NBA betting odds have the LA Lakers -12 at home in NBA odds for Game 5 against the Rockets with a betting total of 198. Aaron Brooks scored a career-high 34 points in Game 4 while Shane Battier added 23 points to help the Rockets demolish the spread as 7.5 point NBA betting underdogs.

“I think everyone but us got the memo that we weren’t supposed to show up today without Yao,” Battier said.

The Rockets led by as many as 29 points and the Lakers looked nothing like a potential NBA champ. Pau Gasol scored 30 points and Kobe Bryant had 15 for a Lakers team that looked disinterested. Head coach Phil Jackson had warned his players but they didn’t listen.

“They didn’t anticipate the energy that they were going to come with,” Jackson said. “But you say as much as you can as a coach and then the players have to execute and do it on the floor.”

The Lakers could be facing more difficulty on Tuesday as forward Lamar Odom was injured in Game 4 and did not return. He missed practice on Monday but still may play on Tuesday. If you are looking to see who will win Game 5 you might only need to watch the first quarter. The team that has led at the end of the first quarter has won all 10 of Houston’s playoff games.

Top 5 Point Guards
1. Chris Paul
2. Deron Williams
3. Chauncey Billups
4. Gilbert Arenas
5. Steve Nash

Top 5 Shooting Guards
1. Kobe Bryant
2. Dwyane Wade
3. Tracy McGrady
4. Vince Carter
5. Manu Ginobli

Top 5 Small Forwards
1. LeBron James
2. Carmelo Anthony
3. Paul Pierce
4. Caron Butler
5. Andre Iguodala

Top 5 Power Forwards
1. Kevin Garnett
2. Chris Bosh
3. Dirk Nowitski
4. Carlos Boozer
5. Pau Gasol

Manny Ramirez has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and will be suspended 50 games starting today. The suspension will cost Ramirez $7.7 million, or roughly 31% of his $25-million salary. Players in violation of baseball’s drug policy are not paid during suspensions. Ramirez is expected to attribute the test results to medication received from a doctor for a personal medical issue, according to a source familiar with matter but not authorized to speak publicly.
With the suspension taking effect with tonight’s game against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium, Ramirez will not be eligible to return to the team until July 3.

This 2009 win is the second time in three years that Calvin Borel has ridden the winner of the Kentucky Derby; his first win came when he rode Street Sense in 2007.

Mine That Bird, a 3-year-old gelding, was a huge upset winner, with most betting placing him with 50-1 odds. Calvin Borel held him back, biding his time in last place until room opened along the rail, then passed passing horse after horse down the stretch. Mine That Bird won leading by 6 3/4 lengths, and became the second biggest longshot in Derby history, only Donerail in 1913 won at longer odds.

John Madden’s last game as a football announcer was the 2009 Super Bowl which was decided in the final moments of the game. Madden worked at CBS until 1994 when the network lost rights to broadcast NFL games, leading him to switch to Fox. He left Fox in 2002 to become the lead analyst for ABC’s “Monday Night Football” and joined NBC in 2006 when that network inaugurated a prime-time Sunday game.

Madden said his health is fine, but at the age of 73, he wants to spend more time with his family. His 50th wedding anniversary is this year, and his five grandchildren are old enough to notice when he’s gone.

“The thing that made it hard is not because I’m second guessing: ‘Is it the right decision?’ But I enjoyed it so damn much,” Madden said. “I enjoyed the game and the players and the coaches and the film and the travel and everything.”

Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers has announced that star forward Kevin Garnett might not be available to play for the entire playoffs.

The Boston Globe is reporting that Rivers stated in an interview this morning that “there’s no way he can play,” but did leave open the chance that he might return at some point in the postseason.

Unfortunately, that return is unlikely as Garnett was having trouble running in Wednesday morning’s practice due to his injured right knee. Rivers said that Garnett will continue to get treatment and if it goes well he might be able to return to play at a later date in the playoffs.

The All-Star had already missed a full month of action due to a posterior muscle strain of his right knee, but he returned on March 20 and played the next four games. However, after playing at Orlando on March 25, he has sat out Boston’s final nine games of the season.

Ocar De La Hoya made his announcement at an outdoor plaza across the street from Staples Center, where a bronze statue of the 36-year-old Golden Boy stands.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s over,” the East Los Angeles native said before hundreds of fans, including comedian George Lopez and Oscar-nominated actor and former fighter Mickey Rourke. “It’s over inside the ring for me.”

De La Hoya retired four months after he was beaten by Manny Pacquiao, his fourth loss in his last seven fights. He has not defeated a formidable opponent since Fernando Vargas in 2002. Age and diminished skills led to losses in recent years to Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

He won his last title in May 2006, beating Ricardo Mayorga in six rounds for the WBC 154-pound belt. He finished with a record of 39-6 and 30 knockouts.

The right-hander was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1976, when he went 19-9 with a 2.34 ERA and 24 complete games. But injuries cut short his career, and he ended up spending only five seasons in the major leagues, all with the Detroit Tigers. He was 29-19 with a 3.10 ERA.

“The entire Detroit Tigers organization was saddened to learn of the passing of former player Mark Fidrych today,” the Tigers said in a statement. “Mark was beloved by Tigers fans and he was a special person with a unique personality. The Tigers send our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.”

Worcester County district attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said a family friend found Fidrych about 2:30 p.m. Monday beneath a dump truck in Northborough, Mass., about 35 miles west of Boston. He appeared to have been working on the truck, Early said.

The Big East conference that came together for basketball years ago hit a huge milestone Sunday, when three of its teams earned top seeds in the NCAA tournament. Louisville, Pittsburgh and Connecticut were all No. 1, joined by North Carolina of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Big East is the league that gave us Patrick Ewing and John Thompson, one of the game’s biggest upsets (Villanova over Georgetown in 1985) and one of its greatest games (Syracuse over UConn in six overtimes just last week).

The conference also broke new ground in 1985, when it became the first to place three teams in the Final Four.

“It speaks volumes for what it means to win the Big East,” said Louisville coach Rick Pitino, whose Cardinals are the tournament’s overall top seed and will play in the Midwest.

The Cardinals (28-5), winners of the regular-season and conference championships in the nation’s top-ranked conference, will open against the winner of an opening-round game Tuesday between Alabama State and Morehead State.

The rest of the tournament starts Thursday and Friday.

ESPN’s John Clayton is reporting that the Buffalo Bills have signed trouble-making wide receiver Terrell Owens to a one year contract. The Bills will pay Owens $6.5 million dollars for the 2009 season. Terrell Owens would then become a free agent once again. This makes Buffalo Owens fourth NFL team since he has now played for the 49ers, Eagles, and Cowboys, each one resulting in a bad split. Owens was cut by the Cowboys on Thursday with two years remaining on his contract. He received a $12 million dollar signing bonus when he signed the deal before last season.