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06/18/2010 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, Michael Cooper, Jim Pollard, Derek Fisher and George Mikan.
With his fifth title as a Laker, Bryant cemented his place atop the only list that matters in this franchise's history: winning championships. He's only tied with the other players, but you could argue that he had to do more to earn his than anyone else on the list.
Phil Jackson: 11 championships. Five with the Lakers. I believe his place was cemented long ago, yet he continues to raise the bar higher for all future generations.
What more is there to say? We are all witnesses. No, not to that other guy who might leave the only team and city he's ever known since birth in a couple weeks. Not to the guy whom the media has already anointed the greatest player alive. Not to the guy who lacks a killer instinct, who struggled mightily against these same Celtics with the same home-court advantage in the conference semis.
No, we are all witnesses to an unheralded high school star who was selected 13th in the 1996 NBA Draft behind players such as Allen Iverson and Boston's Ray Allen. He was also picked behind players such as Todd Fuller and Vitaly Potapenko. Haven't heard of those last two guys? Hey, neither have I.
We are all witnesses to the greatest winner this sport has seen since a man named Michael transcended the game in the late 80s and 90s. Nobody has won more since, unless you want to count Robert Horry, who rode Bryant's, Shaquille O'Neal's, Hakeem Olajuwon's and Tim Duncan's coattails en route to seven titles. Fisher, his teammate and top assassin, wouldn't have won any of his five if it weren't for Bryant.
"(I) just got one more than Shaq," Bryant joked. "You can take that to the bank. You know how I am. I don't forget anything."
Bryant was a little more humble when asked about being one away from Jordan's six titles.
"I don't know. It's tough for me to really put that in any kind of context in terms of he and I goes because 90 percent of what I've learned and what I've figured out comes from him," Bryant conceded. "So this is not a situation where it's me and Shaq rivalry kind of thing. It's not the same thing. It's different. It's more of a -- it's a genuine love that I have for him and what he's done for me. It's completely different."
Jackson, on the other hand, you could argue has had the benefit of coaching the best players around -- Bryant, O'Neal and Jordan. But Doug Collins coached Jordan, and he doesn't have any rings; Brian Hill coached O'Neal to the Finals with the Magic, but he didn't win; Del Harris was Bryant's first coach as a pro, but he didn't win, either. You get the point by now.
The Zen Master has no peer in his profession -- he is the cream of the crop. He's been a head coach for 19 seasons, and he's achieved the ultimate goal in 11 of them. When he coaches a playoff series, it might as well be a best-of- one -- his teams have won the series 48 of 48 times when they win the opening game. Whatever that guy is saying, I want to hear it.
Ever since His Airness stepped down from the throne, the public has been dying to place the crown atop another head. The problem is that the public wants that figure to be lovable, and Bryant just doesn't fit the bill. The public wants it to be LeBron James, but for some reason he refuses to accept it. Well, sorry public, you can't have your cake and eat it, too; Bryant is atop the throne, and someone like James is going to have an awfully tough time taking it away.
What I don't understand is why people are so unwilling to admit Bryant's greatness. I mean, Jordan wasn't the nicest guy around, either. Both Jordan and Bryant have that unbelievable willingness to win, that unmatched ability to rip your heart out when you are least expecting it. Throughout Game 7, even though Bryant continued to struggle, you just knew deep down that he would come through. Down 13 in the middle of the third quarter, you knew that the Lakers weren't out of it. And they weren't. Bryant came back with 10 all- important points in the final 12 minutes, and the rest is history.
"I just wanted it so bad. I wanted it so, so bad. On top of that, I was on 'E'," Bryant said of his Game 7 effort in which he went a subpar 6-for-24 from the field for 23 points. "Man, I was really, really tired. And the more I tried to push, the more it kept getting away from me...I was thankful that I was able to make one damn shot at the end of the game and made some free throws."
As for Jackson, if this was his last hurrah, what a way to go out. The 64- year-old is widely expected to be asked to take a pay cut next season if he were to return, and he even admitted following the game that he didn't know what was going to happen. But if it is indeed the end in Hollywood, he leaves behind a legacy that may go unmatched for all of time.
A 1,098-460 regular season record. A 224-98 playoff record. To reiterate: 11 championships. Primary coach of maybe the two greatest guards ever to play the game of basketball. And still he has that ounce of calmness after it all that just leaves you sitting in awe of a living legend.
"No, it's not (more emotional than the other titles)," Jackson said. "There's no residual as far as beating Boston or anything like that...To have put in 114 games and coming out the way at the end, there's a certain sense of gratification, and that's what I have to believe in."
Whether you love 'em or hate 'em, you've got to respect them. Put them atop the pedestal, give them the spot on the throne. Because what we're watching now -- we may never see again. Not even from "The King."
So, even if Bryant is the biggest villain in your life, cherish these moments as a fan of basketball because...We are all witnesses.
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LOS ANGELES (AP) -Crowds of rowdy revelers poured into the streets around Staples Center after Game 7 of the NBA finals on Thursday night, rocking cars, setting bonfires and throwing rocks and bottles at officers.Nine people had been arrested for pu
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LOS ANGELES (AP) -Rowdy revelers are surrounding cars that are attempting to leave Staples Center and random fights and bonfires are breaking out near the arena.Television news footage showed several people jumping on a taxi Thursday night as it att
<< Bryant, Jackson champions again; Lakers down Boston to claim NBA title
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant and the Lakers looked half-
asleep at times during their most important game of the season, but in the end
it was their suffocating defense that propelled them to a 83-79 Game 7 win
over th
Potential pitfalls await Federer and Nadal at Wimbledon >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal could
meet for a fourth time in the Wimbledon final, but both will have to avoid
potential road blocks on the way to the title match at the All England Club
early n
Podolski's missed PK costs 10-man Germany >>
Port Elizabeth, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milan Jovanovic scored in the
38th minute and Serbia goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic saved a Lukas Podolski
penalty kick in the second half as Serbia held off Germany, 1-0, in Group D
play at
Manager: Iverson wants to play again >>
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Allen Iverson plans to return to the NBA next season.Gary Moore, Iverson's personal manager, says Iverson is working out and ``absolutely'' will try and play next season. Iverson returned to the Philadelphia 76ers in December and
Serena, Venus could meet in another Wimbledon final >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The women's draw for Wimbledon was
revealed on Friday, and another all-Williams final could be in the offing.
The top-seeded and reigning world No. 1 Serena sits atop the draw, while the
second-s
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship
(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.
One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year.
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.
MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts US credit cards needs.
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