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Bryant, Jackson: We Are All Witnesses

Basketball Betting Lines

06/18/2010 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, Michael Cooper, Jim Pollard, Derek Fisher and George Mikan.

With his fifth title as a Laker, Bryant cemented his place atop the only list that matters in this franchise's history: winning championships. He's only tied with the other players, but you could argue that he had to do more to earn his than anyone else on the list.

Phil Jackson: 11 championships. Five with the Lakers. I believe his place was cemented long ago, yet he continues to raise the bar higher for all future generations.

What more is there to say? We are all witnesses. No, not to that other guy who might leave the only team and city he's ever known since birth in a couple weeks. Not to the guy whom the media has already anointed the greatest player alive. Not to the guy who lacks a killer instinct, who struggled mightily against these same Celtics with the same home-court advantage in the conference semis.

No, we are all witnesses to an unheralded high school star who was selected 13th in the 1996 NBA Draft behind players such as Allen Iverson and Boston's Ray Allen. He was also picked behind players such as Todd Fuller and Vitaly Potapenko. Haven't heard of those last two guys? Hey, neither have I.

We are all witnesses to the greatest winner this sport has seen since a man named Michael transcended the game in the late 80s and 90s. Nobody has won more since, unless you want to count Robert Horry, who rode Bryant's, Shaquille O'Neal's, Hakeem Olajuwon's and Tim Duncan's coattails en route to seven titles. Fisher, his teammate and top assassin, wouldn't have won any of his five if it weren't for Bryant.

"(I) just got one more than Shaq," Bryant joked. "You can take that to the bank. You know how I am. I don't forget anything."

Bryant was a little more humble when asked about being one away from Jordan's six titles.

"I don't know. It's tough for me to really put that in any kind of context in terms of he and I goes because 90 percent of what I've learned and what I've figured out comes from him," Bryant conceded. "So this is not a situation where it's me and Shaq rivalry kind of thing. It's not the same thing. It's different. It's more of a -- it's a genuine love that I have for him and what he's done for me. It's completely different."

Jackson, on the other hand, you could argue has had the benefit of coaching the best players around -- Bryant, O'Neal and Jordan. But Doug Collins coached Jordan, and he doesn't have any rings; Brian Hill coached O'Neal to the Finals with the Magic, but he didn't win; Del Harris was Bryant's first coach as a pro, but he didn't win, either. You get the point by now.

The Zen Master has no peer in his profession -- he is the cream of the crop. He's been a head coach for 19 seasons, and he's achieved the ultimate goal in 11 of them. When he coaches a playoff series, it might as well be a best-of- one -- his teams have won the series 48 of 48 times when they win the opening game. Whatever that guy is saying, I want to hear it.

Ever since His Airness stepped down from the throne, the public has been dying to place the crown atop another head. The problem is that the public wants that figure to be lovable, and Bryant just doesn't fit the bill. The public wants it to be LeBron James, but for some reason he refuses to accept it. Well, sorry public, you can't have your cake and eat it, too; Bryant is atop the throne, and someone like James is going to have an awfully tough time taking it away.

What I don't understand is why people are so unwilling to admit Bryant's greatness. I mean, Jordan wasn't the nicest guy around, either. Both Jordan and Bryant have that unbelievable willingness to win, that unmatched ability to rip your heart out when you are least expecting it. Throughout Game 7, even though Bryant continued to struggle, you just knew deep down that he would come through. Down 13 in the middle of the third quarter, you knew that the Lakers weren't out of it. And they weren't. Bryant came back with 10 all- important points in the final 12 minutes, and the rest is history.

"I just wanted it so bad. I wanted it so, so bad. On top of that, I was on 'E'," Bryant said of his Game 7 effort in which he went a subpar 6-for-24 from the field for 23 points. "Man, I was really, really tired. And the more I tried to push, the more it kept getting away from me...I was thankful that I was able to make one damn shot at the end of the game and made some free throws."

As for Jackson, if this was his last hurrah, what a way to go out. The 64- year-old is widely expected to be asked to take a pay cut next season if he were to return, and he even admitted following the game that he didn't know what was going to happen. But if it is indeed the end in Hollywood, he leaves behind a legacy that may go unmatched for all of time.

A 1,098-460 regular season record. A 224-98 playoff record. To reiterate: 11 championships. Primary coach of maybe the two greatest guards ever to play the game of basketball. And still he has that ounce of calmness after it all that just leaves you sitting in awe of a living legend.

"No, it's not (more emotional than the other titles)," Jackson said. "There's no residual as far as beating Boston or anything like that...To have put in 114 games and coming out the way at the end, there's a certain sense of gratification, and that's what I have to believe in."

Whether you love 'em or hate 'em, you've got to respect them. Put them atop the pedestal, give them the spot on the throne. Because what we're watching now -- we may never see again. Not even from "The King."

So, even if Bryant is the biggest villain in your life, cherish these moments as a fan of basketball because...We are all witnesses.

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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.