Anyone that has had the pleasure of talking about sports with me knows a few things. First, that I am very passionate about sports. The teams that I root for, or claim as 'my team' are very dear to me. I am not a fair weather fan by any means. I support my team through the bad years and the good. 20 years of being a fan of the New Orleans Saints and Utah Jazz should prove that point.
Another thing you should know about me is that I take sports very seriously, and hate when teams, owners and commisioners try and cut corners to save money, lie about making the game better and single out teams for crimes that everyone is committing.
I hate lock outs, wether its the players or owners fault, I hate teams selling/trading their best pieces and getting nothing back in return.
And I hate replacement officiating.
I've hated it from the pre-season.
I knew it was going to be a disaster. I knew that multiple calls were either going to be called wrong, or not called at all. I knew players, coaches and fans were going to be upset. But the owners, they'd be ok with it. After all, the NFL is a multi billion dollar behemoth. It makes so much money because the product is so good and fun to watch. The owners knew that fans would still go to games at the stadiums, and still watch on sundays. The owners knew they would still make money off of the fans, even though the officiating would be subpar to say the least.
What the owners didn't know or expect was the aftermath of monday nights game. Many people said that eventually, these replacement refs would cost one team a victory. Luckily for us it game this early in the season.
As of right now, news is that a new agreement is being finished and that the new refs will be officiating tonights game. They will be a little slow and behind as this is their first game, but it will still be better than what we had before.
It took a giant mistake to get this deal done. It took a day that was filled with news about this one blown call. Constant replays, discussions, arguments and frustrating rants was everywhere on the news on tuesday. And it wasn't just on ESPN. National news had tons of coverage on this, even President Obama chimed in on the subject.
This is what had to happen for the NFL to get this deal done. And its lucky that it happened this early. Many fans had either stopped watching, thought about stop watching, or were about to stop watching even before the fiasco on monday occured. I was one of these fans.
After watching some games on sunday afternoon I announced that I was done watching the NFL until the refs are back. I had seen too many games with just bad officiating. Bad calls, no calls, late calls you name it, it happened.
While watching my pathetic Saints lose to the Chiefs I saw multiple no calls for holding, pass interference(offense and defense) and the calls that were made were wrong(on both sides).
This pushed me over the edge. Three weeks of watching this garbage was enough for me to do my part to send the NFL a message. I was going to stop watching the NFL.
I didn't watch the Sunday night game, or the Monday night game. I've seen enough highlights from the games to see how bad the officiating was.
The NFL was always tried to say they stand for integrity. When in reality, they will only stand for integrity when it makes them money.
I am glad the NFL has the refs back. I am unhappy about how it was handled and I don't blame the refs at all. They clearly deserve a pay raise(and a pension fund) as anyone other than these refs is not good enough.
I think Roger Goodell should be on the hot seat as a commisioner. He made the NFL players lockout much more difficulty by trying to blame the players for the lockout, when clearly the owners were greedy. He also tried to save a tiny amount of money on the refs, we are talking about pay raises to 149,000 this season. That's nothing cmpared to the billions of dollars teh NFL brings in.
The NFL is getting harder and harder to watch. And although I am happy the refs are back, I do not have solid faith in the NFL. Not after the two lockouts, the still constant head injuries despite Goodell claiming he is 'worried about player saftey'(and Goodell wanting to go to an 18 game schedule). Not to mention him singleing out specific players and teams for crimes every team committs.
I'm happy to be able to watch the NFL again, but I'm even more happy that I have college football and that the NBA season is only a month away from starting.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Week 5 Picks
This last week has been my best week for picks of the year easily. I posted a strong 14-1 record to get me out of my .500 slump. We're getting a better feel for each team and figuring out which teams look elite, and which ones are fake.
Cardinals vs Rams - The Cards are the surprise of the year, the Rams are playing much better as well though. The Cardinals win, but its close. Cardinals win.
Dolphins vs Bengals - Both teams are hard to get a read on. Sometimes they play great, other times they can't hold a lead. I like Andy Dalton at QB for the Bengals, so I guess I take them. Bengals win.
Packers vs Colts - The Packers offense is slowly getting back to last years form, adn the defense has been better, especially against the run. The Colts have a bright future, but Sunday will be a tough game. Packers win.
Ravens vs Chiefs - The Ravens keep trying to prove to us that they aren't the Ravens of old that lose games they should win, and this is a perfect trap game for them. Playing on the road in a tough stadium. However, the Chiefs defense is bad and the Ravens offense is clicking. Ravens win.
Falcons vs Redskins - The Falcons squeezed out a win over the Panthers, but they still look like the team to beat in the NFC and possibly the NFL. Falcons win.
Browns vs Giants - The defending champs lost a close game to the Eagles, and should be looking to silence any critics by beating up on the lowly Browns.
Eagles vs Steelers - The Steelers are coming off of their bye, and hopefully for them their starters on defense are ready to go. The Eagles played tough defense against the Giants on Sunday. It should be a good game with the younger Eagles winning. Eagles win.
Seahawks vs Panthers - The Seahawks are a confusing team, beating the Packers two weeks ago, but losing to the Rams last week(and ruining my chance for a perfect week). Its offense vs defense and I'm going with offense this time. Panthers win.
Bears vs Jaguars - The Bears looked good on Monday and the Jags are still hopelessly rebuilding. Bears win.
Titans vs Vikings - Minnesota has been a big surprise this year, playing tough defense and winning close games. Nothing should change this week, Vikings win.
Broncos vs Patriots - I'm not sure what to think of the Pats so far, they are 2-2 with wins against the Titans and Bills. The Broncos always dig themselves into a whole early on. This game can go either way, but in the Brady-Manning rivalry I've always chosen Brady, so Patriots win.
Bills vs 49ers - Unless the Niners fall apart like they did against the Vikings two weeks ago, it'll be an easy win against the injured Bills. 49ers win.
Chargers vs Saints - Rivers vs Brees. Brees is the better QB(by far), but Rivers has a better team and an actual coach around him. My sad Saints keep losing close games, but with the Chargers playing well it will be a long night in New Orleans. Chargers win.
Texans vs Jets - Houston is rolling, and the Jets are confused and look like they are on the verge of needing to rebuild. Texans win.
Last Week's Record - 14-1
Season 38-15
Cardinals vs Rams - The Cards are the surprise of the year, the Rams are playing much better as well though. The Cardinals win, but its close. Cardinals win.
Dolphins vs Bengals - Both teams are hard to get a read on. Sometimes they play great, other times they can't hold a lead. I like Andy Dalton at QB for the Bengals, so I guess I take them. Bengals win.
Packers vs Colts - The Packers offense is slowly getting back to last years form, adn the defense has been better, especially against the run. The Colts have a bright future, but Sunday will be a tough game. Packers win.
Ravens vs Chiefs - The Ravens keep trying to prove to us that they aren't the Ravens of old that lose games they should win, and this is a perfect trap game for them. Playing on the road in a tough stadium. However, the Chiefs defense is bad and the Ravens offense is clicking. Ravens win.
Falcons vs Redskins - The Falcons squeezed out a win over the Panthers, but they still look like the team to beat in the NFC and possibly the NFL. Falcons win.
Browns vs Giants - The defending champs lost a close game to the Eagles, and should be looking to silence any critics by beating up on the lowly Browns.
Eagles vs Steelers - The Steelers are coming off of their bye, and hopefully for them their starters on defense are ready to go. The Eagles played tough defense against the Giants on Sunday. It should be a good game with the younger Eagles winning. Eagles win.
Seahawks vs Panthers - The Seahawks are a confusing team, beating the Packers two weeks ago, but losing to the Rams last week(and ruining my chance for a perfect week). Its offense vs defense and I'm going with offense this time. Panthers win.
Bears vs Jaguars - The Bears looked good on Monday and the Jags are still hopelessly rebuilding. Bears win.
Titans vs Vikings - Minnesota has been a big surprise this year, playing tough defense and winning close games. Nothing should change this week, Vikings win.
Broncos vs Patriots - I'm not sure what to think of the Pats so far, they are 2-2 with wins against the Titans and Bills. The Broncos always dig themselves into a whole early on. This game can go either way, but in the Brady-Manning rivalry I've always chosen Brady, so Patriots win.
Bills vs 49ers - Unless the Niners fall apart like they did against the Vikings two weeks ago, it'll be an easy win against the injured Bills. 49ers win.
Chargers vs Saints - Rivers vs Brees. Brees is the better QB(by far), but Rivers has a better team and an actual coach around him. My sad Saints keep losing close games, but with the Chargers playing well it will be a long night in New Orleans. Chargers win.
Texans vs Jets - Houston is rolling, and the Jets are confused and look like they are on the verge of needing to rebuild. Texans win.
Last Week's Record - 14-1
Season 38-15
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Week 4 picks
I had another 8-8 week after some bad performances by teams that either needed or win, should've won. Hopefully as the season continues on we are able to see what each team really is.
Browns vs Ravens - This game will be closer than most think. Baltimore just came off a tough night game against the Patriots. But the Ravens will still show up and win. Ravens win.
Panthers vs Falcons - Atlanta may be one of the best teams in the NFL this year. We'll see how they play in a pressure situation, but for now its hard to bet against them. Falcons win.
Patriots vs Bills - The Pats have a losing record for the first time in a long, long time. Although its early they need a win. Their only win is coming against the lowly Titans. Luckily for the Pats, they get to play the Bills who keep finding players on the IR. - Pats win.
Vikings vs Lions - The Vikings had the upset of the season last week when they beat the Niners. The Lions lost to the Titans and QB Matt Stafford looks to be hurt, shocker I know. The question for the young Vikings team is if they can keep up their momentum. I think they do. Vikings win.
Chargers vs Chiefs - The Chargers have looked better than expected, and the Chiefs have done the opposite. Arrowhead stadium is a tough place to play, but my money is for the Chargers to avenge the beating they took last week. Chargers win.
Seahawks vs Rams - Seattle was given a win on monday, but they are still a good and very tough team. They nearly held the Packers without a TD on monday. They should be able to ink out a win and try to keep their momentum up. Seahawks win.
49ers vs Jets - The Niners were shocked by the Vikings on sunday. The Jets went to OT against the Dolphins. The Niners defense should shut down the Jets, and with the Jets best player(CB Revis) out with an injury, the WR's for the Niners should have a good game. Niners win.
Titans vs Texans - The Texans are undefeated and look good. But at times its hard to believe they are contenders. The Titans are a tough team, but don't have a lot of talent. Texans should be on upset alert, but should still win. Texans win.
Bengals vs Jaguars - The Jags managed to beat the Colts last week but face a tougher team this week. The Bengals aren't a good team, but they are tough and should be too much for the Jags. Bengals win.
Dolphins vs Cardinals - So far the Cardinals have been the surprise of the season. They look pretty good, and they don't even have a decent QB. The Dolphins are better than expected, but are still a few years out from rebuilding. Cardinals win.
Raiders vs Broncos - Some weeks the Raiders look great, other weeks they look awful. Not sure what to expect. With the Broncos, they look great in the second half(just like last year) but they dig themselves into a whole early on. Not sure what to expect in this game, so I'll have to vote for Peyton to get a win. Broncos win.
Saints vs Packers - The Saints are just awful. I'm a life long Saints fan, and this season is one of the toughest so far. We should be great, but we are one of the worst in the league. The Packers should easily put over 40 points on sunday. This won't be close. Packers win.
Redskins vs Buccaneers - The Bucs defense isn't very good, and RG3 can do some damage. Redskins win.
Giants vs Eagles - This is a tough game to call, mainly because my friend is flying cross country to see this game. I'm going to say the Eagles win, but if they lose its not my fault. Eagles win.
Bears vs Cowboys - Not sure what either team can bring, but they Bears look to be the better team. Bears win.
Browns vs Ravens - This game will be closer than most think. Baltimore just came off a tough night game against the Patriots. But the Ravens will still show up and win. Ravens win.
Panthers vs Falcons - Atlanta may be one of the best teams in the NFL this year. We'll see how they play in a pressure situation, but for now its hard to bet against them. Falcons win.
Patriots vs Bills - The Pats have a losing record for the first time in a long, long time. Although its early they need a win. Their only win is coming against the lowly Titans. Luckily for the Pats, they get to play the Bills who keep finding players on the IR. - Pats win.
Vikings vs Lions - The Vikings had the upset of the season last week when they beat the Niners. The Lions lost to the Titans and QB Matt Stafford looks to be hurt, shocker I know. The question for the young Vikings team is if they can keep up their momentum. I think they do. Vikings win.
Chargers vs Chiefs - The Chargers have looked better than expected, and the Chiefs have done the opposite. Arrowhead stadium is a tough place to play, but my money is for the Chargers to avenge the beating they took last week. Chargers win.
Seahawks vs Rams - Seattle was given a win on monday, but they are still a good and very tough team. They nearly held the Packers without a TD on monday. They should be able to ink out a win and try to keep their momentum up. Seahawks win.
49ers vs Jets - The Niners were shocked by the Vikings on sunday. The Jets went to OT against the Dolphins. The Niners defense should shut down the Jets, and with the Jets best player(CB Revis) out with an injury, the WR's for the Niners should have a good game. Niners win.
Titans vs Texans - The Texans are undefeated and look good. But at times its hard to believe they are contenders. The Titans are a tough team, but don't have a lot of talent. Texans should be on upset alert, but should still win. Texans win.
Bengals vs Jaguars - The Jags managed to beat the Colts last week but face a tougher team this week. The Bengals aren't a good team, but they are tough and should be too much for the Jags. Bengals win.
Dolphins vs Cardinals - So far the Cardinals have been the surprise of the season. They look pretty good, and they don't even have a decent QB. The Dolphins are better than expected, but are still a few years out from rebuilding. Cardinals win.
Raiders vs Broncos - Some weeks the Raiders look great, other weeks they look awful. Not sure what to expect. With the Broncos, they look great in the second half(just like last year) but they dig themselves into a whole early on. Not sure what to expect in this game, so I'll have to vote for Peyton to get a win. Broncos win.
Saints vs Packers - The Saints are just awful. I'm a life long Saints fan, and this season is one of the toughest so far. We should be great, but we are one of the worst in the league. The Packers should easily put over 40 points on sunday. This won't be close. Packers win.
Redskins vs Buccaneers - The Bucs defense isn't very good, and RG3 can do some damage. Redskins win.
Giants vs Eagles - This is a tough game to call, mainly because my friend is flying cross country to see this game. I'm going to say the Eagles win, but if they lose its not my fault. Eagles win.
Bears vs Cowboys - Not sure what either team can bring, but they Bears look to be the better team. Bears win.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Week 3 Picks
This past week I found myself with another mediocre 8-8 week for picks. Although with some of my wrong picks I'm happy, such as the Patriots getting upset by the Cardinals. We'll see if I do any better this coming week. Please comment with your own picks
Giants vs Panthers - There will be no shortage of offense in this game, Cam Newton is a fantasy owners dream, but he also has played two sub par defenses. I expect the defending champs to clamp down on D and hold off for a win. Giants win.
Rams vs Bears - The Bears will have ten days to think about their loss to the Packers, and to try and fix the offensive line woes. The Rams are a good team, but the Bears should handle this one. Bears win.
Bills vs Browns - The Browns almost upset the Bengals, but with a rookie QB I can't pick them just yet. The Bills have a good offense headlined by CJ Spiller, and he should have a great day. Bills win.
Buccaneers vs Cowboys - The Bucs nearly had the Giants last week, the Cowboys got embarassed by the Seahawks. Its a matter of which Cowboys will show up. I think the Bucs can pull it out and go to 2-1. Bucs win.
Jets vs Dolphins - The Jets didn't look great against the Steelers last week, and the Fins played well against the Raiders. Reggie Bush had a huge game and I expect him to do so again this week. Dolphins win.
49ers vs Vikings - This one should be easy. The Niners have thoroughly beaten two of the better teams in the NFC, now they get the Vikings. Niners win.
Chiefs vs Saints - One of these teams will be 0-3. Both teams have terrible defenses. Both teams should have a winning record. This may be a bit of a biased pick, but the Saints should win this one out and play with some heart. Saints win.
Bengals vs Redskins - Andy Dalton is a great game managing QB. RG3 is a fantastic QB to watch. If this is a low scoring game, Bengals win, if its high scoring then the Skins win. This game should be high scoring. Redskins win.
Lions vs Titans - If the Titans had more weapons at WR they would make this a great game, however they are lacking. The Lions are looking to get another win to stay in the race for the NFC north. Lions win.
Jaguars vs Colts - Colts have owned the Jags for years. Both teams have young QB's and are rebuilding. But I'll take Andrew Luck at home over the Jags. Colts win.
Eagles vs Cardinals - Both teams are undefeated, both teams are playing surprisingly well. If Philly can control their turnovers they will be a legit contender. I think they start to correct those issues this week. Eagles win.
Falcons vs Chargers - Chargers look good, which is a shock. Falcons look great which isn't. Its always tough to go out west on a short week. I think the Chargers can pull out a close upset. Chargers win.
Texans vs Broncos - This is Houstons first big test of the year, and I think they show that all the hype around the Broncos is not for real. Texans win.
Steelers vs Oakland - Steelers are looking to regain their swagger, Oakland just wants to be competitve. Steelers win.
Patriots vs Ravens - If the real Ravens show up, they win. If the Ravens that always let us down show up, they lose. Its very simple, the hard thing to figure out is which team shows up. I think the good Ravens show up and they avenge last years AFC championship game loss. Ravens win.
Packers vs Seahawks - This game will be much tougher than most will think. Seattle is competitve and they have a great home crowd and a great defense. However, I think this will be the coming out party for Aaron Rodgers as he regains his offensive supremacy. Packers win.
Last week 8-8
Season 16-16
Giants vs Panthers - There will be no shortage of offense in this game, Cam Newton is a fantasy owners dream, but he also has played two sub par defenses. I expect the defending champs to clamp down on D and hold off for a win. Giants win.
Rams vs Bears - The Bears will have ten days to think about their loss to the Packers, and to try and fix the offensive line woes. The Rams are a good team, but the Bears should handle this one. Bears win.
Bills vs Browns - The Browns almost upset the Bengals, but with a rookie QB I can't pick them just yet. The Bills have a good offense headlined by CJ Spiller, and he should have a great day. Bills win.
Buccaneers vs Cowboys - The Bucs nearly had the Giants last week, the Cowboys got embarassed by the Seahawks. Its a matter of which Cowboys will show up. I think the Bucs can pull it out and go to 2-1. Bucs win.
Jets vs Dolphins - The Jets didn't look great against the Steelers last week, and the Fins played well against the Raiders. Reggie Bush had a huge game and I expect him to do so again this week. Dolphins win.
49ers vs Vikings - This one should be easy. The Niners have thoroughly beaten two of the better teams in the NFC, now they get the Vikings. Niners win.
Chiefs vs Saints - One of these teams will be 0-3. Both teams have terrible defenses. Both teams should have a winning record. This may be a bit of a biased pick, but the Saints should win this one out and play with some heart. Saints win.
Bengals vs Redskins - Andy Dalton is a great game managing QB. RG3 is a fantastic QB to watch. If this is a low scoring game, Bengals win, if its high scoring then the Skins win. This game should be high scoring. Redskins win.
Lions vs Titans - If the Titans had more weapons at WR they would make this a great game, however they are lacking. The Lions are looking to get another win to stay in the race for the NFC north. Lions win.
Jaguars vs Colts - Colts have owned the Jags for years. Both teams have young QB's and are rebuilding. But I'll take Andrew Luck at home over the Jags. Colts win.
Eagles vs Cardinals - Both teams are undefeated, both teams are playing surprisingly well. If Philly can control their turnovers they will be a legit contender. I think they start to correct those issues this week. Eagles win.
Falcons vs Chargers - Chargers look good, which is a shock. Falcons look great which isn't. Its always tough to go out west on a short week. I think the Chargers can pull out a close upset. Chargers win.
Texans vs Broncos - This is Houstons first big test of the year, and I think they show that all the hype around the Broncos is not for real. Texans win.
Steelers vs Oakland - Steelers are looking to regain their swagger, Oakland just wants to be competitve. Steelers win.
Patriots vs Ravens - If the real Ravens show up, they win. If the Ravens that always let us down show up, they lose. Its very simple, the hard thing to figure out is which team shows up. I think the good Ravens show up and they avenge last years AFC championship game loss. Ravens win.
Packers vs Seahawks - This game will be much tougher than most will think. Seattle is competitve and they have a great home crowd and a great defense. However, I think this will be the coming out party for Aaron Rodgers as he regains his offensive supremacy. Packers win.
Last week 8-8
Season 16-16
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Week 2 Picks
So, last week my picks were pretty bad. The few upsets that I had did not go according to plan, and some of the guranteed wins were upset. However, I managed to pull the week even at 8-8 and things should improve as we see what each team can offer. So here are my picks. Again please comment with your picks or any upsets you see coming
Bears vs Packers - This is a deep and fantastic rivalry that has gotten a lot of attention recently because both teams are playing very well. The Packers are coming off of a loss to the 49ers at home and have got to be angry over some of the officiating. The Bears just beat up on the Colts and are looking for a real test this week. Although I have the Bears going to the Superbowl, the is no way the Packers lose two straight games to open the season, especially both of them being at home. It will be a good and close game however. Packers win.
Chiefs vs Bills - Both teams just got blown out last week. Bills are dealing with a lot of injuries, but should still be the better team. Its a close one, but Bills win.
Browns vs Bengals - The Browns almost upset the Eagles last week, the Bengals got embarassed by the Ravens. The Browns are still going to be starting rookie QB Weeden, and as long as he starts this season the Browns are going to lose. Bengals win.
Vikings vs Colts - Andrew Luck looked pretty good for his first game last week, but the offensive line did not. The Vikings have a good defense and some good weapons on offense. Vikings should win, but its close. Vikings win.
Saints vs Panthers - The Saints defense was shredded last week against the coming out party for RG3. Cam Newton will probably have a good game against the Saints weak defense, but Brees and Co should manage to put enough points up to win. Saints were asleep during the first half last week. I don't see the Saints falling to 0-2. Saints win.
Texans vs Jaguars - Houston looked pretty good against the Dolphins last week, but most teams do. They get another easy opponent this week and should cruise to a 2-0 start. Texans win.
Raiders vs Dolphins - Raiders lost a close one to the Chargers on Monday. With the Fins still going with a rookie QB the Raiders should notch a win, but it'll be closer than most people think. Raiders win.
Cardinals vs Patriots - The Cards inked out a win over the Seahawks last week. Now they get to play one of the best teams in the league. Kevin Kolb may have saved his job last week, but he could easily lose it this week. Patriots win.
Buccaneers vs Giants - The Giants have had ten days to think about their loss to the Cowboys. They should be ready to win, but they are the Giants. You never know what kind of ball they will play at the begining of the season. However, Eli doesn't let his team go 0-2. Giants win.
Ravens vs Eagles - The Eagles barely beat the lowly Browns. Vick threw 4 interceptions against a bad defense. The Ravens blew out a playoff team, Joe Flacco looked better than he's ever looked. Ravens win, and win easily. Eagles start to rethink their offensive gameplan. Ravens win.
Redskins vs Rams - RG3 should continue to amaze. The Rams will try hard, but in the end they will regret trading down for all those picks and not taking RG3. Skins win.
Cowboys vs Seahawks - The Cowboys are feeling good after beating the Giants. Seahawks almost beat the Cardinals, even though they were given 4 timeouts. Cowboys should win again, but only if their offense plays like they did last week. Romo is the key, and he should come through. Cowboys win.
Jets vs Steelers - The Jets surprised everyone when they put up 48 points against the Bills. Don't expect the same outporing of offense, but the Jets will get some scores in on the Steelers. However, the Steelers will be ready to put some points up of their own. An extra week of practice for WR Mike Wallace should help a lot, and should get his team the win. Steelers win,
Titans vs Chargers - The Chargers actually looked good last week. Maybe the Chargers can fingure out how to use the talent they have on both sides of the ball. The Titans still don't have many weapons at WR, and QB Jake Locker is hurt with a shoulder injury although he should play. Chargers should win and go to 2-0. Chargers win.
Lions vs 49ers - The Lions scraped by the Rams last week. Thats never something you want to hear about your team. The 49ers just went into Green Bay and solidly beat the Packers. 49ers win, and continue to show everyone that last year was not a fluke.
Broncos vs Falcons - Both teams played super well last week. This will be a good game and should be really close. However, I don't quite trust Matt Ryan to win a game like this, and Peyton Manning is back in a dome. Manning goes crazy and wills his team to a win, and a 2-0 start. Broncos win.
Last week: 8-8
Season: 8-8
Bears vs Packers - This is a deep and fantastic rivalry that has gotten a lot of attention recently because both teams are playing very well. The Packers are coming off of a loss to the 49ers at home and have got to be angry over some of the officiating. The Bears just beat up on the Colts and are looking for a real test this week. Although I have the Bears going to the Superbowl, the is no way the Packers lose two straight games to open the season, especially both of them being at home. It will be a good and close game however. Packers win.
Chiefs vs Bills - Both teams just got blown out last week. Bills are dealing with a lot of injuries, but should still be the better team. Its a close one, but Bills win.
Browns vs Bengals - The Browns almost upset the Eagles last week, the Bengals got embarassed by the Ravens. The Browns are still going to be starting rookie QB Weeden, and as long as he starts this season the Browns are going to lose. Bengals win.
Vikings vs Colts - Andrew Luck looked pretty good for his first game last week, but the offensive line did not. The Vikings have a good defense and some good weapons on offense. Vikings should win, but its close. Vikings win.
Saints vs Panthers - The Saints defense was shredded last week against the coming out party for RG3. Cam Newton will probably have a good game against the Saints weak defense, but Brees and Co should manage to put enough points up to win. Saints were asleep during the first half last week. I don't see the Saints falling to 0-2. Saints win.
Texans vs Jaguars - Houston looked pretty good against the Dolphins last week, but most teams do. They get another easy opponent this week and should cruise to a 2-0 start. Texans win.
Raiders vs Dolphins - Raiders lost a close one to the Chargers on Monday. With the Fins still going with a rookie QB the Raiders should notch a win, but it'll be closer than most people think. Raiders win.
Cardinals vs Patriots - The Cards inked out a win over the Seahawks last week. Now they get to play one of the best teams in the league. Kevin Kolb may have saved his job last week, but he could easily lose it this week. Patriots win.
Buccaneers vs Giants - The Giants have had ten days to think about their loss to the Cowboys. They should be ready to win, but they are the Giants. You never know what kind of ball they will play at the begining of the season. However, Eli doesn't let his team go 0-2. Giants win.
Ravens vs Eagles - The Eagles barely beat the lowly Browns. Vick threw 4 interceptions against a bad defense. The Ravens blew out a playoff team, Joe Flacco looked better than he's ever looked. Ravens win, and win easily. Eagles start to rethink their offensive gameplan. Ravens win.
Redskins vs Rams - RG3 should continue to amaze. The Rams will try hard, but in the end they will regret trading down for all those picks and not taking RG3. Skins win.
Cowboys vs Seahawks - The Cowboys are feeling good after beating the Giants. Seahawks almost beat the Cardinals, even though they were given 4 timeouts. Cowboys should win again, but only if their offense plays like they did last week. Romo is the key, and he should come through. Cowboys win.
Jets vs Steelers - The Jets surprised everyone when they put up 48 points against the Bills. Don't expect the same outporing of offense, but the Jets will get some scores in on the Steelers. However, the Steelers will be ready to put some points up of their own. An extra week of practice for WR Mike Wallace should help a lot, and should get his team the win. Steelers win,
Titans vs Chargers - The Chargers actually looked good last week. Maybe the Chargers can fingure out how to use the talent they have on both sides of the ball. The Titans still don't have many weapons at WR, and QB Jake Locker is hurt with a shoulder injury although he should play. Chargers should win and go to 2-0. Chargers win.
Lions vs 49ers - The Lions scraped by the Rams last week. Thats never something you want to hear about your team. The 49ers just went into Green Bay and solidly beat the Packers. 49ers win, and continue to show everyone that last year was not a fluke.
Broncos vs Falcons - Both teams played super well last week. This will be a good game and should be really close. However, I don't quite trust Matt Ryan to win a game like this, and Peyton Manning is back in a dome. Manning goes crazy and wills his team to a win, and a 2-0 start. Broncos win.
Last week: 8-8
Season: 8-8
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Week 1 predictions
Each week I'll be giving my predictions for the NFL games. I will give a small summary as to why. I'll keep track of my record, feel free to add comments with your own predictions
Cowboys vs Giants - No defending champ has lost their home opener since they started opening games on Thursday nights. This will be no different. Both teams are overrated in my book. Both teams have big holes. Close game, but Giants win.
Colts vs Bears - The Luck era begins in Indy. Sadly it will be with a loss. The Bears look really really good. Expect it to be a bad game for the Colts. Bears win.
Eagles vs Browns - The Browns will try rookie QB Weeden to start the season, and it won't go very well. The Eagles defense will confuse him into mistakes, which the offense will turn into points. Eagles win.
Patriots vs Titans - The Titans almost made the playoffs last season and should be better. Jake Locker should continue to grow. But Tom Brady will put up some big passing yards, and with no go to wide receivers for the Titans, it could get out of hand pretty quick. Patriots win.
Falcons vs Chiefs - Both teams should improve from last year. If the Chiefs can stay healthy they will be a tough team to beat, but the Falcons are the better team. Falcons win.
Jaguars vs Vikings - This game is not going to impress a lot of people. Both teams are in the rebuilding mode. Both teams have young QB's. The Jaguars have Blaine Gabbert, the Vikes have Christian Ponder. Vikes win based on the QB.
Redskins vs Saints - The Skins get to see what RG3 can do in the regular season, and he might put up some good numbers against a shaky Saints defense. But New Orleans should out score them by a fair margin. Saints win
Bills vs Jets - The Jets had a horrid pre season, and it may not be long before Tebow starts. But the Jets will go with Sanchez, and they will go with a loss. Bills win.
Rams vs Lions - The Rams get their first game with Jeff Fisher as head coach, and they get a tough match up with the Lions. The Rams will keep it close, but the Lions will pull through. Lions win
Dolphins vs Texans - The Dolphins are already looking forward to next season. The Texans are thinking of a Superbowl. Texans win.
49ers vs Packers - This is the game of the week, easily. Packers are most peoples picks to win it all. 49ers have a lot of love from the experts as well. Many people think it will come down to the Packers offense against the 49ers defense. But the game will be decided by the Packers defense and Alex Smith. Packers defense has a decent enough game to let the Packers win. Packers win.
Seahawks vs Cardinals - The Seahawks are trying to get better, while the Cards are trying to figure out which QB they play this season, and which QB they should draft next season. Cardinals win, but its close. Cardinals win.
Panthers vs Buccaneers - Will Cam Newton have the same slump that Josh Freeman had? Probably not, but it should be an exciting game with two teams trying to get better. Panthers win.
Steelers vs Broncos - Peyton Manning gets his first real game in Denver. It just happens to be against an aggressive defense that lost to this team in the playoffs. The Steelers are looking for revenge. The Broncos are going through a big change, from what was basically a high school offense, to an offense lead by Manning. Growing pains are going to be present for sure. Steelers win.
Bengals vs Ravens - Ravens have a lot of believers out there. They could be the team to beat in the AFC. The Bengals are coming off a great season and a full offseason with their team. The Bengals have always given the Ravens a hard time and it will be a tough game for both teams. Bengals win.
Chargers vs Raiders - The Chargers are the continual disappointment in the NFL. They should always be a good team, but never meet expectations. Coach Turner should have been fired a few seasons ago and as long as he is leading this team they will continue to fail. Raiders win.
Cowboys vs Giants - No defending champ has lost their home opener since they started opening games on Thursday nights. This will be no different. Both teams are overrated in my book. Both teams have big holes. Close game, but Giants win.
Colts vs Bears - The Luck era begins in Indy. Sadly it will be with a loss. The Bears look really really good. Expect it to be a bad game for the Colts. Bears win.
Eagles vs Browns - The Browns will try rookie QB Weeden to start the season, and it won't go very well. The Eagles defense will confuse him into mistakes, which the offense will turn into points. Eagles win.
Patriots vs Titans - The Titans almost made the playoffs last season and should be better. Jake Locker should continue to grow. But Tom Brady will put up some big passing yards, and with no go to wide receivers for the Titans, it could get out of hand pretty quick. Patriots win.
Falcons vs Chiefs - Both teams should improve from last year. If the Chiefs can stay healthy they will be a tough team to beat, but the Falcons are the better team. Falcons win.
Jaguars vs Vikings - This game is not going to impress a lot of people. Both teams are in the rebuilding mode. Both teams have young QB's. The Jaguars have Blaine Gabbert, the Vikes have Christian Ponder. Vikes win based on the QB.
Redskins vs Saints - The Skins get to see what RG3 can do in the regular season, and he might put up some good numbers against a shaky Saints defense. But New Orleans should out score them by a fair margin. Saints win
Bills vs Jets - The Jets had a horrid pre season, and it may not be long before Tebow starts. But the Jets will go with Sanchez, and they will go with a loss. Bills win.
Rams vs Lions - The Rams get their first game with Jeff Fisher as head coach, and they get a tough match up with the Lions. The Rams will keep it close, but the Lions will pull through. Lions win
Dolphins vs Texans - The Dolphins are already looking forward to next season. The Texans are thinking of a Superbowl. Texans win.
49ers vs Packers - This is the game of the week, easily. Packers are most peoples picks to win it all. 49ers have a lot of love from the experts as well. Many people think it will come down to the Packers offense against the 49ers defense. But the game will be decided by the Packers defense and Alex Smith. Packers defense has a decent enough game to let the Packers win. Packers win.
Seahawks vs Cardinals - The Seahawks are trying to get better, while the Cards are trying to figure out which QB they play this season, and which QB they should draft next season. Cardinals win, but its close. Cardinals win.
Panthers vs Buccaneers - Will Cam Newton have the same slump that Josh Freeman had? Probably not, but it should be an exciting game with two teams trying to get better. Panthers win.
Steelers vs Broncos - Peyton Manning gets his first real game in Denver. It just happens to be against an aggressive defense that lost to this team in the playoffs. The Steelers are looking for revenge. The Broncos are going through a big change, from what was basically a high school offense, to an offense lead by Manning. Growing pains are going to be present for sure. Steelers win.
Bengals vs Ravens - Ravens have a lot of believers out there. They could be the team to beat in the AFC. The Bengals are coming off a great season and a full offseason with their team. The Bengals have always given the Ravens a hard time and it will be a tough game for both teams. Bengals win.
Chargers vs Raiders - The Chargers are the continual disappointment in the NFL. They should always be a good team, but never meet expectations. Coach Turner should have been fired a few seasons ago and as long as he is leading this team they will continue to fail. Raiders win.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Has Showtime Returned?
I'm sure everyone has now heard, but Dwight Howard is now an LA Laker. Dwight Howard, by far the league's best center, has joined a team with Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, and Pao Gasol. That's about as tough a lineup as any team can put out there.
The year long drama surrounding Dwight is now over, thank goodness. Dwight's now famously dubbed 'Indecision' has come to an end, for now. Dwight still has a year left on his contract and he may not stay in LA long term. The odds of Dwight leaving LA this year are about the same as for the Bobcats to win the NBA title this year, its not gonna happen. Players stay in LA because the Lakers simply win.
This off season has been a very busy one for LA, they fixed their two biggest weaknesses and kept all of their core players, except for Andrew Bynum who was a key part of the Dwight Howard trade. The Lakers struggled mightily at the point guard position. Derek Fisher and Ramon Sessions simply didn't cut it. The acquisition of Steve Nash, for garbage draft picks, is a gigantic upgrade.
Nash lead a team of overpaid and underachieving scrubs to within a game of reaching the playoffs. He had a great season, averaging 12 points a game and 10 assists. Not too shabby for a guy who is 38. Nash will be able to run the Laker offense and get everyone set up and make sure everyone gets plenty of touches. Sure, Nash is towards the end of his career, but given his stats from last season I don't think his age will be much of an issue. The Lakers should be more concerned about Nash's defense, or lack there of.
Don't get me wrong, I love Steve Nash. He is the closest player to John Stockton that the NBA has seen. He is selfless, a pass first point guard with a good jump shot. The biggest difference between the two is that John Stockton is one of the best defensive point guards of all time(Don't believe me, just look at how many steals he has, 3,265, and who is in second, Jason Kidd with 2,559.)
Nash is a poor defender, always has been, always will be. Nash will struggle to defend quicker and bigger guards. Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose(if he's healthy), and most importantly, Russell Westbrook. Westbrook is one of the fastest guards in the league, he is great at getting to the basket, using his speed and agility to break past a defender and score at the basket.
So what does LA do to counter for Nash's weak defense?
The simply acquire the best big man in the game, hands down. With Dwight Howard in the paint on defense, he can help deter and opposing players that try and break to the basket. Howard can protect the paint, grab rebounds and block shots better than nearly any other player in the league. The only other center in the league that's better on defense, in my opinion, is the Knicks Tyson Chandler(who won defensive player of the year).
The Lakers are always about winning, always have been and always will be. The past two seasons they have been bounced in the second round of the playoffs, so a change had to happen. The Lakers know that their biggest competition in the West is Oklahoma City. This is the team that beat them in 5 games during the playoffs. The Thunder went to the NBA finals, they are incredibly young, athletic and talented.
And if anyone recalls, the Thunder beat the Lakers by getting easy layups and dunks at the basket.
The Lakers just made an excellent counter move. With Howard in the middle the Thunder will no longer get easy looks at the basket. Oklahoma City will have to find new ways to score against the Lakers, and will need to find new ways to defend the now incredibly potent Laker offense.
So are the Lakers now the favorites in the West? Should they be favored to win the NBA title? Its hard to say at this point, but my instant reaction is this. The Lakers are now the best team in the West. With Nash running the offense, and running the pick and roll(second best P&R point guard in NBA history, behind Stockton) to set up easy looks to Kobe, Howard and Gasol, expect the offense to be one of the most efficient in the NBA.
I don't think the Lakers should be favored to win it all this year. I still anticipate the defending champs to repeat, and most likely face the Lakers in the Finals.
However, the Lakers are extremely relevant again, having added a top 5 point guard and the best center in the league. And to think they only gave up Andrew Bynum and a few draft picks for it.
Showtime is back, the Lakers are, again, huge contenders. Oklahoma City and San Antonio are going to struggle against the Lakers, simply because of their size and strength. Not to mention the addition of Nash, who can feed his teammates better than anyone in the league right now.
Many people are furious over this trade, they are upset because the Lakers always seem to get what they want. As a fan of the NBA, it is pointless to be upset over this trade. Its a done deal, time to move on and enjoy what should be an excellent NBA season that tips off at the end of October.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Moving Past 'The Decision'
I think the time has finally come for all of us to move on from 'The Decision'. It's been nearly two years since Lebron infamously said 'I'll be taking my talents to South Beach'. Nearly two years since Lebron, Wade and Bosh held a massive celebration and stated that they winning would be easy and they would win multiple championships.
For the past two years the media has been hating on Lebron James. Over analyzing every game, every move and every failure. He has been the most scrutinized player in professional sports since he left Cleveland. And he deserved it.
He deserved it because he crowned the Heat to be a dynasty before they played a game, said the big three in Miami was one of the best trio's in basketball history before they had even had a practice together. The celebration for signing Bosh and James looked like a combination between a championship parade and a WWE intro.
It was way over the top and mad him look selfish, arrogant and immature.
Fast forward from the celebrations to the end of last season when Lebron and co lost to the Mavericks after being up two games to one. Lebron choked in that series. Just like he choked when he played his last series for Cleveland. He looked timid, didn't have the killer instinct that he should have. He didn't have the attitude that said 'I'm the baddest player in the game right now, I'm going to own everyone I play'. That attitude we've seen in Jordan and Kobe. He was missing that, despite all his talent he didn't have the 'killer gene' that we all think he should have.
Fast forward to this post season.
Lebron has the killer instinct, he has the attitude that says he is the best player in the game. He has the confidence that he could tell the player guarding him exactly how he is going to score on him, and then do it. It's something his game has been missing. And its finally here.
We can't say he doesn't have the killer instinct anymore, we can't say he isn't clutch. We can't say he doesn't have the desire to win. He has all of those now, and it was extremely evident during this amazing post season.
So now it is time to stop hating so much on Lebron. It's time to move pat 'The Decision'. It was two years ago, he made a mistake and has admitted he would handle things differently if he could.
I think it's time we forget about the past and appreciate him for the talent that he is. He is playing some of the best basketball right now. And although the season is over, don't expect to see Lebron's game take a drop in the 2012-2013 season. He will still be playing outta his mind.
We can still dislike him, but I don't think we should hate him. We should appreciate the kind of basketball he is playing right now.
I made a mistake of not appreciating Kobe's game back when he was in his prime. I despised the guy, hated him and the Lakers. Despite his stellar play, I hated Kobe. Looking back I wish I could have just sat back and watched his game. I wish I could have said, 'You know, I don't like Kobe...but man can he play' and then sit back and just watch and be in awe at his game.
I plan on doing this with Lebron. I don't like the guy, what he did to Cleveland was bad. How he handled The Decision was bad. How he quit in the playoffs in the past was bad. But he is playing amazingly right now, and all I want to do is sit back and witness how great he is.
It's ok to dislike a player, or hope that he doesn't win. Many people don't like Jordan, Kobe, Magic, Bird. But to hate them and not appreciate how great their game is, and how well they are playing, especially in their prime, is almost a crime. Lebron is the best player of our generation. He is playing the best basketball since Jordan. I think we should appreciate that.
I'm not a fan of Lebron. I still dislike him and the Heat. I don't want to see him win. But when he plays I plan to appreciate his talents.
I plan to enjoy watching him play, and I think everyone else should.
For the past two years the media has been hating on Lebron James. Over analyzing every game, every move and every failure. He has been the most scrutinized player in professional sports since he left Cleveland. And he deserved it.
He deserved it because he crowned the Heat to be a dynasty before they played a game, said the big three in Miami was one of the best trio's in basketball history before they had even had a practice together. The celebration for signing Bosh and James looked like a combination between a championship parade and a WWE intro.
It was way over the top and mad him look selfish, arrogant and immature.
Fast forward from the celebrations to the end of last season when Lebron and co lost to the Mavericks after being up two games to one. Lebron choked in that series. Just like he choked when he played his last series for Cleveland. He looked timid, didn't have the killer instinct that he should have. He didn't have the attitude that said 'I'm the baddest player in the game right now, I'm going to own everyone I play'. That attitude we've seen in Jordan and Kobe. He was missing that, despite all his talent he didn't have the 'killer gene' that we all think he should have.
Fast forward to this post season.
Lebron has the killer instinct, he has the attitude that says he is the best player in the game. He has the confidence that he could tell the player guarding him exactly how he is going to score on him, and then do it. It's something his game has been missing. And its finally here.
We can't say he doesn't have the killer instinct anymore, we can't say he isn't clutch. We can't say he doesn't have the desire to win. He has all of those now, and it was extremely evident during this amazing post season.
So now it is time to stop hating so much on Lebron. It's time to move pat 'The Decision'. It was two years ago, he made a mistake and has admitted he would handle things differently if he could.
I think it's time we forget about the past and appreciate him for the talent that he is. He is playing some of the best basketball right now. And although the season is over, don't expect to see Lebron's game take a drop in the 2012-2013 season. He will still be playing outta his mind.
We can still dislike him, but I don't think we should hate him. We should appreciate the kind of basketball he is playing right now.
I made a mistake of not appreciating Kobe's game back when he was in his prime. I despised the guy, hated him and the Lakers. Despite his stellar play, I hated Kobe. Looking back I wish I could have just sat back and watched his game. I wish I could have said, 'You know, I don't like Kobe...but man can he play' and then sit back and just watch and be in awe at his game.
I plan on doing this with Lebron. I don't like the guy, what he did to Cleveland was bad. How he handled The Decision was bad. How he quit in the playoffs in the past was bad. But he is playing amazingly right now, and all I want to do is sit back and witness how great he is.
It's ok to dislike a player, or hope that he doesn't win. Many people don't like Jordan, Kobe, Magic, Bird. But to hate them and not appreciate how great their game is, and how well they are playing, especially in their prime, is almost a crime. Lebron is the best player of our generation. He is playing the best basketball since Jordan. I think we should appreciate that.
I'm not a fan of Lebron. I still dislike him and the Heat. I don't want to see him win. But when he plays I plan to appreciate his talents.
I plan to enjoy watching him play, and I think everyone else should.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
What the NBA Needs
Last night Oklahoma City did what very few people thought was possible, they beat the Spurs in a playoff series. The same Spurs team that didn't have a losing streak of 4 games all season, and entered this series with a 20 game winning streak dating back to the regular season, suddenly loses 4 in a row to the Thunder.
I knew something was wrong after game 3. The Spurs got beat pretty bad, the final score was 102-82. Coach Popovich pulled his old starters at the start of the 4th quarter to save their energy for another day, he knew he had lost when only 75% of the game was finished.
The Thunder went to a smaller line up more often, using Serge Ibaka at the center and moving Kevin Durant to the power forward. This caused too many problems for the Spurs. After game 3 the Spurs were never the same and seemed destined to lose.
So one half of the NBA Finals is set, OKC will be representing the West(Interesting side note, this will be the first time since 1998 that a team other than the Spurs, Lakers or Mavericks go to the finals from the West, the team in 98? The Utah Jazz).
So now all eyes are set on Boston and Miami. They play tonight in Boston, with the Celtics leading the series 3-2. If Boston wins they go to the finals, if Miami wins they head back home to play a game 7. This is a huge game. And when I say huge, I really mean it. I'm not trying to oversell this game, or over hype it. This is one of the biggest games of the year so far.
During the Pacers-Heat series I had a few discussions with some friends and we talked about how important game 4 was of that series. If you recall heading into game 4 the Pacers were up 2-1 in the series. The game was in Indiana, Pacers had just won 2 in a row, including a thrashing in game 3. I argued that game 4 was the most important game for the Miami Heat since the Big 3 started playing together. If they lost game 4 the series was effectively over, they would be down 3-1 and have absolutely no momentum.
The Heat would win game 4, then win game 5 and game 6. They won the series 4-2.
That game was still the most important game for the Miami Heat since Lebron and Chris Bosh came to town. However, game 6 between the Celtics and Heat is more important. It's not more important for the Miami Heat, they had to win that game and the series, just imagine the media chaos if the Heat lost in the 2nd round of the playoffs. This game is more important for the NBA. The NBA needs the Heat to win.
What I mean, is that for the NBA to be as successful as possible they need the Heat in the Finals. More people will watch the Finals if Miami wins. They want to see Lebron fail. They want to see him choke.
The NBA wants the Heat to make it to the Finals. It'd be a great match up, both teams are athletic with 3 big superstars. The Heat have Lebron, Wade and Chris Bosh. The Thunder has Durant, Westbrook and Harden. Even though Boston has superstars in Garnett, Pierce, Allen and Rondo, they won't put as many fans in front of the TV.
So don't be surprised if you see some shaky officiating tonight. Now when it comes to sports I hate blaming the refs for a loss. I hate fans that blame the refs, it seems like a cheap way to not accept the fact that your team lost. But in some instances refs play a huge part, and a lot of times it seems like they are trying to call a game in the favor of one team.
For me, I blame the refs for just a few losses. The 97-98 Utah Jazz is one. Game 6 of the finals seemed to have some terrible calls. Ron Harpers shot after the 24 shot clock went off, but was called good. The Jazz had a shot go off before the buzzer, but was called no good. And of course, Jordan's shoving of Russell to his his last shot as a Bull. The Jazz had some bad calls against them. They may not have won game 7, but there should've been one more game.
The 2002 Western Conference Finals, game 6. The Kings and Lakers were playing in a heated series. The Kings were up 3-2 with a chance to clinch the series. The officiating in that game was simple atrocious. I can't even begin on how bad it was. Let me just sum it up quickly by saying this, when the scandal came out a few years ago that NBA refs were caught for throwing games, or calling games in favor of one team, former NBA ref Tim Donaghy said in court that game 6 was fixed. That the refs were told not to call fouls on certain players. And that by letting this game go to 7 games it would be better for the NBA. You can Google to read more on the 2002 Western Conference Finals. The game was fixed.
The last one is Superbowl XL. Seahawks and Steelers. I don't want to spend too much time on this, but the game had several terrible calls that took away a lot of points from Seattle.
David Stern, the NBA Commissioner, has a bad reputation for trying to fix games. He fixed the 1985 NBA draft so Patrick Ewing would go to New York.
So again, don't be surprised if the refs seem to be pulling for the Heat, because there is a good chance that Stern is telling the refs to let the Heat win.
So why does the NBA need the Heat to win? It's simple really, the leagues best player needs to have a ring.
Lebron is the best player of this generation. The NBA has a way of having one elite player for every generation. We had Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, then it went to Michael Jordan. After Jordan it went to Kobe Bryant. Although Kobe is an elite player, he is not 'the elite' player, its Lebron.
The NBA can't have Lebron not win a ring. Many great players never one a ring, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, John Stockton, Reggie Miller, Elgin Baylor to name a few. But none of these players were the player of that generation.
Now let me be clear on a few things. I personally hate Lebron James. I don't like how he acts, I don't like how he shys away in the clutch moment. I hate how he went to Miami, not so much the fact that he went there, but how it all happened.
I use to be a huge Lebron fan. Although ESPN over covered him, especially in his early years, I was a big fan. I always rooted for him to win in the playoffs. I wanted to see him win a ring. When Cleveland had the number one seed in the east those two years I was cheering for him to win.
I was a fan until he quit. He didn't quit when he told everyone he would be taking his talents to South Beach. He quit in the final game as a Cavalier. I watched that game, and saw how little effort he gave, there was no intensity. You could tell by his body language that he was done in Cleveland. After that I stopped being a fan.
Even though me, personally, would love nothing more than to see Lebron retire without a ring. I'd love it if when people ask for the best player to fail in the clutch/playoffs they would say Lebron instead of Karl Malone. I'd like him to never have the joy of winning it all because he quits on his teammates. All that being said, me as an unbiased fan of basketball wants him to win a title.
James needs to win a championship. He is the best in the game right now. He has a chance to be a top 5 player of all time. The list of top 5 usually goes like this 1) Michael Jordan, 2) Wilt Chamberlain, 3)Magic Johnson, 4) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 5) Larry Bird. Other notables are Oscar Robinson, Bill Russell, Kobe Bryant.
To be in that kind of company is special. Lebron has the talent to be in that class easily. He has the teammates to help him. He just needs to dominate to win, if he dominates he wins.
Lebron cannot be a top 5 player without at least one ring. It is a straight up fact. One ring may not be enough. But he absolutely cannot be a top 5 player without a ring. He might have a hard time being a top ten player of all time without one ring.
Lebron will never be the greatest of all time, that is Michael Jordan's title. I don't see any player ever taking that away from him. But Lebron can still try and be better than Kobe, still try and make it into the top 5. And he needs a ring for that.
He also needs to be careful of his status as greatest player of our generation. Kevin Durant is playing pretty well, he's young and he tries. He is also in the NBA Finals.
Lebron, the move is yours. You have a chance to make it to your 3rd NBA Finals. You can shut up all of your haters, including me, by giving it your all, getting your teammates involved and by making the big shot in the 4th quarter.
It's time for you start producing rings like you said you would in the parade the Heat gave you when you signed with them.
I knew something was wrong after game 3. The Spurs got beat pretty bad, the final score was 102-82. Coach Popovich pulled his old starters at the start of the 4th quarter to save their energy for another day, he knew he had lost when only 75% of the game was finished.
The Thunder went to a smaller line up more often, using Serge Ibaka at the center and moving Kevin Durant to the power forward. This caused too many problems for the Spurs. After game 3 the Spurs were never the same and seemed destined to lose.
So one half of the NBA Finals is set, OKC will be representing the West(Interesting side note, this will be the first time since 1998 that a team other than the Spurs, Lakers or Mavericks go to the finals from the West, the team in 98? The Utah Jazz).
So now all eyes are set on Boston and Miami. They play tonight in Boston, with the Celtics leading the series 3-2. If Boston wins they go to the finals, if Miami wins they head back home to play a game 7. This is a huge game. And when I say huge, I really mean it. I'm not trying to oversell this game, or over hype it. This is one of the biggest games of the year so far.
During the Pacers-Heat series I had a few discussions with some friends and we talked about how important game 4 was of that series. If you recall heading into game 4 the Pacers were up 2-1 in the series. The game was in Indiana, Pacers had just won 2 in a row, including a thrashing in game 3. I argued that game 4 was the most important game for the Miami Heat since the Big 3 started playing together. If they lost game 4 the series was effectively over, they would be down 3-1 and have absolutely no momentum.
The Heat would win game 4, then win game 5 and game 6. They won the series 4-2.
That game was still the most important game for the Miami Heat since Lebron and Chris Bosh came to town. However, game 6 between the Celtics and Heat is more important. It's not more important for the Miami Heat, they had to win that game and the series, just imagine the media chaos if the Heat lost in the 2nd round of the playoffs. This game is more important for the NBA. The NBA needs the Heat to win.
What I mean, is that for the NBA to be as successful as possible they need the Heat in the Finals. More people will watch the Finals if Miami wins. They want to see Lebron fail. They want to see him choke.
The NBA wants the Heat to make it to the Finals. It'd be a great match up, both teams are athletic with 3 big superstars. The Heat have Lebron, Wade and Chris Bosh. The Thunder has Durant, Westbrook and Harden. Even though Boston has superstars in Garnett, Pierce, Allen and Rondo, they won't put as many fans in front of the TV.
So don't be surprised if you see some shaky officiating tonight. Now when it comes to sports I hate blaming the refs for a loss. I hate fans that blame the refs, it seems like a cheap way to not accept the fact that your team lost. But in some instances refs play a huge part, and a lot of times it seems like they are trying to call a game in the favor of one team.
For me, I blame the refs for just a few losses. The 97-98 Utah Jazz is one. Game 6 of the finals seemed to have some terrible calls. Ron Harpers shot after the 24 shot clock went off, but was called good. The Jazz had a shot go off before the buzzer, but was called no good. And of course, Jordan's shoving of Russell to his his last shot as a Bull. The Jazz had some bad calls against them. They may not have won game 7, but there should've been one more game.
The 2002 Western Conference Finals, game 6. The Kings and Lakers were playing in a heated series. The Kings were up 3-2 with a chance to clinch the series. The officiating in that game was simple atrocious. I can't even begin on how bad it was. Let me just sum it up quickly by saying this, when the scandal came out a few years ago that NBA refs were caught for throwing games, or calling games in favor of one team, former NBA ref Tim Donaghy said in court that game 6 was fixed. That the refs were told not to call fouls on certain players. And that by letting this game go to 7 games it would be better for the NBA. You can Google to read more on the 2002 Western Conference Finals. The game was fixed.
The last one is Superbowl XL. Seahawks and Steelers. I don't want to spend too much time on this, but the game had several terrible calls that took away a lot of points from Seattle.
David Stern, the NBA Commissioner, has a bad reputation for trying to fix games. He fixed the 1985 NBA draft so Patrick Ewing would go to New York.
So again, don't be surprised if the refs seem to be pulling for the Heat, because there is a good chance that Stern is telling the refs to let the Heat win.
So why does the NBA need the Heat to win? It's simple really, the leagues best player needs to have a ring.
Lebron is the best player of this generation. The NBA has a way of having one elite player for every generation. We had Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, then it went to Michael Jordan. After Jordan it went to Kobe Bryant. Although Kobe is an elite player, he is not 'the elite' player, its Lebron.
The NBA can't have Lebron not win a ring. Many great players never one a ring, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, John Stockton, Reggie Miller, Elgin Baylor to name a few. But none of these players were the player of that generation.
Now let me be clear on a few things. I personally hate Lebron James. I don't like how he acts, I don't like how he shys away in the clutch moment. I hate how he went to Miami, not so much the fact that he went there, but how it all happened.
I use to be a huge Lebron fan. Although ESPN over covered him, especially in his early years, I was a big fan. I always rooted for him to win in the playoffs. I wanted to see him win a ring. When Cleveland had the number one seed in the east those two years I was cheering for him to win.
I was a fan until he quit. He didn't quit when he told everyone he would be taking his talents to South Beach. He quit in the final game as a Cavalier. I watched that game, and saw how little effort he gave, there was no intensity. You could tell by his body language that he was done in Cleveland. After that I stopped being a fan.
Even though me, personally, would love nothing more than to see Lebron retire without a ring. I'd love it if when people ask for the best player to fail in the clutch/playoffs they would say Lebron instead of Karl Malone. I'd like him to never have the joy of winning it all because he quits on his teammates. All that being said, me as an unbiased fan of basketball wants him to win a title.
James needs to win a championship. He is the best in the game right now. He has a chance to be a top 5 player of all time. The list of top 5 usually goes like this 1) Michael Jordan, 2) Wilt Chamberlain, 3)Magic Johnson, 4) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 5) Larry Bird. Other notables are Oscar Robinson, Bill Russell, Kobe Bryant.
To be in that kind of company is special. Lebron has the talent to be in that class easily. He has the teammates to help him. He just needs to dominate to win, if he dominates he wins.
Lebron cannot be a top 5 player without at least one ring. It is a straight up fact. One ring may not be enough. But he absolutely cannot be a top 5 player without a ring. He might have a hard time being a top ten player of all time without one ring.
Lebron will never be the greatest of all time, that is Michael Jordan's title. I don't see any player ever taking that away from him. But Lebron can still try and be better than Kobe, still try and make it into the top 5. And he needs a ring for that.
He also needs to be careful of his status as greatest player of our generation. Kevin Durant is playing pretty well, he's young and he tries. He is also in the NBA Finals.
Lebron, the move is yours. You have a chance to make it to your 3rd NBA Finals. You can shut up all of your haters, including me, by giving it your all, getting your teammates involved and by making the big shot in the 4th quarter.
It's time for you start producing rings like you said you would in the parade the Heat gave you when you signed with them.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
All NBA Team
With the NBA regular season coming to a close I figure now should be the time for me to name who I think should be on the 1st All NBA Team. In simple terms, its is who I think is the best point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center in the league.
The league will list out their own version of the All NBA team, but if you notice the voting ballot is for one center, two guards and two forwards. Meaning the All NBA team could have two small forwards, two shooting guards and a center. Doesn't sound like a complete team to me. I know I wouldn't want to have a team without a point guard.
So I will list a true All NBA team, no position changes or anything. I'll explain why each player deserves the spot and who the choices came down between.
Center: Dwight Howard 20PPG 14.5 RPG 2.1 BPG.
Howard is the best center in the league hands down. There are very few big men that can dominate like him. He uses his size better than any player in the NBA, posting up anyone who dares go into the paint with him. He usually will get a basket or a foul.
Dwight Howard is the center every team wants, a big guy who can post up, score and play lights out defense. He may not have the most class, I mean he wants his coach fired and has been drawing out his long term status in Orlando out way too long, but this award if for on the court success, and as far as centers go he is number one.
Howard been named first team all NBA the past four seasons, and he will likely get his fifth this year. He is a great center, but it also shows how little depth there is at center in the NBA today. There just isn't much competition. Many NBA analysts say that this award is Dwight's to lose each year.
When I think of people who could compete for it, I can think of Andrew Bynum of the Lakers. He is finally healthy and has had his best seasons yet averaging almost19 points and 12 boards per game. He is showing that he can be an elite center and challenge Howard for being best center in the NBA. However, Bynum will not win the award this season. Bynum is the second option in LA, sometimes third. Orlando has built their entire franchise around Howard, Orlando ownership would be willing to sell a kidney if it meant Howard stays long term.
Power Forward: Kevin Love 26PPG 13.2 RPG.
This is the easiest for me to choose for this list. Kevin Love is hands down the best PF in the league. He has no equal. Before he went down for the season with a concussion he was in the top 3 in points per game and rebounds per game. He plays great defense, even playing at center at times due to his teammates being injured. Most of all, he puts these stats up on an awful team. Whenever you play Minnesota, all you have to worry about it Kevin Love. You stop him, you stop the entire team. He has little help around him. Ricky Rubio played well at point guard, but when he went down with an ACL injury Love kept putting up the same numbers.
Kevin Love is putting up MVP numbers this season, if I had a vote I would vote him MVP(just read my last article), he won't win it this year. He has been hurt the past two weeks or so and is playing on an awful team.
When the NBA announces their All NBA team the two forwards selected will be Lebron James and Kevin Durant. Both of these two are amazing players, top 5 in the NBA right now. However, they both play small forward, but because the NBA has it set up now, Love will not get the award despite his stellar year.
Small Forward: Lebron James 27PPG 6APG 8 RPG.
The argument for who is the leagues best small forward comes down to two players, and these two players happen to be the two best in the NBA. Lebron James and Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant comes up a little short this year despite his amazing numbers(28PPG 3.5 APG 8 RPG).
James and Durant's numbers are almost the exact same, so its hard to say which one is better if you look purely at the stats that are available.
So how did I decide?
I watched both of them play, and it came down to one simple thing. Lebron looks like the better player. It's a close call, but for me it came down to one thing, defense. James is simply a better defender. He should be a candidate for defensive player of the year, he won't win it but he should be in the conversation for it. James and Durant are both averaging 8 rebounds a game, but remember, defense is not all about stats. Defense is about shutting players down limiting points.
While both players are very good defenders, James is better.
Some people may not like me choosing James over Durant, they may argue that James plays with better teammates. However, Durant has a very, very talented team around him. James does play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but take a look at the other players on the roster. Not a lot of depth, I mean Shane Battier is pretty good, but he plays small forward as well.
Durant plays with Russell Westbrook, who many experts think is an elite level NBA point guard(I have to disagree, I can explain on a later post). Durant also has a great defensive center in Kendrick Perkins, a defensive minded Forward in Serge Ibaka and the 6th man of the year(I'm assuming he will win the award as he should) in James Harden.
You can make the argument the Durant plays on the team with more overall talent. The Thunder have a great point guard and an amazing center. These are the two most important positions in the NBA. The Heat are very weak at these two spots. The Thunder also have a deeper bench.
So please, don't act like Durant is playing with a bunch of scrubs. There is a reason why they were contending for the number one seed in the western conference playoffs, before their awful April meltdown, they are a great team.
One of these two will win the MVP, even though I would not vote for either, and it will probably go to James. Despite the fact that I personally do not like the guy, as an unbiased sports blogger I cannot deny that James is the best small forward in the game today and probably the best player in the game.
Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant 28 PPG, 4.6 APG, 5.4 RPG
Despite my personal dislike for Kobe, I cannot deny his greatness. I cannot deny how clutch he is. I cannot deny that even at age 33 and being in the league for 15 years he is still one of the best in the game and easily the best 2 guard in the game today.
Kobe should be on the decline, I mean he is old. He has bad knees. He's been playing since 1996. He always plays a lot of minutes and he always plays hard. So how is it that he is having one of his better seasons?
There most be something in the water in LA.
Kobe's numbers talk for themselves. However what sold me for Kobe as the best shooting guard in the league is how he is still clutch.
If the game is down to one possession and you had the choice of any current NBA player to have the ball in his hand, who do you choose?
To me its a simple answer, and its been the same player for the past decade it seems. Kobe.
Kobe comes through in the clutch. Hitting game winning shots, playing lights out defense when it matters most, and is usually the catalyst for starting a comeback.
Just look at last weeks game between the Thunder and Lakers. OKC was winning by 18 in the second half. The game should be over. OKC is younger and has more talent. However, they do not have Kobe. Kobe started slow, but he willed his team to take the game into double overtime and eventually the win.
Kobe gets a look in his eyes when he is dialed in. When he has the moment, especially in the clutch, he is not going to be denied. He is going to score, and there is literally nothing you can do about it. Its that simple. If you don't believe me just look on youtube for some of Kobe's clutch shots.
I cannot think of another shooting guard that comes close to Kobe this year. He wins it.
Point Guard.
This is easily the hardest of them all for me. Let me go ahead and list some of the point guards I had to consider(in no particular order).
Chris Paul(Clippers), Steve Nash(Suns), Tony Parker(Spurs), Rajon Rondo(Celtics), Deron Williams(Nets), Russell Westbrook(Thunder), Derrick Rose(Bulls, I only consider him because he is the reigning MVP. He missed over a third of this season so he really shouldn't be in the conversation).
I listed seven players. The media would consider all of these 'elite' point guards. I have a hard time with Westbrook being considered elite. He is a great point guard, but he can take too many shots, and when it comes to crunch time he will just go into a panic and pull up jump shots.
The other six I say are elite. Rose won't make the team this year because of injuries, and the odd fact that despite him missing so many games the Bulls have the best overall record in the NBA, weird.
With a field that is this deep I have to consider a few things. First is what should a point guard do?
Point guards are an extention of the coach, they set up plays to run and get their teammates involved. They are facilitators, racking up assists and running a team. They still need to score, but being the top scoring point guard doesn't gurantee you a spot on the All NBA Team.
So how much better do these point guards make their team? This can narrow the field down a little. It drops Deron Williams out. He is having a great season statistically, averaging 21 points a game and 8.3 assists. Those numbers can get you an All NBA Team nomination. However, Deron is playing for the Nets, an awful team. Its not Deron's fault, but with so many other guards to choose, this kicks him out.
It doesn't seem right for Westbrook to make the All NBA Team, when his teammat Durant doesn't. Durant is the leader and a way better player. Westbrook is a great scorer, averaging 23.6 points a game. However, he is only averaging 5.5 assists a game. That is pretty low, I'm sorry I can't have him win this when Kobe is close to his average assists a game.
And this is where I come to a complete stalemate. Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Rajon Rondo and Tony Parker. Each of them deserve to be on the All NBA Team. Chris Paul and Tony Parker deserve it because they are the best scorers on their team, and the clutch go to guy. Nash and Rondo deserve the nod because they make their teammates so much better around them.
Chris Paul was traded to the Clippers and has taken one of the worst franchises in the NBA to the playoffs in his first season. He has some decent talent around him, but its nothing great. When it comes to the crunch time for the Clippers, they basically hand the ball to Paul and say 'go make something happen'. His has great numbers, 19.8 PPG 9.1 APG, and has made the Clippers matter in the NBA.
I can't give Paul the nod, however. He's great, but I just don't think he's the best. The Clippers aren't a great team, they may be the 5th seed in the west, but they don't look like a 5th seed. They seem average.
Steve Nash had one of his better seasons at the ripe old age of 38, putting up 12.5 points per and dishing out 10.7 assists a contest. You may ask how Nash is ahead of guys like Russell Westbrook and Deron Williams when he is only putting up 12 points a game, my answer in simple. He is great at facilitating the ball and making his players better around him.
The Suns have a pretty awful roster, overpaid players that are underachieving is the best way to put it. Yet, Nash had the Suns in the hunt for the playoff until they were eliminated by the Jazz this past week.
Nash played his heart out and played well. However, I don't think he is the best PG in the game. He is still weak on the defensive side of the ball. Its not that Nash didn't play well, I just think there are two players that played point guard better.
One of them is Rajon Rondo. He averaged 11.9 points a game and 11.7 assists. Very similar numbers to Nash, however Rondo also averaged nearly 5 rebounds a game. He also has the most triple doubles in the league this year. He had six, no other NBA player had more than 1.
Rondo is also a very good defensive guard, getting nearly 2 steals a game and showing he is a lockdown defender. With such close numbers between Rondo and Nash, it came down to defense that gave Rondo the nod.
You could argue that since Rondo is playing for a better team, and since Nash's numbers are so close to Rondo's, the Nash should get the vote. It is true that Boston is better than Phoenix. But Boston has been on a tear since the all star break, clearly the hottest team in the NBA. What triggered this hot streak? Rajon Rondo. He has been playing his best since the all star game and is the reason why the Celtics look as good as they do.
Boston is old and has some big missing parts, but Rondo has kept them together and is playing at his best.
As much as I like Rondo, he doesn't get the award. Tony Parker gets it.
He is averaging great numbers, 18.3 points a game and 7.7 assists. Chris Paul has better numbers, so does Deron Williams. So why does Parker get the nomination? It's pretty simple, actually. He is the best player on the best team in the NBA.
Not only is he the best player for the Spurs, he is the most important. The reasons why the Spurs have the best record is all because of Parker. The Spurs are very old, their other best players are old(Duncan and Ginobli), but Parkers play has kept the Spurs as the best team out there.
Everyone said the Spurs were too old to contend in the playoffs, they said the same thing last year as well, but Parker proved them wrong. It wasn't the play of Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobli. It's been Parkers play, clutch and facilitating that has the Spurs hot, looking to win a 5th NBA championship.
To make it easy, he puts up similar numbers to Chris Paul and Deron Williams. Those two are the big scoring point guards. At the same time he has taken an old team that nobody thought would be a contender and made them the number one seed, Rondo has his team in the playoffs but not the number one seed and Nash couldn't get his team into the playoffs at all.
Let me know what you think, I may be wrong. But as far as I'm concerned these are the best players at their respective positions.
The league will list out their own version of the All NBA team, but if you notice the voting ballot is for one center, two guards and two forwards. Meaning the All NBA team could have two small forwards, two shooting guards and a center. Doesn't sound like a complete team to me. I know I wouldn't want to have a team without a point guard.
So I will list a true All NBA team, no position changes or anything. I'll explain why each player deserves the spot and who the choices came down between.
Center: Dwight Howard 20PPG 14.5 RPG 2.1 BPG.
Howard is the best center in the league hands down. There are very few big men that can dominate like him. He uses his size better than any player in the NBA, posting up anyone who dares go into the paint with him. He usually will get a basket or a foul.
Dwight Howard is the center every team wants, a big guy who can post up, score and play lights out defense. He may not have the most class, I mean he wants his coach fired and has been drawing out his long term status in Orlando out way too long, but this award if for on the court success, and as far as centers go he is number one.
Howard been named first team all NBA the past four seasons, and he will likely get his fifth this year. He is a great center, but it also shows how little depth there is at center in the NBA today. There just isn't much competition. Many NBA analysts say that this award is Dwight's to lose each year.
When I think of people who could compete for it, I can think of Andrew Bynum of the Lakers. He is finally healthy and has had his best seasons yet averaging almost19 points and 12 boards per game. He is showing that he can be an elite center and challenge Howard for being best center in the NBA. However, Bynum will not win the award this season. Bynum is the second option in LA, sometimes third. Orlando has built their entire franchise around Howard, Orlando ownership would be willing to sell a kidney if it meant Howard stays long term.
Power Forward: Kevin Love 26PPG 13.2 RPG.
This is the easiest for me to choose for this list. Kevin Love is hands down the best PF in the league. He has no equal. Before he went down for the season with a concussion he was in the top 3 in points per game and rebounds per game. He plays great defense, even playing at center at times due to his teammates being injured. Most of all, he puts these stats up on an awful team. Whenever you play Minnesota, all you have to worry about it Kevin Love. You stop him, you stop the entire team. He has little help around him. Ricky Rubio played well at point guard, but when he went down with an ACL injury Love kept putting up the same numbers.
Kevin Love is putting up MVP numbers this season, if I had a vote I would vote him MVP(just read my last article), he won't win it this year. He has been hurt the past two weeks or so and is playing on an awful team.
When the NBA announces their All NBA team the two forwards selected will be Lebron James and Kevin Durant. Both of these two are amazing players, top 5 in the NBA right now. However, they both play small forward, but because the NBA has it set up now, Love will not get the award despite his stellar year.
Small Forward: Lebron James 27PPG 6APG 8 RPG.
The argument for who is the leagues best small forward comes down to two players, and these two players happen to be the two best in the NBA. Lebron James and Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant comes up a little short this year despite his amazing numbers(28PPG 3.5 APG 8 RPG).
James and Durant's numbers are almost the exact same, so its hard to say which one is better if you look purely at the stats that are available.
So how did I decide?
I watched both of them play, and it came down to one simple thing. Lebron looks like the better player. It's a close call, but for me it came down to one thing, defense. James is simply a better defender. He should be a candidate for defensive player of the year, he won't win it but he should be in the conversation for it. James and Durant are both averaging 8 rebounds a game, but remember, defense is not all about stats. Defense is about shutting players down limiting points.
While both players are very good defenders, James is better.
Some people may not like me choosing James over Durant, they may argue that James plays with better teammates. However, Durant has a very, very talented team around him. James does play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but take a look at the other players on the roster. Not a lot of depth, I mean Shane Battier is pretty good, but he plays small forward as well.
Durant plays with Russell Westbrook, who many experts think is an elite level NBA point guard(I have to disagree, I can explain on a later post). Durant also has a great defensive center in Kendrick Perkins, a defensive minded Forward in Serge Ibaka and the 6th man of the year(I'm assuming he will win the award as he should) in James Harden.
You can make the argument the Durant plays on the team with more overall talent. The Thunder have a great point guard and an amazing center. These are the two most important positions in the NBA. The Heat are very weak at these two spots. The Thunder also have a deeper bench.
So please, don't act like Durant is playing with a bunch of scrubs. There is a reason why they were contending for the number one seed in the western conference playoffs, before their awful April meltdown, they are a great team.
One of these two will win the MVP, even though I would not vote for either, and it will probably go to James. Despite the fact that I personally do not like the guy, as an unbiased sports blogger I cannot deny that James is the best small forward in the game today and probably the best player in the game.
Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant 28 PPG, 4.6 APG, 5.4 RPG
Despite my personal dislike for Kobe, I cannot deny his greatness. I cannot deny how clutch he is. I cannot deny that even at age 33 and being in the league for 15 years he is still one of the best in the game and easily the best 2 guard in the game today.
Kobe should be on the decline, I mean he is old. He has bad knees. He's been playing since 1996. He always plays a lot of minutes and he always plays hard. So how is it that he is having one of his better seasons?
There most be something in the water in LA.
Kobe's numbers talk for themselves. However what sold me for Kobe as the best shooting guard in the league is how he is still clutch.
If the game is down to one possession and you had the choice of any current NBA player to have the ball in his hand, who do you choose?
To me its a simple answer, and its been the same player for the past decade it seems. Kobe.
Kobe comes through in the clutch. Hitting game winning shots, playing lights out defense when it matters most, and is usually the catalyst for starting a comeback.
Just look at last weeks game between the Thunder and Lakers. OKC was winning by 18 in the second half. The game should be over. OKC is younger and has more talent. However, they do not have Kobe. Kobe started slow, but he willed his team to take the game into double overtime and eventually the win.
Kobe gets a look in his eyes when he is dialed in. When he has the moment, especially in the clutch, he is not going to be denied. He is going to score, and there is literally nothing you can do about it. Its that simple. If you don't believe me just look on youtube for some of Kobe's clutch shots.
I cannot think of another shooting guard that comes close to Kobe this year. He wins it.
Point Guard.
This is easily the hardest of them all for me. Let me go ahead and list some of the point guards I had to consider(in no particular order).
Chris Paul(Clippers), Steve Nash(Suns), Tony Parker(Spurs), Rajon Rondo(Celtics), Deron Williams(Nets), Russell Westbrook(Thunder), Derrick Rose(Bulls, I only consider him because he is the reigning MVP. He missed over a third of this season so he really shouldn't be in the conversation).
I listed seven players. The media would consider all of these 'elite' point guards. I have a hard time with Westbrook being considered elite. He is a great point guard, but he can take too many shots, and when it comes to crunch time he will just go into a panic and pull up jump shots.
The other six I say are elite. Rose won't make the team this year because of injuries, and the odd fact that despite him missing so many games the Bulls have the best overall record in the NBA, weird.
With a field that is this deep I have to consider a few things. First is what should a point guard do?
Point guards are an extention of the coach, they set up plays to run and get their teammates involved. They are facilitators, racking up assists and running a team. They still need to score, but being the top scoring point guard doesn't gurantee you a spot on the All NBA Team.
So how much better do these point guards make their team? This can narrow the field down a little. It drops Deron Williams out. He is having a great season statistically, averaging 21 points a game and 8.3 assists. Those numbers can get you an All NBA Team nomination. However, Deron is playing for the Nets, an awful team. Its not Deron's fault, but with so many other guards to choose, this kicks him out.
It doesn't seem right for Westbrook to make the All NBA Team, when his teammat Durant doesn't. Durant is the leader and a way better player. Westbrook is a great scorer, averaging 23.6 points a game. However, he is only averaging 5.5 assists a game. That is pretty low, I'm sorry I can't have him win this when Kobe is close to his average assists a game.
And this is where I come to a complete stalemate. Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Rajon Rondo and Tony Parker. Each of them deserve to be on the All NBA Team. Chris Paul and Tony Parker deserve it because they are the best scorers on their team, and the clutch go to guy. Nash and Rondo deserve the nod because they make their teammates so much better around them.
Chris Paul was traded to the Clippers and has taken one of the worst franchises in the NBA to the playoffs in his first season. He has some decent talent around him, but its nothing great. When it comes to the crunch time for the Clippers, they basically hand the ball to Paul and say 'go make something happen'. His has great numbers, 19.8 PPG 9.1 APG, and has made the Clippers matter in the NBA.
I can't give Paul the nod, however. He's great, but I just don't think he's the best. The Clippers aren't a great team, they may be the 5th seed in the west, but they don't look like a 5th seed. They seem average.
Steve Nash had one of his better seasons at the ripe old age of 38, putting up 12.5 points per and dishing out 10.7 assists a contest. You may ask how Nash is ahead of guys like Russell Westbrook and Deron Williams when he is only putting up 12 points a game, my answer in simple. He is great at facilitating the ball and making his players better around him.
The Suns have a pretty awful roster, overpaid players that are underachieving is the best way to put it. Yet, Nash had the Suns in the hunt for the playoff until they were eliminated by the Jazz this past week.
Nash played his heart out and played well. However, I don't think he is the best PG in the game. He is still weak on the defensive side of the ball. Its not that Nash didn't play well, I just think there are two players that played point guard better.
One of them is Rajon Rondo. He averaged 11.9 points a game and 11.7 assists. Very similar numbers to Nash, however Rondo also averaged nearly 5 rebounds a game. He also has the most triple doubles in the league this year. He had six, no other NBA player had more than 1.
Rondo is also a very good defensive guard, getting nearly 2 steals a game and showing he is a lockdown defender. With such close numbers between Rondo and Nash, it came down to defense that gave Rondo the nod.
You could argue that since Rondo is playing for a better team, and since Nash's numbers are so close to Rondo's, the Nash should get the vote. It is true that Boston is better than Phoenix. But Boston has been on a tear since the all star break, clearly the hottest team in the NBA. What triggered this hot streak? Rajon Rondo. He has been playing his best since the all star game and is the reason why the Celtics look as good as they do.
Boston is old and has some big missing parts, but Rondo has kept them together and is playing at his best.
As much as I like Rondo, he doesn't get the award. Tony Parker gets it.
He is averaging great numbers, 18.3 points a game and 7.7 assists. Chris Paul has better numbers, so does Deron Williams. So why does Parker get the nomination? It's pretty simple, actually. He is the best player on the best team in the NBA.
Not only is he the best player for the Spurs, he is the most important. The reasons why the Spurs have the best record is all because of Parker. The Spurs are very old, their other best players are old(Duncan and Ginobli), but Parkers play has kept the Spurs as the best team out there.
Everyone said the Spurs were too old to contend in the playoffs, they said the same thing last year as well, but Parker proved them wrong. It wasn't the play of Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobli. It's been Parkers play, clutch and facilitating that has the Spurs hot, looking to win a 5th NBA championship.
To make it easy, he puts up similar numbers to Chris Paul and Deron Williams. Those two are the big scoring point guards. At the same time he has taken an old team that nobody thought would be a contender and made them the number one seed, Rondo has his team in the playoffs but not the number one seed and Nash couldn't get his team into the playoffs at all.
Let me know what you think, I may be wrong. But as far as I'm concerned these are the best players at their respective positions.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Love for MVP
So I'm back! This is my first post in over a year, and I plan to try and do at least two posts a month.
Let me start out by saying that I am a huge fan of Kevin Love. For those of you who don't know much about him, he is the starting power forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves, one of the NBA's worst franchises in recent memory.
He is a rebounding machine, right now averaging over 13 rebounds a game. Last season he set a record for most consecutive double doubles(since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976) with 53 straight double doubles. Pretty amazing stat considering he entered the NBA in the 2008-2009 season.
He is also playing with sub par talent around him as well. The Wolves are notorious for making bad free agent signings and bad draft picks. I've felt bad for Love for a few seasons now, he is a phenomenal player surrounded by below average players and a terrible front office.
Why do I bring up his bad teammates? Because when you play the Wolves you know all you have to do is stop Kevin Love from scoring and rebounding and you will likely win. It's pretty simple. Yet Love puts up ridiculous stats, last season averaging 20 points and 15 rebounds a game, this season so far(as of 4/7) 26 points and 13 rebounds. Those are above amazing stats, especially when you consider he is the main focus for opposing teams.
Hopefully I've made it clear that Love is an elite player, in my book he is easily the best power forward in the game. Kevin Durant of the Thunder and Lebron James both play small forward, although they look more like power forwards. LaMarcus Aldridge of the Blazers is trying to make a case that he is the best PF in the game, but its not even close at this point. Aldridge is an elite forward, but isn't close to touching where Love is at.
So my point in this blog is to try and convince why Love is the MVP of the NBA this season. He probably won't win it, there are a few reasons. First off is he is playing on a team that will miss the playoffs, however its not really Loves fault. Minnesota's second best player, Ricky Rubio, tore his ACL in the beginning of March and since then the Wolves have been hit with the injury bug.
Another reason why he won't win it is because of the media sensation around two of the NBA's most marketable teams. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat. Each team has a player that is an MVP candidate, Kevin Durant and Lebron James. Both of these players are having amazing years statistically. One of these two will win it. I'm thinking Lebron will win it, he doesn't deserve to ever win an MVP because of The Decision(but that argument is for a later blog post). The media loves these two teams, over hypes them and over sells them.
However my argument for why Kevin Love is the MVP of the NBA is simple. Imagine if Kevin Love and Lebron James were traded. Now I know this will never happen, but work with me. Lets pretend they were traded, player for player. Don't look at salary cap or contract issues, lets just look at what they bring to the court. Which team would improve more with this trade, the Heat or the Timberwolves? I'll let you think about that while I explain how I came up with this idea.
My good friend and I were having a sports debate. We debate about all sorts of topics and recently have been debating about how good Kevin Love is. I am adamant that he is the best PF in the league and through a few debates me and my friend agreed, Love is the best in the league.
We then started to debate about who should be MVP. It didn't take long at all for us to agree that Love should win the award. We both see how ridiculous his stats and what he brings to Minnesota that the mass media doesn't see. Our debate then quickly turned on how can others see our point of view? The NBA is in love with Durant and despises Lebron, and with the constant coverage that they get one of the is likely to win the award.
This is when I asked my friend the same questions I asked you earlier. What if Lebron and Love were traded? Which team improves more? For me the question was easy. For my friend it was easy. The answer is the Heat become a much better team with Love. It's crazy to think, but its true. Lets look at the stats, they both are averaging 26 points per game. But think on how each player gets those points. Lebron will drive to the hoop, take jump shots and score on fastbreaks. All of those are very nice to have. Teams need a player that can get to the hoop. The thing is, Dwyane Wade can get to the hoop. Wade has a great jumpshot and he can get to the free throw line easily.
How does Love score? Well he does have a good three point shot, but most of his points are in the paint with a strong post game. A physical, dominant post game that makes teams collapse to the paint to try and stop Love. That is something that Miami doesn't have, and it is their biggest weakness. It is well documented that the Heat are lacking a post game. Lebron James does not have a post game, despite being a 6 foot 8 inch small forward weighing 250lbs(He is a very big small forward) he cannot post opponents up.
Just look at the NBA finals last season. The Mavericks tried something risky. The decided to have their point guard Jason Kidd guard Lebron. Now Lebron has a considerable size and weight advantage over Kidd. The Mavericks were basically begging Lebron to post up Kidd. He never did, he couldn't. So the Heat lost.
Miami would love to have an elite post game player on their team, and Love would easily fill that role.
Now, how else would the Heat become better? Besides having a strong post game, not to mention they would own the boards with a good amount of rebounds, it would force Dwyane Wade to be the clutch scorer for the team. And Wade is clutch. Lebron is not, he will shrink away from the ball in crunch time. Don't believe me? Just look at the finals last year, or the 2010 NBA eastern conference semi-finals series between the Celtics and Cavs. Lebron quit and didn't want the ball when it mattered most. Wade wants the ball, and is a better finisher, better clutch player than Lebron. However, with Lebron on the Heat, he is the go to guy, the finisher and it doesn't quite work.
So to sum up how the Heat would be better. A strong post game offense, Kevin Love could work the inside, scoring his 26PPG from the post and thereby opening up the other part of the court for his teammates, thus resulting in more points. They get a huge improvement in rebounds. And they have Wade lead the team in crunch time. Sounds like a complete win for Miami.
Now how does Minnesota win? Well they immediatley become a big time team. Any team that has Lebron is going to get extra media coverage. Everyone wants to know what he is doing and how he is playing. So Minnesota immediatley goes into the spotlight, a huge plus for the very small market team. It also makes it easier to get free agents to play in Minnesota. Cleveland isn't exaclty the biggest market or free agent draw, yet Lebron was able to get some good players to follow him there. Minnesota also becomes more exciting to watch, as Lebron is a highligt real on his own. Kevin Love is not as exciting to watch but gets the job done.
In my unbiased opinion, the Heat would win the NBA title easily. The Timberwolves might make the playoffs, but wouldn't go far. Both teams get better...however the Wolves get slightly better and most of that is because of the marketability of Lebron, and the Heat get much, much better.
Now if Kevin Love would make the Heat better if he replaced Lebron shouldn't that make him MVP? I think so. He probably won't win it. It is hard to award the MVP to a team that misses the playoffs. But I think if you look at it in this way, Love has to be the guy that wins it.
There are flaws to my idea, first of all Love is a power forward and Lebron is a small forward, so them switching teams makes it hard to figure out where the other players go. In Miami Chris Bosh is the PF, so what do you do with him and who would start at small forward? However, if you look at it very basically at who makes the team better, Love is the one that wins and Love is the one that should win.
Let me start out by saying that I am a huge fan of Kevin Love. For those of you who don't know much about him, he is the starting power forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves, one of the NBA's worst franchises in recent memory.
He is a rebounding machine, right now averaging over 13 rebounds a game. Last season he set a record for most consecutive double doubles(since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976) with 53 straight double doubles. Pretty amazing stat considering he entered the NBA in the 2008-2009 season.
He is also playing with sub par talent around him as well. The Wolves are notorious for making bad free agent signings and bad draft picks. I've felt bad for Love for a few seasons now, he is a phenomenal player surrounded by below average players and a terrible front office.
Why do I bring up his bad teammates? Because when you play the Wolves you know all you have to do is stop Kevin Love from scoring and rebounding and you will likely win. It's pretty simple. Yet Love puts up ridiculous stats, last season averaging 20 points and 15 rebounds a game, this season so far(as of 4/7) 26 points and 13 rebounds. Those are above amazing stats, especially when you consider he is the main focus for opposing teams.
Hopefully I've made it clear that Love is an elite player, in my book he is easily the best power forward in the game. Kevin Durant of the Thunder and Lebron James both play small forward, although they look more like power forwards. LaMarcus Aldridge of the Blazers is trying to make a case that he is the best PF in the game, but its not even close at this point. Aldridge is an elite forward, but isn't close to touching where Love is at.
So my point in this blog is to try and convince why Love is the MVP of the NBA this season. He probably won't win it, there are a few reasons. First off is he is playing on a team that will miss the playoffs, however its not really Loves fault. Minnesota's second best player, Ricky Rubio, tore his ACL in the beginning of March and since then the Wolves have been hit with the injury bug.
Another reason why he won't win it is because of the media sensation around two of the NBA's most marketable teams. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat. Each team has a player that is an MVP candidate, Kevin Durant and Lebron James. Both of these players are having amazing years statistically. One of these two will win it. I'm thinking Lebron will win it, he doesn't deserve to ever win an MVP because of The Decision(but that argument is for a later blog post). The media loves these two teams, over hypes them and over sells them.
However my argument for why Kevin Love is the MVP of the NBA is simple. Imagine if Kevin Love and Lebron James were traded. Now I know this will never happen, but work with me. Lets pretend they were traded, player for player. Don't look at salary cap or contract issues, lets just look at what they bring to the court. Which team would improve more with this trade, the Heat or the Timberwolves? I'll let you think about that while I explain how I came up with this idea.
My good friend and I were having a sports debate. We debate about all sorts of topics and recently have been debating about how good Kevin Love is. I am adamant that he is the best PF in the league and through a few debates me and my friend agreed, Love is the best in the league.
We then started to debate about who should be MVP. It didn't take long at all for us to agree that Love should win the award. We both see how ridiculous his stats and what he brings to Minnesota that the mass media doesn't see. Our debate then quickly turned on how can others see our point of view? The NBA is in love with Durant and despises Lebron, and with the constant coverage that they get one of the is likely to win the award.
This is when I asked my friend the same questions I asked you earlier. What if Lebron and Love were traded? Which team improves more? For me the question was easy. For my friend it was easy. The answer is the Heat become a much better team with Love. It's crazy to think, but its true. Lets look at the stats, they both are averaging 26 points per game. But think on how each player gets those points. Lebron will drive to the hoop, take jump shots and score on fastbreaks. All of those are very nice to have. Teams need a player that can get to the hoop. The thing is, Dwyane Wade can get to the hoop. Wade has a great jumpshot and he can get to the free throw line easily.
How does Love score? Well he does have a good three point shot, but most of his points are in the paint with a strong post game. A physical, dominant post game that makes teams collapse to the paint to try and stop Love. That is something that Miami doesn't have, and it is their biggest weakness. It is well documented that the Heat are lacking a post game. Lebron James does not have a post game, despite being a 6 foot 8 inch small forward weighing 250lbs(He is a very big small forward) he cannot post opponents up.
Just look at the NBA finals last season. The Mavericks tried something risky. The decided to have their point guard Jason Kidd guard Lebron. Now Lebron has a considerable size and weight advantage over Kidd. The Mavericks were basically begging Lebron to post up Kidd. He never did, he couldn't. So the Heat lost.
Miami would love to have an elite post game player on their team, and Love would easily fill that role.
Now, how else would the Heat become better? Besides having a strong post game, not to mention they would own the boards with a good amount of rebounds, it would force Dwyane Wade to be the clutch scorer for the team. And Wade is clutch. Lebron is not, he will shrink away from the ball in crunch time. Don't believe me? Just look at the finals last year, or the 2010 NBA eastern conference semi-finals series between the Celtics and Cavs. Lebron quit and didn't want the ball when it mattered most. Wade wants the ball, and is a better finisher, better clutch player than Lebron. However, with Lebron on the Heat, he is the go to guy, the finisher and it doesn't quite work.
So to sum up how the Heat would be better. A strong post game offense, Kevin Love could work the inside, scoring his 26PPG from the post and thereby opening up the other part of the court for his teammates, thus resulting in more points. They get a huge improvement in rebounds. And they have Wade lead the team in crunch time. Sounds like a complete win for Miami.
Now how does Minnesota win? Well they immediatley become a big time team. Any team that has Lebron is going to get extra media coverage. Everyone wants to know what he is doing and how he is playing. So Minnesota immediatley goes into the spotlight, a huge plus for the very small market team. It also makes it easier to get free agents to play in Minnesota. Cleveland isn't exaclty the biggest market or free agent draw, yet Lebron was able to get some good players to follow him there. Minnesota also becomes more exciting to watch, as Lebron is a highligt real on his own. Kevin Love is not as exciting to watch but gets the job done.
In my unbiased opinion, the Heat would win the NBA title easily. The Timberwolves might make the playoffs, but wouldn't go far. Both teams get better...however the Wolves get slightly better and most of that is because of the marketability of Lebron, and the Heat get much, much better.
Now if Kevin Love would make the Heat better if he replaced Lebron shouldn't that make him MVP? I think so. He probably won't win it. It is hard to award the MVP to a team that misses the playoffs. But I think if you look at it in this way, Love has to be the guy that wins it.
There are flaws to my idea, first of all Love is a power forward and Lebron is a small forward, so them switching teams makes it hard to figure out where the other players go. In Miami Chris Bosh is the PF, so what do you do with him and who would start at small forward? However, if you look at it very basically at who makes the team better, Love is the one that wins and Love is the one that should win.
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