Heat and Magic battle for Sunshine State bragging rights

Basketball Betting Lines

02/08/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Since their heart-to-heart meeting among players and coaches following a loss at Milwaukee last week, the Miami Heat haven't suffered defeat and hope to continue that trend tonight against the Orlando Magic in the opener of a six-game road trip.

Miami has won three in a row and 11 of its last 13 games since a season-worst three-game slide and posted its sixth straight win in South Beach with Tuesday's 107-91 over LeBron James' former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. James had 24 points, six assists and five rebounds, while Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 26 points. Chris Bosh tacked on 15 points and nine boards for Miami, which got 14 points from both Mario Chalmers and Udonis Haslem.

"We (the Miami Heat) just understand that no game is over until it is over," Wade said. "We know teams are going to fight against us because they have a lot of pride. We did a good job of really locking in defensively and turning up the engine."

Wade has scored 20-plus points in a season-high five consecutive games, and in six of his last seven contests. The Heat's 19-6 record is the best 25-game start in franchise history. The previous best was 18-7 (three times).

The Heat are 7-4 away from home this season and are scheduled to make other stops in Washington, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Indiana and Cleveland.

Orlando had won three in a row since a four-game slide, but fell back into the loss column with Monday's 107-102 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in the opener of a three-game homestand.

Magic point guard Jameer Nelson returned from a five-game absence due to concussion-like symptoms and registered 15 points and a season-high 12 assists. The Magic, who went 3-2 without Nelson in the lineup, received 33 points and 14 rebounds from Dwight Howard.

"The only thing I fault our guys for was the start of the third quarter. The first six minutes, we came with no energy whatsoever. The rest, it's on me," Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy said.

Orlando is playing eight of 10 games at home and owns an 8-5 record at the Amway Center this season.

The Magic and Heat split four meetings a season ago and the last eight matchups overall. Miami has lost eight of 10 games in central Florida. James averaged 30.0 ppg last season against Orlando, while Howard had averages of 18.5 points and 14.8 rebounds. Howard is averaging 16.8 points and 12.5 boards in 28 career games in this series. James is posting 28.4 ppg in that same amount of games lifetime against the Magic.

Van Gundy served as the Heat's head coach for two-plus years from 2003-05, compiling a 112-73 (.605) record.

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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.