NBA Playoffs

The NBA Playoffs have started. The quest for the Larry O'brien Trophy will be done in a few short months.  Will the Marvericks repeat? Will the Thunder be able to put it together? Will the Heat FINALLY win? Only time will tell. Here are some quick picks for the NBA Playoffs!

Eastern Conference

The Chicago Bulls vs The Philadelphia 76ers
Before the injury to Rose last night, I would have told you this series would have been a sweep. Now that Derrick Rose is out for the rest of the playoffs, it is a bit more interesting. I still think the Bulls have more pure talent than the 76ers and I think they will want to "win one for Rose!". With that said, the 76ers give the Bulls trouble, but not enough trouble. I have the Bulls in 6.

The Miami Heat vs The New York Knicks
The Heat have been playing some really good basketball recently. James and Wade have really been clicking and that will be key fro the rest of the playoffs. The Knicks just have too many injuries and don't have the chemistry to beat the Heat. I have the Heat in 5.

The Orlando Magic vs The Indiana Pacers
This series is going seven. Both teams have great post games and have been able to put it together many times this season. I think Dwight Howard will eventually be too much for the Pacers and he will lead the Magic to a 4-3 series win.

The Boston Celtics vs The Atlanta Heat
Boston has been labeled as old and not a contender, but they closed out the season playing really well. Rondo, Pierce, and Garnett will continue to keep their good form throughout this series. The Hawks are just one of those teams that have the ability to push a team to the edge. Johnson will play well when he needs to in this series, but the Celtics will still win the series in 6.

Western Conference

The San Antonio Spurs vs The Utah Jazz
This is probably the last great opportunity for the Spurs to win the championship. I don't think they will squander it in the first round like they did last year. Though the oldies don't always play their best, I always have to go with a Greg Popovich team. I have the Spurs in 5.

The Oklahoma City Thunder vs The Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs are not the same team that they were last year. They lost a lot of key talent and a lot of their big players have lost the touch they had last year. Durant and Westbrook are now at their championship level, and I expect them to make the most of it. Thunder win in 4.

The Los Angeles Lakers vs The Denver Nuggets
Los Angeles has been in a very transitional state, but they are still the same ol' Lakers. Kobe may be deteriorating (your call), but when they playoffs start, he is a different man. He will be able to will the Lakers to a lot of wins and Pau Gasol will also be able to rise to the occasion. The Nuggets cause some ruckus in Lala land, but the LA team wins in 6.

The Los Angeles Clippers vs The Memphis Grizzlies
This is a monumental occasion for Clippers fans. Their Clips are finally in the playoffs. They will have tough match with the Grizzlies though. There will be a lot of energy on the Clippers side, but the Griz have gone pretty far in the playoffs before. I see this being one of the more thrilling series in the first round as the Clippers win in 7.

Thanks for reading!

NHL Second Round

The NHL playoffs are now into the second round. There have been plenty of upsets and controversies so far. As we travel farther into the second round, there are sure to be more. Darlings like the Kings and Caps will have there hardest game of the year in the next couple days and it will be interesting to see how they handle it. Cup favorites like the Rangers and Blues will have to fight through the playoff minnows to get to the Conference Finals. What happens? I'll tell you. 

 

The New York Rangers vs The Washington Capitals

The Caps roar into this series after beating the reigning champion Boston Bruins. The momentum that  they have now is so important. They will need to stay hot and play nearly perfect games if they want to beat the Rangers. Look for the proven leaders like Ovechkin and Ward to come up big in this series. Their experience in the playoffs will be a deciding factor for the fate of the Caps. New York, on the other hand, came limping into this series. They were just able to slip past the grasp of the talented Sens. Their amazing goalie, Henrik Lundqvist, stayed hot with a .945 save percentage and averaged 1.70 goals per game in the series. I expect him to keep up his amazing play. The big question for the Rangers is if they will be able to score? Through Lundqvist was able to stop a lot of shots, the Rangers just couldn't get on the board for long stretches of time. If the Rangers want to win, they are going to need Richards, Staal, or someone else to come up big and get the hot hand. I believe that happens and I see the Rangers winning in 5. 

The Philadelphia Flyers vs The New Jersey Devils

For Philadelphia, they find themselves in their second Atlantic Division match up. These two teams have met 6 times this year and the Flyers were able to edge out the Devils by a game this season. The Devils were able to squeak past the Panthers in the first round in seven games. The Flyers were able to destroy the Penguins in six games, but they did find themselves on the wrong end of a 10-3 game. The key to this series will be the goaltending. Though both team's goalies have been able to play great at times, they still have issues at key moments. The Flyer's Bryzgolav has a .871 save percentage and a 3.89 goals per game line. New Jersey's Brodeur doesn't have that bad of numbers, but has still be pretty deficient at times. I see the Flyers being able to win this series though. Claude Giroux is red hot at the moment and I see him giving the Devil's goal tending some issues. Through they will score a lot, they will give up a lot and because of that I see the Flyers closing out the Devils in a thrilling 7 game series. 

The St. Louis Blues vs The Los Angeles Kings

Not a lot of people saw the Kings at this spot a few weeks ago, but because of Jonathan Quick, the Kings have the power to win it all. The absolute thrashing they gave the Canunks really makes me a believer. Quick has been stellar between the pipes and Kopitar has the fire power to back up his keeper. The Blues are also a good team, but I feel that the lack of experience in the payoffs will really hurt them. They will quickly be frustrated by the hot LA goal tender and will make a lot of stupid mistakes. Though Brian Elliott is a great goalie, the guys in front of him will ultimately be the Blues downfall. I see the Kings winning this series in five.

The Phoenix Coyotes vs The Nashville Predators 

This series should be interesting, but the focus for me is more on the development of hockey in these not so "hockey friendly" places. Whoever wins this series will go to the Conference Finals and will more than likely start a hockey craze in their respective cities. That would be great for the NHL. The expansion into small markets will only make the NHL greater and hopefully a more prominent league in other parts of the country. As for the game, I believe that the Nashville Predators got very lucky in a lot of games against the Red Wings. To beat the Coyotes, they will need some more of the luck and they will also need more from their front 3. Though it is fine to win game by a goal, they will need to score more at some point. Gabriel Bourque will need to continue his scoring rampage if the Preds want to win. Phoenix played a really good series against the Blackhawks. Mike Smith was able to keep the Phoenix net pretty clean and was usually only let in a couple of goals a game. The Coyotes have done a really nice job moving the puck around so far and as long as they are able to do that, I see them winning. Surprisingly, I see Phoenix getting to the Conference Finals in 6 games.

Thanks for reading!

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The NHL Playoffs are in full swing! I really didn’t give you any picks for this round, but let’s take a look at how the series are going in the East!

The New York Rangers vs The Ottawa Senators

Where are they?

This exciting series has been a lot closer than the 1-8 matchup it was billed as. In the first game it looked like this series would be a blow out.  Four straight goals by the Rangers put them at a great advantage, but Ottawa added two late ones to make the 4-2 loss feel a bit better. Ottawa would have their revenge in the second game edging the Rangers 3-2 in overtime. Never the less, the Rangers would notch a late goal in the third game to take the 2-1 series lead.

Where do they go from here?

I have to go with the Rangers in this series winning 4-2. I think Henrik Lundqvist will continue to be stellar in the net. He’s only allowing 1.66 goals per game and he seems to be getting better as the series goes on. The Rangers also have the hot hand in the series; in three three games played so far, Brian Boyle has averaged a goal a game. I still don’t think the Sens have had their last win of the year though. I see them rising up in game five to send the series back to Ottawa were they will ultimately lose it.

The Boston Bruins vs The Washington Capitals

Where are they?

This series might be the most enthralling of all the series so far. They have played three games, gone to overtime twice, and each game has been won by a single goal. The first game was won by Boston on a single goal by Chris Kelly. In game two the Caps repaid the favor by shocking the reigning champions at home in a similar fashion. As the series traveled to Washington, so did the goals. Boston would rebound after being down a goal early to win 4-3 and take the 2-1 series lead.

Where do they go from here?

The Boston Bruins will win this series in 7. Washington has been playing playoff hockey for weeks due to the fact that they were on the bubble. Though they don’t have the talent, they have the momentum. As for Boston, I feel that Tim Thomas’ .943 save percentage will be the difference. His experience of winning in clutch situations will take the Bruins to the next level.

The Florida Panthers vs The New Jersey Devils

Where are they?

This series, like many of the others, is a close one. A lot of people thought that the Panthers would be an easy match for the Devils; they were wrong. The Devils would get the first laugh by putting up three quick goals in the first period and went on to win 3-2. With a severe sense of urgency, Florida took the ice in game two and dominated for most of the game. The 4-2 win for the Panthers would give them the momentum heading to New Jersey. In the very recent game three, the Devils once again grabbed the early lead, but they would quickly be outmatched. After the 4-3 win, the Panthers now lead the series 2-1.

Where do they go from here?

I had some difficulty with this one. Both teams had goalie troubles in the last game, but I have to give the edge to Martin Brodeur. He showed more promise in this last game. The Panthers may have issues in the goalie game though. Jose Theodore was rocked early and often in New Jersey. He let in a Zach Parise wrist shot 33 seconds into the game and only saved half of the shots he saw. Brodeur will respond in the upcoming games and I see his Devils winning the series in 7.

The Pittsburgh Penguins vs The Philadelphia Flyers

Where are they?

If you thought this is where this series was going to be after three games, you’re a liar. Playoff hockey doesn't score like this. 8-4? 8-5? That’s crazy. Game one wasn’t as high scoring (in comparison), but it did establish the mood of this series. The Penguins looked like they had the game locked up with a 3-0 lead, by Philly flew back to win 4-3 in OT. Game two started off the same. The Pens had a huge lead, but the Flyers offense was just too potent. Philly would go on to win 8-5. The Penguins needed another good start in Philadelphia, but they wouldn’t get it. The Flyers scored four in the first and buried the Pens for the rest of the game. They would reach the 8 goal plateau again and would take the 3-0 series lead.

Where do they go from here?

The Penguins are going to play their last game this Wednesday; the Flyers are that good. Claude Giroux is a one man wrecking crew. His four goals and four assists lead all players in the NHL and even if he cools off, the Flyers still have Danny Briere and Matt Reed. The Penguins on the other hand haven’t been able to keep the puck out of their net and knowing Marc Andre Fleurry, that won’t change. The Flyers win a high scoring affair and move on to the next round.

Thanks for reading!

The MLS: A Rising League

It isn’t easy liking soccer in the US. My whole life I have been interested in the beautiful game though living in a total dead zone for soccer. I remember my first kicks as a young child and the ecstasy of my first goal; the sport truly had me hooked. Naturally, I stayed interested my entire life and eventually looked for favorite teams to cheer for. I quickly gravitated to the bigger European leagues because that’s where the “elite” players played. Teams like Chelsea, Celtic, and Inter Milan filled my interests as quickly as their chants filled my lungs. Not once did I think of teams like DC United or the LA Galaxy. The MLS just seemed to be cheesy to me. I never saw them as a Professional league, but in the summer of 2009 that all changed.

                In 2009, there was a soccer team that sent shock waves though the MLS. The Seattle Sounders were brought into the league and their raucous fans entered with them. I remember the night when I first saw this new, rave green clad team. I could have sworn that they were playing in some European stadium in some far off country, but no; they were in Seattle. This blew my mind. There was the constant chanting, beating of drums, and raising of scarves. It was everything I wanted in soccer. This quickly ignited one of the most passionate dedications to a team that I had ever felt. Instead of dreaming of visiting Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (I still would mind it!), I had dreams of heading to Century Link Field and cheering on my Sounders. I could feel it; the soccer spring was well on its way.

                It didn’t take long for the MLS to expand to more teams with more passionate fans. Soon the likes of the Rose City Supporters (Portland Timbers) and many other fan bases around the league were starting to sound like the Sounders. Teams now had huge, dedicated fan bases that brought banners and flags to the game. It was truly a thing a beauty.  It wasn’t until last week’s Sporting KC-LA Galaxy game that I truly saw the new horizon of soccer in the US. The game was in Kansas City and I was expecting a small crowd of soccer moms clad in Kansas City Royals gear trying to get their children to pay attention to the game they got to come to for free. What I actually saw was the complete opposite. The scene in Kansas City was Sounders Midwest. The “Blue Hell” brought the thunder and really made the atmosphere a memorable one. I couldn’t believe that the team I had seen playing in a minor league park only a few years ago was now getting cheered on in such numbers.

                The moral of this story is that the MLS is here and it is on its way. Many of you may not be zeroed in on the soccer revolution that has taken the nation by storm, but you better get ready. Every day the soccer community is growing, so I encourage all of you to try to watch a game soon. You might say things like “It’s boring” or “These guys aren’t athletes”, but I assure you if you give it a chance you can get hooked. If you ever get the chance you should definitely go to a game. If you don’t have a good time for the 90 minutes you’re there, there’s something wrong with you.

                Maybe you just think this is just a seasoned soccer fan standing on his soap box or maybe you don’t, but thank you for listening to my rant. 

NL Picks

My National League picks!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQf5Evc4Wzs

And last but not least, my prediction for the World Series!

I have the Angels over the Yankees in five in the ALCS and the Phillies over the Giants in six in the NLCS.

That gives us an Angels Phillies World Series with the Angels winning in 6.

Thanks for watching!

The First of Many

The First of Many

There is the podcast folks! My ipad screwed up so there is only a nugget of goodness, but we will have more coming your way soon!

Podcast!

This was the big announcement! I'm making a podcast!

Here is the test!

http://thesanpodcast.podbean.com/

                Half way through March, there were 68 teams in contention for the NCAA Men’s Basketball title. Now, there are two. Both Kentucky and Kansas have fought their way through many great teams and my picks. I would like to think I was bulletin board material for both of these teams as they entered their games this Saturday, but I’m sure that wasn’t the case. Now these two historic programs face off in the Big Easy in front of one of the biggest crowds they will have seen all year.

                It was only four years ago that John Calipari lost in the National Championship to Kansas. With another group of fabulous freshmen at Kentucky, it is his turn once again to see if he could reach the pinnacle of excellence.  Like I’ve said before, Kentucky lives and dies though the play of Anthony Davis. This freshman has truly been the player of the year with his play on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. On offense, Davis has averaged 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. His 18 points and 14 rebounds against Louisville continue to show fans what he brings to the floor every night. On the other side of the ball, his blocking ability is supreme. With an average of 4.6 blocks game, Davis has continued his dominance by recording 23 blocks in 5 games.

                Davis isn’t the only big man for the Wildcats. Michael Kidd-Glichrist also keeps opponents out of the paint with his 7.5 rebounds per game and chips in on the other side of the ball with an 11.9 point average. The Kentucky talent doesn’t stop there; I could go on for paragraphs writing about Doron Lamb, Marquis Teague, and all the other great Wildcat underclassmen, but with a great team like Kansas, there just isn’t enough time for that.

                Kansas has been around the top of the rankings all year, but they have never really been considered a huge title threat. While all the focus has been on Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio State, and Syracuse, the Jay Hawks have gone 32-6 and have been drawing a lot of attention as of late. After squeaking past Purdue and North Carolina State, they blew past North Carolina. That game was such a defining moment for the Jay Hawks. It was like the proverbial curtain had been lifted and everyone could see the great team that was and still is Kansas.

                Just like Kentucky, Kansas has a big man. Thomas Robinson is a 6’10 junior who averages nearly 18 points per game and grabs nearly 12 rebounds a contest as well. He has been the driving force behind the Jay Hawks this season. He is sure to score since he has put up double digits in every one of his tournament games this year. With his explosiveness in the paint, he will pose a great threat to the Kentucky big men. When the post game doesn’t seem to be working, Kansas turns to their senior guard, Tyshawn Taylor. He has been the main man for running the offensive attack and is the Jay Hawks second scoring option. He has been pretty proficient from the three point line this season, but he has yet to hit one in the tourney. I expect that to change this week.

                When Kansas and Kentucky meet, sparks will fly. The battle will be won in the trenches around the paint. It is really hard for me to pick because both teams have such a great post game, but Kentucky is playing on a completely different level at the moment. Also, Kansas struggled against Jared Sullinger when they played the Buckeyes. You need post play to beat post play and Kentucky has it. I see the Wildcats beating the Jay Hawks 70-64.

Thanks for reading!