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Celtics face tough test in Dallas

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03/20/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics are closing in on their third straight Atlantic Division title and will resume a three-game western road trip Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.

Boston has won three in a row and opened the trek with last night's 94-87 victory at Houston behind 26 points from Paul Pierce and 19 points and six assists out of Ray Allen. Kevin Garnett chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds for Boston, which improved to 23-12 on the road and is tied with Atlanta for the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

"We just played aggressive basketball in the fourth quarter," Garnett said. "The second unit played big tonight."

The Celtics will also visit the Utah Jazz on the trip and are 10 1/2 games ahead of Toronto in the Atlantic. Pierce tied Sam Jones (871) for ninth place on the Celtics' all-time games played list, while Don Nelson is eighth with 872 games and Larry Bird is seventh at 897.

Meanwhile, the Southwest Division-leading Mavericks will close out a four-game homestand tonight and is 2-1 on the residency following a 113-106 triumph versus the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.

Caron Butler scored 27 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 26 for the Mavs, who won for the 14th time in 15 games and improved to 24-10 in Big D. J.J. Barea registered 15 points, Shawn Marion scored 12 and Rodrigue Beaubois tallied 11 points to help Dallas bounce back from a shocking 34-point home loss to New York on Saturday.

The Mavericks also saw the return of Jason Terry. The veteran guard, who had missed the last five games due to facial surgery, registered nine points in nearly 25 minutes of action.

"When you come back from two weeks and able to hit your first shot and get right into it offensively, that's great," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "Conditioning is going to be a bit of a factor here for a few games until he's really back into 100 percent."

Dallas is a half-game behind Denver for the No. 2 spot in the West.

The Mavs defeated Boston, 99-90, back on January 18 at TD Garden to snap a four-game slide in the series. Dallas has won eight of 12 matchups with the Celtics, who have dropped 11 of 14 visits to Big D.

<< Grizzlies, Warriors square off in Memphis
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Memphis Grizzlies are still mathematically alive for a postseason berth and will play host to the Golden State Warriors tonight at FedEx Forum. Memphis and Houston are both 5 1/2 games behind Portland for the ei

<< Heat close out homestand vs. Bobcats
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat will try to avoid being swept in the season series against the Charlotte Bobcats when they close out a six-game homestand Saturday at AmericanAirlines Arena. The Heat have lost the first three meetings

<< Raptors make a stop in New Jersey
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors are clinging to the eighth and final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference, and hope to stay there when they open a short trip Saturday against the New Jersey Nets at the IZOD Center. The Rap

<< Sliding Bulls try to snap skid in Philly
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls will take their untimely losing streak to the road tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wachovia Center. Chicago has lost 10 straight and is winless in its last six road games. The Bulls lost

<< Ohio goes for second straight upset in clash with Tennessee
Providence, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 14th-seeded Ohio University Bobcats will try to continue their Cinderella run today, as they lock up with the sixth- seeded Tennessee Volunteers in the second round NCAA Tournament at the Dunkin' Donuts Cen

Nuggets take on Bucks at Pepsi Center >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets will try to close out a three-game homestand on a perfect note tonight, when they welcome the Milwaukee Bucks to the Pepsi Center. Denver has won the first two tests of the residency and seve

Jazz welcome Hornets to Salt Lake City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah Jazz will kick off a short homestand tonight versus the New Orleans Hornets at EnergySolutions Arena. Utah will also welcome Boston to Salt Lake City, where it has won five straight and owns a 27-8 m

First-place Pens host Hurricanes >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to hold onto first place in the Atlantic Division when the reigning Stanley Cup champions return to Mellon Arena for a Saturday matinee against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Penguins enter t

Sens visit Stars for battle between struggling clubs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A poor recent stretch has caused the Ottawa Senators to lose ground in the Northeast Division race, while the Dallas Stars' chances of reaching the postseason have taken a serious hit due to the team's performance following t

Surging Habs visit rival Maple Leafs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A postseason spot that once appeared to be in jeopardy is looking more and more likely for the scorching Montreal Canadiens, who'll be setting their sights on a seventh straight victory in tonight's clash with the Toronto Map

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

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After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

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