Archive for Preview
FIBA World Basketball Championship Preview – Group A
Posted by: | CommentsFIBA World Basketball Championship Preview – Group A
FIBA World Basketball Championship Preview – Group A
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2010 NFL Preseason: New Orleans Saints At New England Patriots Preview
Posted by: | Comments2010 NFL Preseason: New Orleans Saints At New England Patriots Preview
The 2010 NFL preseason kicks off again Thursday night when the New Orleans Saints take on the New England Patriots. Betmania odds makers set the betting line with the home team New England Patriots as a 2 ½ point favorite with a total of 35 ½. The early money from the NFL betting public has come in on the road underdog and the line has shifted. The Patriots are now just 1 ½ point betting …
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Monday Night Football NFL 2009: Patriots at Saints Preview & Picks
Posted by: | CommentsNFL 2009 Patriots at Saints Previews & Picks: Planning a Super Bowl party this year? You might want to use this weekâs Monday Night Football matchup as a good opportunity for a trial run, as could be watching a Super Bowl preview.
The Saints (10-0) are in the midst of the best season in franchise history and the Pats, short of a fourth quarter choke at Indianapolis two weeks ago, seem poised to challenge for another title in February.
The offensive explosiveness possessed by each team has forced online sportsbook to post a total of 56.5 and still the sports betting public is wagering on the “Over”, as many sportsbooks are reporting heavy action on the high side.
New Orleans averages 420 yards per game and 36.9 points. Itâs down from their record breaking average of 39-plus points per game the team rode until Week 7 but still more than five points greater than the second place Minnesota Vikings.
New England ranks second in average yardage per game at 416 and with the best one-two wide receiver combinations in the league, the Pats can stretch the field against the greatest of defenses. Wes Welker had a super game against the Jets last week catching 15 balls for 192 yards. Welker makes blitzing Brady a real challenge for teams. His short underneath game sets up the long ball for Randy Moss. Moss is pretty much impossible to cover one-on-one and when he gets the double team, it usually creates a mismatch for Welker.
The Saints receiving corps is almost as impressive with Marques Coltson, Devery Henderson, Jeremy Shockey and Robert Meachem. Speaking of matchup problems, these four receivers will present some for the Patriots secondary. The Saints are hoping Reggie Bush can go coming off a knee injury. The early reports have him playing and if he is ready he can be a difference-maker, but usually plays a secondary role in the offense most games (ainât that right Fantasy players).
This is a great coaching matchup with maybe the two brightest coaches in the game matching wits for the first time. Sean Payton is as creative an offensive coach as Belichick is a defensive strategist. Donât expect Belichick to go for a 4th and short deep in his own end in this game but expect some interesting wrinkles from both coaches.
And of course the field generals need no introduction, with Tom Brady and Drew Brees probably guaranteeing this game gets the highest ratings of the regular season. Brady has more experience in winning the big game but the Saints have been charging hard all year and not one team has been able to top Breesâ offense to date.
Both teams have consistent, not spectacular, run games and while each squad has shown vulnerabilities on defense this year we have to expect them to bring their A-game to the dome on Monday Night.
NFL Picks: Pats vs. Saints – After breaking this one down, Iâm making a bet on the home team New Orleans Saints laying 1-point. I think they will have a little more success moving the ball, and also get a couple of key stops from their defense.
Enjoy the big Monday Night Football game.
Nfl- Super Bowl Preview: Colts Vs. Saints
Posted by: | CommentsThe Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints will be facing off this weekend in the Super Bowl. This is the first time since 1993 that the two top-seeded teams from the conferences are making it to the major title game. The Colts are looking for their second Super Bowl title in four seasons. Their star player and quarterback, Peyton Manning, has been in the spotlight as he is playing against his home team. Born in New Orleans, Manning still has family in the area; his father still lives there and has been close to the Saints for almost 39 years. Indeed, Manning senior was a Saints quarterback for many seasons. Now Manning is looking for his second title; two years ago, he led the Colts to a 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in South Florida, winning his first championship. Now, he’s coming back to the same place looking for the same thing: a championship title. Manning has been sacked only ten times this year, leading the team to a great winning streak of 14 games in the regular season. He was benched for the last two games of the season along with the best players on the team. The Colts may have lost those games, but now the team’s key players are well-rested and ready to go. At the beginning of the season, no one thought that the Colts would be able to reach the Super Bowl; their head coach Tony Dungy left the team and rookie Jim Caldwell was brought in as head coach. Caldwell seemed a long shot for the team, but the new coach proved the naysayers wrong. He and his staff are now considered among the best in the NFL. The Saint then have their match in the Colts. The Colts’ defense is one of the best, led by captain Bob Sanders who has done a great job despite a career-long battle against injuries. The defense also boasts several Pro-Bowlers, including Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis; their secondary includes Pro-Bowl safety Antoine Bethea. The Saints have been struggling to get to the Super Bowl since 2007, when they lost the NFC title against he Chicago Bears. Since that time, the team and its head coach, Sean Peyton, have been trying to improve their defense with new acquisitions. The Saints offense has been very solid, one of the best of the season in fact, averaging 31.9 points and 403 yards. Quarterback Drew Brees has set records with 34 TDs, 11 picks, 4,388 yards, and 70.6% completions. “You understand just how explosive their offense can be,” Manning said of the Saints. “I think you have to be careful trying to get out of your rhythm in order to keep up with them. You still have to go play offense the way we have played all year, trying to be efficient. We have been excellent on third down, been well in the red zone. Those things will be important this year.” This is the first time in franchise history that the Saints will be participating in the Super Bowl. Their very newness may be a plus for them; the desire for a first title may give them the drive they need to defeat the Colts. But anything can happen; it is, after all, the Super Bowl.
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Denver Nuggets Vs Cleveland Cavaliers Picks And Odds – Nba Preview
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The Denver Nuggets are fighting for one of the top spots in the Western Conference, but this week, their attention turned to a different kind of battle.
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Two days after coach George Karl announced he is suffering from throat and neck cancer, the Nuggets visit the Cleveland Cavaliers, who look to win their franchise-record 14th straight Thursday.Oddsmakers from Online Sportsbook SPORTSBETTING.com have made the Cavaliers â6 point spread favorites for Thursdayâs game against the Nuggets. Current NBA Betting Information shows that 69% of more the 327 bets for this game have been placed on the Cavaliers -6.
Denver (35-18) comes out of the All-Star break trying to fend off Utah in the Northwest Division as it looks to win a second consecutive division title. However, the Nuggets recently learned they may have to do so without their coach for periods of time.
Karl announced Tuesday that he will undergo a rigorous six-week treatment of radiation and chemotherapy to treat the cancer. He said he will miss at least a couple of Denverâs upcoming games and that assistant Adrian Dantley would lead the team in his absence.
âMy desire is to do whatever I can to stay with my team throughout the treatment that I have to go through,â Karl said. âBasically, my belief is this is a championship team and I want to do anything and everything I can to help them continue in their quest that we all want.â
This is the second time Karl has been diagnosed with cancer. He underwent treatment for prostate cancer in 2005.
âIt was shocking just to hear it,â forward Kenyon Martin told the Nuggetsâ official Web site. âHe told us heâs battled it before so he knows what it takes to get right. Heâs going to do all he can to get his body right and his health together and weâre going to do all we can to make sure the basketball end is taken care of.â
Karl will be on the bench Thursday as the Nuggets get a tough test coming out of the break.
Cleveland (43-11) has tied a franchise record with 13 consecutive wins and has the best record in the NBA. Its winning streak, which equaled last seasonâs run from March 7-31, is three victories shy of matching the 1990-91 Lakersâ NBA-record 16-game run.
The Cavaliers closed the first half of the season with a 115-106 victory over Orlando last Thursday, led by LeBron Jamesâ 32 points and 13 assists.
James, who scored 25 points in the All-Star game, will be looking to pick up where he left off before the break. He averaged 33.5 points and 11.0 assists in the final six games.
âI think our team is built to win a championship,â James said. âWith the group of guys we have here, if we continue to get better, weâre headed in the right direction.â
While the Cavaliers, who are 11-0 at home against teams from the West, are hoping the break didnât hurt their momentum, the Nuggets used the time off to get healthy.
Denver ended the first half of the season by splitting its final six games, losing 111-92 to San Antonio last Thursday, although it still has gone 12-4 since mid-January.
Martin sat out the final two games with tendinitis in his left knee while Carmelo Anthony returned for the final two after missing the previous eight with an ankle injury.
Anthony was sidelined for Clevelandâs visit to Denver last month because of a knee injury. Despite his absence and James scoring 35 points, the Nuggets won 99-97. They have also won four of their last six trips to Quicken Loans Arena.
Denver will face two of the top three teams in the East this week, hosting Boston on Sunday.
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Spurs Vs. Pacers Nba Picks And Odds – 2010 Nba Preview
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The San Antonio Spurs have faltered over the last few weeks and are in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference.
All-Star forward Tim Duncan, though, doesnât expect the team to make any moves prior to the trade deadline.
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Duncan and the Spurs open the second half of their season Wednesday night at Conseco Fieldhouse, where theyâll go for their sixth straight victory over the Indiana Pacers.
Oddsmakers from onlinesports book SPORTSBETTING.com have made the NA point spread favorites for Wednesdayâs game against the NA. Current NBA Betting Information shows that NA% of more the NA bets for this game have been placed on the NA.
Since a 15-4 stretch from Dec. 9-Jan. 13, San Antonio (30-21) has lost eight of 14, alternating wins and losses in its last seven games. The Spurs, however, closed the first half strongly by winning 111-92 at Northwest Division-leading Denver on Thursday.
âI thought we played better than we have played,â coach Gregg Popovich said. âIt was one of three or four games that we played really well defensively in the first half of the season.â
With San Antonio well within reach of Southwest Division-leading Dallas, Duncan is not anticipating management to pull the trigger on a trade before Thursdayâs deadline.
âI think weâre going to go to the second half with the group that we have,â Duncan said. âIf something happens, then something happens, but through our history we havenât done anything in the middle of the season. So, weâre going to continue to work with the pieces that we have and hopefully we can get it to turn.â
Indiana (18-34) would like for its fortunes to change, but the Pacers find themselves in a much different position â well out of the playoff race.
âYou canât worry about the playoffs,â forward Mike Dunleavy told the Pacersâ official Web site. ââ¦Youâve got to worry about winning every game as it comes, take one game at a time. If we get ahead of ourselves and think we need to win a few in a row or something like that, weâre just not there yet.â
Third-year coach Jim OâBrien will apparently be the one that will try to lead Indiana in the right direction.
âThe one thing Jimmy bought into when he came here was that we were going to rebuild, and we were going to struggle at times,â Pacers president Larry Bird said. âI always say the losses are on me because I want him to work these guys hard, develop the young guys we have and keep moving forward with what we have.â
With center Jeff Foster out for the season and rookie Tyler Hansbrough sidelined the last month with an inner-ear infection, Bird is happy with the progress of second-year center Roy Hibbert, who is averaging 11.1 points and 5.9 rebounds.
Hibbert had 20 points, seven rebounds and a career-high six blocked shots in a 100-99 loss at San Antonio on Dec. 19. He blocked Duncanâs shot on the Spursâ final possession, but Duncan followed with the game-winning dunk over Hibbert.
Pacers leading scorer Danny Granger, who missed that game with a heel injury, had 35 points in San Antonioâs last visit to Indianapolis â a 126-121 victory for the Spurs on April 3.
Tony Parker led San Antonio with 31 points and 10 assists in that matchup. He could miss his second straight game Wednesday due to a left hip flexor strain.
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NBA Basketball Betting: Bucks-Celtics Preview
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Boston, MA – NBA Basketball Betting: The Boston Celtics would like to clean up their play at home before setting out on yet another road trip. A matchup with the struggling Milwaukee Bucks may help their cause.
Winners of seven in a row, the Celtics look to deal the Bucks their sixth straight road defeat Tuesday night.
Oddsmakers from Online Sportsbook SPORTSBETTING.com have made the Celtics –12.5 point spread favorites for Tuesday’s game against the Bucks. Current NBA Basketball Betting Information shows that 73% of more the 386 bets for this game have been placed on the Celtics –12.5.
Boston (16-4) completed a four-game trip with a 105-87 win over Oklahoma City on Friday night. The Celtics, who improved to 9-1 on the road, are returning to the TD Garden to face the Bucks (9-10) before playing their next three on the road.
“It’s really strange when you play these games on the road, you come home for one game – I guess to unpack and repack – and then you go right back out there,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.
Though Boston boasts its longest winning streak of the season, it is 4-3 at home since winning its first three games there.
Boston has a good opportunity to sharpen its play at the TD Garden. Milwaukee has allowed an average of 106.2 points in losing five straight on the road, where it is 2-7.
The Celtics have outscored the Bucks by an average of 16.6 points in winning three straight at home against them, and won two of the teams’ three meetings overall last season.
But Boston guard Ray Allen, who started his career with Milwaukee, has been held to 11 points or fewer in four of five games against his former team. The Celtics didn’t need much scoring from Allen versus the Thunder, either, getting 11 points from the veteran guard.
Allen’s 15.6 points per game is his lowest average since averaging 13.4 as a rookie in 1996-97. His teammates, though, are giving him plenty of support, and six other Celtics reached double figures in scoring against Oklahoma City.
Boston is shooting 54.3 percent over its last five games.
“Almost there,” point guard Rajon Rondo said when asked if the Celtics were meeting their expectations. “Not complete, but we’re putting (it) together. It’s not just one quarter now. We’re putting a couple quarters together. We’re not quite to 48 minutes but we’re almost there.”
Rondo will be matched up with outstanding Bucks rookie Brandon Jennings, who is averaging 21.3 points, 5.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 44.8 percent 3-point range.
Jennings’ 24 points, however, weren’t enough to help Milwaukee overcome a 101-86 loss to Cleveland on Sunday. The Bucks, who let the Cavaliers reel off 29 straight points in the first half, shot 37.6 percent and went 4 for 20 from beyond the arc.
“If you have those droughts where you’re not able to score, you’ve got to find a way to at least hang in the game,” said Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles, whose team has given up 100 points or more in seven of its last eight games.
After starting 8-3, the Bucks have slipped below .500 for the first time since opening the season with defeats in two of their first three games.
Michael Redd’s injury problems certainly haven’t helped. The veteran guard has missed five straight games with a sore left ankle, and is listed as day to day.
New Orleans Saints Preview 2006
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After last years disgusting 3-13 seasonâthanks partly to hurricane Katrinaâthe Saints are hoping 2006 brings better fortunes. Unless you have been in a coma, you know the Saints drafted one of the top college players, Reggie Bush. He recently signed a deal. Could the Saints actually improve? They were averaging about 8 wins per season prior to 2005.
Quarterback
The New Orleans Saints get a major improvement at the QB spot thanks to the signing of Drew Brees. He will be a huge upgrade, and the Saints now have a formidable passer leading the offense. Brees is coming off of shoulder surgery. Although he will be fine come the season opener, it’s something to keep an eye on. With Brees at QB, the Saints have an above average man at the position.
Running Back
Deuce McAllister tore an ACL in his right knee last season. He’s been working hard and will come back with a vengeance in 2006. He better come ready to play, because first round pick, Reggie Bush, is waiting in the wings. Bush really isn’t a full-time running back, but he can severely eat into McAllister’s playing time if Deuce fails to perform. Bush adds an interesting element to the backfield of the Saints offense. The McAllister/Bush combo could give opposing defenses fits.
Receivers
Joe Horn had hamstring issues last season. He will rebound this year, which is his 11th in the NFL. Donte Stallworth has his best season yet in 2005 and he should improve again in 2006. With Drew Brees at QB, the receiving unit should get the opportunity to shine. A healthy McAllister and the play of Bush could loosen the grip on the receivers this season. This unit has the ability to be above average this season.
Defense and Special Teams
Coming into this season the linebacker unit was really the weakest point in the defense. The Saints added LB Scott Fujita and LB Anthony Simmons. While the linebacker unit won’t be stellar, they could be average, which would be an improvement. Overall the Saints defense will not stop many people in their tracks, but they could get in the way enough to slow down the scoring and give the offense a realistic shot at winning the game. The special teams has two dynamite playersâfirst there’s John Carney kicking field goals and second there’s Mitch Berger kicking punts.
2006 Prediction
It would be hard for the Saints to repeat the disaster that was the 2005 season. Still, don’t expect the team to head to the Super Bowl. They have 12 games against teams that figure to be above their level and 4 games against teams that could be anywhereâlike the Cleveland Browns. First-year head coach, Sean Payton, has his work cut out for him. I look for the Saints to win 5-6 games this season. Anything more is a bonus.
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NBA Thursday Night Preview – NBA Basketball Odds
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After 16 games in the first two days of regular season action, NBA Basketball Odds takes it easy Thursday night for a pair of games featuring one home favorite (Portland) and one small road favorite when San Antonio tips off at Chicago.
The Spurs (-3) are already 1-0 on the season after a 113-96 home win Wednesday night against the New Orleans Hornets. NBA Basketball Odds at sportsbooks opened with the Spurs listed as high as four-point favorites but the Bulls have had support from bettors suggesting Chicago can build on a positive training camp. Chicago is 16-3 SU in its last 19 games at home and after a playoff appearance last season expectations are high in the Windy City.
Over/Under NBA Betting has led the total down one point from an opening total of 194, no doubt helped by a trend between these two teams that has seen five of the last six games land under the number.
In a game that tips off at 10:30 ET, a pair of 1-0 Northwest rivals will treat fans to the first of what promises to be a highly contested battle for the division title in 2010 when the Denver Nuggets travel to Portland (-7.5) to take on the Trailblazers.
Denver earned its first win of the season on 30 points from Carmelo Anthony which led the team past the Utah Jazz 114-105. The total has also stayed under in five of the past six meetings between these two teams but public money is calling for a reversal tonight as online wagering has inched the total above 200 at sportsbooks across the board.
Friday night the NBA Betting card goes back to full strength when 26 teams go into action, starting at 7 pm ET with the New York Knicks vs. the Charlotte Bobcats (-2.5) and the Milwaukee Bucks against the Philadelphia 76ers (-8).
Expect to see plenty of early line movement as bettors weigh in on the first full weekend of pro basketball betting of the season.
