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06/07/2010 -
BOSTON (AP) -The Celtics were able to hold on in Game 2 because they held onto the ball.
Boston committed 12 turnovers in the first half and just two in the second in Sunday night's 103-94 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. The win evened the best-of-seven series at 1-1, heading into Tuesday night's Game 3 in Boston.
Some of the Celtics' biggest turnovers on Sunday came in the last two minutes of the second quarter, when the Lakers cut a 54-41 deficit to six points. Kobe Bryant stole the ball with 3 seconds left and hit a 3-pointer - then stole the inbounds pass but missed a 3 that would have made it a three-point game.
``The last couple were brutal,'' Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. ``We had a chance to be up nine or 12 to end the half. But we weathered that storm, and I thought in the second half we played with great composure.''
In the end, it was the Lakers who turned the ball over.
Andrew Bynum was called for an offensive foul with 4:39 left and the Lakers leading 90-89. Ron Artest threw the ball away to let the Celtics open a 93-90 lead, then Rondo blocked Derek Fisher's 3-point attempt from behind with under 3 minutes left.
``Yes, we had some turnovers,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. ``That kind of set them off and set the game off and turned it around in that sequence. We had a little lead right at the end, and we didn't do our job. They did.''
It was an eight-point game when Bryant cut it to 98-93 on a long 3-pointer with 53 seconds to play, but the next time down Rondo poked the ball away from the Lakers star.
The Lakers finished with 15 turnovers.
``We turned the ball over a couple times down the stretch when the game was on the line,'' forward Pau Gasol said. ``That was tough, deflating. And we just couldn't convert offensively at the end. They took advantage and took their time and converted and executed their plays. So that's kind of how it got away from us.''
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BLOCK PARTY: Lakers center Andrew Bynum blocked seven shots in Game 2, two shy of the finals record set by Orlando's Dwight Howard in Game 4 last year against the Lakers. The Lakers franchise playoff record for blocks is also nine, by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1977.
Bynum had been nursing a sore right knee. He had fluid drained on Monday, then had 10 points and six rebounds in a little more than 28 minutes of Los Angeles' 102-89 Game 1 victory.
In Game 2, he scored 21 points with six boards and added some key blocked shots.
``He recovered really well off of some swelling that he had on that knee,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. ``Trainers were able to get that down and back in order and he was able to play, I think, great. (He's in) as good a physical shape as he could possibly be in at this time of the year, and we were pleased with that. I was just pleased that he could play 35 minutes plus. That was a big part of that effort that he gave us tonight.''
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HOME COOKING: The home team had won the first two games in each of the last five years. Since the finals went to the 2-3-2 format in 1985, the teams have split the first two games 11 times - the last in 2004.
The Lakers had won 12 straight playoff games at home, dating to Game 2 of last year's conference finals against Denver. Los Angeles tied for the second-best home record in the NBA in the regular season, with one win fewer than Cleveland.
The Celtics were only 24-17 at home this year - tied for worst among playoff qualifiers - with a 26-15 road mark that was tied for second in the NBA. It's the first time the Celtics have had a better record on the road than at home since 1974, and just the second time since 1955.
The Celtics haven't played at home since May 28, and forward Paul Pierce thinks the fans will be excited for their return.
``It's going to be a championship atmosphere, the Garden's going to be loud,'' he said. ``They've been waiting for us a week and a half now so it's going to be a pretty raucous crowd.''
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THE STARS AT NIGHT: Boston can't match Los Angeles for movie star power, but the Celtics expect a few celebrities in the crowd when they host their first game of the NBA finals on Tuesday night.
``Grey's Anatomy'' star Ellen Pompeo is expected to be courtside, as are comedian Dane Cook and actor Donnie Wahlberg.
Dave Cowens is also planning to watch his former team take on the Lakers, a day after welcoming the NBA's Larry O'Brien championship trophy when it arrived aboard a special Southwest Airlines jet dubbed ``Slam Dunk One.''
Rhythm and blues singer Monica is scheduled to sing the national anthem before Game 3.
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FAST BREAKS: Rondo's triple-double was the first for a point guard in the finals since New Jersey's Jason Kidd had 23 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds against the Lakers in 2002.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.
<< Martinez happy to see Cleveland
CLEVELAND (AP) -Leading his 5-year-old son by the hand, Victor Martinez returned to a place where he had some of the best years of his life.Martinez was back in Cleveland on Monday, returning to his former major league home for the first time since
<< Near perfect game gives Galarraga AL weekly honor
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga,
who had a perfect game taken away on a blown call on what would have been the
final out, has been named the American League Player of the Week for the
period
<< Cardinals' Rasmus claims NL weekly award
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Colby Rasmus
was named the National League Player of the Week for the period ending June 6.
Rasmus hit .500 (11-22) with three home runs, nine RBI and eight runs scored
duri
<< Logano, Harvick have at it at Pocono
Long Pond, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The next chapter in NASCAR's "boys, have at
it" story of the season was written on Sunday at Pocono Raceway, with Joey
Logano and Kevin Harvick re-igniting their feud.
While Logano's teammate, Denny Hamlin, d
Indians activate INF Marte >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians activated first baseman
Andy Marte from the 15-day disabled list Monday.
Marte had been on the DL since May 15 as he underwent surgery because of an
infected ingrown hair on his stoma
Red Sox place Papelbon on bereavement list >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox placed closer Jonathan
Papelbon on the three-day family leave/bereavement list on Monday.
No reason for the leave was provided.
The 30-year-old Papelbon has a 1-3 mark with a 3.00 ea
Capital Gain: Nats take Harper with No. 1 pick >>
Secaucus, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals hope they have added
the bat that will one day compliment the electric right arm of Stephen
Strasburg, as they chose slugging catcher Bryce Harper with the top overall
pick in the 2010 M
Report: Manitoba coach says yes to Jackets >>
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -The Columbus Dispatch is reporting Manitoba coach Scott Arniel has been hired for the same job with the Blue Jackets.The Blue Jackets scheduled a press conference for Tuesday to announce their new coach, but declined comment whe
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Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
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