The Playoff Blog Continues

• Is there anything better than watching Ernie, Kenny, and Charles. Charles isn’t afraid to say anything on the air. He really would fight every Golden State fan right now. Kenny and Charles can both give solid analysis, and they mix in some other stuff. Ernie makes sure nothing gets out of hand and is a great mediator. They also always have a great personality as a guest. I am as pumped for this GS/Dallas game as I have been all season. The atmosphere is electric again, and the We Believe T-shirts are out. This seems like a nice time to point out that Golden State has one of the best looking floors in the NBA. I would have to say that Washington’s floor has them by a half a notch. An even bigger question is whether or not Dirk will show up tonight.
• Earlier Steve Nash put on an absolute clinic in L.A. dishing out 23 assists while scoring in double figures as well. You have to love Amare pulling down 20+ boards, and Marion making hustle plays everywhere. That series is now all but over. Expect Phoenix to end it in the desert in game 5.
• The Heat were swept away by the Bulls in Miami. An absolutely shocking series to everyone. I really don’t know what to say. The Bulls just played solid and had the Heat’s number.
• New Jersey dominated an offense less Raptors squad. Jason Kidd again playing a great all around game. Now with a 3-1 series lead Jersey should be able to close in either game 5 or 6.
• The Mavericks were off to a quick start against GS, but GS kept cutting the lead down throughout the first half with timely hoops and shooting a solid percentage from the charity stripe. The Warriors were getting open looks early and often, but just not hitting on them. Baron Davis still looks unstoppable out there, and Josh Howard was playing great for Dallas. Mickael Pietrus came in and gave the Warriors a much needed lift. With a huge follow up dunk and an even bigger block on Jason Terry on a fast break. Then he connected on a three pointer that made the crowd erupt. Can someone tell me why this guy has never been in the slam dunk contest. He can absolutely get up, and he is an ideal guy. Just when you think things can’t get any worse for Dallas Baron Davis hits a half court shot to end the first half that ties up the game at half. GS shot poorly in that half and Dirk had his best half of the series yet the game is still tied. That can’t be a good sign for Dallas. Golden State comes out like a ball of fire in the second half, with two offensive rebounds that lead to 3 pointers and a six point lead. Solid play throughout the 3rd quarter from both teams. Both teams had their runs, and GS was the team that closed with a great run. “B Dizzle” Baron Davis scored 5 points in the last minute to tie the game. Including out running the so called “Jet” Jason Terry for a loose ball and then dunking it. Regardless of what happens in the rest of this series Davis is playing as good as anyone in the NBA right now, and has clearly proven that he is one of the 10 most talented players in the league. Not too shabby of a fourth quarter either in this game. It was pandemonium in the “O” (Oracle Arena). Baron Davis lead his troops the whole way, I don’t think he came out the whole second half. GS used their ballhawk scrambling defense to frustrate the mavs. Along with the gang rebounding effort. Dirk was completely out of sync, and couldn’t hit anything. He couldn’t even draw iron until those late 3’s that he hit. He just has no confidence at all right now. I think now more than just the Warrior nation BELIEVES.

With the First Pick……

The Oakland Raiders select Quarterback, JaMarcus Russell, Louisiana State. No Mario Williams over Reggie Bush this year, the Raiders get the player they covet and a player to build franchise around, the right pick. But what makes this the right pick? Is it the fact that he is an ideal 6′5“, 256? Or is it the fact that he is ridiculously over hyped by this years draft craze? This happens every year, in every draft no matter what talent level the draft is at or how weak, the players are always made to seem as if they will start right away and they will become the next Donovan McNabb or Randy Moss.

This is why the draft is so great, each year you watch the draft and see the player your team selects and you see the future best player, who plays that position. But the problem is that is exactly why Mel Kiper and Todd McShay have jobs for a month out of the year and pray that no-one notices that basically any fan who follows college football could be doing what their doing. They sell us and future and we bite, hard. That is why these college athletes go through the combine and take tests and are judged to the smallest imperfection, because no one wants their future spoiled, no one wants Ryan Leaf or Courtney Brown, or Ted Ginn Jr. ……. Oh Wait.

The fact is with all of these tests and drills that these kids are going through the scouts are missing out on the most important thing to judge by, production. I mean all of these numbers along with time, and hype have screwed with our mind and made us reevaluate who the best players are.

There were reasons why Mel Kiper Jr. had Brady Quinn ahead of JaMarcus Russel 2 days after any of these players would play another down of college football, and not 21 picks behind him. There were also reasons why Dwayne Jarrett was the second ranked wide receiver in all of college football and not the 45 player taken. There also might have been reasons why Levi Brown was the 3rd ranked Tackle coming out of the draft and not the 5th overall pick.Take a look at it, there were 15 players that were taken in the first round of yesterdays draft who were not on Mel Kiper’s Big Board of 25, 2 days after the national championship.

I’m sure Brady Quinn doesn’t appreciate the 4 months of time between Mel Kipers first draft projections and the moment when he put on a Cleveland Browns hat 20 picks later than he could have and $20 million poorer. This could have been the worst draft scenario of all time, a possible number one pick who falls through teams who need a quarterback, like Cleveland, Minnesota, and Miami(more on that in a minute) and thereby losing top 10 money. So he tries to console himself by saying “Hey, at-least i’ll go to a good team”, Nope. So teams like the Jets, Giants, Jacksonville, and Carolina all pass on him. Until lucky number 22 comes along and Brady sees the browns have traded for the pick. God only knows what he is thinking at this point, probably somewhere along the lines of “Cleveland’s a Nice Place to Kill Myself.”

But nonetheless the Browns take him and Brady takes his long walk from the green room to the center stage holding a browns hat, knowing that every one in radio city music hall is now taking pity on a millionaire. Through all this heartbreak, nothing could have been worse than when the Miami Dolphins passed on Quinn with the 9th pick. A good team in a great city, with great weather, and most of all a quarterback situation that could only be described as an inappropriate joke thatd ends, “Everyone gets a turn.”

While Quinn is half standing up to meet Roger Goodell, and all the experts are talking about what a great pick this is for the Dolphins, 2 words come out of the commissioners mouth, “Ted Ginn.” A quick pan to Brady Quinn, who because he knows cameras are on him and needs to say something turns to his girlfriend and says “Thats Impressive.” While proof that no one is happy with this pick, the TV then goes live to Miami where head coach Cam Cameron is being booed while he tells the fans about Ted Ginn Jr. and what he brings to the Dolphins, Return Specialist. Hmmmmmm…….. He did not use the word receiver once during the conference and trust me the Dolphin fans noticed. But don’t worry Ted Ginn has GREAT potential.

Welcome to the 2008 NFL Draft. The Oakland Raiders are now on the clock.

Kobe v Jordan

This is an article that I have been preparing, and very excited to write.

Kobe Bryant v Michael Jordan

Everyone take a deep breath. Sit down. I am going to say something more then shocking then when Robert Gaddell announced the Dolphins took Teddy Ginn. Kobe Bryant is a better basketball player then Michael Jordan. Still with me? If you have a basketball mind, you may have come to this realization already, if your Shaq, sorry ( but thanks for reading). Here is why:

There were two times in their career when their situations were very similar. Michael Jordan pre Pippen and Rodman and Kobe currently. MJ benefited from his supporting cast like nobody in basketball history. Now, MJ is still the GREATEST athlete. How he captivated, almost SAVED the game. His tongue hanging out, taking off from places Charles Oakley couldn’t make a jumpshot from consistantly. His gatorade commercials, movies, and buisness icon make him the biggest and GREATEST athlete of all time. However, Kobe Bryant is better at the sport. Has anyone watched him this year. There was a time when he could score 50 points whenever he wanted to. The Lakers are in the playoffs and have a chance in this suns matchup because of Kobe, and they have JORDAN FARMAR at the point. Could you imagine MJ in practice with Phil if he had Farmar running the offense?

There are two people to blame for Kobe’s appeal. First off us. We labled him the next Jordan when he got out the limo with Brandy at prom. However, he was not the first, the list ( not complete includes) Howard Minor, Vince Carter, Shawn Kemp, Grant Hill, Anfernee Hardway, and of course Kobe. While four of those guys were All Stars none of them could hold Michaels jock ( his jock used with the Birmingham Barons at that). After those guys seriously flamed out we threw the book out and said there will never be a player like Jordan. Which is true, but we would be wrong if we said no one will ever be as good as Jordan.For that, Kobe got screwed.

Kobe killed Kobe. He shot himself in the foot. There will never be a statue of him outside of the staples center. He will never be in a movie with Buggs Bunny, he will never be on the cover of time ( for a good reason), and he will never, ever, be the athelte of the century. Why? Because HE chose not to be. He made this decision when driving Shaq out of town, when elbowing Mike Miller and Manu Ginobili. He made this choice when he cheated on his wife and was charged with Rape. When comparing Kobe to Jordan off the court you only have to look at two twenty second clips. Kids signing “If I could be like Mike” drinking gatorade trying to be like their hero represents MJ. Kobe lifting, and shooting around saying LOVE me or HATE me is how i see Kobe. Nobody loves you. We respect you for who you are, the best player of all time.

Sunday Stories

• The Magic were finished off yesterday in Orlando by the Pistons. Not much of a series, kind of like the rest of the Eastern Conference series. The Cavs took a commanding 3-0 lead over the depleted Wizards squad. The Wiz have hung in there in the last two games, but haven’t had the scoring down the stretch to beat the Cavs.
• In the West the Spurs took one from the Nuggets in Dever 96-91. The Spurs trio of stars got it done again last night. While Iverson had a bad shooting night, and Melo’ couldn’t hit from the free throw line (6-11). In the nightcap the Jazz looked strong at home vs. a homesick Rockets team. I thought this was the year that T-Mac was going to get out of the first round? Look for the Rockets to bring their A game in game 5 in Houston. I see this series going all 7 games.
• The Yanks ended their seven game skid yesterday. With a solid pitching performance by some unknown Igawa guy. Who pitched six scoreless innings. Then Rivera was able to come in and get the save with some nice defensive help from A-Rod. The Cubs took another from the rival Cardinals by a score of 8-1. The man that I say will hit .400 this season, Derek Lee was 2-4 and is now about .390. Ok maybe I am going out on a little bit of a limb here!
• Michael Jordan’s son Jeffrey is planning on going to the University of Illinois, and becoming a walk-on player. We’ll see how this one plays out, he should receive plenty of media coverage. I don’t think he will do much there, but he will definitely see time because of the name on the back of his jersey.
• I guess I should mention the NFL draft. Detroit took another WR high in the first round. I’m still not sold on Calvin Johnson. When is the last time a WR single handily won a game. Sure he can be a game changer, but he really isn’t going to turn your franchise around. Russell was the correct pick for Oakland to make at 1. Cleveland redeemed themselves by going out and getting Brady Quinn after passing up on him the first time around. He may be a bust, but when you are in Cleveland’s spot and he is available then you have to take a shot.
• Some great NBA games lined up for Sunday. Kobe will try to beat the Suns again, but don’t count on that happening. Miami looks to at least save a little bit of its pride vs. Chicago. The least that they could do is win a couple of games like they are capable of. I will be surprised if Riley lets those guys throw in the towel. Jason Kidd will try to become the second player ever to post back to back triple-doubles in the playoffs (Baron Davis being the other). While the Raps need this win or else their season is just about over. Saving the best for last…..the Mavs look to get back on the winning track that they are accustomed too. The Warriors are just the Mavs kryptonite. This will be a great game to watch, because you can guarantee that the Warriors fans will be as loud as ever and they will push this Warriors team to do great things. I just can’t wait for this game. If GS is able to take another one then you have to believe that the Mavs just can’t beat this team, and GS is just a hot team right now that anyone else would lose too. Just a tough break for the Mavs to play them in the first round when GS is pretty much the only team in the league that has their number. Enjoy folks!

The SZ is living the dream

Just want to throw out a big thanks to all readers. The SZ had a record number of views yesterday, and was one of the top growing blogs. This was the contract year breakthrough performance that we were waiting for. Thanks for the viewing and we will be sure to keep the good stuff coming. We’re the Sports Zip and we’re just living the dream.

Playoff Blog

• As my dad and I watched the first half of the Raptors and Nets game all we could do was marvel at two things. One was the lack of love for sports franchises in New Jersey. At the Devils game the night before there were 3,500 empty seats and at this Nets playoff game there were definitely some empty seats. How can fans pass up this chance to watch a great trio of players that includes a human highlight film, an incredible point guard, and a great all around player. If the Celtics ever do make the playoffs again I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Neither would the whole fan base so that means that there wouldn’t be empty seats to be seen throughout the arena. Anyways what those fans were missing was that second thing. That was the incredible play of Jason Kidd. Behind Nash he is the second best point guard in the league. He is also one of the most valuable players in the league to his team. Without Kidd getting almost a triple double a night and distributing the ball and keeping everyone happy this Nets team would be much less successful. Let’s remember when Byron Scott was in the doghouse in NJ people were talking about Kidd being a player/coach. That is pretty high praise, since that has never happened in my lifetime. I mean this isn’t a men’s league team its the NBA. Most of all Kidd is a winner. He will do whatever it takes to win and believe me he will win. So we sat and marveled at the 14 assists that Jason Kidd put up in the first half of the game vs. the Raptors, because you don’t see players like him come around too often. Just as Henry Abbott of truehoop predicted Kidd would play (dead left knee) and he would play well. The game finished with the Nets winning 102-89. They dominated the game, or should I say that Jason Kidd and VC dominated the game. Kidd finished with one of the best lines that I have ever seen – 16 pts, 16 reb, 19 ast. That guy is some player. Nets now lead the series 2-1, and if they can take game 4 at home the series should be all but over. Don’t expect Toronto to roll over though in game 4. I think it will be a heck of a game.
• Great first half in the Miami-Chicago game. A must win for the Heat, and you could tell. Wade looking for his offense early and plenty of post entries to Shaq who again was in foul trouble. The big half provided off the bench by my boy toine’ who included a beautiful finger roll and a fouled in transition. Followed by a semi-shimmy shake, which brought the Miami crowd to their feet. Is there anything prettier that Dwyane Wade’s bankshot that he hits from the left side of the floor. That shot is absolutely beautiful. Also you have to love the white out crowd in Miami, and of course that crazy spiky sphere thing that is inside the panels of the jumbo-tron. Don’t really know how to explain the breakdown that Miami suffered in the second half. Just solid defense and offense by the Bulls. Now Miami faces a 3-0 hole, and if anyone is going to comeback from down 3-0 its Miami but I wouldn’t expect it that’s for sure.
• Great crowd at Oracle Arena in Oakland. Those fans were going bananas after every hoop by GS in the early going. Here’s Bill Walton’s take on the Warriors, “These Warriors are for real.” Have to love the coverage by ESPN. Showing all three games on this Friday night in HD. Somewhere Charles Barkley is loving his first day off all week. I do have to say Mike Tirico is as good of a play by play guy there is around right now. What a step up from having Brent Musberger doing these ESPN/ABC games. Is it strange that the Warriors logo has a lightning bolt instead of an actual Warrior? What a great start for the Warriors in this game, they really looked amped up to play and behind only the Suns they are as good of a team that there is for a fan to watch. Truly an incredible performance by Baron Davis, J-Rich, and the Warriors in this game. How about the experience that the fans of GS got by watching this game. Those fans were on their feet the whole game. Dallas was completely out of sorts, and where was the so called MVP of this season. Nowitzki can’t do anything except shoot the ball well. So when that part of his game isn’t working he can’t do anything. That means that he isn’t the MVP. Right now Baron Davis is looking more like an MVP. He is clearly the best player on the floor in this series. Unstoppable off the dribble, then he can finish in the lane or find his teammates on the perimeter. The energy level on the floor for Golden State was absolutely unmatchable. After such a big deal was made about all of the GS technicals in game 2, Dallas was the team that decomposed and was called for technicals in this one. Can’t say enough about the hustle plays by both Matt Barnes and Mickael Pietrus. Who isn’t rooting for the 8 over 1 upset at this point. This is the playoffs and this is what it is all about.

Simply the Best

As I was being lazy just like any other typical Friday I was thinking about TV shows. I am almost always watching ESPN so hardly ever do I watch some drama series or comedy on ABC, NBC, or CBS. Excluding a one hour period every Wednesday night, which is when I watch “Lost.” So there I was again on the couch watching ESPN slate of afternoon sports shows. Then it hit me. The best show on TV, and the best 30 minutes of sports talk on TV is definitely PTI. C’mon if you love sports then you must love to sit down and watch Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon battle it out at 5:30 est. Even if you don’t watch it everyday and it doesn’t mean that much to you, that doesn’t mean that when you get the chance you pass it up. What is better than Tony waving goodnight to Canada everyday with his little Canadian flag, or even just the jokes that they crack at the start of each show.

So other than those couple things what makes the show “the best.” Well how about the set up of the show. You start out with the biggest 5 or 6 stories in sports from the previous night or present day. Then comes “five good minutes” with a guest that is usually a great guest. Then an section that changes every day with a variety of good cop/bad cop, mail time, odds makers, role play, psychics, and toss up. Heck I’m probably forgetting something too. Then the happy happies, and the big finish and they even give you something to watch for that night. So you get every sports story covered all with the high comedy of Mike and Tony. You have to love the music and the set too. The many heads in the background and the bobble heads that they always show. Those are things that you can’t overrate. So other than all of these things what makes it better than all of the other shows like ATH, Sports Reporters, Jim Rome, 1st and 10, and the many more. Well it is the guys doing the show. Mike and Tony are the perfect team. They mesh perfectly, because they always have different opinions on things and usually cover all of the basis for an argument. All while being funny enough and do it within a certain time constraint that keeps people watching. So for whatever it is worth I am here to say that PTI is simply the best 30 minutes on television.

Playoff Blog

Watched the two playoff games on TNT last night. Starting with the Pistons/Magic game. The Pistons looked pretty strong again last night. They just seem to like to let Orlando hang around for a while, and then when it comes time to get stops and make big hoops they get it done. Jameer Nelson looked good last night for Orlando, scoring a playoff career high 27 points. Nelson scored well, but he isn’t really a good point guard. All of those pick and rolls with Howard, and he couldn’t get the ball to Howard for any easy hoops. I know if someone like Nash was playing with Howard then he would have had about 4 or 5 layups or Dunks, because of great feeds. Anyways, all of Detroit’s starters scored in double figures to lead just another balanced scoring act. It was a nice crowd in Orlando, but they shouldn’t expect Orlando to steal game 4. This series is all but over, and so is Brian Hill’s coaching career in Orlando after it. One more thing from this game, how about the end of the first half. It looks like Orlando is going into the locker room with about a two point deficit, and plenty of momentum. Then comes a Tayshaun Prince 3 as the shot clock winds down. Then a terrible mis-communication, and the inbounds pass was picked off by Prince who saves the ball to Billups who then takes a fade-away 3. The moment he took that shot any NBA fan immediately said “yep that is going in.” Boom, “yea it went it.” That was typical, and just a killer for the Magic. If that didn’t happen we might have been talking about a 2-1 series.

Just something I was pondering yesterday. What does Dirk Nowitzki do really good. The answer is only two things shoot, and score one on one. Those are the only two things that he does really well. Every other facet of the game he is average at. You look at either Kobe, Nash, or Kidd. They do so many things at a higher level than other NBA players. Not just two things. I’ll tell you right now that Josh Howard is probably a more important player to the Mavericks than Dirk is. Howard does everything well. Including guarding one of the other teams stars. Just a small point saying that Dirk isn’t worthy of an NBA MVP award.

Now for the TNT nightcap. First off is there anything better in this series than watching Ronny Turiaf on the LA bench. He is up on his feet for every possession. Always the first one out when there is a timeout. Then he is always pictured talking to someone or laughing about something. When he actually gets out on the floor he provides great energy, but he provides plenty on the bench too. He is like a combination of Screech from Saved by the Bell and Averman from Mighty Ducks. The Suns offense went cold in third quarter last night. Some solid defense by the Lakers and some poor shooting from the Suns. Nash was being very closely guarded off of the pick and rolls, which was pretty effective for LA. Phoenix wasn’t able to get a lot of those easy hoops in the paint that they usually get. Kobe was excellent last night. He is absolutely impossible to guard, and those were some loud MVP chants by the crowd at the Staples. Lamar Odom was also very active last night. It always kills me because that guy is so talented, and he never stays consistent. If LA wants to win a few more games in this series they will need this type of defense, but also don’t expect the Suns to look this bad offensively again. I still say Suns in 5.

response to fans

in response to anthony riccioti of brownlove.com:
all SZ writers do take breaks. as hardworking, good looking, and perfect we all are, its hard to believe, but yes, we are human. we will try to pump out as many articles as possible but we can only do so much. expect business to pick up in the summer

Monday Night NBA Playoff recap

The Pistons and the Magic played game 2 to kick off Monday night’s TNT double header. The Pistons cruised to take a 2-0 lead. All their starters were in double figures, with the backcourt of Hamilton and Billups each going for over 20. The Pistons got it done from the charity stripe (80%) as well as drilling eight 3-balls. ‘Sheed and Tayshaun each hit 3 from downtown (3-6 and 3-3 respectively). As usual, they played great team ball. They are looking good against an inferior Magic squad, but it will be interesting to see if they can continue to play well as they get deeper into the playoffs. Old Grant Hill and Hedo Turkoglu each posted 20, but Howard was very quiet. He is a promising young player but his turnover numbers just look too much like girls’ high school basketball for me to be very high on him. The Magic are really overmatched in this series.
The Jazz/Rockets game was a lot more exciting. Unfortunately, Yao’s scraggly under-the-chin-only beard was gone, so the only fun provided by HD on the night was Carlos Boozer’s bald head. The Jazz led for the entire first half, but the Rockets turned it on in the second half to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Their ball movement looked really good, but like the Pistons, they will need to turn it on to advance past the second round. Yao and T-mac combined to take 53 of the Rocket’s 83 shots. As the for the Jazz, Memet Okur was ice cold. Boozer was playing out of his mind, exploding for 41 points, but he was the only one. McGrady was too much, as he came alive down the stretch.
Tomorrow looks to be exciting with game 2’s of Suns/Lakers, Raptors/Nets, and Heat/Bulls. My pick to win it all is the SUNS.
Other exciting news in the world of sports: The Red Sox ended their tear which included bitching the Yankees for three straight come-from-behind wins. They must have been emotionally spent from that weekend, going down to the Blue Jays tonight. One bright note though is pitcher Jon Lester who continues to rehab from cancer. Best wishes for his recovery. Hopefully he will return to the promising form he was in last season (7-2, 4.76 ERA). If he does he will complete a SCARY rotation for Boston. Also in baseball, A-Rod comments on his dazzling start to the season. He chalked up his unsatisfactory past performance in New York to his self-consciousness under the New York spot light. The new and improved A-rod is here to stay however, as he has found the perfect complement of Maybelline foundation and strawberry kiwi lip gloss which gives him his new swagger. Back to the NBA, LeBron’s ankle injury is most likely not going to keep him out of action. And finally, if Houston wins the NBA championship, their mascot’s name will be changed from Clutch the Bear to RED ROCKET. Goodnight.

Vince Young Isn’t Scared

So I’m sure you’ve heard the news: Vince Young will be featured on the next Madden cover. Then comes the talk of everyone about the curse of the Madden cover. The “Madden Curse” as it is called has been hampering NFL stars for the past 9 seasons. With its victims including Barry Sanders, Marshall Faulk, Dante Culpepper, Mike Vick, and most recently Shaun Alexander. For a complete Madden Curse history visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madden_curse. So this cover jinx has chosen a perfect target for the upcoming 2008 cover. Vince Young is a mobile young quarterback who loves to make plays with his legs. Also he is coming off a Rookie of the year campaign in which he almost lead the Titans to the AFC playoffs after a terrible start.

What do I make of the move by Young to agree to have his 6′6 frame on the cover? Well first off I don’t think that this was about money, but maybe about the celebrity a little bit. People who say that you shouldn’t put yourself on the cover obvious are just giving up, and have no faith in that player. That is really saying something that a person has more faith in a crazy cover jinx then in their favorite player who is a star in the league. Well I’ll tell you one thing Vince Young isn’t scared of this “curse.” Heck, why should he be? He is the closest thing that the NFL has to superman right now. Sure he doesn’t have that pretty throwing motion, and he has only been in the league for one year and started a limited number of games. But the guy is a winner. Every where that he has ever been he has won. Even last year coming into a terrible situation in Tennessee a third of the way into the year he turned it around, and was one half of a game vs. the patriots from putting them in the playoffs. Then who knows what happens from there. Young is the guy who can take the ball in his hands in any third down situation and find a way to get a first down. Remember that national championship game vs. one of the best college football teams ever. Well I do, in that game USC knew on the final 3 drives that Young was just going to pull it down and run it for everything he could. Guess what they couldn’t stop him. Young single handily took the biggest game of the year in his hands vs. the best team in the country and all he did was win it. He is the guy who when playing the team that should have drafted him #1 (Houston) ran for a game-winning 30+ yard touchdown in overtime. Really no big deal for Vince who just has the ability to do these amazing things. I’ll tell you right now if Young is healthy next year that the Titans will make the playoffs, and they will be a Super Bowl contending team. He is a player who can win a game all by himself. He’s like that former semi-pro basketball player that plays in your men’s league that you just can’t stop. When he wants to do it, and he gets it going there’s absolutely nothing that you can do.

If there is anyone that can break this Madden cover curse it is definitly VY. Everyone has been saying that he couldn’t do things ever since I’ve heard of the guy. All he has done is beat the odds each and every time. People said he wasn’t smart enough to be a great QB in the NFL after that stupid wonderlic test. Well guess what he did just fine in his rookie season last year. Then people questioned his throwing motion, and whether or not he could be accurate. Well in his rookie year he did pretty well with some very average wide receivers. Right now I am more intriguied by whether or not Vince will be on the 2009 Madden cover, and not by whether or not he will be another victim of the curse.

Al Horford

Continuing with our draft preview: today we look at our second player of the Florida quartet. Al Horford was a key part to the back-back National Championships for Florida. He averaged 13ppg and almost 10 boards in his junior season. Horford was a very consistent force for the Gators inside. He never wowed anyone with his post up moves, or with his ability to make mid-range jump shots, but he always got it done.

Horford is a very solid defender who blocked about 2 shots per game last year. At 6′10 he has the size to defend NBA players at both the power forward and center positions. He will likely play a lot of power forward, but also has that ability to play center. You have to love his length and athleticism. He will definitely be able to step in next year, and be effective for any team that he is drafted by. He is a smart player who has good passing ability, and as he has proven at Florida is a great “team” player. I don’t really see an ideal comparison for Horford in the NBA right now. I would have to say that he will be a lot like Drew Gooden though. Gooden has more range on his jump shot, but plays very similarly. Horford will need to become a more effective low post player, and also become a better shooter. I see Horford going somewhere in the first 6 picks, and being a solid NBA player for many years to come.

Weekend Playoff Recap

Starting with the Saturday games. The Raps took a tough loss at home to a surging New Jersey team. Probably a game the Raptors could have won, but Jason Kidd and RJ weren’t going to let that happen. Kidd just doesn’t stop putting up numbers. It seems like he averages a triple-double in the playoffs. What a great all around player that guy is, remember he gets it done on the defensive end too. Great atmosphere in Toronto, and I think the Raps will pull out game 2.

Now the Miami-Chicago game. Let’s be honest other than Hinrich everyone on the Bull’s played one of their best games. Ben Gordon set a career high in assists while providing scoring as well. Luol Deng scored 33, and was absolutely great. Nocioni, Thomas, and Seflosha all had solid games on both ends of the floor as well. For the Heat on the other hand everyone played sub-par except for Toine’. Shaq and Wade were put on the bench as a result of terrible officiating, and all of the other role guys didn’t really play well. Still the Heat were in it down the stretch, and another thing to remember is that the game was played in Chicago (sold out every game his year, and had highest attendance in league). I see the Heat winning the next three games of this series behind Shaq and Wade. How about Toine’ though this guy comes to play when the lights are on. More to come on him in the future (he deserves his own column).

I didn’t see a ton of the Pistons Magic game, but from what I did see the Magic looked outmatched. They just don’t really have an offense. Howard is a great young star, but he can’t get it done one on one, and he doesn’t know how to pass out of the double team like someone like Shaq does. Also he was 0-7 from the line at one point. That won’t get it done vs. a team like the Pistons in the playoffs. Still look for the Magic to steal a game from Detroit in this series. Detroit still doesn’t look like a championship caliber team to me.

Not a very eventful game in Houston, but T-Mac was able to get it done after a slow first half. Houston played solid defense as usual, which aided them in taking the 1 game lead. The Jazz shot 36% from the field and 24% from the great beyond. Game two will be very important for this Jazz team. They need to get their offense going vs. this stingy Rocket defense. I am always impressed by Yao’s free throw shooting (12-14).

Now for the Sunday recap. A depleted Wizards team was handled by the Cavs at the Q. Every Cavs fan held their breath when Lebron went down in the 3rd quarter, but he seemed to be fine after coming back. Tough situation for Eddie Jordan and the Wizards. I still think they can win at least one game in this series. Just because the Cavs are so inconsistent, and you never know when they won’t show up. I don’t see them making it past the second round of the playoffs.

Interesting game in the desert between Phoenix and Kobe. Great display in the first half by Kobe, but let’s be honest Kobe played an unbelievable half and the Lakers held the Suns to just 39 first half points, and they still lost. Phoenix can win any type of game. They didn’t have their best offense in this one so they got stops in the second half and let the offense come. Also they just have so many weapons. Yesterday it was Barbosa who came alive in the second half, and Nash and everyone else just chipped in. Next game it might be Raja Bell who explodes for 27 including 6 three pointers. You just never know with the Suns, but what you do know is that Nash will get everyone the opportunities. Then figure out who is hot, and keep getting them the ball.

Well contested game between the Spurs and the Nuggets. The Nuggets were able to hold on late for a great road win. They were lead by AI and Melo’ who both played solid games. You have to hand it to Najera for Denver. He seems to always come up with big plays. He is one of those guys that you always want on your team. He gives 110% every time he steps on the floor, and he always seems to be “that guy” that kills your team one way or the other. More to come on “that guy” that always kills your team from Katz this week. Big shot Bob looked good for the Spurs, and there is no doubt that this will be a great series.

Just watching the start of the GS and Dallas game you get the feeling that anything can happen. This Golden State team will fire the first look they get, and if they get hot they are real tough to beat. Surprisingly they make a lot of terrific hustle plays, and know how to capitalize. Also they fast break like no other team in the league. Whoever gets the ball in Nelly’s small ball system just simply powers the ball up the floor as fast as possible. Then instead of playing pick and roll ball like the Suns do, the Warriors just go one on one and penetrate into the lane. After a 38-38 tie at halftime the Warriors were pushed into the lead by Baron in a Kobe like 3rd quarter. This game helps prove that when he is healthy and when he wants to be Baron Davis is probably one of the ten most talented players in the league. He can do everything. He can rebound, dish, post up, go to the rim and finish, pull up in your face, and play off the ball well too. He did everything last night, and Dallas should be worried about the Intensity of this GS team. If Baron continues to play like this, and GS plays some more of that fierce D this could be their series to win. Now game 2 becomes a must win for Dallas. If they lose that game you can kiss the series good-bye.

Some more playoff thoughts. I love the new D-Wade/Charles commercial while they are playing golf. I am expecting more of the same from them as the playoffs continue. I really like the playoff logo this year, just a nice look. Lastly, anyone who watched that GS/Dallas game has to appreciate the game that Matt Barnes played (he did everything at exactly the right time).

The Next Rivera

Jonathan Papelbon recorded his 6th save of an early season to complete the sweep on the Yankees. This has been the most exciting regular season series I can remember, with the sox coming from behind in all 3 victories. What made this Papelbon outing incredible, aside from finishing off the TOP of the Yankees’ order which was giving all it had to avoid a sweep, was the sheer dominance of each at bat (with the exception of Abreu). He made some of the best hitters in baseball look foolish with the precision of a sober Will Storms heart surgery. Leading off was Damon, a very smart hitter. Paps made him look silly with a splitter early in the count, eventually retiring him by a harmless fly out. Next came Derek Jeter. After being burned for strike two, Jeter took what looked like a typical off balance beer league cut, falling to his side after whiffing on the fast ball. There are few things other than dome that I have enjoyed more than watching Jeter trot back to the dug-out after that AB. Next up was Bobby Abreu. I think Paps intentionally walked Abreu so he could sit down (insert off-color reference that refers to Alex’s sexuality that rhymes with A)-Rod. He got ahead of A-Rod 0-2 and got him to hit a routine grounder. The thing I like best about Papelbon though is his look. Scary. He looks right into the eyes of hitters, letting them know he is coming right after them. He knows he is going to get them out. He wants to pitch against the best hitters with the game on the line. From the time he trots out to the mound, giving that Michael Jordan-intense look, you know he is going to get it done. I started writing this post before the game was even over. When I see his confidence and swagger, I can’t see how this guy isn’t going to become the next Mariano Rivera. I know sox fans were this high on Foulkie in his prime, and no, I don’t even know what foulke is up to right know. But Foulke never had the look of a serial killer. Papelbon is going to do whatever it takes to dominate this league in the coming years.

And now, I take this space to appreciate the fantastic beards being sported right now by Baron Davis and Kevin Youkilis

Grizzly Adams DID have a beard.Also, sorry for being completely wrong about the mavs/warriors series. I played as Golden State in NBA live and immediately regretted that prediction.

NBA Playoff Preview

Jason Suleski

     For my first column, I wanted to preview the 2007 NBA playoffs and give my predictions: starting with the woeful Eastern Conference.

(1) Pistons Vs. (8) Magic

     The Pistons are surging into the playoffs fueled by the Chris Webber signing.  Directly after his contract was bought out by the Sixers, C-Webb’s knee ‘miraculously’ recovered, and he looks 5 years younger. I can only imagine what its like for Philly fans to see Webber in the zone after he spent the first few months of the season looking like he needed to be in a wheelchair.  Now he’s playing like he wants to win a championship, and the Pistons should handle the Magic with relative ease.  Get out the brooms.

(2) Cavs Vs. (7) Wizards

     Such a shame that Agent Zero is out, or this playoff re-match could have been more epic than the infamous chris morse star toss switch-a-roo scam of ‘07.  Washington has no identity without Arenas, and they went 2-8 over their last 10 games.  On other hand, LeBron will make a statement with his play after everyone saying that he half-assed a good deal of the season.  LeBron (and the other 4 bums on the court with him) over the Wizards in 5.

(3) Raptors Vs. (6) Nets

     This is gonna be an interesting series.  Both teams played really well down the stretch.  And they split the 4 games they played over the season.  Bosh has been having a great year, but I’m gonna pick the Nets to upset in a full 7 because the Raptors have a male forward named Andrea.  You never know when Vinsanity is gonna decide to turn it on (just ask raps fans).

(4) Heat Vs. (5) Bulls

     This is going to be another close series.  I think Wade’s injury will allow the Bulls to come away with a couple wins, but it won’t get them the series.  The Bulls lack a crunch time scorer and consistency.  Dwyane Wade won’t let the shoulder keep him down.  He lives for the playoffs, he’s a proven leader who wants to take the big shot and knows he can make it, and he needs to earn a spot in Charles Barkley’s Fave Five.  Heat win 4-2.

     And now for the West :

(1) Mavs Vs. (8) Warriors

    Not to take anything away from the Warriors who looked O.K. this year,  but they are just too overmatched.  Dallas is the most complete team in the NBA, going 40-12 against the rest of the West.  Kudos to the Warriors for getting rid of two goofy white players , but they’re still gonna get swept.

(2) Suns Vs. (7) Lakers

     This is going to be the best round one series. It is a rematch of last year’s round one series which the Suns took in seven.  There was a lot of jawing in the series last year, and it will be interesting to see if there is any bad blood.  I have visions in my head of a frustrated Kobe elbowing the shit out of Bell.  Last year it was Bell who was under scrutiny for playing over-aggressive D, now Kobe has been under the microscope for his repeated elbows to the faces of foreign/white defenders.  He will most likely be watched closely during the playoffs.  I think this gives Raja the advantage; he will really be able to get Kobe off of his game.  They also have Nash, which is all I need to say about that.  But the real difference in the series will be the Black Jesus.  Amare was busy dickin’ around during this time last year, when these two teams met in the playoffs.  He underwent microfracture surgery in the preseason last year, and a lazy rehab schedule kept him out a lot longer than expected.  But he looks good this year, averaging 20 a game.  If he wants to realize his dream of making the NBA hall of fame, it would help to have some hardware on his resume.  He will help the suns take the series in 6 games.

(3) Spurs Vs. (6) Nuggets

     Unless Timmy Duncan is found dead in a dumpster and Joey Crawford is stopped at a roadblock while trying to flee the country, the Spurs should have this series pretty well in hand.  Denver struggled to find an identity after making one of the most one sided trades I can remember.  This always confused me, because when I played as them in NBA LIVE ‘07, Iverson and Anthony would both fill it up.  But as of late, the Nugs went 9-1 down the stretch to flip-flop with the Lakers and secure the 6 seed.  They should make it interesting but the experience and depth of the spurs will be too much.  Spurs in 6.

(4) Jazz Vs. (5) Rockets

     This is gonna be another good series.  They had similar records this year with Houston winning one more game.  I think Houston, having both Yao and T-Mac healthy will pull this one out of reach for the Jazz.  Also, they have been playing slightly better down the stretch.  Rockets in 7. Also, while we’re on the Rockets, does anyone else question Yao Ming’s facial hair… the fact that it only grows at the bottom on his chin just above the adam’s apple? I wonder if it is some kind of style, and if you go China during Basketball season, would you see a lot of this? Seems like a good note to end on.