Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
02/18/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA's best take center stage on Sunday, as the Western Conference and Eastern Conference clash in the 56th annual All-Star Game at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
In the 2006 annual event, Dwyane Wade's follow shot in the lane with 16.6 seconds remaining rallied the East past the West, 122-120, at the Toyota Center. LeBron James had 29 points and six rebounds for the East and at 21- years-old was named the youngest MVP in the history of the contest. Wade ended with 20 points for the East, which rallied from a 21-point third-quarter deficit to win the contest for a second straight year.
The East has won six of the last 10 All-Star contests overall.
Miami's Shaquille O'Neal, Cleveland's James and Toronto's Chris Bosh makeup the starting frontcourt for the Eastern Conference, while Wade of the Heat and Washington's Gilbert Arenas combine to give the East a strong starting backcourt.
Shaq is a 14-time NBA All-Star and has been selected to the All- Star Game 12 times by the fans (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007). However, this will be just the 11th game that he has played in. The monstrous center did not play in the contest in 1997, 2001 or 2002.
James, who was the 2003-04 NBA Rookie of the Year, will be playing in his third NBA All-Star Game, while Bosh is participating in his second. Wade, who was the MVP of the 2006 NBA Finals, and Arenas are both appearing in their third contest. Arenas and Bosh are both in the starting lineup for the first time in their careers.
The bench for the Eastern Conference is filled with plenty of talent. Detroit's dynamic backcourt of Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton headline the reserves for the East. The Pistons All-Star duo has earned their way into the contest for the second time in their careers in as many years. They are joined by Atlanta's Joe Johnson, Orlando's Dwight Howard, Caron Butler of the Wizards, New Jersey's Vince Carter and Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal, who was voted in as a starter for last year's contest but did not play because of a groin injury.
Butler, Howard and Johnson are all making their All-Star debuts, while Carter has been selected to his eighth All-Star team and Jermaine O'Neal has earned his way on to his sixth squad, including 2006.
New Jersey guard Jason Kidd was originally named as a reserve to the East squad, However, Kidd is sidelined with a back injury and will not play in the contest. He would have played in his eighth All-Star Game (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007), The versatile Kidd has been voted as a starter three times (1996, 2000, 2001) and as a reserve five times.
Washington's Eddie Jordan is the head coach for the Eastern Conference All- Stars. Jordan is in his fourth season with Washington. He has guided the Wizards to two straight playoff appearances.
The Western Conference is feeling the injury bug for this year's contest, and will try to halt a two-game losing streak. The starting frontcourt for the West was supposed to consist of Houston center Yao Ming and forwards Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs and Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tracy McGrady of the Rockets and the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, who won the MVP of this contest in 2002 at Philadelphia, makeup a very athletic backcourt.
Yao, who leads the Rockets in scoring (25.9 ppg) and rebounding (9.4 rpg), suffered a non displaced fracture in a bone under his right knee during a 98-93 loss on December 23rd to the Los Angeles Clippers. The 7-6 Yao, who had been in the starting lineup four straight years for the West, is expected to be sidelined at least until early March and will not participate in the mid- season classic.
Duncan, who shared MVP honors with Shaq in the 2000 contest in Oakland, is making his ninth All-Star appearance, while Garnett will play in his 10th All-Star Game and was the MVP in the 2003 contest in Atlanta. McGrady will take the court for his seventh All-Star contest, sixth as a starter, and Bryant, who won the MVP of the 2002 contest, is making his ninth straight All-Star appearance, all as a starter.
Two-time reigning NBA MVP Steve Nash of the Suns, Denver's Allen Iverson and Carlos Boozer of the Jazz were all supposed to be reserves for the West. However, the three All-Stars are all dealing with injuries. Nash has right shoulder inflammation, Iverson is hampered by a sprained right ankle and Boozer, who would have made his All-Star debut, has a hairline fracture in left fibula.
Boozer is averaging team-highs in points (22.1 ppg) and rebounds (11.8 rpg) for the Jazz, while Nash, who would have played in his fifth All-Star contest, leads the league in assists (11.8 apg) and Iverson, who was acquired by Denver from Philadelphia in a blockbuster deal on December 19th, is averaging 28.7 points and 7.6 assists in 35 games for Sixers and Nuggets. Iverson has won the MVP twice (2001, 2005) for this event and had played the previous seven All- Star contests for the East, all as a starter.
The healthy bodies on the bench for the Western Conference are very versatile and athletic. The frontcourt has Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire of the Suns, and Utah's Mehmet Okur.
Seven-time All-Star Ray Allen of Seattle and Tony Parker of the Spurs are the backups for Bryant and McGrady. Allen, who made the East squad three times as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, is playing in his fourth consecutive All-Star Game as a member of the Sonics, while Parker is playing in his second-career mid-season classic in as many years.
Anthony, who served a 15-game suspension earlier this season for his participation in the infamous brawl with the New York Knicks on December 16th at Madison Square Garden. Josh Howard and Okur will both be appearing in their first All-Star Game, while Nowitzki will play in his sixth, Marion his fourth and Stoudemire in his second.
Phoenix' Mike D'Antoni, who makes his All-Star coaching debut, will be calling the shots from the West bench. D'Antoni has led the Suns to back-to-back Pacific Division titles and two straight appearances in the Western Conference finals. He was named the 2004-05 NBA Coach of the Year.
The starters for tonight's contest were determined by the fans' votes, while the 30 head coaches in the NBA voted for the reserves in their respective conferences after the starting players for each squad were finalized.
Head coaches for the East and West All-Star teams are based on teams with the best winning-percentage in each conference following the games on February 4th. Dallas Mavericks head coach Avery Johnson and Detroit Pistons head coach Flip Saunders were not eligible to coach in this seasons contest because they coached in last year's game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
This could be Wade's year to grab MVP honors. Wade can do it all and has proved many times that he is capable of taking over a game single-handidly. The defending world champions All-Star guard showed what he is capable of against Dallas in the 2006 NBA Finals and will be ready to showcase his talents on a different stage.
Stoudemire is definitely back and looks like the dominant force he used to be. The 6-10 Stoudemire, who averaged 26.0 points and 8.9 rebounds during his first All-Star season in the 2004-05 campaign, played just three games last season because of a serious knee injury. He underwent successful left knee microfracture surgery in October 2005 and had a tough road back to the court. The Suns star forward wants his peers and all of the NBA fans to see first hand how he can dominate against anyone who gets in his way.
NOTABLE
This is the first time the mid-season classic will be played in Las Vegas.
Anthony, Bosh, James and Wade are all members of the 2003 NBA Draft Class. James was selected first by Cleveland, Anthony third by Denver, Bosh went No. 4 to Toronto and the Heat grabbed Wade with the fifth overall pick.
Allen, Anthony, Josh Howard and Okur were the four replacements for Boozer, Iverson, Nash and Yao on the Western Conference roster.
Johnson replaced the injured Kidd on the East squad.
Duncan (U.S. Virgin Islands), Nowitzki (Germany), Okur (Turkey), and Parker (France) are the four international players who will participate in this year's contest. The 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 NBA All-Star Games all had a record-tying six international players on the respective rosters.
<< Sterling wins Jacob's Creek Open
Lockleys, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Unheralded American Scott Sterling only
managed a one-under 71 on Sunday, but it was enough to collect his first
Nationwide Tour victory at the Jacob's Creek Open Championship.
Sterling got to t
<< Perry scores in shootout to lift Ducks over Kings
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Corey Perry scored in the fifth-round of
the shootout to lift Anaheim past Los Angeles, 3-2, in the opener of a home-
and-home set at the Staples Center.
Teemu Selanne had a goal and an assist while
<< Flames burn Avalanche
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kristian Huselius had a pair of goals and added
an assist to lead the Calgary Flames to a 5-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche
in the second of three meetings between the teams in a six-day span.
Jarome Iginla
<< Cal beats Oregon State in double-OT
Corvallis, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ashley Walker scored 18 points to lead 22nd-
ranked California to a 67-61 double-overtime win over Oregon State.
Walker hit two free throws, right after Devanei Hampton's layup gave Oregon
State the lead
Trojans seek clean sweep in the desert >>
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Winless in Pac-10 Conference play so far
this season, the Arizona State Sun Devils try to cure their ills
tonight as they face the 22nd-ranked USC at Wells-Fargo Arena in Tempe.
Not
Stars host Sharks in important Pacific clash >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two Pacific Division powers will collide this afternoon at
the American Airlines Center, where the Dallas Stars host a San Jose Sharks
club looking to stop a two-game losing streak.
San Jose currently resides in sec
Wounded Rangers look to regroup against Blackhawks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One day after suffering a devastating home loss, the New
York Rangers will try to rebound when the Chicago Blackhawks enter Madison
Square Garden for a Sunday matinee.
New York's fading playoff hopes took a seriou
Young stars face off as red-hot Penguins entertain Caps >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NHL's two brightest young stars will go head-to-head as
Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals attempt to cool down Sidney
Crosby's scorching Pittsburgh Penguins in an intriguing matinee from Mellon
Arena.
MySportsbook.com is the best at processing US credit cards for deposits. Welcome to the most player friendly online sportsbook on the planet!
The principals behind MySportsbook are obviously a management group that understands the players needs as evidenced by their commitment to provide easy depositing with their high credit card acceptance rate and free weekly $10 bets they offer to clients with active betting accounts.
The perks don't end there! MySportsbook offers casino, poker and horses as well. Twice named Best Sportsbook by eGaming Review, this place is rock solid financially so you don't ever have to sweat the payout as you may with some other online bookies operating with less betting volume and client base.
Sign up today and grab your share of a 10% bonus that is added instantly to your betting account. Enjoy 52 risk free bets throughout the year as well!
Reasons to Play There: You have to see their no hitter, cycle hitter and slaughter rule promos for baseball. Worth a laugh and probably a few bucks throughout the MLB season. They offer supersized bonuses of 15% if you up your minimum deposit to $500 or more. Lay -105 on Friday NBA! Contests during the NFL football season!
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting