Because we are a little light this week on material and because the NBA Draft is tonight and I would rather not write about such a weak draft class, I leave you with a link to Grantland.com’s (Bill Simmons’ new website) NBA Draft Preview. The contributors did a great job of being both insightful and entertaining regarding tonight’s draft (Warning: It’s long!). For a bonus, I also link to Simmon’s own trade article which I found pretty entertaining as well.
Grantland's NBA Draft Preview
Bill Simmon's Trade Machine Column
Showing posts with label NBA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NBA. Show all posts
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Catching Up on the NBA Playoffs
The blog has been a little light on content lately as I deal with the usual busy spring season with the real job (I know, who the heck cares about that)but staying up late watching the Grizzlies-Thunder triple overtime thriller on Monday night has inspired me to go overtime this week. Today we’ll catch up on the NBA playoffs and the shocking sweep of the two time defending champs. Tomorrow I will dive into the NHL playoffs and the lack of drama in the second round and finally on Friday we will catch up on the first quarter or so of the MLB season including your .500 Buccos! Now, on to The Association:
• The Lakers sweep at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks would not be so shocking if we just took a short look back on previous Kobe era flameouts. Pretty much every time the Lakers have lost a playoff series since Shaq and Kobe won their first three titles they have gone down with a bang. Starting with the 2003 Western Conference Semifinals loss to the Spurs, each time Kobe’s Lakers have lost a playoff series they have lost it in dramatic fashion. In that 2003 series, the Lakers lost to the underdog Spurs in six games including a 28 point loss to finish the series, they followed that up with a 5-game series loss to the heavily underdog Pistons in the ‘04 NBA Finals, a 31-point loss to the Suns in ’06 when Kobe quit in the second half of game 7, a first round loss in five games to the Suns in ’07 and a 39 point loss to the Celtics in game 7 of the NBA Finals in 2008. Throw in the embarrassing game 4 in the Mavs’ sweep this year and you can’t help but question the Lakers ability to compete when their backs are against the wall.
• What this says about Kobe Bryant in particular I am not real sure but for a guy who prides himself on his fierce competitive attitude, it has to be both embarrassing to him and counterintuitive to this perception for the rest of us. Could you ever imagine Michael Jordan going out like that? How about Larry Bird? Kobe’s place and legacy as a top 10 or so player of all-time is safe, but let’s forget about the conversation placing him anywhere near those guys. This is coming from a Kobe guy, mind you.
• The Lakers were beat by a pretty good team, though, so for as much as the story is about the Lakers getting swept, let us give credit to the Mavericks for a great series and a truly great shooting performance. Dirk Nowitzki is certainly enhancing his legacy as the greatest foreign born player of all time and he is quickly approaching the Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Tim Duncan class as the greatest power forward of all time.
• If you haven’t been watching much of the Oklahoma City-Memphis series, do yourself a favor and make it a point to watch the final three games. I know many people may not have been intrigued by this series between the late start times and the lack of familiarity with these rosters but this series has been phenomenal from the start and could very well be the beginning of a fierce rivalry for Western Conference supremacy over the coming years. Both teams are loaded with young talent, highlighted of course by the Blog’s former poster boy in Kevin Durant. The fierceness and competitiveness of this series was in full display during Monday night’s triple overtime thriller that the Thunder were able to pull out to even the series. I still think the Thunder win this series because Durant is the best player on the court but I am hoping for our viewing pleasure that it goes the distance.
• A Dallas-Oklahoma City Western Conference Finals may not have the flare that any series involving the Lakers would have but it would be an absolutely fantastic series that I could see going at least six and probably seven games. I don’t think Memphis-Dallas would be as great for drama purposes as Dallas’ veteran presence and ability to match Memphis’ size in the post would make it a fairly short series in the Mavericks’ favor. Needless to say I am rooting for a Durant-Dirk dual in the Western Conference Finals.
• Over in the Eastern Conference we have seen much more of what was anticipated outside of the Hawks upset of the Magic in the first round. Chicago, Boston and Miami put away their series in relatively short fashion.
• It may be of surprise to some that the Heat are up 3-1 on the Celtics, but not to me. I picked the Heat to win the title before the season, I urged patience when they got off to a slow start, I stuck with them when they lost five consecutive games near the end of the season and I picked them before the playoffs began. Guess what, I am still picking them. They have the best player in the world (by a larger margin than most people want to admit) and the guy who is at a minimum in the conversation for the 2nd best player on the planet. You could put a couple of puppies around them and they could contend for the title but they have another top 20 player and a few veteran role players who have been through the gauntlet before. That’s why I have never really waivered from my opinion that they are the best team in the league. I thought the Lakers could give the Heat fits with their size but I guess we’ll never get the opportunity to find out. It would be fun to see the Thunder take on the Heat in the Finals, though, in what could become the beginning of many great battles between Durant and LeBron.
• I am putting the finishing touches on this post as I watch the Bulls and Hawks battle in game five of their series (Editor’s note: The Bulls pulled out a 95-83 victory with a strong fourth quarter). I am big fan of Derrick Rose. I think he is the point guard version of LeBron James with the ability to dominate the game with his pure athleticism, combining speed, power and quickness. Rose may have even deserved the NBA MVP for the contributions he made to his own team during the regular season (he would have been fourth in my personal ballot but ultimately I did not have a big problem with Rose winning the award). Watching the playoffs, however, we can see why he is still just a step below the Kobe, LeBron and Wades of the league. When Rose is on he is almost unstoppable but when he’s off he doesn’t have the ability to dominate the game in other areas the way the greats do. I think Rose could reach that potential, he already took one big leap forward on the defensive end this year, but he needs to improve his playmaking ability for his teammates and begin to dominate on the defensive end the way LeBron and Kobe do when their teams need it.
• The Bulls will probably get past the Hawks and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals but that’s where their phenomenal 2010-2011 season will end. I thought before the second round began that Boston-Miami was the real Eastern Conference Finals and watching this Bulls-Hawks series has just solidified that opinion for me. Start preparing yourself now for some over-the-top, can’t watch Sportscenter anymore hype when the Heat are battling the Mavs or Thunder in the NBA Finals.
• The Lakers sweep at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks would not be so shocking if we just took a short look back on previous Kobe era flameouts. Pretty much every time the Lakers have lost a playoff series since Shaq and Kobe won their first three titles they have gone down with a bang. Starting with the 2003 Western Conference Semifinals loss to the Spurs, each time Kobe’s Lakers have lost a playoff series they have lost it in dramatic fashion. In that 2003 series, the Lakers lost to the underdog Spurs in six games including a 28 point loss to finish the series, they followed that up with a 5-game series loss to the heavily underdog Pistons in the ‘04 NBA Finals, a 31-point loss to the Suns in ’06 when Kobe quit in the second half of game 7, a first round loss in five games to the Suns in ’07 and a 39 point loss to the Celtics in game 7 of the NBA Finals in 2008. Throw in the embarrassing game 4 in the Mavs’ sweep this year and you can’t help but question the Lakers ability to compete when their backs are against the wall.
• What this says about Kobe Bryant in particular I am not real sure but for a guy who prides himself on his fierce competitive attitude, it has to be both embarrassing to him and counterintuitive to this perception for the rest of us. Could you ever imagine Michael Jordan going out like that? How about Larry Bird? Kobe’s place and legacy as a top 10 or so player of all-time is safe, but let’s forget about the conversation placing him anywhere near those guys. This is coming from a Kobe guy, mind you.
• The Lakers were beat by a pretty good team, though, so for as much as the story is about the Lakers getting swept, let us give credit to the Mavericks for a great series and a truly great shooting performance. Dirk Nowitzki is certainly enhancing his legacy as the greatest foreign born player of all time and he is quickly approaching the Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Tim Duncan class as the greatest power forward of all time.
• If you haven’t been watching much of the Oklahoma City-Memphis series, do yourself a favor and make it a point to watch the final three games. I know many people may not have been intrigued by this series between the late start times and the lack of familiarity with these rosters but this series has been phenomenal from the start and could very well be the beginning of a fierce rivalry for Western Conference supremacy over the coming years. Both teams are loaded with young talent, highlighted of course by the Blog’s former poster boy in Kevin Durant. The fierceness and competitiveness of this series was in full display during Monday night’s triple overtime thriller that the Thunder were able to pull out to even the series. I still think the Thunder win this series because Durant is the best player on the court but I am hoping for our viewing pleasure that it goes the distance.
• A Dallas-Oklahoma City Western Conference Finals may not have the flare that any series involving the Lakers would have but it would be an absolutely fantastic series that I could see going at least six and probably seven games. I don’t think Memphis-Dallas would be as great for drama purposes as Dallas’ veteran presence and ability to match Memphis’ size in the post would make it a fairly short series in the Mavericks’ favor. Needless to say I am rooting for a Durant-Dirk dual in the Western Conference Finals.
• Over in the Eastern Conference we have seen much more of what was anticipated outside of the Hawks upset of the Magic in the first round. Chicago, Boston and Miami put away their series in relatively short fashion.
• It may be of surprise to some that the Heat are up 3-1 on the Celtics, but not to me. I picked the Heat to win the title before the season, I urged patience when they got off to a slow start, I stuck with them when they lost five consecutive games near the end of the season and I picked them before the playoffs began. Guess what, I am still picking them. They have the best player in the world (by a larger margin than most people want to admit) and the guy who is at a minimum in the conversation for the 2nd best player on the planet. You could put a couple of puppies around them and they could contend for the title but they have another top 20 player and a few veteran role players who have been through the gauntlet before. That’s why I have never really waivered from my opinion that they are the best team in the league. I thought the Lakers could give the Heat fits with their size but I guess we’ll never get the opportunity to find out. It would be fun to see the Thunder take on the Heat in the Finals, though, in what could become the beginning of many great battles between Durant and LeBron.
• I am putting the finishing touches on this post as I watch the Bulls and Hawks battle in game five of their series (Editor’s note: The Bulls pulled out a 95-83 victory with a strong fourth quarter). I am big fan of Derrick Rose. I think he is the point guard version of LeBron James with the ability to dominate the game with his pure athleticism, combining speed, power and quickness. Rose may have even deserved the NBA MVP for the contributions he made to his own team during the regular season (he would have been fourth in my personal ballot but ultimately I did not have a big problem with Rose winning the award). Watching the playoffs, however, we can see why he is still just a step below the Kobe, LeBron and Wades of the league. When Rose is on he is almost unstoppable but when he’s off he doesn’t have the ability to dominate the game in other areas the way the greats do. I think Rose could reach that potential, he already took one big leap forward on the defensive end this year, but he needs to improve his playmaking ability for his teammates and begin to dominate on the defensive end the way LeBron and Kobe do when their teams need it.
• The Bulls will probably get past the Hawks and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals but that’s where their phenomenal 2010-2011 season will end. I thought before the second round began that Boston-Miami was the real Eastern Conference Finals and watching this Bulls-Hawks series has just solidified that opinion for me. Start preparing yourself now for some over-the-top, can’t watch Sportscenter anymore hype when the Heat are battling the Mavs or Thunder in the NBA Finals.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Catching Up on the Playoffs
Both the NHL and NBA playoffs are in full gear now and while we can start to see who may prevail in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, I think the first round in the NBA is scheduled to end sometime around Memorial Day. In all seriousness, I know the NBA spreads its games out for national TV purposes but come on now…nearly three weeks for the first round to be played out is ridiculous. David Stern and his office need to come up with a better plan for this schedule. Why not use staggered start times like the NHL or NCAA tournament does so that TNT or whoever is covering that night’s games could air the fourth quarter of every game if it is close? There is no way that the Magic-Hawks game on NBATV last night was watched by many households outside of Orlando or Atlanta. Why in the world did they need three days between games one and two? I consider Stern the best commissioner in sports but he needs to shorten the amount of time this first round stretches to keep fans interested and to get to the more juicy match-ups in the later rounds.
Now that we got today’s rant out of the way, here are some other thoughts from around the NBA and NHL playoffs:
NHL
• The Penguins lead their series with the Lighting 2-1 heading into game four tonight despite having the worst special teams play amongst all playoff teams so far. The Pens are 0-15 on the power play and their penalty kill has given up 4 goals on 11 tries (63.7% kill rate), both good for last among the teams still playing. If the Penguins want to continue playing, they better find a way to even this disadvantage out in a hurry.
• There really have been no surprises so far in the NHL playoffs. The only higher seeded teams to trail in their series right now are Anaheim and Boston who are both down 2- 1. Being that these two series were looked at as the most even coming in neither comes as a big surprise and both favorites have plenty of opportunity to come back. The other perceived evenly matched series between Buffalo and Philadelphia has also been close and the difference in Philadelphia’s two games to one lead was inserting backup goalie Brian Boucher in net in the middle of game two. Boucher led the comeback in game two and was the starter in the Flyers’ game three win. All three of these series could easily come down to a game seven.
• Detroit and Vancouver look like the class of the Western Conference, ignoring the Canucks beating last night at the hands of the Blackhawks in what I saw as the defending champions’ last gasp. Detroit goes for the sweep tonight in Phoenix and the Canucks should close out Chicago on home ice tomorrow. If the two should meet in the conference finals it should be an unbelievable series. San Jose was my pick to come out of the Western Conference and the Sharks are up 2-1 on the Kings but they needed overtime in both of their victories and have not inspired a ton of confidence the way they have played against a depleted Los Angeles team.
• If we could skip ahead for a moment and assume the Penguins get past Tampa Bay, - I know, a big assumption right now and a terrible jinx on the Pens! - I think Pens’ fans should be pulling for Philadelphia and Montreal to win their respective series. That would set up the Penguins to play the Flyers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, a series the Penguins could win with or without the return of their captain. I would much rather see Philadelphia and their goaltending situation (not to mention a team that the Pens have owned in the playoffs) than go up against either the Canadiens or the Capitals in the next round. Let’s allow those two teams to beat up on each other for a couple of weeks and have the Penguins take on the winner in the Eastern Conference Finals.
NBA
• In stark contrast to the NHL playoffs, the NBA has been chalk full of surprises with three heavy underdogs taking game one on the road and the other five giving the higher seeded team everything they could handle. While all five home teams have won their game two so far, the Celtics, Mavericks, Bulls and Magic were all put to the test before ultimately pulling out home victories. Only the Heat have shown any semblance of being the vastly superior team in their series. Three more game twos take place tonight with, and this is weird to type, both the Spurs and Lakers trying to even up their respective series.
• The biggest shock among the game one upsets was the Lakers losing at Staples Center against a Hornets team that could more accurately be called “Chris Paul and a bunch of nobodies”. New Orleans’ second best player, David West, is out for the year with a torn ACL and the Hornets relied heavily on Aaron Gray in the post. Yes, that is the same Aaron Gray that some Pitt fans are still wondering if he can even dunk. Paul is an unbelievable player and hopefully those that so quickly wanted to anoint Derrick Rose the best point guard in basketball witnessed Paul’s 33 points - 14 assists- 7 rebounds - 4 steals effort on Sunday but there is really no excuse the Lakers could have for losing this game. An overwhelming favorite to come out of the West for a chance at another three-peat, the Lakers proved that they are more vulnerable than many of us may have thought. I think the loss also opened the eyes of the rest of the Western Conference that this thing really is up for grabs.
• The team that could really be licking their chops is the Oklahoma City Thunder. I know I mentioned them as a dark horse in my playoff preview but nobody else in the Western Conference has the personnel to match-up with either Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook. The Nuggets and their 10-deep rotation are going to give the Thunder everything they can handle in round one but ultimately I think we end up with a tremendous Western Conference Finals between Ok City and L.A.
• In the East we are still tracking for a fantastic final four of Chicago, Miami, Boston and Orlando. Although, as I said earlier, only the Heat have shown even a glimpse of their tremendous potential through the early parts of round one. It is just a shame that we have to wait another two weeks until the playoffs can really begin in the Eastern Conference in all likelihood.
Now that we got today’s rant out of the way, here are some other thoughts from around the NBA and NHL playoffs:
NHL
• The Penguins lead their series with the Lighting 2-1 heading into game four tonight despite having the worst special teams play amongst all playoff teams so far. The Pens are 0-15 on the power play and their penalty kill has given up 4 goals on 11 tries (63.7% kill rate), both good for last among the teams still playing. If the Penguins want to continue playing, they better find a way to even this disadvantage out in a hurry.
• There really have been no surprises so far in the NHL playoffs. The only higher seeded teams to trail in their series right now are Anaheim and Boston who are both down 2- 1. Being that these two series were looked at as the most even coming in neither comes as a big surprise and both favorites have plenty of opportunity to come back. The other perceived evenly matched series between Buffalo and Philadelphia has also been close and the difference in Philadelphia’s two games to one lead was inserting backup goalie Brian Boucher in net in the middle of game two. Boucher led the comeback in game two and was the starter in the Flyers’ game three win. All three of these series could easily come down to a game seven.
• Detroit and Vancouver look like the class of the Western Conference, ignoring the Canucks beating last night at the hands of the Blackhawks in what I saw as the defending champions’ last gasp. Detroit goes for the sweep tonight in Phoenix and the Canucks should close out Chicago on home ice tomorrow. If the two should meet in the conference finals it should be an unbelievable series. San Jose was my pick to come out of the Western Conference and the Sharks are up 2-1 on the Kings but they needed overtime in both of their victories and have not inspired a ton of confidence the way they have played against a depleted Los Angeles team.
• If we could skip ahead for a moment and assume the Penguins get past Tampa Bay, - I know, a big assumption right now and a terrible jinx on the Pens! - I think Pens’ fans should be pulling for Philadelphia and Montreal to win their respective series. That would set up the Penguins to play the Flyers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, a series the Penguins could win with or without the return of their captain. I would much rather see Philadelphia and their goaltending situation (not to mention a team that the Pens have owned in the playoffs) than go up against either the Canadiens or the Capitals in the next round. Let’s allow those two teams to beat up on each other for a couple of weeks and have the Penguins take on the winner in the Eastern Conference Finals.
NBA
• In stark contrast to the NHL playoffs, the NBA has been chalk full of surprises with three heavy underdogs taking game one on the road and the other five giving the higher seeded team everything they could handle. While all five home teams have won their game two so far, the Celtics, Mavericks, Bulls and Magic were all put to the test before ultimately pulling out home victories. Only the Heat have shown any semblance of being the vastly superior team in their series. Three more game twos take place tonight with, and this is weird to type, both the Spurs and Lakers trying to even up their respective series.
• The biggest shock among the game one upsets was the Lakers losing at Staples Center against a Hornets team that could more accurately be called “Chris Paul and a bunch of nobodies”. New Orleans’ second best player, David West, is out for the year with a torn ACL and the Hornets relied heavily on Aaron Gray in the post. Yes, that is the same Aaron Gray that some Pitt fans are still wondering if he can even dunk. Paul is an unbelievable player and hopefully those that so quickly wanted to anoint Derrick Rose the best point guard in basketball witnessed Paul’s 33 points - 14 assists- 7 rebounds - 4 steals effort on Sunday but there is really no excuse the Lakers could have for losing this game. An overwhelming favorite to come out of the West for a chance at another three-peat, the Lakers proved that they are more vulnerable than many of us may have thought. I think the loss also opened the eyes of the rest of the Western Conference that this thing really is up for grabs.
• The team that could really be licking their chops is the Oklahoma City Thunder. I know I mentioned them as a dark horse in my playoff preview but nobody else in the Western Conference has the personnel to match-up with either Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook. The Nuggets and their 10-deep rotation are going to give the Thunder everything they can handle in round one but ultimately I think we end up with a tremendous Western Conference Finals between Ok City and L.A.
• In the East we are still tracking for a fantastic final four of Chicago, Miami, Boston and Orlando. Although, as I said earlier, only the Heat have shown even a glimpse of their tremendous potential through the early parts of round one. It is just a shame that we have to wait another two weeks until the playoffs can really begin in the Eastern Conference in all likelihood.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
NBA Playoff Wishes and Predictions
The NBA Playoffs tip-off today and we are potentially setting up for the best two months of playoff basketball in my lifetime. Eight different teams, in my opinion anyway, have a chance to win the whole thing if they get the right match-ups and get hot at the right time. Realistically, however, there are five teams with “anything less than the title would be a disappointment” aspirations. Those five are the Lakers and Spurs out West and the Bulls, Heat and Celtics in the East. The three darkhorses are the Mavericks, Magic and Thunder…although the Mavericks have really limped to the finish line. I have three wishes for these playoffs:
1. The top four seeds in each conference win their opening round series setting up the best conference semifinals of all-time.
2. We get to see a Chicago-Miami Eastern Conference Final. This series could have the potential to be an instant classic with the defensive-minded, crazily intense Bulls going head to head with LeBron and D-Wade. Not to mention a Boston-Chicago series could take basketball back to the early 90s slugfests that turned so many off from professional basketball.
3. The Lakers make it to the Finals from the West. It really doesn’t matter who comes out of the East as Boston, Chicago or Miami would make for an unbelievable Finals as long as Kobe, Pau, Phil and Company are there trying for a 3-peat. Of course a LeBron versus Kobe Finals is what we have all been begging to happen for a few years now but Lakers-Bulls or Lakers-Celtics wouldn’t be bad consolation prizes.
If those three wishes come true, even if you are not a NBA fan, believe me when I tell you that you’ll want to be watching. The league has never been so full of stars and when you start talking about a second round featuring at least 18 future or potential Hall of Famers spread across the eight teams we are in for a real treat. (Kobe, Gasol, Duncan, Ginobli, Dirk, Kidd, LeBron, Wade, Howard, Garnett, Allen and Pierce are locks for the HOF and Durant, Westbrook, Rose, Bosh, Parker and Rondo are all well on their way.)
As for my Finals predictions, I’m taking Miami to outlast Chicago in the Eastern Conference Finals proving why LeBron, and not Derrick Rose, is the best player in the NBA and should have won this year’s NBA MVP. I know it’s a foregone conclusion that Rose is going to win it this year, he’s the best story and was the best offensive player on the league’s best team, but that’s only because most people (in this case the media members with award votes) only understand what they can see. They don’t understand that the Bulls were far and away the best defensive team in basketball and that is the biggest reason why their wins took a dramatic uptick. It is true that LeBron had Wade there to help him and the Bulls have nobody else on his level, but the Bulls prominently feature Noah, Boozer, Deng and the best frontcourt defensive tandem in basketball coming off the bench. The Heat would die for any of these players, spent the year trying to figure out their identity, Bosh underachieving, and quite possibly the worst point guard and center play in the league yet still won 58 games, the third most in the NBA mostly because LeBron is the league's best player.
I hated what LeBron did this summer. I wanted to stop liking him as a player, which I couldn’t. I agree that Derrick Rose is a great story and has taken his game to a whole new level. He is right there now with Chris Paul and Deron Williams in the league’s best point guard debate. None of that, however, changes the fact that James is far and away the NBA’s best and Most Valuable Player this year, and for the foreseeable future.
On to the predictions:
Eastern Conference
Bulls over Pacers in four.
Heat over 76ers in five.
Celtics over Knicks in five.
Magic over Hawks in five.
Bulls over Magic in seven.
Heat over Celtics in six.
Heat over Bulls in six.
Western Conference
Spurs over Grizzlies in six.
Lakers over Hornets in four.
Mavericks over Trailblazers in seven.
Thunder over Nuggets in six.
Thunder over Spurs in six.
Lakers over Mavericks in five.
Lakers over Thunder in seven.
NBA Finals
Yes, I am going with our dream match-up to come true. Could you imagine the hype around this series? Kobe going for his sixth ring to tie Jordan. Phil Jackson going for his fourth 3-peat as coach. LeBron going for his first title, Wade going for his second and Chris Bosh tagging along. Ratings would be through the roof, the Heat Index might explode on ESPN and we would all be sick of Sportscenter previews before the Series even began. So…who will win? I honestly can’t give a prediction without second guessing myself. I don’t know how the Heat could handle Gasol, Bynum and Odom inside. I don’t know how the Lakers could handle Wade and LeBron in transition. All I do know is that I hope this series happens. I am taking the easy way out and predicting the Heat in seven since they have home court but the real winners would be us, the fans.
1. The top four seeds in each conference win their opening round series setting up the best conference semifinals of all-time.
2. We get to see a Chicago-Miami Eastern Conference Final. This series could have the potential to be an instant classic with the defensive-minded, crazily intense Bulls going head to head with LeBron and D-Wade. Not to mention a Boston-Chicago series could take basketball back to the early 90s slugfests that turned so many off from professional basketball.
3. The Lakers make it to the Finals from the West. It really doesn’t matter who comes out of the East as Boston, Chicago or Miami would make for an unbelievable Finals as long as Kobe, Pau, Phil and Company are there trying for a 3-peat. Of course a LeBron versus Kobe Finals is what we have all been begging to happen for a few years now but Lakers-Bulls or Lakers-Celtics wouldn’t be bad consolation prizes.
If those three wishes come true, even if you are not a NBA fan, believe me when I tell you that you’ll want to be watching. The league has never been so full of stars and when you start talking about a second round featuring at least 18 future or potential Hall of Famers spread across the eight teams we are in for a real treat. (Kobe, Gasol, Duncan, Ginobli, Dirk, Kidd, LeBron, Wade, Howard, Garnett, Allen and Pierce are locks for the HOF and Durant, Westbrook, Rose, Bosh, Parker and Rondo are all well on their way.)
As for my Finals predictions, I’m taking Miami to outlast Chicago in the Eastern Conference Finals proving why LeBron, and not Derrick Rose, is the best player in the NBA and should have won this year’s NBA MVP. I know it’s a foregone conclusion that Rose is going to win it this year, he’s the best story and was the best offensive player on the league’s best team, but that’s only because most people (in this case the media members with award votes) only understand what they can see. They don’t understand that the Bulls were far and away the best defensive team in basketball and that is the biggest reason why their wins took a dramatic uptick. It is true that LeBron had Wade there to help him and the Bulls have nobody else on his level, but the Bulls prominently feature Noah, Boozer, Deng and the best frontcourt defensive tandem in basketball coming off the bench. The Heat would die for any of these players, spent the year trying to figure out their identity, Bosh underachieving, and quite possibly the worst point guard and center play in the league yet still won 58 games, the third most in the NBA mostly because LeBron is the league's best player.
I hated what LeBron did this summer. I wanted to stop liking him as a player, which I couldn’t. I agree that Derrick Rose is a great story and has taken his game to a whole new level. He is right there now with Chris Paul and Deron Williams in the league’s best point guard debate. None of that, however, changes the fact that James is far and away the NBA’s best and Most Valuable Player this year, and for the foreseeable future.
On to the predictions:
Eastern Conference
Bulls over Pacers in four.
Heat over 76ers in five.
Celtics over Knicks in five.
Magic over Hawks in five.
Bulls over Magic in seven.
Heat over Celtics in six.
Heat over Bulls in six.
Western Conference
Spurs over Grizzlies in six.
Lakers over Hornets in four.
Mavericks over Trailblazers in seven.
Thunder over Nuggets in six.
Thunder over Spurs in six.
Lakers over Mavericks in five.
Lakers over Thunder in seven.
NBA Finals
Yes, I am going with our dream match-up to come true. Could you imagine the hype around this series? Kobe going for his sixth ring to tie Jordan. Phil Jackson going for his fourth 3-peat as coach. LeBron going for his first title, Wade going for his second and Chris Bosh tagging along. Ratings would be through the roof, the Heat Index might explode on ESPN and we would all be sick of Sportscenter previews before the Series even began. So…who will win? I honestly can’t give a prediction without second guessing myself. I don’t know how the Heat could handle Gasol, Bynum and Odom inside. I don’t know how the Lakers could handle Wade and LeBron in transition. All I do know is that I hope this series happens. I am taking the easy way out and predicting the Heat in seven since they have home court but the real winners would be us, the fans.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Friday Smorgasbord!
No need for a preamble, let’s dive right in!
• The Penguins played what quite possibly was their best game of the season since Crosby’s injury in game one. It was hard to tell if the Penguins were able to raise their level of play that much or if the Lighting were a little shell-shocked by the intensity of the playoffs. Either way, if the Penguins continue to get that kind of play from Marc-Andre Fleury in net and the power play continues to show some life, the Pens are going to be a tough out for anyone even without Sid. With him, I think they just might become the favorite once again.
• Six of the eight teams I predicted to move on in round one won their opening game. I am not sure if that is good or if missing the two upsets everyone was calling for is bad. It is still early, however, and winning game one doesn’t mean a whole lot in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Hopefully the Penguins remember that.
• So much for that great Pirates’ start. After losing five of their last six, the Buccos are now 5-7 and trail four other teams in the NL Central. Sure the standings, and even the records, are not very important this time of the year but it would have been nice if this team could have sustained some momentum from the strong early start.
• The good news is that the Pirates starting rotation has continued to perform pretty well. Outside of the opening day defeat the Pirates have been in every game thanks to their starting pitching. Hopefully the pitching doesn’t deteriorate when the bats decide to wake up.
• Fresh off seeing him in person here in Pittsburgh last week is it time to start calling Troy Tulowitzki the best player in baseball? Well let me be the first! You remember when the national outlets start talking about this guy as the best player in the game that you heard it here first. Going back to last September, “Tulo” has hit 22 home runs in his last 42 games while playing the best shortstop in the majors. Hopefully he can stay healthy so we can all enjoy a full season’s worth.
• The guy Tulowitzki reminds me of is a young Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez, by the way, is far from done himself. About the only player in baseball matching what the Rockies shortstop is doing is the former best player in the game. Tulowitzki is first and Rodriguez is second in the majors in OPS and nobody else is close through the early part of the season.
• How about that Masters finish on Sunday? That was quite possibly the best golf on television I have seen with so many guys hitting important shot after important shot. It very well might have been the return of Tiger Woods as well. For more on that, I know I can’t say it any better than the Sports Guy did, so I will just link to his column: Bill Simmons
• I was going to post my NBA playoff predictions as part of the Smorgasbord but I will hold off and have a separate post going up Saturday morning. Check back then to see who I like in the opening round and a little commentary on the foregone conclusion that Derrick Rose is the NBA MVP this year…
• The Penguins played what quite possibly was their best game of the season since Crosby’s injury in game one. It was hard to tell if the Penguins were able to raise their level of play that much or if the Lighting were a little shell-shocked by the intensity of the playoffs. Either way, if the Penguins continue to get that kind of play from Marc-Andre Fleury in net and the power play continues to show some life, the Pens are going to be a tough out for anyone even without Sid. With him, I think they just might become the favorite once again.
• Six of the eight teams I predicted to move on in round one won their opening game. I am not sure if that is good or if missing the two upsets everyone was calling for is bad. It is still early, however, and winning game one doesn’t mean a whole lot in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Hopefully the Penguins remember that.
• So much for that great Pirates’ start. After losing five of their last six, the Buccos are now 5-7 and trail four other teams in the NL Central. Sure the standings, and even the records, are not very important this time of the year but it would have been nice if this team could have sustained some momentum from the strong early start.
• The good news is that the Pirates starting rotation has continued to perform pretty well. Outside of the opening day defeat the Pirates have been in every game thanks to their starting pitching. Hopefully the pitching doesn’t deteriorate when the bats decide to wake up.
• Fresh off seeing him in person here in Pittsburgh last week is it time to start calling Troy Tulowitzki the best player in baseball? Well let me be the first! You remember when the national outlets start talking about this guy as the best player in the game that you heard it here first. Going back to last September, “Tulo” has hit 22 home runs in his last 42 games while playing the best shortstop in the majors. Hopefully he can stay healthy so we can all enjoy a full season’s worth.
• The guy Tulowitzki reminds me of is a young Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez, by the way, is far from done himself. About the only player in baseball matching what the Rockies shortstop is doing is the former best player in the game. Tulowitzki is first and Rodriguez is second in the majors in OPS and nobody else is close through the early part of the season.
• How about that Masters finish on Sunday? That was quite possibly the best golf on television I have seen with so many guys hitting important shot after important shot. It very well might have been the return of Tiger Woods as well. For more on that, I know I can’t say it any better than the Sports Guy did, so I will just link to his column: Bill Simmons
• I was going to post my NBA playoff predictions as part of the Smorgasbord but I will hold off and have a separate post going up Saturday morning. Check back then to see who I like in the opening round and a little commentary on the foregone conclusion that Derrick Rose is the NBA MVP this year…
Friday, March 4, 2011
NBA Smorgasbord...It's Fantastic!
I don’t often get the chance to write about the NBA even though I probably follow the league as much as any of the diehard fans in cities that have a team but hey, you have to give your audience what they want, right? With the presence of a professional team in the other three major U.S. sports as well as one of the marquee teams in college basketball, the NBA understandably takes a backseat in the minds of sports fans in the ‘Burgh. It is kind of a shame though, as the NBA has never been as strong or as deep as it is today. With that, I am going to use today’s smorgasbord to give some of my thoughts on the “Association” as we head towards what is shaping up to be a terrific two months of NBA playoff basketball.
* I mentioned in the opening that the league has never been as talented or as deep as it is today and to be honest, it isn’t even close. At least seven, maybe even eight teams have a legitimate shot to win the NBA title this year. (In case you were wondering those seven teams are San Antonio, Los Angeles, Dallas, Boston, Miami, Chicago and Orlando…with Oklahoma City having a puncher’s chance.) Just one year ago that number was only four, and going back to the heydays of Jordan, Magic and Larry there was never more than three or four teams that had a legitimate shot at the title in any given year. This is not the result of a watered down league either as each of these rosters have at least one superstar and in most instances multiple stars on them.
* It is not just the top teams featuring star players either. Even some of the league’s worst teams feature young, exciting stars in the making such as Kevin Love in Minnesota, Blake Griffin for the Clippers and John Wall for Washington. Really the only team with nothing going for it right now is Cleveland, and we all know the reasons for that. If you are a true fan of basketball at its highest level it is pretty easy to find a game or a team to watch almost every night of the week.
* After Miami blew a 24 point lead last night in losing to the Orlando Magic the talk is going to heat up (no pun intended) on how LeBron and company continue to lose close games and to the other elite teams. Last night’s loss dropped the Heat to 3-9 against the other six teams mentioned as true contenders above and a lousy 5-12 in games decided by five points or less. The truth of the matter, however, is that neither of these records means a thing. How do I know this? Glad you asked…
* If you are a fan of the NBA, a fan of statistical analysis, or just a fan of good writing and you have not read John Hollinger’s stuff on ESPN, do yourself a favor and get an insider account. Hollinger’s stuff is worth the yearly price alone. Anyhow, Hollinger points out that records against elite teams and in close games are essentially meaningless when assessing a team’s ability to win a championship. He doesn’t just say this; he shows empirical statistical evidence to support the notion. More important factors include scoring margin (Miami owns the league’s best), star power (LeBron and Wade) and performance heading into the playoffs (Miami is 34-10 since the opening month, the 2nd best record in the league over that stretch). Next time you turn on ESPN or TNT and hear the talking heads ranting about Miami’s record in close games, do yourself a favor and change the channel until they begin talking about things that matter. Do yourself another favor when filling out your NBA Playoff Bracket – do those exist?! – and remember that Miami has the best pair of players in the world and thank me in June.
* While Miami would be my guess as to who will win the title at the end of the day, I put their odds of winning it at no better than those of the Lakers, Celtics or Spurs. Each of those teams has multiple stars themselves, major playoff experience and fantastic defensive systems. Dallas and Orlando aren’t far behind either with unique rosters built around Dirk and Howard, respectively, and both teams are playoff battle-tested as well. Like I said, this is shaping up to be one of the best stretches of playoff basketball in NBA history.
* Turning our attention away from the court for just a second; if you haven’t paid much attention to the NBA yet this season you may be quite shocked to take a quick look at each team’s rosters. Tons of players changed teams at the trade deadline and unless you live under the rock you have probably heard about the most prominent of the moves being Carmelo Anthony’s trade to the Knicks. Between Anthony forcing Denver’s hand, LeBron’s “Decision”, and the rumors of more NBA superstars joining forces in coming years there has been a sentiment being pushed about that the players now control the league. The fact of the matter is that players have always controlled the league. The difference today is that the level of media scrutiny takes everything to a whole new level. It was 30 years ago when Magic Johnson had his coached forced out in only his second season in the league. Further, if you take a look at the NBA’s list of its 50 greatest players you will notice that a remarkable number of them played the primes of their careers in more than one city, often joining forces with other stars.
* Today’s moves from the league’s marquee players are nothing new and with the enormous amount of talent around the league at this time I expect some major rivalries to develop as the result. Rivalries are always good for a league and great for our entertainment. For NBA fans out there, sit back and enjoy what should be great theatre this playoff season and what should be some great basketball over the next few years, barring a lockout of course. For you non-NBA fans, I am surprised you made it this far but if you have hopefully I have peaked your interest just a bit. The NBA…it’s FANtastic!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Cliff Lee (and more) Smorgasbord!
There has been a ton going on in the sports world over the past week or so and it seems like I have done nothing but write about the NFL lately. What better way to cover a bunch of topics around the sports world than a smorgasbord!
· I was listening to Mike and Mike this morning on my drive in to work and many of their listeners were criticizing Cliff Lee for his decision to join the Phillies rather than the Yankees or Rangers who were offering more money and/or the potential to be “the man”. For what it’s worth, I think Lee made a fabulous decision for himself. He gets to pitch in the National League for the next five or six years, something that could allow him to go down as an all-time great while prolonging his career, he’ll join a Philadelphia team that now has to be the favorite for AT LEAST the next three World Series Championships, he obviously enjoyed his time in Philadelphia previously and it is reported that his wife really enjoyed their time, and in the end the difference in money really isn’t all that great when you factor in cost of living, etc. Lee made an informed decision that will make him and his family happy, kudos to him.
· I picked Philadelphia to win the World Series last year and they let me down when they ran into the Giants’ pitching buzz saw. I got a pretty good suspicion this morning that I will be picking the Phillies again next year.
· As a friend said to me earlier today, “I think these guys getting to pick where they live is a quite underrated part of the FA process. “ I couldn’t agree more.
· Another friend of mine is a die-hard Yankee fan and it sounds like New Yorkers are getting just a little bit worried with their inability to sign Lee and the Red Sox’ additions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford. The Yankees would be foolish to make a panic decision and sign Carl Pavano for too much money or anything of that sort. The Yanks are still the clear favorite for the AL Wild Card and a rotation of CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, AJ Burnett, Andy Pettite and I’m guessing the rookie Nova or whomever (I still think they should give Joba Chamberlain another shot) will be fine for the first half of the season. The Yankees should wait until the trade deadline and see what's available then.
· I am longing for the days when we can talk about the Pirates big off-season moves! No disrespect to Scott Olsen, Kevin Correia and Matt Diaz, of course.
· Those comparing Lee’s situation to LeBron James’ “decision” are crazy. Lee didn’t pass up a chance to be “the man” in Texas or was scared off by the pressure in New York. Baseball is a totally different sport where very rarely can a player carry his team individually for an extended stretch and especially as a pitcher who can only win the game he pitches every four or five days. Lee’s legacy can perhaps be enhanced by his decision to join the Phillies where LeBron’s will never be the same.
· Speaking of James, I am not hearing much from the Heat bashers these days after LeBron and company won their ninth straight game last night, all by double digits. Those that were jumping on Miami earlier in the season for their lack of a point guard and/or center and saying that LeBron and Dwayne Wade could not play together just do not understand basketball. The Big Three (including Chris Bosh) were simply playing well below their usual greatness. Things are slowly rounding into form and I have never wavered from my stance that this team will be there in the end. I did underestimate how deep and talented Boston is this year, especially with Kevin Garnett looking like he has found the fountain of youth, but I am sticking by my prediction that the Heat are the Eastern Conference representative in the Finals.
· I am sure everyone has heard by now about the New York Jets strength coach Sal Alosi tripping a Miami Dolphins player trying to cover a punt on Sunday and being subsequently suspended for the remainder of the season and fined 25k by the Jets. I think this story is getting a little too much coverage to be honest. For one, it is being reported that teams purposely position these coaches on the sidelines to be in the way of gunners if they happen to be pushed out of bounds. If teams are instilling this mentality, something that I had never thought about before but it says a whole lot about what a cutthroat business the NFL is, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. The guy has apologized, let’s let him take his punishment and move on from the story.
· The coaching dominoes in the college ranks are beginning to fall with Al Golden heading to Miami, Will Muschamp to Florida and Jerry Kill to Minnesota. I do not mind that Pitt is taking its time with this decision, it is an awfully important time and hire for this program. As of yesterday it sounded like Oklahoma State Offensive Coordinator Dana Holgorsen was the front-runner for the job but he has since pulled himself from consideration. Holgorsen is now being linked to West Virginia if Bill Stewart is let go. Some of the names being circulated now, including Miami of Ohio coach Mike Haywood, are not exactly the most inspiring names out there.
· That being said, Pitt should not be trying to find the “most inspiring name” if you don’t mind me quoting myself. Steve Pederson’s job is to find the best man for this job, no matter if he is a current head coach, coordinator or a certain sports blog writer if anyone feels like passing my name on to him.
· Lastly, you may have thought that I forgot about a certain team in Pittsburgh that has won a few games in a row. I have not forgotten about them but I do not want to be the jinx that halts this winning streak by mentioning them in the blog…(damn, I hope this doesn’t count!) I will have plenty to say about the streak and their star player’s own little streak when they come to an end.
· I was listening to Mike and Mike this morning on my drive in to work and many of their listeners were criticizing Cliff Lee for his decision to join the Phillies rather than the Yankees or Rangers who were offering more money and/or the potential to be “the man”. For what it’s worth, I think Lee made a fabulous decision for himself. He gets to pitch in the National League for the next five or six years, something that could allow him to go down as an all-time great while prolonging his career, he’ll join a Philadelphia team that now has to be the favorite for AT LEAST the next three World Series Championships, he obviously enjoyed his time in Philadelphia previously and it is reported that his wife really enjoyed their time, and in the end the difference in money really isn’t all that great when you factor in cost of living, etc. Lee made an informed decision that will make him and his family happy, kudos to him.
· I picked Philadelphia to win the World Series last year and they let me down when they ran into the Giants’ pitching buzz saw. I got a pretty good suspicion this morning that I will be picking the Phillies again next year.
· As a friend said to me earlier today, “I think these guys getting to pick where they live is a quite underrated part of the FA process. “ I couldn’t agree more.
· Another friend of mine is a die-hard Yankee fan and it sounds like New Yorkers are getting just a little bit worried with their inability to sign Lee and the Red Sox’ additions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford. The Yankees would be foolish to make a panic decision and sign Carl Pavano for too much money or anything of that sort. The Yanks are still the clear favorite for the AL Wild Card and a rotation of CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, AJ Burnett, Andy Pettite and I’m guessing the rookie Nova or whomever (I still think they should give Joba Chamberlain another shot) will be fine for the first half of the season. The Yankees should wait until the trade deadline and see what's available then.
· I am longing for the days when we can talk about the Pirates big off-season moves! No disrespect to Scott Olsen, Kevin Correia and Matt Diaz, of course.
· Those comparing Lee’s situation to LeBron James’ “decision” are crazy. Lee didn’t pass up a chance to be “the man” in Texas or was scared off by the pressure in New York. Baseball is a totally different sport where very rarely can a player carry his team individually for an extended stretch and especially as a pitcher who can only win the game he pitches every four or five days. Lee’s legacy can perhaps be enhanced by his decision to join the Phillies where LeBron’s will never be the same.
· Speaking of James, I am not hearing much from the Heat bashers these days after LeBron and company won their ninth straight game last night, all by double digits. Those that were jumping on Miami earlier in the season for their lack of a point guard and/or center and saying that LeBron and Dwayne Wade could not play together just do not understand basketball. The Big Three (including Chris Bosh) were simply playing well below their usual greatness. Things are slowly rounding into form and I have never wavered from my stance that this team will be there in the end. I did underestimate how deep and talented Boston is this year, especially with Kevin Garnett looking like he has found the fountain of youth, but I am sticking by my prediction that the Heat are the Eastern Conference representative in the Finals.
· I am sure everyone has heard by now about the New York Jets strength coach Sal Alosi tripping a Miami Dolphins player trying to cover a punt on Sunday and being subsequently suspended for the remainder of the season and fined 25k by the Jets. I think this story is getting a little too much coverage to be honest. For one, it is being reported that teams purposely position these coaches on the sidelines to be in the way of gunners if they happen to be pushed out of bounds. If teams are instilling this mentality, something that I had never thought about before but it says a whole lot about what a cutthroat business the NFL is, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. The guy has apologized, let’s let him take his punishment and move on from the story.
· The coaching dominoes in the college ranks are beginning to fall with Al Golden heading to Miami, Will Muschamp to Florida and Jerry Kill to Minnesota. I do not mind that Pitt is taking its time with this decision, it is an awfully important time and hire for this program. As of yesterday it sounded like Oklahoma State Offensive Coordinator Dana Holgorsen was the front-runner for the job but he has since pulled himself from consideration. Holgorsen is now being linked to West Virginia if Bill Stewart is let go. Some of the names being circulated now, including Miami of Ohio coach Mike Haywood, are not exactly the most inspiring names out there.
· That being said, Pitt should not be trying to find the “most inspiring name” if you don’t mind me quoting myself. Steve Pederson’s job is to find the best man for this job, no matter if he is a current head coach, coordinator or a certain sports blog writer if anyone feels like passing my name on to him.
· Lastly, you may have thought that I forgot about a certain team in Pittsburgh that has won a few games in a row. I have not forgotten about them but I do not want to be the jinx that halts this winning streak by mentioning them in the blog…(damn, I hope this doesn’t count!) I will have plenty to say about the streak and their star player’s own little streak when they come to an end.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
NBA Season Kicks Off
The NBA season kicked off Tuesday night with one of the most anticipated team debuts in a long time as everyone wanted to see what the new-look Miami Heat would do. The answer came quickly as the Heat looked rusty and out of sync after battling some injuries in the preseason and sharing the court for only four minutes prior to the opening tip Tuesday night. With the final few teams set to play their openers tonight, here’s some things I am looking at as the season goes on and maybe a little of what I expect to happen.
· While all of the championship talk is centered on the Heat, Lakers and Celtics, the forgotten team amongst the elite is the Orlando Magic. The Magic have won more playoff series over the past two years than anyone not named the Lakers and were easily the best team in the NBA over the second of half of the season last year. A very poorly played conference championship against the Celtics and the new Big Three in Miami has everyone forgetting about the team down in Orlando. I am not saying the Magic are going to win in it all but they belong in the conversation for the league’s best team.
· That being said, I still expect the Heat to have the League’s best record by season’s end with something along the lines of 61 or 62 wins. The question will not be how good this team will be over the long haul but rather can they overcome their obvious deficiencies and win a series against the massive size advantages the Magic, Celtics and Lakers would have.
· This has to be the most talented the league has been since I have been alive. I can’t remember ever when so many teams have such strong nucleuses. Check these out:
Miami – LeBron, Wade, Bosh
Boston – Rondo, Pierce, Allen, KG, Shaq and a deep bench
Orlando – Howard, Carter, Lewis, Nelson
Chicago – Rose, Boozer, Noah, Deng
Atlanta – Johnson, Smith, Horford
Milwaukee – Jennings, Bogut, Salmons
L.A. Lakers – Kobe, Gasol, Bynum, Odom, Artest
Dallas – Dirk, Kidd, Butler, Chandler
Oklahoma City – Durant, Westbrook, Green
Portland – Roy, Aldridge, Miller, Camby, Oden
San Antonio – Duncan, Parker, Ginobli
Houston – Yao, Brooks, Battier, Martin, Scola
Utah – Williams, Jefferson, Okur
Denver – Melo, Billups, Martin, Nene
By my count that’s nearly half the league that has the nucleus of a good to very good team. That is ignoring some franchise-type players stuck on bad or mediocre teams such as Steve Nash and Chris Paul and a number of very good, young franchise building blocks stuck on bad teams such as Stephon Curry, John Wall, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love and more. David Stern has hit the jackpot in terms of the NBA having its best product since Jordan retired, especially with so many of its stars being extremely marketable.
· The Lakers are pretty clearly the favorite out West but age and injury have to be a concern. Teams such as the Thunder, Rockets and Blazers have extremely strong nucleus and the assets to improve at the trade deadline while veteran squads such as the Mavericks, Jazz and Nuggets are still knocking at the door. I know people want to write the Lakers in as the Western Conference representative, and I agree they are certainly the favorite, but it is going to be much harder than people realize.
· As my longtime readers know we followed Kevin Durant pretty closely last year on the blog including tracking his consecutive 20-point games streak. Durant has now burst onto the national scene after becomig the league’s youngest scoring champ and leading the U.S. team to the FIBA World Championships title this summer. We still secretely love Durant here at The People’s Quarterback headquarters, but his notoriety has passed us by. I will try to find another player that is flying under the radar for his talents that we can start enjoying here on the blog.
· The early favorite for that player is Blake Griffin. I watched the Clippers-Blazers game late last night almost in its entirety (Yes I know, who stays up late to watch that game…but give me a break, I love basketball and had a screaming baby up all night, makes for a pretty easy combination.) and couldn’t get over Griffin’s abilities. Most people probably know Griffin as the College Player of the Year two years ago at Oklahoma and the first overall pick of the draft before an injury ended his rookie season before it started. Well Griffin is back and looks as good as ever. He finished last night with 20 points and 14 rebounds, 9 of those on the offensive end, in a losing effort. We’ll be keeping a close eye on him here in the blog.
· Prediction Time:
Eastern Conference:
1. Miami
2. Orlando
3. Boston
4. Chicago
5. Atlanta
6. Milwaukee
7. New York Knicks
8. Charlotte
9. Indiana
10. Philadelphia
11. Washington
12. Cleveland
13. Detroit
14. New Jersey
15. Toronto
Western Conference:
1. LA Lakers
2. Dallas
3. Portland
4. Oklahoma City
5. Denver
6. San Antonio
7. Utah
8. Houston
9. New Orleans
10. Memphis
11. LA Clippers
12. Phoenix
13. Golden State
14. Sacramento
15. Minnesota
Miami over Orlando in Eastern Conference Finals.
LA Lakers over San Antonio Western Conference Finals.
LA Lakers over Miami in Finals.
· While all of the championship talk is centered on the Heat, Lakers and Celtics, the forgotten team amongst the elite is the Orlando Magic. The Magic have won more playoff series over the past two years than anyone not named the Lakers and were easily the best team in the NBA over the second of half of the season last year. A very poorly played conference championship against the Celtics and the new Big Three in Miami has everyone forgetting about the team down in Orlando. I am not saying the Magic are going to win in it all but they belong in the conversation for the league’s best team.
· That being said, I still expect the Heat to have the League’s best record by season’s end with something along the lines of 61 or 62 wins. The question will not be how good this team will be over the long haul but rather can they overcome their obvious deficiencies and win a series against the massive size advantages the Magic, Celtics and Lakers would have.
· This has to be the most talented the league has been since I have been alive. I can’t remember ever when so many teams have such strong nucleuses. Check these out:
Miami – LeBron, Wade, Bosh
Boston – Rondo, Pierce, Allen, KG, Shaq and a deep bench
Orlando – Howard, Carter, Lewis, Nelson
Chicago – Rose, Boozer, Noah, Deng
Atlanta – Johnson, Smith, Horford
Milwaukee – Jennings, Bogut, Salmons
L.A. Lakers – Kobe, Gasol, Bynum, Odom, Artest
Dallas – Dirk, Kidd, Butler, Chandler
Oklahoma City – Durant, Westbrook, Green
Portland – Roy, Aldridge, Miller, Camby, Oden
San Antonio – Duncan, Parker, Ginobli
Houston – Yao, Brooks, Battier, Martin, Scola
Utah – Williams, Jefferson, Okur
Denver – Melo, Billups, Martin, Nene
By my count that’s nearly half the league that has the nucleus of a good to very good team. That is ignoring some franchise-type players stuck on bad or mediocre teams such as Steve Nash and Chris Paul and a number of very good, young franchise building blocks stuck on bad teams such as Stephon Curry, John Wall, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love and more. David Stern has hit the jackpot in terms of the NBA having its best product since Jordan retired, especially with so many of its stars being extremely marketable.
· The Lakers are pretty clearly the favorite out West but age and injury have to be a concern. Teams such as the Thunder, Rockets and Blazers have extremely strong nucleus and the assets to improve at the trade deadline while veteran squads such as the Mavericks, Jazz and Nuggets are still knocking at the door. I know people want to write the Lakers in as the Western Conference representative, and I agree they are certainly the favorite, but it is going to be much harder than people realize.
· As my longtime readers know we followed Kevin Durant pretty closely last year on the blog including tracking his consecutive 20-point games streak. Durant has now burst onto the national scene after becomig the league’s youngest scoring champ and leading the U.S. team to the FIBA World Championships title this summer. We still secretely love Durant here at The People’s Quarterback headquarters, but his notoriety has passed us by. I will try to find another player that is flying under the radar for his talents that we can start enjoying here on the blog.
· The early favorite for that player is Blake Griffin. I watched the Clippers-Blazers game late last night almost in its entirety (Yes I know, who stays up late to watch that game…but give me a break, I love basketball and had a screaming baby up all night, makes for a pretty easy combination.) and couldn’t get over Griffin’s abilities. Most people probably know Griffin as the College Player of the Year two years ago at Oklahoma and the first overall pick of the draft before an injury ended his rookie season before it started. Well Griffin is back and looks as good as ever. He finished last night with 20 points and 14 rebounds, 9 of those on the offensive end, in a losing effort. We’ll be keeping a close eye on him here in the blog.
· Prediction Time:
Eastern Conference:
1. Miami
2. Orlando
3. Boston
4. Chicago
5. Atlanta
6. Milwaukee
7. New York Knicks
8. Charlotte
9. Indiana
10. Philadelphia
11. Washington
12. Cleveland
13. Detroit
14. New Jersey
15. Toronto
Western Conference:
1. LA Lakers
2. Dallas
3. Portland
4. Oklahoma City
5. Denver
6. San Antonio
7. Utah
8. Houston
9. New Orleans
10. Memphis
11. LA Clippers
12. Phoenix
13. Golden State
14. Sacramento
15. Minnesota
Miami over Orlando in Eastern Conference Finals.
LA Lakers over San Antonio Western Conference Finals.
LA Lakers over Miami in Finals.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
NBA Free Agency Links
There will not be a lot of writing this week, but in the meantime check out these short pieces by John Hollinger of ESPN. Hollinger gives a short synopsis of the winners and losers of the NBA free agency period, and I could not agree more with most of what he has to say (I think you can guess who the biggest winner was). On Friday, hopefully with time permitting to format it correctly, I will have the mid-season MLB review chat that Tom and Curt joined me for last week.
Hollinger's offseason winners.
And the offseason losers.
Hollinger's offseason winners.
And the offseason losers.
Friday, July 9, 2010
LeBron Leaves for Miami
I had my mid-season Pirate review that I have been working on and condensing for about a week now all ready to be posted today (look for it on Monday now). I was sure LeBron James was heading back to Cleveland, last night’s show would be much ado about nothing, and we could be back to talking a little baseball. I mean, there is no way that James would go on national TV, on his own one hour program, and tell his fans and his hometown that he was leaving right? Wow, was I wrong!
LeBron used to be my favorite player. “Used to be” is the absolute key phrase in that sentence. We will get to that in a second. First, let’s discuss the actual show itself. I had no problem with it initially. Many of the local and national reporters, “the old guard”, thought it was a selfish and narcissistic act. Of course it was, but that’s the world we live in today. LeBron is the biggest sports star in the world right now; at least he has a reason to have his own hour-long program to announce his team for the next five or more years. I will take that over some 18-year-old high school athlete who has yet to accomplish anything announcing his college decision at a press conference any day of the week. This mattered, and it mattered big time, to the entire landscape of professional sports. Not to mention that it was entertaining and captivating at the same time.
The show itself, however, was a dud. The “King” montage at the beginning was a bit much, the speculating by the ESPN guys kind of ruined the actual moment, and the actual announcement itself was kind of boring. I will give LeBron some credit, at least, in that he stuck around and answered all of Mike Wilbon and Stuart Scott’s questions after his decision was announced to Jim Gray. That was the only meaningful part of the hour long special.
Now, the decision itself, I really just do not get it. As I said, LeBron used to be my favorite player. I actually attended the same 5-star camp going into my senior year as LeBron was entering his sophomore year of high school. I remember coming home from that camp and telling my Dad about this kid “LeBron James”, that people are talking about him as the next big thing. LeBron and Melvin Scott, who played at North Carolina, are the only players I remember from that camp even though there were probably loads of division one players there. (My team won the championship at the camp by the way, and I have no idea how. We didn’t have a single big-time recruit on our squad but somehow we played well enough to beat all of these top players.) It was not long after that James’ reputation spread nationally and he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and ESPN as the chosen one. Telling my Dad that early about “this kid” always gave me a special attachment and rooting interest in LeBron. I was sure that he was going to become the greatest player who ever lived. He still might, but last night’s decision has given me serious doubts and definitely changed my overall view of “The King”.
First and foremost, this has nothing to do with LeBron leaving Cleveland. He should do whatever and play wherever that makes him happy. If that wasn’t in Cleveland, so be it. He owes nothing to the people of Cleveland other than a thank you for rooting for him the last seven years, something he did last night in his post-decision interviews. This has everything to do with LeBron’s competitive make-up.
LeBron did not leave Cleveland for money, for the bright lights of New York, to further his global icon ambition, LeBron left purely for basketball reasons. Basketball reasons that simply go against every trait that a player who aspires to be the greatest of all time must have. LeBron is going where it will be easy to win, to join a cast of superstars, to build a team and franchise that already had its cornerstone and icon. They say to be the best, you must beat the best. LeBron is joining the best. If LeBron truly wanted and desired to go down as one of, if not THE best, to ever play the game, he should have stayed in Cleveland or went to New York where everything would have been built around him. Even Chicago would have been acceptable. Miami, however, was a cop out.
Listening to Jon Barry and Michael Wilbon, among others, say that Miami is not the favorite next year made me turn the TV off. How do they put guys who know nothing about basketball on TV and then call them experts? They are, at worst, the co-favorites with the Lakers, and at best, the overwhelming favorites to win the title next year and for the next five years. The Cavs were the favorites last year when they surrounded James with guys like Moe Williams, Antawn Jamison and Delonte West in the starting line-up. Put any marginal guys at point guard and center and this Miami team is going to win 60+ games and be the favorites in the East. You’re telling me a starting line-up of Mario Chalmers, Wade, James, Bosh and say Jermaine O’Neal is not overwhelmingly superior to Williams, West, James, Jamison and Shaq? Come on now…
That is why I absolutely hate this move by LeBron. My wife couldn’t figure out why I was so mad last night. She said, “wait, he’s going to play in South Beach with other great players, what’s so bad about that?” I couldn’t explain it to her, and I am not sure I am explaining it here, but don’t we want our best athletes to be so competitive, so driven, that they want the team to be built around them and win championships their way. The same way that Michael, Magic and Larry did. The same way young Shaq and old Kobe have. I know that is what I wanted from LeBron. Maybe LBJ just wasn’t wired that way from the beginning. Maybe South Beach is the best place for him, maybe he will go on to win multiple titles and go down as a top ten or top five player of all-time. I just wanted so much more for him, and I wish he wanted the same.
LeBron used to be my favorite player. “Used to be” is the absolute key phrase in that sentence. We will get to that in a second. First, let’s discuss the actual show itself. I had no problem with it initially. Many of the local and national reporters, “the old guard”, thought it was a selfish and narcissistic act. Of course it was, but that’s the world we live in today. LeBron is the biggest sports star in the world right now; at least he has a reason to have his own hour-long program to announce his team for the next five or more years. I will take that over some 18-year-old high school athlete who has yet to accomplish anything announcing his college decision at a press conference any day of the week. This mattered, and it mattered big time, to the entire landscape of professional sports. Not to mention that it was entertaining and captivating at the same time.
The show itself, however, was a dud. The “King” montage at the beginning was a bit much, the speculating by the ESPN guys kind of ruined the actual moment, and the actual announcement itself was kind of boring. I will give LeBron some credit, at least, in that he stuck around and answered all of Mike Wilbon and Stuart Scott’s questions after his decision was announced to Jim Gray. That was the only meaningful part of the hour long special.
Now, the decision itself, I really just do not get it. As I said, LeBron used to be my favorite player. I actually attended the same 5-star camp going into my senior year as LeBron was entering his sophomore year of high school. I remember coming home from that camp and telling my Dad about this kid “LeBron James”, that people are talking about him as the next big thing. LeBron and Melvin Scott, who played at North Carolina, are the only players I remember from that camp even though there were probably loads of division one players there. (My team won the championship at the camp by the way, and I have no idea how. We didn’t have a single big-time recruit on our squad but somehow we played well enough to beat all of these top players.) It was not long after that James’ reputation spread nationally and he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and ESPN as the chosen one. Telling my Dad that early about “this kid” always gave me a special attachment and rooting interest in LeBron. I was sure that he was going to become the greatest player who ever lived. He still might, but last night’s decision has given me serious doubts and definitely changed my overall view of “The King”.
First and foremost, this has nothing to do with LeBron leaving Cleveland. He should do whatever and play wherever that makes him happy. If that wasn’t in Cleveland, so be it. He owes nothing to the people of Cleveland other than a thank you for rooting for him the last seven years, something he did last night in his post-decision interviews. This has everything to do with LeBron’s competitive make-up.
LeBron did not leave Cleveland for money, for the bright lights of New York, to further his global icon ambition, LeBron left purely for basketball reasons. Basketball reasons that simply go against every trait that a player who aspires to be the greatest of all time must have. LeBron is going where it will be easy to win, to join a cast of superstars, to build a team and franchise that already had its cornerstone and icon. They say to be the best, you must beat the best. LeBron is joining the best. If LeBron truly wanted and desired to go down as one of, if not THE best, to ever play the game, he should have stayed in Cleveland or went to New York where everything would have been built around him. Even Chicago would have been acceptable. Miami, however, was a cop out.
Listening to Jon Barry and Michael Wilbon, among others, say that Miami is not the favorite next year made me turn the TV off. How do they put guys who know nothing about basketball on TV and then call them experts? They are, at worst, the co-favorites with the Lakers, and at best, the overwhelming favorites to win the title next year and for the next five years. The Cavs were the favorites last year when they surrounded James with guys like Moe Williams, Antawn Jamison and Delonte West in the starting line-up. Put any marginal guys at point guard and center and this Miami team is going to win 60+ games and be the favorites in the East. You’re telling me a starting line-up of Mario Chalmers, Wade, James, Bosh and say Jermaine O’Neal is not overwhelmingly superior to Williams, West, James, Jamison and Shaq? Come on now…
That is why I absolutely hate this move by LeBron. My wife couldn’t figure out why I was so mad last night. She said, “wait, he’s going to play in South Beach with other great players, what’s so bad about that?” I couldn’t explain it to her, and I am not sure I am explaining it here, but don’t we want our best athletes to be so competitive, so driven, that they want the team to be built around them and win championships their way. The same way that Michael, Magic and Larry did. The same way young Shaq and old Kobe have. I know that is what I wanted from LeBron. Maybe LBJ just wasn’t wired that way from the beginning. Maybe South Beach is the best place for him, maybe he will go on to win multiple titles and go down as a top ten or top five player of all-time. I just wanted so much more for him, and I wish he wanted the same.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
NBA Pieces Beginning to Land
The NBA free agency period is now six days old and the dominoes are beginning to fall. Free agents cannot officially sign with their new teams until July 8th, that is the day in which the salary cap will be revealed, but players can agree to deals anytime after July 1st leading up to the 8th and obviously anytime after that. Three of the four major deals announced so far have been veteran stars remaining with their current teams; Paul Pierce with Boston, Dirk Nowitzki with Dallas and Joe Johnson with Atlanta.
Pierce and Nowitzki were no-brainers as they are the faces of their respective franchises. Both players took slightly less money than they could have made under the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement in order to give their teams some financial flexibility to pursue that ever elusive title. Both players are now seasoned vets on their way to the Hall of Fame who have made loads of money in their career. It is no surprise that winning, as well as their legacy in one city, were very high on their list of priorities. Johnson’s deal was a little shocking as it appears to me like the Hawks have committed $120 million over the next six years to ensure second round playoff exits. Johnson is a nice player, a borderline all-star, but giving a max deal to a 28-year-old borderline all-star is no way to build a contender. I have no doubt that Atlanta will be regretting this move in the next 2-3 years.
Those three signings, however, were somewhat expected. The first big shake-up came when Amar’e Stoudemire agreed to a contract with the New York Knicks. Stoudemire’s contract is for five years and around $100 million. Stoudemire, unlike Johnson, is a franchise-type player. At the very least, he makes the Knickerbockers relevant once again, and potentially makes them very serious players in the competition to sign another star. Even if the Knicks were to strikeout in the LeBron James-Dwyane Wade race, the rumblings have already begun that the Knicks could land Carmelo Anthony and/or Tony Parker, both of whom become free agents next year.
In the end, though, this summer ultimately comes back to where James and Wade, and to a lesser extent, Chris Bosh end up. All three of their situations are still very much up in the air. It is impossible to evaluate the winners and losers of the “Summer of LeBron” until we find out where everyone lands. That is something we should know in the next few days.
Pierce and Nowitzki were no-brainers as they are the faces of their respective franchises. Both players took slightly less money than they could have made under the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement in order to give their teams some financial flexibility to pursue that ever elusive title. Both players are now seasoned vets on their way to the Hall of Fame who have made loads of money in their career. It is no surprise that winning, as well as their legacy in one city, were very high on their list of priorities. Johnson’s deal was a little shocking as it appears to me like the Hawks have committed $120 million over the next six years to ensure second round playoff exits. Johnson is a nice player, a borderline all-star, but giving a max deal to a 28-year-old borderline all-star is no way to build a contender. I have no doubt that Atlanta will be regretting this move in the next 2-3 years.
Those three signings, however, were somewhat expected. The first big shake-up came when Amar’e Stoudemire agreed to a contract with the New York Knicks. Stoudemire’s contract is for five years and around $100 million. Stoudemire, unlike Johnson, is a franchise-type player. At the very least, he makes the Knickerbockers relevant once again, and potentially makes them very serious players in the competition to sign another star. Even if the Knicks were to strikeout in the LeBron James-Dwyane Wade race, the rumblings have already begun that the Knicks could land Carmelo Anthony and/or Tony Parker, both of whom become free agents next year.
In the end, though, this summer ultimately comes back to where James and Wade, and to a lesser extent, Chris Bosh end up. All three of their situations are still very much up in the air. It is impossible to evaluate the winners and losers of the “Summer of LeBron” until we find out where everyone lands. That is something we should know in the next few days.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
NBA and NHL Free Agency Period Set to Begin
The NBA free agency period begins in about a half hour, 12:01am EST on July 1st. This NBA free agent class will probably go down as the greatest in the history of sport. The top prize, as everyone who has a pulse has heard whether they have wanted to or not thanks to ESPN, is LeBron James. James is not the only prized free agent out there, however, as future Hall of Famers on the market include Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitski, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Other All-Stars still in the prime of their career and could someday reach HOF status include A’mare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, Joe Johnson and David Lee. Throw in a few restricted free agents such as Rudy Gay and J.J. Redick and what you have is a historic free agent class. The landscape of the NBA for the next 5-10 years will depend on the next few days or weeks and where each of these particular guys end up.
The NHL free agency period begins not long after that of the NBA’s with a twelve-noon EST starting time tomorrow. While the NHL free agency class lacks the marquee names that the NBA free agency list possesses, there are a number of valuable players and stars that could contribute to Stanley Cup contenders next year.
Check back on the blog as I analyze every major move as it happens and its potential impact on next season and beyond for the particular teams and players involved.
The NHL free agency period begins not long after that of the NBA’s with a twelve-noon EST starting time tomorrow. While the NHL free agency class lacks the marquee names that the NBA free agency list possesses, there are a number of valuable players and stars that could contribute to Stanley Cup contenders next year.
Check back on the blog as I analyze every major move as it happens and its potential impact on next season and beyond for the particular teams and players involved.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Memorial Day Smorgasbord
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the men and women who have served and are serving our country. We cannot thank you enough for your service and dedication to the United States.
I have been traveling too much for my liking and have not been able to write nearly as much as I would like. Let’s cover a bunch of topics in short order:
· I will be the first to admit that I never saw this coming from the Boston Celtics. I never anticipated them beating Cleveland and did not give them much of a chance against the Magic either. My Dad contends that he does not understand why people DIDN’T see this coming and I quote, “They are the same team that won the championship in 2008 but now they have a great point guard as well.” He just may be right, and hindsight is always easier, but anyone who saw this team play during the regular season, hell anyone who just follows the scores and standings, will attest that this team looked old, slow and past their window of opportunity. Only Pierce and Rondo were competing at a high level and the Celtics were all but ready to give Ray Allen away at the deadline. For someone like my Dad who doesn’t follow the NBA until the playoffs start, the above quote makes sense and maybe it proves that the regular season matters much less than we want to give it credit for.
· Meanwhile, everyone expected the Lakers to be here. I picked the Jazz to upset the Lakers in the second round but that was before their own seven- footer was out for the series, which pretty much eliminated any chance they had. When the Lakers are playing right, and by right I mean pounding the ball down low to Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum and then allowing Kobe to take over in the fourth quarter, they are the best team in the league. Their problem is that they do not play “right” nearly enough. It should be interesting to see how the Lakers attack the Celtics in the Finals. I will have much more on my thoughts heading into Game One later this week.
· Before the series began I predicted the Blackhawks to hoist the Cup in seven and so far my prediction looks good. I did, however, struggle mightily with this one as I feel the Flyers have what it takes to knock off the ultra-talented Blackhawks. The Flyers went out last summer and acquired Chris Pronger to deal with the likes of Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby come Stanley Cup Playoff time. They knew that the move may cost them some wins in the regular season as they adapted styles and integrated Pronger, but their objective was to become a better playoff roster and the plan has worked to perfection. Despite avoiding Ovechkin and Crosby in the playoffs, it has been Pronger’s presence along the blue line that has pushed the Flyers over the top of the Eastern Conference and into the Finals. I expect a big game from Pronger tomorrow night and hope the Flyers extend this series as it has been some really entertaining hockey in the first two games.
· The Pirates stand at 20-31 right now after losing 9 of their last 11, but I believe the number is 19-22 when Charlie Morton is not the starter. Granted many teams could potentially throw out a figure like that, but it goes to show that; (1) how bad Morton really has been, and; (2) that the Pirates are competing hard every night. As I alluded to in an earlier post, the Pirates obviously are not the most talented team in the league but they do have guys like Andrew McCutchen, Ryan Doumit and Garrett Jones that are worth watching and a few more of those guys, namely Brad Lincoln, Pedro Alvarez and Jose Tabata, that should be here in the near future.
· Speaking of Morton, his former team and my National League Wild Card pick the Atlanta Braves have been surging in the NL East. Their recent surge has nothing to do with the play of Nate McLouth, however, who is batting .184 on the year with 3 HRs and 4 SBs. McLouth is in danger of finding himself in a platoon role or possibly even a full-time bench role if he doesn’t pick up his play. Despite Morton’s struggles, I would still take the package today that the Pirates received for McLouth from Atlanta in a heartbeat. For reminder’s sake, that package also included Jeff Locke and Gorkys Hernandez in addition to Charlie Morton.
· Finally, with Boston starting to play as we expected and Toronto playing great baseball the AL East looks like it could be an unbelievable race throughout the summer. I do think that the Blue Jays will eventually take a backseat to the Rays, Yankees and Red Sox, but the intensity and urgency of the top three as they battle for what most likely will be two playoff spots should be great theater. One of these teams very easily could miss the playoffs with 90+ wins.
I have been traveling too much for my liking and have not been able to write nearly as much as I would like. Let’s cover a bunch of topics in short order:
· I will be the first to admit that I never saw this coming from the Boston Celtics. I never anticipated them beating Cleveland and did not give them much of a chance against the Magic either. My Dad contends that he does not understand why people DIDN’T see this coming and I quote, “They are the same team that won the championship in 2008 but now they have a great point guard as well.” He just may be right, and hindsight is always easier, but anyone who saw this team play during the regular season, hell anyone who just follows the scores and standings, will attest that this team looked old, slow and past their window of opportunity. Only Pierce and Rondo were competing at a high level and the Celtics were all but ready to give Ray Allen away at the deadline. For someone like my Dad who doesn’t follow the NBA until the playoffs start, the above quote makes sense and maybe it proves that the regular season matters much less than we want to give it credit for.
· Meanwhile, everyone expected the Lakers to be here. I picked the Jazz to upset the Lakers in the second round but that was before their own seven- footer was out for the series, which pretty much eliminated any chance they had. When the Lakers are playing right, and by right I mean pounding the ball down low to Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum and then allowing Kobe to take over in the fourth quarter, they are the best team in the league. Their problem is that they do not play “right” nearly enough. It should be interesting to see how the Lakers attack the Celtics in the Finals. I will have much more on my thoughts heading into Game One later this week.
· Before the series began I predicted the Blackhawks to hoist the Cup in seven and so far my prediction looks good. I did, however, struggle mightily with this one as I feel the Flyers have what it takes to knock off the ultra-talented Blackhawks. The Flyers went out last summer and acquired Chris Pronger to deal with the likes of Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby come Stanley Cup Playoff time. They knew that the move may cost them some wins in the regular season as they adapted styles and integrated Pronger, but their objective was to become a better playoff roster and the plan has worked to perfection. Despite avoiding Ovechkin and Crosby in the playoffs, it has been Pronger’s presence along the blue line that has pushed the Flyers over the top of the Eastern Conference and into the Finals. I expect a big game from Pronger tomorrow night and hope the Flyers extend this series as it has been some really entertaining hockey in the first two games.
· The Pirates stand at 20-31 right now after losing 9 of their last 11, but I believe the number is 19-22 when Charlie Morton is not the starter. Granted many teams could potentially throw out a figure like that, but it goes to show that; (1) how bad Morton really has been, and; (2) that the Pirates are competing hard every night. As I alluded to in an earlier post, the Pirates obviously are not the most talented team in the league but they do have guys like Andrew McCutchen, Ryan Doumit and Garrett Jones that are worth watching and a few more of those guys, namely Brad Lincoln, Pedro Alvarez and Jose Tabata, that should be here in the near future.
· Speaking of Morton, his former team and my National League Wild Card pick the Atlanta Braves have been surging in the NL East. Their recent surge has nothing to do with the play of Nate McLouth, however, who is batting .184 on the year with 3 HRs and 4 SBs. McLouth is in danger of finding himself in a platoon role or possibly even a full-time bench role if he doesn’t pick up his play. Despite Morton’s struggles, I would still take the package today that the Pirates received for McLouth from Atlanta in a heartbeat. For reminder’s sake, that package also included Jeff Locke and Gorkys Hernandez in addition to Charlie Morton.
· Finally, with Boston starting to play as we expected and Toronto playing great baseball the AL East looks like it could be an unbelievable race throughout the summer. I do think that the Blue Jays will eventually take a backseat to the Rays, Yankees and Red Sox, but the intensity and urgency of the top three as they battle for what most likely will be two playoff spots should be great theater. One of these teams very easily could miss the playoffs with 90+ wins.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Conference Finals Look
The NBA and NHL Conference Finals are under way with one game in the books in each. After watching each of the game ones, I have not wavered from any of the picks I would have made before the series, though Orlando definitely came out flat. Let’s take a quick look at each of the series and who I think will advance.
In hockey I have looked pretty smart so far except for the surprising run by the Canadiens who have upset both Washington and Pittsburgh, two teams I expected to play in the conference finals. That being said I have still hit on two-thirds of the series so far and have generally forecasted what transpired.
I do think the Canadiens run is over, however, and Philadelphia, much like Pittsburgh and Washington, has too much firepower for Montreal to handle. Philadelphia looked dominant in game one and I do not expect this series to go very deep. The clock always strikes midnight at some point on Cinderella. Flyers in five.
In the west, I pegged Chicago from the start to make the Stanley Cup so there is definitely no point in changing now, especially after they found a way to win game one in San Jose. I expect San Jose to bounce back strong in game two and this to become a very physical, difficult series for Chicago. In the end, however, I think the Blackhawks have one too many stars with Toews, Kane and Hossa. Blackhawks in six.
My original forecast in the NBA playoffs has not looked nearly as good as my NHL predictions as three of the four teams still standing were not in my original final four. Who would have thought a Boston team that looked tired and old all season long still had something in the tank and that the Suns would finally get over their nemesis, the Spurs. The Lakers on the other hand, were expected to reach this point by virtually every pundit out there besides me. I still contend that a healthy Jazz team with their seven-footer would have at least made their Lakers series very interesting, with three of the four games still being very competitive despite Okur’s absence. Well let’s rebound to get these remaining series correct…
In the Eastern Conference I am sticking with the Orlando Magic despite their game one setback to Boston. This is the best that the Celtics have played since the 2008 Finals, but Orlando’s defense, depth and shooting ability will eventually be enough to squeak by the old dogs. Magic in seven.
Out West, despite the Lakers and Kobe’s brilliant performance in game one, I expect the Suns to make this series very interesting. The Suns are going to make the Lakers big men run the floor and play defense, and Kobe will not play that well every game. In the end, however, Lamar Odom is a big mismatch for Phoenix and I still trust Kobe Bryant to get the job done if this series reaches a game seven over anyone that the Suns have. Lakers in seven.
In hockey I have looked pretty smart so far except for the surprising run by the Canadiens who have upset both Washington and Pittsburgh, two teams I expected to play in the conference finals. That being said I have still hit on two-thirds of the series so far and have generally forecasted what transpired.
I do think the Canadiens run is over, however, and Philadelphia, much like Pittsburgh and Washington, has too much firepower for Montreal to handle. Philadelphia looked dominant in game one and I do not expect this series to go very deep. The clock always strikes midnight at some point on Cinderella. Flyers in five.
In the west, I pegged Chicago from the start to make the Stanley Cup so there is definitely no point in changing now, especially after they found a way to win game one in San Jose. I expect San Jose to bounce back strong in game two and this to become a very physical, difficult series for Chicago. In the end, however, I think the Blackhawks have one too many stars with Toews, Kane and Hossa. Blackhawks in six.
My original forecast in the NBA playoffs has not looked nearly as good as my NHL predictions as three of the four teams still standing were not in my original final four. Who would have thought a Boston team that looked tired and old all season long still had something in the tank and that the Suns would finally get over their nemesis, the Spurs. The Lakers on the other hand, were expected to reach this point by virtually every pundit out there besides me. I still contend that a healthy Jazz team with their seven-footer would have at least made their Lakers series very interesting, with three of the four games still being very competitive despite Okur’s absence. Well let’s rebound to get these remaining series correct…
In the Eastern Conference I am sticking with the Orlando Magic despite their game one setback to Boston. This is the best that the Celtics have played since the 2008 Finals, but Orlando’s defense, depth and shooting ability will eventually be enough to squeak by the old dogs. Magic in seven.
Out West, despite the Lakers and Kobe’s brilliant performance in game one, I expect the Suns to make this series very interesting. The Suns are going to make the Lakers big men run the floor and play defense, and Kobe will not play that well every game. In the end, however, Lamar Odom is a big mismatch for Phoenix and I still trust Kobe Bryant to get the job done if this series reaches a game seven over anyone that the Suns have. Lakers in seven.
Friday, May 14, 2010
LeBron Retraction (Sort of)
I wrote right here yesterday that last night’s Cleveland-Boston game could be a defining game in LeBron James’ career. That could very well be the case, especially if James decides to leave this summer for New York or Chicago or wherever. This game, and particularly this series, would then be a defining moment in his career and professional sports in Cleveland no matter what LeBron goes on to accomplish somewhere else. After watching last night’s game, however, I have to back off the statement that he may not reach the historical greatness we all thought he would achieve for a number of reasons. If LeBron never reaches that historical level, we will certainly look back at this series as the first sign that he would not, but I am not ready to give up on him just yet, and here’s why:
First and most importantly, LeBron just turned 25-years-old in December. Michael Jordan won his first title after turning 28. Yes, MJ was in his seventh season, the same as LeBron is in now, but MJ was developing his game and learning how to win while at North Carolina, something LeBron did not have the benefit of. Further and just like LeBron, Jordan was the best player in the game in the late 80s but he was unable to win titles because his supporting cast was inferior to that of the Lakers, Celtics and then the Pistons. Jordan was being labeled the same things that LeBron is today; a choker, a regular season star, not as great as the veteran stars such as Bird and Magic (now Kobe for LeBron). Did we really learn nothing from Jordan’s early career? Do we really want to look back and have to explain why we were wrong, again?
Second, and this became evident to me last night, LeBron really does care. He cares about being great, he cares about what people say and he definitely cares about winning. LeBron obviously did not have his A-game last night, but he still did everything he possibly could to try and will his team to victory. His competitiveness may have led to his and the Cavs’ biggest problem last night, turnovers. LBJ finished the game with a triple double, and nearly a quadruple double considering his 9, yes 9 turnovers. LeBron was forcing too many things when they were not there. But guys don’t attack the glass, attack the hoop, and finish with 27 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists (on a poor shooting night to boot) if they do not lay everything they have on the line. LeBron even found his three point stroke to make a game of it in the fourth quarter.
There are certainly holes in his game. He needs to develop a mid-range jumper and a much stronger post-up game. Those skills would enable him to punish smaller defenders. The fact that Ray Allen was covering him for a stretch in game six is outlandish to me. Ray Allen would get destroyed by Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce or any wing player with a post game. LeBron needs to develop that skill and punish smaller defenders on the block. But the fact of the matter is nobody in the NBA dominates the game the way LeBron does for 48 minutes. He did not lose this series just like he did not lose the Orlando series last year when he averaged 38.5 points, 8+ rebounds and 8 assists in the Magic’s 4-2 series win. He is playing with an inferior supporting cast and an even worse coach. Which gets me to the final point of my retraction: I cannot make a case that this could be a defining game of LeBron’s career when he is playing for a coach that is totally and without question overwhelmed by the situation.
I gave Mike Brown, which is Cleveland’s coach for those that do not know, the benefit of the doubt when they were dominated in the Finals three years ago. I again tried to give him the benefit of the doubt against Boston two years ago in a Conference Semifinal loss, using Cleveland’s terrible surrounding players as an excuse. It started to become evident, however, in the Orlando series last year that maybe it is Mike Brown who is overmatched and not this Cleveland team. This Boston series put the finishing touches on the notion that Brown is a terrible coach to me. Not terrible in the sense that he should be unemployed, but terrible in the sense that the guy has no offensive pedigree, no sense for the situation, and no ability to adjust in a seven game series. He would be great trying to turnaround a bad team. His guys play hard, play good defense and generally like playing for him. He should not be coaching a team trying to win the NBA Championship.
I could go on and on about Mike Brown’s ineptitude, from his terrible rotations, to his panic move of playing guys in game five that he had not played in the playoffs at all to that point, to his stagnant offense and inability to put his players in a position to succeed. But this is not about Mike Brown, this is about LeBron James. I simply cannot put the bulk of this blame on James when he has a coach that has been so outclassed in each of his playoff losses. Here’s hoping that LeBron stays in Cleveland and Mike Brown does not. Here’s hoping that James is given the right opportunity to be historically great, something that is in serious doubt at this point but not something I am ready to write off.
First and most importantly, LeBron just turned 25-years-old in December. Michael Jordan won his first title after turning 28. Yes, MJ was in his seventh season, the same as LeBron is in now, but MJ was developing his game and learning how to win while at North Carolina, something LeBron did not have the benefit of. Further and just like LeBron, Jordan was the best player in the game in the late 80s but he was unable to win titles because his supporting cast was inferior to that of the Lakers, Celtics and then the Pistons. Jordan was being labeled the same things that LeBron is today; a choker, a regular season star, not as great as the veteran stars such as Bird and Magic (now Kobe for LeBron). Did we really learn nothing from Jordan’s early career? Do we really want to look back and have to explain why we were wrong, again?
Second, and this became evident to me last night, LeBron really does care. He cares about being great, he cares about what people say and he definitely cares about winning. LeBron obviously did not have his A-game last night, but he still did everything he possibly could to try and will his team to victory. His competitiveness may have led to his and the Cavs’ biggest problem last night, turnovers. LBJ finished the game with a triple double, and nearly a quadruple double considering his 9, yes 9 turnovers. LeBron was forcing too many things when they were not there. But guys don’t attack the glass, attack the hoop, and finish with 27 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists (on a poor shooting night to boot) if they do not lay everything they have on the line. LeBron even found his three point stroke to make a game of it in the fourth quarter.
There are certainly holes in his game. He needs to develop a mid-range jumper and a much stronger post-up game. Those skills would enable him to punish smaller defenders. The fact that Ray Allen was covering him for a stretch in game six is outlandish to me. Ray Allen would get destroyed by Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce or any wing player with a post game. LeBron needs to develop that skill and punish smaller defenders on the block. But the fact of the matter is nobody in the NBA dominates the game the way LeBron does for 48 minutes. He did not lose this series just like he did not lose the Orlando series last year when he averaged 38.5 points, 8+ rebounds and 8 assists in the Magic’s 4-2 series win. He is playing with an inferior supporting cast and an even worse coach. Which gets me to the final point of my retraction: I cannot make a case that this could be a defining game of LeBron’s career when he is playing for a coach that is totally and without question overwhelmed by the situation.
I gave Mike Brown, which is Cleveland’s coach for those that do not know, the benefit of the doubt when they were dominated in the Finals three years ago. I again tried to give him the benefit of the doubt against Boston two years ago in a Conference Semifinal loss, using Cleveland’s terrible surrounding players as an excuse. It started to become evident, however, in the Orlando series last year that maybe it is Mike Brown who is overmatched and not this Cleveland team. This Boston series put the finishing touches on the notion that Brown is a terrible coach to me. Not terrible in the sense that he should be unemployed, but terrible in the sense that the guy has no offensive pedigree, no sense for the situation, and no ability to adjust in a seven game series. He would be great trying to turnaround a bad team. His guys play hard, play good defense and generally like playing for him. He should not be coaching a team trying to win the NBA Championship.
I could go on and on about Mike Brown’s ineptitude, from his terrible rotations, to his panic move of playing guys in game five that he had not played in the playoffs at all to that point, to his stagnant offense and inability to put his players in a position to succeed. But this is not about Mike Brown, this is about LeBron James. I simply cannot put the bulk of this blame on James when he has a coach that has been so outclassed in each of his playoff losses. Here’s hoping that LeBron stays in Cleveland and Mike Brown does not. Here’s hoping that James is given the right opportunity to be historically great, something that is in serious doubt at this point but not something I am ready to write off.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Defining Game for LeBron
As a longtime LeBron James supporter and advocate that he is probably the most talented player ever born, I thought this season and these playoffs would begin to define him as a basketball player. When I say “most talented” I do not mean the “best”. He has been the “best” player in the NBA for two or three seasons now, and with apologies to Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, and Dwight Howard among others, it really has not been all that close.
But to be considered historically great along the lines of Jordan, Magic, Bird, Russell, Wilt, Kareem and even Kobe from a historical perspective, LeBron needs to make the next step into greatness: the ability to will yourself and your team to victory and eventually, championships. All of the others that I mentioned have done this. They have led their teams to new heights and championship rings. LeBron is now 25-years-old, in his seventh season and his time has come to make the transformation from great player to historically great player.
That is why I thought this playoff run would be a defining moment in LeBron’s career. I just did not think that the defining moment would happen in the second around against the Boston Celtics. I believed it would occur in a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Orlando Magic or against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in the NBA Finals. I thought at some point that we were going to see the competitive zest that makes great players great come out in James as he led his team to their first of what would become many NBA Championships. Instead, after what is being considered his worst NBA playoff game of his career, James’ Cavaliers face an elimination game on the road in the 2nd round.
I hope as a fan of LeBron’s, as a fan of basketball, and as a fan of greatness that “LBJ” steps up in Games 6 and 7, leads his team to victory, and goes on to win his first of many championships. If he is unable to come through tonight, however, or in a game seven at home against an inferior opponent, I and everyone else that has anointed him will have to start reevaluating what his career might end up looking like. That is why tonight’s game could begin to define LeBron James’ career and his legacy one day.
But to be considered historically great along the lines of Jordan, Magic, Bird, Russell, Wilt, Kareem and even Kobe from a historical perspective, LeBron needs to make the next step into greatness: the ability to will yourself and your team to victory and eventually, championships. All of the others that I mentioned have done this. They have led their teams to new heights and championship rings. LeBron is now 25-years-old, in his seventh season and his time has come to make the transformation from great player to historically great player.
That is why I thought this playoff run would be a defining moment in LeBron’s career. I just did not think that the defining moment would happen in the second around against the Boston Celtics. I believed it would occur in a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Orlando Magic or against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in the NBA Finals. I thought at some point that we were going to see the competitive zest that makes great players great come out in James as he led his team to their first of what would become many NBA Championships. Instead, after what is being considered his worst NBA playoff game of his career, James’ Cavaliers face an elimination game on the road in the 2nd round.
I hope as a fan of LeBron’s, as a fan of basketball, and as a fan of greatness that “LBJ” steps up in Games 6 and 7, leads his team to victory, and goes on to win his first of many championships. If he is unable to come through tonight, however, or in a game seven at home against an inferior opponent, I and everyone else that has anointed him will have to start reevaluating what his career might end up looking like. That is why tonight’s game could begin to define LeBron James’ career and his legacy one day.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Special Saturday NBA/NHL Smorgasbord!
Sorry for the lack of posts this week. My real job has been a bit crazy this week and since I am not yet getting paid for my brilliant sports commentary, the blog must take a backseat to the Man at times… Let’s make it up with a Special Saturday smorgasbord on the NBA and NHL playoffs:
· When the NHL had a lockout a few years back and instituted a league-wide revenue sharing system and a salary cap, the powers that be cited the parity the new system would produce. If the first few days of the NHL playoffs is any indication, parity has definitely become the result. Each of the top two seeds in both the Eastern and Western conferences lost their opening round playoff game at home. The Penguins, the defending Stanley Cup champ, likewise lost their opening round game at home. This on the heels of the San Jose Sharks being upset in the first round last year after finishing the regular season with the most points in the NHL.
· The Penguins rebounded nicely to capture game two last night with another world-class effort from their captain, Sidney Crosby. It is sometimes easy for a team and/or a team’s fanbase to panic after one loss, but the Penguins and their fans remembered that they had lost their first two games in both the Washington and Detroit series a year ago only to rebound and win each series. The Pens came through and took care of business in game two. They will now look to carry over this momentum on the road in Ottawa on Sunday.
· The one thing that did worry me from the opening loss was the Pens’ lack of defensive presence. Yes, Marc-Andre Fleury had a bad night, but the relative ease that the Senators were getting to the net with is what worried me most. This playoff edition of the Penguins’ roster does not feature the same lockdown defensemen they had in the playoffs last year. It is important that the puck-moving defensemen the Penguins now feature on their blue line are also responsible in the defensive end. They did a much better job in game two, now the Pens must hope it continues through the rest of the series and playoffs.
· Philadelphia split with the Devils in New Jersey and gave Martin Brodeur and company all they could handle. I still like the Flyers chances at pulling the upset and allowing the inevitable Penguins-Capitals showdown to be delayed until the Eastern Conference Finals. I had to italicize “inevitable” since both the Pens and Caps will need to raise their own level of play immediately or risk falling victim to a first round upset of their own.
· LeBron James is going to win the NBA MVP, and it should be unanimous, but blog favorite Kevin Durant ended up leading the NBA in scoring this year with a 30.1 point per game average, slightly edging out James and his 29.7ppg while he rested for the final few games of the regular season. Durant became the youngest player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring at just 21 years and 197 days old.
· Cleveland is going to win the NBA title this year, you can write it down now. This will be the first of many championships for James, who is slowly but surely developing that killer instinct that even the greatest players need to get over the championship threshold.
· NBA Eastern Conference Picks: Quarterfinals: Cavs over Bulls in 4, Magic over Bobcats in 5, Hawks over Bucks in 5, Celtics over Heat in 7. Semifinals: Cavs over Celtics in 5, Magic over Hawks in 6. Eastern Finals: Cavs over Magic in 7.
· NBA Western Conference Picks: Quarterfinals: Lakers over Thunder in 7, Spurs over Mavericks in 6, Suns over Blazers in 6, Jazz over Nuggets in 6. Semifinals: Jazz over Lakers in 6, Spurs over Suns in 6. Western Finals: Jazz over Spurs in 7.
· Many of you are probably wondering how I can go against the Lakers in the West. The simple reason is health…Kobe hasn’t looked like himself. Andrew Bynum is banged up, and the Lakers point guards have been terrible. The entire West, actually, is battling the injury bug with every contender having at least one significant injury. The team that wins the chance to get beat by Cleveland in the Finals will probably be the team that can remain the healthiest.
· NBA Finals: Cavaliers over Jazz in six games, LeBron takes home his first NBA Finals MVP.
· When the NHL had a lockout a few years back and instituted a league-wide revenue sharing system and a salary cap, the powers that be cited the parity the new system would produce. If the first few days of the NHL playoffs is any indication, parity has definitely become the result. Each of the top two seeds in both the Eastern and Western conferences lost their opening round playoff game at home. The Penguins, the defending Stanley Cup champ, likewise lost their opening round game at home. This on the heels of the San Jose Sharks being upset in the first round last year after finishing the regular season with the most points in the NHL.
· The Penguins rebounded nicely to capture game two last night with another world-class effort from their captain, Sidney Crosby. It is sometimes easy for a team and/or a team’s fanbase to panic after one loss, but the Penguins and their fans remembered that they had lost their first two games in both the Washington and Detroit series a year ago only to rebound and win each series. The Pens came through and took care of business in game two. They will now look to carry over this momentum on the road in Ottawa on Sunday.
· The one thing that did worry me from the opening loss was the Pens’ lack of defensive presence. Yes, Marc-Andre Fleury had a bad night, but the relative ease that the Senators were getting to the net with is what worried me most. This playoff edition of the Penguins’ roster does not feature the same lockdown defensemen they had in the playoffs last year. It is important that the puck-moving defensemen the Penguins now feature on their blue line are also responsible in the defensive end. They did a much better job in game two, now the Pens must hope it continues through the rest of the series and playoffs.
· Philadelphia split with the Devils in New Jersey and gave Martin Brodeur and company all they could handle. I still like the Flyers chances at pulling the upset and allowing the inevitable Penguins-Capitals showdown to be delayed until the Eastern Conference Finals. I had to italicize “inevitable” since both the Pens and Caps will need to raise their own level of play immediately or risk falling victim to a first round upset of their own.
· LeBron James is going to win the NBA MVP, and it should be unanimous, but blog favorite Kevin Durant ended up leading the NBA in scoring this year with a 30.1 point per game average, slightly edging out James and his 29.7ppg while he rested for the final few games of the regular season. Durant became the youngest player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring at just 21 years and 197 days old.
· Cleveland is going to win the NBA title this year, you can write it down now. This will be the first of many championships for James, who is slowly but surely developing that killer instinct that even the greatest players need to get over the championship threshold.
· NBA Eastern Conference Picks: Quarterfinals: Cavs over Bulls in 4, Magic over Bobcats in 5, Hawks over Bucks in 5, Celtics over Heat in 7. Semifinals: Cavs over Celtics in 5, Magic over Hawks in 6. Eastern Finals: Cavs over Magic in 7.
· NBA Western Conference Picks: Quarterfinals: Lakers over Thunder in 7, Spurs over Mavericks in 6, Suns over Blazers in 6, Jazz over Nuggets in 6. Semifinals: Jazz over Lakers in 6, Spurs over Suns in 6. Western Finals: Jazz over Spurs in 7.
· Many of you are probably wondering how I can go against the Lakers in the West. The simple reason is health…Kobe hasn’t looked like himself. Andrew Bynum is banged up, and the Lakers point guards have been terrible. The entire West, actually, is battling the injury bug with every contender having at least one significant injury. The team that wins the chance to get beat by Cleveland in the Finals will probably be the team that can remain the healthiest.
· NBA Finals: Cavaliers over Jazz in six games, LeBron takes home his first NBA Finals MVP.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Durant and Olympic Updates
• Kevin Durant extended his streak to 29 games of 25 or more points last night with a 36 point, 8 rebound effort in a loss to the Phoenix Suns. The streak is now the longest since Michael Jordan had 40 consecutive games back in 1986-87. What’s more impressive, however, is that was the young Thunder’s first loss in 10 games, and they are 20-9 overall during the streak. Not only is “Durantula” putting up massive points, he is leading his team to victories. The Thunder sit 33-22 overall and are only two games out of a top-4 seed out West and having home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The MVP is probably LeBron’s in a foregone conclusion but Durant, who now leads the NBA in scoring, just might make it a little tougher on voters if he keeps this up.
• Everyone saw or heard about the United States’ 5-3 victory over Canada Sunday night, leaving the entire country of Canada in shock. The game was relatively meaningless in the overall scheme of the Olympic Competition, but set up an unbelievable quarterfinal match-up tonight of Russia vs. Canada. It is unbelievable because these were the two favorites heading into the Games and now one of them will not medal. My prediction is that Sidney Crosby comes up big once again and leads his team to victory tonight.
• The U.S. will take on Switzerland in what looks like an easy victory for the States. The puck actually drops just a bit later today and the U.S. better be sure to not overlook a dangerous Swiss team. One poor performance and Team U.S. will be left packing their bags in this tournament.
• The United States holds a tight lead in the overall medal count with 26 medals, including 7 Golds. Germany is right on their heels with 23 overall medals and the same 7 Golds. The United States has not won the Winter Olympics medal count in 78 years, going back to 1932. With 81 medals still up for grabs, the final medal count should come right down to the wire making every medal that much more important.
Couple of housecleaning notes:
• I am putting the finishing touches on my first thoughts on your 2010 Buccos. Look out for that piece at some point tomorrow. Let’s just say that I am predicting a historical season for the home team.
• I received a few emails asking when my 2010 offseason plan for the Steelers would be coming. The NFL calendar designates March 5 as the beginning of a “new year” so let us stay in line with the NFL, the king in our sports world, and set that day for the release of my 2010 offseason plan. In the meantime, I would like to see the Steelers start by placing the franchise tag on Casey Hampton.
• Everyone saw or heard about the United States’ 5-3 victory over Canada Sunday night, leaving the entire country of Canada in shock. The game was relatively meaningless in the overall scheme of the Olympic Competition, but set up an unbelievable quarterfinal match-up tonight of Russia vs. Canada. It is unbelievable because these were the two favorites heading into the Games and now one of them will not medal. My prediction is that Sidney Crosby comes up big once again and leads his team to victory tonight.
• The U.S. will take on Switzerland in what looks like an easy victory for the States. The puck actually drops just a bit later today and the U.S. better be sure to not overlook a dangerous Swiss team. One poor performance and Team U.S. will be left packing their bags in this tournament.
• The United States holds a tight lead in the overall medal count with 26 medals, including 7 Golds. Germany is right on their heels with 23 overall medals and the same 7 Golds. The United States has not won the Winter Olympics medal count in 78 years, going back to 1932. With 81 medals still up for grabs, the final medal count should come right down to the wire making every medal that much more important.
Couple of housecleaning notes:
• I am putting the finishing touches on my first thoughts on your 2010 Buccos. Look out for that piece at some point tomorrow. Let’s just say that I am predicting a historical season for the home team.
• I received a few emails asking when my 2010 offseason plan for the Steelers would be coming. The NFL calendar designates March 5 as the beginning of a “new year” so let us stay in line with the NFL, the king in our sports world, and set that day for the release of my 2010 offseason plan. In the meantime, I would like to see the Steelers start by placing the franchise tag on Casey Hampton.
Friday, February 19, 2010
TGIF
Nothing beats a Friday and what better way to wrap up the week than with a smorgasbord of thoughts from around the sports world. Yes, I just went smorgasbord on you…
• Last night was an incredible night of sports on TV. We had great college hoops on including Syracuse-Georgetown and Pitt-Marquette among other games. Olympic action was on two different channels including Canada’s shootout game against Switzerland in hockey. Four of the top six teams in the NBA were in action on TNT. I couldn’t flip channels fast enough. I wish every night was like that…then again I would probably be divorced if that were the case.
• Pitt played what I thought was their best all-around game of the season last night with the possible exception of the Syracuse game. Despite getting only two points from leading scorer Ashton Gibbs, the Panthers other four starters scored in double figures and they had solid contributions from Gilbert Brown, Travon Woodall and Dante Taylor off the bench. The Panthers got a host of dunks using dribble penetration (did somebody recommend this just last week!) and pounding the ball down low. If they can continue this, Gibbs should be freed up even more on the outside. The Panthers played great defense as usual and really took it to Marquette giving Jamie Dixon his first win in the Bradley Center.
• With that win Pitt is well-positioned to get a top 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Sunday’s game at the Pete against Villanova should tell us a whole lot about Pitt’s chances of making a sustained run in the Big Dance. I will be watching this game with a very close eye on how Pitt can defend great penetrating guards, something that can kill you come tournament time.
• Tiger Woods, as the entire world knows, breaks his silence today in another protected, boring press conference. Blah…let me know when he decides to golf again.
• In Olympic action, the American stars have come to shine as Lindsey Vonn, Shaun White and Shani Davis have all taken home Gold in their respective events. It makes the Games somewhat more enjoyable when you have actually heard of the competitors competing for and winning medals. The U.S. now has a comfortable lead in the medal count with 18 medals (9 Golds), seven more than second place Germany.
• Speaking of making the events more enjoyable; if you want to make it interesting throw a wager down on an underdog in an event and have a rooting interest (if gambling were legal of course). I watched the half-pipe event with my brother who threw a small bet down on Scottie Lago at 10-1 odds. Of course Shaun White was the heavy favorite and put on an unbelievable performance, but that didn’t make it any less fun after Lago had a fantastic run to take the early lead. I never watched a winter event with more enthusiasm. Lago finished with the bronze by the way.
• In hockey action, the U.S. looked solid again posting a 6-1 win over Norway getting a goal and an assist from local boy Ryan Malone. Canada won on a shootout goal from Sidney Crosby and Russia was not as fortunate losing in a shootout against Slovakia. Pool play is not integral to winning the tournament but the U.S. and Canada do square off in an interesting match on Sunday. The winner will receive a bye in the first round of tournament action. Canada and Russia being pushed to shootouts goes to show you that no matter how talented a team is a hot goaltender can be the great equalizer. When tournament play begins and it is one loss and done, the question will be whose goaltender comes up big.
• LeBron James is incredible. He finished last night with 43 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds for his 27th career triple-double. He also chipped in 4 blocks and 2 steals for good measure. (In case you thought these numbers were inflated by overtime LeBron had 37, 15, 13, 4 and 2 at the end of regulation). For anyone that thinks there is even a debate anymore about who the best player in the world is, get with reality. The only question left for me is whether James enters the debate with MJ himself someday as the greatest player ever.
• The Cavs lost the game 118-116 in overtime to the Denver Nuggets by the way. Carmelo Anthony had a fantastic night himself scoring 40 points including the game winning jumper over LeBron with 1.9 seconds left in overtime. Despite the loss, it was a great day for the Cavaliers who added Antawn Jamison in a trade on Wednesday. Cleveland is my pick to win it all this year and give LeBron his first of what will be many championships.
• Pitchers and catchers reported to Bradenton on Wednesday. Hard to believe baseball has begun when we are buried in three feet of snow up here. Spring brings eternal hope for baseball fans, except those that are fans of the Pirates. We will be talking a lot of baseball in the coming weeks, but for now look out for my initial thoughts on the Buccos in the next few days.
• I do not understand why NFL players get upset when they are franchised. I bring this up in light of Vince Wilfork of the Patriots “slap in the face” comment and Casey Hampton expressing similar feelings. The one year salary that franchised players receive is often equal or close to the amount of guaranteed money they would receive in a longer term contract with the added ability of becoming a free agent again the following year. I think this attitude stems from players not being Nobel Prize winners in economics and their agents feeding them propaganda looking for their own guaranteed paychecks.
• Despite many so-called “experts” feeling as though the Steelers biggest need is offensive line, I could not disagree more. The Steelers are built to win now. Any lineman drafted by the Steelers will not start this upcoming season. There are simply no starting jobs available on the line and despite popular opinion, the line performed quite well last year. I hope the Steelers trade up for a defensive back, the position that could make the most impact on the coming season. If the Steelers stay at number 18, I would be an advocate at taking the best player available as they need depth at linebacker, the secondary and both lines.
• Another teaser alert….I will be back in the next few days with more on the Steelers including what my full offseason plan would be were I to wake up the next day with Kevin Colbert’s job.
• Last night was an incredible night of sports on TV. We had great college hoops on including Syracuse-Georgetown and Pitt-Marquette among other games. Olympic action was on two different channels including Canada’s shootout game against Switzerland in hockey. Four of the top six teams in the NBA were in action on TNT. I couldn’t flip channels fast enough. I wish every night was like that…then again I would probably be divorced if that were the case.
• Pitt played what I thought was their best all-around game of the season last night with the possible exception of the Syracuse game. Despite getting only two points from leading scorer Ashton Gibbs, the Panthers other four starters scored in double figures and they had solid contributions from Gilbert Brown, Travon Woodall and Dante Taylor off the bench. The Panthers got a host of dunks using dribble penetration (did somebody recommend this just last week!) and pounding the ball down low. If they can continue this, Gibbs should be freed up even more on the outside. The Panthers played great defense as usual and really took it to Marquette giving Jamie Dixon his first win in the Bradley Center.
• With that win Pitt is well-positioned to get a top 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Sunday’s game at the Pete against Villanova should tell us a whole lot about Pitt’s chances of making a sustained run in the Big Dance. I will be watching this game with a very close eye on how Pitt can defend great penetrating guards, something that can kill you come tournament time.
• Tiger Woods, as the entire world knows, breaks his silence today in another protected, boring press conference. Blah…let me know when he decides to golf again.
• In Olympic action, the American stars have come to shine as Lindsey Vonn, Shaun White and Shani Davis have all taken home Gold in their respective events. It makes the Games somewhat more enjoyable when you have actually heard of the competitors competing for and winning medals. The U.S. now has a comfortable lead in the medal count with 18 medals (9 Golds), seven more than second place Germany.
• Speaking of making the events more enjoyable; if you want to make it interesting throw a wager down on an underdog in an event and have a rooting interest (if gambling were legal of course). I watched the half-pipe event with my brother who threw a small bet down on Scottie Lago at 10-1 odds. Of course Shaun White was the heavy favorite and put on an unbelievable performance, but that didn’t make it any less fun after Lago had a fantastic run to take the early lead. I never watched a winter event with more enthusiasm. Lago finished with the bronze by the way.
• In hockey action, the U.S. looked solid again posting a 6-1 win over Norway getting a goal and an assist from local boy Ryan Malone. Canada won on a shootout goal from Sidney Crosby and Russia was not as fortunate losing in a shootout against Slovakia. Pool play is not integral to winning the tournament but the U.S. and Canada do square off in an interesting match on Sunday. The winner will receive a bye in the first round of tournament action. Canada and Russia being pushed to shootouts goes to show you that no matter how talented a team is a hot goaltender can be the great equalizer. When tournament play begins and it is one loss and done, the question will be whose goaltender comes up big.
• LeBron James is incredible. He finished last night with 43 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds for his 27th career triple-double. He also chipped in 4 blocks and 2 steals for good measure. (In case you thought these numbers were inflated by overtime LeBron had 37, 15, 13, 4 and 2 at the end of regulation). For anyone that thinks there is even a debate anymore about who the best player in the world is, get with reality. The only question left for me is whether James enters the debate with MJ himself someday as the greatest player ever.
• The Cavs lost the game 118-116 in overtime to the Denver Nuggets by the way. Carmelo Anthony had a fantastic night himself scoring 40 points including the game winning jumper over LeBron with 1.9 seconds left in overtime. Despite the loss, it was a great day for the Cavaliers who added Antawn Jamison in a trade on Wednesday. Cleveland is my pick to win it all this year and give LeBron his first of what will be many championships.
• Pitchers and catchers reported to Bradenton on Wednesday. Hard to believe baseball has begun when we are buried in three feet of snow up here. Spring brings eternal hope for baseball fans, except those that are fans of the Pirates. We will be talking a lot of baseball in the coming weeks, but for now look out for my initial thoughts on the Buccos in the next few days.
• I do not understand why NFL players get upset when they are franchised. I bring this up in light of Vince Wilfork of the Patriots “slap in the face” comment and Casey Hampton expressing similar feelings. The one year salary that franchised players receive is often equal or close to the amount of guaranteed money they would receive in a longer term contract with the added ability of becoming a free agent again the following year. I think this attitude stems from players not being Nobel Prize winners in economics and their agents feeding them propaganda looking for their own guaranteed paychecks.
• Despite many so-called “experts” feeling as though the Steelers biggest need is offensive line, I could not disagree more. The Steelers are built to win now. Any lineman drafted by the Steelers will not start this upcoming season. There are simply no starting jobs available on the line and despite popular opinion, the line performed quite well last year. I hope the Steelers trade up for a defensive back, the position that could make the most impact on the coming season. If the Steelers stay at number 18, I would be an advocate at taking the best player available as they need depth at linebacker, the secondary and both lines.
• Another teaser alert….I will be back in the next few days with more on the Steelers including what my full offseason plan would be were I to wake up the next day with Kevin Colbert’s job.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Leftover Thoughts and News from Yesterday
Here is some more news and thoughts pertaining to yesterday’s talk on the Olympics and the NBA:
• Canada opened their Olympic pool play win an 8-0 win over Norway, generally considered the worst team in the Olympics. Sydney Crosby contributed 3 assists in his first Olympic game.
• Russia and Sweden are considered the biggest threats to Canada bringing home the Gold. Russia opened up their pool play with an 8-2 win over Latvia. Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist while Sergei Gonchar did not record any points. Alexander Ovechkin scored two goals and former Penguin Alexei Morozov, serving as the Russian captain, had a goal as well. Yes, that Alexei Morozov, the guy who could never live up to his potential in a Penguin uniform. Sweden opens up pool play this evening against Germany.
• No medals were awarded last night, leaving the medal count the same as yesterday with Germany leading the United States by one.
• The Olympic Games are obviously being played in Vancouver which is in the Pacific Time Zone. This means that action continues on into the late night here on the East Coast. This doesn’t bother me too much as I am generally a night person anyhow and it sure beats when the Olympics are held across the globe and the events you most want to see are in action in the middle of the night (such as the Men’s Basketball Gold Medal game last summer which started at approximately 3am local time).
• Kevin Durant led his Oklahoma City Thunder to another win last night, beating the newly revamped Dallas Mavericks. Durant finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 assists, extending his 25 points or more streak to 26 games. Durant scored his 25th point with a runner in the lane with about 30 seconds remaining in the game thus avoiding the first ever blog jinx.
• Many of you are probably Bill Simmons (of ESPN.com) fans already. If you are not or do not know who I am talking about, Simmons is a writer for ESPN nicknamed “The Sports Guy”. He is a common sense columnist for ESPN that gives comedic opinions on sports, life and reality TV to name just a few topics. His niche, however, is the NBA. Yesterday, my favorite column of the year of his came out dissecting the trade value of the top players in the NBA. Give it a READ; it will get you caught up on all the players you need to know about if you do not follow the NBA too closely. A certain someone I discussed yesterday just happens to fall in at number 3 as well, right behind Dwight Howard and LeBron James.
• Canada opened their Olympic pool play win an 8-0 win over Norway, generally considered the worst team in the Olympics. Sydney Crosby contributed 3 assists in his first Olympic game.
• Russia and Sweden are considered the biggest threats to Canada bringing home the Gold. Russia opened up their pool play with an 8-2 win over Latvia. Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist while Sergei Gonchar did not record any points. Alexander Ovechkin scored two goals and former Penguin Alexei Morozov, serving as the Russian captain, had a goal as well. Yes, that Alexei Morozov, the guy who could never live up to his potential in a Penguin uniform. Sweden opens up pool play this evening against Germany.
• No medals were awarded last night, leaving the medal count the same as yesterday with Germany leading the United States by one.
• The Olympic Games are obviously being played in Vancouver which is in the Pacific Time Zone. This means that action continues on into the late night here on the East Coast. This doesn’t bother me too much as I am generally a night person anyhow and it sure beats when the Olympics are held across the globe and the events you most want to see are in action in the middle of the night (such as the Men’s Basketball Gold Medal game last summer which started at approximately 3am local time).
• Kevin Durant led his Oklahoma City Thunder to another win last night, beating the newly revamped Dallas Mavericks. Durant finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 assists, extending his 25 points or more streak to 26 games. Durant scored his 25th point with a runner in the lane with about 30 seconds remaining in the game thus avoiding the first ever blog jinx.
• Many of you are probably Bill Simmons (of ESPN.com) fans already. If you are not or do not know who I am talking about, Simmons is a writer for ESPN nicknamed “The Sports Guy”. He is a common sense columnist for ESPN that gives comedic opinions on sports, life and reality TV to name just a few topics. His niche, however, is the NBA. Yesterday, my favorite column of the year of his came out dissecting the trade value of the top players in the NBA. Give it a READ; it will get you caught up on all the players you need to know about if you do not follow the NBA too closely. A certain someone I discussed yesterday just happens to fall in at number 3 as well, right behind Dwight Howard and LeBron James.
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