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02/20/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - All it takes is a dollar and a dream for a select few to strike it rich in the lottery.
But in order for the Philadelphia 76ers to start raking in the loot, they have to bag the rest of the 2006-07 season and start evaluating talent for June's NBA Draft. Philly has its own lottery pick this summer and a pair of first- round selections acquired from Denver for Allen Iverson.
The second half of the campaign gets started on Wednesday for the Sixers, who will wrap up a series of seven straight games at home versus the division- rival New York Knicks. Mo Cheeks' squad entered the All-Star break with three straight losses and a 2-4 record on the homestand, and sits 12 games off the lead in the Atlantic standings.
Philadelphia is just 9-15 at the Wachovia Center this season and will play six more games there following a brief two-game road trip to Charlotte and Milwaukee. After the quick swing the Sixers will host Sacramento, Phoenix, Memphis, New Jersey, Seattle and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Cheeks had this team playing better basketball before the current slide, but now must realize it's time to start cutting into the time of his regulars for a chance to see who will make next year's roster. It seems like an easy solution, especially with three draft picks on the horizon.
It's unclear whether guards Andre Miller, Kevin Ollie or Louis Williams will be around next season. And who knows if forward Kyle Korver, center Samuel Dalembert or forward Shavlik Randolph will be back either? Randolph is still recovering from left ankle surgery.
Instead of guard/forward Andre Iguodala averaging 40:12 minutes per game, Cheeks should shave about six to eight minutes off his star's average. There's no sense to have Iguodala bust his rump every night just to sit at home come playoff time. Rookie forward Rodney Carney, who averages 17:18 mpg this season, would be even more dangerous if he was recording 25 to 28 minutes per contest.
Veteran forward Joe Smith does not have to be on the court for 23:18 a night for Philly, and Korver doesn't score enough to average 31:11 per contest. Dalembert posts 30:06 a night and has been streaky over the past few games.
On the injury front, forward/center Steven Hunter will not require surgery on the dislocated pinkie finger on his left hand. Hunter suffered the injury during the first quarter of a loss against the Mavericks on February 11, but returned to the game. Hunter does not make or break this team, but to have a player his size (7-0, 240 pounds) on the hardwood is beneficial for the inside game. Hunter has missed just one contest because of the finger.
The Sixers have their work cut out for them over the next few months, and are currently the third-worst team in the NBA behind Boston (13-38) and Memphis (14-40). The Celtics and Grizzlies are not going to pile up wins in the near future and Philadelphia should follow suit.
On a brighter note, last week the 76ers unveiled their new second road uniforms against Washington. The red jerseys bring back memories of the Dr. J, Charles Barkley and Hersey Hawkins era, and have the old-school PHILA script across the chest.
Philadelphia should go back to its retro-style uniforms soon.
<< Jazz have what it takes to hold on in Northwest Division
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Utah (35-17) is in first place in the Northwest
Division, 8 1/2 games ahead of the second place Denver Nuggets. Led by All-
Stars Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, the Nuggets will be primed to make a
run at the Jazz.
<< Martin comes up big both on track and off
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Martin won the 2007 Daytona 500.
Sure, he didn't get the trophy, the huge check or drenched by champagne in
Victory Lane, but that doesn't change the fact that he won the race.
In typical N
<< Line of Scrimmage: Norv Turner - Bad Things Happen in Threes
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - They're rejoicing in Denver, Kansas City,
and Oakland right about now.
Norv Turner is an NFL head coach for the third time, having taken over for
Marty Schottenheimer in San Diego, and the rest of the AFC
<< Lightning try to rebound against Panthers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first-place Tampa Bay Lightning will attempt to avenge
a weekend loss to the Florida Panthers when the Southeast Division rivals
complete a home-and-home series tonight at St. Pete Times Forum.
Florida got the upper ha
Leopold out four weeks for Avs >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colorado Avalanche defenseman Jordan Leopold
will be sidelined approximately four weeks with a fractured wrist.
Leopold, who will undergo surgery, suffered the injury during the third period
of Colorado's 7-
Pennsylvania Derby purse increased to $1 million >>
Bensalem, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Park Racetrack has announced that
its premier event, the Pennsylvania Derby, will now have a purse of $1
million. The announcement was made in a press release on Tuesday.
"There's somethi
United, Dynamo gear up for Champions Cup matches >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While most Major League Soccer teams are
slowly building their fitness and preparing for the upcoming season - which
kicks off April 7 - two clubs are under considerably more pressure.
The Houston Dy
Jankovic, Hantuchova advance in UAE >>
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fifth-seeded Serbian
Jelena Jankovic and eighth-seeded Slovak Daniela Hantuchova were among
Tuesday's opening-round winners at the $1.5 million Dubai Duty Free Women's
Open.
Two 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.
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Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
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