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NBA Draft Update


(The Sports Network) - The 2012 NBA Draft ended with the Los Angeles Lakers selecing Robert Sacre (C, Gonzaga) with the 60th overall pick. The following is a recap of Rounds 1-2.
Round One:
1. New Orleans Hornets - Anthony Davis (PF, Kentucky); 2. Charlotte Bobcats - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (SF, Kentucky); 3. Washington Wizards - Bradley Beal (SG, Florida); 4. Cleveland Cavaliers - Dion Waiters (SG, Syracuse); 5. Sacramento Kings - Thomas Robinson (PF, Kansas); 6. Portland Trail Blazers - Damian Lillard (PG, Weber State); 7. Golden State Warriors - Harrison Barnes (SF, North Carolina); 8. Toronto Raptors - Terrence Ross (SF, Washington); 9. Detroit Pistons - Andre Drummond (C, Connecticut); 10. New Orleans Hornets - Austin Rivers (SG, Duke); 11. Portland Trail Blazers - Meyers Leonard (C, Illinois); 12. Houston Rockets - Jeremy Lamb (SG, Connecticut); 13. Phoenix Suns - Kendall Marshall (PG, North Carolina); 14. Milwaukee Bucks - John Henson (PF, North Carolina); 15. Philadelphia 76ers - Moe Harkless (SF, St Johns); 16. Houston Rockets - Royce White (SF, Iowa State); 17. Dallas Mavericks - Tyler Zeller (C, North Carolina); 18. Houston Rockets - Terrence Jones (PF, Kentucky); 19. Orlando Magic - Andrew Nicholson (PF, St Bonaventure); 20. Denver Nuggets - Evan Fournier (SF); 21. Boston Celtics - Jared Sullinger (PF, Ohio State); 22. Boston Celtics - Fab Melo (C, Syracuse); 23. Atlanta Hawks - John Jenkins (SG, Vanderbilt); 24. Cleveland Cavaliers - Jared Cunningham (SG, Oregon State); 25. Memphis Grizzlies - Tony Wroten (SG, Washington); 26. Indiana Pacers - Miles Plumlee (C, Duke); 27. Miami Heat - Arnett Moultrie (PF, Miss State); 28. Oklahoma City Thunder - Perry Jones III (PF, Baylor); 29. Chicago Bulls - Marquis Teague (PG, Kentucky); 30. Golden State Warriors - Festus Ezeli (C, Vanderbilt).

Round Two:
31. Charlotte Bobcats - Jeff Taylor (SF, Vanderbilt); 32. Washington Wizards - Tomas Satoransky (PG); 33. Cleveland Cavaliers - Bernard James (C, Florida State); 34. Cleveland Cavaliers - Jae Crowder (SF, Marquette); 35. Golden State Warriors - Draymond Green (PF, Michigan State); 36. Sacramento Kings - Orlando Johnson (SG, UC Santa Barbara); 37. Toronto Raptors - Quincy Acy (PF, Baylor); 38. Denver Nuggets - Quincy Miller (SF, Baylor); 39. Detroit Pistons - Khris Middleton (SF, Texas A&M); 40. Portland Trail Blazers - Will Barton (SG, Memphis); 41. Portland Trail Blazers - Tyshawn Taylor (PG, Kansas); 42. Milwaukee Bucks - Doron Lamb (SG, Kentucky); 43. Atlanta Hawks - Mike Scott (PF, Virginia); 44. Detroit Pistons - Kim English (SG, Missouri); 45. Philadelphia 76ers - Justin Hamilton (C, L-S-U); 46. New Orleans Hornets - Darius Miller (SF, Kentucky); 47. Utah Jazz - Kevin Murphy (SG, Tenn Tech); 48. New York Knicks - Kostas Papanikolaou (F); 49. Orlando Magic - Kyle O`Quinn (PF, Norfolk State); 50. Denver Nuggets - Izzet Turkyilmaz (C); 51. Boston Celtics - Kris Joseph (SF, Syracuse); 52. Golden State Warriors - Ognjen Kuzmic (C); 53. Los Angeles Clippers - Furkan Aldemir (PF); 54. Philadelphia 76ers - Tornike Shengelia (SF); 55. Dallas Mavericks - Darius Johnson-Odom (SG, Marquette); 56. Toronto Raptors - Tomislav Zubcic (F); 57. Brooklyn Nets - Ilkan Karaman (F); 58. Minnesota Timberwolves - Robbie Hummel (SF, Purdue); 59. San Antonio Spurs - Marcus Denmon (SG, Missouri); 60. Los Angeles Lakers - Robert Sacre (C, Gonzaga).


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/06/28/nba-draft-update/#ixzz1zAesGJOn

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West Los Angeles College’s women’s basketball coach Colleen Matsuhara

West Los Angeles College’s women’s basketball coach Colleen Matsuhara was one of two women recently honored by the WNBA at their “Inspiring Women Night, at a ceremony at the STAPLES Center in Downtown Los Angeles.

According to a WLAC press release, WNBA’s Inspiring Women platform “celebrates leaders who help ignite the dreams and aspirations of women in all endeavors and honors women who embody the same qualities as our players.”

Coach Matsuhara recently completed her 10th year as Head Women’s Basketball Coach and Associate Professor of Physical Education at West LA College where she was the 2009 Western State Conference South Division Coach of the Year.

Matsuhara has an illustrious past, including working as an assistant coach on two National Championship teams: UCLA in 1978 and the Texas Lady Longhorns in 1986.

As head coach at UC Irvine from 1991-97, Matsuhara led the Anteaters to their first ever, and to date, only NCAA post-season berth. She was also Head Coach at the University of Nebraska from 1980-83 and was the assistant athletic director at UCLA while also serving as secretariat of basketball competition for the 1984 Olympic Games and assistant coach for the USA Gold Medal-winning 1987 Pan American team.

Matsuhara has even dabbled in showbiz as the coach and technical advisor for the 2000 movie Love and Basketball.


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NBA: Heat celebrate title with fans

MIAMI - The Miami Heat held a downtown victory parade Monday after winning the NBA Finals with the players riding atop double-decker buses cheered by hundreds of thousands of people lining the streets.

The Heat won their second title in franchise history by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games in the NBA Finals. It was the first title for Finals MVP LeBron James who came to Miami after seven seasons in Cleveland.

"It's the best feeling I've ever had," James said. "This was my dream right here, to be able to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy up, hug it, grab it, never want to let it go."

Two years after James and Chris Bosh joined forces with Dwyane Wade here, the trio delivered on their promise of bringing the championship back to Miami.

The downtown parade was followed by a rally inside the American Airlines Arena where the coaches and players danced, took turns holding the trophy and made speeches.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra talked about how the criticism of his team helped motivate the players.

"People from the outside, they criticized this group, this team. They didn't support this team, they counted this team out, but they never estimated how close this group was as a family," said Spoelstra.

"And every single one of these players had to sacrifice something, either money, opportunity, minutes, to be a part of this dream and it was all for a moment like this."

This marked the second title for Wade who was the offensive leader during their 2006 championship run.

"I appreciate all our fans for sticking with us," Wade said. "Best fans in the world." - AFP



 

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Germany vs. Greece



GDANSK, Poland -- Germany's most prominent fan will be in the stands for the quarterfinal against Greece at the European Championship.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, however, wins no popularity contests among the Greek contingent. So the political dimension of Friday's game only heightens what is already an intriguing match in strictly soccer terms.Germany is a three-time champion. Greece is the surprise winner of the 2004, and the Greeks are still standing again, with an unexpected place in the knockout stages.

It was always our main aim to reach the quarterfinals. So now we have nothing to lose," said defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos, one of the many Greece players with Bundesliga experience. "We are playing against one of the best teams here. All I can say is that we'll fight. If we get the win, that would be a huge result."

Greece has plenty of reason to be thankful to Germany - the 2004 championship team was coached by a German, Otto Rehhagel.

German and Greek officials are trying to play down the politics. Germany, Europe's biggest economy, has been a major contributor to international bailouts for Greece and was instrumental in demanding structural reforms and hugely unpopular spending cuts in return. Greek fans are unlikely to take kindly to Merkel's presence at Gdansk Arena.

"We are playing for our shirt, our flag and for the people back home," midfielder Costas Katsouranis said.

Added Greek forward Dimitris Salpigidis: "I don't think anyone on the team believes this will be our last game at this tournament. People have so many problems in their everyday lives. We're really hoping that we can put a smile on their face."

Gdansk also was also the scene of the first battle of World War II, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. A German soccer federation delegation laid a wreath Wednesday at a memorial for Poles at the Westerplatte peninsula on the outskirts of the Baltic city.

Germany has two Poland-born players in its squad, Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski, and Polish fans could throw their support behind the Germans. By winning its group, Germany got to stay in Gdansk and was spared having to travel.

Merkel attended Germany's 4-0 rout of Argentina at the 2010 World Cup and saw Germany beat Turkey in Berlin in the most important Euro 2012 qualifier for her team. She has visited the German locker room and briefly spent time with the team in Gdansk before the tournament.

"She seems to bring us luck," midfielder Sami Khedira said.

Germany is the only team to have won all three group games and goes into the quarterfinal as the overwhelming favorite. But the Germans understand the ability of the Greeks."They are a very good team, underestimated by many.

They create few chances but score from them. Technically, they are strong and play well one-on-one," Khedira said.

"It will be tough to crack their defense, but we have the means. We have to be patient, but we also have to be constantly on the move. They will try to disrupt our game and beat us, but they will not succeed."

Added midfielder Thomas Mueller: "We know what we have to do, but it's not going to be a piece of cake."

Greece will be missing playmaker and captain Giorgos Karagounis because of suspension.

There is speculation Germany coach Joachim Loew will return Klose to the starting lineup, although Mario Gomez scored three goals that won matches against Portugal and the Netherlands. Klose, a 34-year-old striker, scored the last time these teams played each other, a World Cup qualifier in 2001.

Six Greece players have either played or still play in the Bundesliga.

Greece has five defeats and three draws in the eight games it has played Germany or the former West Germany."We are not too bothered about statistics. ...

That doesn't really matter," Salpigidis said.

source: newsobserver.com/2012/06/21/2151638/politics-meets-soccer-in-germany.html

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NBA: Miami Heat's LeBron James on the cusp of his first championship


LeBron James has never been here before.

He's been in nearly every imaginable situation over his nine seasons, marked by three MVP awards, three trips to the NBA finals with two teams and one decision that changed everything.

And now this: For the first time, he's one win from a championship.

"I have a job to do," James said Wednesday. "And my job is not done."

The job might get done Thursday night, when the Miami Heat -- up 3-1 in this title series -- hosts the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of the finals. Even after leaving Game 4 late with a cramp, James is on the cusp of finally becoming a champ. He was swept in his first finals trip in 2007 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, then he and the Heat fell in the 2011 title series in six games.

After countless ups and downs, the 804th game of his career might be the one that ends his title quest.

"I have no idea what I'll say before we go out there," said James, who got treatment again Wednesday but said soreness that followed the cramps in his left leg was easing. "It kind of just comes to me when I'm getting ready to go out there and stand on the floor. But hopefully whatever I say will inspire our guys to go out and give a good show."

History says the Thunder isn't coming back. No team has overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals. Then again, few have erased a 2-0 deficit in any playoff series, and the Thunder did that just one round ago when it charged past the San Antonio Spurs.
"We didn't get here just to make it here and say we made it to the finals. We want to come in here and we want to try to get a title," Kevin Durant said. "It's all about, keep competing until that last buzzer sounds, and that's what we're going to do. That's the type of city we play for, a city that never gives up. That's the type of team we are."
TV ratings: The NBA finals' Game 4 preliminary television rating is the highest since 2004. The Heat's 104-98 win over the Thunder on Tuesday on ABC earned a 12.4 overnight rating. ESPN said Wednesday that was up 12 percent from last year's Heat-Mavericks series.
Trade: The New Orleans Hornets traded forward Trevor Ariza and center Emeka Okafor to the Washington Wizards for forward Rashard Lewis and a second-round draft pick (No. 46 overall). Lewis is entering the last season of a $118 million, six-year contract and could be a candidate for the NBA's amnesty clause, meaning he might not end up playing for the Hornets if they choose to cut him loose in order to clear space under the salary cap.
Magic: Orlando hired Rob Hennigan to be its general manager. Hennigan spent the past four seasons with Oklahoma City, including the past two seasons as the Thunder's assistant general manager/player personnel.

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Miami Heat Vs. Oklahoma City Thunder


Miami Heat Vs. Oklahoma City Thunder 6/20/12:Steve’s Free NBA Basketball Pick Against the Spread


The Oklahoma City Thunder are basically in a must win situation here on Tuesday as the OKC Thunder currently trail the Miami Heat two games to one, and falling back 3-1 to LeBron and company may be too much for the Thunder to come back from.
It wasn't always the prettiest for the Miami Heat on Sunday, but Miami did what they had to do to get the win over the Thunder in game three of the NBA Finals, and now the Heat have a chance to put a choke hold on the Thunder on Tuesday. Miami started off strong, but the Thunder came roaring back, and for a moment in the second half, it looked like Durant and company would be too much for the Heat. Miami stuck to their guns however as the Heat drove the line and got a lot of points in the paint, putting the Thunder in a bit of foul trouble and getting some easy points. If the Heat are going to get the win here on Tuesday, I expect Miami will need to put together a similar style game plan against the Thunder.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had the Heat where they wanted them, the Thunder just couldn't close the deal and OKC let the physical style of the Miami Heat get the better of them. One of the key components for the Oklahoma City Thunder is James Harden, and Harden was definitely off his game last night as Harden finished with just nine points against the Miami Heat, shooting a lousy 2-10 from the field. Durant and Westbrook were solid as usual, and the Oklahoma City Thunder also got a strong contribution from Kendrick Perkins who earned a double double on the night, finishing with 10 points and 12 rebounds. If the Thunder are going to get the win against the Miami Heat on Tuesday, Oklahoma City will need to play stiffer defensively, and try to take away some easy buckets from the Miami Heat, forcing Miami to pull up and possibly miss some jumpers.
The Heat are playing really well right now as Miami is 4-1 in their last five games, and the Heat are a solid 11-4-1 against the spread in their last 15 games at home. The Thunder are just 2-4 overall in their last six games away from home.
I've gone back and forth on this one as I have seen this from Miami before where the Heat get an emotional win, and then fall flat the next time out. I think we will see a stronger performance from Harden here for the Thunder on Tuesday, and that could be the difference. This is a tough call, but I think there is some value here with the Thunder getting the points as I have a hard time seeing OKC go down three games in a row, the Thunder just have too much talent.

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Washington Mystics vs. Los Angeles Sparks


Washington Mystics vs. Los Angeles Sparks

Game Date: Tuesday, June 19, 2012 | Game Time: 10:30 AM | Home Line: -8.5 | Total: 148.0

Original content, prepared and provided by ProCappers.com Staff

Washington Mystics v Los Angeles Sparks Series Betting Trends

The Washington Mystics travel to Los Angeles to play the Sparks at 10:35 PM on Monday, June 18, 2012. Los Angeles is the favorite in this matchup, laying -8.5 points here at home. The Total has been posted at Over/Under 148.0.
Before getting to specific team details, let's have a look at the recent games in this series to see if we can identify any WNBA sports betting trends to assist in making the right pick in this game.


When looking at the last 28 games in this series, we can see the home team has won 14 games compared to 14 wins for the road team. Average points scored per game for the home team in the Washington/Los Angeles series is 75.3 ppg while the vistor has put up 74.7 ppg, creating an average margin of victory of 0.6 favoring the home team.
As stated, the exact advantage spanning the last 28 games represents a median average advantage for the home team in this series of 0.6 ppg. That represents a value number of -7.9 when meassured against the offered line of -8.5, suggesting a wager on Washington makes the most sense - at least, when looking at betting against the number according to the historical series trends.
The average Total points scored spanning the last 28 games between the Mystics and the Sparks is 150 per game. That creates a face value cushion of 2 against the line, suggesting a bet of Over 148.0 may be in order. At least it appears as such on first impression when compared to the series history.
Now let's take a look at the series history in this exact situation, with Washington as the road team and with Los Angeles as the home team.


When looking at the last 13 games in this series while Los Angeles has been the home team, we can see the Sparks have won 9 games compared to 4 wins for the Mystics. Average points scored per game by Los Angeles in this situation is is 79 ppg while Washington has put up 74.1 ppg, creating an average margin of victory of 4.9 favoring the Mystics.
As stated, the exact advantage spanning the last games represents a median average advantage for the home team in this series of 4.9 ppg. That represents a value number of -3.6 when meassured against the offered line of -8.5, suggesting a wager on the Mystics makes the most sense. At least, that's the way it looks when you ponder a bet against the line, looking at this wager in the vacuum of this series situation.
The average Total points scored spanning the last 13 games between the Mystics and the Sparks is 153.1 per game. That creates a face value cushion of 5.1 against the line, suggesting a bet of Over 148.0 may be in order. At least it appears as such on first impression when compared to the series history.

Can the Washington Mystics Cover the Spread?

This season the Washington Mystics have played 7 games, averaging 69.1 points per game, while allowing 72.9 points per game. This has led to a season record of 2-5. Let's have a closer look at recent Washington Mystics results.



Source: procappers.com/previews/16825630/Washington-Mystics-v-Los-Angeles-Sparks.html

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Miami Heat-Oklahoma City Thunder earns ABC’s best-ever overnight rating for NBA Finals Game 1


Want more evidence that forecasts of the lockout’s adverse effects on the NBA’s business were overblown? Game 1 of the Miami Heat-Oklahoma City Thunder series drew an 11.8 overnight Nielsen rating on ABC Tuesday night, the network’s highest overnight for the opening game of a Finals series since it acquired NBA rights prior to the 2002-03 season, SportsBusiness Daily reports.

While last year’s NBA ratings success was largely attributed to the formation of Miami’s Big Three stirring up interest in the league, the 11.8 for Tuesday’s game marks a 10 percent jump from a 10.7 overnight for the Mavericks-Heat opener last year. While the Thunder offer their own compelling storylines, the novelty around the Heat apparently hasn't worn off.

The Thunder and Heat drew big TV ratings for Game 1 of the NBA Finals. (AP Photo)
It’s also the best overnight for the opening game of an NBA Finals series since NBC earned a 12.9 for Lakers-Nets in '02.
Tuesday's Game 1 rating follows viewership for the Heat-Celtics East finals that ESPN trumpeted as its highest-rated and most-viewed ever. Game 7 of that series earned an 8.9 cable rating (which translates into a 7.7 national rating), the highest-ever for an NBA game on cable television.
ABC’s overall ratings success for the Finals, however, will largely be determined by how competitive the series becomes. The longer it goes, the higher the ratings are likely to spike.


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NBA Finals 2012: Bosh will not start Miami Heat's NBA Finals Game 1 against Oklahoma City


Chris Bosh will not start in the Miami Heat's NBA Finals Game 1 contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder. (AP Photo)
OKLAHOMA CITY – Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has kept his thought process much to himself when it comes to power forward Chris Bosh heading into Game 1 of the NBA Finals here in Oklahoma City.
Bosh missed nine postseason games with an abdominal injury going back to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, returning in Game 5 of the conference finals against Boston. After playing limited minutes in his first game back, Spoelstra upped Bosh’s minutes off the bench in the next two games, and he responded with 19 points and eight rebounds in the Heat’s Game 7 win.
That, though, was not enough to get Bosh back into the starting lineup in this series. When Spoelstra handed in his lineup card to NBA officials just before game time, his starters at forward were LeBron James and Shane Battier, with Udonis Haslem at center and the guard pairing of Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers.
“I considered everything, gave it a great deal of thought, and talked to everybody,” Spoelstra said. “We’re not holding any secrets right now. It’s just about our guys focusing on the game plan. The eight guys that are going to play will not be a surprise.”
The other three guys are headlined by Bosh, with Mike Miller and Joel Anthony the likely candidates for the rest of the reserve minutes. In Game 7 against Boston, however, no other reserve besides Bosh played more than four minutes. Spoelstra did add that, though Bosh is not starting, he will have no cap on his minutes.
Asked whether there is any advantage to withholding his starting lineup until right before game time, Spoelstra gave an interesting answer—basically, he said, he didn’t want the media chattering about the decision. “I’d be willing to tell Oklahoma City,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a competitive advantage. I just, one of the few times that hopefully we can control a little bit of the noise out there, we don’t have to get into the debate about the pluses and minuses before the game. The guys can just focus in, get into their iPads and focus on the game.”


Source: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2012-06-12/nba-finals-2012-chris-bosh-miami-heat-oklahoma-city-thunder-erik-spoelstra#ixzz1xe6FXXoU

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LA Kings beat Devils 6-1, claim 1st Stanley Cup


LOS ANGELES (AP) Hooray for Hockeywood.

The Los Angeles Kings' 45-year quest for an NHL title ended Monday night with an early flurry of power-play goals, followed by two periods of unbearable anticipation - right up to the moment when Dustin Brown snatched the Stanley Cup from Commissioner Gary Bettman.

Brown skated to center ice and thrust the 36-pound silver trophy skyward, the captain never flinching under the weight. Long-suffering L.A. fans, who had never even seen hockey's greatest prize, went crazy.

The Kings are NHL champions for the first time, and all the men in black played a role in this Tinseltown blockbuster.





Jeff Carter and Trevor Lewis scored two goals apiece, playoff MVP Jonathan Quick made 17 saves in his latest stellar performance, and the Kings beat the New Jersey Devils 6-1 in Game 6 of the finals, becoming the first eighth-seeded playoff team to win the league title.

Brown had a goal and two assists for Los Angeles, which ended its spectacular 16-4 postseason run in front of a crowd including several dozen Kings faithful who have been at rinkside since the team's birth as an expansion franchise in 1967. Every other year ended unhappily.

"Every single guy worked so hard for us this season," said defenseman Drew Doughty, who began the year as a contract holdout and finished with six points in the finals, including two assists in the clincher. "Everyone deserves this. We got used to each other, we developed a chemistry, and we just went sailing from there."

After taking a 3-0 series lead and then losing two potential clinching games last week, the Kings finished ferociously at Staples Center just when the sixth-seeded Devils appeared to have a chance for one of the biggest comebacks in finals history.





One penalty abruptly changed the tone of the series. Brown, Carter and Lewis scored during a five-minute power play in the first period after Steve Bernier was ejected for boarding Rob Scuderi, leaving the veteran defenseman in a pool of blood. Quick took it from there, finishing a star-making two months by allowing just seven goals in six finals games.

"You never know. You get to the dance, you never know what's going to happen," Brown said. "We calmed down after losing two. It was the first time we had done that all playoffs, and we finally got off to a good start."

Martin Brodeur stopped 19 shots for the Eastern Conference champion Devils, just the third team to force a Game 6 in the finals after falling into an 0-3 hole. Rookie Adam Henrique ended Quick's shutout bid late in the second period after the Kings had built a 4-0 lead, but Lewis and Matt Greene added late goals for the Kings.

"We never lost our confidence," Quick said. "We had to take it on the chin to keep moving, losing two, and we looked at it as, `Hey, we still have to win one game to win a championship. And we have two chances.' Finally, we were able to do it at home."

The Kings steamrolled everyone in their path after barely making the playoffs, eliminating the top three seeds in the Western Conference in overwhelming fashion as they matched the second-fastest run to a title in modern NHL history. Although the Devils gave them a little trouble, the Kings boasted a talented, balanced roster that peaked at the absolute perfect time under midseason coaching hire Darryl Sutter.

Quick won the Conn Smythe Trophy, adding one more dominant game to a run in which he set NHL records for save percentage (.946) and goals-against average (1.41) among goalies who played at least 15 postseason games. Brown capped his own impressive playoff work by finishing with 20 points, tied for the postseason scoring lead with linemate Anze Kopitar.

And Brown, just the second American-born captain to raise the Cup after Dallas' Derian Hatcher, accomplished what even Wayne Gretzky couldn't do in eight years in Los Angeles.

Brown handed off the trophy to Willie Mitchell, the 35-year-old defenseman who had never won a title. Mitchell gave it to long-injured and recently returned forward Simon Gagne, who nearly tripped before raising the Cup for the first time.

Sutter, the stone-faced Alberta farmer from a family of hockey-playing brothers, smiled like a kid at his first chance to lift the prize, and general manager Dean Lombardi even took a turn after declining it twice. Later, Justin Williams sat his crying daughter in the Cup, and Kopitar raised it while wearing a gold crown on his head.

After going on a 12-2 tear to the Western Conference title, the Kings won the first two games of the finals in overtime by identical 2-1 scores in New Jersey, leading many to assume another one-sided series victory was upcoming. Los Angeles then flattened the Devils 4-0 in Game 3, but missed its first chance to clinch on home ice when Henrique scored the tiebreaking goal with 4 1/2 minutes left in New Jersey's 3-1 win in Game 4.

The Devils then beat Los Angeles 2-1 in Game 5, earning another cross-country trip after becoming the third team in NHL history, and the first since 1945, to win twice after falling behind 0-3 in the finals.

"You don't give yourself a lot of room for error, finding yourselves in a pretty deep hole," Devils captain Zach Parise said. "It's hard, but we really felt like could get back in this and force a Game 7. We did give our best, but we just came up a bit short, unfortunately."

The Kings were the West's bottom seed after failing to clinch a playoff berth until right before their 81st game, but only because they underachieved for much of the season. Their talent finally came together under Sutter, who replaced the fired Terry Murray shortly before Christmas and turned Los Angeles into a contender by late February.

Five years after the Anaheim Ducks won California's first Stanley Cup, the Golden State's oldest team raised the second. The Kings also are the first team to win the Cup at home since those Ducks, and their fans appreciated the Hollywood touch.

Despite coming off their first back-to-back losses of the playoffs, the Kings started with impressive energy in Game 6, getting most of the good early scoring chances - and then they got the break they needed when Bernier pushed Scuderi headfirst into the boards behind Quick's net. Scuderi stayed motionless for quite a while, eventually heading to the dressing room after leaving plenty of blood from his lacerated nose.

Bernier, a 27-year-old journeyman and depth forward with two goals in 24 playoff games this season, went to the locker room. The Devils complained Jarret Stoll received no penalty for checking Stephen Gionta into the boards between the benches a moment earlier.

"I wish I could take that play back," said Bernier. "I didn't want to hurt my team. I wanted to help them. This is extremely hard. It's been a long playoff run for us. To finish on that note, it's not fun for sure. But there's nothing I can do now."

The Kings then went to work on a power play that nearly measured up to the Miracle on Manchester - the famed 1982 playoff game in which Los Angeles rallied from a 5-0 deficit in the third period against Edmonton with a dynamic power play.

Brown scored 53 seconds in, slickly redirecting Drew Doughty's low pass in front for his first goal since the Western Conference finals opener. Brown's physical play and goal-scoring in the first-round series against Vancouver set a tone for the entire playoffs, but New Jersey had effectively shut him down until Game 6.

Carter then scored his seventh goal of the postseason after Brown walked the puck out of the corner and fired a shot at Brodeur's glove side while skating away from the net. The midseason acquisition has been a dependable scorer ever since he was reunited with longtime Philadelphia teammate Mike Richards on the Kings' second line.

With the Los Angeles crowd on its feet, the Kings added another as rookie Dwight King ferociously drove the net and left a rebound for Lewis, who tucked it home for his first goal in 18 games. Staples Center was deafening for the rest of the first period, and Los Angeles went up 4-0 just 90 seconds into the second when Brown found Carter unchecked in the slot for a one-timer.

"It's pretty awesome," Sutter said.

"It's the feeling of seeing them so happy, the work that you go through. The first thing you think about as a coach - these guys are all young enough, they've got to try it again."

NOTES: The Kings are the first team to clinch the Stanley Cup on their home ice since the Anaheim Ducks did it five years ago. They're also just the second No. 8 seed ever to make the finals. Edmonton lost in seven games in 2006. ... Only four Kings had previously won the Stanley Cup - Dustin Penner, Scuderi, Justin Williams and Colin Fraser, who didn't contribute much to Chicago's 2010 run. ... David Beckham, Matthew Perry, James Gandolfini, Alyssa Milano and My Chemical Romance attended the game. My Chemical Romance's "Welcome to the Black Parade" has become the black-jerseyed Kings' unofficial anthem after its incorporation into a clever pregame video featuring photos of several Kings as kids.

source:scores.nbcsports.msnbc.com/nhl/recap.asp?g=2012061108

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Euro 2012 EUFA the sports book 12bet

Euro 2012 EUFA the sports book 12bet 

Group Stage Russia Vs Czech Match Preview

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Russia will come into the go with as powerful favorites in many experts sight after their amazing displaying during determining. Dick Advocatt's men lead Team B with seven benefits from their ten trips.

Read More http://epltipsonline.blogspot.com/2012/06/euro-2012-eufa-cash-rewards-12bet.html

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Euro 2012 Group Stage – Poland Vs Greece Match Preview

Euro 2012 EUFA bet on sport 12bet

Poland Vs Greece Match Preview




In the build-up to the first activity of this season's European Championships, the betting for the Greece vs. Poland has thrown on a variety of events. When the draw was declared and the accessories were set for each team, Greece were the possibilities on favorites to choose up a win in this fascinating first experience of the tournament.


Check back for the you win match preview guide for the Euro group A stage game of Poland Vs Greece.




A couple of days before the game kicks off, we’ll be giving you our exclusive betting guide to Poland Vs Greece, with an in depth look at all the components that are likely to affect the outcome of the match – including the team line up, latest happenings off the pitch, potential goal scorers and the likely Poland Vs Greece final score and how this could affect group A.


This will allow you to make an informed decision and take advantage of some of the very best odds on Poland Vs Greece with 12bet.com.

In the mean time you can check out more about each of the individual Poland football team and Greece football team by looking at our teams guide.





Euro 2012 EUFA bet on sport 12bet

Poland Vs Greece Match Preview

 

 

In the build-up to the first activity of this season's European Championships, the betting for the Greece vs. Poland has thrown on a variety of events. When the draw was declared and the accessories were set for each team, Greece were the possibilities on favorites to choose up a win in this fascinating first experience of the tournament.

Check back for the you win match preview guide for the Euro group A stage game of Poland Vs Greece.

Description: Poland vs Greece

A couple of days before the game kicks off, we’ll be giving you our exclusive betting guide to Poland Vs Greece, with an in depth look at all the components that are likely to affect the outcome of the match – including the team line up, latest happenings off the pitch, potential goal scorers and the likely Poland Vs Greece final score and how this could affect group A.

This will allow you to make an informed decision and take advantage of some of the very best odds on Poland Vs Greece with youwin.com.

In the mean time you can check out more about each of the individual Poland football team and Greece football team by looking at our teams guide.

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