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06/12/2010 -
BOSTON (AP) -Andrew Bynum is altogether clear on this: He'll play in Game 5 of the NBA finals.
Beyond that, the key to the Los Angeles Lakers' interior defense - and perhaps the team's championship chances - can't make any promises.
``I'm 100 percent sure that I'm playing come Sunday,'' the Lakers' 7-foot center said Saturday.
Bynum had fluid drained from his right knee after Boston evened the series 2-2 with a 96-89 win Thursday night. He was encouraged that the swelling had not returned since then. He had fluid drained from the same knee just before the series and the swelling reappeared.
He knows that will happen again.
``It's going to come back after Game 5, for sure,'' Bynum said. ``It's guaranteed. But as long as I'm able to be out there and be effective, that's what counts. And I know this game is the biggest game because it can change the whole series.''
Bynum played 28 minutes in the opener, 39 in the second game and 29 in the third. He had 40 points and 22 rebounds as the Lakers opened a 2-1 series lead. But he played just 12 minutes in Game 4 and sat out the last 14 minutes. His totals: 2 points, 3 rebounds, no blocks,
Without him, the Lakers let a 62-60 lead after three quarters slip away as Boston power forward Glen Davis took advantage of Bynum's absence to score 9 points in the fourth quarter. Two of Davis' baskets helped turn a 64-all tie into a 70-64 lead.
``It's rare that you see an NBA game won by one six-point run and that's kind of what happened,'' Bynum said. ``The whole game was real slow, real nasty. We had the lead and we kind of, so to speak, choked.''
Had he played, it would have been much tougher for Davis to grab rebounds and make layups.
Bynum's health could be the difference between the Lakers successfully defending their title or the Celtics reclaiming it after beating Los Angeles in 2008.
``I embrace'' the responsibility, he said, ``because I know what I'm able to do out there on the court and just want to go out there and just be effective. If I do that, if I give us some good minutes out there, then we'll have a great shot at winning the game.''
Bynum doesn't know how long he'll play Sunday. That depends on how he feels. He does know he wouldn't be able to play if the fluid had not been drained.
``I'm going to be able to play with the pain. That's not the problem,'' he said. ``It's when the swelling's in there ... it shuts the muscle down and then that's when you're really vulnerable to more injury.''
Bynum has a torn meniscus and bone bruise in his knee. Surgery is scheduled for July with an expected rehabilitation period of two to five weeks, he said.
Meanwhile, he plays on.
``He's made the ultimate sacrifice and tried to pay the ultimate price,'' Lakers guard Derek Fisher said. ``As a professional basketball player, your commodity is your body. So for him to take the steps that he's taking to try and help us win, I think that says a lot about who he is and what his purpose is with our team.''
Bynum, 22, was 17 when the Lakers made him the youngest player ever drafted in the first round. His scoring average has increased in each of his five seasons, to 15.0 this season along with 8.3 rebounds.
Without him, the Lakers only consistently effective inside player is 7-foot Pau Gasol.
``He's been a factor when he's been out there,'' Gasol said. ``It also helps me to have him there just because of his presence and his length, his size, just rebounding, defending. Those two things are keys at this point because they've been the difference in the series.''
Bynum planned to have more treatment on Saturday and be ready for the Celtics to test him on Sunday.
``That's what they're supposed to do,'' Bynum said. ``They're supposed to attack, but I think we'll be ready.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Halladay, Kendrick to switch spots in rotation
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phillies pitchers Roy Halladay and Kyle Kendrick
will switch spots in the rotation for the club's upcoming series with the New
York Yankees.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Saturday that Halladay will
<< Posada's slam, Jeter's offense stoke Yanks over Astros
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Derek Jeter homered twice and Jorge Posada hit a
grand slam to back another good outing by Javier Vazquez as the Yankees took
care of Houston, 9-3.
Vazquez (6-5) won his third straight start, allowing three
<< Champion Blackhawks know changes are ahead
CHICAGO (AP) -A day after they celebrated their Stanley Cup victory with a massive parade, the Chicago Blackhawks were still giddy from the experience Saturday. But they also know that changes are ahead this summer.General manager Stan Bowman said t
<< Ray Allen misses media session for NBA finals
BOSTON (AP) -Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen missed Saturday's media session for the NBA finals because of a family matter.Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss said Allen arrived at the TD Garden in time for practice.Twiss said Allen was given permission to
Rachel Alexandra garners first win of 2010 >>
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending Horse of the Year Rachel
Alexandra notched her first victory of the year Saturday in the $200,000
Fleur de Lis Handicap at Churchill Downs. The four-year-old filly snapped a
two rac
Cubs swap out relievers with promotion of Atkins >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs have recalled right-hander
Mitch Atkins from Triple-A Iowa and optioned lefty James Russell to Iowa.
Atkins will look to make his 2010 debut after going 4-2 with a 2.63 earned-run
average i
Rays put OF Kapler on DL >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays have placed
outfielder Gabe Kapler on the 15-day disabled list with a right hip flexor
strain.
Kapler is hitting .217 with a home run and eight runs batted in this sea
Group C favorites England, USA battle to draw in Rustenburg >>
Rustenburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England and the United States
battled to a 1-1 draw Saturday at Royal Bafokeng Stadium to open World Cup
Group C play for both teams.
England got a goal from midfielder Steven Gerrard in
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"
A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.
In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.
"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."
Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.
But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"
Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.
This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.
Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.
In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.
No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.
And that's all any bettor can ask for.
To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
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