Celtics-Lakers Odds Preview Game 3 NBA Finals

There is no xerostomia among sports bettors, as sharps are salivating over the next several days of betting.

World Cup Odds are moving but first it’s the NBA Finals Game 3 on ABC between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers-Celtics NBA spread has Boston a favorite of 2.5 at home with a total of 192.

Here is the official betting preview. The LA Lakers enter 70-30 straight up and 44-54 against the spread. Boston is 63-38 straight up, but just 46-53 to the sportsbooks.

Boston is just 19-30 at home in the back pocket, compared to LA just 22-26 on the road. Before Game 1, we took a look at the overall comparison, now some home/road splits.

The Lakers average 100.1 points per game on the road compared to Boston 99.4 at home. However in the stats that successful NBA handicappers consider more important, the Green Guys get the edge. The Lakers make 45.7 percent of their shots on the highway, compared to Boston nailing 48.2 percent in Beantown.

Defensively, the deceptive raw numbers give Boston the upper hand. They allow just 95.2 points per game in front of home fans, the Lake Show 99.8 on the road. But LA allows 45.1 percent shooting, which is .3 less than Boston.

Spread betting trends (all records are against the spread): The Lakers are 5-14 playing on one-day rest. Boston is 7-1 their last eight NBA Championship games. They are 20-8 as a favorite of 4.5 or less. However Boston is 3-12 to the Pacific and 1-5 their last six to the Western Conference. Boston though is 10-3 in the series.

Top expert pick on this game: GodsTips is rolling along. A great start and a fantastic finish to the NBA playoffs is in store. Already hitting games one and two in the NBA Finals, get the Game 3 side up now. Keep perfection alive.

Back to the winning in MLB last night led by our only Wise Guy on Dandy Dog San Diego. Tonight get two Wise Guy underdogs in MLB, four Majors and a WNBA living lock as well.

Note :
Xerostomia (dry mouth) is the symptom of insufficient saliva.
Xerostomia can be a side-effect of many common medications.
Xerostomia can result from:
· dehydration
· diabetes mellitus
· obstructed salivary ducts
· Lymphoma
· Sjogrens syndrome
· Sarcoidosis
Xerostomia that persists or worsens should be evaluated by your doctor.

Ron Artest’s Buzzer Beater

Here’s Ron Artest’s buzzer-beating layup that gave the Lakers a 3-2 edge over the Suns in that Western Conference final.
Ron Artest beat the buzzer with a wild bank shot after rebounding Kobe Bryant's miss, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Phoenix Suns 103-101 on Thursday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals. Bryant had 30 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for the Lakers, but Artest was the improbable hero with just his second basket of the night. Jason Richardson banked in a straightaway 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left to tie it for the Suns, who rallied from an 18-point deficit in the second half.

Bryant missed a difficult shot from the corner, but Artest rolled into the lane, collected the rebound and threw up a hideous shot that somehow went in.

Game 6 is Saturday night in Phoenix, where the Lakers can clinch the chance to play for their 16th championship. Steve Nash had 29 points and 11 assists in a stirring second-half effort for the Suns, who hacked away at Los Angeles' lead throughout the fourth quarter. Phoenix trimmed its deficit to 95-94 when Nash converted a three-point play and then fed Amare Stoudemire for a layup that barely beat the shot clock with 2:52 left.

The Lakers led 101-96 with 1:38 left, but Nash hit another jumper and Artest missed two open shots. The Suns had three looks at a 3-point shot in the final seconds, but two missed before Richardson missed so badly that it banked in. Pau Gasol had 21 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who rebounded from consecutive losses in Phoenix with their best defensive performance of the series, forcing 15 turnovers and holding Phoenix to mediocre shooting - yet the Suns came agonizingly close to handing Los Angeles its first home loss of the postseason. The Lakers improved to 8-0 at home, where they'll play Game 7 on Monday night if the Suns serve in a series featuring five wins for the home team.

Coopers Beach, Southampton New York Named Best Beach in US

Coopers Beach in Southampton New York has been named the best beach in US according to Dr. Beach, Stephen P. Leatherman. He takes an annual list of the best beaches taking into account factors such as water temperature, waves, smell, sand quality and the presence of jellyfish.
This year is the 20^th anniversary of Dr. Beach’s list.

In the top 10 list of US beaches we had:

1. Coopers Beach, Southampton, NY

2. Siesta Beach, Sarasota, Fla.

3. Coronado Beach, San Diego, Calif.

4. Cape Hatteras, Outers Banks, NC

5. Main Beach, East Hampton, NY

6. Kahanamoku Beach, Wakiki, Oahu, Hawaii

7. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Mass.

8. Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, SC

9. Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii

10. Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Fla.

There are still some cons to choosing this beach. Did you know that parking costs $40

Belgium's Justine Henin First Round Match

Flash news : Up date from French Open 2010 at Roland Garros >>> Belgium's Justine Henin reacts after a winning point as she plays Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova during their first round match for the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Tuesday, May 25, 2010. Henin won 6-4, 6-3.

Andy Roddick's preparation for French Open 2010

From purely tennis perspective, Andy Roddick's preparation for French Open 2010 was traditional, or in other word, ideal.

He skipped a clay-court event in Rome so he could celebrate his one-year wedding anniversary with his wife, Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model Brooklyn Decker. He missed another tuneup tournament in Madrid because of a stomach virus.

Scrambling to get set, Roddick played a couple of hastily arranged exhibitions and practiced a bunch at Roland Garros with fellow pro Mardy Fish, a pal since high school. If Roddick felt he needed more match time on his least favorite surface, he accumulated it in a hurry Tuesday, digging himself out of a hole and coming back to beat Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 in the French Open's first round.

"It's kind of like when you miss an assignment in school, and they give you a chance to get extra credit. I've been trying real hard to get extra credit ... and I definitely wasn't match-tough," the sixth-seeded Roddick said. "There was a lot of ugliness out there today. But at the end of it, I get to play again."

So does a group of other Americans: Roddick and Fish are among five U.S. men into the second round, equaling the largest contingent at this Grand Slam tournament since six made it in 1998. Robby Ginepri knocked off 18th-seeded Sam Querrey 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-2 in an all-American match Tuesday, while John Isner and Taylor Dent won Monday.

Roddick's was not the only successful return Monday, when winners included four-time French Open champions Justine Henin and Rafael Nadal, as well as Maria Sharapova, who's won the other three major tournaments.

Playing at Roland Garros for the first time since 2007, Henin beat Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 6-4, 6-3 to run her winning streaks at her favorite event to 22 matches and 37 sets.

Henin won titles at Roland Garros in 2003 and 2005-07, before taking a 20-month hiatus from tennis, and while she said before the event that she does not consider herself the defending champion, her skills make her a serious contender for another trophy.

Stanley Cup Final 2010

What does it take to win the Stanley Cup? Weeks of hard work, dedication, maybe a few teeth sacrificed to the cause -- and, as often as not, a little bit of luck. The best team on paper isn't always the one that ends up drinking champagne from the Cup.

Venus Williams' French Open Outfit: Risque illusion

Venus Williams won her opening match at the French Open on Sunday at Roland Garros, beating Patty Schnyder with consecutive 6-3 victories. Williams had 21 errors and threw in eight double faults. But she advanced and managed to piss off America’s delicate sensibilities, so a success all around. But it was not her performance that drew the most attention. Williams' lacy black-and-red outfit, which gave "the illusion of being see-through", is the tennis star's most talked-about on-court apparel choice since she wore a skimpy green uniform at the Australian Open in January (where she was voted an Australian Open hottie).

The biggest story from the first day of play at the French Open has nothing to do with the outcome of the matches: It’s all about Venus Williams’ outfit.
Whistles and whispers circulated through the stands at Court Suzanne Lenglen on Sunday, a reaction brought about not by Venus Williams' play at the French Open, but rather by her outfit.

With a lacy, black overlay giving it the illusion of being see-through, and bright red trim on the bodice, Williams' corset-like get-up made her look as if she were ready to perform in a 19th century Parisian cancan chorus line. Her game, a mix of power and niftier-than-usual footwork on this day, was very 21st century, and befitting a star of the show.

The red clay of Roland Garros never has been Williams' best stage — her seven Grand Slam titles all came at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open. At this year's French Open, she is assured of at least one more performance, thanks to a 6-3, 6-3 victory against former top-10 player Patty Schnyder of Switzerland in the first round.

Williams explained that her look was "about illusion," which, she noted, is "a lot of my motif this year" when it comes to clothes design. She also said she might not wear that particular dress again on court. Then again, perhaps she will. She's not sure. Either way, Williams comes to a tournament with eight to 10 outfits, just in case the victories keep coming.

And she plans a lengthy stay in Paris this time around, perhaps capped by a title.

"I always — goes without saying — believe I can win," said Williams, whose biggest hitches Sunday were eight double-faults.

Williams lost in the third round at each of the past three French Opens and only once has been beyond the quarterfinals in 13 previous trips: She lost to younger sister Serena in the 2002 final. Still, Venus' hitting partner, David Witt, said after Sunday's victory: "If she goes out there and is smart and plays smart tennis, I think she can win the tournament."

There are others who will have some say in that, of course, including defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, who also won in straight sets Sunday, and the top-ranked Serena, whose first-round match is Monday. Venus is back at No. 2 in the rankings for the first time since May 2003, and was not shy about saying she wants to bump her sister off the top spot.

"It feels good to be moving up the ranks. Obviously, when you get to 2, of course, the next dream is 1," Venus said.

As for chasing Serena?

"When we're on the court, and when we're competing against each other, it's competition," Venus said. "Both of us feel that, you know: May the better player be the best."

Generally, the better players were, well, better than their opponents on Day 1 of the year's second Grand Slam tournament, when the sky was a cloudless blue and the temperature touched 80 degrees, making ice cream the snack of choice around the grounds.

Only one seeded man departed. No. 23 Ernests Gulbis of Latvia, who upset Roger Federer at Rome this month, stopped because of a right thigh injury while trailing Julien Benneteau of France 6-4, 6-2, 1-0. Two seeded women left: No. 10 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, a quarterfinalist a year ago, lost to Gisela Dulko of Argentina 6-1, 6-2, and No. 20 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain lost to Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan 6-2, 6-4.

Winners included 2009 runner-up Robin Soderling, who stunned four-time champion Rafael Nadal in the fourth round last year; No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 10 Marin Cilic and No. 11 Mikhail Youzhny. Soderling won the first nine games and took 49 of 58 points on his serve en route to eliminating French wild card Laurent Recouderc 6-0, 6-2, 6-3.

Joining Kuznetsova in the women's second round were No. 15 Aravane Rezai, No. 19 Nadia Petrova, No. 26 Dominika Cibulkova and No. 30 Maria Kirilenko. Kuznetsova sputtered at the start against 2009 quarterfinalist Sorana Cirstea, losing the opening six points and falling behind 3-0, before reeling off nine games in a row.

Venus Williams' only real problems came at the very end against Schnyder, who fell to 0-11 against the American but certainly is no slouch, particularly on clay. The 31-year-old lefty from Switzerland has been a Grand Slam semifinalist, has been ranked No. 7, and leads active women in career clay-court victories.

She forced Williams to fend off three break points in the final game, and also made her accumulate four match points before finally ending things with a forehand winner.

"It's just too tough to really play good, and then on top of that, to beat her," Schnyder said. "She has a great answer to my lefty serve, she has the backhand down the line, which hurts me a lot, and she's a great mover."

That last part hasn't always been the case on clay, but the 29-year-old Williams had neither of her sometimes-bothersome knees wrapped Sunday. She covered the court quite well, both side-to-side and moving forward, which helped her win 12 of 14 points at the net.

It's part of a resurgence on the slow surface this season for Williams: She is 13-2 on clay.