Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
02/03/2007 -
SEATTLE (AP) -Bob Hill's been through this before. Twice.
So he's ready for talk that he may soon get fired as coach of the injury-depleted, last-place Seattle SuperSonics.
About an hour before the start of the Sonics' 107-101 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, Hill gave a soliloquy about the realities of being an NBA coach.
``I look at my position very realistically,'' said Hill, in his ninth season as an NBA coach. ``You know, when you get fired, you don't die. You don't die.''
Hill is living proof. Despite winning 74 percent of his games from 1994-96 in San Antonio, the Spurs fired him. During the 1990-91 season, Hill took over the 9-16 Indiana Pacers and went 32-25. He lasted two more seasons, going 81-83, before the Pacers dismissed him following a first-round exit from the playoffs.
Hill has a 39-60 mark as Seattle's coach.
``Coaches get fired all the time. When you jump into this, you realize that,'' said Hill, whom Seattle promoted from being an assistant Jan. 3, 2006, after the Sonics started 13-17 under Bob Weiss.
``Does that answer all the questions about me being fired?'' Hill said, smiling while spreading his arms wide.
Not really.
The Sonics are 17-30, in last place in the Northwest Division, 13 games out of first. They have lost a franchise record-tying 14 consecutive road games entering next week's trip to Washington and Indiana.
When asked two weeks ago if Hill and general manager Rick Sund will be in the same positions next season, new Sonics owner Clay Bennett was silent for nine seconds before saying, ``We completely support Bob and Rick and we have a hope that this season can still turn around.''
Bennett brought aboard Lenny Wilkens, the NBA's all-time winningest coach, to be a vice chairman of his new ownership group that's trying to secure a new arena in the Seattle area. Wilkens coached the Sonics to their only league title, in 1979, but said Dec. 1 that he won't be coaching again.
``The Knicks were enough,'' said Wilkens, who was New York's interim coach in 2004. ``That was the finishing touch, so to speak.''
Bennett, an Oklahoma City businessman, said he sees glimpses of what this team can be. If only it could stay healthy, that is.
Seattle had lost a combined 109 games to injuries this season entering Friday. Last season at this point, the Sonics had lost 79 games to injuries.
Leading scorer Ray Allen, who was averaging 26.6 points per game, missed nine games in December with a bruised foot.
Second-leading scorer Rashard Lewis, the man through whom Hill likes to run his offense in the fourth quarter of close games, missed his 20th consecutive game Friday with a tendon sheath injury in his right hand.
Hill said Lewis, who has averaged 20.5 points per game in his last three seasons, was cleared Friday to return to practice and may play next weekend.
Since Lewis has been out, Allen has been Seattle's only option late in games. And opponents know it, often sending two and sometimes three defenders at the six-time All-Star.
``Obviously in the fourth quarter, everybody in the gym and watching on TV knows who I'm going to go to,'' Hill said.
Inside force Danny Fortson has also missed 27 games with a sore left knee.
``In the history of sports, coaches have had a hard time winning with that many injuries,'' Hill said.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.
<< 2006-07 Seattle SuperSonics Schedule
Oct. 11 won at Trail Blazers, 99-89Oct. 12 lost at Lakers, 104-101Oct. 15 lost at Bulls, 110-105, OTOct. 20 lost vs Trail Blazers, 103-95Oct. 21 lost at Clippers, 86-82Oct. 23 won at Suns, 108-102Oct. 25 won vs Kings, 103-88Oct. 26 won vs Warriors,
<< 2006-07 Denver Nuggets Schedule
Oct. 14 lost vs Warriors, 121-115Oct. 18 won vs Pacers, 114-102Oct. 21 lost at Bucks, 119-108Oct. 22 won at Pistons, 124-105Oct. 24 lost vs Jazz, 127-107Oct. 26 won at Lakers, 126-108Oct. 27 won at Clippers, 112-86Nov. 2 lost at Clippers, 96-95Nov.
<< 2006-07 Portland Trail Blazers Schedule
Oct. 11 lost vs SuperSonics, 99-89Oct. 17 lost vs Warriors, 124-120, OTOct. 19 lost at Jazz, 104-90Oct. 20 won at SuperSonics, 103-95Oct. 23 won vs Jazz, 114-110Oct. 24 lost at Warriors, 108-96Oct. 25 lost at Clippers, 97-89Oct. 27 lost at Kings, 84
<< Friday's NHL Sums
St. Louis 1 1 1-3Detroit 1 1 3-5First Period-1, Detroit, Zetterberg 21 (Holmstrom, Markov), :33. 2, St. Louis, Stempniak 16 (McClement), 1:06.Second Period-3, Detroit, Holmstrom 17 (Lidstrom, Zetterberg), 8:29 (pp). 4, St. Louis, Johnson 6 (
The Nation 24, Texas 20 >>
EL PASO, Texas (AP) -Miami's Ryan Moore caught two touchdown passes to help The Nation, a team of college seniors from beyond Texas, beat college players from the Lone Star State 24-20 on Friday night.Baylor's Paul Moseley scored twice for Texas in
Flames and Red Wings keep home winning streaks alive >>
Detroit and Calgary extended their home winning streaks Friday night, getting it done with special teams.The Flames were 6-for-6 on the penalty kill and scored a season-high four power-play goals on 10 opportunities in a 6-2 victory over the Columbu
Kreutz: leader of the line >>
MIAMI (AP) -Olin Kreutz might be the meanest of all the Chicago Bears.But what did the tough guy do when the Bears earned a spot in the Super Bowl? The six-time Pro Bowl center nearly cried after winning the NFC championship game. He had to fight hi
Saturday takes unusual path to Super Bowl >>
MIAMI (AP) -Jeff Saturday was just another football wannabe in 1998, working for an electric supply company in North Carolina. Now he's about to start in the Super Bowl.For Saturday, a two-time Pro Bowl center with the Indianapolis Colts, it's been
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.
Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting