NBA – Chicago Bulls beat Boston Celtics to clinch the Eastern Conference Title

Ok, let’s be fair to the Boston Celtics and perhaps for the sake of precision lets just say that the Boston Celtics still have a mathematical probability of winning the Conference Title and holding on to the No.1 seed in the East for the NBA Playoffs. But on the other hand we must also say that the Celtics gasping the No.1 seed is as improbable as it is for the Bulls to lose all of its pending games.

For starters, the soon to be named the league’s MVP, the talented and spectacular Derrick Rose outplayed no other then one of the NBA’s finest point guards: Rajon Rondo. As if that was not enough, Rose, with 30 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists almost, single handedly outscored the Boston Celtics Big three: Kevin Garnet, 10 points, 10 rebounds; Paul Pierce, 15 points, 4 rebounds; Ray Allen 7 points and 6 rebounds.

So this better be a wake-up call for the Boston Celtics if they are really hoping to emulate their National Championship in 2008. Sure, they made it to the finals last year, but considering all the rebuilding and insane investments that the teams in the Easter Conference have made, it is certainly going to be a bit more of a challenge to play the Bulls, the Miami Heat, the Orlando Magic and the Knicks for a spot in the NBA Finals.

The guys from Chicago were playing with much more cohesion and style, there is really no doubt about it: the Bulls deserved the win. Boston was not at its best, and the Bulls made sure they showed everyone watching the game the Celtics many flaws. Chicago outscored the Celtics 44-22 in the paint, outrebounded them 44-35 and held Boston to 38.4 percent shooting. And that’s not the Celtics that we expect to see on a daily basis. That’s not the team that held the Miami Heat to a 3-0 record and which on Sunday could very well sweep the season with a 4-0.

Because there is simple one big issue: Derrick Rose has been certainly a prominent force in this new era for the Bulls. Because let’s face it, we haven’t seen the Bulls play like they have since, well, since Scottie Pippen and Micheal Jordan were working their way into becoming NBA Legends.

Rose was a one-man highlight reel against Rajon Rondo, beating him with his crossover and getting to the rim. His performance in the first half was just outstanding. Rose scored 16 points in the first two quarters as the Bulls build a 48-43 lead. Luol Deng scored 23 points, and Carlos Boozer added 14 points and 12 rebounds.

The bottom line: Rose outplayed Rondo and that just was not good news for Boston. Twice, Rose completely lost Rondo with hard crossovers. In the second quarter, Rose duped Rondo by stepping back and left, fainting to shoot, then crossing back to his right and flying pass three Celtics Players for the layup. It was a beautiful play that simply made Rondo and the Celtics look a bit too soft, too weak, and not quite ready yet for the Playoffs.

Big Ten Conference Tournament Preview

By Robert Ferringo

The Big Ten Tournament begins Thursday, March 10 in Indianapolis. Here is Doc’s Sports Big Ten Tournament preview and predictions, with odds courtesy of BetUs.com:

The Favorite: Ohio State (-150)
The Buckeyes are the class of the conference and right now they would be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. I don’t think that their No. 1 seed would be in jeopardy if they didn’t win this tournament but I think that they understand that having momentum this time of year

NCAA Football – TCU accepts bid to join Big East Conference

The Texas Christian University Athletics Department has just accepted a bid to join the Big East Conference as its 17th team starting on January 1st 2012. This agreement will be effective for all NCAA sanctioned sports played by the University’s athletic program.

This will certainly give the TCU football program a whole different edge in its search for making it into the NCAA Football postseason. The Conference change will give TCU a chance to play in an conference that automatically qualify its winner into the BCS Championship Bowls at the end of the season. TCU is leaving the Mountain West Conference in its move to bigger and better things. That Conference is seeing very substantial changes recently as TCU is not the only team leaving. As of press time BYU and Utah are changing conference too, just as Boise State enters.

TCU is a medium sized school with enrollment numbers slightly over the 9,000 students per academic year. This private university will become the 9th football program in the Big East Conference. There are rumors that Villanova could soon become its 10th team to play at NCAA Division 1 football for the Big East Conference.

TCU is currently 12-0 and is ranked 3rd in the BCS rankings for this season. The TCU Horned-Frogs are at least going to make it into this year’s Rose Bowl. Now, if Oregon or Auburn sleep in this weekend’s game, there is still a good chance that TCU might be playing for the BCS National Championship Bowl Game.

This weekend the Conference Championship games will be played. Auburn will play South Carolina in the SEC championship game. Nebraska will be playing the Oklahoma Sooners for the Big 12 Championship Game. Stay tuned as we keep you informed on the best betting lines in NCAA Football.

2010-11 Big Ten College Basketball Conference Title Odds

By Robert Ferringo

Here are the odds to win the Big Ten Conference regular season title. Wager is on team to win conference listed. Tiebreaker is team who gets lower seed (1 seed is lowest) in conference tournament is winning wager.

Below the college basketball odds I have some predictions, recommendations, or suggestions - whatever you want to call them - on how to wager this futures bet. Enjoy.

Indiana

2010-11 Pac-10 College Basketball Conference Championship Odds

By Robert Ferringo

Here are the odds to win the Pacific 10 Conference regular season title. Wager is on team to win conference listed. Tiebreaker is team who gets lower seed (1 seed is lowest) in conference tournament is winning wager.

Below the college basketball odds I have some predictions, recommendations, or suggestions - whatever you want to call them - on how to wager this futures bet. Enjoy.

Arizona

2010-11 Big 12 College Basketball Conference Championship Odds

By Robert Ferringo

Here are the odds to win the Big 12 Conference. Wager is on team to win conference listed. Tiebreaker is team who gets lower seed (1 seed is lowest) in conference tournament is winning wager.

Below the college basketball odds I have some predictions, recommendations, or suggestions - whatever you want to call them - on how to wager this futures bet. Enjoy.

Baylor

2010-11 ACC College Basketball Conference Title Odds

By Robert Ferringo

Here are the odds to win the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title this year. Wager is on team to win conference listed. Tiebreaker is team who gets lower seed (1 seed is lowest) in conference tournament is winning wager.

Below the college basketball odds I have some predictions, recommendations, or suggestions - whatever you want to call them - on how to wager this futures bet. Enjoy.

Boston College

2010-11 SEC College Basketball Conference Title Odds

By Robert Ferringo

Here are the odds to win the SEC East regular season title. Wager is on team to win conference listed. Tiebreaker is team who gets lower seed (1 seed is lowest) in conference tournament is winning wager.
Below the college basketball odds I have some predictions, recommendations, or suggestions - whatever you want to call them - on how to wager this futures bet. Enjoy.

Florida

2010-11 Big East College Basketball Conference Title Odds

By Robert Ferringo

Here are the odds to win the Big East regular season title. Wager is on team to win conference listed. Tiebreaker is team who gets lower seed (1 seed is lowest) in conference tournament is winning wager

Below the college basketball odds I have some predictions, recommendations, or suggestions - whatever you want to call them - on how to wager this futures bet. Enjoy.

Connecticut

NFL Conference Championship Futures Odds

By Robert Ferringo

Below is a list of current odds for winning the AFC and NFC Championship. While picking the Super Bowl winner is the favorite betting prop for futures players, betting a team to win the conference title an provide better value because there are fewer teams to sift through in each conference. If you can realistically eliminate five or six teams from each conference (sorry Detroit fans, you’re not winning the NFC this year) then that really leaves just 8-10 teams with a legit shot in each conference. From there you can sift through value and take a shot on the teams that you like in each spot. And in the end you can probably come up with five or six teams that you think can cash this ticket. That’s a lot better odds than trying to find the four or five teams out of 32 that can win the Super Bowl.

In the AFC, I think that the best odds rest on the middle-tier teams. The usual suspects - Indianapolis, New England and San Diego - are relatively short odds, considering that they are each at the back end of their “dynastic” years. The Jets are appealing to some at 6-to-1, but that’s what is called a “Joey” play and is a bit of a sucker bet. I do like the NFL betting odds on the AFC North teams though. I think that this is a talented, deep division and that two of the teams out of the Ravens, Steelers and Bengals will make the playoffs. And I think that any one of those teams, once they make the postseason, would be a significant threat to win the AFC title.

In the NFC, things are a bit more wide-open. New Orleans is obviously one of the favorites, but the reality is that there hasn’t been a repeat NFC champion since 1997-1998 when the Packers made back-to-back Super Bowls. That seems to open the door for Dallas, who is clearly a Super Bowl contender. However, this conference has been known for its unpredictability over the last decade. Minnesota has decent odds - if Brett Favre comes back - and I think that Green Bay is a sucker play. I think that Washington, Arizona and San Francisco offer decent odds as longshot wagers, despite the fact that Arizona and San Fran have big question marks at quarterback.

Here is a look at the odds to win the 2010-11 AFC and NFC Championship:

ODDS TO WIN THE 2010-2011 AFC CHAMPIONSHIP
Team Open Current
Indianapolis 13/4 13/4
New England 9/2 9/2
San Diego 9/2 9/2
N.Y. Jets 17/2 6/1
Baltimore 11/1 7/1
Pittsburgh 13/2 10/1
Tennessee 10/1 12/1
Cincinnati 18/1 13/1
Houston 14/1 14/1
Miami 15/1 14/1
Denver 22/1 25/1
Jacksonville 22/1 25/1
Cleveland 30/1 40/1
Kansas City 60/1 50/1
Oakland 60/1 50/1
Buffalo 50/1 60/1

ODDS TO WIN THE 2010-2011 NFC CHAMPIONSHIP
Team Open Current
Dallas 4/1 4/1
New Orleans 7/2 4/1
Green Bay 9/2 9/2
Minnesota 11/2 6/1
N.Y. Giants 15/2 15/2
Atlanta 10/1 10/1
Philadelphia 10/1 14/1
Washington 25/1 14/1
Chicago 14/1 15/1
San Francisco 20/1 20/1
Arizona 20/1 25/1
Carolina 30/1 30/1
Seattle 40/1 30/1
Detroit 40/1 40/1
Tampa Bay 60/1 50/1
St. Louis 75/1 75/1

Posted at 7:59 am

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