12/30/2006 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Superstar Allen Iverson is long gone, but the Philadelphia 76ers hope their other A.I. can become the break-out player they had anticipated a few years ago.
Andre Iguodala has the athleticism, the build and the determination to be the new leader of the Sixers, but it will only come with time. He is slowly and surely emerging as Philly's go-to guy and posted a career-high 32 points in a win over Portland on Friday night.
Iverson can post 32 points every night if he wanted to because of his unbalanced shot selection. However, Iguodala must not fall into that frame of mind where he thinks every shot he takes will help his team win. Iverson was able to do that because he is a superstar.
More often than not, though, the Sixers seem to have more solidarity on the court now that Iverson is in the Western Conference. Iguodala won't fill the stands like he fills out his jersey, but head coach Maurice Cheeks has a future All-Star on his squad.
The former Arizona stud has started and played in every game of his NBA career (193 games) and has also reached double digits in scoring in 28 of the 29 games this season.
Iguodala is a better athlete than Iverson, but not a better basketball player. But that doesn't matter if Iguodala is making himself and teammates better at the same time. Iverson once questioned how practice can make his teammates better during a popular press conference a few years back. Now that he is in Denver playing under the strict George Karl, Iverson will soon learn the answer to his question.
Philadelphia is 3-3 since dealing Iverson to the Nuggets and won for just the third time in 17 games with Friday's 98-95 victory over the Trail Blazers. Iguodala has been playing very well on the Sixers' current seven-game road trip which resumes Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers. Iverson and the Nuggets are next, followed by games at Utah and Minnesota.
The 76ers are a disgraceful 8-21 this season and 5-21 over their previous 26 games. Another big reason besides lack of talent is that the Sixers have scored less than 100 points in 14 straight games, the longest such streak since the 2003-04 squad failed to reach the century mark in 25 straight games.
<< Knicks trade fists for wins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Since the melee at Madison Square Garden against Denver,
the New York Knicks have been playing more cohesive basketball.
Whether it's because of the job security of head coach Isiah Thomas or just
the plain fact the
<< Nets caught up in streaky season
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The way the Atlantic Division is unfolding right now, I
wouldn't be surprised if the division champion finishes the season with a
losing record.
New Jersey and New York are both currently tied at a game behind t
<< Celtics continue downward spiral
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics certainly miss Paul Pierce, and their
recent road record is living proof.
Boston has dropped five in a row since winning five straight, including the
first three installments of a five-game road
<< United increases lead to six as Ronaldo continues to shine
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cristiano Ronaldo continued his
brilliant run of play with two second-half goals to lift Manchester United to
a 3-2 win over Reading at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Ronaldo has now scored six goal
Raptors hope to avoid extinction >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Don't look now but the Toronto Raptors are atop the
Atlantic Division standings almost midway through the 2006-07 season.
Who would have guessed that the Raptors would be leading the Atlantic by
January?
B
Aponavicius' late FG lifts BC over Navy >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Aponavicius made up for a missed extra
point by drilling a 37-yard field goal on the final play of the game to give
23rd-ranked Boston College a 25-24 victory over Navy in the Meineke Car Care
Bowl.
West Virginia hands UConn first loss >>
Morgantown, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Frank Young scored 22 points and Da'Sean
Butler added 16, as West Virginia handed 12th-ranked Connecticut its first
loss with an 81-71 decision at WVU Coliseum.
Darris Nichols chipped in 14 points
PSV returns to winning form >>
Eindhoven, Holland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eredivisie-leading PSV Eindhoven
returned to its winning ways on Saturday with a 2-1 victory over visiting ADO
Den Haag at the Philips Stadion after its run of 12-straight triumphs came to
an end
American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout
An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.
Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off. Randy was not impressed though. Paula thought he started off fantastic. "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either.
Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed. Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact. He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition.
Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula. Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.
Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next. Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential. Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell. He sang "Careless Whisper".
22 year old Chris Richardson was up next. He was listed with +1100 odds coming in. He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great.
Nick was boring and pitchy. Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week. Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition.
Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds . These of course were the early odds. He was considered original for picking an "odd song". He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night.
Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good.
Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds. Great voice and a great sense of humor. He's a real standout. Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit. Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig".
Jared Cotter followed. He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition. The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good.
22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next. "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon. Though the judges felt he performed okay. Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.
Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition. He was the last to perform. He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start.
Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys. Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
March Madness odds and printable March Madness brackets
With the field of 64/65 set, MySportsbook.com has the Florida Gators as the 4-1 favorite to successfully defend their National Championship. Men’s Division-1 College Basketball has not seen a team repeat as National Champions since Duke won back to back championships in ’91 & ‘92. After losing three out of four late in the season, the Gators are full of momentum as they won their last four games by an average of 18 points. Not surprisingly, right behind the Gators are the other three top seeds: Kansas 5-1, UNC 6-1, and Ohio State 7-1. Many consider Kansas to be the hottest team in the country, having won 11 straight. With Kansas, it is hard to ignore all of the early exits from the “dance” in recent years. With an impressive ACC Tournament, UNC ensured themselves the other top seed. UNC has about as much talent as any other team in the tournament but with a team that’s best players are primarily freshman and sophomores, could youth be a concern. Behind freshman sensation, Greg Oden, OSU will look to do what their football team failed to do just a few months earlier. OSU seems to have peeked at the right time, as they currently have a 17 game winning streak. Since the tournament field was expanded in 1985, there has never been an instance where all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. It is obvious that each of the top seeds have the talent to make it through to Atlanta. But as everyone knows, when makes the NCAA Tournament so special are all of the spoilers and “Cinderella” stories that knock off the favorites on a daily basis.
Be sure to logon to MySportsbook.com to see check out all of the early lines and “March Madness” props. Also be sure to enter the “$10,000,000 Perfect Bracket Contest”. If someone has the skills to predict every winner, they will be set for life and walk away with $10,000,000. Even if no one can cash in on the Grand Prize, with a $35,000 guaranteed prize pool and a Mazda RX-8 to the first prize winner, Sportsbook.com’s bracket is a must for all “March Madness” fans.
MySportsbook.com’s odds to win the Championship and Regions:
| EAST | National Championship | Region |
| Arkansas | 300-1 | 50-1 |
| Belmont | 1000-1 | |
| Boston College | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Eastern KY | 1000-1 | |
| George Washington | 75-1 | |
| Georgetown | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| Marquette | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Michigan State | 100-1 | 25-1 |
| New Mexico St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| UNC | 6-1 | 6-5 |
| Oral Roberts | 500-1 | |
| Texas | 15-1 | 5-1 |
| Texas Tech | 200-1 | 5-1 |
| USC | 75-1 | 20-1 |
| Vanderbilt | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Washington State | 40-1 | 15-1 |
| WEST | ||
| Duke | 50-1 | 10-1 |
| Florida A&M | 1000-1 | |
| Gonzaga | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Holy Cross | 300-1 | |
| Illinois | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Indiana | 75-1 | 40-1 |
| Kansas | 5-1 | 13-10 |
| Kentucky | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Niagara | 1000-1 | |
| Pittsburgh | 40-1 | 8-1 |
| Southern Ill. | 50-1 | 12-1 |
| UCLA | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| VCU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Villanova | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| VA Tech | 50-1 | 15-1 |
| Weber St | 1000-1 | |
| Wright St | 1000-1 | 300-1 |
| MIDWEST | ||
| Arizona | 50-1 | 30-1 |
| Butler | 40-1 | 30-1 |
| Davidson | 300-1 | |
| Florida | 4-1 | 4-5 |
| Georgia Tech | 75-1 | 25-1 |
| Jackson State | 1000-1 | |
| Maryland | 30-1 | 6-1 |
| Miami-OH | 300-1 | |
| Notre Dame | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| ODU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Oregon | 40-1 | 6-1 |
| Purdue | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Texas A&M CC | 1000-1 | |
| UNLV | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Winthrop | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Wisconsin | 15-1 | 7-2 |
| SOUTH | ||
| Albany | 200-1 | |
| BYU | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Central CT St. | 1000-1 | |
| Creighton | 100-1 | 35-1 |
| Long Beach St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| Louisville | 40-1 | 10-1 |
| Memphis | 30-1 | 4-1 |
| Nevada | 75-1 | 35-1 |
| North Texas | 500-1 | |
| Ohio State | 7-1 | 6-5 |
| Penn | 500-1 | |
| Stanford | 200-1 | 50-1 |
| Tennessee | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| Texas A&M | 12-1 | 11-5 |
| Virginia | 75-1 | 18-1 |
| Xavier | 100-1 | 40-1 |
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