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D'Antoni: 'Our big date is circled as July 1'

Basketball Betting Lines

06/24/2010 -

GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) -Draft day is a bit anticlimactic for Mike D'Antoni.

``Our big date is circled as July 1,'' the New York Knicks coach said Thursday, not exactly revealing a franchise secret.

For two years team president Donnie Walsh has maneuvered to slash salaries, freeing up cap room in anticipation of this summer's glittery free agent class. For two years D'Antoni has presided over undermanned, losing squads as fans fantasized about LeBron James - or at least some other All-Star - signing and returning the club to glory.

``We'll set a course for the franchise for the next 10 years,'' D'Antoni said.

No pressure.

The Knicks only had two second-round picks Thursday. What would've been their first-round slot - No. 9 - belongs to Utah, surrendered way back when they acquired Stephon Marbury from Phoenix.

When D'Antoni contends the Knicks have a good hand to attract a marquee player, it goes without saying that they're all in when it comes to resting their hopes on free agency.

There's always the chance they won't land a single big name, losing out to other teams who have also aggressively cleared cap space.

``That's why we won't sleep a whole lot the next week,'' D'Antoni said.

While acknowledging that ``we have to win,'' D'Antoni insisted that the Knicks' roster was no less attractive a destination than that of other suitors.

``Almost all the teams have cleared everybody out, so we're all the same,'' he said before the start of the draft. ``Everybody's got this space, and you're trying to fill it up with other people. I think our core of young players can be put up against anybody.''

D'Antoni then warned reporters not to smirk at that last assertion.

Just in case the Knicks don't reel in one of the top few free agents, D'Antoni seemed to be laying the groundwork for possibly having to sell the signing of several lesser names.

``We have some pieces that are very interesting. We have a lot of room, and we're able to find players that complement each other and that play off each other and that are the best fits,'' he said. ``We think we can come out with the best team.''

For now, the Knicks will make their sales pitch to the biggest stars of the free agency class.

``We're selling the best place in the world to come live and play,'' D'Antoni said.

Asked if he was worried about other teams making moves to clear cap space, he shot back: ``As long as we keep the Empire State Building where it is, I think we'll be OK.''

The Knicks are mired in nine straight losing seasons, though the last two have been more palatable for fans convinced there was a LeBron at the end of the tunnel. Now after all those months of talk, the big day is just a week away.

``We've gone through two years of not a whole lot of fun,'' D'Antoni said. ``This is what we all signed on for, and this is what we'll try to realize, and I'm excited about it. At the same time, obviously everybody is a little nervous about it. That's because there's high stakes out there.''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.

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What Is the Point Spread?

What are Sports Betting Point Spreads?

In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.

Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).

If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).

Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.

How to Read Point Spreads

New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)

In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:

  • Philly wins the actual game by any amount of points
    OR
  • Philly loses the game by less than 7 points.

  • There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.

    The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:

    Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots

    Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.

    For Those Who Like to Consider Things Mathematically

    Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:

  • Subtracting the point spread from the favorite’s score (thus the minus sign before the number) and then compare to the underdog’s score
    OR
  • Adding the point spread to the underdog’s score (thus the plus sign before the number) and then compare to the favorite’s score

    Who Really “Won” the Super Bowl odds ?

    Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21

    The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.

    Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.

    Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).

    Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.

    And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.

To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.

MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect

LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.

Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.

Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.