Cavs wrap up East's top seed in Philadelphia

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04/10/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James scored 27, dished out 10 assists and Cleveland hit 12-of-23 shots from beyond the arc to help clinch homecourt advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 102-92 triumph over Philadelphia at Wachovia Center.

Mo Williams and Wally Szczerbiak had 18 points apiece and combined to drop seven of the 12 three-pointers for Cleveland, which not only clinched the top spot in the East but moved a full game clear of the Lakers for the NBA's best record.

Delonte West drained three from long distance on the way to 11 points with seven rebounds while Zydrunas Ilgauskas checked in with nine boards and seven points.

Andre Iguodala posted 26 points for the Sixers, who have already made the playoffs but find themselves mired in an inopportune slump having lost four straight and six of nine overall.

Andre Miller had 17 points and Lou Williams continued to log key minutes off the bench, also scoring 17 in a little over 23 minutes of floor time.

Philadelphia now trails fifth-place Miami by 1 1/2 games in the East, and leads seventh-place Chicago by one and eighth-place Detroit by 1 1/2 games.

Marreese Speights and Williams hit shots for the Sixers to start the fourth, pulling within two at 76-74, but Szczerbiak drained his fourth shot from beyond the arc to spark a quick 9-2 spurt that saw former-Sixer Joe Smith sink a pair of field goals and extend the advantage to 85-76 at the seven-minute mark.

Cleveland continued to lead and a Williams triple gave the visitors their largest lead at 11, 95-84, with 2:49 to play.

Iguodala's free throw and jumper shaved the deficit to eight with 1:51 on the clock but the Cavs' big man, Ilgauskas, took a pass from James, stepped behind the arc and calmly sank a three-ball from the left corner to put an exclamation point on Cleveland's shooting performance and all but end Philadelphia's hopes of breaking through for a much-needed win against an elite opponent.

The Cavaliers jumped out to a 23-19 lead after the opening quarter and three- pointers by Szczerbiak and Williams early in the second extended the margin to 32-23.

The Sixers responded with buckets on five straight possessions but Cleveland got a pair of long distance shots to fall on the other end from West and Szczerbiak again to stem the surge.

Cleveland held the advantage throughout the second and four consecutive free throws by James pushed the lead to 10 inside a minute left before two Iguodala free throws and an authoritative slam over James got the hosts back within six, 52-46, at the break.

The Sixers cut the lead to five three times in the third before back-to-back layups by Iguodala and Reggie Evans made it a four-point game with just about 2 1/2 minutes to go.

James answered by burying a three-pointer and his jumper moments later pushed the lead back to eight.

Williams, meanwhile, scored six straight Philadelphia points on the other end to help the hosts stay within six, 76-70, heading to the final stanza.

Game Notes

Cleveland has taken five straight games over the Sixers, including three this season...The Cavs shot 46.8 percent overall for the game...Philadelphia hit just two of its nine three-point attempts and shot 45.8 percent from the field overall.

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FOOTBALL BETTING

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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