There are 14 games on the schedule as the NBA wraps up the regular season. No game will be hyped more than Kobe’s career finale, although there probably will be no playoff implications when the Lakers host the Utah Jazz.
Betting
South Point oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro posted this proposition bet Monday: How many games will the Golden State Warriors lose in the NBA playoffs? The total is 5½, with the under favored at minus-130.
In late October, before Stephen Curry sank his first 3-pointer of the season, oddsmakers were casting a skeptical eye on the Golden State Warriors. There was absolutely no talk of a 72-win season for this jump-shooting gimmick team.
Jordan Spieth’s only annoying quality is that he’s too good. Just when it appeared safe to bet against him, he went out Thursday and fired a 6-under 66 to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Masters.
So, how odd is this? Tiger Woods is absent from this week’s Masters, but he’s not really missed because the business of golf betting is booming.
Golf’s future is in the hands of Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and several other young guns, yet Augusta National might as well be Phil Mickelson’s backyard, and he still has enough going for him to make believers out of the bettors.
A combative, defiant Roy Williams has been onstage at the Final Four. The North Carolina basketball coach is known as one of the nicest guys in his profession, but the Mr. Nice Guy act is often interpreted as a sign of weakness.
Oklahoma-Villanova is a great matchup because of Ryan Arcidiacono, a skinny point guard with a last name that is tough to pronounce and a game that proves even tougher. He’s from Philadelphia, where people are inspired by Rocky Balboa and Vince Papale.
No longer is a bet on the Cubs’ future a foolish expense. It appears Joe Maddon has the most talented team in the major leagues, and Maddon also might be the best manager in baseball. So, maybe this is the year.
Not all underdog stories are heart warming for the masses. For many, Jim Boeheim coaching Syracuse to another Final Four makes skin crawl. His enemies call him a cheater and whiner. His friends just call him a whiner.
Not every day of the NCAA Tournament is a surprise party. It is possible for teams to continue to advance in March without much stress or sweat.
A majority of bettors are banking on Oregon being better than Duke, and Dana Altman getting the better of Mike Krzyzewski, in an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 matchup Thursday. Around 65 percent of the spread wagers are on the Ducks as 3-point favorites.
With a full beard, unique name and rock-solid game, Thomas Walkup was set to be in the media spotlight in the Sweet 16. Central Casting could not have picked a better tough guy to put on screen.
It’s not going to be difficult to top what happened Friday — it’s going to be impossible. We just witnessed one of the craziest days in NCAA Tournament history.
There are 16 games today, presenting more entertainment and more opportunities to make money. The bad news is the most recent 16 games put a lot of bettors in a money pit. But bouncing back is part of this exercise.
