Profile Madison Square Garden

Location: New York, NY

Capacity: 19,763

Located in the heart of Manhattan, New York, Madison Square Garden is the oldest arena for both the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association. Originally created in 1879, MSG has been rebuilt at four different times. The most recent version was built on February 11^th 1968, at 4 Pennsylvania Plaza major intersections 8^th avenue and 33^rd street.

Since 1968, fans betting on the Rangers, Knicks have experienced many highs and lows at the Gardens. In 1994 the Gardens were home to the two biggest betting events for fans of each team, as in 1994, both squads played in the finals for each of their leagues. That year’s Ranger squad led by hall of famers Mark Messier and Brian Leetch was able to defeat the Vancouver Canucks in seven games at Madison Square Gardens, in order to capture the elusive Stanley Cup. Prior to winning the Stanley Cup in 1994 at home at the Gardens, many fans believed the team was cursed at home, as their last cup prior the 1994 success was around the beginning of World War 2 in 1939 -1940.

Conversely, the Knicks were unable to cash in during their 1994 dream run to the NBA finals, which saw the team lose to the Houston Rockets in seven games, despite winning all three games at MSG. Further, in 1999, the Knicks went on another dream run, before falling to the San Antonio Spurs in five games.

Aside from various playoff and championship runs over the years, Madison Garden has also been home to professional wrestling’s biggest event, Wrestlemania. The Gardens have hosted three Wrestlemania’s, they hosted the inaugural event in 1985, as well as Wrestlemania 10 and 20.

Although it is one of the oldest venues in professional sports, Madison Square Garden, can hold up to 20,000 people in total capacity.

Bulls Get Their Man In Thibodeau

The Chicago Bulls have their man as they have pried away Tom Thibodeau, a now former assistant coach to current NBA championship finalist, the Boston Celtics. Although signing as the new head coach of the legendary Bulls franchise, the Celtics and Bulls have agreed that Thibodeau can remain on the Celtics coaching staff for the remainder of the NBA finals. After the finals are over, Thibodeau will become the next head coach of the Bulls, whom have gone from one of the most dominant teams in the 90s, under current Lakers bench boss Phil Jackson, to one of the more dysfunctional franchises in recent years.

NBA finals betting odds should not be swayed towards the Lakers as a result of Thibodeau becoming the new Bulls coach. Instead, rather, they should sway in favor of the Celtics, as Thibodeau looks to guide the storied franchise to their second NBA title in the last three years.

Fans betting on a stronger Bulls team for the 2010-2011 season, should know that Thibodeau will bring two essential factors to a Bulls team which at the best of times has lacked direction. The two factors he brings, is that he is a player’s coach, and has a well rounded strategy. Throughout his tenure in Boston, Thibodeau has been responsible for the defensive side of the ball, turning the team into perhaps the most dominant defensive squad in the entire NBA.

However, as a player’s coach, Thibodeau has been inspirational to his players, as his relentless work effort has rubbed off on the team and made each player’s individual game better overall. Further such strong work ethic being infectious on a championship caliber team such as the Celtics, should be just as motivational to a young Bulls squad.

Celtics-Lakers Game 2 Preview

Boston Celtics @ Los Angeles Lakers

NBA Finals – Game 2

Sunday, June 6th – 8:10 PM ET

Staples Center - Los Angeles, CA

The first game of the 2010 NBA Finals was a complete train wreck for Boston. Coach Doc Rivers’ club never got into the flow of the action, as the Lakers posted a nine-point halftime lead and then blitzed the Eastern Conference champions for an 84-64 lead after three periods. The Celtics made a modest push in the fourth quarter, but never got within single digits of the Lakers, losing 102-89 in a rather lopsided affair. Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong for the 2008 NBA champions, who were hoping to win Game 1 just as they did two years ago against the Lake Show in the Finals.

Ray Allen picked up two early fouls and racked up even more whistles when he re-entered the game later on. He had five fouls before the third quarter ended and didn’t hit a single three-point shot. Kevin Garnett looked slow and creaky, a shadow of the man who excelled against Cleveland and was solid against Orlando. Kendrick Perkins scored just eight points and grabbed only three rebounds. No one stepped up for the Celtics, who need a substantially better effort just to play the Lakers on even terms.

Coach Phil Jackson has to love what he saw in Game 1. It wasn’t just that his team won; the Lakers must be very pleased because they outworked Boston in the low post and near the rim. The Lakers hammered the Celtics on the boards, with Pau Gasol getting eight offensive rebounds, one more than the combined total of overall rebounds (offensive and defensive boards) snatched by Garnett and Perkins. L.A. won the points-in-the-paint competition by a substantial 48-30 margin. Even more telling was the fact that the Lakers earned 16 second-chance points while the C’s produced absolutely nothing. That’s right: The defending champions prevented the 2008 champs from getting a single second-chance bucket. Los Angeles clearly wanted the game a lot more and prevented Boston from ever getting any kind of foothold. It was partly like a give-away game in which the Lakers didn’t have to spill the tank. They won a game with minimal resistance, and can now stay fresh for Game 2.

The Pick:

The Celtics are in huge trouble. Garnett didn’t look physically liberated. Rajon Rondo’s back was tight during the game, and he didn’t orchestrate his offense the way his teammates and coaching staff had hoped. Kobe Bryant scored 30 points but didn’t dominate the proceedings. Why? Because he never really needed to. Ron Artest played a fabulous high-energy game for the Lakers and set a very positive tone for his team… not just in Game 1, but for the whole series. This is a different situation compared to 2008. The Lakers, not the Celtics, are the deeper team, unlike two years ago. The Lakers should take full control of the Finals on Sunday.

Pick: Lakers