Last season no one would've given a penny to the Raptors winning the NBA Title, their odds were +1,885 after all! The unexpected win flipped the known world of NBA upside down for the next season, and following the free agency frenzy, 8 teams have similar odds of winning the championship. The 2020 season will be the most competitive in over a decade, at least on paper.

Soon after the first week of free agency, the Los Angeles Clippers acquired both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, making them the favorites to win it all at +320. Following contenders are the Los Angeles Lakers +400, Milwaukee Bucks +600, and the Philadelphia 76ers +700.

Great scorer's and basketball seem to go hand-in-hand, so it is a rarity that a great scorer goes unnoticed, especially one that scores an astonishing 156 points in a game. But Marie Boyd, whose name is often misattributed as Mary Boyd, is just that; a prolific scorer that nobody knows of. She was the first player, man or woman, to score 100 points in a basketball game, a feat that has largely gone unnoticed.

Boyd is arguably the greatest woman basketball player of the first 50 years of basketball. An era where both the men's and women's game lacked the competition that we see today. Nonetheless she still dominated at such a high degree that was unmatched in the men's game until Wilt Chamberlain come along.

Central High School in Lonaconing, Maryland, was one of the first dominant schools in basketball history. The Black Knights as they were called went 4 years, 1922-25, without a loss and were in large part lead by the dominating Boyd

While the NBA can never be accused of being boring or stale, four straight NBA finals contested between the Cavaliers and the Warriors was starting to get a little tiresome for even the most ardent basketball fans. Thankfully for fans and bettors, it looks as if the Toronto Raptors felt the same way and after a string of impressive performances, they are set to contest the finals against the Golden State Warriors later this week. Aside from winning the actual title, there's a lot at stake for both the teams and their key players. Although Toronto won both regular season meetings between the two teams, Kawhi Leonard and Steph Curry haven't faced off against each other this season. All in all, the finals are set to be a totally different proposition.

The Toronto Raptors finally did it! After nearly a decade and a half of sorrow that has seen franchise star after franchise star leave for greener pastures, the Raptors have finally made the NBA finals.

The Raptors have been one of the better teams in the east for several years now, but it was never a foregone conclusion that they would ever make the NBA finals. No matter how hard they tried they always would come up short.

The biggest obstacle for the Raptors has been Lebron James. King James has tortured the souls of the Raptors and ended the Raptors season the last three seasons. But now James is gone, having switched to the western conference and with that the Raptors became the new kings of the east.

The Golden State Warriors just swept their way through the Western Conference Finals to reach their fifth consecutive NBA Finals; a feat only accomplished one other time in NBA history. The Warriors have dominated the NBA for the past half-decade and they appear that they cannot be stopped; or can they?

If someone is going to stop the Warriors it is going to have to come out of the eastern conference as all their western foes have fallen yet again. In fact, the last time a Western Conference team won a playoff series against the Warriors was all the way back in 2014 when the Los Angeles Clippers beat them in seven games of the first round. Since 2014 the only other series that the Warriors have lost was a seven game series at the hands of Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.

On the opposite side of the league and continent there is the Eastern Conference Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Toronto Raptors

Gus Williams is one of several NBA stars who flourished during the worst period in the life of this league — at the end of the 70s and the beginning of the 80s when professional basketball and television were at their lowest point. But not only this is the reason for its present oblivion. Gus himself had a hand in this, who preferred to miss a whole year of career (1980/81 championship) in order to knock out the contract that suited him from Seattle management. The principle, in theory, is a positive quality, but in this case, it has turned against the team and the player himself.

Gus began his career just awesome as well as could be. Only two years it took him to adapt to the NBA and the next two seasons (1977/78, 1978/79) were very successful for his team, Seattle, and for Williams himself, who quickly became the leader of this team.

The tallest player in NBA history is a tie between seven-foot-seven-inch Manute Bol and Gheorge Muresan. Both players played in the 1990s and were considered giants among their peers; peers in themselves who are considered giants among men. But both Bol and Muresan get dwarfed by the tallest player to ever play basketball. At Eight-foot-four-inches tall, Gilbert "Tiny" Reichert was truly a giant of giants. Reichert played in an era where the average center was maybe six-foot-four or six-foot-five and he towered over players.

Reichert played for a couple of barnstorming teams during the barnstorming era, he most notably played for the House of David Israelite; a barnstorming team made up of mostly people of Jewish decent in and around the Cleveland, Ohio area. The team was unique in that all it's members grew beards. Beard were a rarity in basketball at the time because it was well within the rules to grab and pull on a beard. He also briefly played for a team called the Detroit Clowns.

Before playing basketball Reichert made a living as a circus or sideshow freak. During this time a lot of his physical measurements get confusing with some reports having him listed at over 12 feet tall and others at a more modest 7-foot-six inches tall. The most reliable reports come from the House of David official pamphlets and Reichert himself which state him between 8'1" and 8"4'. It should be noted that he is not listed on the Guinness Book or World Records list for tallest human beings.

There is a large debate that surrounds the NBA Most Valuable Player award. Some basketball experts believe the trophy should go to the individual basketball player that is the most indispensable for his team. His team would not win games without him. There is another camp of basketball experts that feel the award should go to the Association's best overall player. Regardless of which camp NBA fans fall into, they can use the best NY sports betting apps to wager on their favourite teams' games.

The NBA regular season has been dominated by two names: Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden. The duo has been phenomenal all season and they certainly fall into one of the two MVP camps mentioned previously. The two basketball stars have just a few games left in the regular season to make their claims for NBA MVP. Here is how they stack up.

Can Tottenham Stop Seagulls From Soaring

When you look at Brighton's start to the Premier League season the undoubted high point will be their August win over Manchester United. In front of a sell out crowd at The AMEX, Chris Hughton's men made relatively light work of the Red Devils on their way to victory.

Although the final score was a 3-2 win in Brighton, one that looks like a close encounter on paper it is fair to say that it was a stroll in the park for the Seagulls as they once again asserted their dominance at home.

And that is something that they will look to build on when they welcome the visit of another Premier League title challenger in the shape of Tottenham. Mauricio Pochettino's men have made a relatively decent start to the campaign having won their first three games of the season.

Every June fans line up waiting to see who their favorite NBA team will select in the draft. In today's NBA it is a pretty straight forward process. Each team normally has 1 pick in the first round, and 1 pick in the second round based on their record and maybe a little luck in the draft lottery. But in the long history of the NBA draft things have not always been that simple. Before the league started to curtail the draft in 1988 the rounds could go on and on indefinitely if they wanted them too. For example the 1960 draft had 21 rounds and the 1984 draft seen 228 players drafted.

The process for the draft became cumbersome and the majority of the players selected after round three never played in the NBA. Several of the early drafts did not keep accurate records so its unknown which players went where in the draft, each team is just listed as having selected players listed in an alphabetical record. Basketball betting tips for the experts suggest that most of these players never even knew where they were drafted and the majority of them did not care as they planned to focus on other endeavors rather than the NBA.

Than there was the territorial picks. For a time in the NBA a team was allowed to forfeit their first round pick to select a local product that the league thought would help boost attendance to the games. While it was true that these picks did help boost attendance and fan interest, it was several taken advantage of as several really good teams got better by using giving up their late first round pick to get a superstar. There was a total of 23 territorial picks made in NBA history between 1949 and 1965 and 13 of them are in the hall-of-fame and two others were all-stars. Teams had a better chance of landing a hall-of-fame player than they did a bust at nearly 2-1 odds.

Betting on the NBA is by all means exciting. And, it can even be extremely lucrative for the right individual. With redefined strategies and a head for the game, you can really clean up betting on NBA games. Of course, this is something that can take years to develop, but if you are going to get started you need a bookmaker. And, when it comes to betting on the NBA one of the most important decisions that you will make is your bookmaker. There are tons of companies and sole bookmakers that offer a variety of exciting betting platforms. Choosing the right one won't be an easy task, but with the tips below, you will be better equipped and more informed.

Consider The Downtime Of The Site

The first thing you want to consider is the downtime of the site. You want to try to hit the site during peak hours throughout the day and see how fast the site loads. Check out all of the links to make sure that everything is up-to-date and functional.

Over the years, a lot of people have managed to make money betting on sports. There are some risks involved, but sports betting is here to stay. It is undoubtedly addictive and that isn't going to change any time soon. When it comes to sports betting, some sports are better than others. If you're looking for one of the best sports to bet on, you should look no further than the NBA. The NBA offers a wealth of betting opportunities. If you're going to be betting on the NBA, you need to make sure that you're implementing the right strategies. Within this guide, you're going to discover three profitable strategies that can make you a big winner when betting on NBA games.

He is one of the most successful and recognisable stars to have ever played in the NBA, but how much do you really know about Kobe Bryant? The Los Angeles Lakers legend retired from basketball three years ago now, but his legacy will remain for eternity.

Winner of five NBA Championships and with 18 NBA All-Star awards to his name, Bryant is one of the most effective players the game has ever seen and his exploits have drawn comparisons with other greats such as Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

1. You'll be forgiven if you think the name "Kobe" is a tad unusual. Although it is becoming more popular in the modern era, Bryant actually took his first name from the famous Japanese steak that comes from Wagyu cattle. Apparently, his parents found it rather interesting!

Betting on the NBA can be somewhat of a fickle beast. And, this is because the NBA has an unusual and hectic schedule. Unlike the NFL, NBA teams are oftentimes subjected to road games, back to back games, and they are known to play at least four or five games a week during any given week. Sure, you can sit down and choose strategies that are based around stats and individual players or even hot steaks, but if you aren't considering the playing schedule of the team, you are probably costing yourself some potential profits. One of the most notorious scheduled games are the back to back games and below you will learn just how to take advantage of such betting odds.

Consider The History Of The Teams

There many cases when two teams will face off that have just recently played several back to back games. There will be situations when a team coming off a few days rest will play a team that has just played several back to back games. Well, you might think that the team coming off the back to back games

The NBA is really one of the most exciting sports leagues in the world. The games are intense and it is really easy to find a good team to cheer for. If you want to make the games even more exciting, you should think about betting on them. The only downside here is that there is going to be a risk that you'll lose your money. Handicappers will attempt to predict the results of the games. While they might be good, there is a risk that they're going to make mistakes along the way. Below, you'll learn about some of the most common mistakes that they'll make. The truth of the matter is that NBA handicappers often get too comfort in their line of work. This will cause problems sooner or later. After all, there are plenty of things that are happening day in and day out. Players are getting injured or they're being traded. Plus, the coaches are working relentlessly to find ways to improve their teams. Many handicappers do not keep up with the news and that can hurt. In order to make the right bets, they need to consistently keep an eye on the sporting news.

Most people that are betting on NBA games are constantly focused on the team's home and road records, recent play, point's statistics, and power ratings. Sure, these are all good things to consider, but have you ever really thought about how the team's schedule affects the things overall? If you are not considering the team's schedule when you are placing bets you are making a major oversight and it is probably costing you some earnings. Scheduling and after play can play a significant role in determining just how well or poor a team is going to play on game night.

Back-To-Back Games

The NBA is much different than the NFL when it comes to scheduling. NFL teams only play one game a week at most. However, that is not the case for NBA teams. NBA schedules can quickly grow hectic and overcrowded.

The NBA is an exciting league that draws a lot of attention. The league keeps the arenas around the world packed full and offers a lot of exciting action along the way. It gets even more exciting when the playoffs take place, which pits the very best against the very best and sees who wants the win more. The NBA is made up of thirty teams. Fifteen are sanctioned in the Eastern Conference while the other fifteen are in the Western Conference. Each Conference is then further divided into three separate divisions. The Eastern Conference is divided up into Atlantic, Central, and Southeast. The Western Conference is divided up into the Northwest, Pacific, and Southwest. Sure, it sounds confusing, but that doesn't mean that increasing your chances of betting on the winning teams is too difficult as long as you know what strategies to apply.

The NBA in the 1980s and 1990s is often seen as an era of financial stability and expansion. The league saw money come in at a previously unprecedented rate, most of it coming for the new found television revenue. The NBA added 11 new teams from 1976 until 1996. The league also found three superstars to hang its image on in Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan.

But there was an underbelly to this glorious side as well. In the same time span that saw the NBA add 11 new teams, four teams relocated and three others attempted to relocate.

One of the most interesting cases involved the Minnesota Timberwolves who were awarded by the NBA to the city of Minneapolis in 1989. The Wolves were one of four NBA teams that entered the league between 1988 and 1989, and the second NBA team to play in the Twin-Cities.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league of men. NBA is commonly regarded as the premier professional basketball league of men in the world. From its inception, NBA was able to script a legacy and gained a lot of popularity the world over not just in the minds of basketball lovers but also people who don't follow basketball matches. The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the world. There are many important things that resulted in the popularity of NBA and one of them will be its greatest players. The NBA was able to produce scores of legends till now and right through the history of the NBA; there have been numerous incredible players. Some of the NBA players are prolific scorers, excellent at defense and unmatchable at rebounding. The all-time greatest players of NBA have left a never-ending legacy that will indeed keep them in the hearts of basketball fans until the end of the world.

NBA basketball fans already know everything about the legends of the NBA history. Basketball lovers can easily come across many articles online that written about the all-time greatest NBA players. However, basketball followers will love reading more articles written about the all-time greatest players of NBA history. Here is a look at top 7 NBA players of all time who have raised the standard and status of the game so far:

Jeremy Lin is not an NBA All Star, but hes not much better than the role in which hes being utilized: as Trae Youngs backup. The Hawks basketball front office has been committed to losing games as they plan ahead for the upcoming Zion Williamson sweepstakes. Jeremy Lin has thrown a spanner in the works, however. Being one of the best backup point guards in the league, he has already contributed to plummeting their chances at getting a top-3 pick halfway through the season. As a matter of fact, he ranks last in minutes per game among 160 players averaging at least 10 points per game on just over 18 minutes a night despite his 62.3% true shooting percentage - exceptionally elite at Harden-like efficiency.

There are some teams which could make good use of Lin right now, but a couple of them are in the tank race themselves - namely, the Orlando Magic, the Phoenix Suns and the Chicago Bulls,

Basketball players are not only tall, handsome men with muscular physiques. These are purposeful, self-confident people who do their best to reach for the stars. And of course, their beloved wives are among the most beautiful and intelligent women in the world. These ladies are always ready to support and inspire their loved ones. We would like to offer you the most beautiful wives of NBA players.

1. Amelia Vega, the wife of David Al Horford

This is the first representative of the Dominican Republic who won the Miss Universe contest (this happened in 2003) and, at the same time, one of the youngest laureates in history. Amelia is married to a basketball player from Boston Celtics David Al Horford, another famous native of the Dominican Republic.

The basketball game is currently changing. While size is a great asset in football or baseball, your pace and agility is crucial in basketball. That is why a lot of NBA players have decided to slim down, including those who have dominated the sport for more than a decade, like LeBron James. Players have realized that it is important to build lean muscle mass as opposed to weight by changing their diet and adding in some workouts. With lean muscle mass you can contribute some game-changing plays in the fourth quarter of the game. This is when you are required to make quicker plays, and being able to muster some energy can allow you to perform a perfect dunk, even when faced with a contested layup. This is why prominent names in the game are deciding to reduce their body fat percentage.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of the best and most popular sports in the world. You can find worldwide fans for NBA and the numbers of fans are increasing every year for NBA due to the beauty of NBA. It is almost hard to compare NBA with any other sport in the world by reason of its uniqueness and popularity amid fans the world over.

The 2018-19 NBA Season has already kicked off. We have witnessed some of the great and fiercely fought games this season as well by now. The regular season commenced on October 16, 2018, and will finish off on April 10, 2019. The 2018–19 NBA season is the 73rd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The playoffs will start April 13, 2019, with the NBA Finals finishing in June.

There are many articles that have already published regarding the schedule of 2018-19 NBA Season, the strengths and weaknesses of the teams, best players of the season, top-ranked payers of the season, most popular current players, highest-paid players in season, well known records that may break this season

The 2018-19 NBA off-season was a turmoltous one that saw a lot of changes. The West got stronger with Lebron James joining the Los Angeles Lakers; the Spurs and Raptors shook up their rosters by trading Demar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard; but for the Utah Jazz the off-season brought very little change.

The Jazz, for the first time in almost 20 seasons, managed to re-sign their best best free agent Not since the start of the 2000 campaign when the Jazz managed to re-sign Karl Malone and John Stockton have the Jazz been able to keep their best free agent. Every year since then the team has lost it's top off-season priority. Last year they lost Gordon Hayward, The year before that they lost Trevor Booker, a few years ago they lost Paul Millsap, they lost Carlos Boozer, Shandon Anderson, Donyell Marshall, Howard Eisley and yes even the Mailman himself left after the 2003 season. But this July, the Jazz managed to re-sign every single one of their free agents.

The Jazz started the off-season by re-signing starting power forward Derrick Favors. They followed that up by re-signing Dante Exum and Raul Neto. The Jazz roster going into this season will look a lot like the roster that took the Houston Rockets to six games in the 2018 NBA playoffs

As the new NBA season approaches, there is a lot of speculation about which teams are going to make it to the top and which teams are going to tank. Not every team wants to tank, and so they try everything that they can to get some new players in order to improve their chances of doing well. Tanking is never fun, but it is very likely for a lot of teams as could be seen in the last season. In this article, you’ll find five of the teams that are most likely to tank in the upcoming 2018/19 NBA season. Make sure to keep reading if you’d like to find out more.

Why Tank The Season?

For some teams, tanking is not always a choice, however for others, tanking the season gives them time to get their team back on track and ready for the next one. This is often why a lot of teams decide not to compete and aim for the playoffs. They already know that they aren’t going to make it and so they use the current season to build experience for their younger players and figure out what the best line-ups are for them. Of course, for some, tanking is not ideal, and they must learn to use it to their advantage in order to come back fighting in the next season.

Following World War II sports in America began to pick up a lot of popularity. Fans clamored for entertainment and Football, Baseball and Hockey brought just that to the American populace. Basketball at the time was still in its infancy, with most leagues lasting less than a season before disbanding. There were two established leagues in the United States following the War, there was the ABL and NBL. Both leagues played in small Midwest cities and were regional at best.

Walter Brown, owner of the Boston Garden and the landlord of the Boston Bruins of the NHL, thought that money could be made on the off-nights if the Boston Garden were to host basketball games. Brown had thought about attempting to purchase an ABL team but that did not pan out. He was skeptical that an NBL team could succeed so far away from the Ohio Valley where most teams resided, and often failed.

Brown got in contact with other business owners in other major cities such as Philadelphia and New York to try and establish a new league based in larger cities with teams playing in large venues.

It looks like one of sports most persistent curses has struck again. Fans know about the Madden Curse, where everyone on the cover of the Madden video game get hurt or has a terrible season. But do fans know about the curse of the NBA coach of the year award?

If reports and speculation is correct than Toronto's Dwane Casey will win the 2017-18 NBA coach of the year award, but guess what? The Raptors just fired Dwane Casey. If true, and Casey wins the award he will join a long list of successful NBA coaches who lose their job after winning the award.

Four of the last six award winners have been unscathed by this curse. But Gregg Popovich seems to be the one man exempt from this curse. He has won the award 3 times, and is still coach of the San Antonio Spurs. In fact, he is the only person to coach beyond 5 years after winning the award. He first won the award in 2003. Last years winner Mike D'Antoni and the 2016 winner Steve Kerr still have their jobs. The 2012 and 2014 winner is Popavich The 2015 winner, Mike Budenholzer recently joined the curse when was let go by the Atlanta Hawks 3 years after winning the award.