Heat open season in Boston
Basketball Betting Lines
08/03/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The new-look Miami Heat and two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers will both be in action on the first day of the 2010-11 NBA season, October 26.
The Heat will open the season in Boston against the Celtics in the first game of a doubleheader aired by TNT.
Miami will unveil its star trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview. The Celtics are the defending East champions and also feature a 'Big Three' -- Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, who led the Celtics to the 2008 NBA title. This past season Boston pushed the Lakers to seven games in the Finals.
The opening-night doubleheader will continue with the Lakers, as they begin their quest for a third consecutive title at home against the Houston Rockets.
Led by two-time defending Finals MVP Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles was an antithesis of Miami this offseason, having made few big headlines but remaining a top contender for the title. One of the team's biggest questions was whether head coach Phil Jackson would return. However, Jackson announced last month he would be back for another year in an attempt to record his 12th NBA coaching championship.
The Rockets, meanwhile, expect center Yao Ming to return after he missed the entire 2009-10 season with a foot injury.
A set of premium matchups comes on October 29, when ESPN airs a doubleheader. In the first game, the Heat host Dwight Howard and Orlando in a Southeast Division battle. That contest is followed by the Phoenix Suns hosting the Lakers in a Western Conference Finals rematch.
The NBA released a schedule of five Christmas Day games, highlighted by the Lakers playing host to Miami and Orlando hosting Boston in a rematch of the East finals. Additionally on Christmas, the New York Knicks host the Chicago Bulls, the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Denver Nuggets, and the Golden State Warriors host the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Magic and Celtics play again on January 17 as part of the Martin Luther King Day schedule, in Boston.
The NBA released select nationally televised games Tuesday, and will announce the full 2010-11 schedule on August 10.
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Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence
Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.
Work left to do:
Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.
Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.
DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...
West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.
Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.
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