Celtic for life: Pierce inks deal with Boston

Basketball Betting Lines

07/15/2010 - Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics and forward Paul Pierce have reached an agreement on a new contract.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Boston Herald reported last week the two sides agreed to a deal for four years, with options for the club and Pierce after the third year.

"I am very excited to be back in Boston," said Pierce. "I have always said that I would love to retire as a Celtic and re-signing here will allow me to do that. I would like to thank Danny [Ainge], Doc [Rivers], the ownership group and the rest of the organization. I'm thrilled that they kept the core intact and look forward to getting back on the parquet with my teammates so we can bring Banner 18 home to Boston."

Pierce opted out of his contract for next season and became an unrestricted free agent when the NBA free agency period started on July 1. Pierce was due to make $21.5 million in the final year of his previous contract, and the Herald reports that he will make less than that in 2010-11 to give the Celtics a better financial position.

"Paul has been a cornerstone of our franchise for the last decade and we could not be more pleased that he is returning to the team," said president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.

Pierce, who will be 33 before next season begins, averaged 18.3 points and 4.4 rebounds over 71 games during the 2009-10 campaign. He upped that to 18.8 ppg and 6.0 rpg during the playoffs, helping Boston reach the NBA Finals for the second time in three years.

Boston selected the Kansas product with the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. He owns career averages of 22.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.

Casinos--online Basketball Betting News

<< Blue Jackets re-sign Sesito
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets have re-signed forward Tom Sesito to a one-year contract. Financial terms of the two-way deal were not disclosed. Sesito appeared in three games for the Blue Jackets last se

<< Top hurlers to clash in Dodgers-Cardinals opener
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw pitched well enough to be an All-Star, but ultimately did not join four of his teammates in Anaheim for the Mid-Summer Classic. Despite the snub, Kershaw will look to get his sec

<< Phillies head to Chicago riding win streak
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies had an up-and-down first half, and it was no different for the club over the season's final week before the All-Star break. They do come out of the hiatus with some momentum, and the Phillies will

<< First-place Braves open second half against Brewers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves have done everything possible in this season's first half to potentially make Bobby Cox's last year as manager a special one. Seeking to give their manager one more championship before he retires at sea

<< Rangers open second half at Fenway
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers enter the season's second half in good position to end an 11-year playoff drought. The Boston Red Sox, on the other hand, still have some work to do in order to secure a fourth consecutive trip to the postse

Montana adds four transfers >>
Missoula, MT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Head coach Robin Pflugrad of the University of Montana Grizzlies has announced the addition of four transfers to the roster this season. The players are Andrew Badger, Tyrone Duncan, Houston Roots and Antwon

In the FCS Huddle: Stony Brook intriguing on, off the field >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When the NIT came to Stony Brook in March, the Seawolves' football players were in attendance. Similarly, when Stony Brook hosted NCAA men's lacrosse in May, the football players were there. The Seawolves,

Rondo, Chandler and Robin Lopez named to USA Basketball team >>
Colorado Springs, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo was among three players added to the 2010-12 USA Basketball team, chairman Jerry Colangelo announced on Thursday. Also selected were centers Tyson Chandler of th

Spurs, Clippers to play preseason game in Mexico >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers will square off against one another in a preseason game in Mexico City on October 12, 2010, the NBA announced Thursday. The event will mark the 19th time

Canadiens sign Desharnais >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens have signed forward David Desharnais to a one-year contract. Desharnais led Hamilton, Montreal's American Hockey League affiliate, in scoring last season with a franchise-reco

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.