NBA Playoff Picture

The NBA Playoffs are just around the corner and there is still some seeding to be finalized in both conferences. With roughly 10 games left for all teams, here’s how the current match-ups are shaping up.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

(1)  Atlanta Hawks (55-17) vs. (8) Boston Celtics (32-40)

·      Atlanta leads season series 2-1

(2)  Cleveland Cavaliers (47-27) vs. (7) Miami Heat (33-39)

·      Miami leads season series 2-1

(3)  Chicago Bulls (44-29) vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks (36-36)

·      Chicago leads season series 3-0

(4)  Toronto Raptors (43-30) vs. (5) Washington Wizards (41-32)

·      Toronto leads season series 3-0

The most intriguing matchup in this first round would obviously be Cleveland and Miami. The Heat seemed to play their best against LeBron and the Cavs, and why not. LeBron left Miami to go back to Cleveland and help lead his hometown team back to the playoffs and the ultimately the Finals. In three games against the Cavs this season, the Heat averaged 100 points; in their other 69 games they averaged 94 points. Dwyane Wade on the season averaged 21.5 points a game but in the two games he played in against the Cavs his average went up by 10 points. It’s also an intriguing matchup because the crowd in Miami will be louder than any of those four Finals runs. I expect Cleveland to win the series but I also expect it to go seven games.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

       (1) Golden State Warriors (59-13) vs. (8) Oklahoma City Thunder (41-31)

·      Golden State leads season series 3-1

       (2) Memphis Grizzlies (50-23) vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks (45-28)

·      Memphis leads season series 3-1

       (3) Houston Rockets (49-23) vs. (6) San Antonio Spurs (46-26)

·      Season series tied at 1-1

(5)  Portland Trailblazers (46-25) vs. (5) Los Angeles Clippers (48-25)

·      Los Angeles leads season series 2-1

The Western Conference Playoffs are always fun to watch. The winner always comes out with some bruises. The matchup I would most be looking forward is Golden State and Oklahoma City. Even with Kevin Durant being out the rest of the season having to undergo foot surgery, the Thunder can still give the Warriors problems. Russell Westbrook is putting up numbers we haven’t seen since Michael Jordan, and Westbrook’s numbers might be better during his current stretch. In the month of March he’s averaging 30 points, 10 assists and 8.5 rebounds; along with the four triple-doubles he’s had. The Warriors haven’t had to face many hurdles this season, but the Thunder are a team that could give them a scare and it would be interesting to see how they would react to potentially losing a game at home (they’re 34-2 at Oracle Arena). Stephen Curry looks poised to bring home the MVP trophy this season and he would need to have MVP numbers to ensure his team doesn’t get bounced early.

Another potential matchup to keep an eye on is Houston and San Antonio. The Rockets got Dwight Howard back after having not played since January 23^rd and are easing him back into game speed so he’s ready to play a full game. If the two teams got matched up, Dwight could be the factor in the series.

Keep checking back for updates on matchups.

What's The Future Like?

Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jason Worilds, Oakland Raiders running back Maurice Jones-Drew, and San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis are just a few names in a recent list of NFL players to retire while still in their prime. None of the retirements came as a result of head injuries, but as a result of players wanting to save their bodies and do more with their life beyond football. The most surprising is Patrick Willis, age 30, who retired because of injury and not wanting to walk with a limp the rest of his life. Willis had a heart-felt press conference to make the announcement; during the press conference Willis stated that he would notice other players walking around after they’ve retired and have difficulty doing so, “they can't play with their kids or they can't play a pickup basketball game or they can barely walk”. All the players had something in common upon retiring; there was more money to be had.

Willis had 20 million dollars remaining in base salary on his current contract. That’s a lot of money, but the price of not being able to walk or play with your kids is not worth that much. Is what these players did a sign of things to come for the NFL? It very well could be.

This isn’t about concussions but obviously it’s a focal point. As someone who has post concussion syndrome I can tell you that it causes a normal day to turn into hell. I don’t have it as bad as some do, which I’m thankful for, but it’s something that does affect my life and is something that NFL is trying to not have happen with it’s players down the road after they finish playing.

The NFL as we know is a violent game and it seems to only be getting more violent. If you look at the landscape of football at all levels, you can tell that it’s changing. It’s getting faster and when you add in how much bigger and stronger kids are; you’re going to have more collisions that look like car accidents. Which makes you wonder about the future of football.

I’ve been known to make bold predictions on certain things and I have another one that people will no doubt disagree with. Somewhere down the road the NFL is going to have to make a drastic change to the game or eliminate football altogether. The only way concussions are going to be taken out of the game is if football is taken away. As crazy as that sounds, it’s not totally out of the realm of possibility. The league is looking at every possibility on how to monitor concussions and the protocols teams need to take in order ensure players safety; but there is only so much you can do.

I get the fact that the game is changing in favor of player’s safety and they are trying to limit the amount of helmet-to-helmet collisions but that’s not a realistic thought. Sure, players are being trained how to tackle with their heads up, but when the play is happening and everyone is going full speed you can’t think about tackling with your head up. Now like I said, I’ve been known to make crazy predictions and this is definitely one of them, but if you really think about, it’s not all that crazy.

The Pursuit of Perfection

The Quest For Forty

           

Sports are about winning. It’s about titles. It’s about how having more W’s than L’s. In the case of the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers led by Bob Knight, they had 32 W’s and 0 L’s. There have been numerous teams since then that have tried for the perfect season but along the way ran into that oh-so-sudden speed bump and they were perfect no more. What does it mean to go undefeated in college basketball? Is it all that impressive with how many talented players a team like Kentucky can get? Whether Kentucky’s players stay longer than a year or not, reaching the goal of a National Championship is one thing, to not lose a game along the way is even more of an accomplishment.

We’ve seen perfect seasons in college football, Florida State accomplished that just two seasons ago. We’ve seen a near perfect season in the NFL as well; the 2007 New England Patriots were at a mark of 18-0 heading into Super Bowl 42 against the New York Giants before falling 17-14 and having their perfect season ruined. Had the Patriots finished with an unblemished record, they might have been considered one of the greatest teams in sports history.

If you think about what it means to go undefeated in sports, or win a certain amount of games in a row, it’s a task that doesn’t come easily. There have been teams that have had some pretty incredible streaks in recent years:

• ·      Miami Heat- 27 games (2013)
• ·      Florida State Football- 29 games (2012-2014)
• ·      Oakland Athletics- 20 games (2002)
• ·      New England Patriots 18 games (2007)

It’s been 39 years since a men’s college basketball team has gone undefeated and this years Kentucky Wildcats have a chance to do so heading into the SEC Tournament then the NCAA Tournament where they’ll be the presumed number one overall seed baring a setback. This year’s Kentucky team doesn’t have the big names that some of the previous national champions had but they have something none of those teams had, two separate starting rotations. It’s the “platoon system”, as John Calipari likes to call it, nine players who play 10 minutes or more, eight of who average 5 points or more. Those numbers aren’t staggering and the system Calipari runs might not be the best one out there, but for 31 games so far this season, it’s workout pretty well.

Finishing the season at a mark of 40-0 is something that isn’t talked about much because teams will often lose early in the season and the talk ends, but not this year. It’s something that, if it should happen, should be looked at as once of the greatest accomplishments in recent sports memory.

I had the discussion with someone recently on how this team should be perceived. Kentucky is one of those college basketball teams, much like Duke, that people typically dislike, and with that comes the aspect of people wanting to see you fail. With Kentucky having the season they’re having it’s easy for people to watch one of their games and say, “boy I hope they lose tonight”, but what’s the reason? Is it just because it’s Kentucky? Is it the way Calipari runs the program, using it as a launching pad for players to go to the NBA? Whatever the reason is, this is a team that we shouldn’t want to see lose. We should all be cheering for this team to go 40-0 because the magnitude of that record is truly beyond anything we’ve seen. It means greatness and today, that’s what we want.

MVP Talk

            I could be wrong but I’m almost positive that MVP stands for Most Valuable Player. That’s normally what it means. It doesn’t mean who scores the most points, throws the most touchdowns, who’s on the best team with the best record. It’s who is most valuable to their team, and in the NBA this season; the “MVP” race is up for grabs they say. Some will say it should go to Golden State guard Stephen Curry, others will say Houston Rockets guard James Harden and his beard should win. In the last month, Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook has been on a tear, averaging 31 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds, “MVP-like” numbers. He’s been making a very strong case for the award, but his team is currently in 8^th place in the Western Conference, still battling with some teams for the spot. He’s missed 15 games this season but has picked up the slack while teammate and reigning MVP Kevin Durant sits out with a foot injury. It seems that everyone is caught up in those names that they are forgetting the best player on the planet; Cavaliers forward LeBron James. The four-time most valuable player.

 

            James missed a stretch of eight games earlier in the season, during that stretch the Cavaliers looked lost and went 1-8. The lone win game against the Hornets, not all that impressive. After James left Cleveland for Miami, the Cavs were one of the worst teams in the league while Miami made it to four straight NBA Finals and capturing two championships. That should tell you something. As soon as James went back to his home state and was joined by Kevin Love, the Cavs were instantly the favorites to win it all. You can make the argument that no other player in the league is more important to his team’s success than LeBron James.  

Today we’re sick with the Michael Jordan syndrome. Jordan could have won the MVP every year and probably should have because the Chicago Bulls went as MJ went, much like the Cavaliers, but the NBA felt it was necessary to award it other players, I’m not saying that the players who won the award weren’t great players, but they weren’t Michael Jordan. The same can be said for today’s game, I’m not saying that other players in the NBA aren’t great but the gap between LeBron and the rest of the NBA is larger than people make it out to be.

I enjoy the MVP talk because it means we have so many great players in the league and those players are getting recognition but you can’t take away from the greatness of one player just because you feel the need to give it to someone else. Curry, Harden, and Westbrook are all worthy MVP candidates but what it comes down to is who is the most valuable player for their team; LeBron James is that guy year in and year out.