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Hawks host Bucks in Game 1 of East quartersBasketball Betting Lines04/17/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Eastern Conference quarterfinals matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks kicks off in Dixie late Saturday afternoon. Improvement has been the mantra for the third-seeded Hawks under head coach Mike Woodson. Two years after ending a lengthy playoff drought, Atlanta compiled its best record (53-29) since notching 50 victories in the 1997-98 season, and now looks like a serious contender in the East. In fact, the Hawks have won more games than the year before for five straight seasons, a feat topped only by Minnesota doing it for six years from 1992-98. Atlanta captured the eighth seed in the East two years ago with a less-than- stellar 37-45 mark and faced the veteran-laden Boston Celtics in the opening round of the playoffs. Woodson's club took the eventual NBA champions to seven games in that series. Last season, the Hawks vaulted to the fourth spot in the East and earned a first round win over Miami before succumbing to the mighty Cleveland Cavaliers. A similar step forward this season would have Atlanta toiling in the Eastern Conference finals. "This is where it gets exciting," Atlanta forward Marvin Williams said of the upcoming postseason. "We've worked hard all season for this moment and we have to make it count." Woodson's team is a year older and wiser this time around and is led once again by talented shooting guard Joe Johnson. Johnson led the Hawks in points (21.3) and assists (4.9), while young stars Josh Smith and Al Horford contributed their skills to the improvement of the franchise. Meanwhile, veteran point guard Mike Bibby remains a steady floor leader that seems to bury big shots in key moments. Hawks super-sub Jamal Crawford, the leading candidate for the NBA's sixth man award, will be toiling in a playoff game for the first time. Crawford has played in 676 regular season games over his 10-year career. The Bucks make their return to the postseason for the first time in four seasons thanks in large part to the play of dynamic rookie guard Brandon Jennings, along with the improvement of center Andrew Bogut. Unfortunately for Scott Skiles' club, Bogut suffered a broken right hand after falling awkwardly to the floor following a dunk against Phoenix back on April 3. Bogut underwent surgery a day later and is expected to be out up to six weeks, meaning he'll likely miss the playoffs, even if Milwaukee can muster a significant run. That's a serious blow since Bogut has developed into one of the best pivot men in the game. The former No. 1 overall pick was the Bucks' leading rebounder at 10.2 per game, and also averaged a career-high 15.9 points in 69 contests this season. Veteran Kurt Thomas, 37, will start in place of Bogut. Atlanta went 2-1 against Milwaukee in the regular season, including a 104-96 win in Milwaukee on Monday. The two clubs met three times in the postseason back in the 1980s, with the Bucks taking two of the sets in '83-84 and '88-89. The Hawks lone win came in the '87-88 season. "Did you see the game we played against them last week?" Crawford told NBA.com. "That was one of the best games of the year. It was a playoff game. It was non-stop, back and forth action from both teams. That's what you see when two good teams lock up and get it on."
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA's best team during the regular season will begin its chase for the Larry O'Brien Trophy this afternoon when the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Chicago Bulls in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinals set. T
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MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season. What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season. Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all. Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13). Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two. Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury. Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven. Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury. Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season. In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons. Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4. Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1). The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this. No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate. Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend. Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend. With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend. MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds: Atlanta Hawks 1000-1 Boston Celtics 5000-1 Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1 Chicago Bulls 20-1 Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1 Dallas Mavericks 2-1 Denver Nuggets 25-1 Detroit Pistons 6-1 Golden State Warriors 250-1 Houston Rockets 12-1 Indiana Pacers 60-1 Los Angeles Clippers 45-1 Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1 Miami Heat 9-1 Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1 Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1 New Jersey Nets 50-1 New Orleans Hornets 150-1 New York Knicks 150-1 Orlando Magic 75-1 Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1 Phoenix Suns 5-2 Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1 Sacramento Kings 250-1 San Antonio Spurs 9-1 Seattle Sonics 5000-1 Toronto Raptors 35-1 Utah Jazz 20-1 Washington Wizards 25-1 About MySportsbook.com:
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