Lakers set for downsized championship parade in LA

Basketball Betting Lines

06/21/2010 -

LOS ANGELES (AP) -Unlike the gritty comeback that gave the Los Angeles Lakers an NBA title against their rival Boston Celtics, this year's victory parade will have no rallies.

A compact championship parade - scaled back to rein in costs - is scheduled to stream through the streets of downtown Monday, minus the flashy rallies and side celebrations of past years.

This year's bash will begin at Staples Center and make its way down Figueroa Street to the edge of the University of Southern California campus. Much of downtown will be shut down for the event, and city officials are urging fans to use public transportation.

Lakers officials expect between 500,000 and 2 million fans to line the two-mile route as the team celebrates its second straight NBA title and 16th overall, earned with a Game 7 victory over Boston on Thursday.

Fans won't be without a chance to celebrate with the team - players are expected to address the crowd from a sound-equipped flatbed float instead of making speeches at large crowd-drawing rallies, officials said.

The more modest celebration will cost between $1.5 to $2 million - a tab the world champions plan to pay - to cover police overtime and other city services, team spokesman John Black said.

The city had to reach out to private donors to fund the 2009 celebration so that taxpayers wouldn't have to foot the $1 million bill as Los Angeles faced a more than $500 million budget gap.

An enormous rally at the end of last year's parade at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum drew about 95,000 people.

The Staples Center and Nokia Plaza, which were also once sites of parade-day revelry, will be locked and bars and restaurants will be closed during the parade Monday, AEG officials said.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 The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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It's less than a month until the NHL hockey betting season opens at MySportsbook.com and preparations are underway for another battle in the race to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in 2007.

As cup crazy fans prepare to place their bets, one online sportsbook ,MySportsbook.com, is offering hockey betting lines on the 2007/2007 Stanley Cup , who will bring it home this upcoming season.

Despite a poor showing in last season's playoffs and the loss of Steve Yzerman to retirement, the Detroit Red Wings are early favourites at this online sportsbook with wagering odds of 6-1. The Wings will look to offensive powerhouse Pavel Datsyuk and newly appointed captain Nicklas Lidstrom to lead one of the league's most prominent franchises.

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Also worth noting are the defending Stanley Cup champs Carolina Hurricanes, a 10-1 bet to repeat. Behind the Canes are the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks all sit at 12-1. In the basement are the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues who all have 100-1 odds to win.

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