Its playoff time in the NBA and I could not be more excited. The Western Conference has had one of the most exciting races in history and the eastern conference is much deeper than people give it credit for. The Atlanta Hawks made the playoffs despite having a sub .500 record, and the Golden State Warriors missed the playoffs despite having a record above .500. Let's take a quick look at the match ups in the first round...
Eastern Conference
Boston Celtics vs Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks are an exciting team with youth and enthusiasm. They traded for Mike Bibby just before the trade deadline in hopes that he would be the missing piece to put them in the playoffs. He did just that, and the Hawks are an exciting, explosive team. Unfortunately for them their reward for getting into the playoffs is facing arguably the NBA's best team in the Boston Celtics. The Celtics are hungry for a title and are lead by my defensive player of the year Kevin Garnett. Boston is also very deep, outside of the top three (Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen) especially after adding clutch performer Sam Cassel. I just don't see how Atlanta can win this series, they would be lucky to win a game. Celtics win 4-1
Detroit Pistons vs Philadelphia 76ers: Detroit has had the same core of players for seven years. They know each others tendencies and are the definition of team basketball. They are always right in the thick of things when you talk basketball contenders year after year. They are taking on the 76ers who surprised everyone in making it this far. Many picked them to finish dead last in the eastern conference, and they have done a great job getting things turned around. Point Guard Andre Miller has been the catalyst for this team, and Andre Iguodala has proven to be the new star in Philadelphia. Although I would not be surprised for Philly to steal a game or two, I see the Pistons winning this series in 6 games.
Orlando Magic vs Toronto Raptors: With the addition of Rashard Lewis and new head coach Stan Van Gundy, the Magic are emerging as a power in the Eastern Conference. Dwight Howard is the best big man in the NBA, and there is no one that can stop him. Not even Toronto's star Chris Bosh. Bosh is a great player, no doubt. However he just is not husky enough to be able to do anything against Howard. Van Gundy has got the Magic playing great defense, and that will be key in the playoffs. The Magic will win this series in 5 games.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Washington Wizards: The Wizards have been bashing Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers leading up to this series and that is not in the Wizards' best interest. The last thing anyone should do is make King James upset, as he has a tendency to be untouchable when he gets that kind of motivation. The Cav's traded for Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, and others with the idea to put them back in the NBA Finals. I don't think they will get quite that far, but it will be good enough to get them past Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and the Wizards in 5 games.
Western Conference
LA Lakers vs Denver Nuggets: After an off season that seemingly had Kobe Bryant headed out of Los Angeles, the Lakers are on their way back to the top of the basketball world. As Andrew Bynum started to get his act together, so did the Lakers. Then, they stole Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies and the rest is history. Although Bynum is hurt, Gasol more than makes up for his absence. Even though the Nuggets are in the playoffs they have not lived up to expectations this year. Denver can score with anyone in the NBA, but that is not how to win games in the playoffs. Unless Allen Iverson, Carmello Anthony, and company miraculously start stopping people, they have no shot in this series. I do however believe that they will steal a game or two by scoring 120 points or more. The Lakers win this one in 6 games.
New Orleans Hornets vs Dallas Mavericks: MVP candidate Chris Paul and the Hornets have been the surprise of the season. No one expected them to be in this position, and they have continued to disprove doubters all season long. The Dallas Maverick's made a blockbuster move in trading for Jason Kidd, believing he is the missing piece in their championship puzzle. The problem with that is, Kidd is not the defensive stopper he once was and he cannot keep up with Chris Paul. Another issue with Dallas is despite Dirk Nowitski's greatness, when it has come down to crunch time he does not have the confidence in himself to get it done (2006 NBA Finals). If Dallas is going to win this series, it is going to be on the shoulders of Josh Howard. Dallas will have to go back to the drawing board after this season, I like New Orleans to squeak out of this series in 7 games.
Phoenix Suns vs San Antonio Spurs: This is the series everyone wants to watch. After a controversial ending last year to this series, the Suns are looking for revenge. This time the Suns are diesel powered, and anything less then a championship would be a failure. If the Suns don't get that title, the window of opportunity for them to win one has effectively closed. The Spurs may not be the most exciting team but they flat out get it done. They play great defense, they are unselfish, and by the way they have Tim Duncan. The Suns were hoping to counteract Duncan with Shaq but, Shaq is not Shaq anymore. Pat Riley will be smiling at the end of this series, when San Antonio wins in 6 games.
Houston Rockets vs Utah Jazz: Houston has impressed a lot of people with the way they played during the regular season. Yao Ming went down, and the Rockets went on a 22 game win streak. However, this is not the regular season. This is where Yao will certainly be missed. His presence inside was not enough to defeat the Utah Jazz last year, and without him the results will be the same. Despite Tracy McGrady's all star status, he will not be able to defeat Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, and a healthy Utah team by himself. The Jazz will win this series in 6 games.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
Men's National Chamionship
And then there were two...Memphis continues to dominate opponents and in the process makes them look like high school teams. I just cannot say enough about Derrick Rose. The Miami Heat have their eye on him, and given then chance may snag him with the first pick in the draft this year. Rose and Chris Douglas Roberts (aka CDR) combined for 53 points against UCLA, however Rose's stomach has been giving him problems, causing him to miss Sunday's media session. Kansas' back court has also been lighting it up during the tournament. Brandon Rush is the headliner, scoring 25 points against UNC. Let's not forget about Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers who have a reputation of being defensive stoppers and solid distributors. It will be their job to contain Derrick Rose and stop him from embarrassing people the way he did to DJ Augustine and Darren Collison. Chalmers is leading Kansas in three point shooting, making close to 48 percent of his shots.
When it comes to the front court players of these two teams, neither gets much on the offensive end of the floor. That is exactly why both of these teams boast lineups featuring three guards. Kansas' Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson both have gone more than 10 games without double digit rebounds. Memphis' Joey Dorsey had 15 rebounds against UCLA and is a great shot blocker. However, he shoots a pathetic 38% from the free throw line, so don't be surprised to see a hack-a-Joey game plan to help Kansas slow things down.
The depth of Kansas must not be underestimated. They have guys coming off the bench like speedster Sherron Collins who averages 9 points and can shoot the three pointer. The Jayhawks also have solid front court players coming off the bench in Sasha Kaun and Cole Aldrich who combined for 12 points against UNC. Memphis does not dabble too far down their bench, with 6'10" Shawn Taggart the only bench player who got more than six minutes on Saturday.
The way Memphis has been dominating people, it is no wonder why many people have them winning this game. That being said, I picked Kansas to win the championship at the beginning, and I have no reason to go against them now. The depth of this team is what will allow them to cut down the nets and reign as National Champions.
When it comes to the front court players of these two teams, neither gets much on the offensive end of the floor. That is exactly why both of these teams boast lineups featuring three guards. Kansas' Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson both have gone more than 10 games without double digit rebounds. Memphis' Joey Dorsey had 15 rebounds against UCLA and is a great shot blocker. However, he shoots a pathetic 38% from the free throw line, so don't be surprised to see a hack-a-Joey game plan to help Kansas slow things down.
The depth of Kansas must not be underestimated. They have guys coming off the bench like speedster Sherron Collins who averages 9 points and can shoot the three pointer. The Jayhawks also have solid front court players coming off the bench in Sasha Kaun and Cole Aldrich who combined for 12 points against UNC. Memphis does not dabble too far down their bench, with 6'10" Shawn Taggart the only bench player who got more than six minutes on Saturday.
The way Memphis has been dominating people, it is no wonder why many people have them winning this game. That being said, I picked Kansas to win the championship at the beginning, and I have no reason to go against them now. The depth of this team is what will allow them to cut down the nets and reign as National Champions.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Buried Bonds
Opening day, opening week or whatever you would like to call it has come and gone. The one thing I missed the most, was Barry Bonds. I miss the circus surrounding him, I miss the press conferences, and most of all I miss long ball that he hit like no one else has in the history of Major League Baseball. Say what you want about him, this guy was a first ballot hall of fame player before his head swelled up like a hot air balloon. No matter how you feel about steroids and HGH, Barry Bonds was no more than a product created by Bud Selig and MLB. Had the commish decided to crack down on performance enhancing drugs when the problem first arose, there would be none of this nonsense going on. Although there will always be a way to beat the system, in this case the system simply did not care. Owners knew what was going on, players knew, coaches knew, even the bat boy could tell something was not right. It is impossible for the commissioner of the league not to have at least heard the whispers of what was taking place in locker rooms across the county. But hey, baseball was as popular as ever, the dollars were pouring by the millions so who cares what the players were actually doing to themselves? Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were setting the country on fire and the commish could not be happier.
Then, reality happened. McGwire was spotted with 'roids in his locker, although not illegal at the time. The trickle down effect happened, and places like Balco were exposed. Slowly but surely the names started coming out, Sosa, McGwire, Palmerio, and Bonds. By some accounts there were more players on performance enhancers then there were players doing it the "natural way". Most recently, it was the Mitchell report and the name the shocked the world, Roger Clemens. The most dominating pitcher of his era, along with the greatest hitter of that same era Barry Bonds were named. Barry Bonds and everyone else who used simply leveled the playing field. The pitchers could throw faster, and the hitters could hit farther so let's just forget about these damn asterisks once and for all.
This all falls on the lap of the commish that swept it all under the rug, the one that allowed the players union to run the show, the one that saw the signs of it occurring right under his nose and chose to do nothing. However, that is all in the past now and no ones wants to move past it faster than Bud Selig. So what does he decide to do? He decides not to let Barry Bonds play baseball. He does not allow the man who broke Hank Aaron's (a close friend of Selig) home run record to add anymore homers to the collection. Selig has decided to get the finger out of his face, and point it in the direction of Barry Lamar Bonds. If he can make sure Bonds just disappears, maybe everyone will not notice what is really going on. Selig is colluding with the rest of the owners to keep Bonds out of baseball.
There are many reasons why teams say they are not interested in Barry Bonds, and all of them imply that these reasons are out of morals, and principles. I beg to differ. One may say that Bonds' age and health concerns are why they will not sign him, however the New York Mets picked up Moises Alou's 7.5 million dollar option to play left field, Alou is 42 years old. The past two seasons, Alou has played in 185 games, Bonds has played in 285 games. The National League teams claim to pass on him because he would be a DH, but if Alou can play left field why not Bonds? The San Diego Padres elected to have Jody Gerut play left field, a guy who has not been in the majors since 2005, and had a batting average of .253, an on base percentage of .330 and had a slugging percentage of .347 in only 170 at bats that year. In 2007 Bonds hit .276, .480, and .565. You are telling me its not worth it to give Bonds a shot?
Some make the argument that Bonds has an acidic personality and would be oil to the water in the clubhouse. However, in 1999 the Mets decided to pay off the poison in their locker room Bobby Bonilla (who had a bad season that year) and Bonilla still caught on with two other teams (Atlanta in 2000, and St.Lois in 2001). There are also those teams that say Bonds is too much of a financial risk at 10 million per year that is allegedly is asking. However, the Milwaukee Brewers gave a one year ten million dollar contract to a 32 year old pitcher who has seen the surgical knife more times than Joan Rivers, and was also named in the Mitchell Report. That pitcher....Eric Gange. Gagne is less of a risk than Bonds?
For every argument there is against signing Bonds, there is an example that counters each point. The teamless, free agent Bonds is looking for work and the timing works out perfectly for Selig. He can hide his tactics behind the camouflage of all of these so called "moral,ethical, and financial" reasons for keeping Bonds where Selig wants him, out of baseball.
Then, reality happened. McGwire was spotted with 'roids in his locker, although not illegal at the time. The trickle down effect happened, and places like Balco were exposed. Slowly but surely the names started coming out, Sosa, McGwire, Palmerio, and Bonds. By some accounts there were more players on performance enhancers then there were players doing it the "natural way". Most recently, it was the Mitchell report and the name the shocked the world, Roger Clemens. The most dominating pitcher of his era, along with the greatest hitter of that same era Barry Bonds were named. Barry Bonds and everyone else who used simply leveled the playing field. The pitchers could throw faster, and the hitters could hit farther so let's just forget about these damn asterisks once and for all.
This all falls on the lap of the commish that swept it all under the rug, the one that allowed the players union to run the show, the one that saw the signs of it occurring right under his nose and chose to do nothing. However, that is all in the past now and no ones wants to move past it faster than Bud Selig. So what does he decide to do? He decides not to let Barry Bonds play baseball. He does not allow the man who broke Hank Aaron's (a close friend of Selig) home run record to add anymore homers to the collection. Selig has decided to get the finger out of his face, and point it in the direction of Barry Lamar Bonds. If he can make sure Bonds just disappears, maybe everyone will not notice what is really going on. Selig is colluding with the rest of the owners to keep Bonds out of baseball.
There are many reasons why teams say they are not interested in Barry Bonds, and all of them imply that these reasons are out of morals, and principles. I beg to differ. One may say that Bonds' age and health concerns are why they will not sign him, however the New York Mets picked up Moises Alou's 7.5 million dollar option to play left field, Alou is 42 years old. The past two seasons, Alou has played in 185 games, Bonds has played in 285 games. The National League teams claim to pass on him because he would be a DH, but if Alou can play left field why not Bonds? The San Diego Padres elected to have Jody Gerut play left field, a guy who has not been in the majors since 2005, and had a batting average of .253, an on base percentage of .330 and had a slugging percentage of .347 in only 170 at bats that year. In 2007 Bonds hit .276, .480, and .565. You are telling me its not worth it to give Bonds a shot?
Some make the argument that Bonds has an acidic personality and would be oil to the water in the clubhouse. However, in 1999 the Mets decided to pay off the poison in their locker room Bobby Bonilla (who had a bad season that year) and Bonilla still caught on with two other teams (Atlanta in 2000, and St.Lois in 2001). There are also those teams that say Bonds is too much of a financial risk at 10 million per year that is allegedly is asking. However, the Milwaukee Brewers gave a one year ten million dollar contract to a 32 year old pitcher who has seen the surgical knife more times than Joan Rivers, and was also named in the Mitchell Report. That pitcher....Eric Gange. Gagne is less of a risk than Bonds?
For every argument there is against signing Bonds, there is an example that counters each point. The teamless, free agent Bonds is looking for work and the timing works out perfectly for Selig. He can hide his tactics behind the camouflage of all of these so called "moral,ethical, and financial" reasons for keeping Bonds where Selig wants him, out of baseball.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Final Four
Ladies and gentlemen, Cinderella has left the building. The dress, shoes, carriage, and chauffeur have turned back intro rags, slippers, a pumpkin, and mice. As much as everyone outside of Kansas was rooting for Stephen Curry and the Davidson Wildcats, the clock has struck midnight. The silver lining in this cloud is that this should be one of the greatest Final Four's ever. All four of these teams have been dominating college basketball not just all season, but for years. This year, all of these teams have won conference titles and are riding double digit winning streaks. Memphis and Kansas have won eleven straight games, UCLA has won fourteen, and North Carolina has won its past fifteen games. None of these teams have lost consecutive games this season. Memphis, who is the least accomplished of the four teams, has appeared in the elite eight the past two years and now is in the final four. This is also the third Final Four for the Tigers in the past three decades, with a third different coach.
The success of these teams comes as no surprise considering the talent and athleticism on all four teams. There are twelve high school McDonald's All-Americans between the four teams. Three of the four teams also have college All-Americans on their team (UCLA's Kevin Love, Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts, and UNC's Tyler Hansbrough).
So the million dollar question is, who of all these great teams will prevail in San Antonio? Let's start with Memphis vs UCLA. The Memphis Tigers are going to looking for revenge after UCLA ended their season two years ago in the elite eight. Memphis plays great defense, and has dominated just about everyone who stood in their way this year. Freshman point guard Derrick Rose has been averaging 20 points and 6 assists in the tournament, and is drawing comparisons to former Wake Forest standout and current New Orleans Hornet Chris Paul. His ability to make plays for his teammates along with creating shots for himself, has put him head and shoulders above every other point guard in the country (especially after embarrassing All American point guard DJ Augustine last week). It also appears that Memphis is overcoming their free throw shooting woes. During the regular season Memphis was dead last in this statistic (59%), they have shot in the 70-80% range the past two games, but I'm not sure how the Tigers will do in a close game. For Memphis, it may come down to Joey Dorsey's ability to shut down UCLA's fantastic freshman center Kevin Love (18 points, and 11 rebounds per game) for Memphis to move on to the championship. Love has been doing it all for the Bruins in the tournament and all year long. He steps out and shoots the three pointer, he plays hard in the post, and has been crashing the boards like a man possessed. But, when you talk UCLA you cannot forget about their defense either. Point guard Darren Collison is the son of former track star parents, and has the speed and quickness to keep up with anyone. He and the rest of the Bruins have been holding opponents to a meager 53 points per game in the tournament (Memphis has been scoring 83 points per game). This game will be decided in the final three minutes, with the Bruins prevailing because of their defensive abilities.
The Kansas Jayhawks and the North Carolina Tar Heels are the deepest teams in the country. This is the clash of the titans, the heavyweight bout of this semifinal round. When it comes to Carolina, you can't say enough about Tyler Hansbrough. He seems to improve with every passing moment. He has added the 15-18 foot jump shot to his arsenal, making him almost impossible to guard. Let's not forget about Hansbrough's partner in crime, Ty Lawson. Lawson was out for six games in February due to an ankle injury, but has come back full force. His injury forced backup Quentin Thomas and the rest of the Tar Heels to step up and as a result, Lawson returned to a more complete team when he had healed.
The Jayhawks have had seven different players lead the team in scoring in games this season. The depth of this team is unmatched in all of college basketball. They have supreme guard play with Brandon Rush,Mario Chalmers, and Sheron Collins. They also have a fantastic front court lead by Darell Arthur. Arthur vs Hansbrough could be the determining factor in this one, as both will try to avoid getting into foul trouble. This game will be a physical one, featuring great defense on both sides, leading to a low scoring game. Although North Carolina has been solid all year long, Kansas will prevail in this one, setting up a championship game of the Jayhakws versus the UCLA Bruins.
The success of these teams comes as no surprise considering the talent and athleticism on all four teams. There are twelve high school McDonald's All-Americans between the four teams. Three of the four teams also have college All-Americans on their team (UCLA's Kevin Love, Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts, and UNC's Tyler Hansbrough).
So the million dollar question is, who of all these great teams will prevail in San Antonio? Let's start with Memphis vs UCLA. The Memphis Tigers are going to looking for revenge after UCLA ended their season two years ago in the elite eight. Memphis plays great defense, and has dominated just about everyone who stood in their way this year. Freshman point guard Derrick Rose has been averaging 20 points and 6 assists in the tournament, and is drawing comparisons to former Wake Forest standout and current New Orleans Hornet Chris Paul. His ability to make plays for his teammates along with creating shots for himself, has put him head and shoulders above every other point guard in the country (especially after embarrassing All American point guard DJ Augustine last week). It also appears that Memphis is overcoming their free throw shooting woes. During the regular season Memphis was dead last in this statistic (59%), they have shot in the 70-80% range the past two games, but I'm not sure how the Tigers will do in a close game. For Memphis, it may come down to Joey Dorsey's ability to shut down UCLA's fantastic freshman center Kevin Love (18 points, and 11 rebounds per game) for Memphis to move on to the championship. Love has been doing it all for the Bruins in the tournament and all year long. He steps out and shoots the three pointer, he plays hard in the post, and has been crashing the boards like a man possessed. But, when you talk UCLA you cannot forget about their defense either. Point guard Darren Collison is the son of former track star parents, and has the speed and quickness to keep up with anyone. He and the rest of the Bruins have been holding opponents to a meager 53 points per game in the tournament (Memphis has been scoring 83 points per game). This game will be decided in the final three minutes, with the Bruins prevailing because of their defensive abilities.
The Kansas Jayhawks and the North Carolina Tar Heels are the deepest teams in the country. This is the clash of the titans, the heavyweight bout of this semifinal round. When it comes to Carolina, you can't say enough about Tyler Hansbrough. He seems to improve with every passing moment. He has added the 15-18 foot jump shot to his arsenal, making him almost impossible to guard. Let's not forget about Hansbrough's partner in crime, Ty Lawson. Lawson was out for six games in February due to an ankle injury, but has come back full force. His injury forced backup Quentin Thomas and the rest of the Tar Heels to step up and as a result, Lawson returned to a more complete team when he had healed.
The Jayhawks have had seven different players lead the team in scoring in games this season. The depth of this team is unmatched in all of college basketball. They have supreme guard play with Brandon Rush,Mario Chalmers, and Sheron Collins. They also have a fantastic front court lead by Darell Arthur. Arthur vs Hansbrough could be the determining factor in this one, as both will try to avoid getting into foul trouble. This game will be a physical one, featuring great defense on both sides, leading to a low scoring game. Although North Carolina has been solid all year long, Kansas will prevail in this one, setting up a championship game of the Jayhakws versus the UCLA Bruins.
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