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Williams takes CP3's titleBasketball Betting Lines04/27/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coaches in all sports are fond of saying you can't lose your spot due to injury. That cliche only gets ramped up if you are a star. The NBA's best point guard, Chris Paul, went through his most difficult season as a pro this year in the Big Easy. After a poor 3-6 start to the season, the Hornets fired head coach Byron Scott in November and replaced him with general manager Jeff Bower, a move Paul didn't agree with. The three-time All-Star expressed his displeasure and sparked some controversy when he claimed management should have consulted with him before pulling the trigger. The next day, Paul suffered a left ankle sprain against the Portland Trail Blazers and missed eight games. His injury-riddled season continued in early February when an MRI revealed a torn meniscus in his left knee, forcing the former Rookie of the Year and Olympic Gold Medalist to undergo arthroscopic surgery. Paul was sidelined for nearly eight weeks, missing 25 contests and the 2010 All-Star Game. He finally returned to action on March 22 but with the season going nowhere, New Orleans shut down its superstar for good just over two weeks later. Through it all, rookie first round pick Darren Collison actually excelled in Paul's absence, but anyone thinking the former UCLA star has any chance of taking minutes away from Paul next season probably needs a few sessions with a therapist. Chris Paul isn't losing his spot to a rookie with an upside. His mantle as the game's best point guard, however, is in play. Jut like boxing fans, who often like to debate who the best pound-for-pound pugilist is, basketball fans love comparisons. Head down to the legendary Blue Horizon in North Philadelphia and you are sure to hear the locals discussing the merits of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao. Head down to your local barbershop to talk hoops and it might be "Who's better -- Kobe or LeBron?" Before this tortured season, Paul was the undisputed King of NBA point guards. Now, Utah's Deron Williams is topping more than a few lists. Jerry Sloan's quarterback has been spectacular in the team's Western Conference quarterfinals series with Denver. Despite missing two starters due to injury, the Jazz have a commanding 3-1 edge in the set with a chance to put things away in the Rockies on Wednesday. Williams has been the catalyst, torturing fellow All-Star Chauncey Billups. "I have great respect for Chauncey, but Deron Williams is just kicking his (butt)," TNT analyst Charles Barkley said Sunday. "He is dominating this series totally. He has been the best player in every game. He is imposing his will and this team is missing two of their better players (Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur)." The dynamic Illinois product scored 24 points and distributed 13 assists in Sunday's pivotal Game 4 win, joining the Cincinnati Royals' Oscar Robertson (1965 Eastern Division semifinals vs. Philadelphia), the Suns' Kevin Johnson (1989 Western Conference finals against the LA Lakers) and the Lakers' Magic Johnson (1990 Western Conference semifinals against Phoenix) as the only players in NBA history to register at least 20 points and 10 or more assists in each of the first four games of a playoff series. "One of the reasons why Chauncey can't do anything is because Deron Williams is going after him," Chris Webber said. "Defensively, he can't lock down on him." So, who's the best right now -- CP3 or D-Will? "(Williams') size, his strength and his vision as a point guard. This is the best point guard in the game right now," Reggie Miller said. "If somebody says (Deron Williams) is arguably the best point guard, nobody's arguing," Barkley added. "He is the best point guard in the NBA." Hail to the new King.
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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting. "They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over." Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.) According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26. As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines). Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday. Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind. *UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007 New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results. "We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games." While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season." About MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Master Card needs. Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence. The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night. MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds. A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family. A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital. Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards. |
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