Cavs wrap up East's top seed in Philadelphia

Basketball Betting Lines

04/10/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James scored 27, dished out 10 assists and Cleveland hit 12-of-23 shots from beyond the arc to help clinch homecourt advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 102-92 triumph over Philadelphia at Wachovia Center.

Mo Williams and Wally Szczerbiak had 18 points apiece and combined to drop seven of the 12 three-pointers for Cleveland, which not only clinched the top spot in the East but moved a full game clear of the Lakers for the NBA's best record.

Delonte West drained three from long distance on the way to 11 points with seven rebounds while Zydrunas Ilgauskas checked in with nine boards and seven points.

Andre Iguodala posted 26 points for the Sixers, who have already made the playoffs but find themselves mired in an inopportune slump having lost four straight and six of nine overall.

Andre Miller had 17 points and Lou Williams continued to log key minutes off the bench, also scoring 17 in a little over 23 minutes of floor time.

Philadelphia now trails fifth-place Miami by 1 1/2 games in the East, and leads seventh-place Chicago by one and eighth-place Detroit by 1 1/2 games.

Marreese Speights and Williams hit shots for the Sixers to start the fourth, pulling within two at 76-74, but Szczerbiak drained his fourth shot from beyond the arc to spark a quick 9-2 spurt that saw former-Sixer Joe Smith sink a pair of field goals and extend the advantage to 85-76 at the seven-minute mark.

Cleveland continued to lead and a Williams triple gave the visitors their largest lead at 11, 95-84, with 2:49 to play.

Iguodala's free throw and jumper shaved the deficit to eight with 1:51 on the clock but the Cavs' big man, Ilgauskas, took a pass from James, stepped behind the arc and calmly sank a three-ball from the left corner to put an exclamation point on Cleveland's shooting performance and all but end Philadelphia's hopes of breaking through for a much-needed win against an elite opponent.

The Cavaliers jumped out to a 23-19 lead after the opening quarter and three- pointers by Szczerbiak and Williams early in the second extended the margin to 32-23.

The Sixers responded with buckets on five straight possessions but Cleveland got a pair of long distance shots to fall on the other end from West and Szczerbiak again to stem the surge.

Cleveland held the advantage throughout the second and four consecutive free throws by James pushed the lead to 10 inside a minute left before two Iguodala free throws and an authoritative slam over James got the hosts back within six, 52-46, at the break.

The Sixers cut the lead to five three times in the third before back-to-back layups by Iguodala and Reggie Evans made it a four-point game with just about 2 1/2 minutes to go.

James answered by burying a three-pointer and his jumper moments later pushed the lead back to eight.

Williams, meanwhile, scored six straight Philadelphia points on the other end to help the hosts stay within six, 76-70, heading to the final stanza.

Game Notes

Cleveland has taken five straight games over the Sixers, including three this season...The Cavs shot 46.8 percent overall for the game...Philadelphia hit just two of its nine three-point attempts and shot 45.8 percent from the field overall.

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game

How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.

Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.

The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).

Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.

The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).

Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.