Maverick’s Off Season Moves Smart, Strategic
July 26, 2010 by rabernethy · Leave a Comment
This year’s NBA free agency made a big splash, mostly in South Beach. While other teams made high profile moves and Lebron James broadcasted his decision on prime television, the Mavericks acquisitions were expected and relatively quiet.
They managed to keep Dirk Nowitzki at a discounted rate and they re-signed center Brendan Haywood. In typical Maverick fashion, they also traded away Eric Dampier for center Tyson Chandler from the Charlotte Bobcats.
The Mavericks moves also received their fare share of criticism. Everyone expected them to keep Dirk, but many felt Brendan Haywood was overpaid. Their have also been questions about Tyson Chandler’s health status. Despite all this, the Maverick’s free agency was both smart and strategic. Read more
Dallas Round-Up – Rangers Move Up To First; Mavs Looking To Blow It Up?
May 13, 2010 by Guest Contributor · Leave a Comment
Before you settle into some Preakness betting, you should check out the status of the Texas Rangers, who are making moves up the ranks in the American League West, while the Dallas Mavericks wonder if they should start all over again.
Texas Rangers
The Rangers have had a great week, sweeping Kansas City at home in a four-game series, and they had split the first two games of their three-game set with Oakland heading into Thursday afternoon’s finale. The last week has been kind to Vladimir Guerrero and Josh Hamilton, the duo that many thought would power the Rangers to the top of the division, and over the last seven days, they’ve shown why. Guerrero had a .348 average in six games last week, along with four homers and eight RBIs. Hamilton wasn’t far behind with a .296 average, three homers and nine RBIs. If they continue to hit like this, the Rangers will have one of the premier power duos in the entire majors, but Guerrero and Hamilton have to stay healthy. As for the pitchers, C.J. Wilson and Derek Holland both had excellent starts against the Royals and Athletics, and Wilson is being counted on for the win in Thursday’s finale against Oakland. Coming up this week, the Rangers will head to Toronto for the weekend before returning home for meetings with Guerrero’s former team, the Los Angeles Angels, as well as a visit from Baltimore. The Rangers’ MLB betting odds are looking up.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks are still sorting through the rubble of their first-round implosion against San Antonio, and even though NBA championship odds thought they would challenge Los Angeles for the Western Conference title, all there is another opening-round exit for a team that has won 50 games or more in each of the last 10 seasons. Dirk Nowitzki is the biggest question as he has a $21.5 million player option, which many think he’ll take, but he has to wonder about the state of the team. Will Jason Kidd be moved after an awful postseason, especially if they try and give more minutes to Roddy Beaubois? Shawn Marion is another piece of trade bait who didn’t perform that well, especially own the stretch. They would probably like to move Erick Dampier as well, but with $13 million owed to him next year, it may be hard to find a dance partner. The Mavericks don’t have much in the way of cap room unless they make some moves, but they’re becoming the NBA’s version of the San Jose Sharks. However, even the Sharks broke through this year, which means that maybe next year will be the Mavericks’ time if you’re going to bet on sports.
Dallas Round-Up – With Mavs Out Of The Way, Rangers Get Full Attention
May 7, 2010 by Matt Lawrence · Leave a Comment
Once again, Dallas’ NBA championship odds went up in flames at the hands of a bitter rival for another big upset in the playoffs. With the Stars quietly mulling over their offseason options, that will leave the Rangers to draw the ire of Dallas fans in Texas.
The Mavericks seemed like they weren’t even interested in staving off elimination as they were down 22-8 at the end of their first quarter in the sixth game of their first-round series with San Antonio, but to their credit, they fought back gamely. However, it wasn’t enough as the Mavericks fell 97-87 to the Spurs, falling out in the first round for the third time in four seasons. Dirk Nowitzki tried to put the team on his back with 33 points, while Caron Butler had 25 points, but Jason Kidd finally started to look his age with a 1-of-6 performance, even though he added eight boards and six assists. Now, the Mavericks will wonder if Nowitzki will opt out of the final year of his deal and test free agency, although it’s pretty unlikely that he’ll leave the only franchise he has ever played for in 12 years of NBA action. Kidd was not present at the final team meeting of the season, and they could look to move the veteran point guard to give more time to Roddy Beaubois, who had 16 points in 21 minutes of the Game 6 loss. Either way, there may be a change to the Mavericks, who must look at Spurs Suns betting odds and feel sick.
The Rangers swept the Mariners in Seattle last weekend, with two of the wins coming in extra innings, while Rich Harden began a three-game set in Oakland by getting a win against the team that drafted him in 2000, and where he spent 5 ½ seasons before he was traded to Chicago, where the Cubs were looking to improve their MLB betting odds in the National League. The Rangers then dropped the last two games of the series in Oakland, and heading into the first of their four-game set at home with Kansas City, the Rangers were 14-14, which is good for second behind the Athletics in the American League West by a half-game. The Rangers will go up against the reigning Cy Young winner, Kansas City’s Zack Greinke, on Friday night, while Harden will go the next day on Saturday night. After the Royals, the Rangers will then welcome Oakland to town for their second series of the season against their West rivals before they gear up for a trip north to Toronto. The Rangers are easing Ian Kinsler back into the lineup after his ankle injury, and as he gets more comfortable, online sports betting players will get more comfortable with picking the Rangers.
Mavericks Spurs Game 5: Preview – TV Channel – Tickets
April 26, 2010 by Matt Lawrence · Leave a Comment
The San Antonio Spurs beat the Dallas Mavericks for the third straight time in game 4 making game 5 a do or die situation for the Mavericks. The Mavericks contained the Spurs big 3, but they couldn’t stop the Spurs youth movement of Blair and Hill. The game got ugly down the stretch with flagrant and technical fouls being issued to both teams. This kind of game favors San Antonio, the Mavericks are better suited to play a speedier game scoring and transition. If the Mavericks play the Spurs game, they will lose more often than not so hopefully Rick Carlisle has something up his sleeve. As a Mavericks fan these last 2 games have been tough to stomach because they have been so close, but gone the other way.
Statistics show that the Mavericks have about a 4% chance to come back and win this thing, however they have only lost the last 2 games by a combined 7 points. The Mavericks and Spurs will come back to Dallas to play game 5 so hopefully some home cooking will get the Maverick on the right track. If not get ready for some baseball, because the Texas Rangers will be the only thing going on in the Dallas Sports Landscape.
NBA Playoffs Round 1: Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs – Game 5
Mavericks-Spurs Day / Date: Tuesday | April 27 2010
Mavericks-Spurs Game Time: 8:30 PM
Mavericks-Spurs TV Channel: KTXA – 21
Mavericks-Spurs Tickets: Mavericks Playoff Tickets on StubHub!
Image Credit: www.talk-sports.com
Dallas Round-Up – Mavs have hands full with Spurs, Rangers struggling through AL East trip
April 22, 2010 by Guest Contributor · Leave a Comment
Kentucky Derby odds may get more attention than Dallas’ matchup with San Antonio in the first round of the NBA playoffs, but only if the Mavericks get their act together and start rolling in the series, but they’re up against a tough, experienced rival. Meanwhile, in MLB action, the Texas Rangers will just be happy to return home after a rough trip through baseball’s toughest division, the American League East.
Dallas had beaten the Spurs six straight times at home before a 102-88 loss in Game 2 on Wednesday, and after going 12-of-14 from the field in Game 1 (along with making all 12 of his free-throw attempts), Dirk Nowitzki was held to a 9-of-24 shooting performance, notching 24 points, while Jason Terry provided a spark off the pine with a game-high 27 points. Now, the series switches to San Antonio, where the Mavericks have split their last 10 trips, but they can be encouraged by the fact that they won two of three there in the playoffs last year en route to a five-game romp of the Spurs, who surely won’t forget that. Rebounding will be a big factor in this series: the Mavericks won the battle by a count of 45-37 in Game 1, but the Spurs turned the tables with a 51-42 edge on the glass.
Texas Rangers
On the other hand, horse racing odds may be a bit more positive than looking at the Rangers over the past week. Heading into Thursday night’s series finale in Boston, the Rangers had lost six in a row and plummeted to last in the American League West. It began with a 3-2 loss in Cleveland last Thursday, then the Rangers were swept in the Bronx by the defending World Series champion New York Yankees as they were outscored 17-6 over the weekend. At least they kept it close in Boston, falling 7-6 in the first game on Tuesday before losing 8-7 in 12 innings of the second game, so they’ll be eager to avoid a total sweep of their road trip on Thursday night, when they send out C.J. Wilson, who is making the ninth start of his major league career. The Rangers will return home on Friday for a four-game set with Detroit, followed by a three-game visit from the Chicago White Sox, and they’ll be watching the status of a couple players. Ian Kinsler has yet to suit up this year due to an ankle sprain, and he may make a rehab start sometime this week. Nelson Cruz has a hamstring problem, which would be a big blow to the lineup as Cruz is off to a flying start this year. However, Kinsler’s health is the key to Texas’ sports betting odds.
Mavericks Spurs: Game 3
April 22, 2010 by Matt Lawrence · Leave a Comment
So I was wrong in thinking that the Mavericks were going to win last night, however I didn’t take into account that they would shoot under 40%! The Mavs kept coming back on the Spurs and getting my excitement levels up, but it wasn’t to be. It didn’t help the Mavs that Richard Jefferson found his game last night, and Dirk couldn’t make a bucket in the first half.
Hopefully the Mavs can get it together before the games in San Antonio. I think Norm put it best on 1310 the Ticket when he said you can tell much about these teams after these first 2 games. I guess we will see during game 3, here is the TV Channel and ticket information for game 3 between the Mavericks and Spurs.
NBA Playoffs Round 1: Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs – Game 3
Mavericks-Spurs Day / Date: Friday | April 23 2010
Mavericks-Spurs Game Time: 8:30 PM
Mavericks-Spurs TV Channel: ESPN
Mavericks-Spurs Tickets: Mavericks Playoff Tickets on StubHub!
Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs: Game 1
April 16, 2010 by Matt Lawrence · Leave a Comment
By now you have probably heard that the Dallas Mavericks will be facing the San Antonio Spurs in the First Round of the 2010 NBA Playoffs, and I wanted to look at the stats before things tipoff on Sunday. Below you will find the usual game information including the tv channel, Mavericks Playoff Tickets, game time. First, I want to take a look at the story that the statistics tell, and by that I mean team stats.
Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Regular Season Stats
The first stat that I wanted to look at is point differential and what I found was pretty surprising. The Spurs had the better differential, beating opponents by an average of 5pts.
Dallas Mavericks: +2.72
San Antonio Spurs: +5.08
The next stat I looked at was the FG% and this went in the Spurs favor as well. While this doesn’t change my opinion that the Mavs will take it in 6, it makes me feel like this thing might not be as easy as everyone thinks.
Dallas Mavericks: .464
San Antonio Spurs: .473
The last stat I want to look at is Rebounds per Game, and as you might expect because the Spurs are considered a superior team defensively. If that is what you thought you are correct, but the difference was still pretty close just like the other stats.
Dallas Mavericks: 41.70
San Antonio Spurs: 42.78
The Spurs look better in each of the categories, but the Mavericks aren’t that far behind in any of these categories. I stand by my prediction of the Mavericks taking it in 6, I think that San Antonio is at the end of the line and the Mavericks made better additions to their roster, and as my Dad always says “Stats are for the losers”.
NBA Playoffs Round 1: Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs – Game 1
Mavs-Spurs Day / Date: Sunday | April 18 2010
Mavs-Spurs Game Time: 7:00 PM
Mavs-Spurs TV Channel: TNT
Mavs-Spurs Tickets: Mavericks Playoff Tickets on StubHub!
Full Series TV Schedule
Dallas Round-Up –Mavs gear up for playoff meeting with Spurs, Rangers face tough week
April 15, 2010 by Guest Contributor · Leave a Comment
With no Stanley Cup odds on the Dallas Stars, there is more time to pay attention to the Dallas Mavericks and Texas Rangers for Dallas sports fans. The Mavericks are headed into another playoff battle with Texas rivals San Antonio, while the Rangers are headed to the American League for a wild, and probably difficult, week.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks ended the season on a five-game winning streak, which gave them the second seed in the Western Conference, and set up a date with San Antonio, who they beat in the season finale, although the Spurs didn’t dress Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili. The Mavericks took three of four from the Spurs this season, making it eight of their last 10 overall, and they’ll be out for a second straight playoff ousting of the Spurs as they rolled San Antonio in five games last season. NBA championship odds have the Mavericks at +600 to win the Western Conference, and +1200 to win the title, so they’ll be the favorites in this series, and they go in completely healthy. Caron Butler complained of a bad hip down the stretch, but it didn’t seem to affect his play as he dropped 20 points on the Spurs in a 96-89 win on April 14th.
Texas Rangers
After losing two of three to Toronto in their season-opening series at home, the Rangers took two of three from Seattle, and followed up with two wins in a three-game set in Cleveland. But it gets tougher for the Rangers starting this weekend, and to say it gets tougher may be a bit of an understatement. The Rangers head to the Bronx on Friday to kick off a three-game set with the defending World Series champion New York Yankees, but the Rangers have actually won six of their last 10 in New York. Then the Rangers head to Boston for another series in which they should be an MLB betting underdog as they‘ll face the Red Sox, and they haven’t fared that well at Fenway Park, losing eight of their last 10 games in front of the “Green Monster”. The pitching matchup to watch during this swing through the American League East comes on Sunday at Yankee Stadium, where Rich Harden is still looking for his first win as a Ranger, but he’ll be taking on veteran Andy Pettitte, so it won’t be an easy task. Second baseman Ian Kinsler attempted batting practice and fielding drills, but he looks no closer to returning to the lineup, and he would be a boost to a Texas offensive attack that has gotten off to a slow start. It could be a tough week for sportsbook players if you’re planning on riding with the Rangers.
Mavs Spurs Playoff Matchup – TV Schedule
April 15, 2010 by Matt Lawrence · Leave a Comment
The Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs played each other in the final game of the season last night and the game had implications for both teams. Both the Mavs and Spurs knew that a Mavericks win would ensure the teams meeting up in the first round of the 2010 NBA Playoffs. However Greg Popovich decided that the San Antonio Spurs were going to roll without Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobli, which all but assured the teams meeting in the first round. Pop said he just wanted to rest these two stars:
“The bottom line is I’m paranoid about Tim being healthy and Manu being healthy for the playoffs.”
Credit: Dallas News
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Mavs Playoffs – Rangers get Started – Stars Golfing
April 9, 2010 by Guest Contributor · Leave a Comment
Dallas Round-Up – Mavs heading for playoffs, Rangers getting started, Stars get clubs ready
Masters 2010 odds will probably be a big focus in Dallas this weekend, but as for the professional teams, all three are at significantly different stages of their seasons. Here’s a look at how everything is shaking out.
The Mavericks are tied with Denver and Phoenix in winning percentage, but they sit in the second spot due to tiebreakers. The Mavericks lost home games to Orlando and Oklahoma City before beating Memphis on Wednesday, and starting Friday, they play three road games in four nights at Portland, Sacramento, and in Los Angeles against the Clippers. There isn’t much room to move in the West, and this closing stretch will be huge, both for seeding, and for momentum as the Mavericks have been a bit inconsistent in the past month, especially on defense, which makes basketball betting players wary.
The Rangers will wrap up their three-game set at home against Toronto on Thursday afternoon, splitting the first two games. The Rangers were held hitless by Toronto’s Shaun Marcum for seven innings, yet fought all the way back for a 5-4 win on Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s ninth-inning hit, although he is now injured. On Wednesday, Rich Harden allowed three runs on one hit in an eventful 3.2-inning stint in a 7-4 loss, striking out eight, but he also walked five. Harden signed a one-year, $6.5 million contract in the offseason, and when he’s on, Harden is lights out. However, sportsbooks won’t put too much faith in him as he’s injury-prone, and with a pitch count of 90 in 3.2 innings, you can bet that Texas management may be a bit worried. Finally, second baseman Ian Kinsler is on the disabled list with a sprained ankle.
Dallas Stars
The Stars are ready to start golfing as they are eliminated from the playoff race, so with two games left, the attention switches to off-ice issues, such as a decision from Mike Modano about retirement. The 39-year-old was the Stars’ first pick in the 1988 draft, and ironically, his last game could come this Saturday in Minnesota, where this franchise was located before moving to Dallas before the 1993-94 season. He leads the franchise in games, goals, assists and points, and he won a Stanley Cup in 1999, so he has nothing left to prove. Wayne Gretzky and Brett Hull are allegedly trying to talk Modano into joining a group looking to buy the Stars, which would be great as Modano has long been the face of the franchise. It may not raise their NHL betting odds, but having Modano on board with the ownership group would be huge for this franchise.
