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Suns and Spurs kick off series in the desertBasketball Betting Lines05/03/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Western Conference semifinals matchup between the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs figures to be a clash of styles with a pair of teams that are intimately familiar with each other. In recent years, the Suns were beaten by San Antonio in a 2008 first-round matchup and a 2007 semifinal series. Overall the two franchises have matched up nine times in the postseason with the Spurs winning six, including the last four. The latest incarnation of the rivalry kicks off tonight as Phoenix welcomes San Antonio to US Airways Center. "There's great history between us and the Spurs over the past five, six years," said Suns All-Star forward Amare Stoudemire. "It's going to be a great matchup between us and also myself and Tim Duncan. We always take the challenge of playing against each other. So it's going to be another great challenge for us. The Spurs play well in the postseason." The high-flying Suns will want to push the ball and score in transition, using the incredible playmaking skills of former two-time MVP Steve Nash. San Antonio, although possessing a quick point guard of its own in Tony Parker, would prefer to walk things up, limit possessions and force Phoenix into a half-court game. The team that is able to impose its will likely will come put on top. "It's hard to slow down when you play Phoenix," former NBA coach Doug Collins said. "If we got into rush hour traffic tomorrow and cars were driving fast you'd drive fast with them." The third-seeded Suns reached the Western semis by downing the banged-up Trail Blazers in six games, clinching things in Portland on Thursday. The Spurs, meanwhile, became the first seven seed to upset a No. 2 since the NBA went to a best-of-seven first round format in 2003, when they took out in- state rival Dallas in six games. "We took a pretty good punch," Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said after dispensing of the Mavs. "For me that was my favorite part of the game, to see the guys continue to persevere and pursue the basketball. They continued to play hard. They stuck together." On the injury front for Phoenix, center Robin Lopez hasn't played since March 26 due to a bulging disk in his back but was able to take place in part of the team's practice on Sunday. The 7-footer is set to be examined by a specialist before the contest tonight and could play a few minutes. "I feel a lot better but I still have a ways to go," Lopez told ESPN. "I just started running and you can kind of tell that a little bit." The Suns haven't beaten San Antonio in the postseason since 2000 and the Spurs have compiled a 16-6 record in the last four playoff matchups between the two clubs. In fact, the last three times San Antonio has won the NBA championship, the team topped the Suns along the way.
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Betting FootballNFL Football Betting OnlineIs 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. |
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