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02/08/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's tough to write an obituary for a team that wins 61 games during the NBA's regular season but that didn't stop a number of my peers from declaring the aging San Antonio Spurs dead on arrival after they were exposed by a younger, far more athletic Memphis bunch in last season's Western Conference quarterfinals.
In fact, many believed the window had officially slammed shut on the Tim Duncan-era in the River City, at least when it comes to championships.
Fast forward to Wednesday night and the Spurs looked anything but done. Tony Parker was brilliant, exploding for 37 points to go along with eight assists as San Antonio held off the much-improved 76ers, 100-90.
"Tony Parker was amazing tonight to say the least," Sixers coach Doug Collins said after watching the French star torch his team. "He had that ball on a string, and we were just trying to do our best to keep him corralled, make him shoot jump shots and we just never could get him under control."
Duncan added a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio but it was Gregg Popovich's bench that really shined. Gary Neal made all four of his three-pointers and netted 18 points, while the emerging Tiago Splitter tortured Philadelphia inside, shooting 7-for-10 for 15 points.
In fact the Spurs' bench, lightly regarded before the season started, more than held it's own against the vaunted Sixers reserves that include two Sixth Men of the Year candidates -- Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young.
"Our history here is really bad so it's a huge win for us, Parker said. "We are going in the right direction. The young guys are improving. They are playing better on the road. They are playing with confidence."
It wasn't like the Spurs were going to turn into a lottery team overnight as long as Duncan and his long-time supporting cast of Parker and Manu Ginobili were still around. But, a lockout-shortened 66-game season short on off-days and practice time didn't figure to be the friend of any veteran group with significant mileage on its legs.
That said, here we are in the second week of February and San Antonio is at the top of the Southwest Division and among the top seeds in the conference after winning six straight and starting their annual Rodeo Road Trip at 2-0. And it's all been done without Ginobili, who has been gone for a little over a month with a broken left hand.
It's not often that losing an All-Star can help in the long run but Ginobili's absence along with Duncan's age has almost forced Popovich to integrate new blood into his lineup, most notably Splitter, Neal and rookie Kawhi Leonard.
"We felt [building a bench was necessary] with our guys getting a little older," Popovich said "We have shown confidence in them from the get-go, throw them out on the floor and let them see what it's like, and let them make mistakes. Get on them when necessary and love them when necessary."
Splitter, the former Euroleague star, has seen his numbers increase in every statistical category from his pedestrian rookie season. Through 27 games, the Brazilian is averaging 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, while shooting a team-best 62.3 percent from the field.
"He didn't develop anything with us," Popovich said when asked about Splitter's improvement. "He's always had it, he just didn't play last year. He's been doing what you saw tonight for I don't know, the last seven or eight years. That's who his is. He's just a blue-collar kind of guy that a coach loves. Fundamentally sound and balanced. He doesn't have a lot of skills but his basketball IQ is off the charts."
Leonard wasn't much in Philly on Wednesday but has more often that not provided the type of athleticism that has been lacking at times in San Antonio. Neal, meanwhile, helps space the floor with a sweet stroke.
"This is a world championship team and organization," Collins said. "Pop is a great coach. They string you out. They get you in pick-and-roll and put three- point shooters on the floor. Neal came in and really hurt us tonight."
The Spurs have now officially weathered the storm minus Ginobili, compiling a 15-7 mark without the Argentine star as he prepares to return to the lineup, perhaps this weekend in New Jersey.
"Before you know it, we will get Manu back and we can start rolling," Parker said.
The team's current trip could have been the type of roadblock to derail the season considering how the Spurs started away from the AT&T Center. But, after getting out of the gates at 0-5 as the visitor, San Antonio has now won five of seven away from South Texas.
Before the trip ends the Spurs will have visited nine different cities and traveled nearly 8,000 miles. When they arrive back in the Alamo City on Feb. 29, we should all know if the club is still a serious contender in what is shaping up as a watered-down West.
My guess is the Spurs have improved their depth enough to have one last rodeo in them come playoff time.
"Tony and Tim have been great in this stretch," Popovich said. "The bench has surprised us all. Those guys are playing really well for us and that's what is allowing us opportunities to win."
<< Miller, Sabres blank Bruins
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Miller made 36 saves to record his third
shutout of the season and 25th of his career as the Buffalo Sabres thumped the
Boston Bruins, 6-0, at First Niagara Center.
Jason Pominville netted a pair of go
<< Bulls rout Hornets
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Boozer scored 18 points and the
Chicago Bulls barely needed Derrick Rose in an easy 90-67 win over the New
Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night.
The Hornets lost their seventh game in a row
<< No. 22 Michigan takes care of Nebraska
Lincoln, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zack Novak had 14 points to lift No. 22
Michigan to a 62-46 win over Nebraska.
Stu Douglass had 13 points and Trey Burke added 12 along with five rebounds
and five assists for the Wolverines (18-7,
<< Oilers become Red Wings' latest victim at Joe Louis Arena
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit just cannot be beaten at home this
season.
Goals in the third period by Drew Miller and Henrik Zetterberg helped the Red
Wings extend their home winning streak to 18 games in a 4-2 win over
Jokinen's hat trick leads Flames over Sharks >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Olli Jokinen capped his seventh career hat
trick with the winner in the third period as the Calgary Flames took a 4-3 win
over the San Jose Sharks.
Jokinen also had an assist while Jarome Iginla added a g
Perry lifts Ducks past Hurricanes in overtime >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Corey Perry scored the game-winning goal at
2:14 of the overtime period, sending the Anaheim Ducks to a 3-2 win over the
Carolina Hurricanes at Honda Center.
The deciding play began with a little luck f
Henrik Sedin may miss Thursday's game with ankle injury >>
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vancouver Canucks captain Henrik Sedin may
miss Thursday's game against the Minnesota Wild after injuring his right ankle
on Tuesday.
Sedin took a shot off his right ankle early in the first period of Tu
Rockets hold off Blazers >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Goran Dragic filled in for an injured Kyle
Lowry and scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter as the Houston
Rockets downed the Portland Trail Blazers, 103-96.
Lowry, who left the game late
MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?
Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).
Midwest
#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler
The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.
#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV
As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.
East
#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown
“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.
#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC
The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.
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