LAS VEGAS -- Training camps are weeks away, but Las Vegas legal bookmakers are already making bets on what the NFL season will look like.
Danny Gare Jersey . Turns out it could be a lot like the last, with the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos favoured to meet again next February in Arizona. Seattle is a 9-2 favourite at the LVH sports book, while the Broncos are next at 5-1 to win the Super Bowl. Both teams are favoured to win more regular-season games than any other team, with oddsmakers putting the over/under for wins at 11 games. "The Broncos have a real tough schedule so it wont be an easy task," said Jeff Sherman, part of a team that sets the odds at the LVH. "They have some tough early games outside their division, including the Super Bowl rematch with the Seahawks in Week 3." The Seahawks are 3 1/2-point favourites to beat the Broncos at home in that game, a line that figures to draw some early action even before either team puts on the pads this summer. Denver was a 2-point favourite in the Super Bowl, which Seattle won 43-8. Sherman said there is more parity than ever in the NFL, with 19 teams expected to win between seven and nine games and only five expected to win 10 or more. At the bottom of the pack is Jacksonville, with a 4 1/2-win line, and Oakland at five games. Despite the parity, teams in the NFC are favoured more than teams in the AFC. Bettors can wager on which conference wins the Super Bowl, with the NFC a 3 1/2-point favourite. "The one thing that really stood out when we sat down and went through this game by game was how many good teams are in the NFC," Sherman said. NFL games are by far the biggest attraction for sports bettors, who placed a record $119.4 million in legal wagers in Nevada on the last Super Bowl alone. Nevada is the only state where full betting on games is allowed, though bettors in Delaware can wager on parlays of more than one team. Sherman said most of the so-called "wise guys" who can move the lines at sports books wait until the exhibition season to begin making wagers, though some might pounce on the early numbers if they think the oddsmakers have made an error evaluating a team. "Once the preseason games start and you can see what the coaches are thinking it becomes more clear," he said. "But they will move in if they think there is a weakness in a line." The LVH is traditionally one of the first to post over/under win totals for the season, which were put up Sunday afternoon. Sherman said there was a small flurry of wagers made by bettors who thought teams might either be undervalued or too highly regarded by the oddsmakers. This years draft didnt change many opinions on win totals, he said, because rookies rarely have a big impact on seasons. That was particularly true with the Cleveland Browns, who are listed at 6 1/2 wins despite the addition of Johnny Manziel at quarterback. "He doesnt have an effect on what we do," Sherman said. "We like the Browns overall as a team, their defence is good and theyve gotten better even if the results dont show it. But in a tough division we just couldnt go any higher."
Brian Gionta Sabres Jersey . City has reached new heights under manager Manuel Pellegrini as they transition from big spending/immediate impact to perennial contender. Yaya Toures seeming discontent Tuesday may complicate that, as does the little issue of Financial Fair Play.
Derek Roy Jersey . This is the final meeting of the season between these teams.? The Capitals were 5-4 winners in a shootout Oct.TORONTO - When Greivis Vasquez was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies, selected with the 28th overall pick in 2010, he joined an emerging Western Conference power. At the time of the selection, the Grizzlies were coming off a promising campaign, the first for frontcourt duo Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph together in Memphis. Helmed by now former coach Lionel Hollins, the 2010-11 Grizzlies were one of the most improved teams in the league, building a defensive foundation that sticks with them to this day while finishing 10 games over .500, defeating the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs and taking the Thunder to seven games in the Conference Semifinals. Vasquez, a 24-year-old, Venezuelan-born rookie from the University of Maryland, was along for the ride. He played in 70 regular season games, backing up Mike Conley and helping the Grizzlies snap a four-year playoff draught - appearing in 13 postseason contests - before being traded to New Orleans ahead of the following, lockout shortened campaign. Memphis has not missed the postseason since. "Ive got respect for them because they gave me an opportunity to be in this league," said the fourth-year point guard, poised to make his second postseason appearance with the Raptors next month. "Thats a tough team to beat," he continued following his new teams impressive 99-86 win over the one that drafted him. "We beat a playoff team and that was a good win for us at home." Aside from new coach Dave Joerger - a former assistant under Hollins - and last years trade of Rudy Gay, the Grizzlies havent changed much. Theyre still a defensive juggernaut - ranked third in opponent points per game, just ahead of the Raptors - and they still feature the daunting interior pair of Gasol and Randolph. They still embody physical, hard-nosed, playoff-calibre basketball and the Raptors - looking ahead to their own postseason birth - took it right to them. It was another valuable test for Dwane Caseys team, not unlike the one they failed in Brooklyn earlier this week, but this time they passed with flying colours. "I dont mean this in a bad way with Memphis because I love the style of defence they play," Casey said, "but the only way you can challenge a bully is if you hit them first." "I dont think we did that in the first quarter," Casey said in reference to Torontos timid start. "We did in the second quarter and they responded. Youve got to have a physical mentality against a team like that and I thought our guys did that after the first quarter." Vasquez had a lot to do with that turnaround. He may not be the fastest, the quickest or the strongest but there are few who play the game harder. His energy was infectious, as it tends to be, when he entered the game late in the first quarter and it carried over into the second, where the Raptors ended the half on a 19-6 run. About 30 minutes later he changed the game again, this time for good. With the score knotted up at 80, midway through the fourth, Vasquez knocked down a 27-foot pull-up three. As the Grizzlies came up the floor, he picked off a pass and went coast-to-coast for layup. It was the biggest sequence oof the night, ironically initiating a second 19-6 run to close out the victory.
Anders Nilsson Sabres Jersey. "Obviously physicality is going to be the big factor [in the playoffs]," said Vasquez, who finished with 17 points, five rebounds and six assists Friday. "We play physical, we punch teams and we let them know that its not going to be easy for any team to come to our house and beat us like that and thats what we did tonight." Usually relegated to 17-22 minutes per night, mostly playing in the understudy role to starter Kyle Lowry, Vasquez logged 28. With the Grizzlies playing small in the backcourt, Casey was able to pair Vasquez and Lowry for over eight minutes in both the second and fourth quarters. With the two point guards sharing the court for 19 minutes, the Raptors scored 23 points more than they allowed. Playing alongside the other, both Vasquez and Lowry were at their best on this night. Lowry - who totalled 22 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists - was able to play off the ball and spot up for jumpers, while Vasquez could get in the lane and facilitate with more space. For Vasquez - as he realizes - the obvious benefit to spending more time on the floor with Lowry is spending more time on the floor, period. "I think we should do it more often if you ask me but Im not the head coach," Vasquez said. "[Coach is] doing a great job leading us to win games. Obviously Coach Casey is an outstanding coach and today he gave me a chance to come off the bench and play with a rhythm and I got the job done." Vasquez, a starter in New Orleans last season, has seen sporadic playing time since arriving in the trade from Sacramento. Generally, when he has played more he has played well but the opportunity for playing time at the position is scarce. It is what it is, as Casey would say. Lowry is playing at an extremely high level and pairing them together is something that can only work in long stretches if the matchup permits it. "When I play regular minutes it allows me to have a presence in the game," he said. "A lot of times its really, really hard coming off the bench and just being effective or having a presence in the game real quick." For the most part, the Raptors have had success playing Lowry and Vasquez together this season, keeping in mind its only been done in favourable situations. In 346 minutes with the two point guards on the floor, the Raptors have outscored their opponents by 102 total points, per NBA.com/stats. With Casey looking to manufacture some rest for Lowry over the final five weeks of the season, playing him off the ball more often could be the solution. "Its easier for me," said Lowry, asked about playing alongside Vasquez, "because weve got a guy who is going to look for me and who can make the play. He gives me a chance to rest and hang out and shoot open threes. When hes playing like that, were a pretty good team." Vasquez and Jonas Valanciunas - who scored a season-high 23 points - both came up big for Torontos offence with Memphis elite perimeter defence locked into DeMar DeRozan and Terrence Ross. The Raptors two wing players shot a combined 6-for-16 Friday.
Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
