Great NFL Football, free picks, and great bonuses!

It’s football Sunday and the NFL has plenty to offer with some great games today and I have them all covered but first let’s take a look at some of the best sportsbook bonuses in the market today!

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NFL Free Picks on Tap for Sunday

Tony Romo and the Cowboys take on the Giants

I have free picks and lengthy writeups for five games on tap to include:

Dallas @ Giants

Saints @ Redskins

Patriots @ Dolphins

Minnesota @ Arizona

Titans @ Colts ….and more!

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NFL Free Sports Betting Pick

SF @ Seattle

If Seattle is going to make the playoffs or play a role in how the west is won they need to win this game. They have one of the best home field advantages in the NFL and will be glad to be home after a long road trip. Seattle has been a betting bonanza at Qwest Field after Thanksgiving, cashing at a 7-0-1 clip. Seattle will thrive off that last win in St. Louis and take it to the 49ers in a big win at home.

Seattle -1

You can count on some highlight reel plays anytime Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade hook up. Last night, it was Kobe delivering the knockout blow…

LOS ANGELES—The Black Mamba strikes again.

“Luck,” Kobe said after the game. Regardless, Kobe’s clutch shot at buzzer lifts Lakers over Heat and keeps the Lakeshow rolling in Tinseltown. See video below,

When basketball players turn the ball over during the course of the game, it makes a coach’s stomach turn; especially if it is an unforced turnover.  I have a few pet peeve’s as a coach; a player being careless with the ball is one of them.  Lebron James was upset with his team for turning it over in the first half of their game against the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.  “We turned the ball over 6 or 7 times, you can’t do that!” James told a sideline reporter from ESPN after their victory.  In the second half the Cavs did not turn it over once.  Take care of the ball!

3 Point Play:

1-Big time 3-pt shot by Kobe Bryant over D-Wade from the top of the key going right to left to win the game at the buzzer for the Lakers last night 108-107.  I was about to fall asleep well past midnight but for some reason something told me to stick this one out.  Wade finished with 26 including 9 in the last two minutes but he missed a crucial free-throw with 3 seconds remaining which would of given the Heat a three point lead.  The Heat shot 27-42 from the free-throw line (John Calipari said it doesn’t matter though).  For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Mark Jackson mentioned last night that Wade is the third greatest shooting guard in the history of the game.

2-Congrats to the New Jersey Nets for getting their first win of the year by beating the Charlotte Bobcats 97-91.  New head coach Kiki Vandweghe is now 1-0 as a coach.  The guy knows the game, he’s been around a long time.  So hey, maybe a different voice will help this team.

3-Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks was ejected last night in a loss against the Knicks (who have now beat Atlanta and the Suns this week) for arguing with the official; Bob Delaney mind you! You don’t mess with Bob Delaney; didn’t Smith read his book? Josh was a bit perturbed that the former New Jersey State Trooper didn’t give him the call. While the free-throws were being shot, Smith continued to argue; thus getting thrown out.  Somewhere across our great country the replacement refs are working D-3 games smiling and thinking, “Thank God we don’t have to deal with those guys anymore…”

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

I’m on Facebook and you can follow me on Twitter: @CoachFinamore

When Allen Iverson was a free agent this summer, many Miami Heat fans were jumping on the “Let’s Sign AI” band wagon. I must admit, I was one of those fans.  I wanted to see an exciting player put on the Heat uniform and make Miami a team of headlines once again. Granted, Wade has done that but if you go to the games like I have been going to, the games seem empty compared to the “sold-out” status they put on the website. Miami is a great team but it seems as if the fans in Miami will only go to the games to see a star… This makes no sense since we have the best player in the NBA [Dwyane Wade]. Regardless of this, I wanted to see a player complement Wade’s style of play and Iverson seemed to fit that bill.

Don’t get me wrong, I was a fan of Mario Chalmers from day one. As soon as I heard Miami traded for ‘Rio I was excited to see him play. When he started on opening night and I saw him play I thought to myself, “Man, this kid id for real.” Regardless of what I thought, people still doubted Chalmers and wanted to see a better point guard. When Chalmers was not invited to play in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge during All-Star weekend, I thought that he deserved it more than Michael Beasley (I was never a huge fan of Beasley last year). Mario was leading all rookies in steals and assist/turnover ratio and he was left out of the game. Chalmers played with a grudge the end of the season and had a terrific second half to the season. Mario averaged 10 points per game, 2 steals per game, and nearly 5 assists per game.

Still, with the solid year Chalmers had, many experts said Miami’s top priority of the summer was to pick up Allen Iverson to improve the point guard position. I won’t be surprised if Chalmers took all that to heart and worked even harder this summer to prove all the doubters wrong. By the summer, Iverson was considered a cancer much like T.O in football. After the Sixers, every team he went to became bad and he ended up being traded. After his embarrassment in Detroit, many didn’t see many teams picking him up. People saw a great shot for Iverson here in Miami, but basketball guru Pat Riley had other plans. He wasn’t going to sign a washed up player to a Mid-Level Salary if he wasn’t sure he was going to perform. In a nutshell, Iverson had too high of a price tag. The Heat fans that wanted Iverson, were angry and questioned Riley when he said he was not picking up a point guard. (It’s all part of Riley’s Master-Plan people…)

When Memphis picked him up that shocked many people. Memphis ad a solid point guard and the other players didn’t seem like they were too excited that they picked up Iverson. But nevertheless, Memphis picked him up and he ended up playing only three games due to an injury. Iverson seemed like the arrogant jerk he has always been “I had no problems [with the hamstring]. I had a problem with my butt sitting on that bench for so long,” Iverson said after his first game back after his injury. “I’m not a bench player. I’m not a sixth man,” he continued. “Look at my résumé and that’ll show I’m not a sixth man. I don’t think it has anything to do with me being selfish. It’s just who I am. I don’t want to change what gave me all the success that I’ve had since I’ve been in this league. I’m not a sixth man. And that’s that.” Soon after that rant, Iverson left the team for “Personal” reasons. Not after that Iverson was released from the Grizzlies.

After he was released, the “AI to Miami” bandwagon was back to full speed. What could be better? Iverson had just been humbled by his experience in Memphis, and now he was asking a very much lower price. Again, Riley passed on him and he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. I think that was a great place for him. He came around full circle, from the arrogant jerk to the humbled Allen Iverson. I think he will play really well in Philadelphia.

Now, not many people are saying how brilliant Pat Riley is. He passed on Iverson not once, but twice. People were begging to question his judgment. Just as people were questioning Riley’s judgment, Mario Chalmers began to play incredibly. Chalmers is averaging 10 points per game, and 4 assists per game. My case and point? Mario Chalmers is begging to play like the player Riley saw last year when he traded for him. If Allen Iverson was in South Beach, sure the arena would be full, but then after this season it would be empty all over again because Miami wouldn’t have had blossomed it’s Point Guard of the future (Chalmers). Riley is a pure genious, no one else would have had the guts like he did to pass on a future Hall of Famer like Iverson. We all know how he loves vets (he signed and traded for many in the summer of 2005 on route to Miami’s first NBA Championship.) But this time around, Riley was thinking of something he hasn’t thought about before. He was thinking about the future (2010). If this was two years ago, I would see Riley picking up Iverson because of Riley’s “Win Now” attitude. Thankfully, Riley has learned his lesson in the 2007-2008 NBA Season and is ready to build for the future instead of the now.

Wow the Knicks didn’t choke in the fourth and actually sealed the win. More surprisingly Chris Duhon actually had a good game. Is it too late for the Knicks to make a playoff run?

I just got three hobby packs of Bowman ’48 Basketball. Might as well open it now. You never know when the Knicks are going to win again.

Pack 1:
Marcus Camby
Spencer Hawes- Weird. It is misprinted with Gerald Wallace on the front.
Gerald Wallace
Nate Robinson
Richard Hamilton 1156/1948
TJ Ford
Kevin Martin
Andre Iguodala

Pack 2:
Allen Iverson
Carlos Boozer
Single Cut Using Post as Screen for Short Shot 1167/1948
Yao Ming 1075/1948 Yes!!!
Deron Williams
Derrick Rose
Andre Miller
Josh Smith

Pack 3:
Chris Bosh
Ben Gordon
Kobe Bryant
Dwyane Wade Auto- OH YEAHHH!!!!!!
Tyreke Evans 946/1948
Andrew Bynum
Rudy Fernandez
Corey Maggette

I probably say this too often but this is the best $10 I ever spent. Also remember when I said I lack a point guard for my NBA all- auto team. Well I think I found him and he is probably one of the best players in game right now, Dwyane Wade. (I know he plays mostly as a shooting guard but he can play point too.) Honestly, I was getting bored with basketball cards until the Wade auto pull. I so rather pull a big hit like this than buying singles. I guess it is the chase that counts. Plus the Yao Ming parallel is going to be a sweet card for my PC.

As nice as the Wade auto and Yao parallel are, the CotG has to be the only Knick in the packs, Nate Robinson. He has potential to be a difference maker but his greatest strengths (his aggression and his energy) are his greatest weaknesses. Personally I like Nate the Great but the coach Mike D’antoni doesn’t seem to like him too much.

Free Sports Betting Picks for Championship Football Saturday!

There may not be a better day for football. The SEC, ACC, and Big 12 battle for the championship and the Big East will be decided on this day! To make it even better for you we have a new sponsor that is offering a free wager for the games today!

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Championship Saturday College Football Picks:
I have the picks for all the championship games tomorrow and the best part is they are all FREE!
SEC:Florida Vs Alabama
ACC:GT Vs Clemson
Big12: Texas Vs Nebraska
Big East: Cincy Vs Pitt

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Free NCAA Football Sports Betting Pick for Saturday

West Virginia @ Rutgers

This one has classic game written all over it. This West Virginia team is off a huge win against Pittsburgh and now will hit the road for some letdown. Rutgers has covered four of the last six meetings, with the under cashing in three of the previous four. West Virginia enters on a bad ATS run, dropping four of its previous six games versus the number. The Scarlet Knights are 4-1 ATS in their last five with the ‘under’ winning out in four of their most recent six games. Look for more of the same this week as Rutgers gets the win over the mountaineers. The sure tell sign is Rutgers an unranked team favored over a ranked team. Drop the small number in this Big East tilit.

Rutgers -2

Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski reported tonight that there are “serious” talks happening between the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks that would send Tyrus Thomas and Jerome James to the Knicks in exchange for Al Harrington.  As trade talks begin to heat up around the NBA, the first real proposal of the season seems to make sense for both parties.

Thomas is currently recovering from a broken forearm that has kept him out of action for the last month and a half.  Since he was drafted by the Bulls in 2006, Thomas has been somewhat of a project that has improved every year, increasing his statistical performances in just about every category.  At just 23 years old he still has plenty of gas left in the tank but his high energy, athletic game could surely improve if he was put into a higher tempo offense.  His 6′10″, 225-pound body slots him at the power forward position, but in the Bulls half court offense he is undersized and can not be a full-time post player.

Al Harrington would provide offense this season and cap space next season for the Bulls. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

On the other hand, Harrington has done well for the Knicks, averaging over 20 points per game since he arrived in New York.  The 12-year veteran has exploded for two 40-point games this season and would surely add instant offense to a Bulls team that ranks 28th in the NBA, scoring just 91.4 points per game.  The bigger Harrington would take over the Bulls power forward spot and give Derrick Rose another offensive weapon to go along with Luol Deng and Joakim Noah.

From a money perspective, the Bulls would be wise to make this move as Harrington’s contract expires after this season.  General Manager John Paxson is clearly looking to the 2010 “Free Agent Sweepstakes”, where he and the Bulls are expected to make plays for free agents Chris Bosh and hometown hero Dwyane Wade.  With Harrington’s contract going off the books after the season, more cap space will be available for the Bulls to go after those free agents.  Letting go of Thomas would save the Bulls approximately $13 million.

The Knicks currently have the most cap space allotted for 2010 of any NBA team with players like Larry Hughes ($13.65 million), Darko Milicic ($7.5 million), Cuttino Mobley ($9.5 million), David Lee ($7 million), Chris Duhon ($6 million), and Nate Robinson ($4 million) all coming off the books after this season.  The Knicks have made it all but public that they will pursue LeBron James next summer, the clear prized possession of the free agent class.

However, one issue that has been talked about is that the Knicks will have to show James that they still have a foundation and that they will not sacrifice the rest of the team just so they have the money to offer him a maximum contract.  Adding Thomas to the Knicks, who is under contract until 2011, along with up-and-coming second year forward Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, and rookies Jordan Hill and Toney Douglas would be a start in showing James that a young core of players are ready to succeed under the leadership of James if he comes to New York.

As it goes for the 2009 season, Harrington would improve the Bulls’ front court immediately alongside the fully improved Joakim Noah.  Last June, the Bulls drafted Wake Forest’s James Johnson and Taj Gibson from USC.  While Johnson is more of a project, just as Thomas was coming out of college, Gibson has established himself as a contributor and has the potential to start for the Bulls in 2010.  Despite being a fan favorite, the early emergence of Gibson makes Thomas expendable and also frees up the power forward position for Chris Bosh in 2010, presuming he decides on Chicago next summer.

Thursday Night Free Sports Betting Picks

Thursday Night is here and full of great sports as the NBA, NFL, college basketball and the “Civil War” in college football happens tonight!

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Thursday Night NFL Free Pick:
Ny Jets @ Buffalo

The Jets and Bills play in Canada on Thursday Night Football

The Jets have been up and down all year so there is no way to tell what kind of Jets team you are going to get week in and week out. The Jets win a game against a lousy Carolina team and now they get the nod to be road favorites against Buffalo. This game is on national TV which is huge for the Bills because the crowd will be loud and proud of the Bills. Having the game in Canada only makes it all that much louder and special for this Bills team. The Jets will have their best corner on TO but in reality Fitzpatrick loves to throw it to Lee Evans. The Jets have come up short in six of their last seven as favorites of less than 9 points with revenge. On the other hand, the Bills are 5-0 versus a division foe with revenge off a SU win as underdogs. Buffalo has come away with the cash in nine of the last dozen series duels. Take the Bills plus the points.

Bills +3.5

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I’m assuming there’s a reason things are the way they are that I just don’t understand yet, but until it either changes or I figure it out, the NBA All-Star Game voting process is officially my new nemisis (you’re off the hook Gypsy That Cursed Paul Millsap).

Where do we begin?

The last time a basketball team played a game with precisely two guards, two forwards and a center was long before any player on these ballots (Shaquille O’Neal, I assume) was considered a professional athlete. The end result is an often awkward formation of players setting foot on the court for the game’s first few minutes.

Granted the head coaches can, and naturally do mix the line-up around so that it actually looks like a real line-up (at least part of the time), but the process has evolved to the point where the recognition is hardly considered much of a recognition at all. With all of the limitations of the current format the third best player in a conference (most likely a forward) could lose out on a starting spot while a bum gets the nod at center (Antonio Davis, I don’t mean to single you out, but I’m singling you out).

Considering the fact that there’s little clear-cut alternative for eliminating positions altogether, it might make some sense to at least modify the position classifications. Recall the hit NES ice hockey title, aptly titled Ice Hockey. For those unfortunately out of the “know”, the game began when you assembled your anonymous team of anxious players of various shapes and sizes. In other words, you chose whether you wanted any combination of skinny players, medium-sized players or… “the beasts” (which is a slightly more intimidating euphemism for fat players that skated slow but hit with the force of a Mack truck).

Since the 2 Guard-2 Forward-1 Center format has grown out of fashion, might it not make more sense to go with a 1 Little Guard-2 Wing Man-2 Big Forward format? Something that could lump the Kobe Bryants and LeBron James(es) of the world together? So that Kevin Durant no longer has to worry about sitting on the bench because Tim Duncan or Pau Gasol had to bump him out of the way when Andrew Bynum took what should have been their spot at C?

With this 2LG-2WM-2BF format, each team would have a point guard (let’s say Chris Paul and Devin Harris), along with two players that would either fall into the shooting guard or small forward categories (let’s say Kobe Bryant/Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade/LeBron James). Then each team would get two big players to fill in at power forward and centre (might as well come up with an example here too… Tim Duncan/Dirk Nowtizki and Chris Bosh/Dwight Howard). Doesn’t that make a lot more sense then trying to go with what they have now?

The reason this format works more efficiently is because a shooting guard has a heck of a lot more in common with a small forward than with a point guard… and a center is virtually identical to a power forward save for a few inches.

The next part of the ASG process that ruins lives is the fact that idiots get to vote every single day. No longer are votes cast by the most knowledgeable, passionate fans, they’re cast by 13-year-olds homers and a fraction of the world’s cell phone carriers that can do it from their phones (T-Mobile, if you’re wondering. Thanks Mr. Stern).

What I propose is that we abandon this unlimited vote count and let fans cast one single ballot per year. It seems irrational, but believe it or not that used to be how voting worked in real life too. It might eliminate the preposterously high vote counts that NBA execs in the Social Media department felate each other over at the staff Christmas party, but at least the counts will be authentic. It’s like Major League Baseball minus the steroids. Sure the numbers aren’t as absurdly-record breaking, but at least they’re legitimate.

What if the most super elitest of hackers figured out a way to clear their cookies and vote more than once?, you say, thus jeopardizing the integrity of our whole operation? Then have fans print off their ballot and mail it in. Old school, I know, but printers are everywhere and I’m pretty sure stamps cost less than 60 cents. With the power of the internet the ballot can still be distributed at stupid lengths, the only difference is that the actual votes won’t fall into that same realm of vast stupidity.

The NBA has found itself on a path of convenience lately, but too much convenience can have unfortunate results, especially when the goal all along is to maintain integrity and control. With this new method, fans no longer have to worry about having zero impact and it avoids the inevitable scandal that will come when one community figures out a way to flood the severely flawed voting process (a similar thing happened with the Montreal Canadiens and the NHL All-Star Game a few years ago).

Oh well, it’s not like anybody watches it anyway. I’m still on strike until they bring 2Ball back.

Πώς ήταν οι παίχτες του ΝΒΑ όταν ήταν παιδιά; Η απάντηση στο παρακάτω βίντεο…

Οι καλύτερες φωτογραφίες κατά τη γνώμη μου… αυτές του KG, το ύφος του Wade, το μαλλί του Kidd..

The new “it couple” of black America seems to be Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade. These two provide the best of both worlds. Union is one of the top actresses, she is always in the latest movies. Wade, on the other hand, just happens to be the biggest star in the NBA. Separate, these two are forces, but together, they are so much more.

In the past, Gabrielle Union was married to NFL player, Chris Howard. From 2000 until 2005, she was married to him, but they divorced in 2005. After her divorce from Howard, Union played things slow, living the single life. Two years later, she returned to the dating scene, being linked to rapper, Ludacris.

However, for about a year, she has been romantically linked to NBA star, Dwyane Wade. From 2002 until 2007, Wade was married to his high school sweetheart. Early in his NBA career, Wade tried to market himself as a family man. In important games that would air on ABC there was many features of Wade with his wife and sons.

After the divorce, Wade was linked to Star Jones. Dwyane Wade would be linked to Jones. It was up until he began spending time with Union that these rumors stopped. Almost everywhere either Union or Wade goes, they are together. Despite this, no one has ever said that the two are dating.

There have been plenty of times where these two are together alone. Before, it would be normal to see Union with another man, a few months ago, she was seen out with Ludacris. It was also normal to see Wade out with other women. But, for the past few months, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade have been together more and more.

I am a member of a rare class of basketball fans who appreciate both the college and professional games. As I write this, I am watching Gonzaga play Cincinnati in the championship of the Maui Invitation on mute on my parents’ big-screen HD TV. I am watching the Knicks play the Kings, with audio (unfortunately), on my computer.

Most of my friends who love college basketball can’t stand NBA basketball. One of roommates, Greg, refuses to use the word “basketball” to refer to what goes on in the NBA. When I ask friends like Greg why they hate the NBA so much, I hear a whole list of responses. NBA players don’t try, especially early in the regular season. There are too many isolation plays in the NBA. No one in the NBA plays defense. NBA players are all selfish, ball-hogging, tattooed jerks. And, the grand-daddy of all complaints about the NBA, the refs never call traveling.

Most of my friends who love the NBA don’t hate college basketball, but most of them don’t particularly care for it either. Maybe it’s that there isn’t enough star power. Maybe the zone defenses and hand-checking slow down the game too much.

Fans are an odd bunch. It’s tough to say how they operate. But there do seem to be a couple of predictors for why someone prefers one style of basketball over the other. In general, the people I know who like the NBA are from cities that have NBA teams. My friends who hate the NBA are from rural areas or from Midwestern cities devoid of pro basketball. It also seems that the more organized basketball my friends have played, the less they enjoy the NBA. My friends who played high school hoops almost all dislike the NBA. My friends who have never played much basketball or who have played mostly pick-up basketball think the NBA is great.

Based on those predictors, I probably shouldn’t like the NBA. I played varsity basketball, and I’m from a rural area. The closest NBA team growing up in northwest Pennsylvania was 2 hours away in Cleveland. Still, for some reason, I have always loved the NBA. It was different basketball than is played on the college or high school level, but it was basketball just the same. I never really bought into many of the arguments against that NBA game. 

Until the Magic played the Heat tonight. The final score was 99-98, the Heat winning on a dunk in the final seconds by Michael Beasley, but it was easily the worst basketball I have seen played in quite awhile. Remember, this is coming from someone who watches the Knicks fairly regularly.

The Magic came into the game 11-4. The Heat 8-5. Last season, the Magic played in the finals. Dwyane Wade plays for the Heat. When I sat down to watch, I was expecting a good game. Instead, the game became a microcosm of every criticism of the NBA game.

For the first three quarters, the Magic played solid team basketball and the Heat didn’t try at all, leading the Magic to a comfortable lead. In the fourth quarter, the game degenerated into a stagnant one-on-one contest between Wade and Vince Carter, who combined to shoot 14-for-40 in the game. At one end, four Heat players would stand around while Wade isolated and took an impossible shot. At the other end, four Magic players stood around while Carter isolated and took an impossible shot.

Carter started the fourth on the bench, entering with about six and a half minutes left. He quickly made up for lost time, taking six of the Magic’s next seven shots, not counting a trip to the foul line. He made two of those seven shots.

Jeff Van Gundy and Hubie Brown, the color commentators informed us about a million times that Wade was a great fourth-quarter scorer and that he was having yet another great fourth quarter. But after Wade made his first three shots of the fourth, he missed his last five. Wade made all of his nine fourth-quarter free throw attempts, thanks mostly to a bunch of questionable calls that seemed to be going his way because of his star power.

On one play, Wade drove to the three-point line where he jumped to a stop. He threw a head-fake drawing his defender, I’m pretty sure it was Mickael Pietrus, into the air. Wade elevated, trying to jump into Pietrus to draw the foul, but Pietrus did a nice job of controlling his body and avoiding contact. Knowing he had failed to draw the foul, Wade decided to pass rather than shoot at the last moment. It didn’t matter because the ref had blown his whistle (and the call) right as Wade prepared to leave the ground and well before any contact would have occurred. Plus, it was pretty clear that Wade traveled, switching pivot foots after making the fake. The ref didn’t need to see the play to make his call. All he needed to know was the name on the back of Wade’s jersey.

In the final 2:08 of the game, the Magic shot just 3-for-8 from the foul line, but they were still winning by one point with two seconds left because during that same 2:08, the Heat didn’t take a single decent shot. Miami scored four points in the final two minutes, both on put-backs of ugly misses by Wade.

In this game, Greg was right – what happened on the wooden floor was not basketball. Maybe the problem is that players like Wade and Carter are too good. Sometimes they make seemingly impossible shots. Maybe their egos have convinced them that they can make seemingly impossible shots on every possession. Still, I’m not sure that justifies attempting an impossible shot every time down.

This game was awful. Sadly, since it was close, Sportscenter will probably make it out to be a wonderful game. That’s certainly not how I, or probably anyone else who watched, will remember it. I’m not going to stop watching the NBA, but I am going to take a month or two off from saying anything nice about Vince Carter, Dwyane Wade, the Van Gundy brothers or Hubie Brown.

After thirteen years in the NBA, Allen Iverson has called it quits. There was once a time when Iverson was the face of the NBA. He was one of the best scorers that the league ever had, but there was no market for him during the free agent season.

Reluctantly, the Memphis Grizzlies did sign him. Despite their signing of the aging, but skilled, guard, he was unhappy on the team and the team was unhappy with him. After only three games with Memphis, they released him from his contract.

There had been rumors of the New York Knicks being interested in signing the former MVP. Those rumors proved to only be rumors when executives from the team said that they are trying to build towards the future. In the end, they passed on Iverson.

Just like during the summer, there was speculation that he may either be signed by the Charlotte Bobcats or the Miami Heat. The Heat had a big plan for the summer of 2009, but everything had to be in place. If that had been the case, Iverson would have signed with Miami.

Now, the Bobcats were in need of a star and a scorer during the summer. There are some who hope that rookie guard, Gerald Henderson, can be that as the season progresses. As it currently stands, he receives little playing time on a team with six guards. Fans and critics, alike want Henderson to have more playing time.

If the Bobcats were to have signed Allen Iverson, it would be a slap in the face to Henderson and his supporters. As a result, Charlotte never did reach out and sign Iverson. Head coach, Larry Brown, did hope that the he could join the team in some fashion. Something could have been worked out, but it would probably take months.

Not wanting to go through the trouble, Allen Iverson announced that he was simply going to retire from the NBA. It was only a few years ago, before the explosion of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Kobe Bryant, that Allen Iverson was the face of this league. Now, in 2009, no one wants him, so Iverson has retired.

Pacers over Clippers, Bobcats over Raptors, Magic over Heat, Celtics over Sixers, Hornets over Bucks, Mavs over Rockets, Nuggets over Wolves, Blazers over Nets, Kings over Knicks

NIGHTLY LEADERS

Scoring: D. Granger, D. Wade, L. James, R. Gay

Rebounds: E. Okafor, D. Howard, G. Wallace

Assists: R. Rondo, J. Calderon, S. Nash

DARKHORSE PLAYERS: E. Okafor, Stephen Jackson,

To celebrate the Holidays I am going to post a free winning pick for every day of the week starting on Thanksgiving and going all the way to Sunday. I will also post some great sportsbook bonus so you can take advantage of some of the best in the business! Take time out to be thankful for everything in life and remember the troops that can’t be home on Thanksgiving.

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Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!

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Free Pick for Thursday November 26th, Turkey day!

Texas @ Texas A& M

Texas has already clinched the Big 12 South and will play Nebraska in the

Happy Holidays!

Championship game but they can’t afford to get caught napping here. This will be no problem for Texas as they are focused on going to the Championship game after the loss last year that put them out. Texas A&M has flopped in six of nine as dogs of 20 points or more and in 10 of 12 ATS off a home win. The Longhorns have scored at least 41 points in their four previous road games this season. They are 23-12-2 ATS in November and get a blowout win here.

Play: Texas -21

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Free Pick for Friday November 27th

Alabama @ Auburn

Auburn enters this game with revenge after getting blanked last year. Alabama is going to the SEC Championship game against Florida so this game is a warm up. The Tigers have covered seven of 11 against Alabama and the home team is 4-1 ATS in the last five showdowns. The Crimson Tide dropped nine of 13 ATS when giving up more than 11 points on the highway. Auburn will not win but they will keep it close.

Play: Auburn +10

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Free Pick for Saturday November 28th

Arkansas @ LSU

The loss for LSU was a tough one that will linger over to this week. Arkansas has pulled off the upset against LSU the last two seasons. The Razorbacks are 11-6 as road dogs and the visitor is 6-3 in the past nine meetings. The Tigers are 2-14 as SEC home favorites and they have floundered in 27 of 34 ATS at Baton Rouge in November. Arkansas knows hwo to beat LSU and will do it again.

Play: Arkansas +3.5

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Free Pick For Sunday November 29th

Indianapolis @ Houston
Houston will be playing on a short week and they have to get Chris Brown in the right mindset for this game. Houston has cashed eight straight as home dogs and won six of those eight SU, the only two losses at the hands of the Colts by a total of four points. The Colts have struggled within the division, dropping 14 of 21 ATS, while the Texans are 6-2 at Reliant Stadium versus AFC-South citizens. Indianapolis has won six of seven at Houston, but failed in five of seven ATS. Houston finally gets the win against the Colts.

Play: Houston +3

Πριν ασχοληθούμε με το ΝΒΑ φέτος, πρέπει οπωσδήποτε να δείτε κάποιες φάρσες που οργάνωσε ο Dwyane Wade σε θαυμαστές του πριν λίγους μήνες.

Ο νεαρός περίμενε ώρες στην ουρά για ένα αυτόγραφο. Όταν επιτέλους ήρθε η ώρα, ο ατζέντης του Wade του λέει πως ο παίχτης υπογράφει μόνο σε παιδιά που έχουν κάποιο σωματικό πρόβλημα. Για αυτό και του προτείνει να υποκριθεί ότι υπέστη ατύχημα στο water-ski και μόλις βγήκε από το νοσοκομείο. Ο μικρός φυσικά, μόνο και μόνο για να δει τον είδωλό του από κοντά, δεν φέρνει αντίρρηση. Τι γίνεται όμως όταν ο Wade αρχίζει να τον ρωτάει επίμονα για το ατύχημα;

Άλλες δύο πολύ καλές…

]]> http://thatswhatimsayingguy.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/raps-weather-run-ride-bosh-to-win/ Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:58:19 +0000 Jeremy http://thatswhatimsayingguy.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/raps-weather-run-ride-bosh-to-win/

Love that fire, CB

Raptors basketball just wouldn’t be Raptors basketball without the nightly heart attacks, would it? Tonight’s came in the form of a 23-point third quarter lead dwindling to one late in the fourth, but Chris Bosh and Jarrett Jack led a late push en route to a 120-113 win over the Heat in Toronto’s return to the ACC.

Bosh was magnificent tonight, going 10-of-14 and finishing with 29 points and 12 rebounds and Jack made a pair of clutch threes from the corner in the final three minutes, finishing with a season-best 17 in 31 minutes off the bench. Andrea Bargnani had 24 and 10 and Hedo Turkoglu had arguably his best game as a Raptor, scoring 19 points to go with five boards and eight assists.

Of course, this one came with it’s share of second half head-to-wall banging, as the Heat went about 27 possessions in a row late in the third with a bucket. Bargnani was eaten alive by Joel Anthony and Mario Chalmers had a riot at the hands of Jose Calderon, scoring a career-high 30. Even when it looked like the Raps were putting Miami away midway through the fourth, Calderon managed to lose Chalmers on back-to-back possessions for threes to pull the Heat right back in. On the bright side, a handful of Toronto defenders did a commendable job on Dwyane Wade, holding him to 10-of-24.

I know the NBA is a game of runs, but it doesn’t always have to be. With that said, it would be nice to see the boys put it to bed next time they jump to a double digit lead in the second half.

So, a win in the first game back after four straight out west leaves the Raps at 6-7. Superman and the Magic, who beat Toronto at the ACC Nov. 1, are in town Sunday.