Cashing In

Your "Bad Beat" for Thursday is on:

East Carolina (plus 7, first half) vs. Virginia Tech.

There really is no "Bad Beat" from Thursday as the small slate turned out to be pretty weak in that regard. But there is one scenario where gamblers may be a little perturbed.

With 2:06 left in the first half Tyrod Taylor rushed for a touchdown to give Virginia Tech the 13-0 lead at East Carolina. The first half number was seven and the way that the Pirates were struggling moving the ball that should have been enough for a Hokie first half cover.

ECU took over on their own 20 and actually had a third and four with 1:26 to go from their own 26. Lou Holtz on the telecast was saying that the Pirates should just try and get out of dodge and regroup at the half hopefully down just 13-0. But the Carolina coach, his son Skip, thought differently and went to attack mode. It worked as the Pirates picked up the first down and had their most impressive drive of the night.

To make a long story short ECU got down to the seven yard line with five seconds remaining. They had one timeout remaining and were going to take a stab for the touchdown and with the point after would have covered the half in fairly amazing fashion. But then all of a sudden the younger Holtz burned his final timeout to think about it some more. After the break the coach sent out the field goal unit and this thing then went into the half 13-3 after the Ben Hartman make and a Tech cover.

That decision by Skip Holtz took away any chance of the cover for ECU first half backers.

Ouch!



Your winner for Friday is on:

2* Knicks (plus 8) vs. Cleveland.

A 1-0-1 winning Thursday as the great run continues! East Carolina pushed in the end but Miami, Ohio plus the huge number turned out to be a joke!



I really do not see much at all out there today and will save myself for another rock solid weekend. The football game is a mismatch but I'm not sure if it's a three touchdown mismatch and the hoops is rather blah as well.

I will though back the Knicks at MSG even though they are fairly putrid and horrific.

LeBron James is going to want to put on a show here in New York as most superstars try and do and with Shaq around the Cavs are obviously the far superior team when compared to the gutless one win Knicks.

New York just lost at home to a bad Pacers team and Mike D'Antoni's squad right now is just flat out horrific. The motto is pretty much all about 2010 when the free agent crop including King James becomes available.

But with that said New York has not exactly caught the breaks losing twice in overtime and with Mike Brown's club coming here after losing a tough one last night at home against the Bulls are in a decent enough spot to at least compete. We all know that playing for a second straight night is rough on the aging Shaquille O'Neal.

It's not like the Knicks don't have any talent. David Lee is really good, Al Harrington just scored 42 off of the bench a few games back, Danilo Gallinari can bomb away from three and there are some quality pieces. Collectively the New Yorkers are underachieving and a mess but being the fresher of these two clubs and with very little expected of them against the King and the Diesel I can envision this being one of those rise up and compete games for the Knicks.