Johnny Racetracks
09-03-2006, 01:01 PM
Wow, I'm shocked Spain was able to demolish Greece 70-47 without their star Gasol playing. I really liked Greece but I'm glad the line of Greece - 5.5 points scared me away from playing this one. I really wanted to pull the trigger and go big on Greece with the injury to Gasol coupled with the US pounding Argentina and the way Greece played in the semis. Just goes to show you that passing a losing bet is just as good as cashing a winning bet.
In my opinion basketball is the only sport where injuries matter with regard to picking a team against the point spread. Sure a star football player being out matters but the spread usually more than adjusts for the injury, and statistics have shown this. In football the center and the middle linebacker are the only positions in which an injury matters with regard to playing the point spread. Or multiple players at complementary positions or both 1st & 2nd string players at the same position. But in this game the spread only moved 2 points. Maybe they would have moved it the other way a few points if Spain announced Gasol would be playing, a la Katie Douglas of Connecticut.
In my opinion basketball is the only sport where injuries matter with regard to picking a team against the point spread. Sure a star football player being out matters but the spread usually more than adjusts for the injury, and statistics have shown this. In football the center and the middle linebacker are the only positions in which an injury matters with regard to playing the point spread. Or multiple players at complementary positions or both 1st & 2nd string players at the same position. But in this game the spread only moved 2 points. Maybe they would have moved it the other way a few points if Spain announced Gasol would be playing, a la Katie Douglas of Connecticut.