Jefferson, Celtics down Nets in OT

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03/04/2007 - East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Al Jefferson poured in a season-high 32 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 96-88 overtime victory over the New Jersey Nets at Continental Airlines Arena.

Paul Pierce added 17 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Celtics, who have won three straight. Delonte West contributed 15 points and six assists in the victory.

"We played solid defense most of the game and we rebounded the ball well," said Pierce. "We never got discouraged and hung our heads."

Vince Carter netted 25 points and 10 boards for New Jersey, which was aiming for its fourth straight victory. Eddie House came off the bench to score 14 points in the loss.

With the score knotted at 88-88 in the extra session, Pierce hit a fade-away jumper with 1:09 to play to put the Celtics in front. Boston then stopped the Nets at the other end and Pierce rose to the occasion once again, drilling a 15-foot jumper to give the Celtics a four-point edge with 41.2 ticks to go.

Carter then missed a jump shot in the lane for the Nets and Boston sealed the victory by hitting its free throws down the stretch.

After three quarters of play, New Jersey held a three-point advantage. The Nets then opened the final frame on a 7-2 surge to take a 60-52 lead.

New Jersey increased its lead to 10 points at 65-55 after Marcus Williams converted a three-point play with about 8 1/2 minutes remaining in the contest.

The Nets continued to lead by double digits until a three-pointer by House extended their lead to 11 at 76-65 with just under four minutes to play.

The Celtics fought back and pulled to within five points at 80-75 after Jefferson and West hit back-to-back jumpers with 45 ticks remaining.

West then grabbed a defensive rebound at the other end and drove all the way into the lane, scooping in two points over Jason Kidd to make it a three-point game with 19.2 seconds left.

Carter then hit two from the charity stripe but Pierce answered with a trey to make it 82-80 with 11 seconds left. Boston then put House on the line and he made only 1-of-2 from the line.

West then sent the game into overtime, drilling a three-pointer off the right wing to even the score at 83-83.

"It was great composure on our part to get that bucket," said West.

After the opening quarter, the Nets led 20-15 behind eight points from Carter and six from Mikki Moore.

New Jersey outscored the Celtics by two points in the second stanza to take a 36-33 advantage into halftime.

Game Notes

The Celtics won for just the second time in their last six trips to the Meadowlands...The season series between the teams wrapped up with each squad winning two games...Ryan Gomes had 11 points and seven rebounds for the Celtics...Kidd ended with just four points, six assists and six rebounds.

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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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