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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
March Madness odds and printable March Madness brackets
With the field of 64/65 set, MySportsbook.com has the Florida Gators as the 4-1 favorite to successfully defend their National Championship. Men’s Division-1 College Basketball has not seen a team repeat as National Champions since Duke won back to back championships in ’91 & ‘92. After losing three out of four late in the season, the Gators are full of momentum as they won their last four games by an average of 18 points. Not surprisingly, right behind the Gators are the other three top seeds: Kansas 5-1, UNC 6-1, and Ohio State 7-1. Many consider Kansas to be the hottest team in the country, having won 11 straight. With Kansas, it is hard to ignore all of the early exits from the “dance” in recent years. With an impressive ACC Tournament, UNC ensured themselves the other top seed. UNC has about as much talent as any other team in the tournament but with a team that’s best players are primarily freshman and sophomores, could youth be a concern. Behind freshman sensation, Greg Oden, OSU will look to do what their football team failed to do just a few months earlier. OSU seems to have peeked at the right time, as they currently have a 17 game winning streak. Since the tournament field was expanded in 1985, there has never been an instance where all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. It is obvious that each of the top seeds have the talent to make it through to Atlanta. But as everyone knows, when makes the NCAA Tournament so special are all of the spoilers and “Cinderella” stories that knock off the favorites on a daily basis.
Be sure to logon to MySportsbook.com to see check out all of the early lines and “March Madness” props. Also be sure to enter the “$10,000,000 Perfect Bracket Contest”. If someone has the skills to predict every winner, they will be set for life and walk away with $10,000,000. Even if no one can cash in on the Grand Prize, with a $35,000 guaranteed prize pool and a Mazda RX-8 to the first prize winner, Sportsbook.com’s bracket is a must for all “March Madness” fans.
MySportsbook.com’s odds to win the Championship and Regions:
| EAST | National Championship | Region |
| Arkansas | 300-1 | 50-1 |
| Belmont | 1000-1 | |
| Boston College | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Eastern KY | 1000-1 | |
| George Washington | 75-1 | |
| Georgetown | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| Marquette | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Michigan State | 100-1 | 25-1 |
| New Mexico St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| UNC | 6-1 | 6-5 |
| Oral Roberts | 500-1 | |
| Texas | 15-1 | 5-1 |
| Texas Tech | 200-1 | 5-1 |
| USC | 75-1 | 20-1 |
| Vanderbilt | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Washington State | 40-1 | 15-1 |
| WEST | ||
| Duke | 50-1 | 10-1 |
| Florida A&M | 1000-1 | |
| Gonzaga | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Holy Cross | 300-1 | |
| Illinois | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Indiana | 75-1 | 40-1 |
| Kansas | 5-1 | 13-10 |
| Kentucky | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Niagara | 1000-1 | |
| Pittsburgh | 40-1 | 8-1 |
| Southern Ill. | 50-1 | 12-1 |
| UCLA | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| VCU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Villanova | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| VA Tech | 50-1 | 15-1 |
| Weber St | 1000-1 | |
| Wright St | 1000-1 | 300-1 |
| MIDWEST | ||
| Arizona | 50-1 | 30-1 |
| Butler | 40-1 | 30-1 |
| Davidson | 300-1 | |
| Florida | 4-1 | 4-5 |
| Georgia Tech | 75-1 | 25-1 |
| Jackson State | 1000-1 | |
| Maryland | 30-1 | 6-1 |
| Miami-OH | 300-1 | |
| Notre Dame | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| ODU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Oregon | 40-1 | 6-1 |
| Purdue | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Texas A&M CC | 1000-1 | |
| UNLV | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Winthrop | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Wisconsin | 15-1 | 7-2 |
| SOUTH | ||
| Albany | 200-1 | |
| BYU | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Central CT St. | 1000-1 | |
| Creighton | 100-1 | 35-1 |
| Long Beach St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| Louisville | 40-1 | 10-1 |
| Memphis | 30-1 | 4-1 |
| Nevada | 75-1 | 35-1 |
| North Texas | 500-1 | |
| Ohio State | 7-1 | 6-5 |
| Penn | 500-1 | |
| Stanford | 200-1 | 50-1 |
| Tennessee | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| Texas A&M | 12-1 | 11-5 |
| Virginia | 75-1 | 18-1 |
| Xavier | 100-1 | 40-1 |
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