An If-bet That Almost Was
2007-04-10
For last night’s action, I saw a plethora of games I liked. So what I did was place an If Win bet so I could bet a minimal risk while having a chance to win a lot.
My picks were as follows in order:
Rockets -5.5 at Sonics
Raptors +2.5 at T’Wolves
Mavs -8 vs. Clippers
Pistons -7.5 at Knicks
Spurs -14 vs. Blazers
Lakers +6.5 at Nuggets
The first game in my wager happened to start the latest, at 10:30PM my time, so all of the other results would be in first.
In game 1, the Pistons sleepwalked through 3 quarters before turning it on late to beat the Knicks by 8, 91-83. Chauncy Billups starred for the Pistons with 22 points and 6 assists while Eddy Curry and Nate Robinson scored 24 apiece for the fading Knicks.
In game 2, the Raptors came back from a big deficit to beat the T’Wolves 111-100. They outscored Minnesota 38-21 in the 4th quarter. Anthony Parker led Toronto with 24 points while Chris Bosh had 16 points and 13 rebounds. Ricky Davis led the Wolves with a game high 28 points.
In game 3, the Mavs defeated a depleted Clippers team 96-86. Dirk Nowitski scored 26 for the Mavs while Corey Maggette led the Clips with 24.
In game 4, the Spurs used a 2nd half surge to pass the upstart Blazers in a 112-96 win. Tony Parker led all scorers with 30 points and I was feeling really good about my night.
In game 5, the Nuggets had a big lead to put my wager in jeopardy but as has been the case all season, the Nuggets collapsed late and almost lost the game. They held on however for a 115-111 win, securing another cover for me. Carmelo Anthony scored 33 while Kobe Bryant scored 23 while shooting 9-30. A truly horrible performance regardless of how many points he scored.
So it was now up to the Rockets to cash in for me. If they beat a Sonics team without Ray Allen, I stood to make a lot of money. But since it was so late, I went to sleep at halftime with the Rockets up by 8. I felt pretty good until I woke up and saw the final score. Rockets 95, Sonics 90. That’s right. I lost the whole bet because of a half point…
I guess with such a juicy schedule, I should have bet them all separately…
Till next time, may all your bets be winners.
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