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Pistons fire coach Cheeks
The Detroit Pistons announced that they fired coach Maurice Cheeks on Sunday.
The Pistons are 21-29 and a half-game behind the Charlotte Bobcats for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture and have won consecutive games.
Cheeks was in the first of a two-year contract with the team.
"This was a difficult decision for the organization to make but we needed to make a change," president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said in a statement. "We have great respect for Maurice and appreciate his hard work."
Even though Dumars has made eight coaching changes during his tenure with the Pistons, he wanted to give Cheeks more time -- especially after their wins over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday and Denver Nuggets on Saturday. However, owner Tom Gores became more impatient with Cheeks as the season has worn on.
"Our record does not reflect our talent and we simply need a change," owner Tom Gores said in a statement. "We have not made the kind of progress that we should have over the first half of the season. This is a young team and we knew there would be growing pains, but we can be patient only as long as there is progress.
"The responsibility does not fall squarely on any one individual, but right now this change is a necessary step toward turning this thing around. I still have a lot of hope for this season and I expect our players to step up. I respect and appreciate Maurice Cheeks and thank him for his efforts; we just require a different approach."
After finishing 29-53 last season, the team fired coach Lawrence Frank, signed free-agent forward Josh Smith and traded for point guard Brandon Jennings.
Assistant coach John Loyer will likely replace Cheeks in the interim, according to Yahoo! Sports. The Pistons host the San Antonio Spurs on Monday.
NBA coaching sources told ESPN Marc Stein that former Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins has emerged as one of the primary contenders for the job. -
Celtics' guard Rajon Rondo, to miss Monday's game
Rondo will miss Monday's game against the Bucks due to general soreness in his right knee.Comment
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Canada huge faves in men's curling opening round
The men’s and women’s Olympic Curling tournaments begin early Monday morning with the Canadian Men huge favorites to win their opening session.
At bet365, Canada - the outright fave to win the gold at -175 - is a -2,000 favorite to defeat Germany Monday, who is listed at +1,000.
Here is the rest of the list for the men’s opening session:
China -111
Denmark -125
Sweden -167
Switzerland +130
Great Britain -667
Russia +400
And on the women’s side opening session:
Canada -313
China +225
USA +275
Switzerland -400
Denmark +100
Russia -133
Great Britain +110
Sweden -143Comment
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Korean Lee, Canadian Hamelin, co-faves in 1500m short track
The Gold Medal in men's short track speed skating - 1500m - will be awarded Monday with Korean Lee Han-Bin and Canadian Charles Hamelin the co-favorites at 11/4.
Here is a compete list of the odds for the event:
Victor An (RUS) 4/1
J R Celski (USA) 7/1
Sin Da-Woon (KOR) 7/1
Sjinkie Knegt (NED) 8/1
Francois Hamelin (CAN) 16/1
Park Se-Yeong (KOR) 16/1
Ryosuke Sakazume (JPN) 25/1
Satoshi Sakashita (JPN) 40/1
Tianyu Han (CHN) 40/1
Yuzo Takamido (JPN) 40/1
Niels Kerstholt (NED) 50/1
Yuri Confortola (ITA) 50/1
Chris Creveling (USA) 66/1
Eduardo Alvarez (USA) 66/1Comment
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Six reasons a North American team won't win Olympic hockey gold
Canada and the United States may be two of the favorites heading into the Olympic men's hockey tournament in Sochi, but a North American team taking home the gold is by no means a foregone conclusion.
The tournament is wide open, as reflected in the gold medal outright odds. Five teams - Canada (+190), Russia (+190), Sweden (+550), the U.S. (+700) and Finland (+1,100) are in the mix, with the Czech Republic (+1,200) not far behind.
Here are six reasons why North America could wind up disappointed in Sochi:
Goaltending
The Canadian netminding situation remains in flux, with Carey Price having struggled for most of 2014 and Roberto Luongo still trying to exorcize the demons of previous big-game situations. It's a similar refrain on the U.S. side, where Ryan Miller and Jonathan Quick have shown flashes of brilliance but have struggled to put together solid stretches. And in the Olympic format, a hot opposing netminder can make all the difference. Just ask the 1998 Czech team.
Ice surface
The international ice always comes up whenever it's in play at a major competition, and the Sochi Olympics will be no different. Teams with more experience playing on the larger surface have traditionally excelled at taking advantage of its unique features. Among them, more room in the neutral zone, less distance between the blueline and the net, and more space out wide. North American players could struggle to adapt against well-seasoned teams.
Home-continent advantage
American and Canadian players will have the greatest adjustment to make in Russia, having to immediately acclimatize themselves to a nine-hour time difference with just days to prepare before the tournament begins. The majority of the other contending teams have strong pools of players, who are already practicing together and have far less of an adjustment to make due to a geographical advantage. Like it or not, it matters.
Chemistry
Building on the previous point, North American teams have traditionally been slow starters in international competition. Players often struggle with the condensed schedule, to the point where the first one or two games are treated as warmups. But a slow start will only mean a tougher road to gold and having to face a top team in the quarterfinal round is just asking for trouble.
Mother Russia
There's a reason the host country is considered a co-favorite despite flaming out of the 2010 competition following a 7-3 loss to Canada in the quarterfinals. The Russian team is solid at all positions - particularly up front, where NHL goals leader Alex Ovechkin will be joined by Ilya Kovalchuk, Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Radulov and others. Add in the ultimate home-ice advantage and the Russians are going to be a very tough out in this tournament.
Format
Once the tournament reaches the quarterfinal stage, one bad game means a lost shot at gold. And with half a dozen teams expected to contend for the top spot, it's conceivable that Canada or the U.S. will have to overcome three elite teams in order to win. That's a tall order for even the most talented rosters. With each playoff game expected to be a tight affair, one mistake could knock either team out of the running.Comment
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NBA
Hot teams
-- Pacers won four of their last five games.
-- New Orleans won six of its last nine games; they're 7-1 vs spread in game following their last eight losses.
-- Detroit won its last four home games, but fired its coach yesterday. Spurs won four of their last five games.
-- Celtics won three of their last four games.
-- Rockets won their last five games (4-1 vs spread).
Cold Teams
-- Nuggets lost four of their last six games.
-- Raptors lost three of their last four games.
-- Bucks lost eight of last nine games, but covered last four.
-- Timberwolves lost five of their last six games.
-- Golden State is 3-4 in its last seven home games. 76ers lost their last six games (1-5 vs spread).
Series records
-- Pacers lost five in row, seven of last eight games vs Denver.
-- Raptors won six of last seven games with New Orleans.
-- Spurs won four of their last five games with Detroit.
-- Bucks won four of last five games with Boston.
-- Rockets won three of last four games with Minnesota.
-- 76ers won six of last nine games with Golden State.
Totals
-- Six of last seven Denver-Indiana games went over total; five of last seven Pacer games stayed under.
-- Six of last eight Pelican games stayed under the total.
-- Three of last four San Antonio games went over.
-- Six of last eight Boston games stayed under total.
-- Five of last seven Houston games stayed under.
-- Under is 3-1-1 in Philly's last five games.
Back to backs
-- Pacers are 0-5 vs spread if they played on road night before.
-- New Orleans is 4-6-2 vs spread if it played night before.
-- Celtics are 1-3 vs spread on road if they played at home day before.
-- 76ers are 1-8 vs spread if they lost the night before.Comment
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NCAAB
Monday, February 10
Providence (even) beat Georgetown 70-52 at home Jan 8, ending 8-game series skid; Friars lost last five visits here, by 10-7-2-9-9 points. Hoyas are 2-3 as home favorites, 3-3 SU, winning by 7-17-8 points- they won last two games after a 5-game skid. Big East home favorites of more than 4 points are 16-10 vs spread. Providence lost three of its last four games; they're 2-2 as road dogs, losing away games by 30-11-6 points.
Virginia won its last five games with Maryland, winning last two here by 27-3 points; Cavaliers are 1-1 vs spread in ACC, 4-1 as home favorites, winning home games by 23-12-15-20-10. Maryland won three of last four games; they're 0-3 as road underdogs, losing away games by 20-24-9-12 points- favorites are 5-1 vs spread in their ACC road games. ACC double digit home favorites are 5-8 vs spread.
Iowa State swept West Virginia by 2-9 points LY; Cyclones won last three games overall but are 1-7 vs spread in last eight- they're 2-3 away from home, winning last road game in triple OT at Oklahoma St. West Virginia won last three games, covered four of last five; they won their last three home games, by 6-10-5 points. Big X home teams are 3-5 vs spread when spread was less than 4 points.
James Madison won two of last three games with Hofstra, after losing previous 12 series games; Pride won six of last seven games here, but lost five of last six games overall- they're 3-2 as road underdogs, losing away games by 7-18-18-8 points. JMU lost three in row, seven of last nine games; they're 1-3 at home in CAA, with all four games decided by 4 or less points. CAA home favorites are 13-24 against spread.
Western Kentucky (-5) beat Arkansas State 82-77 in double OT Jan 18, its 8th win in last 11 series games, but Hilltoppers lost last two visits to Jonesboro by 8-14 points. WKU won last six games overall, are 5-0 SU and ATS on Sun Belt road. Sun Belt home favorites of 4 or less points are 5-9 vs spread. ASU won two of three at home in Sun Belt, losing to Troy when Trojans made 14-27 from the arc.
Florida State (-1) won 63-53 at Miami Jan 15, after being down 5 with 10:23 left; Seminoles won eight of last 11 games with Hurricames, going 4-1 in last five played here. ACC home favorites of 6 or less points are 6-15 vs spread. FSU lost four of last five games, covered one of its last seven- they're 2-3 as home faves. Road team is 9-1 vs spread in Miami's ACC games; six of their 10 ACC games were decided by 6 or less.
Kansas (-11.5) pounded Kansas State 86-60 at home Jan 11- their 22nd win in last 25 series games; Jayhawks won four of last five visits to the Little Apple, but last three wins were by 2-6-4 points. Wildcats are 5-0 at home in Big X, 3-2 vs spread as Big X dog. Big X home underdogs of 5 or less points are 6-4-1 vs spread. Kansas is 3-1 as road favorite, with only conference loss in ten games at Texas.
Western Carolina is 2-3 in its last five games, 1-5-1 vs spread in its last seven; they're 2-1-1 as home favorites, winning at home by 21-12-3-9 points, with loss to Davidson. Furman lost last four games but covered four of last five games as road underdog- their road losses are by 8-2-7-15-15 points. WCU won six of its last eight games with Furman. SoCon double digit home favorites are 3-11 vs spread.
Streaky Marist won its last three games by 2-14-7 points; they're 3-3 as road underdogs, losing road games by 9-9-7-6-13 points- they got first road win at Rider Thursday. Quinnipiac is won three of last four, is 3-3 as home favorites, winning home games by 4-12-5-9-14-21, with a loss to Canisius. Bobcats played on Saturday, had two less days to prepare for this. MAAC home favorites of 7+ points are 13-17 vs spread.
Fairfield is 2-11 in MAAC but covered last three games as a road dog; Stags are 0-6 on road, losing away games by 4-19-26-9-3-8 points (4-2 as road dogs). MAAC home favorites of 7+ points are 13-17 vs spread. Patsos was ejected in Siena's loss at St Peter's Friday; Saints are 3-2 as home favorites, winning home games by 15-9-17-4 points, losing to both Iona/Quinnipiac. Stags won six of last eight series games.
Southern Utah is 0-19 vs D-I teams, one of worst teams in country, but they've covered last seven games- they're 6-1 as Big Sky road dogs, with last four road losses by 7 or less points. Sacramento State won its last three games, covered last four; they're 1-1 as home favorites- underdogs covered four of Hornets' five Big Sky home games. Big Sky double digit home favorites are 3-11 against the spread.
NC-Wilmington lost its last 14 games, losing at Hofstra Saturday after they blew 14-point halftime lead; Seahawks lost last four games against Towson, losing by 5-5-13-7 points. UNCW is 0-4 SU at home, but three of four losses were by 5 or less points. Towson won its last four games, is 2-1 on CAA road, with only loss at Delaware. CAA home teams are 8-16 vs spread in games where spread was 5 or less points.Comment
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Game of the Day: Kansas at Kansas State
Kansas Jayhawks at Kansas State Wildcats (-3,5, OFF)
Ninth-ranked Kansas attempts to match its recent performance against Kansas State when the Jayhawks venture west to face the Wildcats in Monday’s Big 12 contest. The first-place Jayhawks have won nine of their last 10 games and one of the victories was an 86-60 demolition of Kansas State on Jan. 11. The Wildcats are tied for fourth place in the conference race and enter the rematch on a high note after routing red-hot Texas 74-57 on Saturday.
Freshman guard Marcus Foster poured in 34 points in the victory over the Longhorns, the most by a Kansas State freshman since Michael Beasley scored 39 against the Jayhawks late in the 2007-08 campaign. Kansas shot 56.1 percent from the field and committed just seven turnovers in last month’s victory over the Wildcats, but coach Bill Self sees no carryover effect. “I’m sure that they’re doing some things a little differently than they did the first game,” Self said after Saturday’s victory over West Virginia. “I really think the score of the first game is totally irrelevant.”
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
LINE HISTORY: The line opened with Kansas as 3.5-point faves. The total is currently off the board.
POWER RANKINGS: Kansas (-16.9) - Kansas State (-9.3) + home court (-3) = Kansas -4.3
INJURY WATCH: Kansas: Conner Frankamp (Questionable, knee). Kansas State: N/A.
WHY BET KANSAS (18-5, 12-10-1 ATS): The Jayhawks are expecting to see an angry bunch of Wildcats after the beatdown they delivered on Kansas State in Lawrence. “I feel like going in, we’re expecting the worst, expecting a hostile environment, expecting not to get any calls,” guard Wayne Selden Jr. told reporters. “But we’ll battle through it.” Selden scored 17 points and made five 3-pointers in the victory over West Virginia and has raised his average to 10.5, fourth on the team behind guard Andrew Wiggins (16 per game), forward Perry Ellis (13) and center Joel Embiid (10.9).
WHY BET KANSAS STATE (16-7, 13-7-1 ATS): Foster made 13-of-16 shots in his epic performance against Texas to raise his team-best scoring average to 14.7. That type of efficiency was pleasing to the coaching staff as well as Foster as the talented guard was shooting just 40.1 percent entering the contest. “Just going back through film, I realize I take some questionable shots,” Foster said after joining Beasley and Mike Evans (1974-75) as the only Kansas State freshmen to score 30 in a game. “I just wanted to limit the questionable shots and take better shots.”
TRENDS:
* Home team is 9-2 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
* Kansas is 11-3 ATS in the last 14 meetings at Kansas State.
* Kansas is 26-8 ATS in the last 34 meetings.
* Favorite is 26-8 ATS in the last 34 meetings.Comment
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Handicapping NBA head coaches on the hot seat
We are nearing the NBA’s All-Star break and just passed the midway point in terms of games played - also known as hunting season when it comes to NBA head coaches on the hot seat and we have already lost one coach in Detroit's former bench boss Maurice Cheeks. Sometimes a hot seat can push a coach and his team, giving them added line value. Other times, players quit on their coach and it burns everything to the ground – including your bankroll.
Covers looks at four coaches who may be getting the pink slip sooner rather than later. And the one big thing these guys all have in common is a sub .500 ATS record, with the four teams below combining to go 85-112-1 ATS - covering just 43 percent of the time.
Mike Woodson (New York Knicks)
Record: 19-30 SU, 20-29 ATS
If you believe reports circulating over the last couple of days, the time on Mike Woodson’s tenure could be over before next week's All-Star break. The New York Daily News says owner James Dolan met with Woodson following the team’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers and a recent loss to the Milwaukee Bucks may have been the final nail for a team floundering at 19-30 with the league’s second-highest payroll.
Mike Brown (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Record: 16-33 SU, 19-30 ATS
When your starting point guard is asked if the team has quit on you, it doesn’t bode well for your future. Neither does a team allowing 102.5 points per game, including 119 and 124 points back-to-back, when you have hung your career on being a defensive guru. Now that the GM who hired you has been fired, no one can imagine Mike Brown’s second-stint in charge of the Cavs ending in anything but tears (for him).
Brett Brown (Philadelphia 76ers)
Record: 15-35 SU, 20-30 ATS
By the sounds of things, Brown may quit before he is fired after telling reporters the 76ers rebuilding process is, “much harder," and “something that I didn't judge properly.” There’s no doubt Philly is in tank mode but those recent comments may have Sixers brass rethinking their choice of a head coach who will help them rebuild in a very unforgiving market.
Marc Jackson (Golden State Warriors)
Record: 30-20 SU, 22-26-2 ATS
Jackson has overachieved as head coach of Golden State until now. But this NBA gig is all about “what have you done for me lately”. After spending money in the offseason and looking like a contender early on, the Warriors are now falling down the Western Conference playoff picture. It would be surprising to see the club dump such a popular coach but it wouldn’t be smart to bet against it if the team keeps sliding.Comment
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Cappers Access
Maryland +11
W. Virginia +2
Kansas St +3.5Comment
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Basketball Crusher
Providence +4.5 over Georgetown
(System Record: 44-6, lost last 5 games)
Overall Record: 44-58-2
Soccer Crusher
Belgrano + Lanus UNDER 2.5
This match is happening in Argentina
(System Record: 524-18, won last 4 games)
Overall Record: 524-448-75
Here are the rest of his basketball plays for today...
Basketball
Hofstra +6 over James Madison
Quinnipiac -8.5 over Marist
Western Kentucky +3 over Arkansas StComment
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Diamond Dog Sports
Over Bucks 191.0 -110 (3.5*)
#723 Miami, FL +5.5 -110 (1*)Comment
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Greg Cooper Wins
Feb 9 at 5:46 PM
Game #1: San Antonio Spurs @ Detroit Pistons
OVER 206Comment
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Beaver Tail Picks
Monday's 1000* College Hoops:
Kansas Jayhawks -3.5
Plays rated 500*-1500* eachComment
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