BEHIND THE LINES: Pistons will try to slow down Celtics

[clevfan]

BEHIND THE LINES

Pistons will try to slow down Celtics

Eastern Conference's top two teams meet at Boston.

By Bob Mieszerski
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

March 5, 2008

Boston and Detroit, clearly the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, will get together for a third time this season tonight.

The Celtics, who hold the No. 1 seeding in the conference, enter the game on a roll. They have won five in a row overall and eight consecutive at home.

However, Boston was also streaking the last time the Pistons visited. The Celtics were riding a nine-game win streak when Detroit knocked them off, 87-85, on Dec. 19. Boston then returned the favor in Auburn Hills, winning, 92-85, on Jan. 5.

The Pistons, who have won five of their last six, have the second-best road record in the East at 21-11. The Celtics are 26-4 at home.

Pro football

The retirement of Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre on Tuesday is certain to increase the future odds on the Packers winning either the NFC championship or the Super Bowl in the upcoming season.

Before the somewhat surprising announcement, the Packers, who lost in overtime to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants in the NFC title game on Jan. 20, were the 11-4 favorites to win the NFC on the website Vegasinsider.com.

Meanwhile, on the website Bodoglife.com, Green Bay was the 7-1 third choice to win the NFC behind 7-2 favorite Dallas and 5-1 second choice New York. Bodoglife had the Packers at 20-1 to win the Super Bowl.

Golf

With the start of the Masters only weeks away, Vegasinsider.com is offering odds on how many major tournaments Tiger Woods will win in 2008.

The favorite at 8-5 is one, which is how many Woods won in 2007. The co-second choice at 5-2 is none or two majors. If a bettor thinks the world's premier golfer will win three, the odds rise to 6-1. A sweep of all four -- the coveted Grand Slam that would include the Masters, U.S. Open, the British Open and the PGA -- is listed at 10-1.

Given Woods' history, the most likely number of major wins is either two or none. He has won a pair three times -- 2002, 2005 and 2006. He has also been shut out in three years, failing to win a major in 1998, 2003 and 2004.

College basketball

Indiana, coming off an embarrassing loss at Michigan State on Sunday, will try to rebound at home tonight against Minnesota.

In losing for the first time in three games since Dan Dakich took over as interim coach, replacing Kelvin Sampson, the Hoosiers were never in the game against the Spartans, eventually falling, 103-74.

Although Indiana has a school-record 16 victories in Bloomington, Minnesota, which is 18-10 under first-year coach Tubby Smith, does not figure to be a pushover.

The Gophers, although below .500 on the road, are 8-2 against the spread away from home and they have covered the spread in their last five games.

Minnesota has split its last six games against Indiana and one of those victories (71-55) came in Bloomington three years ago.

[skilled27]

Celtics going to get the 1st seed for the playoffs and barring any injuries to the big 3, they are gonna cruise to the Finals where they have a darn good shot of winning the whole thing. Garnett just abuses Wallace or anybody else they try to put on him. When Cassell is added, they will be unbeatable in the East. They will have a very solid bench with Rondo coming off the bench. Just too much star power at the top, and the other players have proven to be much better than expected. Perkins with 20 rebounds tonight and Rondo outplayed Billups so bad it wasn't even funny. If it wasn't for the ref giving Billups flop after flop he would have had less than 10 points.

This was the worst officiated game I've seen this year BTW. On both ends the refs were horrible.