Friday, January 16, 2009
shocker!
The Buccaneers just fired Jon Gruden and GM Bruce Allen. I wonder who they are going to sign as their new coach and gm? Also, I personally think the Raiders HAVE to go after Gruden. This is their shot to get back to being a winner. I also would love it if Chucky became the new Cowboys coach. Thank god we fired Brian Stewart and our special teams coach, hopefully Garrett gets the Rams gig and leaves us too. Now get rid of FAT PHILLIPS!
Time for a great weekend
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.
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.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
What else is new
The Lakers lost to the Spurs in a painful way. What else is new? At least it wasn't a 40 point blowout loss again. What I want to know is why did Kobe pass to Ariza? There's a point where you have to be selfish and take the last shot yourself. Kobe Bryant is the most clutch player in the NBA, I want him taking the last shot, not passing it up. Also, Phil Jackson is a moron. Why is Sun Yue playing against the Spurs? Why is Gasol coming in for a red-hot Josh Powell with 3 minutes left? Take out Ariza or somebody and put in Gasol, but leave Powell out there. Also, why did Kobe not come into the game in the 4th quarter until there was about 7:45 left in the game? I don't know but it might have been helpful had he played a little bit more in the most important moments of the game.
Along with the poor lineups and decision making, the defense was not good. Yes the Spurs were playing really well, but Ariza had so many stupid plays it's unbelievable. He gave the Spurs 5-6 points due to stupid fouls on 3 point shots. Also, STAY IN FRONT OF TONY PARKER! When they did that, they stopped the Spurs. Roger Mason is good, but he shouldn't be nailing shots on the Lakers at the end of games. The Lakers aren't the Suns, or at least I hope they aren't.
Anyways, I'll be doing analysis later, but my predictions right now are the Ravens beat the Steelers and the Eagles beat the Cardinals. Stay tuned for the analysis in a little bit.
Along with the poor lineups and decision making, the defense was not good. Yes the Spurs were playing really well, but Ariza had so many stupid plays it's unbelievable. He gave the Spurs 5-6 points due to stupid fouls on 3 point shots. Also, STAY IN FRONT OF TONY PARKER! When they did that, they stopped the Spurs. Roger Mason is good, but he shouldn't be nailing shots on the Lakers at the end of games. The Lakers aren't the Suns, or at least I hope they aren't.
Anyways, I'll be doing analysis later, but my predictions right now are the Ravens beat the Steelers and the Eagles beat the Cardinals. Stay tuned for the analysis in a little bit.
Friday, January 9, 2009
NBA Summary
It was a really interesting night in the NBA tonight. The big game, as I wrote earlier, was the Cavs/Celtics game. The Cavs took it really hard to the Celtics and won the game 98-83. Watching the game, Lebron James has officially become one of the top defenders in the game today. He completely shut down Paul Pierce all game long. He also scored at will and distributed the ball nicely. The Cavs looked really, really good. They are definitely a contender for the NBA championship, and right now look like the favorites to win the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics are officially in shambles. They looked terrible tonight. They need to figure things out fast before they completely let the ship sink. Not only is their offense struggling, but the defense is struggling. The Celtics win games because of their defense. They are nothing if their strategy for winning continues to fail.
In the other games, the Magic completely dismantled the Hawks, the Pistons squeeked by the Nuggets, and the Suns destroyed the Mavs. In the Magic game, Jameer Nelson had an amazing game with nine assists and zero turnovers, talk about efficiency from your point guard. Hedo Turkoglu was 5-5 from three point range. In my opinion he is an All-Star lock, but we shall see.
In the Pistons/Nuggets game, the Nuggets blew a 30 point lead, and Iverson had 23 points. With 20 seconds left, Tayshaun Prince hit a shot to give the Pistons the lead, their first of the game. What a great comeback, and what a collapse by the Nuggets.
The game of the night might have been the Nets taking on the Bucks in Milwaukee. It was Richard Jefferson's first game against the Nets since they traded him to the Bucks during the summer. The Bucks won the game with .5 seconds left when Luke Ridnour made a floater. Sounds like it was a great finish to an exciting game.
Can't wait until tomorrow for another great day of sports, including many NCAA basketball games.
The Celtics are officially in shambles. They looked terrible tonight. They need to figure things out fast before they completely let the ship sink. Not only is their offense struggling, but the defense is struggling. The Celtics win games because of their defense. They are nothing if their strategy for winning continues to fail.
In the other games, the Magic completely dismantled the Hawks, the Pistons squeeked by the Nuggets, and the Suns destroyed the Mavs. In the Magic game, Jameer Nelson had an amazing game with nine assists and zero turnovers, talk about efficiency from your point guard. Hedo Turkoglu was 5-5 from three point range. In my opinion he is an All-Star lock, but we shall see.
In the Pistons/Nuggets game, the Nuggets blew a 30 point lead, and Iverson had 23 points. With 20 seconds left, Tayshaun Prince hit a shot to give the Pistons the lead, their first of the game. What a great comeback, and what a collapse by the Nuggets.
The game of the night might have been the Nets taking on the Bucks in Milwaukee. It was Richard Jefferson's first game against the Nets since they traded him to the Bucks during the summer. The Bucks won the game with .5 seconds left when Luke Ridnour made a floater. Sounds like it was a great finish to an exciting game.
Can't wait until tomorrow for another great day of sports, including many NCAA basketball games.
Big Game Tonight
There is a huge game in the NBA tonight. The Boston Celtics take on the Cleveland Cavaliers at 8:00 et on ESPN. The Celtics are 29-8, and have been struggling since losing to my Lakers on Christmas. The Cavs are 28-6, and 19-0 at home. This is the biggest game of the season so far, it has playoff implications because of how it affects the race for home-court advantage.
Both teams are really good on defense, so it could be low scoring. On the same token, there are four superstars in this game (KG, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Lebron), plus they are two of the top ten highest scoring teams, so there could be some scoring in this game too.
The Cavaliers want to send a message that they are the best team in the Eastern Conference, by defeating the defending league champs. They also want to send the message that the road to the Finals goes through Cleveland. The Celtics want to send a message that they are still here, and dominant. It would completely turn things around for them if they were able to hand the Cavs their first home loss of the season. I can't wait to watch this game later tonight. Go Cavs! Lebron is on my fantasy team, and I hate the Celtics (Boston sports in general).
Other games to watch out for: Hawks @ Magic, Mavs @ Suns, and Pistons @ Nuggets. Allen Iverson will be making his first appearance in Denver since being traded to the Pistons earlier this season. The Hawks/Magic game is a matchup of two of the East's best teams. The Mavs/Suns game is a matchup of two playoff hopefuls who aren't playing as well as they would have hoped.
Both teams are really good on defense, so it could be low scoring. On the same token, there are four superstars in this game (KG, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Lebron), plus they are two of the top ten highest scoring teams, so there could be some scoring in this game too.
The Cavaliers want to send a message that they are the best team in the Eastern Conference, by defeating the defending league champs. They also want to send the message that the road to the Finals goes through Cleveland. The Celtics want to send a message that they are still here, and dominant. It would completely turn things around for them if they were able to hand the Cavs their first home loss of the season. I can't wait to watch this game later tonight. Go Cavs! Lebron is on my fantasy team, and I hate the Celtics (Boston sports in general).
Other games to watch out for: Hawks @ Magic, Mavs @ Suns, and Pistons @ Nuggets. Allen Iverson will be making his first appearance in Denver since being traded to the Pistons earlier this season. The Hawks/Magic game is a matchup of two of the East's best teams. The Mavs/Suns game is a matchup of two playoff hopefuls who aren't playing as well as they would have hoped.
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