Robinson edges Howard to take dunk contest

Basketball Betting Lines

02/14/2009 - Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York's Nate Robinson earned 52 percent of the fans' votes to edge defending champion Dwight Howard, of Orlando, in the 2009 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Howard's final two dunks received a great roar from the crowd and appeared to give the big man the upper-hand in the competition. The first dunk had Howard stationed behind the hoop at the right corner. He ran in towards the basket, threw the ball off the side of the backboard and caught it before slamming home a one-handed beauty. His second attempt was a dunk from the foul line, though some aura was taken away as replays showed his foot to be over the line.

Robinson's first dunk in the final round saw the 5-foot-9 guard, wearing an all green Knicks uniform, throw a lob pass from the left wing, run up and catch it with two hands before bringing the ball between his legs and then over his head for a reverse slam. Robinson's second effort was a one-handed slam over Howard.

After the fans' votes were tallied, Robinson was deemed the slam dunk champion, a title he also claimed in 2006.

J.R. Smith's first dunk, where he threw himself a pass while standing at mid-court and then caught it and slammed it down with a windmill, earned him a score of 43. Smith's second dunk saw his Denver teammate Sonny Weems throw a pass from the stands that he caught and turned into a two-handed slam, which garnered 42 points for a total of 85.

Rudy Fernandez' first dunk was a behind-the-back pass off the backboard into a one-handed slam, and it earned him a 42. His second effort, with help from Pau Gasol of the Lakers, garnered him another 42 for a total score of 84. Gasol tossed the ball off the back of the backboard and Fernandez came running from the right side, caught it and threw down a one-handed reverse slam.

Portland's Fernandez and Smith failed to make it out of the first round.

Robinson offered a windmill dunk for his first dunk and used teammate Wilson Chandler for his second. The latter had Chandler on his hands and knees as Robinson ran in and used him as a step for a one-handed slam. Robinson's first-round total was 87, good for a trip to the second round.

Howard displayed a one-handed slam on his opening dunk and recruited teammate Jameer Nelson for the next. The spectacle that was Howard's second dunk had officials bring in a new backboard and hoop -- which were set a bit higher at 12 feet -- and then the 6-foot-11 Howard came out of a phone booth donning a Superman cape. The act was an homage to last year's event when he won while wearing a Superman cape.

The actual dunk was set up as Nelson threw a pass off the backboard that Howard caught before slamming a two-handed dunk home. His first two dunks were both scored at a perfect 50, setting up the dramatic final round.

In the Three-Point Shootout, Miami's Daequan Cook outlasted Orlando's Rashard Lewis in a tie-breaking round to take home the title.

Toronto's Jason Kapono, who had won this event the previous two years, went first in the second round and tallied 14 points, but was then eliminated as Lewis followed with a 15-point showing. Lewis nailed the go-ahead basket on his last shot, the multi-colored "money-ball" worth two points.

Cook then matched Lewis during his turn, dramatically sinking four of his final five shots to force a tie-breaking round.

Lewis went cold in the extra round, tallying just seven points before Cook racked up 19 points to take the title.

Atlanta's Mike Bibby (14), Indiana's Danny Granger (13) and San Antonio's Roger Mason (13) were all eliminated after the first round, while Cook (18), Lewis (17) and Kapono (16) all advanced.

Kapono failed in his attempt to become the third-ever player to win three straight Three-Point Shootout titles, as Boston's Larry Bird (1986-88) and Chicago's Craig Hodges (1990-92) are the only two to accomplish the feat.

Chicago's Derrick Rose, with a time of 35.3 seconds, edged Devin Harris' 39.7 seconds in the finals to take the Skills Challenge.

The Skills Challenge is made up of a course that includes various dribbling, shooting and passing obstacles.

Rose finished the first round with a time of 33.3 seconds, and New Jersey's Harris finished the course the first time in 36.9 ticks.

"It was amazing," said Rose. "This whole experience being here, I never thought that I would be playing in the All-Star Weekend or be a part of it."

Cleveland's Mo Williams and San Antonio's Tony Parker were knocked out in the first round.

Utah's Deron Williams won this event last year following a repeat championship showing from Miami's Dwyane Wade in 2006 and 2007.

With a time of 58.4 seconds, Team Detroit beat Team Phoenix in the final round of the Shooting Stars competition.

The stars competition is made up of NBA, WNBA and former NBA stars attempting to make baskets from six different marked spots on the court.

Slightly edging host Phoenix's time of 1:15 in the finals, Arron Afflalo, Bill Laimbeer and Katie Smith gave Detroit its second Shooting Stars title in three years, as it also captured the 2007 crown.

"I'm sure we made a lot of Detroit folks very proud tonight," said Smith.

San Antonio, comprised of Tim Duncan, David Robinson and Becky Hammon, and Los Angeles, made up of Derek Fisher, Michael Cooper and Lisa Leslie, were knocked out in the first round with scores of 1:06 and 1:16, respectively.

Phoenix appeared it was in position to edge Detroit in the finals, as Leandro Barbosa, Dan Majerle and Tangela Smith hit each of Phoenix' first five shots to put the team on the final mark -- a half court shot. But Phoenix struggled with the finale and failed to capture the title as its time exceeded Detroit's.

This same San Antonio trio captured the 2008 Shooting Stars title.

The festivities were a prelude to the 58th annual NBA All-Star game, scheduled to take place Sunday at US Airways Center at 8:30 p.m. (et).

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

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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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

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