Thursday NBA Play of the Night: Heat vs. Nuggets

Take the Nuggets

A good Thursday night game in the NBA.  Might be worth staying up for.  The Heat at the Nuggets.

The Heat are on an extended road trip and are coming off a loss at the Clippers.  Denver is a hard team to figure out, but they are the second highest scoring team in the league at 106.3 and Miami allows approximately 13 points fewer,

LeBron is a game-time decision, but I think he'll play. 

The trend here is, the Nuggets are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games as a home underdog.  They are getting 2 pts here and I believe will win the game.

Take the Nuggets tonight.

Christmas Day: NBA Play of the Day

The Heat vs. Lakers.

The NBA game everyone is waiting for is here.  The Heat is in L.A. to play the Lakers today.  This is setting up perfectly to be the coming out party, for James, Wade and Bosh. 

Both teams have similar records (Lakers are 21-8, Heat are 22-9)  Both teams are below .500 ATS.

The Heat are getting 3 pts and this sets up perfectly for the Heat to make a splash.  The Lakers are coming off a bad loss to Milwaukee, and in that loss they looked slow and lethargic.  The Lakers may be going through a rough spell right now and the Heat see this as an opportunity to make the rest of the league take notice.

Take the Heat and the 3 pts.

Also, when these teams play, the game usually goes over.  Take the over if you want a bonus pick.

Enjoy the games.

Original Rules of Basketball Sell for $4 Million

The original rules of basketball, written 119 years ago as a winter sport for boys of a Massachusetts YMCA, was sold for more than $4 million on Friday to raise money for charity.

James Naismith wrote the 13 rules while a physical education instructor at the Christian association.

The proceeds will benefit the Naismith foundation,  a great charity which promotes sportsmanship and provides services to underprivileged children around the world.

It was purchased by David and Suzanne Booth, who hoped to bring the rules to the University of Kansas. He is an alumnus.

Ian Naismith, the foundation's founder and grandson of James Naismith, told The Associated Press in an interview in October that it was a family decision to put the rules on the auction block and give the money to the Naismith charity.

"It's what Dr. Naismith wanted," he said.

James Naismith penned the 13 rules on Dec. 21, 1891, for the YMCA training school in Springfield. His boss had given him two weeks to come up with a new indoor activity for his gym class, and he wrote down the rules on the eve of that deadline.

He gave the list to his secretary, who typed them up on two pages that Naismith pinned on a bulletin board outside the gym.

One of his players was Forrest "Phog" Allen, who went on to become popularly known as the "father of basketball coaches."

The two are memorialized on the University of Kansas campus, where the basketball court at Allen Fieldhouse is named James Naismith Court.

Greg Oden out for the Year

For the third time in four years, Greg Oden's knees have betrayed him.

The Portland Trail Blazers called a press conference Wednesday night to announce that Oden, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, will miss the season after he has microfracture surgery on his left knee.

Oden's rookie year was postponed because of similar surgery on his right knee, and last season he broke his left kneecap early in December and again required surgery.

He was still rehabbing when the latest problem was discovered.  Oden's latest surgery is scheduled for Friday in Vail, Colo. The microfracture procedure will repair damaged cartilage that is not related to the kneecap injury, the team said.

The Blazers picked Oden instead of Kevin Durant, who went to the Oklahoma City franchise and has blossomed into one of the NBA's best players.

ESPN Dishes out 24-hours of College Basketball...Again

ESPN is giving college basketball fans all over the country an early Thanksgiving present, and it isn't even Feast Week yet.

24 continuous hours of college hoops on the Worldwide Leader. 

Beginning tonight at midnight with Miami at Memphis and ending with South Carolina vs. Michigan State and SDSU at Gonzaga early Wednesday morning we'll have out fill of dunks and treys over the next 24 hours.

Last year i struggled to stay up and watch the marathon, but Im going to take this year off.

Eamonn Brennan will be live blogging all the action here:http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/18004/tip-off-marathon-live

Looks like some good games for the Tip-Off Marathon this year.  Heres the complete schedule.  No napping.

Midnight Miami at Memphis ESPN/ESPN3.com

2 a.m. St. John's at St. Mary's

4 a.m. Central Michigan at Hawaii ESPN/ESPN3.com

6 a.m. Stony Brook at Monmouth ESPN/ESPN3.com

8 a.m. Robert Morris at Kent State ESPN/ESPN3.com

10 a.m. Northeastern at So. Illinois ESPN/ESPN3.com

Noon Oral Roberts at Tulsa ESPN/ESPN3.com

2 p.m. La Salle at Baylor ESPN/ESPN3.com

4 p.m. Virginia Tech at Kansas State ESPN/ESPN3.com

5:30 p.m. Marist at Villanova ESPNU

6 p.m. Ohio State at Florida ESPN/ESPN3.com

7 p.m. Legends Classic: Detroit at Syracuse ESPN3.com

7:30 p.m. Miami (Ohio) at Duke ESPNU

7:30 p.m. St. Joseph's at Penn St. ESPN3.com

8 p.m. Butler at Louisville ESPN/ESPN3.com

8 p.m. North Dakota at Wisconsin ESPN3.com

9:30 p.m. Belmont at Tennessee ESPNU

10 p.m. South Carolina at Michigan St. ESPN/ESPN3.com

11 p.m. San Diego State at Gonzaga ESPN2/ESPN3.com

ESPN/ESPN3.com 

Midnight Miami at Memphis ESPN/ESPN3.com

2 a.m. St. John's at St. Mary's

ESPN/ESPN3.com

4 a.m. Central Michigan at Hawaii ESPN/ESPN3.com

6 a.m. Stony Brook at Monmouth ESPN/ESPN3.com

8 a.m. Robert Morris at Kent State ESPN/ESPN3.com

10 a.m. Northeastern at So. Illinois ESPN/ESPN3.com

Noon Oral Roberts at Tulsa ESPN/ESPN3.com

2 p.m. La Salle at Baylor ESPN/ESPN3.com

4 p.m. Virginia Tech at Kansas State ESPN/ESPN3.com

5:30 p.m. Marist at Villanova ESPNU

6 p.m. Ohio State at Florida ESPN/ESPN3.com

7 p.m. Legends Classic: Detroit at Syracuse ESPN3.com

7:30 p.m. Miami (Ohio) at Duke ESPNU

7:30 p.m. St. Joseph's at Penn St. ESPN3.com

8 p.m. Butler at Louisville ESPN/ESPN3.com

8 p.m. North Dakota at Wisconsin ESPN3.com

9:30 p.m. Belmont at Tennessee ESPNU

10 p.m. South Carolina at Michigan St. ESPN/ESPN3.com

11 p.m. San Diego State at Gonzaga ESPN2/ESPN3.com

Update on Monday, November 15, 2010 at 10:05PM by Rick C.Limpert

Georgia Tech vs. Kennesaw St. is not part of the Tip-Off Marathon, but it deserves special mention that KSU beat GA Tech tonight 80-63.  Paul Hewitt on his way out of GA Tech.