Riley set to return to Heat after All-Star break

Basketball Betting Lines

02/12/2007 -

MIAMI (AP) -Pat Riley will resume coaching the Miami Heat following the All-Star break, an official within the NBA said Monday.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because Riley has not formally announced his plans. Riley is expected to announce his return at a news conference Wednesday morning in Miami. His first game back would be Feb. 21 at Houston.

Riley's decision was first reported by WTVJ television and on the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Web site.

Riley left the team on Jan. 3 because of ongoing hip and knee problems, both which required surgery. He had a procedure to repair cartilage in his right knee on Jan. 5, then hip replacement surgery Jan. 11.

Miami assistant coach Ron Rothstein will coach the Heat against Portland on Tuesday night in their final game before the All-Star break.

Players were reportedly told of Riley's decision on Monday.

Saying he was ``tired of the pain and the medication,'' the 61-year-old Riley decided to step away nearly six weeks ago to address his health issues. The Heat were 13-17 when he left, plus had been without center Shaquille O'Neal for much of the season while he recovered from knee surgery.

But now, with six wins in their last seven games, the Heat could get back to the .500 mark with a win Tuesday. And while a 25-26 record is hardly what Miami wanted at this point, the Heat are only four games behind Washington in the Southeast Division.

``We had a very, very rough, very challenging start, mostly due to our faults,'' O'Neal said Monday, hours before word broke that Riley's return was imminent.

The Heat are not expected to practice Wednesday, while O'Neal and All-Star teammate Dwyane Wade, along with 3-point shootout competitor Jason Kapono, get ready to head to Las Vegas for the weekend's festivities.

The team could practice in Miami next Monday, the day after the All-Star game, but it's unknown if Riley plans to run that session. He is expected to fly with the team to Houston on Tuesday, coach against the Rockets on Feb. 21, then at Dallas - where the Heat won last season's NBA title - the next night. His first home game back would be when Miami hosts Cleveland on Feb. 25.

Riley, who also is the Heat president, resigned as coach shortly before the 2003-04 season, then returned to the bench in December 2005, replacing Stan Van Gundy and postponing his hip replacement. In September, Riley said he didn't expect to need an operation this season, but the pain soon became too much to bear.

Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds

The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year.

Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.”

“ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.”

MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards:

Odds to win the Achievement in Directing:

Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1

Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17

Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1

Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1

Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1

Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1

Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5

Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1

Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:

Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1

Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1

Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50

Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1

Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1

Best Animated Feature Film:

"Cars": 1/3

"Happy Feet": 2/1

"Monster House": 20/1

Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year:

"Water" – Canada: 22/1

"The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2

"After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1

"Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1

"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10

Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film:

"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5

"Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2

"Helmer & Son": 5/2

"The Saviour": 6/1

"West Bank Story": 7/2

Odds to win the Best Original Screenplay:

"Babel": 7/4

"Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1

"Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20

"Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4

"The Queen": 5/4

Best Motion Picture of the Year:

"Babel": 11/4

"The Departed": 1/2

"Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2

"Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10

"The Queen": 20/1

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:

Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10

Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1

Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1

Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5

Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1

Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1

Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1

Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8

Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1

Film To Win Most Oscars:

Dreamgirls: 2/3

Pans Labyrinth: 6/5

The Departed: 6/1

The Queen: 11/1

Babel: 15/1

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1

Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1


Additional sports and entertainment odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.