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06/07/2010 -
BOSTON (AP) -The Celtics were able to hold on in Game 2 because they held onto the ball.
Boston committed 12 turnovers in the first half and just two in the second in Sunday night's 103-94 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. The win evened the best-of-seven series at 1-1, heading into Tuesday night's Game 3 in Boston.
Some of the Celtics' biggest turnovers on Sunday came in the last two minutes of the second quarter, when the Lakers cut a 54-41 deficit to six points. Kobe Bryant stole the ball with 3 seconds left and hit a 3-pointer - then stole the inbounds pass but missed a 3 that would have made it a three-point game.
``The last couple were brutal,'' Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. ``We had a chance to be up nine or 12 to end the half. But we weathered that storm, and I thought in the second half we played with great composure.''
In the end, it was the Lakers who turned the ball over.
Andrew Bynum was called for an offensive foul with 4:39 left and the Lakers leading 90-89. Ron Artest threw the ball away to let the Celtics open a 93-90 lead, then Rondo blocked Derek Fisher's 3-point attempt from behind with under 3 minutes left.
``Yes, we had some turnovers,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. ``That kind of set them off and set the game off and turned it around in that sequence. We had a little lead right at the end, and we didn't do our job. They did.''
It was an eight-point game when Bryant cut it to 98-93 on a long 3-pointer with 53 seconds to play, but the next time down Rondo poked the ball away from the Lakers star.
The Lakers finished with 15 turnovers.
``We turned the ball over a couple times down the stretch when the game was on the line,'' forward Pau Gasol said. ``That was tough, deflating. And we just couldn't convert offensively at the end. They took advantage and took their time and converted and executed their plays. So that's kind of how it got away from us.''
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BLOCK PARTY: Lakers center Andrew Bynum blocked seven shots in Game 2, two shy of the finals record set by Orlando's Dwight Howard in Game 4 last year against the Lakers. The Lakers franchise playoff record for blocks is also nine, by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1977.
Bynum had been nursing a sore right knee. He had fluid drained on Monday, then had 10 points and six rebounds in a little more than 28 minutes of Los Angeles' 102-89 Game 1 victory.
In Game 2, he scored 21 points with six boards and added some key blocked shots.
``He recovered really well off of some swelling that he had on that knee,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. ``Trainers were able to get that down and back in order and he was able to play, I think, great. (He's in) as good a physical shape as he could possibly be in at this time of the year, and we were pleased with that. I was just pleased that he could play 35 minutes plus. That was a big part of that effort that he gave us tonight.''
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HOME COOKING: The home team had won the first two games in each of the last five years. Since the finals went to the 2-3-2 format in 1985, the teams have split the first two games 11 times - the last in 2004.
The Lakers had won 12 straight playoff games at home, dating to Game 2 of last year's conference finals against Denver. Los Angeles tied for the second-best home record in the NBA in the regular season, with one win fewer than Cleveland.
The Celtics were only 24-17 at home this year - tied for worst among playoff qualifiers - with a 26-15 road mark that was tied for second in the NBA. It's the first time the Celtics have had a better record on the road than at home since 1974, and just the second time since 1955.
The Celtics haven't played at home since May 28, and forward Paul Pierce thinks the fans will be excited for their return.
``It's going to be a championship atmosphere, the Garden's going to be loud,'' he said. ``They've been waiting for us a week and a half now so it's going to be a pretty raucous crowd.''
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THE STARS AT NIGHT: Boston can't match Los Angeles for movie star power, but the Celtics expect a few celebrities in the crowd when they host their first game of the NBA finals on Tuesday night.
``Grey's Anatomy'' star Ellen Pompeo is expected to be courtside, as are comedian Dane Cook and actor Donnie Wahlberg.
Dave Cowens is also planning to watch his former team take on the Lakers, a day after welcoming the NBA's Larry O'Brien championship trophy when it arrived aboard a special Southwest Airlines jet dubbed ``Slam Dunk One.''
Rhythm and blues singer Monica is scheduled to sing the national anthem before Game 3.
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FAST BREAKS: Rondo's triple-double was the first for a point guard in the finals since New Jersey's Jason Kidd had 23 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds against the Lakers in 2002.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Martinez happy to see Cleveland
CLEVELAND (AP) -Leading his 5-year-old son by the hand, Victor Martinez returned to a place where he had some of the best years of his life.Martinez was back in Cleveland on Monday, returning to his former major league home for the first time since
<< Near perfect game gives Galarraga AL weekly honor
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga,
who had a perfect game taken away on a blown call on what would have been the
final out, has been named the American League Player of the Week for the
period
<< Cardinals' Rasmus claims NL weekly award
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Colby Rasmus
was named the National League Player of the Week for the period ending June 6.
Rasmus hit .500 (11-22) with three home runs, nine RBI and eight runs scored
duri
<< Logano, Harvick have at it at Pocono
Long Pond, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The next chapter in NASCAR's "boys, have at
it" story of the season was written on Sunday at Pocono Raceway, with Joey
Logano and Kevin Harvick re-igniting their feud.
While Logano's teammate, Denny Hamlin, d
Indians activate INF Marte >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians activated first baseman
Andy Marte from the 15-day disabled list Monday.
Marte had been on the DL since May 15 as he underwent surgery because of an
infected ingrown hair on his stoma
Red Sox place Papelbon on bereavement list >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox placed closer Jonathan
Papelbon on the three-day family leave/bereavement list on Monday.
No reason for the leave was provided.
The 30-year-old Papelbon has a 1-3 mark with a 3.00 ea
Capital Gain: Nats take Harper with No. 1 pick >>
Secaucus, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals hope they have added
the bat that will one day compliment the electric right arm of Stephen
Strasburg, as they chose slugging catcher Bryce Harper with the top overall
pick in the 2010 M
Report: Manitoba coach says yes to Jackets >>
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -The Columbus Dispatch is reporting Manitoba coach Scott Arniel has been hired for the same job with the Blue Jackets.The Blue Jackets scheduled a press conference for Tuesday to announce their new coach, but declined comment whe
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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