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02/13/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Lakers are the 3-2 favorites to win the NBA Championship, with a slight gap between the second and third choices, Boston at 5-2, and Cleveland at 3-1, respectively. More important than the odds is the distance these three teams have opened up on the rest of the league.
Orlando has the NBA's next best record at 38-13, just off the pace of its eastern compatriots Boston and Cleveland, yet the Magic are high up on the board at 7-1.
San Antonio is second choice in the West to Los Angeles, yet the Spurs are barely in the single digit range at 9-1. According to the oddsmakers, it's almost a losing gamble to wager a single penny on any of the other 25 teams as Portland is next in line at 22-1.
In some instances it's easy to predict which clubs will win championships based on odds, in others it is extremely difficult. Last year was an effortless one in that regard, as the two favorites reached the NBA Finals.
Even back at the 2007-08 All-Star break, it was almost a given the Celtics and Lakers would meet for all the marbles. Boston was 1-1 and Los Angeles was the second choice at 14-5, with four other clubs between 9-2 and 6-1.
The Celtics went on to win the NBA Championship, giving those who wagered on them a time to rejoice as well as a time to cry. Why would gamblers be in tears after the team they bet to win it all did just that? Well, it all comes down to timing. How many folks would have ever thought that Boston's odds would be higher at the end of the season than it was at the break? That's exactly what took place as the Celtics odds jumped up to 3-2 come mid- April from even money in mid-February.
Therein lies the rub when making wagers at the All-Star break. One never knows what the future will bring, and sometimes not being able to foresee that could cost you a fortune in the long run.
Two seasons ago, it was a totally different story.
The top two teams in each conference come All-Star Weekend were Detroit and Miami in the East and Dallas and Phoenix in the West. In an interesting twist, just one of those four clubs (Detroit) reached the final four, and the Pistons were prevented from going to the championship round when Cleveland got the best of them in six games.
The eventual champion Spurs, third choice in the West at the break due to a 12-10 record from January 1 through February 14, proved that being on top of your game in May and June is much more important than winning in the dog days of winter.
So how does all of this information relate to 2009? It proves that anything is possible. Two years ago, the two clubs that reached the finals were not considered major threats in the middle of the season, while last year, even when the favorite came out on top, more money could have been made just by waiting 60 more days.
Wagering on future occurrences is a losing endeavor, especially if one considers betting on only low-priced squads. Instead, try taking a shot with a club that has fallen off the radar screen. The Hornets have nose-dived into oblivion with a .500 record since January 1. Still, they share a few characteristics of the Spurs team that won it all two years ago, as San Antonio limped into the All-Star break in 2007 winning just 12 of its prior 22 games.
The Spurs had failed the year before, getting bounced in seven games in the conference semifinals. Last season, the Hornets fell in the same round in a tough seven-game series to San Antonio. Additionally, New Orleans opened this season 21-10, while the Spurs went 23-8 in their first 31 games two years ago.
San Antonio was 5-1 to win the West at this juncture in 2007, and New Orleans is currently a hefty 11-1. The Hornets are worth a flyer at double-digits.
WELCOME TO PHOENIX
The Eastern Conference has dominated the All-Star game of late, winning three of the last four meetings. The West was actually favored in last year's event but the East, behind LeBron James, controlled the game from start to finish, opening up a 13-point lead after three quarters before closing it out by six, 134-128.
However, the West was robbed of its main gun, as an injured Kobe Bryant was limited to only three minutes of action without even attempting a shot. Two years ago Bryant was the game's MVP with 31 points as the West walked off with an easy 21-point score.
It looks as if the oddsmakers believe the Lakers star will be the difference in this one, as they have installed the West as the early five-point favorite. The play here is the East as their roster is stronger from top to bottom.
For those looking for a game that historically is as one-sided as any series can be in sports, look no further than the Rookie Challenge.
This exhibition should be put out of its misery since the sophomores have made a mockery of this game of late. Not only have the second-year players won the last six meetings, they have out-dueled their rookie counterparts by an average score of 134-109, with the lowest margin of victory being 10 points.
The older players are simply much more polished at this stage of their careers and it shows in every single installment of this series. For example, two seasons ago, the sophomores controlled the game from the start, opening up a 29-point halftime lead, en route to a 155-114 victory. Did the team that got trashed fall flat against the rookies the following season? Quite the opposite, as the second-year stars prevailed 136-109.
Look for the super sophomores to reign supreme for the seventh consecutive time with another handy victory.
<< Jordan, Robinson, Stockton highlight Hall finalists
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former NBA superstars Michael Jordan, David
Robinson and John Stockton are among the 16 finalists for the 2009 class of
the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Joining the three members of the NBA's 50th Annivers
<< Miccoli interested in Palermo stay
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The 29-year-old former Juventus and Benfica forward's current deal expires at
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<< Brewers' Hall sidelined with torn calf
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Bill Hall
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during spring training for at least four weeks.
The Brewers said Hall was hurt duri
<< Killie suffers another injury blow
Kilmarnock, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kilmarnock have had their selection
headaches doubled by the loss of striker Allan Russell, who was stretchered
off the training ground on Friday morning.
Russell had been expected to partne
Llorente out for Bilbao's weekend match with Recreativo >>
Bilbao, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente is
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He picked up an injury during Spain's international friendly success against
England on Wednesday.
Llorente headed a superb
Heat's Marion heading to Toronto in exchange for O'Neal >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors have
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and forward Jamario Moon to Florida and forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus
Banks t
Robredo reaches final in Brazil >>
Costa do Sauipe, Brazil (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former top-10 star Tommy Robredo
secured a berth in Saturday's final at the $562,500 Brasil Open.
The second-seeded Robredo routed fourth-seeded Argentine Jose Acasuso 6-2, 6-1
in the first of Fri
Serena, Jankovic, Dementieva reach final four in Paris >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Current world No. 1 Serena Williams,
former top-ranked star Jelena Jankovic and Olympic gold medalist Elena
Dementieva were among Friday's quarterfinal winners at the $700,000 Open
GDF Sue
NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
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