Hey there guys,
Yesterday was a pretty good day for me as I went 8-1 in the NBA as Aaron Brooks dropped 28 points in the Rockets 24 point beatdown of the Chris Boshles Raptors, Dirk Nowitzki had 27 points and 13 rebounds as the Mavericks upset the Bobcats in Charlotte, and Marcus Thornton continued his rampage off the bench as he had 30 more points as the Hornets fell short at home against the Spurs. Well Today I had some basketball thoughts on my mind, and even some OLYMPIC thoughts but I put them in a separate post, to go along with the games happening today. In SEC Basketball there is a great game between Vanderbilt and Florida as the Gators try to solidify a spot in the NCAA Tournament. In the NBA there are a couple of good games headlined by Boston @ Detroit, and in the NHL the Flyers head down south to Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning, and New Jersey and San Jose face off in what could be a future Stanley Cup preview. Hope you guys enjoy.
-NCAA Basketball, Big Games and Championship Favorite
Well I am not going to dwell too much on these first two thoughts just say what I need to say and move on but if you like college basketball at all you have to be drooling when you took a look at this weeks big games. I mean to start off we got to see #8 West Virginia take on #20 Georgetown at home yesterday, and while that wasn't that great of a game as West Virginia jumped out to an early lead and never relinquished it on their way to a 13 point win over the slumping Hoyas, that was still just the first of many great games this week. How about Wednesdays Match Up between #5 Kansas State @ #2 Kansas? For those who didn't watch the first meeting the Jayhawks barely got by the K State 81-79 in Overtime, but how about #4 Duke heading to #23 Maryland? Anybody else smelling an upset here? I think that the Blue Devils might be a bit overrated so it should be interesting to see how they hold up on the road. Than on Satuday you can finish up with #1 Syracuse looking for revenge after getting upset at home by Louisville in their previous match up, except this time the Cardinals will be at home looking for a HUGE win to help lock up a tournament invite, but to me, and this should be the best game of them all #8 West Virginia travels to Philadelphia to take on the #9 Villanova Wildcats and the Mountaineers will be looking for payback as Villanova won in their last meeting. I mean there are just some great games this week. And if you thought that wasn't enough how bout these game for some side dishes: Tuesday - #19 Vanderbilt @ Florida, #9 Villanova @ Cincinnati, #21 UTEP @ Marshall. On Wednesday - #3 Kentucky @ Georgia, and UCONN @ Notre Dame. Saturday - North Carolina @ #4 Duke, #13 Tennessee @ Mississippi State, #2 Kansas @ Missouri, and #25 Texas @ #22 Baylor. Like I said if you are a college basketball fan you shat your pants when you looked at this weeks lineup.
Speaking of college basketball, as many of you know this is the last week of the regular season before conference tournaments start up, and then seeding, followed by the NCAA Tournament itself. And about now is when the serious conversation starts for who really is the best team in the country. Well I really only think that there are 4 teams that really have a shot at winning the whole thing. Kentucky, Kansas, Syracuse, and Villanova. I am sorry but I don't think that Kansas State, West Virginia, Ohio State, or New Mexico really have a legitimate shot. I don't Purdue can do it without Robbie Hummel, and after watching Duke get whooped by Georgetwon earlier this season (along with a head scratching 14 point loss at NC State) I just don't believe that Blue Devils are really that good of a team. Kyle Singler is an effort guy with a decent shot but other than that he is not worth the hype, rough on the defensive end and, at least in the two games I have watched him, can just get dominated by more athletic players. So until I see Duke defeat a really good team than I don't see them getting it done. Duke maybe makes the Elite Eight and than it's over, good run, but over. Of the four that I have listed I think that Kansas and Syracuse are the best bets to get it done and win it all, as Syracuse is atop the Big East, the best conference in basketball this season, and Kansas is just a well coached team that is one of the top scoring teams in the country but of the 4 may have the best defense, giving up only 63 points per game, and teams are only shooting a horrific 34.1% against them. WOOF. despite Syracuse solid ppg allowed they are allowing their opponents to shoot nearly 40% from the field and I just don't see that working out well against teams like the other 3, especially Villanova who may be the best offensive team in this group but their biggest drawback is the 72 points per game they allow. Defense wins championships and while I think Villanova is a well coached basketball team under Jay Wright, I don't think they will be able to win with that kind of defense. Kentucky has the talent, don't get me wrong, but I have never liked John Calipari as a coach. He is a great recruiter who brings ridiculous talent to his schools but yet he has 0 National Titles. In fact through all of his ridiculously talented Memphis Tiger teams he only made the finals once. Lost. And this year they lost at South Carolina and at Tennessee. They play at another upset friendly team, Georgia, this week. I just don't see Kentucky being able to take on a team that actually has a pretty decent team and coach. So thats it. As of today I am saying that my NCAA favorite is the University of Kansas.
-NBA, Superman down? and Nuggets vs. Los Angeles
Well for those of you that do not know Shaquille O'Neal is going to miss the rest of the regular season after having to have surgery to repair his thumb. That's right. For Achilles it was his heel. Shaq, his thumb. That being said, What are the Cleveland Cavaliers without O'Neal? I don't know but I will tell you what they are not and that is NBA Championship Contenders. Anyone remember why they brought in Shaq? So that they wouldn't get dominated by teams that had powerful big men, like say the Magic, who they will have to beat to get to the Finals, or the Lakers, who they will most likely have to beat if they make the Finals. Last season Cleveland was the overwhelming favorite to beat the Magic, in what some said would be only a 4-5 game series, as LeBron James was surely making his way to his first NBA Finals apperance. Only for Dwight Howard, the real Superman, and the Magic to dominate the Post and take the series in 6. And yes the Cavaliers had the best record in the NBA during the regular season last year. But when it mattered the one really good team they had to face just exploited their huge weakness in the paint, and while Antwawn Jamison is a nice addition does anyone really think the 33 year old Jamison is enough to stop Howard? Not me. And without Shaq I don't think there is much hope for the Cavaliers. In fact they may lost their home court advantage if the Magic keep winning. The same Magic. That upset them last season. Tragic.
So who will the Magic/Cavaliers face in the NBA Finals this year? While the Lakers defeated Denver this past weekend, the Nuggets still won the season series 3-1 over the defending champs. That means that the Nuggets have found a winning combination and just stumbled this past weekend right? Wrong. Guess who swept the Lakers last year during the regular season? How about the Orlando Magic. That team that Lakers beat in 5 games to win the NBA Championship. To me the Nuggets don't have the man power down low to deal with Bynum, Gasol, and Odom and while 'Melo had a 3 great performances against the Lakers earlier this season, this past weekend Ron Artest began to guard him, and he frustrated him all game, and 'Melo wasn't that big of a factor. I have to say right now that I am leaning heavily toward the Lakers in this one.
My Picks.....
SEC Men's Basketball
#13/#19 Vanderbilt 22-6 (11-3) @ Florida 20-9 (9-5)
6:00 PM
ESPN
Line: Flo -3
Players to Watch: Flo G Erving Walker 13.0ppg 5.0apg 1.5spg, Flo F Chandler Parsons 12.3ppg 7.0rpg 1.1bpg
Preview: This should be a great game as Florida can solidify an NCAA tournament invite with a win against Vanderbilt tonight. Vanderbilt escaped by 8 against Florida in the first game of this years SEC schedule and now the Gators want revenge and to play in the postseason. While I think the Commodores are a better team now I think that Florida comes out on top in the end.
Florida by 4
NBA
CELTICS (-4.5) by 7 @ pistons
warriors @ HEAT (-11) by 6
kings @ THUNDER (-10) by 13
pacers @ LAKERS (-11.5) by 17
NHL
canadians @ BRUINS
BLACKHAWKS @ islanders
HURRICANES @ maple leafs <----- UPSET
panthers @ THRASHERS
CANUCKS @ blue jackets <----- UPSET
rangers @ SENATORS
sabres @ PENGUINS
FLYERS @ lightning
oilers @ PREDATORS
KINGS @ stars <----- UPSET
blues @ COYOTES
devils @ SHARKS
Alright guys I hope you enjoyed. For those wanting to know where my power rankings are I am now doing those once every two weeks (or at the end of a season). If you have any comments, questions, or ideas just let me know.
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