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Lifetime achievements awards behind this season's All-Star snubsBasketball Betting Lines02/10/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the most part, the NBA's coaches do an outstanding job picking the reserves for the NBA All-Star Game. With so few slots available there are always a number of players who are going to feel slighted but you can almost always defend the ones picked. That changed a bit this time around with three big names selected that have no business being in Orlando in late February. Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, Boston's Paul Pierce and the Suns' Steve Nash will all be enshrined in Springfield one day but their selection as All-Star reserves this season smacked as more of a lifetime achievement award and was a direct slap in the face to players like Kyle Lowry, Rudy Gay, Josh Smith and Danny Granger. In the West, the 33-year-old Nowitzki, who has struggled with conditioning and a balky knee in this lockout-shortened season, is arguably having his worst campaign as a professional. Despite his travails, Nowitzki was humbled by the respect he received. "I am really excited to make the All-Star Team this year," Nowitzki said. "It was a tough road back to full health for me, but I am honored that the coaches thought enough of me to make me an All-Star. It has been a privilege to represent the Mavericks organization over the last decade and I look forward to doing it again in Orlando." Nash, who turned 38 earlier this week and is as crafty as ever, becomes just the fourth player in NBA history to earn an All-Star selection at 38 or older, joining a Hall of Fame club that includes only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Karl Malone. He's also got some solid numbers and is currently enjoying the best statistical season for a point guard 38-or-older, averaging 15.1 points and an NBA-best 10.0 assists entering play tonight. However, Nash pilots a team that is just 11-15 and is a major liability at the defensive end. TNT aired the All-Star reserves selection show and a number of its analysts were up in arms over the picks of Nowitzki and Nash, former teammates in Dallas as well as past NBA MVPs. "Clearly, we gave Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki a lifetime achievement award," Charles Barkley said. "Kyle Lowry should've been an All-Star. I'm rewarding Kyle Lowry. No disrespect for Steve Nash." "Rudy Gay is the biggest snub [in the West]," the Hall of Famer added. Cross over to the East and Pierce, who has come on a bit lately, even admitted surprise to TNT's Craig Sager when he was selected. In fact, most thought if Boston was going to have an All-Star this season, it would be point guard Rajon Rondo, the team's one ascending player. "I would've liked to see my man Rondo on there" former C's big man Shaquille O'Neal said. "Rondo is still the best point guard in the game. He's the best true point guard in the game." Barkley concurred: "Paul Pierce is a great player but he did not deserve to be on the team." Chris Webber took to social media and Twitter to make the case for the Hawks' Smith: "Josh smith. Call 911.You got robbed. No mask no gloves- its fingerprints- all over the place call first 48-no call Atlanta CSI- Call the FBI," the former All-Star Tweeted. Kenny Smith was similarly perplexed with who wasn't on the team. "The contributions from Danny Granger and Josh Smith, when the game is on the line, have been well above some of the other guys," the former point guard said. What makes the selections of Nowitzki, Nash and Pierce so puzzling is that the coaches didn't rely solely on reputation. There were five first time All-Stars selected in Chicago's Luol Deng, Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala, Indiana's Roy Hibbert, Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge and the Grizzlies' Marc Gasol. "I could not be more proud of Andre Iguodala for being recognized as an All- Star," said Sixers coach Doug Collins. "Andre has meant so much to the success of our team this season and he is one of the most talented, unselfish players I have ever had the opportunity to coach." In the grand scheme of things, the actual NBA All-Star Game, like all the rest in professional sports, is meaningless. The honor, as you can see by Collins' reaction to Iggy's place on the team, remains anything but. Being named an All-Star is still a major deal for NBA players, whether it's a veteran on the downside of a spectacular career like Nash, or a first-timer like Iguodala and Company. Missing the cut, meanwhile, is often a tough pill to swallow, especially when All-Star appearances don't dot the resume on a yearly basis. There's no guarantee players like Lowry or Smith will ever be back at the precipice again, making their neglect by the coaches harder to understand and defend.
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Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Cavaliers rookie point guard Kyrie Irving will miss at least the next two games as he continues to recover from a concussion. Head coach Byron Scott said Irving is getting better, but will be held
Lifetime achievement awards behind this season's All-Star snubs >>
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Horse Betting(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine). The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late. "You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest. "A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve." When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential: CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped. DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins. PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge. You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike. "You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders." Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of. (By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.) Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout." But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing." Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you." Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front." All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold. In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse. "Now," says Avello, "it's time for action." To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.
FOOTBALL BETTING LINESNFL Football Sports BettingTwo playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers. New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count. New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend. His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates. HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game. The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup. RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day. First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08. The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition. These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years. New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5. You can find these lines and all of the NFL betting lines , so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff! Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines . |
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