Celtics to begin title defense against James, Cavaliers
Basketball Betting Lines
08/07/2008 -
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics will begin their title
defense on Tuesday, October 28 at home against LeBron James and the
Cleveland Cavaliers.
The contest is the first of two featured on the NBA's 2008-09 schedule, which
was released on Wednesday. The second contest of the opening night
doubleheader, which will be broadcast on TNT, will feature the top overall
selection in the 2007 NBA Draft, Greg Oden, and the Portland Trail Blazers as
they visit reigning league MVP Kobe Bryant and the defending Western
Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers.
The Boston-Cleveland matchup will also feature a ceremony before the game
where Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and company will receive their
championship rings.
ESPN will then take over the following night with a doubleheader of its own.
First, the San Antonio Spurs will host the Phoenix Suns and the nightcap
will feature an intra-city battle as the new-look Los Angeles Clippers, led by
Baron Davis, host the Lakers.
Other highlighted matchups of opening week, titled "NBA Tip-Off 08" include
Houston taking on in-state rival Dallas on Thursday, while 2008 No. 1 overall
pick Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls travel to take on the world champion
Celtics on Friday.
For the first time, the NBA's three national television partners -- ABC, ESPN
and TNT -- will each televise games on Christmas Day.
The action tips off on ESPN at 12 p.m. (et) when Orlando and All-Star Dwight
Howard play host to the New Orleans Hornets and dynamic point guard Chris
Paul.
ABC follows with a doubleheader, featuring the Suns and Spurs in Phoenix and a
rematch of last year's NBA Finals when Boston visits the Staples Center and
the Lakers. TNT finishes the day with a doubleheader of its own, headlined by
the Washington Wizards traveling to Cleveland to face James and the Cavaliers.
and Portland hosting the Dallas Mavericks.
ABC will exclusively broadcast the NBA Finals for a sixth straight season in
June.
<< Favre traded to Jets
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Green Bay Packers reached an
agreement to trade quarterback Brett Favre to the New York Jets late
Wednesday night.
Though the Packers did not release terms of the trade, the Gree
<< Ellsbury, Red Sox blast Royals
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jacoby Ellsbury went 3-for-4 with a three-
run homer and scored twice as the Boston Red Sox routed the Kansas City
Royals, 8-2, in the rubber match of a three-game set.
Tim Wakefield (7-8) pitched s
<< Fish, Safin advance in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fifth-seeded Russian Marat Safin and
sixth-seeded American Mardy Fish advanced, while second-seeded Spaniard
Fernando Verdasco fell in Wednesday's second-round action at the $475,000
Country
<< Youkilis leaves game with injured hand
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox first baseman Kevin
Youkilis left in the first inning of Wednesday's game against the Kansas City
Royals with a right hand injury after being hit by a pitch.
The injury is listed a
<< Rockies reinstate Francis from DL
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colorado Rockies pitcher Jeff Francis was
activated from the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old lefty had been sidelined for over a month with inflammation in
his left shoulder. He w
Self inks 10-year deal with Kansas >>
Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas has rewarded men's basketball coach
Bill Self with a new 10-year contract worth $3 million per season.
Self guided the Jayhawks to the national championship this past spring and has
a record of 142-
Yankees place Chamberlain on DL >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees placed star pitcher
Joba Chamberlain on the 15-day disabled list with a stiff right shoulder
Wednesday.
Chamberlain underwent an MRI on the shoulder on Tuesday in New York, b
Veteran D Hill headed to Switzerland >>
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former NHL defenseman Sean Hill signed a one-
year contract to play for Biel of the EHC Swiss hockey league on Thursday.
Hill played in 35 games for the Minnesota Wild last season, scoring twice with
seven as
Favre officially joins Jets >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brett Favre officially joined the New
York Jets Thursday in a press conference before the team's preseason game in
Cleveland.
Favre was traded to the Jets for a 2009 conditional draft pick. Acc
Red Sox minor leaguer suspended >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball suspended Boston Red
Sox minor leaguer Victor De La Cruz 50 games after the pitcher tested positive
for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of the Minor
League
American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout
An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.
Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off. Randy was not impressed though. Paula thought he started off fantastic. "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either.
Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed. Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact. He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition.
Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula. Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.
Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next. Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential. Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell. He sang "Careless Whisper".
22 year old Chris Richardson was up next. He was listed with +1100 odds coming in. He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great.
Nick was boring and pitchy. Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week. Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition.
Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds . These of course were the early odds. He was considered original for picking an "odd song". He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night.
Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good.
Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds. Great voice and a great sense of humor. He's a real standout. Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit. Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig".
Jared Cotter followed. He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition. The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good.
22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next. "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon. Though the judges felt he performed okay. Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.
Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition. He was the last to perform. He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start.
Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys. Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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