Spurs vs. Suns - A Preview

I love this matchup. I loved it in the past, with all the referee controversy, and I am very excited for it this year. Hard-nosed defense and laser-precise execution (the Spurs) versus free-wheeling offense and big-time playmaking (the Suns).

The Spurs are possibly the best 7-seed I can remember. Duncan is playing well, Ginobili is Ginobili (with or without a giant breathe-right strip on his broken nose), and Tony Parker is as good as ever. George Hill's first round home games were a revelation, and Richard Jefferson wasn't completely useless. DeJuan Blair is a big boy who can rebound and play in the low post with the best of them.

On the other side of the ball, Steve Nash is still one of the most dangerous players in the Association, but he's limited by his sore back. Luckily, Dragic has been able to step in and be effective when Nash is resting. Jason Richardson was hitting threes "with no regard for human life!!" against the Blazers in the first round. And Grant Hill has played like a 26-year-old with no injury history (that is, amazingly). Leandro Barbosa doesn't seem as effective as I remember him, though, and Amar'e Stoudemire still can't play defense at all (neither can Nash, for that matter). The Suns go about 10 deep, though, which helps maintain the run-and-gun style throughout the game.

Ultimately, as it has been the last few years, Spurs vs. Suns is about grinding it out versus running until you can't run no more. But, as we all know, defense wins championships. The Suns can't compete on that front, and the Spurs should simply continue to get better as this series goes on.

Spurs in 6.

"The Most Interesting Man in the World"

The New York Times published this feature story on Mikhail D. Prokhorov, future owner and savior of the Nets.

Mikhail D. Prokhorov has a net worth of $17.8 billion, enough to buy every team in the National Basketball Association, stock them with All-Stars and take them on a world tour aboard his 200-foot yacht.

[...]

Prokhorov is relatively young, wealthy, charming, tall, athletic and adventurous, a modern-day renaissance man with an air of cold war mystique. He could pass for a Bond villain, or a double agent in a Tom Clancy novel. The NetsDaily blog has dubbed him “the Most Interesting Man in the World,” after the suave fellow in the beer commercials.

His arrival is inspiring hope and wonder, a timely distraction from the Nets’ catastrophic 70-loss season.

If Prokhorov can snag LeBron this free agency... well, that would be a hell of a distraction.

UEFA Champions League Final: Bayern Munich v. Inter Milan

Last year, for the first time ever, the UEFA Champions League Final, which showcases the best soccer clubs in the world, was the most watched sporting event, drawing 109 million viewers worldwide, 3 million more than the Super Bowl.

I'm going to predict that this year won't be a repeat for that title.

With FC Barcelona's loss today to FC Internazionale Milano (a.k.a. Inter) on a 2-3 aggregate score in the seminfinals, the May 22 final matchup is set, pitting Inter against Bundesliga powerhouse FC Bayern Munich (a.k.a. Bayern). And while both teams are playing incredible football, there's no way this is the matchup that UEFA executives could have been hoping for. While Bayern is by far the dominant club of the Bundesliga, it very much defines itself as a German club, and the appeal outside of the German-speaking is somewhat self-limited. Of their 23 man roster, a full 13 are German, an incredibly high ratio of home grown players for the modern European club, and a big barrier to creating excitement for the team outside the home market. Only two non-Germans are part of the Bayern hall of fame, and until 2008, every Bayern captain has been German (the current captain, Mark van Bommel, is Dutch). Not exactly a recipe for international appeal.

Inter is a different story, as it fits closer to the mold of the modern European team. Its squad is, true to its name, international, with only 5 of 23 players on the roster Italians, and with four Argentinians and four Brazilians making an impressive South American contingent. And the club is definitely no stranger to the international stage, having won the Champions League title twice and the newer UEFA Europa League title three times. But despite its claim to fame of being the only Italian club never to have been relegated out of Serie A, a century long history including 17 Serie A titles and five Copa Italia championships, the fact remains that Inter is overshadowed by the two behemoths of Italian football: "The Old Lady" of Juventus and PM Silvio Berlusconi's AC Milan. Juventus (a.k.a. Juve) is a dynasty, the most successful team in Italian football, with 27 Serie A titles and 9 Copa Italia championships since the club's inception in 1897. AC Milan (a.k.a. Milan), on the other hand, is one of those teams that can buy players, and thus arguably championships, at whim, thanks to its Italian billionaire/playboy/prime minister owner. The results for AC Milan have been telling; at 11 Champions League final appearance with 7 championships resulting, Milan is only second to Real Madrid in reaching the highest pinnacle of European football. With competition like Juve and Milan, Inter will forever struggle for media shares, both abroad and at home (especially since, at home, Berlusconi owns such a large share of the media).

Contrast this to 2009's Champions League final, which pit Manchester United against FC Barcelona. The overtones were epic, to say the least. For those of you unfamiliar to soccer, Man U is the equivalent of the Yankees. They are the richest team, the most willing to sell out, and among the winningest, all of which have helped them transform themselves into the epitome of the modern European football club, which is a global commercial enterprise. Compare that, if you will, to Barcelona. Barca is the only European club who has never sold their jersey space to a sponsor, and actually never had anything other than their club badge on their jersey from 1899 to 2006, when they actually paid UNICEF, the UN children's aid agency, for the right to wear the humanitarian organization's name on the front of their uniforms. They are, in other words, the exact opposite of Man U, a team dedicated to ideals and beautiful football, bizarrely famous for their beautiful passing game and the ability to dominate possession time. Thus, they have also transformed themselves into a modern European football club, an equally global commercial enterprise, just one that sells based on its often self-congratulatory goodness (As an aside, this is a particularly strange notion, Barca as a global club, given that the organization is self-described and avowedly provincial, dedicated to their native Catalan). I will thus submit that the 2009 UEFA Champions final was only in part a function of the growing worldwide popularity of the tournament, driven in part by the above described internationalization of European soccer clubs. It was, however, mostly driven by the incredible storylines that Man U and Barca presented. Barca's 2-0 victory over Man U in the final, after all, was also part of the incredible season that makes Barca the only team ever to win 6 for 6 titles in a single year (La Liga, Copa del Rey, Supercopa de Espana, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup).

There's simply no way Bayern versus Inter can live up to all that.

Previewing the Celtics vs. Cavs

Unfortunately, the second round of the NBA Playoffs doesn't start in the same way as the first round - that is, not all of the matchups are set. So rather than prognosticating what the second round matchups will be and providing a single prediction post, I'm going to do this piecemeal.

[First, an aside: My predictions are proving to be pretty good, if I do say so myself. In the West, the Lakers obviously won't win in 5, but San Antonio is up 3-2 and going home for Game 6, Phoenix is up 3-2 despite Brandon Roy coming back (which is amazingly unexpected), and Utah is up 3-1 and could win in 5 instead of the 7 I predicted. In the East, I called Cleveland in 5, Orlando in 4 AND Boston in 5. And Atlanta-Milwaukee is tied at 2-2, so Atlanta could still win in 6. My predictions were certainly better than this guy's, who didn't even make one for Orlando-Charlotte. I guess he got confused.]

OK. The Celtics and the Cavaliers. A matchup of serious Eastern Conference powerhouses. Both great teams and both title contenders. Both won their respective first round series in five games, the Celtics withstanding a willpower game from D-Wade and the Cavaliers withstanding a homecourt pride game from the Bulls.

Obviously, the biggest component of this series is the Celtics' team defense versus LeBron's abilities to run the offense. Within LeBron's control are his own shots and his own penetration. Outside of his control is his teammates' ability to hit the open shots he creates for them. With Jamison, Varejao and Mo Williams, I have confidence. With the others...not so much.

Shaq will be a nonfactor in this series (no surprise, really). Not only is he aging, he's going against a tough-nosed defender with size in Kendrick Perkins. Shaq is the type of player, even in his prime, to shy away from (instead of going after) tough, sizable defenders.

Rebounding will be another big key to this series. Can the Celtics front line outrebound Shaq, Varejao, Jamison and Big Z? If so, and if they can stay out of foul trouble and make sure the rest of the team is able to close out quickly on open shooters, the Celtics have a very good chance of winning this series. If the Cavs can get a solid contribution in points from one of Jamison/Varejao/Williams/West in each game, that should be enough to put them past the Celtics.

This is going to be a great, great series (as long as you like defense and/or watching LeBron James). I'll take Cleveland in 7 due to homecourt advantage.

Leonsis purchase of Washington Wizards finalized

A new era for the Washington Wizards officially begins today. Ted Leonsis, owner of the Washington Capitals, has finalized an agreement to own the Verizon Center (where the Caps and Wiz play) and the Washington Wizards.

Congrats, Wizards fans!

The NFL Draft...Do we really need 3 days?

The NFL Draft is here again.  The draft "experts" have had months to make the wrong predictions and the Raiders "reached" as usual, but hey, at least it wasn't for an undersized wideout (they opted instead for a middle linebacker without elite athleticism at 8).  So pretty much same old same old.

What is new this year, however, is that the NFL draft is now in prime-time.  Is this really necessary?  No. 

Don't get me wrong.  I LOVE football, I really do, but do we need 4 hours of coverage on Thursday (for only round 1 mind you), 6 hours of coverage on Friday and then 6 hours on Saturday?  How much of Mel, Mort, Young, and Boom can we listen to?  How many times can I hear an alleged "expert" talk about "upside" or "great feet for a big guy?"  Do I really need to know that he shows "prototypical size and strength for his position?"  I don't think so. 

What really matters is what they do on the field once the season starts.  But hey, as we all know professional sports is about money and so long as tortured fans will tune in to find out who the next "savior" of the franchise is, the draft will keep getting longer.  

Am I crazy?

P.S. I might have watched if Tebow had to sit in the green room all night!

A Long View Towards The All-Star Game

Well, that was fast. Major League Baseball, just a little over two weeks into its 2010 regular season and nearly 3 months until the actual All-Star Game, has released its All-Star 2010 ballot. VOTE NOW!!!

Releasing the All-Star ballot this early is ridiculous. Of course, in the interest of maintaining perspective, the MLB All-Star game itself is ridiculous. It's nothing more than a popularity contest, much like all of the other All-Star games. If I could put money down in Vegas on something like "David Ortiz will make the 2010 All-Star Game", I would, because fans are stupid like that. Only the best pitchers get to go to the All-Star Game, because they are selected by the managers of each All-Star team.

Funny enough, I don't mind the unwritten rule that each team must have at least one representative. I'm a baseball geek, so I'm excited to see Andrew McCutchen, Billy Butler, Nick Markakis, Ryan Zimmerman and Joey Votto out there. I'd much rather see them than David Ortiz, Derek Jeter, Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis (The Greek God of Walks Lame Batting Stances).

This is all a lead-in to mentioning a new Facebook group whose aim is to expose the hypocrisy of fan voting in the MLB All-Star Game by urging people to vote for Craig Counsell as the National League's starting second baseman. Go forth and vote, or join the group, if you like.

I hate Craig Counsell.

Discipline Problems in the Major Sports

This week has been a busy one for commissioners of the major professional sports (note: "major professional sports" does not include the National Hockey League because (a) it's not a huge draw in the United States, (b) I don't watch hockey and (c) it doesn't fit my argument because the most recent suspension was 2 weeks ago). Let's take a closer look at each of these suspensions and find out what it means for the respective league.

NBA

In the NBA, Kevin "Anything Is Possible!!!!!!!!!!" Garnett was suspended a measly one game for elbowing Q-Rich in the face. It looked somewhat malicious, but considering the fact that the game was effectively over at the time, it was a little too malicious for my liking. I understand that in a 7-game series there are a ton of psychological games occurring, and I understand a player's desire to stand up for his teammates. But this just reeked of a tired, irrelevant old man attempting to show another past-his-prime player who the Alpha Dog on the court was. It reminded me of KG barking from the bench in a sweater during the 2009 playoffs. Pathetic.

Overall, this suspension is not a huge black eye for the NBA. David Stern is a wizard with conduct violations and nobody paid much attention to this suspension. Sadly, that is a testament to a few things: (1) the NBA's reputation as a somewhat-physical and confrontational sport, (2) David Stern's ability to spin anything in a positive manner and (3) KG's irrelevance to this Boston team. Case in point with regard to #3: The Celtics blew out the Heat last night to the tune of 29 points. Garnett who? Exactly.

NFL

Ben Roethlisberger was just suspended a maximum of 6 games for, well, I'm sure you've heard the story by now. He can reduce that suspension to 4 games with good conduct. In my opinion, this is a serious black eye for the NFL. Here you have a white (yes, it matters) quarterback (this also matters) who plays for a storied franchise (matters again) that is currently at a championship-caliber level (also matters). I think Roger Goodell made the right choice here, as I think six games is an appropriate suspension considering the fact that the District Attorney decided not to press criminal charges (Rapesgirlsberger is going to have to face a couple of civil suits, though).

The NFL is widely seen as having the most conduct issues of the three major sports, and this incident is a clear example why. Roethlisberger is a high-profile player in the nation's most beloved sport, yet he is prone to getting completely wasted and either driving his motorcycle drunk without a helmet or exposing himself to unwilling females in a locked bathroom. The guy is an idiot and a creep, but he has also been built up as a role model. How does the NFL and the media cope with this dichotomy now? Likely by distancing themselves as much as possible and conveniently forgetting how much praise they heaped upon this player in the past. At least now the slobbering from sportscasters who endearingly call him "Ben" might stop. But I am worried that, upon his return to the playing field, the slobbering will pick right back up where it left off, and all of this will be forgotten.

MLB

Finally, we come to the 50-game suspension of Edinson Volquez for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). PEDs are, obviously, still a serious problem for Major League Baseball. So many names have come out over the past few years, and most of those names have not been superstars. This, to me, shows a rampant use of PEDs throughout all levels of baseball - the minor leagues, the major leagues and the winter leagues. While Bud Selig and Company have slapped a pretty hefty suspension on players failing drug tests - 50 games for the first offense, 100 games for the second offense, etc. - it's still a joke. Why?

It's a joke because Edinson Volquez can serve this entire suspension while on the disabled list. He's currently on the 60-day DL and can begin serving his suspension immediately (which of course he will). So what is the downside of a player taking PEDs to attempt to recover more quickly from a serious injury while he is on the 60-day DL? None, other than giving up some salary. I'm sure the team loves it.

Realistically, though, this situation is not likely to occur a lot in the future, since not many players are placed on the 60-day DL. Still, it's an embarassing loophole for a league that is trying to show that it is serious about dealing with a problem that is rampant in its ranks.

_____________________________________________________

So, which is worse? The NBA for having violence occur on-court at meaningless points during games? The NFL for having alleged sexual assault occur off-court and off-season? Or the MLB for having a joke of a punishment for a serious PED offense, which is obviously rampant?

For me, it's the NFL. The NBA's problems are mostly image-based (as in, race-based). MLB can fix the loophole in their PED punishment. The NFL has serious issues with the character of their players. Let's not forget Rae Carruth, Ray Lewis, Pacman Jones, and Michael Vick. The NFL has got a long way to go toward cleaning up its image.

Agree? Disagree? Sound off in the comments.

Block Party

The Oklahoma City Thunder, as a team, had 17 blocks against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers last night. Serge Ibaka (who, as TNT reminded us all game long, is from the Congo) had 7 blocks for himself. That was an extremely impressive defensive effort from a shorter-at-every-position OKC Thunder. They played the paint well, fronting the post man and providing help behind, in case the fronting didn't work. And the blocks. Did I mention the blocks? What a beautiful game to watch.

Game 3 should go to the Thunder. The progression of the first two games shows me that the Thunder are ready to take Game 3. Then the Lakers will come back with a vengeance, capitalize on OKC's happy-go-lucky feeling after winning a playoff game at home and take Game 4, finishing the series at home in Game 5.

D.C. Welcomes Olympians and Paralympians

The 2010 USA Olympic and Paralympic teams are in the nation's capital and will visit the White House tomorrow afternoon. This afternoon some of the athletes did some promotional events in D.C., including speed skater Shani Davis and member of the four-man bobsled team, Steve Holcomb. (Yes, I included links to their websites b/c they both have slick videos when you enter their sites.)

I had the pleasure of attending one of these promotional events this afternoon and here are my conclusions: Bobsleds are awesome, and the Vancouver medals are the coolest medals ever.

While it was cool to meet Holcomb and Davis, I'm still bummed because I missed meeting the Paralympic sled hockey team a couple weeks ago in Laurel, MD. The lucky Georgetown students got to meet my favorite medalist at a study break this afternoon. Yep, that's right - Quad City native Andy Yohe, the captain of Team USA Sled Hockey. The only thing better than a gold medal, is a gold medal won by someone from the Quad Cities. Go Team USA!!

Melo's People of Utah - Sponsored by Jordan

Sometime during the first half of the beginning of the Jazz-Nuggets playoff series, I caught this wonderfully absurd ad. Will it be built upon in further installments? Will there be further installments? Is this a joke? It's awesome, nonetheless.

Enjoy.

Kevin Durant is all in, before the cards are even dealt

Some may call it noble, others naive, but it is what it is: Kevin Durant commits to OKC Thunder, with or without a contract this summer.

Jamison is done with DC, for real

SB Nation has this slightly inaccurate piece regarding Antawn Jamison's house that's for sale.

Anyone who has spent any reasonable amount of time in Washington, DC realizes that Bethesda is not in southern Maryland.

Saturday was a pretty amazing day of sports

In honor of all the awesome that happened on Saturday, April 17th, 2010, here is the coolest baseball video of all time:



Mets v. Cardinals - 20 (not 21 as initially written here) inning game that ended with a 2-1 victory by the Mets.
Capitals v. Canadiens - playoff game with a hat trick on each side with the Caps coming back from a seemingly insurmountable 3 goal deficit.
NBA playoffs began and Kevin Garnett elbowed Quentin Richardson in the face.
Rockies v. Braves - the Rockies get their first no hitter. The No No was thrown by Ubaldo Jimenez.

Playoffs? Playoffs? Well we ain't talking about practice

I've been quiet over the past few days even with the basketball world heading toward its most commercial and most competitive portion. I went to the Wizards finale against the Pacers. What a disaster. I'd analyze that game, but doing so is utterly worthless. Neither team was in playoff contention. The Wizards continued their auditions for next year and the Pacers continued to wallow in mediocrity. Pacers fans must like some of what they've seen over April, but it's too little, too late.

Now that playoffs have begun, I'll give my better late than never take, which, I'd like to think is better than our newest contributor's.

Eastern Conference

Cleveland Cavaliers (1) v. Chicago Bulls (8)
Chicago is scrappy enough to win a game if the Cavs lose focus, but in all likelihood, a couple of big wins by Cleveland will sap Chicago's energy (even Joakim Noah's). This will be over in four with a distinct lack of Ben Gordon heroics.

Orlando Magic (2) v. Charlotte Bobcats (7)
If these teams were better matched in talent, this series would be a fantastic coaching clinic. As it is, the Bobcats were heading toward another poor season until they traded an injured defensive expert Raja Bell for Stephen Jackson. Before the season began, the Bobcats swapped Emeka Okafor with Tyson Chandler. Mid-season, they acquired Jackson and, at the deadline, Tyrus Thomas. Chandler didn't help all that much by spending 31 games on the bench. Nazr Mohammed stepped in and Larry Brown's defense clicked. If the Bobcats can force double coverage on Gerald Wallace and get Dwight Howard in trouble, they can pull off more than a win in this series. The worst thing Larry Brown could do is to try to get Vince Carter in trouble. Vince Carter can lose this series (and any) for Orlando and at this point in his career, he is more likely to lose a game for his team than win a game. Either way, seeing the league's two best defenses make rotations that make you swear they each are playing a 6th man on D will be worth it.

Atlanta Hawks (3) v. Milwaukee Bucks (6)
Somehow, magically, Scott Skiles has taken the Bucks and made them fantastic. Unfortunately, a big part of this renaissance has been due to one Andrew Bogut. Bogut suffered a season ending injury so the Bucks lack their offensive big and will rely on John Salmons and rookie Brandon Jennings. This won't be enough unless the Hawks make some serious defensive mistakes. The Hawks are prone to defensive mistakes, though. The Hawks win this by scoring in the paint. Brandon Jennings will put on an amazing set of performances along with one of the coldest shooting nights in playoff history. This series has the chance to be the most entertaining, pitting defensive stalwarts against a highly efficient offense. Atlanta in 5 with Atlanta already leading 1-0.

Boston Celtics (4) v. Miami Heat (5)
Miami is again a five seed but facing Boston, who beat them three times this year. This series will prove what everyone already knows: Miami is Dwayne Wade and if Wade is off, Miami is out in 4. But, Wade won't be off by much and Miami will play solid defense. The problem for Miami is that Boston plays pretty damn solid defense as well. This series could go either way, but somehow, Doc Rivers will outcoach Spoelstra while Wade continues to not have the sidekick he needs in Jermaine O'Neal. This series could go to 7, but I'll say Boston in 6 with two instances of Paul Pierce returning from injury to help with a win. The first game in this series had one such instance as well as a Kevin Garnett ejection (not 'Sheed!). During Boston's championship season and last season, KG appeared to be an assistant coach as much as a defensive linchpin. This year, however, he's limped through as a shell of himself - not only has his quickness not come back, his ability to control teammates and opponents is lacking.


Western Conference

Los Angeles Lakers (1) v. Oklahoma City Thunder (8)
Voila, courtesy of Bobby.

Dallas Mavericks (2) v. San Antonio Spurs (7)
This division rivalry will be fun to watch, but with five games separating them during the regular season, near identical paces, near identical offensive and defensive efficiencies, and a dearth of injuries, I just can't see this not being a seven game series. The problem is that I have no idea who wins this. Manu Ginobili will erupt. Dirk Nowitzki will erupt. I hate to think that the Spurs' decade of greatness is over, but it probably is. And if the Mavs don't win it all, will Cuban blow up the team? Dallas in 7.

Phoenix Suns (3) v. Portland Trailblazers (6)
This series is bad for basketball fans. The Blazers have been absolutely killed by injuries to key players this year. Now, their star is out for the series. Brandon Roy had arthroscopic surgery the other day. If Portland advances, Roy may play again this season. Portland has been Cool Hand Luke getting up every time they're knocked down by Dragline. Every single time. It's getting hard to watch, let alone comprehend. I just don't see a hero in waiting for the Blazers against these Suns - not Marcus Camby, not LaMarcus Aldridge, not Andre Miller, and not Jerryd Bayless. The luck and hunger needed for that just isn't going to happen. Plus, Phoenix could win it all this year. They're peaking at the right time and despite losing Robin Lopez, the Suns will win this in 6.

Denver Nuggets (4) v. Utah Jazz (5)
The feel good story is that George Karl comes back from cancer treatment in the second round and coaches the Nuggets all the way to victory in the Finals over Carmelo's friend LeBron. Of course, that would be much more likely if the Nuggets weren't going against the tenacious and physical Jazz. Jerry Sloan's team is banged up, but so are the Nuggets. This series could go to 7 games or interim head coach Adrian Dantley could implode and the Jazz win in 6. A key to this series is whether Chauncey Billups takes each game as his to win or shares the ball with people not necessarily named Carmelo Anthony.



I love the second season that is the NBA Playoffs, but wow do I hate the commercials that aren't related to Old Spice.

NBA Playoff First Round Predictions

After breaking down the LA Lakers - OKC Thunder matchup in detail, I would like to provide a quick and dirty prediction post for the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

Western Conference

(1) LAL vs (8) OKC -- Lakers in 5.

For my take on this series, click here.

(2) DAL vs (7) SAS -- Spurs in 6.

Yes, I know Dallas got better with Caron Butler, and I know the Spurs are getting older by the second. I just get the feeling Ginobili is going to absolutely dominate this series. Combining that with the always-solid play of Parker and Duncan, adding a sprinkle of George Hill and DeJuan Blair, and ignoring my hatred of Matt Bonner and the complete uselessness of Richard Jefferson leads me to pick the Spurs.

(3) PHX vs (6) POR -- Phoenix in 4.

This sucks. I wish Brandon Roy didn't tear a meniscus in his knee. I wish Greg Oden only looked 65 years old and didn't get injured like he was 65 years old. And Pryzbilla the Vanilla Gorilla, well...I got nothin'. I just like that nickname.

(4) DEN vs (5) UTA -- Utah in 7.

This is going to be the best series of the bunch. I can't wait to see Deron Williams, Carmelo Anthony, Mr. Big Shot, Carlos Boozer and Kenyon Martin battle it out. This series could go either way but will certainly (I hope, for entertainment sake) go the full seven games.

Eastern Conference

(1) CLE vs (8) CHI -- Cleveland in 5.

At least this year the 8 seed in the East was a .500 team. Just for that, I'll give them a game.

(2) ORL vs (7) CHA -- Orlando in 4.

Dwight Howard is a lot of fun to watch. Vinsanity (or, if you prefer, Half-Man Half-Amazing) has enjoyed quite a little renaissance here. I like Charlotte but Gerald Wallace and Larry Brown are no match for the Magic.

(3) ATL vs (6) MIL -- Atlanta in 6.

Atlanta is the clearly superior team here, but they seem to have lapses in performance. Don't sleep on the Bucks. Brandon Jennings is the truth (I can't believe he slipped so low in the draft) and Andrew Bogut is finally coming into his own (although he broke his elbow and won't play in this series). They just don't have enough to get past the deep and talented Hawks.

(4) BOS vs (5) MIA -- Boston in 5.

Boston's team defense should bottle up D-Wade and I'm not sold on Beasley being able to pick up the slack (we all know Jermaine O'Neal can't and won't get it done).

So there it is. I'll provide a new set of predictions when the next round is set. If you agree or disagree, let me know in the comments.

Should Mamba & Co. Be Scared of The Durantula?

One of the most popular subjects being written about the NBA today is the sorry state of the Los Angeles Lakers as a team, and Kobe as an individual. This is not without merit. The Lakers have been playing poorly for at least the last three weeks, and Kobe's final three games of the season were statistically disgusting. On top of that, the Lakers limped to the finish line with a flurry of injuries to Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic (not to mention Kobe's nagging finger and knee injuries). All in all, conventional wisdom (and logical thinking) is that the Lakers are not a championship-caliber team at the start of the 2010 NBA Playoffs.

Meanwhile, the OKC Thunder are playing some of the best basketball in the Association and boast newly-crowned scoring champion, rising superstar, MVP candidate and owner of the coolest nickname in years, Kevin Durant (AKA Durantula). A young squad that plays solid defense, rebounds the ball and can depend on a few guys to score crucial buckets, the Thunder are an up-and-coming contender.

As we all know, though, the NBA Playoffs are all about matchups. Matchups that can be exploited over the course of a 7-game series. This is where the Lakers come out ahead. Let's examine:

Point Guard - Derek Fisher vs. Russell Westbrook

Let's get the obvious out of the way first. Derek Fisher has no shot at stopping Russell Westbrook. Westbrook is an exceptional point guard who, despite not being a traditional PG, averaged 8.0 APG this season. He's young, he's fast, he can score and he's got dimes. Derek Fisher, on the other hand, is old, slow and has lost his shooting touch. This matchup is easy to call.

ADVANTAGE = THUNDER

Shooting Guard - Kobe Bryant vs. Thabo Sefalosha

Kobe is the best player in the Western Conference. Thabo is one of the best individual defenders in the NBA, but he is no match for Kobe Bryant, injury or no injury, especially in the playoffs. Case in point: Kobe has averaged 27.0 ppg on 46.3% shooting (including nearly 8 FTM per game) with 5 APG. Thabo's lone claim is that he has forced Black Mamba into 5.3 TO per game. A fine claim, but he is by no means able to shut down KB24.

ADVANTAGE = LAKERS

Small Forward - Ron Artest vs. Kevin Durant

This paragraph is going to look strikingly similar to the previous one. Kevin Durant is one of the best players in the Western Conference. Ron Artest is one of the best individual defenders in the NBA, but he is no match for the Durantula. Case in point: KD has averaged 25.8 ppg on 46.3% shooting (including 6 FTM per game). Artest's lone claim is that he has forced Durant into 4.8 TO per game. A fine claim, but he is by no means able to shut down the Durantula.

ADVANTAGE = THUNDER.

Power Forward - Pau Gasol vs. Jeff Green

This is where the Lakers' advantages start to show. Jeff Green is a gifted rebounder and a great young player, but he is absolutely no match for Pau Gasol. He is giving 3 inches in height to Gasol, not to mention Gasol's all-around skill set. The main gripe against Gasol is his lack of desire to play aggressive inside. Against a guy like Jeff Green, this is not going to be a problem.

ADVANTAGE = LAKERS

Center - Andrew Bynum vs. Nenad Krstic

First of all, indications are that Bynum will return in time for Game 1 on Sunday. If he does, this is another area where the Lakers have a clearly massive advantage. I'm not even going to give Nenad the honor of discussing this "matchup".

ADVANTAGE = LAKERS

Bench

This one is close. The Thunder boast James Harden, Eric Maynor and a solid but unspectacular Nick Collison on the bench. A very solid group with zero playoff experience. The Lakers' much-maligned bench consists of Lamar Odom, Jordan Farmar and Luke Walton (if healthy). When the Candyman (Lamar) is on, he's better than Harden/Maynor/Collison combined. When he's off, Harden could outperform him. Farmar and Walton have both been hurt, but I still have to give the advantage to the Lakers here.

ADVANTAGE = LAKERS

Coaching Staff

While Scotty Brooks should absolutely win Coach of the Year, Phil Jackson has ten rings.

ADVANTAGE = LAKERS

Overall, while the Thunder have a clear advantage at PG and SF, the Lakers' size should win them this series. There are two major caveats to this: (1) Bynum has to play, and play effectively, in this series, and (2) the Lakers have to actually take advantage of their size. Pau's complaints about not getting enough touches have to be heard. Kobe is not going to win this series for the Lakers. Pau and Bynum (and Odom, to a lesser extent) will. The Thunder in general and Durantula in particular are a great story, but this series should be the end of it.

Prediction: Lakers in 5.

NBA Nomad

Okay, so I've decided that if the Knicks don't make a HUGE splash this summer in the free agent market, I am officially renouncing my fandom and becoming an NBA nomad. 

An NBA nomad you ask?  That's right.  I will be all about the good teams and my favorite players.  Hey, the NBA has been marketing stars over teams for years.  Is it wrong for me to follow their lead? Should I have to suffer for almost a decade because of bad contracts and even worse management?  Come on, my team traded its future for a guy who eats Vaseline and thinks it is a good idea to broadcast it. 

Anybody want to join me in living the life of an NBA nomad? You will get championships, good basketball and something to make you smile almost every night!  Best part, when your newly discovered favorite team/star starts to stink (or like Sheed keeps eating and stops working), you just move on!

To Sit or Not To Sit?

In an interview today, NBA commissioner David Stern discussed his growing concern about winning teams resting players going into the playoffs.  With respect to this issue, Commissioner Stern said:

"We're troubled by it, because it would be our preference that healthy players play ... But sometimes players play at different levels of being nicked or bruised and we never wanted to get into the business of sending out truckloads of doctors analyzing whether a player was actually nicked or bruised, and we understand the issue"

Personally, I don't think this is much of an issue.  If a team wins enough games to be able to rest its starters going into the playoffs, good for them.  That's why you win all year and fans hopefully get a better playoff run because their team's stars are rested! 

My big problem is teams sitting "injured" players to better their draft position.  Fans of a bad team should not have to suffer more because that team's best players are on the bench.

Thoughts?

Because Steve Nash Makes Good Use of His Free Time

Steve Nash's YouTube Channel is awfully ridiculous. There's his now famous Avatar spoof starring teammate Leandro Barbosa. There are his Vitamin Water commercials.
There is this, titled "Balls Talk"


And, perhaps best of all, his "conquer Europe" mission:

A shopping tip for Wizards fans

I found these at the team store at the Verizon Center. Is it just me, or is it weird that they are selling merchandise from former players at 30% off, while I saw no trace of Arenas - who technically is still part of the team?

Step right up and get your discounts while Gilbert is in the halfway house, folks!

The Statistics of Being Blocked

Hardwood Paroxysm examines the frequency of being blocked. As it turns out, some of the best shot blockers are also some of the best at not being blocked.

This is the kind of useful statistic I can get behind.

Corey Brewer

I'm a sucker for a candid interviewee. Corey Brewer has had a rough introduction to the NBA - team upheaval, injury, coaching change. However, he's a professional and takes it in stride - all while improving his play.

Check out this fantastic interview at ESPN.com.

On the low point of his career so far:

Probably last year when I got hurt. My rookie year, I couldn't throw it in the ocean. I was shooting about 20% my first few months. I was real down. Last year when I got hurt, it was even worse. I felt like I was finally playing defense. I came up with a good game or two. Then I got hurt.

Messi is the Man!

Gotta love the super hat trick!

As the Guardian's Sid Lowe put it:

"F-ck Me, what a goal"

Ouch!!!

Due to popular demand the Ouch Post is back!

What does a right knee breaking in half look like? Ouch!

WARNING: This Post might make you spontaneously barf! 

#78

With their sixth title since 1995 tonight, the UConn Huskies women's bball team is now only 10 wins away from tying the legendary 1970s UCLA Bruins men's bball record of 88-consecutive wins.

Hockey is for Everyone!

If you don't have plans this weekend, head out to Laurel, MD with me. If you do have plans this weekend, cancel them and head out to Laurel, MD this weekend for the 6th Annual Hockey Disabled Festival at the Gardens Ice House.

I am a big fan of the Olympic Games, but the Paralympics are even more near and dear to my heart. The Olympics are an exciting time full of competition, determination and athleticism; but the Paralympics are all that and then some. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be perseverance. If I had more words to describe it, I would write this blog post about the Vancouver Paralympic Games.

The Hockey Disabled Festival will feature hockey games like you have never seen before. There will be games all weekend long in four categories: Special hockey, sled hockey, standing amputees, and deaf/hearing impaired. You can also meet the US Paralympic Sled Hockey team and check out their gold medals (the Vancouver medals were way cooler than all previous medals, by the way.) And the Stanley Cup will be making an appearance at the festival.

If that's not enough to convince you to head out to Laurel this weekend... can I interest you in some cake?

Ouch!

What happens when a 7 foot Australian man falls from the rim?  Ouch!

WARNING: This Post might make you spontaneously barf!



I think this fall might rank with some of the most painful looking sports injuries (behind Theismann and that crazy soccer injury of course).

Is Duke Popularity a Symptom of American Anti-Populism, or Vice Versa?

Progressive columnist David Sirota hypothesizes on the country's love/hate relationship with the Blue Devils:

[I]n the Great Duke Debate, I side with the Nation's Dave Zirin. Combining all the leading explanations, then adding Duke's status as an upper-crust, ultra-expensive private school, I subscribe to his theory that says our penchant for hating on the Blue Devils reflects America's larger, more complex relationship with privilege.

This makes sociopolitical sense. A country founded on anti-royalism and defined by anti-aristocrat political rhetoric will naturally profess disgust for, say, Ivy League presidential candidates and incumbent congressmen — just as it will loudly claim to despise Duke basketball (and Yankees baseball and Cowboys football and ... you get the point). In short, purporting to abhor inequality, advantage and dynasty has long been as red-bloodedly patriotic as loving mom, adoring apple pie and, yes, booing teams like the Blue Devils — teams that seem to wear their privilege on their jerseys.

And yet, evidence suggests our righteous inveighing against privilege is depressingly shallow — and possibly fraudulent. Note this recent New York Daily News report:

"When considering why Duke was conveniently placed on a fast track to (the Final Four by NCAA bracket makers), the power of the Blue Devils as a TV attraction must be factored into the equation," wrote the paper, adding that, simply put, "Duke has a history of juicing TV ratings."

This cannot be explained away as a mere product of Duke's alumni fan base or the watch-'em-because-we-hate-'em crowd. Those die-hard audiences, however passionate, are too small to account for such inflated national viewership figures.

We can hence conclude that a large segment of basketball fans who say they detest Duke — and who may consciously believe they detest Duke — actually secretly or subconsciously adore it and its privilege.

I suppose populists should root for mid-major Cinderella-story Butler, then. After all, Butler was founded by and named after an abolitionist, whereas Duke is named after robber baron James Buchanan Duke of the American Tobacco Company monopoly.

Go Bulldogs!

Is this going to make Eagles fans even angrier?

Or is that even possible?

Redskins acquire quarterback McNabb from Eagles

March Madness: Pie vs. Cake

Yeah, yeah, it's Final Four weekend. Whatever. Maybe Duke wins another title and everyone in college basketball fandom who didn't go to Duke or grow up near Duke or date someone who went to Duke or have a law school roommate went to Duke or has Reggie Love as a bodyman will be pissed/irritated/generally unconcerned. Or maybe Duke loses, and only those people listed previously are heartbroken, and the rest of us who had our teams get prematurely destroyed in the first round will laugh and say, "Now you know how it feels."

But insofar as "March Madness" perversely enters into April (I know, madness!), it isn't all just about men's basketball, or even the Huskies pursuit of 88 consecutive victories (they can only get to 78 by winning their sixth title on Tuesday, so you'll have to hold your breath until next season). No, my dear friends, March Madness is about much more. It is about the epic struggle between good and evil. Yes, it is about a clash of the titans that does not involve CG giant scorpions and an embarrassingly ethereal Zeus portrayed by Qui-Jon Ginn... I mean Ra's Al Ghul... I mean Liam Neeson. It is about:

Pie versus Cake.

"But hsuper," you complain, "This has nothing to do with sports? Why are you blogging this?" To which I reply with this video, which demonstrates nothing, but may make you hungry:

One Shining Moment: March Madness, Cakes vs. Pies from Jezebel on Vimeo.

Voting concludes Monday 4/5 at 1:55pm EST.

Go Cheesecake!

Get a New Training Staff

At least Carlos Beltran will have some company!

According to an AP Report:

New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes will start the season on the disabled list to get in better shape.

Reyes said the team told him Thursday he’ll be on the DL because he’s had so little practice in spring training. He returned to camp last week following a three-week absence because of thyroid issues.

“I want to be there on opening day, there’s no doubt, but we have to make the right decision,” Reyes said. “If I miss a couple games, it won’t be a big deal because I have to get ready for the season.”

This season both Reyes and All-Star center fielder Carlos Beltran start the season on the DL. Last season the Mets used the disabled list 22 times for 19 players, including eight former All-Stars. One would think that an organization with a big-league payroll of over $90 million would have a better training staff to keep them healthy.

And, it's not as if injuries are a new thing to this organization. Does anybody remember the mid-90s? Pitchers Paul Wilson, Jason Isringhausen and Bill Pulsipher were supposed to be the saviors of the Mets' rotation. What happened to all three? You guessed it ... injuries.