Last night the NBA regular season got underway with three games that included two key rookies on display. One had a successful first game, the other couldn't even finish the game.
The Celtics raised their 17th championship banner and held off the Cavs to win their game. The Bulls and rookie Derrick Rose faced the Bucks and came away with a win. Reigning MVP Kobe Bryant was in action against Portland and Greg Oden. The Lakers played sharp as expected but the story was Oden leaving the game with a foot injury.
Of course to his dismay, the next day critics had plenty to say. He's too big, hasn't played a full season, injury prone, on and on. Look injuries happen, yeah it was his first game, but injuries happen and there is nothing you can do about it. The guy will be back soon.
I just wanted to share my thoughts on a few of the statements that were left in the recent comments.
So the Cavs and Celtics played last night and the Celtics won by 5 points. The Cavs had 20 plus turnovers and the Celtics only won by 5 points. I know a win is a win, but if you are truly great and the Cavs aren't, you shouldn't win by 5 points when the other team has 20 plus turnovers.
Yeah it was opening night and emotions were high with the ring ceremony and whatever, but the Cavs led the whole way until the third quarter and the Celtics never lead by more than ten points. The Cavs played poorly the whole game on the offensive side, especially in the second half, yet they still had a shot to win the game.
And that is what I am saying. Come May when the Cavs and Celtics are playing in the playoffs, with a guy like Lebron James on the Cavs, he will give them a shot to win in those close games come playoff time.
I don't think the Celtics played very good defense last night, it was mostly the Cavs having poor execution on the offensive side, which will get corrected as the season goes on. So picking the Cavs to make it to the conference finals with the best player in the league on that team, who is hungry for a championship, is not an outrageous pick.
Love for the Pacers? Love to win 40 games? Sure they might win 40 games and maybe get the last seed in the East, but I really doubt it. All they have is Dunleavy and Granger, both are good players but they have no inside game and if they think they can be a running team, they better get some more employees to join their team.
Yeah the Heat have something to prove and they will prove it and make the playoffs, but they aren't a championship team this year. They too need an inside presence and with just Haslem and Beasley won't get the job done.
The Raptors will be a playoff team, but I don't see them being a championship team. Bosh will have a career year, just because he is a talented player. But the Raptors will fall short in the playoffs.
The Pistons, not make the playoffs? You think there are seven teams in the East better than them. No way. The Pistons will win the Central division, over Cleveland and Chicago. The Pistons haven't lost anyone and their young players off the bench will carry them all season long. What about Kwame Brown? This is his new beginning. And Rodney Stuckey is going to quickly turn into a star. Pistons will be a top four seed again, but their age will catch them come playoff time.
Sixers are the dark horse in the East. They might be the team other than Cleveland to make it to the conference finals. Some people think they will be good and make a run and some think they are over hyped and won't have success in the playoffs. I do think they will be a tough team and cause havoc in the East all season long.
Of course Superman and the Magic will be good. Some are even saying with the addition of Michael Petius, they could make a run at the East title, but I think they are still too young to go that far. But you never know.
It's hard to disagree with my picks in the West, because the Lakers and Hornets are easy championship teams.
I understand that most think the Rockets are injury prone, but I think this is their year to get over the hump and win a playoff series. They are a talented team that could cause some trouble for the top teams in the West.
Lakers and Hornets out West.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
2008-2009 NBA Preview
Before I get to today's main attraction I want to put a few images in your head first.
and...
Of course, those are videos of the two best players in the league: Lebron James and Kobe Bryant.
Kobe won his first MVP award last season in leading his team to the NBA Finals for the first time post Shaq. But there was a bump in the road when they collided with the Boston Celtics.
The point of this post is to discuss the upcoming NBA season and share who I think will have success and who will struggle.
Of course who I think will have success is Lebron and Kobe, but there are others as well.
The defending champs entering this new season are the Boston Celtics, who won their NBA leading 17th championship in June.
But they lost a key player from that team, defensive specialist James Posey, who now plays for West contender the New Orleans Hornets. But the Celtics are saying we can win another championship this season. Personally I don't see that happening, they might make it to the finals but they will have some issues.
Here are my thoughts on the top four teams from each conference, starting in the East:
- Of course, the Boston Celtics are still the team to beat in the East, but how will they favor without Posey. The big 3 will have to play tough all season long.
- The veteran Detroit Pistons. Their team age keeps climbing year after year and they seem to find a way to play well all season. How will they favor with a new coach? I don't see the Pistons making a deep run in the playoffs this year.
- The Philadelphia Sixers. Brought in a big inside presence in Elton Brand, something they needed badly. A young athletic team hoping to improve on last year's though run in the playoffs. I wouldn't want to play this team come playoff time.
-The Cleveland Cavaliers. I'm going to be honest, this team isn't built for a long regular season or to win 60 games. This team is a playoff team, built for the playoffs. They will probably end up the regular season with between 40-50 wins this season and probably the 4 or 5 seed in the East. But they also have a scoring point guard now to accompany Lebron James, who will be out for blood come postseason time. Expect this guy to be in the running for an MVP award this season, much like every season.
Also the Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, and Miami Heat are possible playoff teams in the East.
For the West:
- There are three teams that stand above the rest in this conference this year. LA Lakers, New Orleans Hornets and Houston Rockets. The Lakers will have Bynum back to start the season and if they stay healthy all season, they could easily win 60 games and make another appearance in the Finals.
- The Hornets added a key player in Posey, who will help big time on the defensive end. Paul is the best point guard in the league and will be in the MVP running. Hornets are a scary team.
- The Houston Rockets, added Ron Artest to the team. T-Mac is back, Yao is back, if, if, if they stay healthy they could make another run at that 22 consecutive games won like they did last year. I hope they stay healthy because this will be a tough team if they do.
- The remaining teams include Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trailblazers.
There are also some big name rookies that could have an immediate impact on the league this season. Players like Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, Greg Oden, O.J. Mayo and my sleeper rook, Joe Alexander.
I'm a fan of Oden, so I hope he stays healthy and has an impact for the Trailblazers, who I think is going to be a good team this year. I'm picking Greg Oden as this years Rookie of the Year.
You may be wondering who I am picking to win the NBA Finals. Well, I don't know.
I could easily pick the Celtics and Lakers again, because they are the two best teams in the league. Or I could make a silly pick like I did last year, when I picked the Suns and Bulls. Which was horrible idea. Or I could pick the 'every other year Spurs' since it's that type of season this year.
I'll give you my top two teams from each conference to make it to the conference finals this upcoming postseason and I'll let your mind do that rest.
Starting with the West... Lakers would be a good pick, Hornets too, I really want to pick the Rockets, but they can't even win a playoff series, I don't really like the Jazz, I do like the Spurs, but like the Pistons, I think age is catching up to them, Suns have the Nash running the Diesel, Mavericks, no, Trailblazers that could be my wishful pick, Nuggets, AI and Melo are they a good playoff team?
I'm going to be a lamo and pick the Lakers and Hornets. They are the two best teams in the West, they are both built for playoff success, they each have a MVP type player and have excellent supporting players. Lakers have two towers down low, and excellent shooting on the perimeter. Hornets have the best point guard, shooters on the outside, a perimeter defender to guard Kobe and a decent inside. Lakers-Hornets Western Conference Finals 2009.
Now with the East... Celtics want another title, Pistons want another title, but they are aging quickly, Cavs have the king, who wants a ring to match his gold medal, Magic and Sixers are young talented teams, Raptors don't have a chance, Heat have D-Wade back along side Beasley, Wizards can't beat the Cavs in the postseason and Arenas can't stay healthy.
Any guesses on who I'm taking?
I'll take the Celtics and Cavs in the East. Celtics still have the big three, Pierce thinks he's the best player in the league (I read an article where he said that), I could name 10 players who are better than him easily, Ray Allen can still shoot the three, and KG is the defensive inside presence. Cavs have the best player in the league, brought in a legit scoring point guard, now have extra depth at the guard position, still have Z and big Ben, who are aging quickly and solid bench players who can come in. To be honest, I think the Cavs have a deeper bench than the Celtics this season. Not to mention they don't have anyone that can guard Lebron for a seven game series. Cavs pushed the Celtics to the limit last season, Cavs made improvements this off season, I see trouble for the Celtics. Celtics-Cavs Eastern Conference Finals 2009.
There you have it, my picks for the conference finals. I'll let your imagination do the rest of the work. When it comes time for the Finals I'll let you know who I'm picking.
On to other issues,
Yeah I know I didn't pick the World Series correctly. It's the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies. At the moment, Phillies are up 3-1, game five is tonight in Philly. Hamels is on the mound. I see trouble for the Rays. They had an excellent season and surprised everyone, but can they fight back to push it to game seven?
Philly is trying to win their first championship since 1983 when the Sixers won the NBA championship. So this city is desperate and will surely go nuts if the Phillies win.
NFL news, Titans are the only undefeated team left, big game against the Colts tonight. My Super Bowl picks, Chargers (3-5) and Eagles (4-4) aren't looking too hot right now. Chargers have lost several close games which hurts them big time. Eagles have been fighting injuries, like always. I at least hope they can make it to the playoffs.
Drew Bees is the mid-season MVP with 2,500 passing yards through eight games, which is outrageous. Clinton Portis and the Redskins are 6-2 and Portis has 900 plus yards, leading the league.
My Niners (2-6) fired head coach Mike Nolan and have lost five straight games. Sad face. We need to pick it up in the second part of the season.
College Basketball is right around the corner. Who is this year's preseason number 1?
None other than the North Carolina Tar Heels! Psycho T and company are all back and have a talented freshman class to back them up. I see a special season approaching down in Chapel Hill.
and...
Of course, those are videos of the two best players in the league: Lebron James and Kobe Bryant.
Kobe won his first MVP award last season in leading his team to the NBA Finals for the first time post Shaq. But there was a bump in the road when they collided with the Boston Celtics.
The point of this post is to discuss the upcoming NBA season and share who I think will have success and who will struggle.
Of course who I think will have success is Lebron and Kobe, but there are others as well.
The defending champs entering this new season are the Boston Celtics, who won their NBA leading 17th championship in June.
But they lost a key player from that team, defensive specialist James Posey, who now plays for West contender the New Orleans Hornets. But the Celtics are saying we can win another championship this season. Personally I don't see that happening, they might make it to the finals but they will have some issues.
Here are my thoughts on the top four teams from each conference, starting in the East:
- Of course, the Boston Celtics are still the team to beat in the East, but how will they favor without Posey. The big 3 will have to play tough all season long.
- The veteran Detroit Pistons. Their team age keeps climbing year after year and they seem to find a way to play well all season. How will they favor with a new coach? I don't see the Pistons making a deep run in the playoffs this year.
- The Philadelphia Sixers. Brought in a big inside presence in Elton Brand, something they needed badly. A young athletic team hoping to improve on last year's though run in the playoffs. I wouldn't want to play this team come playoff time.
-The Cleveland Cavaliers. I'm going to be honest, this team isn't built for a long regular season or to win 60 games. This team is a playoff team, built for the playoffs. They will probably end up the regular season with between 40-50 wins this season and probably the 4 or 5 seed in the East. But they also have a scoring point guard now to accompany Lebron James, who will be out for blood come postseason time. Expect this guy to be in the running for an MVP award this season, much like every season.
Also the Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, and Miami Heat are possible playoff teams in the East.
For the West:
- There are three teams that stand above the rest in this conference this year. LA Lakers, New Orleans Hornets and Houston Rockets. The Lakers will have Bynum back to start the season and if they stay healthy all season, they could easily win 60 games and make another appearance in the Finals.
- The Hornets added a key player in Posey, who will help big time on the defensive end. Paul is the best point guard in the league and will be in the MVP running. Hornets are a scary team.
- The Houston Rockets, added Ron Artest to the team. T-Mac is back, Yao is back, if, if, if they stay healthy they could make another run at that 22 consecutive games won like they did last year. I hope they stay healthy because this will be a tough team if they do.
- The remaining teams include Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trailblazers.
There are also some big name rookies that could have an immediate impact on the league this season. Players like Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, Greg Oden, O.J. Mayo and my sleeper rook, Joe Alexander.
I'm a fan of Oden, so I hope he stays healthy and has an impact for the Trailblazers, who I think is going to be a good team this year. I'm picking Greg Oden as this years Rookie of the Year.
You may be wondering who I am picking to win the NBA Finals. Well, I don't know.
I could easily pick the Celtics and Lakers again, because they are the two best teams in the league. Or I could make a silly pick like I did last year, when I picked the Suns and Bulls. Which was horrible idea. Or I could pick the 'every other year Spurs' since it's that type of season this year.
I'll give you my top two teams from each conference to make it to the conference finals this upcoming postseason and I'll let your mind do that rest.
Starting with the West... Lakers would be a good pick, Hornets too, I really want to pick the Rockets, but they can't even win a playoff series, I don't really like the Jazz, I do like the Spurs, but like the Pistons, I think age is catching up to them, Suns have the Nash running the Diesel, Mavericks, no, Trailblazers that could be my wishful pick, Nuggets, AI and Melo are they a good playoff team?
I'm going to be a lamo and pick the Lakers and Hornets. They are the two best teams in the West, they are both built for playoff success, they each have a MVP type player and have excellent supporting players. Lakers have two towers down low, and excellent shooting on the perimeter. Hornets have the best point guard, shooters on the outside, a perimeter defender to guard Kobe and a decent inside. Lakers-Hornets Western Conference Finals 2009.
Now with the East... Celtics want another title, Pistons want another title, but they are aging quickly, Cavs have the king, who wants a ring to match his gold medal, Magic and Sixers are young talented teams, Raptors don't have a chance, Heat have D-Wade back along side Beasley, Wizards can't beat the Cavs in the postseason and Arenas can't stay healthy.
Any guesses on who I'm taking?
I'll take the Celtics and Cavs in the East. Celtics still have the big three, Pierce thinks he's the best player in the league (I read an article where he said that), I could name 10 players who are better than him easily, Ray Allen can still shoot the three, and KG is the defensive inside presence. Cavs have the best player in the league, brought in a legit scoring point guard, now have extra depth at the guard position, still have Z and big Ben, who are aging quickly and solid bench players who can come in. To be honest, I think the Cavs have a deeper bench than the Celtics this season. Not to mention they don't have anyone that can guard Lebron for a seven game series. Cavs pushed the Celtics to the limit last season, Cavs made improvements this off season, I see trouble for the Celtics. Celtics-Cavs Eastern Conference Finals 2009.
There you have it, my picks for the conference finals. I'll let your imagination do the rest of the work. When it comes time for the Finals I'll let you know who I'm picking.
On to other issues,
Yeah I know I didn't pick the World Series correctly. It's the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies. At the moment, Phillies are up 3-1, game five is tonight in Philly. Hamels is on the mound. I see trouble for the Rays. They had an excellent season and surprised everyone, but can they fight back to push it to game seven?
Philly is trying to win their first championship since 1983 when the Sixers won the NBA championship. So this city is desperate and will surely go nuts if the Phillies win.
NFL news, Titans are the only undefeated team left, big game against the Colts tonight. My Super Bowl picks, Chargers (3-5) and Eagles (4-4) aren't looking too hot right now. Chargers have lost several close games which hurts them big time. Eagles have been fighting injuries, like always. I at least hope they can make it to the playoffs.
Drew Bees is the mid-season MVP with 2,500 passing yards through eight games, which is outrageous. Clinton Portis and the Redskins are 6-2 and Portis has 900 plus yards, leading the league.
My Niners (2-6) fired head coach Mike Nolan and have lost five straight games. Sad face. We need to pick it up in the second part of the season.
College Basketball is right around the corner. Who is this year's preseason number 1?
None other than the North Carolina Tar Heels! Psycho T and company are all back and have a talented freshman class to back them up. I see a special season approaching down in Chapel Hill.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Love it!
It is officially the first of October and that means it is my favorite month of the year. I have a lot I want to talk about today, including basketball, baseball, this nations financial crisis, the upcoming presidential election and a few other topics.
No I'm only kidding about that stuff. I am here to talk about SPORTS! I do have a lot I want to cover, so enjoy today's post.
Like I was saying it is October 1st and that means the MLB postseason begins today. It also means that NBA training camps are underway, with preseason games to follow shortly, filed by the beginning of the regular season in 27 days. Also, the NFL season is four weeks into their season and to my surprise, there isn't one team who stands out above the rest. First I'll start with my thoughts on the MLB postseason.
Who remembers way back to March 31, when I made my predictions for this MLB season. (Here is a Link back to that post). Well I only picked three out of eight correctly. And my World Series pick was completely off, neither team is even in the postseason. Anyways, enough about my poor predicting skills.
The eight teams that will be representing their respective leagues in this year's postseason are as follows: American League- Tampa Bay Rays vs. Chicago White Sox and LA Angels vs. Boston Red Sox. National League- Philadelphia Phillies vs. Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs vs. LA Dodgers.
How do you like that, both teams from Chicago made the playoffs. That's saying something about that city isn't it. Even in Los Angeles too. Except the Angles actually play in Anaheim, but their name has LA in it.
Anyway, this season a baseball was fairly quiet. Not many record breakers, except one major one. The Angels closer "K-Rod" broke the previous record of 57 saves and finished the season with 62 saves. That is a ridiculous number and congrats to that kid. He is probably the best closer in the league.
Oh, there is one thing you might have noticed. Where are the Yankees? Yup, they failed to make the postseason for the first time in several years. And this was the last season in Yankee Stadium. The Yanks will be moving into a new stadium right across the street next season.
As for the Mets, once again they chocked in September and failed to make the playoffs as well. They too will be moving to a new stadium next season, saying goodbye to old Shea Stadium.
So with New York usually being the stand out city of the nation, this year Chicago and LA have beat them out. How funny would it be if either team, LA or Chicago were to meet each other in the World Series? That would be pretty amazing.
But since I failed to pick the World Series correctly before the season began, I get a redo and get to make a postseason selection. So I think I will take one team from LA and one team from Chicago. I mean they cover half of the field right, so I think I have a pretty good shot this time.
From the American League, I'll take the LA Angels of Anaheim to take on from the National League, the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs will break through on the 100 anniversary of their last World Series Championship and make an appearance and have a shot at the title.
That's all I have to say about that...
NBA action gets underway very shortly and boy does that excite me! The first preseason games actually begin this coming Sunday. I check in with NBA.com regularly, just because I'm an avid basketball nut, and I came across this Season Preview article. (Here is the Link to that site, so you can check it out).
What came to my attention first was, they have a link called the NBA Live 09 Simulation. That means they simulate the whole NBA season through the NBA Live video game. To my shock, can you guess who were playing the NBA Finals? How about the Lakers and the Heat! The Miami Heat? Really? They came out of the simulation as the best team in the East! Is that because D-Wade had a stellar Olympic campaign? I was shocked by the Heat. I can understand the Lakers being in the Finals because more than likely they will return.
What an off season it was in the NBA and around the globe. There were numerous moves, free agents in new places, and even a Gold Medal.
Elton Brand is a Sixer, Ron Artest is a Rocket, Corey Maggette is a Warrior, Baron Davis, Marcus Camby, Ricky Davis are Clippers, Richard Jefferson is a Buck, Yi Yinlian is a Net, Jermaine O'Neal is a Raptor, James Posey is a Hornet, Kwame Brown is a Piston. Patrick Ewing is back with the Knicks (Jr.), Allan Houston is back with the Knicks.
Those are just a few of the moves made this off season. Busy, busy, Busy.
Meanwhile, the best players in the league were representing their country over seas in China at this year's Summer Olympics. Kobe, Lebron, Melo, D-Wade, CP3 were all on the team trying to Redeem themselves from their disappointing Bronze from 2004.
To cut a long story short, The Redeem Team won the Gold Medal going undefeated throughout the Olympics looking impressive most of the time.
Lebron has a new sidekick, D-Wade has a few talented rookies joining him, Kobe will have Bynum back, the defending champs lost their best defender, Arenas' knee still hurts, Oden is set to make his debut. Those are just a few headlines from this off season.
I'm not going to make any predictions for the season yet, but I want to point out the top four teams in my opinion from each conference. From the West- LA Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs. From the East- Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia Sixers, and Orlando Magic.
Of course there are a few other teams that are on the edge of that list, including the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls.
I'll get back to ya later this month with my predictions for the season.
Finally, the NFL season. Redskins knocked out the Cowboys this past weekend. Patriots are coming off a bye week headache after loosing to the Dolphins. Giants, Titans, and Bills are the only undefeated teams remaining. Ricky Williams said he was tempted to use the drug that got him kicked out of the league on his bye week. T.O. is upset with how Romo throws the football to him. Favre sets a personal record as a Jet, six passing touchdowns last weekend.
What surprises me is the Titans are 4-0? They do have the best defense statistically so far, but how are they scoring points on offense? Kerry Collins is playing tough, keeping Vince Young on the bench.
The Redskins are 3-1 after beating the Cowboys in Big D. The Skins are the most boring team to watch and some how they win games. I'm always saying how crappy they are and yet some how they get the job done.
The NFC East will produce three teams into the playoffs. That's a fact. And the one team left out will have a better record than one of the other division winners, probably the NFC West division winner. Giants, Cowboys, Redskins and Eagles are talented teams.
In other news, Vijay Singh won this year's PGA FedEx Cup.
In College Football, the top three teams at the moment are: 1) Oklahoma Sooners, 2) Alabama Crimson Tide, 3) LSU Tigers.
I think that's all I have for the moment. Please leave comments, they are appreciated. I'll check ya later.
No I'm only kidding about that stuff. I am here to talk about SPORTS! I do have a lot I want to cover, so enjoy today's post.
Like I was saying it is October 1st and that means the MLB postseason begins today. It also means that NBA training camps are underway, with preseason games to follow shortly, filed by the beginning of the regular season in 27 days. Also, the NFL season is four weeks into their season and to my surprise, there isn't one team who stands out above the rest. First I'll start with my thoughts on the MLB postseason.
Who remembers way back to March 31, when I made my predictions for this MLB season. (Here is a Link back to that post). Well I only picked three out of eight correctly. And my World Series pick was completely off, neither team is even in the postseason. Anyways, enough about my poor predicting skills.
The eight teams that will be representing their respective leagues in this year's postseason are as follows: American League- Tampa Bay Rays vs. Chicago White Sox and LA Angels vs. Boston Red Sox. National League- Philadelphia Phillies vs. Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs vs. LA Dodgers.
How do you like that, both teams from Chicago made the playoffs. That's saying something about that city isn't it. Even in Los Angeles too. Except the Angles actually play in Anaheim, but their name has LA in it.
Anyway, this season a baseball was fairly quiet. Not many record breakers, except one major one. The Angels closer "K-Rod" broke the previous record of 57 saves and finished the season with 62 saves. That is a ridiculous number and congrats to that kid. He is probably the best closer in the league.
Oh, there is one thing you might have noticed. Where are the Yankees? Yup, they failed to make the postseason for the first time in several years. And this was the last season in Yankee Stadium. The Yanks will be moving into a new stadium right across the street next season.
As for the Mets, once again they chocked in September and failed to make the playoffs as well. They too will be moving to a new stadium next season, saying goodbye to old Shea Stadium.
So with New York usually being the stand out city of the nation, this year Chicago and LA have beat them out. How funny would it be if either team, LA or Chicago were to meet each other in the World Series? That would be pretty amazing.
But since I failed to pick the World Series correctly before the season began, I get a redo and get to make a postseason selection. So I think I will take one team from LA and one team from Chicago. I mean they cover half of the field right, so I think I have a pretty good shot this time.
From the American League, I'll take the LA Angels of Anaheim to take on from the National League, the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs will break through on the 100 anniversary of their last World Series Championship and make an appearance and have a shot at the title.
That's all I have to say about that...
NBA action gets underway very shortly and boy does that excite me! The first preseason games actually begin this coming Sunday. I check in with NBA.com regularly, just because I'm an avid basketball nut, and I came across this Season Preview article. (Here is the Link to that site, so you can check it out).
What came to my attention first was, they have a link called the NBA Live 09 Simulation. That means they simulate the whole NBA season through the NBA Live video game. To my shock, can you guess who were playing the NBA Finals? How about the Lakers and the Heat! The Miami Heat? Really? They came out of the simulation as the best team in the East! Is that because D-Wade had a stellar Olympic campaign? I was shocked by the Heat. I can understand the Lakers being in the Finals because more than likely they will return.
What an off season it was in the NBA and around the globe. There were numerous moves, free agents in new places, and even a Gold Medal.
Elton Brand is a Sixer, Ron Artest is a Rocket, Corey Maggette is a Warrior, Baron Davis, Marcus Camby, Ricky Davis are Clippers, Richard Jefferson is a Buck, Yi Yinlian is a Net, Jermaine O'Neal is a Raptor, James Posey is a Hornet, Kwame Brown is a Piston. Patrick Ewing is back with the Knicks (Jr.), Allan Houston is back with the Knicks.
Those are just a few of the moves made this off season. Busy, busy, Busy.
Meanwhile, the best players in the league were representing their country over seas in China at this year's Summer Olympics. Kobe, Lebron, Melo, D-Wade, CP3 were all on the team trying to Redeem themselves from their disappointing Bronze from 2004.
To cut a long story short, The Redeem Team won the Gold Medal going undefeated throughout the Olympics looking impressive most of the time.
Lebron has a new sidekick, D-Wade has a few talented rookies joining him, Kobe will have Bynum back, the defending champs lost their best defender, Arenas' knee still hurts, Oden is set to make his debut. Those are just a few headlines from this off season.
I'm not going to make any predictions for the season yet, but I want to point out the top four teams in my opinion from each conference. From the West- LA Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs. From the East- Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia Sixers, and Orlando Magic.
Of course there are a few other teams that are on the edge of that list, including the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls.
I'll get back to ya later this month with my predictions for the season.
Finally, the NFL season. Redskins knocked out the Cowboys this past weekend. Patriots are coming off a bye week headache after loosing to the Dolphins. Giants, Titans, and Bills are the only undefeated teams remaining. Ricky Williams said he was tempted to use the drug that got him kicked out of the league on his bye week. T.O. is upset with how Romo throws the football to him. Favre sets a personal record as a Jet, six passing touchdowns last weekend.
What surprises me is the Titans are 4-0? They do have the best defense statistically so far, but how are they scoring points on offense? Kerry Collins is playing tough, keeping Vince Young on the bench.
The Redskins are 3-1 after beating the Cowboys in Big D. The Skins are the most boring team to watch and some how they win games. I'm always saying how crappy they are and yet some how they get the job done.
The NFC East will produce three teams into the playoffs. That's a fact. And the one team left out will have a better record than one of the other division winners, probably the NFC West division winner. Giants, Cowboys, Redskins and Eagles are talented teams.
In other news, Vijay Singh won this year's PGA FedEx Cup.
In College Football, the top three teams at the moment are: 1) Oklahoma Sooners, 2) Alabama Crimson Tide, 3) LSU Tigers.
I think that's all I have for the moment. Please leave comments, they are appreciated. I'll check ya later.
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