First off, last night had a couple of awesome NBA games. The Cavaliers/Bulls game was a really entertaining game. I'm happy the Bulls won because now the Lakers again have the top record in the NBA. Lebron James had a bad game, at least by his standards (28 points, but on 8-28 shooting and missed like 10 straight shots at one point) which was the main reason the Cavs lost. It also hurt them that Delonte West got hurt. We'll see how they come back from this loss, they've now lost 3 of their last 4 road games.
The Nuggets game against the Suns was just as entertaining. That Kenyon Martin three pointer at the end of the game was shocking to say the least. As the commentators were saying, this game was a roller coaster. Doug Collins described it perfectly when he said the winning team (in this case the Nuggets) did not win, but survived. Chauncey Billups has really changed the culture in Denver, I think he should be considered an MVP candidate, along with Kobe and Lebron.
As for this weekend, it should be amazing. Texas Tech takes on Texas in basketball tomorrow at 3:00 central time (4:00 eastern) and I'll be attending the game. Also, Masar's number one ranked Pitt Panthers take on #20 Louisville. Should be an exciting game, I'll try to get some first hand analysis from Masar tomorrow (if he watches the game).
Tonight we've got Magic at the Lakers, and Hornets at the Cavs. Spurs at Sixers should also be interesting. If you are thinking about upsets, I see the Timberwolves beating the Suns tonight in Phoenix. It's a trap game for the Suns (losing a tough game and playing at home after a back to back).
Here's the playoff analysis:
Eagles at Cardinals
I am changing my Eagles and Cardinals pick. I had the Eagles winning, but now I can't believe I'm doing this but I think the Cardinals win. The Cardinals defense is playing so well, Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald are on fire, and the Cardinals are a really good home team. Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid are 1-3 in NFC Championship games. They've also lost to Kurt Warner and a pass-happy offense before, when they lost to the Rams in 2001.
It helps the Cardinals a lot that they will have Anquan Boldin back. I see the Cardinals protecting Warner and giving him time. Fitzgerald will have at least two touchdowns. The Cardinals defense has been playing amazing, Brian Westbrook and Buckhalter will continue to struggle, and the secondary will stop McNabb and his receivers. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has been playing his butt off during the playoffs, he'll have a pick tomorrow. Bertrand Berry has been playing awesome, leading that defensive line. The Cardinals win this game 31-24.
Ravens at Steelers
This is going to be a tough, physical battle. The Ravens should have won the last game, Santonio Holmes DID NOT get that touchdown. The ball NEVER crossed the plane. I think the difference in this game will be which defense forces more turnovers. The Ravens defense has been doing that a lot during the playoffs, and had the most takeaways during the regular season as well.
Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger are both good quarterbacks, but Roethlisberger is banged up and Flacco is a rookie. I actually think Flacco will do better than Big Ben because the coaches will not set him up to fail. They will run the ball a lot and pick their spots as to when to throw the ball. The Ravens will win this game and go to the Super Bowl because this just looks like the year of the Raven....they win 16-14.
In the next few days I'll try and do a report on baseball free agent signings this offseason. I'll also start preparing a mock draft. Check back for these things in the days to come.
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