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02/11/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - I haven't seen any signs of the meek inheriting the earth just yet unless Matthew was talking about the Los Angeles Clippers.
The NBA's resident doormat has gone from the outhouse to the penthouse in almost record time by adding Chris Paul to Blake Griffin, a big step up for a franchise that was used to throwing out names like Danny Manning and Ron Harper as the measuring stick for success.
Of course achievement in the NBA is as black and white as it gets, ultimately decided by wins and losses as well as championships. Relevance precedes that kind of jump, however, and if butts in the seats and YouTube hits are any indication, this Clippers team has already arrived.
Vinny Del Negro's club has sold out Staples Center for all 13 of its home games this season. Meanwhile, Griffin's amazing slam over Kendrick Perkins late last month went viral and blew up every social media site there is.
It might not be Showtime but Lob City is officially a part of the NBA's elite and they're set up to be for a lengthy time.
Paul was the final piece to the puzzle. The All-Star point guard has fit in magnificently since being acquired from New Orleans after the lockout and is the only NBA player averaging over 19 ppg with 9-plus assists and at least two steals. As those numbers indicate CP3 can do it all, score, distribute and defend.
He's also a closer, hitting the game-winner with 3.2 seconds remaining to dispose of a tough Philadelphia team, 78-77, on Friday.
"One thing I pride myself on is ball handling," said Paul. "I may not make every shot but I feel like I can get any shot that I want because of ball handling. I've always been undersized, so one thing I know is that I can create my own shot."
"He's the security blanket," Del Negro added. "Get it in his hands. he's always been like that. Not only can he score but he's going to make the right play and that's what great players do. It's not always about scoring the basketball but making the right play. He takes pressure off everybody else and makes the game easier for the guys."
Griffin, meanwhile, is the only player in the NBA averaging over 21 points, 11 rebounds and three assists per game and would be only the fourth in 22 years to turn that trick if he keeps up the pace.
It would be nice if Griffin developed a little craftiness on the blocks to go along with the raw athleticism and power but he teams with shot-blocking machine DeAndre Jordan to give Vinny Del Negro perhaps the most physically imposing 4-5 combo in the entire NBA. In fact, Griffin and Jordan are both among the top five in dunks in the NBA.
"This is as aggressive and active a front line as any we play," Sixers coach Doug Collins said.
That aggressiveness only gets amped up when the newly acquired Kenyon Martin and the always energetic Reggie Evans hit the floor.
The Clippers just didn't have it offensively in Philadelphia but kept coming and coming at the Sixers. It's not often you see a player dominate without scoring but that's exactly what Evans did against Philly, using his effort and energy to wreak havoc.
"We couldn't run a play," Collins said. "They just physically were so strong for us around the basket. We just couldn't come up with some rebounds. Look at the stat sheet, they shoot under 39 percent, they shoot 11 percent from three with 14 assists and win the game and it's a shame."
Evans finished the contest with 10 rebounds -- five offensive -- in 19 minutes of action and was all over the floor, even disturbing the Sixers' ball- handlers with his ability to show on the pick-and-roll.
"He brings energy. Reggie is going to go get the ball," Del Negro said. "He's a wild card out there. He got spread out a couple times but his effort and energy is contagious. Guys feed on it. He got us some great offensive possessions. He really controlled the tempo of the game and kept them out of the open court."
There will still be hiccups for a team still learning to play together and losing the mettle of Chauncey Billups, a playoff-tested veteran, to a torn Achilles certainly hurts. But, the Clips have depth in the backcourt with former All-Star Mo Williams and the capable Randy Foye.
Already 3-1 on a grueling 11-day, six-game Grammy Road Trip, this Clip Show is something to see.
"That's a great defensive team," Collins said. "They have shot-blockers, they've got quickness, they've got size. With a healthy Chauncey Billups, that team arguably could win a championship."
<< Surging Coyotes host skidding Blackhawks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes will try to extend their season-high
win streak to five games when they host the sliding Chicago Blackhawks in
tonight's clash at Jobing.com Arena.
Phoenix has posted four straight victories for the fir
<< Wild try to halt slide vs. Blue Jackets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild will try to snap a three-game losing
streak tonight when the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets come to town for a battle
at Xcel Energy Center.
The Wild have gone 0-2-1 in their last three games after winning
<< Avs, Blues collide in St. Louis
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche will try to boost their playoff
chances against a tough opponent, as they visit the St. Louis Blues for
tonight's clash at Scottrade Center.
The Avalanche enter today tied with Dallas for the ninth s
<< Leafs to honor Sundin before hosting Habs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One of the best rivalries in professional sports will be
rekindled tonight in Toronto, as the Maple Leafs welcome the Montreal
Canadiens for a Northeast Division clash at Air Canada Centre.
Before the old Original Six foes
Spain eliminates Kazakhstan in Davis Cup >>
Oviedo, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Spain has again advanced to the Davis Cup
quarterfinals after the doubles team of Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez
posted a straight-set victory over the Kazakhstan duo of Evgeny Korolev and
Yuriy S
Czechs bounce Italy out of Davis Cup >>
Ostrava, Czech Republic (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych
followed up their singles victories from Friday with a doubles triumph
Saturday to send the Czech Republic past Italy and into the Davis Cup
quarter
Celtic claims 13th-straight league win >>
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic continued its stunning run of form
Saturday, defeating Inverness, 1-0, at Parkhead to extend its winning streak
in Scottish Premier League play to 13 games.
The Bhoys have not dropped points in
Argentina finishes off Germany in Davis Cup >>
Bamberg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Argentina has advanced to the Davis Cup
quarterfinals after the doubles team of David Nalbandian and Eduardo Schwank
rallied from two sets down to beat the German duo of Tommy Haas and Philipp
Petzsch
In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.
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