Roy's buzzer-beater lifts Blazers past Yao, Rockets in OT

Basketball Betting Lines

11/07/2008 - Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Roy went through a myriad of emotions in 1.9 seconds. Roy made what looked like a game-winning jumper with 1.9 ticks to play then fouled Yao Ming on a go-ahead three-point play 1.1 seconds later before draining a 30-foot heave at the buzzer to lift Portland over Houston, 101-99, in overtime.

Roy's turnaround jumper off a scramble play with 1.9 ticks to go gave Portland a 98-96 lead. Houston called timeout to advance the ball to midcourt and got the ball into Yao's hands. The center turned and buried a baseline jumper while being fouled by Roy. The subsequent free throw gave Houston a 99-98 edge with eight-tenths of a second to go.

Roy was involved one more time.

He got the in-bounds pass, turned and arched a 30-foot shot that dropped straight through the net. After review, the referees determined that the shot was released in time, giving Portland its second win in five games to start the season.

"In this league we're never out of it," said Roy. "I was so disappointed that I fouled on the last play. I told the group whatever you do, give me the ball and I'm gonna try to make the shot ... It was a great shot and I'm just happy to get the win for my team."

The stunned Rockets dropped their second straight contest after a 3-0 start.

LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland with 27 points and nine rebounds, while Roy struggled from the floor with 17 points on 6-of-18 shooting with seven rebounds and five assists. Rudy Fernandez added 15 points and Travis Outlaw donated 14 off the bench for the Trail Blazers.

"The guys responded to the challenge," said Portland head coach Nate McMillan. "We talked about it today at practice and we all knew what we needed to do to play a full 48-minute game. I think we earned this victory."

Tracy McGrady tallied a game-best 30 points, while Luis Scola and Aaron Brooks added 14 apiece. Yao donated 13 points and six boards in defeat.

A pair of Outlaw free throws began the extra session, but Brooks' penetration and finish squared the contest. Carl Landry and Joel Przybilla exchanged easy lay-ins before McGrady put Houston back in front.

Roy penetrated and dished to Landry, who was fouled and made both game-tying foul shots with 30.3 seconds to go.

The final quarter quickly turned competitive. Aldridge's layup pushed Portland's lead to 90-85, but the Rockets reeled off the next five points. McGrady drained a layup, Ron Artest hit 1-of-2 free throws and McGrady buried a pair from the charity stripe, as Portland didn't score a point in the final three-plus minutes.

Each team had a chance to steal the victory in the final minute of regulation. Outlaw missed an open jumper from the left elbow with about 40 ticks to play, and McGrady was forced to call a timeout after a double team swarmed him at the high wing off a pick-and-roll. The ball ended up in Artest's hands, but his forced shot hit off the rim.

Portland also had a chance, but Roy was stripped by Artest in the closing seconds with a kicked ball called on the Portland guard. A lob and tip try with McGrady was unsuccessful at the buzzer.

Neither team could break away in the first three quarters. Portland led 21-18 after one stanza and 52-51 at the half. The edge grew back to three points at 74-71 after 36 minutes.

Portland scored the initial seven points of the final period to seize a 10- point lead. Channing Frye connected on a short hook shot and Fernandez connected from long distance in front of two free throws for an 81-71 advantage.

Game Notes

Houston made 19-of-23 free throws and 6-of-12 from beyond the arc...Portland made 13-of-17 from the charity stripe and 6-of-18 from three-point range...Portland controlled the boards with 16 offensive rebounds and a 48-36 overall edge on the glass...Houston committed just eight turnovers. Artest scored nine points in defeat.

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How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

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