Shaq says move to Boston is all about winning

Basketball Betting Lines

08/10/2010 - Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shaquille O'Neal brought his effervescent smile to Boston on Tuesday and said he hopes to bring another title to the NBA's most-storied franchise.

Dressed in a suit with a bow tie, although not green like the Celtics' leprechaun mascot, O'Neal said in his introductory press conference that signing a two-year deal with Boston is all about winning.

"Very honored to be here," O'Neal said Tuesday. "The franchise has a rich tradition of winning. It wasn't a tough decision to make. I just wanted to be with a great team with a chance to win. I look forward to a great year."

The Celtics own the most NBA titles with 17 and came just short of another last year with a seven-game loss to the Lakers in the NBA Finals. O'Neal won three titles with Boston's arch-rivals from 2000-02 and added another with Miami in 2006, but failed in his most recent venture to "win a ring for The King" in Cleveland with LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

Now, he'll try to stop James and the Heat's new Big Three by joining Boston's Big Three of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.

"We match up well with anybody," O'Neal added. "We're just going to play, and hopefully at the end we'll be [in the hunt for a championship]."

O'Neal, 38, will provide frontcourt help for Boston, which had already added Jermaine O'Neal this offseason and will likely be without center Kendrick Perkins for the start of the 2010-11 campaign because of a knee injury he sustained in the playoffs.

"We have always been an in-to-out basketball team and we got away from that last year and we want to get back to that this year," noted Celtics head coach Doc Rivers. "There's a lot of areas where he helps our basketball team and size is one of them. We think we filled that void today."

O'Neal averaged 12.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in 53 games with the Cavaliers last year and will join his third team in three seasons. He played the 2008-09 campaign with Phoenix.

While he played 75 games for the Suns two years ago, the future Hall of Famer has been slowed by injuries for a majority of the past five seasons and his production has dropped.

"I think I will be a good fit here," O'Neal commented about his perceived role with the club. "I realize I'm much older now. In order to win, you have to sacrifice because at the end of the day it's all about winning."

O'Neal is a 15-time All-Star and was the NBA Finals MVP from 2000-02 when he led the Lakers to three consecutive titles. He was also the league's MVP in 2000.

Since being selected as the top overall pick in the 1992 draft by Orlando, O'Neal has averaged 24.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 blocks in 1,170 career games with the Magic, Lakers, Heat, Suns and Cavaliers.

He also has appeared in 214 career playoff games, averaging 24.5 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks. O'Neal ranks fifth all-time with 28,255 career points, and is 14th all-time in total rebounds 12,921.

Wwwraceo Basketball Betting News

<< Slumping Pelfrey to face Jimenez in Mets-Rockies opener
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colorado Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez appears to have put his brief troubles behind him. New York Mets starter Mile Pelfrey has not. Jimenez aims for a club record 18th victory of the season, while Pelfrey tries for his firs

<< D-Backs go for second straight win over ailing Brewers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Playing without Ryan Braun and Corey Hart, the Milwaukee Brewers were unable to extend their winning streak over the Diamondbacks. As Arizona starter Barry Enright builds on his case to be part of his club's 2011 rotation, he

<< Braves try to end recent road woes in Houston
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves have used the best home record in baseball to climb atop the National League East standings, but an inability to win on the road could cost them a chance at the playoffs. Atlanta, losers of eight of thei

<< Twins, White Sox battle for top spot in AL Central
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - First place in the American League Central will be at stake when the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins start up a key three-game series tonight from U.S. Cellular Field. The two teams are presently tied atop the Centr

<< Reds, Cardinals resume key set between NL Central's best
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals were able to cut their division deficit in half on Monday thanks to Chris Carpenter's continued domination of the Cincinnati Reds. They'll find the shoe on the other foot this evening. St. Louis wil

The Pac-10 keeps its streak alive >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Not many betting angles stand the test of time, but the Pac-10 has one to definitely keep an eye on. The league has now posted 10 straight seasons of above .500 ATS records in non-conference play, w

Gaming: The Pac-10 keeps its streak alive >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Not many betting angles stand the test of time, but the Pac-10 has one to definitely keep an eye on. The league has now posted 10 straight seasons of above .500 ATS records in non-conference play, w

Kahne on board with Red Bull Racing in 2011 >>
Mooresville, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kasey Kahne will drive a Red Bull Racing Toyota for the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season, the team announced on Tuesday. It has not been determined which car number -- the No.82 or No.83 -- Kahne will d

Houston Texans 2010 Season Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For a second straight year, the Houston Texans enter the 2010 season right on the verge of being a playoff-bound team. Now they just have to make sure they don't make it two disappointing seasons in row. The Texans were a

Colts add offensive lineman to roster >>
ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) -The Indianapolis Colts have signed offensive lineman James Williams, an undrafted rookie from Harvard.To make room on the roster, the Colts released offensive lineman Andy Alleman, an offseason veteran free agent acquisition. Al

College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.

Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.

The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.

What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.

These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.

College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.

Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.

Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.

Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.

I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.

Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.

It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.

As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.

Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

Anybody who knows about online sports betting knows MySportsbook.com! They are probably the most famous offshore sports gambling website located on the web! After nearly 10 years of online sportsbook service, MySportsbook.com is still impressing their visitors with great customer service, live odds, fast payouts, and an easy-to-use website. MySportsbook.com has everything that die-hard sports fans want. For those looking to bet on all major sporting events, look no further. Make MySportsbook.com your one-stop shop for NFL football, college football, baseball, baseketball, boxing, and horseracing.

MySportsbook.com has one distinct advantage over all other online sportsbooks: They have been in the football gambling industry the longest and have served the most satisfied customers. So if you're in the market for a new online sportsbook for the next upcoming season, be sure to check out MySportsbook.com today! We are absolutely positive that you will not be disappointed with this company.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting lines needs.