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02/15/2007 -
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -The only thing fans want the Philadelphia 76ers to win these days is the draft lottery.
The playoffs are far out of reach for the third-worst team in the NBA, so winning games won't do anything except lower the number of available ping pong balls. Tune in talk radio, read a message board or a blog, or listen to the few fans still showing up at the Wachovia Center and the point is clear: Lose. A lot.
Problem is, the Sixers (17-36) aren't listening.
``Yeah, we hear it, and it's kind of weird. But we can't pay attention,'' said forward Kyle Korver. ``Everyone in this locker room wants to win and win now, not wait for the future.''
But waiting for the future is about all the Sixers can do these days. This has turned into one of the more disastrous seasons in recent team history and the Sixers will miss the playoffs for the third time in four seasons. Hope only comes in the form of fantasizing about who will be available in the draft.
How would Greg Oden or Kevin Durant look in a Sixers uniform?
No doubt, this has been a tumultuous season to forget. Allen Iverson and his 30 points, All-Star berth and coaching clashes are now in Denver after a franchise-shaking blockbuster deal in December. Chris Webber, miserable and mopey from the day he got here, had his contract bought out and is finally happy again in Detroit.
Two veteran All-Stars expected to lead the team did nothing but drag it down. They demanded the ball, but did little to make their teammates better. Now it's smiles all around on the Sixers, free of the distractions and selfishness that sabotaged them early.
``We were definitely distracted by that,'' forward Steven Hunter said. ``It was a circus around here a month or so ago with all that trade talk. Now things are calmed down and everyone's focused on basketball.''
The Sixers are a bit better since dumping the dour duo, and went 7-7 over the final 14 games before the All-Star break. They were 5-18 when Iverson was traded on Dec. 19 and 12-18 since.
Credit goes mostly to Andre Miller, acquired in the Iverson deal, who's been a steady, more traditional point guard. More players are involved, the offense runs more set plays, and the hot hand keeps getting fed.
Five players average in double figures, including Miller at 13.2 points.
``We're just not relying on a guy to come down, pull up and hit a jump shot,'' Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said. ``He gets guys layups, he gets guys the ball in a certain time at the right place. You can't underestimate that when you have a guy who understands the position.''
Without old A.I. around, the Sixers have turned mostly their new one: Andre Iguodala.
The third-year swingman has absolutely flourished in Iverson and Webber's absence. Once known only for his flashy dunks and tantalizing potential, he's thrived as the go-to guy in Philly.
Iguodala scored at least 19 points in 12 straight games before that streak was snapped Wednesday night against Washington. He's been more aggressive, posted two triple-doubles, has become a better rebounder and watched his overall scoring average leap to 17.7 points.
``When I first got here, he was a complementary player to the other guys that where here,'' Cheeks said. ``Now his role has changed a little bit being the primary scorer. You put the ball in his hands and you see what he can do.''
Samuel Dalembert still battles inconsistency but overall has been solid at center, teaming with Hunter to solidify the middle. Korver and Miller will both be part of any rebuilding process. Their draft lottery pick, plus the two first-round picks they acquired from the Nuggets in the Iverson trade, give the Sixers reason to believe they can be a playoff team again soon.
``They stayed with everything we've been trying to do, they continue to give effort and that's all we can ask,'' Cheeks said. ``Our results aren't what we'd like them to be, but they've stayed with the program and they continue to work.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
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