Rpckets Basketball Betting News

<< LeBron to announce decision on TV
AKRON, Ohio (AP) -LeBron James has confirmed on his relaunched website that he will end his free agency with an announcement Thursday night on ESPN.James' business manager, Maverick Carter, said Wednesday that James will say where he's playing next

<< Alouettes head to Edmonton to take on Eskimos
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The lone meeting between winless teams in week two of the 2010 CFL season takes place at Commonwealth Stadium as the Edmonton Eskimos and the Montreal Alouettes square off. The defending Grey Cup champion Alou

<< Lions welcome Roughriders to Empire Field
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having avenged their difficult loss to Montreal in last year's Grey Cup meeting, the Saskatchewan Roughriders now turn their attention to the British Columbia Lions for the lone contest between undefeated progra

<< Hamilton hopes to find offense in clash with Calgary
Hamilton, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After logging just 290 yards of total offense in the season opener last week, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats try to put together a more collective offensive effort this weekend as they host the Calgary Stampeders at Ivo

RSL puts unbeaten run on line at Chicago >>
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake puts its nine-game unbeaten run on the line when it travels to Chicago to take on the Fire in Major League Soccer action at Toyota Park on Thursday night. RSL (8-3-3) is coming off a 5-0

CFL Previews - July 9-11 - Week Two >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - TORONTO ARGONAUTS (0-1) AT WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (1-0) DATE & TIME: Friday, July 9, 8:00 p.m. (et). GAME NOTES: As the only team in the Eastern Division to get off on the right foot in the first w

ESPN sells its soul for James story >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Few remember when ESPN launched in 1979, the letters were actually an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. Yep, the fledgling ESPN actually ran movies, business shows and exercise vid

Bresciano moves to Lazio >>
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Serie A side Lazio have confirmed the signing of Australia international Mark Bresciano on a two-year deal. The 30-year-old joins Lazio on a free transfer after his contract with league rivals Palermo came

Super Bowl 2009 Betting

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.

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Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch

Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.

Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.

"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."

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