness:
To Win Preakness
Big Brown 1/3
Harlem Rocker 9/2
Behindatthebar 14/1
Denis of Cork 16/1
Samba Rooster 16/1
Colonel John 16/1
Bob Black Jack 20/1
Tale of Ekati 25/1
Recapturetheglory 33/1
Will Big Brown win the Triple Crown
Yes 1/2
No 3/2
Thursday, 7:05 pm Eastern – ESPN
Current Line / Odds: Celtics - 8.5, Total 177.5
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics will both try and play better than they did in game one as the teams meet in Boston on Thursday for game two. It was an ugly game one that the Celtics won 76-72. Both teams shot the ball poorly and Cleveland’s LeBron James was a disgrace going 2 of 18 from the field. James missed an easy layup with 9 second left in the game that would have tied it. "I can't play no worse than I did last night," James said Wednesday, "You don't expect those guys to have off nights like that. I don't expect myself to have an off night like I did." SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Cavaliers on the Road.
Boston was not much better than Cleveland except for Kevin Garnett. The other two players in the big three, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen combined to go 2 for 18 and Allen didn’t even score. Garnett carried the Celtics with 28 points. "Offensively, we were a terrible-looking group," Pierce said. "We turned the ball over 23 times, shot 40 percent from the field. We did just about everything wrong you could do offensively, and what happens, the defense comes and saves the day."
Check out the highlights and recap for Game 2 of the Pistons vs Magic series. The Detroit Pistons were up 2-0 until last night when Orlando beat them 111-86 with Rashard Lewis scoring a career high 33 points. Watch the recap video below from YouTube:
Wednesday, 10:35 pm Eastern – TNT
Current Line / Odss: Lakers - 6.5, Total 209.5
The Los Angeles Lakers will look to continue their perfect record in the 2008 NBA playoffs as they host the Utah Jazz in game two of their best of seven series on Wednesday. The Lakers dispatched of the Denver Nuggets in round one in a four game sweep and took the first game against the Jazz in this series. The key for the Lakers was their 16-point advantage at the free throw line in the 109-98 game one victory. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Lakers at Home.
The Lakers actually blew most of a 19 point lead before hitting their last eight free throws to win by 11 points. The Lakers went 38-46 from the line while the Jazz went 20-32. The Jazz were physical in game one and the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, who won the league MVP award on Tuesday, said he expects that to continue. "I'm sure it will; it's playoff basketball," he said. "Utah plays physical anyway. Those guys, they play hard. They're not talking, they just play hard. We've just got to do a better job getting to their bodies." The referees called a lot of fouls in game one and that definitely helped Los Angeles. "They play a very physical game, let the referees make a decision on what's a foul and what isn't," Los Angeles head coach Phil Jackson said. "They scrum, they get in the lane, they're after the ball, they're pushing and shoving. It's not our style. We are going to play the kind of game we have to play. Just be more resilient, that's all." Kobe hit 21 of 23 free throws in the series opener.
Tuesday, 8:05 pm Eastern – TNT
NBA Playoff Betting Preview
Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics (Game 1)
Current Line / Odds: Celtics - 9.5, Total 183.5
The defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers will face the team that most people believe will win the East this year, the Boston Celtics in game one of their best of seven series on Tuesday. The Celtics had all kinds of trouble dispatching the Atlanta Hawks in the first round while Cleveland was able to get past Washington. The Cavaliers will lean on LeBron James while the Celtics have the big three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.
SBG Global reports that early NBA 2008 playoff betting has the public taking Celtics at Home.
James has scored 30 or more points against the Celtics in 9 of their last 10 meetings. In three games this season, James averaged 32 points, seven rebounds and just under 10 assists against the Celtics. "You've always got to keep an eye on him wherever he is on the court," said Paul Pierce. The Celtics and Cavaliers split their four games this season with each team winning their home games.
NBA Playoff Betting Preview
San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Hornets (Game One)
Saturday, 10:00 pm Eastern – TNT
SBG Global Opening Line: Hornets - 3.5 , Total 183.5
The New Orleans Hornets will face the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in game one of the best of seven Western Conference semifinals on Saturday night. The Hornets took out the Dallas Mavericks easily in the first round while the Spurs dispatched of the Phoenix Suns in five games in their opening series. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Spurs on the Road.
The matchup in this series should be intriguing as the Spurs are the league’s oldest and most experienced team with 11 players in their 30s. They have star players in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. New Orleans has eight players who are under the age of 30. Their stars are league MVP candidate Chris Paul and David West. The two teams look very evenly matched in this series. They finished the season with identical 56-26 records and they split their four head-to-head meetings. The reason New Orleans got the higher seed was based on their superior conference record but that was only by one game.
The matchups in this series should be excellent. It will be Chris Paul against Tony Parker in the backcourt. At the small forward it is Peja Stojakovic against Bruce Bowen and at power forward it is David West against Tim Duncan. Those three matchups are the key to the series. The one advantage New Orleans may have is off the bench. Jannero Pargo was excellent in the first round against Dallas and Julian Wright also played well. Technically Ginobili comes off the bench for San Antonio but that is only for appearance. He is a starter and one of the Spurs most important players.
Here are the NBA betting stats for Saturday’s game. The Spurs are 20-8 ATS in their last 28 games playing on 3 or more days of rest. The Spurs are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games as an underdog. The Spurs are 5-13 ATS in their last 18 games as a road underdog. The Spurs are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 Saturday games. The Spurs are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in New Orleans. The road team is 6-2 ATS in the last 8 meetings between the two teams.
The Hornets are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 playoff games as a favorite. The
Hornets are 21-7 ATS in their last 28 home games. The Hornets are 44-16-2 ATS in their last 62 Saturday games. The Hornets are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 Conference Semifinals games.
The Over is 6-2 in the Spurs last 8 overall. The Under is 16-6 in the Spurs last 22 vs. the Southwest. The Over is 8-3 in the Spurs last 11 playoff games as an underdog. The Over is 11-5 in the Spurs last 16 Conference Semifinals games.
The Over is 6-1 in the Hornets last 7 Conference Semifinals games. The Over is 17-7-2 in the Hornets last 26 games as a home favorite. The Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings between the two teams.
The Washington Wizards finally stopped talking and started playing on Wednesday and it resulted in a win on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers. If Washington can win at home on Friday they would force a game 7 back in Cleveland on Sunday. "We just said, 'It's time to stop all the talking.' A lot of guys were trying to defend themselves as far as this and that. But it wasn't working," Washington’s Antawn Jamison said, “We said: 'the ultimate change around is for us to just be quiet and find a way to come back from 3-1 and win the series.' I think they finally got it."
SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Cavaliers on the Road.
The Wizards were without guard Gilbert Arenas on Wednesday but they may be better off without him. They played more as a team and Caron Butler ended up hitting the winning shot in the 88-87 win. "Caron wants an opportunity to lead a team," guard Roger Mason Jr. said. "He willed us to that victory yesterday. His personality was on the floor, and I think it's good for us." Butler had 32 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the Game five victory. Butler outplayed Cleveland’s LeBron James on Wednesday as James missed what would have been the winning shot. The Cavaliers will try and get some help for LeBron on Friday. James is averaging 30.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists in the series.
NBA Playoff Betting Preview
Houston Rockets at Utah Jazz (Jazz lead 3-2)
Friday, 10:35 pm Eastern – ESPN
Current Line / Odds: Jazz - 7.5, Total 180
The Utah Jazz realize that they had better take care of business and close out the Houston Rockets on Friday or they will face a game 7 back in Houston on Sunday. The Jazz seemed to have the series totally in hand after winning the first two games in Houston but have now lost two of the past three games. "We have home-court advantage right now and we don't want to lose it. We need to treat it really like Game 7," Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko said. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Jazz at Home.
The Rockets routed the Jazz in Game five 95-69 and now it is Houston that has the confidence. "They're just playing better and better every game. That's where we've got to be concerned," Utah guard Deron Williams said. "After those first two losses, it seems like they're a different team - a more determined team." The Jazz were horrible on Tuesday, committing 18 turnovers and they scored the fewest points they have all season.
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