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06/04/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If you use the 20/20 vision that hindsight provides, it's pretty clear why the Los Angeles Lakers lost the 2008 NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics -- they got punched in the mouth.
The defensive-minded Celtics were simply far more physical than the Lakers back then and Doc Rivers went into that series with a simple game plan: beat up LA and make someone other than Kobe Bryant win the thing.
The '08 Lakers' frontline, minus the oft-injured Andrew Bynum, was manhandled by Kevin Garnett and Company, and Bryant was double- and triple-teamed every time he touched the ball with the intent of getting it out of his hands.
When Kobe eventually lost confidence in his teammates and put his head down to drive to the basket, he was met by two or three big bodies that weren't shy about handing out a lick or two. The result was Bryant taking contested shot after contested shot and finishing that set shooting just over 40 percent.
Ron Artest was watching.
The eccentric, often outspoken Artest was safely tucked away in Sacramento at the time and his signature grit and toughness wasn't a problem for the Celtics.
A quick trip to south Texas ensued for Artest, where he helped the Houston Rockets advance past the first round of the postseason for the first time in 11 seasons last year. He also happened to get ejected from both Games 2 and 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Lakers for tangling with Bryant and Pau Gasol.
LA went on to win a hard-fought seven-game series against the Rockets and eventually earned their 15th NBA championship. Artest clearly garnered the respect of the organization, however, and the Lakers signed him to a five- year deal worth $33 million with the assumption he would bring the same defensive mindset and intensity to Hollywood.
Whether warranted or not, Western Conference teams are considered more skilled but not as tough as their Eastern Counterparts. You can debate that but the Celtics certainly came into the 2010 NBA Finals with a certain cockiness, thinking they were the harder bunch.
That all changed 27 seconds into the Lakers 102-89 Game 1 win when Artest tangled arms with Boston's top offensive threat, Paul Pierce. Both players hit the hardwood simultaneously and were whistled for a double technical.
"That's not a tone that we want to set," Artest said. "We want to set a tone of basketball. At that point, I was a little emotional and I had a little bit of anxiety at that point, and I was fired up. I would still rather set the tone with basketball."
A very mature and measured response from a player not known for holding back.
In reality, this time it was the Celtics getting smacked in the mouth and Artest was front and center throwing the punch, His physical play most definitely set the tone as the defending- champion Lakers matched Boston's highly-publicized defensive intensity from the first minute to the last.
"My role is to play aggressively and to play good team basketball and to play hard," Artest said. "You play hard, you are tough already."
Your move Boston.
<< Big 12 commish hopeful league remains intact
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - The head of the Big 12 Conference says he is ``comfortable'' that the league will remain intact amid rumors of a breakup.Commissioner Don Beebe spoke Friday after a week of meetings in Kansas City. He says the Big 12 is in a
<< Hoeness hopes Ballack will retire from Germany
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has
pleaded with Germany captain Michael Ballack to retire from international
football.
The Chelsea man has been ruled out of this summer's World Cup after picki
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Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stuttgart have allowed striker Julien
Schieber to join fellow Bundesliga side Nurnberg on loan for a year in order
to aid his development.
The 21-year-old made 19 appearances last term but fail
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Wolverhampton, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scotland international striker
Steven Fletcher has completed his switch from Burnley to Wolverhampton.
The 23-year-old scored 12 goals in 38 appearances for the Clarets last season
although hi
Struggling Wizards visit Red-hot TFC >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Wizards travel to BMO Field to
face Toronto FC on Saturday in hopes of snapping a seven-game winless streak.
Wizards (2-5-2) head coach Peter Vermes has seen his team lose four of its
last
Houston heads across the county to take on L.A. >>
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Three days after suffering a heart wrenching
last-second loss to Red Bull New York in Harrison, NJ, the Houston Dynamo
travel across the country to take on the undefeated Los Angeles Galaxy at The
Home
New York riding high heading into Chivas USA fixture >>
Harrison, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull New York hosts Chivas USA on Saturday
in Major League Soccer action, three days after one of the best results of the
season.
With the score tied a one against the Houston Dynamo deep into stoppage
Nadal will battle Soderling in French Open final >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Four-time champion Rafael Nadal and last
year's runner-up Robin Soderling will battle in Sunday's men's final at the
French Open.
The second-seeded former world No. 1 Nadal toppled 22nd-seeded Austria
Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."
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