05/17/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls try to force a Games 7 against the Detroit Pistons in their Eastern Conference semifinals series, as the teams battle tonight at the United Center.
After dropping the first three games of the series, Chicago has come back to win the last two contests. No team in NBA history has come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven set
On Tuesday, Ben Gordon scored 28 points as the fifth-seeded Bulls moved halfway to NBA history by pounding the top-seeded Pistons, 108-92, in Game 5 at the The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Luol Deng had 20 points and Kirk Hinrich ended with 17 points and 13 assists for the Bulls, who staved off elimination for a second straight game and shot 57.3 percent from the field, including an incredible 72.2 percent in the first half.
Chauncey Billups finished with 17 points in the loss to Chicago for the Pistons. Richard Hamilton contributed 16 points, while Rasheed Wallace netted 15 for Detroit, which shot 42.3 percent from the floor in defeat.
Three teams have forced a seventh game after dropping the first three of a best-of-seven series. Portland did it against Dallas in the first round of the 2003 playoffs, Denver versus Utah in the 1994 conference semifinals and the Knicks in the 1951 finals against Rochester.
If necessary, Game 7 is scheduled for Monday at The Palace.
The Pistons, who swept No. 8 Orlando in the opening round of the postseason, have won nine of their last 10 Game 6s in the postseason. Detroit, which has made it to at least the conference semifinals for a sixth straight year, has appeared in the East finals four straight years.
Chicago has lost two straight Games 6s. The Bulls swept the fourth-seeded Miami Heat in round one of the postseason.
There is a lot of playoff history between Chicago and Detroit. This is the sixth time these clubs have battled in the postseason. The Pistons have won three of the five series.
Chicago eliminated the Pistons in seven games in the 1974 Western Conference semifinals and swept Detroit, 4-0, in the 1991 Eastern Conference finals.
The Pistons beat the Bulls in five, 4-1, in the 1988 East semis. They also knocked out Chicago in the Eastern Conference finals in 1989 (4-2) and 1990 (4-3).
Detroit won its fifth Central Division title in the past six seasons during the 2006-07 campaign. The Pistons, who have reached the postseason for a sixth straight year, fell in six games against the Miami Heat in last year's Eastern Conference Finals. The Pistons are the No. 1 seed for the third time in four years and own home-court advantage throughout the East playoffs.
Chicago, which advanced past the opening round of the playoffs for the first time since 1998 when it last won the NBA title, are in the playoffs for the third straight year and 28th time in team history.
<< Red Wings aim for Game 4 win against Pronger-less Ducks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings will try to grab a two-game lead in
the Western Conference finals this evening, when they visit the Anaheim Ducks
for Game 4 at the Honda Center.
The Red Wings made a statement in Game 3 on Tuesday ni
<< Betemit helps Dodgers edge Cardinals
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wilson Betemit's three-run homer with
two outs in the fifth led the Los Angeles Dodgers to 5-4 win over the St.
Louis Cardinals in the finale of a three-game set.
Betemit, pinch-hitting for Ran
<< Spurs surge past short-handed Suns, take 3-2 series lead
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bruce Bowen hit the go-ahead three-pointer with
36.4 seconds left, and the Spurs took advantage of the Amare Stoudemire
suspension to beat the Phoenix Suns, 88-85, in Game 5 of their Western
Confere
<< Lackey, Angels blank Mariners
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Lackey tossed four-hit ball over six
innings and combined with a pair of relievers to lead the LA Angels of Anaheim
to a shutout of the Seattle Mariners, 5-0, in the middle game of a three-game
series
Fenway Park the site for two between Red Sox, Tigers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With heavy rains having washed out Wednesday's scheduled
contest, the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers will get together for a
day/night doubleheader at Fenway Park beginning this afternoon.
These current division leaders
Williams agrees to extension with North Carolina >>
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of North Carolina and men's
head basketball coach Roy Williams agreed to a four-year contract extension on
Thursday.
The new deal will keep Williams in Chapel Hill through the 2014-2015 s
White Sox get a look at DeSalvo, Yankees >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After splitting a doubleheader on Wednesday, the New York
Yankees and Chicago White Sox wrap up a three-game series this afternoon with
a matinee from U.S. Cellular Field.
Chicago posted a 5-3 decision over New York in th
Mets, Cubs go right back at it after late night >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of tired clubs will stagger out onto the field this
afternoon when the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets conclude their four-game
series at Shea Stadium.
The Mets have taken two of three so far in the set, includ
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch
Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.
Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.
"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."
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