NBA PLAYOFFS ARE BIG

I'm back guys. Did you miss me? Sure you did, anyway the NBA playoffs are well under way, and the conference semifinals are approaching (they start tommorow) and will feature some intriguing matchups.

EAST

Heat vs. Bulls
The Heat are seemingly unstoppable, and might thrash the Bulls. In reality anything can happen, these are the playoffs. Chicago is a team who could possibly defeat the Heat. The Bulls are tough and gritty defensive team, they play hard and never give up. The Bulls are the team who ended the Heat's 27 game winning streak. They are very physical something LeBron can't deal with (ala the whining at the post game press conference). The one problem that Chicago has is their lack of scoring. Nate Robinson has been phenomenal he's averaged 17.8 ppg, highlighted by his 34 point explosion in Game 4. Despite that he's going to need more help on the offenseive end, Noah (who was a beast tonight 24 pts, 14 rebs, and 6 blks) is playing injured; Boozer has played well offensively but has been known to be inconsistent. Deng has been solid, he's injured; Hinrich is injured also which is hit for them offensively and defensively. No matter how tough the Bulls are, offensively they dont have enough firepower to defeat the champions. HEAT WIN 4-2

Knicks vs. Pacers
This is a classic NBA rivalry. Knicks vs. Pacers. Reggie vs Ewing, Spike vs Reggie it doesnt get much better right? Yeah I can think of a few rivalries (Bulls/Pistons, Lakers/Celtics just to name two). Regardless this is 2013 so none of that matters now. These two teams are the teams that have a legitmate chance of defeating the Heat. The Pacers are scary, simply because defensively they are very very tough. Their defense is spearheaded by Paul George and Roy Hibbert two good young defenders. George is going to guard Melo the whole series, that's no question. Will he stop him? No. Can he make it tough for him? Yes. No one can stop Melo one on one, but if you can make it so tough that he takes 36 shots to get 35 points like he did in Game 4 vs the C's you're doing great job on D. Hibbert is a good shot blocker, who when on his game is a good offensive player too. Hibbert's matchup with Chandler is a matchup I will key in on during the series. Both do the same things, I'll give Chandler the edge simply because of his playoff experience but athletically I'd give Hibbert the advantage. The Pacers are an underrated offensive team, because of their great D. George Hill, Lance Stephenson, David West, and Paul George are the scorers for Indy, however they will need Hibbert and Hansbrough to step up against the Knicks and Heat if they advance. The Knicks are very streaky offensively, if they're making threes, moving the ball, and scoring at a good pace mark the game in the win column. If Melo is taking 25+ shots, J.R Smith is having an off night, and the offense isn't flowing mark the loss column. The Knicks are similar to the Nets in the sense that their offense dictates their defense. Guess it's a New York thing. The Knicks have two security blankets that the Nets don't have, the NBA's scoring champion Carmelo Anthony and arguably the best defensive center in the NBA Tyson Chandler. We all know what Melo can do, I don't have to say it ( he's averaging 30.8 ppg in the playoffs); however Melo shouldn't iso his man and jack up 25+ shots every game in this series or the Knicks will head back to Gotham.This will be a good series, both teams are very talented; however the Knicks will be the victors in this series and advance to Eastern Conference Finals. KNICKS WIN 4-3

WEST

Thunder vs. Grizzles
This is the most important series in the playoffs, the team that wins this series will be the team that wins the NBA Championship. Yeah I said the winner of this series will win the NBA championship. Don't believe me just watch. The Grizz are the best defensive team in the NBA, statistically and on the court. The FedEx Forum isn't called the Grind House for no reason.The Grizz grit, grind, and tough out every game, they are the toughest team in the NBA. Z-Bo and Marc Gasol have played very well, leading the Grizz to a series win over their rivals the Clippers.Conley has played well, and must continue to do so if they plan to defeat the Thunder.Conley is difference in this series, if he plays well the Grizz will win, if not they will lose this series. Tony Allen has the daunting task of guarding Kevin Durant, he's a great defender but Kevin Durant is the greatest scorer on the planet. Perimeter scoring was a problem at times for the Grizz, that's where Rudy Gay came in. He's in Canada, so the Grizz guards (Conley, Bayless, Allen, and Prince) must score consistently and assist Z-Bo and Marc with scoring load. The Thunder are the underdogs in this series. Westbrook's injury has everyone stating that the Thunder won't defeat the Grizzles or go back to the Finals. I beg to differ, the Thunder are a great team. Kevin Durant will continue to play at a high level, because no one in the league can give him problems defensively other than LeBron (even LeBron has trouble with him). The Thunder are a solid defensive team, with Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins as the anchors. The biggest question is who will be the Thunder's second scoring option? Durant is going to score 30,  it's inevitable but who's going step up after him? Kevin Martin needs to be that guy. K-Mart was big in Game 6 vs. his former team scoring 25 points on 7-13 shooting. The Thunder will need him to be consistent throughout the series. Kevin Martin's play is also a difference in this series, if he plays well the Thunder will win if not they lose.This series is the most important in the playoffs, the series will go seven games and the Thunder will win. You know what that means. THUNDER WIN 4-3

Spurs vs. Warriors
This is going to be fun to watch. It won't be as fun as Denver vs Golden State, but it will be good. Curry vs. Parker is the matchup I'll be watching, along with everyone else. The Warriors have finally become relevant again. Stephen Curry is becoming a superstar right before our eyes, and is shooting the lights out of every arena he plays in.The way he shoots, the three point line should be illegal, because he uses it as a weapon. Curry's light has outshone his teammates who have played extremely well. Klay Thompson has come into his own this season, being the knockdown shooter he was at Washington State. He and Curry are developing into one of the most dangerous and high scoring backcourts in the NBA. Harrison Barnes is a having a great rookie campaign, and would have been Rookie Of The Year if not for that darn Damian Lillard. Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green have contributed good minutes off the bench, with their defense and toughness. The difference maker for the Dubs not named Curry is Jarrett Jack. Jack has been outrageously consistent for the Dubs off the bench, and allows Curry to get a breather knowing that the offense will be in tact if he's not on the floor. If the Warriors want win this series they must run and gun. The Spurs can run and gun, but not like the Warriors. They are older and the Warriors should use their youth to their advantage. The Spurs city name should be "Ol' Reliable",  because every year the Spurs are a top Western Conference team, and a top team in the NBA. Tim Duncan still has it, he never lost it and is playing at a very high level. Tony Parker has been amazing all season, and was a Top 5 MVP candidate until his injury. The Spurs role players have played well all season (Kawhi Leonard, Gary Neal, Matt Bonner, Tiago Splitter, and Danny Green). The Spurs are known for their trademark great defense, which is the reason they are such a great team. Poppovich, one of the greatest coaches ever, has managed his team better than any other coach in the NBA over the last few years, and this season is no exception. He's made sure his team can adapt to any playing style their opponent throws at them. The difference maker for the Spurs is always Manu Ginobili. Manu has been injured for majority of the season, but if he can step up and play like the Manu of 05' and 07' the Warriors will be in trouble. This series could possibly be a classic with two very talented teams, and two great point guards battling it out. I'm going with the Spurs. SPURS WIN 4-3

Welk-come to The Mile High City

Wes Welker is going to the Mile High City. Welker and the Broncos agreed to a $12 million/2 year deal on Wednesday. Welker and the Patriots cut ties after the Patriots  offered him a $10 million/2 year contract. Aside from that I'm sure Welker wasn't happy with his midseason benching either. There's also the "product of the system" brouhaha which undermines his quickness, ability to read coverages, and great decision making. Welker's exit is similar to Vinateri's to Indianapolis in 2006. Welker joins DeMaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, and Brandon Stoakly as a new edition to their already strong recieving core, piloted by Peyton Manning  The Broncos have improved an already formidable team; With the Ravens D pretty much obliterated and the Patriots losing Welker I foreshadow the Broncos representing the AFC in the Superbowl. NUFF SAID

RAVENS ARE SUPERBOWL CHAMPS!!!!

The Baltimore Ravens have finally reached the promise land! The Ravens defeated the 49ers 34-31. The Harbowl was a tale of 2 halves. In the first half the Ravens dominated the 49ers, outscoring them 21-6. Flacco was spectacular in the first half throwing 3 TD'S, and leading his team to a big lead. In the second half the 49ers shifted the momentum drastically. After a 30 minute power outage, and a record setting 108 yard kick return by Jacoby Jones; the 49ers scored 17 points in 4 minutes and some odd seconds. Kaepernick threw a TD pass to Michael Crabtree, and Frank Gore punched it in the endzone for a score. In the 4th Kaepernick ran for a clutch TD, but didn't convert the 2pt conversion. The Niners had one oppurtunity to win the game, but couldn't score in the redzone. This was one of the best Superbowls I've seen in my 18 years of existence. Ray Lewis, a living legend, gets to retire a champion and cement his name even further in NFL history. I can honestly say he is the greatest middle linebacker of all time. Joe Flacco finally cures his LeBron Syndrome, and wins a championship. Flacco, in my mind and David Letterman's, has moved into elite status. Flacco joins Brady, Brees, The Mannings, Rodgers, and Big Ben in the elite quarterbacks club. Kaepernick proved that he's still a young QB, however he also proved that he will be a great QB very soon. NUFF SAID

Rudy Gay to Toronto

Rudy Gay has the luxury of eating Canadian bacon for breakfast every morning, now that he's a Toronto Raptor. On Wednesday Jan 30, 2013 the Grizzlies, Pistons, and Raptors participated in a three team trade. The Grizzles recieved Tayshaun Prince, Austin Daye, Ed Davis, a $7.5M trade exception, and few draft picks. The Pistons recieved veteran guard Jose Calderon. The Raptors recieved Rudy Gay and Hamed Haddadi. In the first game without Rudy Gay the Grizzlies were dominated by the Oklahoma City Thunder 106-89. In their first game with Tayshaun Prince and Co. the Grizz picked up a 85-76 win over the Wizards. Prince had 14 points off the bench. In Toronto's first game with Rudy Gay, the Raptors demolished a very deep Clippers team 98-73. Gay finished with 20 pts off the bench, however I'm sure that won't be his permanent role. As a Memphian I'm not a big fan of this trade, however I understand why it happened. Rudy Gay did not live up to his maximum $82 million dollar contract. He never averaged 20 points or more while playing for the Grizzles, after signing his max contract. Even though he never lived up to his contract he was and still is a good scorer. He knocked down numerous clutch buckets for the Grizz during his stint there, and he was their leading scorer this season (17.3 ppg). The Raptors were the winners in this trade, they recieved a good scorer in Gay who will help them offensively. The Raptors future is looking bright,  with Gay, DeRozan, Amir Johnson, Terrence Ross, Kyle Lowry, Bargnani, and Landry Fields as the core group. The Pistons acquiring Calderon was a head scratcher to me. The Pistons already have 2 good guards in Brandon Knight and Rodney Stuckey, so that acquisition was puzzling. All in all the Grizzlies are still going to be a tough team in the West, due to the fact that they made a big playoff run without Gay in 2011. The Pistons will be the same team, and the Raptors will improve but they probably won't make the playoffs.....until next year. NUFF SAID

THE DISSAPOINTMENT OF THE COWBOYS

It never fails does it? Everytime Dallas fans believe Tony Romo is going to come up big...... he manages to prove us wrong and shatter every aspiration we have. This has been his modus operandi (MO) ever since he became a Dallas Cowboy. I would go into all his mistakes and mishaps, but I don't believe there are enough characters to type with. Yesterday Romo threw three interceptions, one late in the fourth quarter. If he hadn't thrown that pick, the Cowboys could have possibly went into OT or won the game. Instead the Cowboys are not going to playoffs for the third consectutive year. It's really pathetic especially with all that talent surrounding him. Romo just cant come up big in crunchtime, or in the big games. It's long overdue (about four years overdue) its time for Romo to be traded or released. Who's the future quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys? If I had my way I'd trade for Tim Tebow. Tebow in Dallas uniform, nothing would be better. He's marketable, extremely popular, clutch, and knows how to win. Why not pick him up? He led a struggling Broncos team to the playoffs, on top of that he made a clutch game winning TD in OT to defeat the Steelers. Tebow had numerous game winning drives with the Broncos, which started the "Tebowmania", "Tebow Time", and "Tebowing" phenomena. If Tebow isn't acquired Kyle Orton is a solid starting quarterback, who I believe can lead the Cowboys to the playoffs. Alex Smith is another option, Smith is easily a Top 10 quarterback who possibly would've have jumped into elite status had he not been benched by Harbaugh. No matter who the Cowboys quarterback is for the 2013 season, Tony Romo should not be in the backfield.

JACK TAYLOR

Who said D1 schools have the best scorers in the NCAA? Grinnel College keeps proving that statement untrue. Jack Taylor, a 5'10 sophmore guard, scored a whopping 138 points. He went 52-108 from the field; Taylor was 25-37 from 2 point range, 27-71 from beyond the arc, and he nailed 7-10 free throws. Taylor has set a scoring record for all NCAA divisions. He annihilated two previous scoring records set by Frank Selvy (100 pts vs. Newberry:PLAYED FOR Furman:D1) and Clarence "Bevo" Francis (113 pts vs. Hillsdale: PLAYED FOR Rio Grande:D2) in 1954. The Grinnell Pioneers dominated Faith Bapist Bible 179-104. Taylor attempted 108 out of 136 team field goals. Coach David Arseneault is known for his up tempo style of play called "The System". "The System" incorporates an all game full court press, focus on offensive rebounding, a plethora of three point shots, and regular subsitutions (he subs 5 new players every 2 minutes). Last season Griffin Lentsch, Taylor's senior teammate scored 89 points, and set a new D3 scoring record. Taylor was averaging 23.5 ppg in only 13.5 mpg, after yesterday's game he's avering 61.7 ppg through 3 games played.

Lakers hire Mike D'Antoni

On Sunday night, early Monday morning, The LA Lakers hired former Coach Of The Year Mike D'Antoni. D'Antoni signed a $12M/4yr deal with Tinseltown's team. Communication with Phil Jackson broke down due to his seemlingly outlandish demands ( $10-15M a year, major clout in personnel choices, choosing his successor, and skipping selected road games). Obviously that's a lot to ask for even for Phil Jackson. Now that the Lakers have their coaching situation in tact, how will the rest of the season play out for them? I believe that Lakers will flourish under Mike D'Antoni. D'Antoni has a great relationship with Steve Nash; Nash knows how to run a D'Antoni offense. Their offense will be fast paced, high octane, pick n roll oriented, and fun to watch. Dwight will thrive in the pick n roll with Nash, which will free up Kobe for open shots due to the threat of Nash's unparalleled pick n roll ability. A plethora of critics, including myself, know that D'Antoni isn't a defensive minded coach; However according to ESPN D'Antoni's teams have solid defensive stats. Although that is true none of D'Antoni's previous teams had the best low post defender in the NBA, in their starting lineup. Dwight will improve D'Antoni's solid defensive stats, and transform them into great defensive stats. The Lakers currently are on the right track again; They've won two straight games, and have hired a new coach. I'm dubbing these new look Lakers "Showtime Pt. 2". Things are looking up in Hollywood. NUFF SAID.