Brown returns to New York with Bobcats

Basketball Betting Lines

11/05/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hall of Fame head coach Larry Brown will guide the Charlotte Bobcats into hostile territory this evening, when they take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Brown will be on the floor in his first game against the Knicks since leaving the team following the 2005 campaign amid controversy with disgruntled guard Stephon Marbury and MSG chairman James Dolan. Brown, who was hired by the Knicks after helping Detroit to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances and one championship. New York went 23-59 in Brown's only season.

Charlotte is the ninth NBA team Brown has been head coach for and is 1-2 on the season following Monday's 101-83 loss versus the Detroit Pistons. Shannon Brown had a team-high 16 points and Gerald Wallace notched a double-double with 15 points and 12 boards for the Bobcats, who were coming off a 100-87 victory over the Miami Heat in their home opener on Saturday.

The Bobcats will open a six-game homestand after tonight's game in the Big Apple. In injury news for Charlotte, guard Raymond Felton (hamstring) is questionable and center Emeka Okafor (shoulder) is probable for Wednesday's game against New York.

Meanwhile, the Knicks have lost two in a row after winning its season opener versus Miami. They lost to Philadelphia on October 31, then suffered a 94-86 defeat at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.

Quentin Richardson scored 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting and pulled down nine rebounds for New York. Zach Randolph chipped in 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds in defeat. Marbury, expected to be out of New York in the near future, was once again kept on the sidelines in dress clothes.

New York won two of three meetings with Charlotte last season, but the Bobcats are 6-4 over the previous 10 matchups in the series.

Charlotte has lost two in a row at Madison Square Garden.

Skyvook Basketball Betting News

<< Sixers meet Heat in South Beach
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers hit the road for two straight games, starting with tonight's tilt against the Miami Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena. The Sixers have alternated wins and losses in each of their four games this seas

<< College Basketball Preview - Big South Conference
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - OUTLOOK: With the 25th anniversary of the Big South Conference comes a number of changes in the league's alliances, specifically, the acceptance of both Gardner-Webb and Presbyterian into the league for the u

<< Oilers try to stay on track versus Blue Jackets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The up-and-down Edmonton Oilers will aim for their third consecutive victory tonight, when they visit the struggling Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. The Oilers opened the season on a four-game winning streak bef

<< TCU and Utah square off in crucial Mountain West clash
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mountain West Conference supremacy is on the line Thursday night, as the 10th-ranked Utah Utes entertain the 11th- ranked TCU Horned Frogs at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. Heading into the week

<< Spartans close out home slate against Boilermakers
East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 18th-ranked Michigan State Spartans will try to keep their Big Ten title dreams alive this weekend, as they close out their home slate by hosting the Purdue Boilermakers in East Lansing. The Spartans a

Hawks pay a visit to unbeaten Hornets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A battle of unbeatens is on tap tonight at New Orleans Arena, where the Hornets will host the Atlanta Hawks. New Orleans has won its first three games of the 2008-09 season and recorded a 104-92 victory over the Clev

Garnett leads Celtics into Oklahoma City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The defending NBA champion Boston Celtics will wrap up a three-game road trip this evening, when they pay a visit to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Ford Center. Boston is 3-1 on the season and rebounded from its fi

Devils continue life without Brodeur against Lightning >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils will have to get used to life without franchise goaltender Martin Brodeur and they could begin that process tonight, when they welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Prudential Center. Brodeur suffere

Winless Spurs jingle into Minnesota >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The winless San Antonio Spurs try to avoid their second loss in as many nights when they travel to the Twin Cities to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. San Antonio fell to 0-3 Tuesday in an embarras

Wizards take on Bucks in Milwaukee >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Wizards try to find the win column for the first time in the 2008-09 season when they visit the Bucks in Milwaukee Wednesday. The Wizards fell to 0-2 last weekend when Detroit's Richard Hamilton sco

Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard