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08/25/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
Country: China
FIBA Ranking: 9
Head Coach: Bob Donewald
Key Players: Yi Jianlian, Wang Zhizhi, Sun Yue
Overview: China will be without the services of superstar Yao Ming as he continues to battle injuries, however, they still have talented players in Yi and Sun. Expect a strong showing as the sport of basketball continues to grow in popularity in the most populous country in the world.
Strengths: Unlike a lot of teams in this tournament, China has great height at all positions. It's a very versatile team with front court players that possess face-up and perimeter skills to go along with smooth and finesse-type low-post games.
Weaknesses: China's guards may have great height but that's about it. With the exception of Sun, the Chinese guard play is not as developed as their play in the front court, and that can present problems in turning the ball over when under pressure, not to mentioned weak shooting from beyond the arc.
Tournament Expectations: China will be fighting for the top spot in group C with Greece. It should easily make it to the Round of 16 and China has a realistic chance at making it to the semi finals in the tournament. If they want to make it that far, the Chinese will need to get stronger guard play than they've had in past international events.
Country: Cote d'Ivoire
FIBA Ranking: 41
Head Coach: Randoald Dessarzin
Key Player: Pape-Philippe Amagou
Overview: After an inspired performance at the 2009 FIBA Africa Championship that saw it capture a silver medal, Cote d'Ivoire will be making its the first FIBA World Championship appearance since 1986.
Strengths: The team is young, athletic and plays well in the open court. This strength is further bolstered because its big guys can run the floor. Like most teams defined by athleticism, Cote d'Ivoire is adept at slashing to the basket as opposed to spotting up for jumpers.
Weaknesses: With only have two players that can be considered true "bigs", grabbing rebounds and defending the paint with be a problem for this team. Its offense is also one-dimensional with a lack of strong perimeter shooting.
Tournament Expectations: The Ivory Coast is not expected to make it out of the group stage. They will most likely finish last in group C and that is because every other team in the group will be able to take advantage of their undersized roster. This is a team that will struggle to win a single game.
Country: Greece
FIBA Ranking: 4
Head Coach: Jonas Kazlauskas
Key Players: Vassilis Spanoulis, Dimitris Diamantidis
Overview: The storied history of Greek basketball will continue to be written, and its hoping to do one place better in this year's world championship after capturing silver at the 2006 world championship.
Strengths: Greece boasts deadly accurate shooters and a strong interior presence that can stymie attackers in the lane. They are one of the most well balanced teams in the tournament and, if they execute their half-court sets the way they can, they are also one of the most exciting teams to watch if fundamental basketball is to your liking.
Weaknesses: A major reason why Greece plays so solidly fundamentally is because they do not have the athleticism required to play a more up tempo, freestyle game. They have the shooters to get themselves back into contests, but those shooters still require time to get to the right spots within their offense, thus, if the game starts to speed up, their game plan will be disrupted.
Tournament Expectations: Greece will vie for first place in group C with China. With its all-around skill and depth, it should finish first in the group. Beyond that, Greece is one of the teams that can aim for winning it all as it remains one of the few countries with its full roster of talent.
Country: Russia
FIBA Ranking: 17
Head Coach: David Blatt
Key Players: J.R. Holden, Viktor Khryapa
Overview: Traditional powerhouse Russia has seen a turn for the worse lately, as evidenced by its seventh-place finish in EuroBasket 2009. The program is going through a state of transition with a lot of the previous staple players getting up in their years and with no younger players emerging to take the mantle. This tournament looks like it will be a place for Russia to find a player to carry on the Russian basketball tradition moving forward.
Strengths: The team's primary players comprise of guys who have been there before and will not be flustered by the bright lights of an international tournament. Their big men have a small amount of versatility in that they can step outside to knock down mid to long range shots, but they feel most comfortable in the post. The team also plays solid defense, anchored by this year's Euroleague top defender, Khryapa.
Weaknesses: Its overall offense is weak because it relies far too heavily on Holden. If he cannot get it going, then the offense has a tendency to stagnate because of the lack of creativity on the offensive end to get other players involved.
Tournament Expectations: With first and second in group C probably going to Greece and China, Russia will almost certainly be competing for third and fourth with Puerto Rico and Turkey. This three-way clash in the group will prove to be entertaining, but, based on the factors of talent, youth and home- court, it wouldn't be a stretch to see Russia on the outside looking in.
Country: Puerto Rico
FIBA Ranking: 10
Head Coach: Manuel Cintron
Key Players: J.J. Barea, Carlos Arroyo
Overview: After being eliminated in the group stage of the 2006 FIBA World Championship and being able to qualify for the 2008 Olympics, Puerto Rico make its return to the international stage and will look to reclaim the past successes it experienced at the 2002 World Championship and the 2004 Olympics.
Strengths:
With two of the best point guards in the tournament running the show, offence will come easy to Puerto Rico. Both Barea and Arroyo are smart decision makers, knowing when and where to get the ball to a teammate as well as when to decide to look for their own on offense.
Weaknesses:
What Barea and Arroyo do great offensively also has an equal bad part defensively. They both do not defend particularly well. This is an overall theme of the Puerto Rican guards as they will have be broken down too early on the perimeter, putting their big men in difficult predicaments to save a basket.
Tournament Expectations: Puerto Rico will be a part of the aforementioned three-team battle in Group C. With its talent, it should be able to capture third place in the group. Judging by the way the draws have been expected to play out in the Round of 16, Puerto Rico will have a good chance at advancing to the quarter finals.
Country: Turkey
FIBA Ranking: 18
Head Coach: Bogdan Tanjevic
Key Players: Hedo Turkoglu, Ersan Ilyasova
Overview: Nine years ago, Turkey hosted EuroBasket 2001 and ended up with a silver medal. They are hoping the same perfect storm of good fortune and exceptional play will lead them to another great success on home soil in this year's world championship.
Strengths:
The home-court advantage is not to be underestimated, as teams always play better in front of their home fans, and having an entire nation as home fans will only fire up the Turkish players even more. Besides from what being the host nation can do, Turkey's other strength is in its versatility. The team's two best scorers, Turkoglu and Ilyasova, are front court players who can handle the ball decently, shoot it well and pass it even better. This allows the rest of the team to play off the two forwards like they are point guards.
Weaknesses: The team is coming in with a lot of players who had poor seasons, including Turkoglu, especially in shooting the ball. This glaring fault may have been covered up if they were athletic enough to get to the hole consistently, but that's not the case here.
Tournament Expectations: Turkey will probably come out of the three-team fight for third and fourth place in Group C, beating out Russia for the fourth and final advancing spot. It's not likely it will advance past the Round of 16 but, with how emotional some of the players can be, and the positive vibes that will be surrounding the team everywhere they are during the tournament, it could end up upsetting some big teams.
<< FIBA World Basketball Championship Preview - Group A
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
Country: Angola
FIBA Ranking: 12
Head Coach: Luis Magalhaes
Key Players: Joaquim 'Kikas' Gomes, Olimpio Cipriano
Overview: For years, the Angolan team has been associated as the African
nation C
<< Hara will take charge of Japan on interim basis
Tokyo, Japan (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hiromi Hara, the technical director of the
Japanese Football Association, will take charge of the national team for a
pair of upcoming friendlies as he continues to search for a new manager.
Japan adv
<< Juventus confirms Aquilani move
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juventus announced on Wednesday that the club
has acquired Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani on loan, with an option for
a permanent move for $20 million at the end of the season.
The 26-year-old Aquila
<< Bolts re-sign Downie
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning have reportedly re-
signed restricted free agent Steve Downie.
According to TSN of Canada, the right winger signed a two-year, $3.7 million
deal.
Downie, 23, had 22 goals, 24 a
FIBA World Basketball Championship Preview - Group D >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
Country: Canada
FIBA Ranking: 19
Head Coach: Leo Rautins
Key Players: Joel Anthony, Andy Rautins
Overview: It's been sometime since Canada has made an impact on the world
stage and since the de
Kroenke becomes majority owner of Rams >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Rams announced on Wednesday
that E. Stanley Kroenke has become the majority owner of the club.
The decision was made via a vote by the rest of the league's owners at a
meeting in Atlanta.
"St
CFL Previews - August 27-28 - Week Nine >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
CALGARY STAMPEDERS (6-1) at BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS (1-6)
DATE & TIME: Friday, August 27, 10:30 p.m. (et).
GAME NOTES: A couple of teams heading in opposite directions in the CFL's
Western Division
NL West: Padres running away with division >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Only a monumental collapse or some gypsy curse over the
next few weeks can derail the San Diego Padres in their quest for a third
division title since 2005.
The Padres won the NL West five years ago and share
Two playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.
New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.
His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.
HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.
The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.
RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.
First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.
The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.
These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.
New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.
You can find these lines and all of the NFL betting lines , so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff!
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
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Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.
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