NBA All-Star Saturday Predictions

With all the fun events going on for All-Star Weekend tonight I figured I would have some fun and try to predict the winners of tonight's events.

NBA Shooting Stars Competition

(http://thesource.com/2014/02/06/nba-all-star-saturday-participants-announced-including-skills-challenge-3-point-contest/)

Team Rosters:
Team Curry: Steph Curry, Becky Hammon, Dell Curry
Team Durant: Kevin Durant, Skylar Diggins, Karl Malone
Team Bosh: Chris Bosh, Swin Cash, Dominique Wilkins
Team Hardaway: Tim Hardaway Jr., Elena Delle Donne, Tim Hardaway Sr.

This one is essentially a toss up for me but what the heck. For those of you who don't know the teams competing in this event consist of one current NBA player, one current WNBA player, and one retired NBA player (rosters above are listed in that order). There are designated spots on the floor the team must shoot from until they make the shot, finishing with a half court shot. The team that makes all the shots in the shortest time wins.

Anyone who watches this event knows that it always comes down to who can make the half court shot the quickest. Since skill plays very little role in who actually wins this competition I'm finding it difficult to predict a winner. But I am committed to providing my three avid readers only the best analysis, so I will not let you down! The winner will be Team Curry because...*runs away*

Prediction: Team Curry


NBA Skills Challenge

(http://thesource.com/2014/02/06/nba-all-star-saturday-participants-announced-including-skills-challenge-3-point-contest/)

West Teams: Damian Lillard and Trey Burke; Goran Dragic and Reggie Jackson
East Teams: Michael Carter-Williams and Victor Oladipo; DeMar DeRozan and Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Taco Bell Skills Challenge (gotta love sponsors) allows these young guards to display their prowess in various facets of the game as they shoot, dribble, and pass their way through an obstacle course. However, the NBA, in their never ending wisdom, has decided to make this a "team event" as four teams of two battle it out to be crowned champions.

The best duo from the West will be pitted against the best team from the East to see which can post the best combined time. This new format makes this much more difficult for me to choose. Before I was aware of the rule change I was trying to decide between Damian Lillard and Goran Dragic. Not only are they not on the same team but since they're in the same conference both of them can't make it to the finals. I need more time to think about this one so I'm going to start with the East.

I don't personally see this as being very competitive as I see one team as distinctly better than the other. Micael Carter-Williams and Victor Oladipo are just too skilled overall to not represent the East in the final round. While neither boast the most consistent shooting ability they both are adept at passing and ball handling. DeMar DeRozan and Giannis Antetokou blah blah (you try saying it!) don't have any skills that jump out at me that will help in this competition. DeRozan is a talented scorer but isn't known for ball handling or passing. Giannis is very tall (6'9") and lanky which doesn't normally equate to being able to navigate this course quickly.

Alright so I suppose I have to pick a Western winner now. Between Dragic and Lillard I think it's a wash. The winner is most likely to be determined by Reggie Jackson and Trey Burke. Jackson is in the midst of a breakout year as he has filled in wonderfully for the injured Russell Westbrook. Trey Burke is a rookie out of Michigan who was the National Player of the Year during his last season in college. Since being taken only ninth overall in the 2013 NBA Draft I think Burke has a chip on his shoulder and is going to take this opportunity to show everyone what he can do, propelling his team into the final round.

From there I think Lillard and Burke will run away with it against the East. All it takes is one missed shot and one missed pass and the team of Oladipo and MCW just don't have the shooting ability to make me pick them comfortably. Lillard has already won this competition once and I am a big believer in Burke, giving them the edge and winning them the Taco Bell Skills Challenge...presented by Taco Bell (in case you missed that).

Prediction: Damian Lillard and Trey Burke


NBA 3-Point Contest

(http://thesource.com/2014/02/06/nba-all-star-saturday-participants-announced-including-skills-challenge-3-point-contest/)

East Participants: Joe Johnson, Arron Afflalo, Kyrie Irving, Bradley Beal
West Participants: Steph Curry, Kevin Love, Damian Lillard, Marco Belinelli

This is a pretty straightforward. Each contestant has limited time to take 25 three point shots from set locations around the arc. The player with the highest score from each conference will move on to compete in the final round for the win. There is plenty of analysis one could do in order to try to pick a winner for this contest, such as looking at threes attempted and three-point shooting percentages. I say nah. This is a gut feeling decision with just a little bit of the "eye test".

Kyrie Irving is the reigning champion of this event but I don't see him winning it again. You may think I only say that because he went to Duke. Well to that....I plead the fifth. I'm picking Bradley Beal to represent the East in the final round. He just has such a smooth motion and has very little body movement for each shot, which comes in handy since there is no time to waste.

From the West I can't pick against Steph Curry. His shot is just oh so pretty. And quick. Curry is perhaps the definition of "in the gym range" as he can make it rain from seemingly anywhere on the court. And he normally does this with defenders in his face. Wide open? Game over. In the final round it'll be a close battle but I think Curry pulls it out.

Prediction: Steph Curry


NBA Slam Dunk Contest

(http://thesource.com/2014/02/06/nba-all-star-saturday-participants-announced-including-skills-challenge-3-point-contest/)

Participants: Terrence Ross, Paul George, John Wall, Damian Lillard, Harrison Barnes, Ben McLemore

This year the NBA has changed the rules and format of this competition and if you really care then click this link to see. However, I'm not worried with which conference will "win", I'm just here to say who I think will be the best dunker tonight. All of these players possess a unique leaping ability and can throw it down like very few can. While this may not be the dunk contest filled with big name superstars that everyone wants to see (*cough cough* LeBron James) but I think it is going to be better than people are giving credit for. The sleeper to watch out for in this group is rookie Ben McLemore. Despite the less than stellar start to his career, there is no doubt that this young man can sky. He gets up above the rim without looking like he is even trying.

Another man to keep an eye on is Damian Lillard (a name you should be very familiar with by this point in my post). He just always seems to be playing angry with a chip on his shoulder and has proven he doesn't shrink when the spotlight is on him. Look for him to take some of that anger out on the rim tonight as he throws it down with surprising force.

The player I think will come out on top tonight, however, is Paul George. Obviously he is a phenomenal dunker, but so are the rest of the contestants. So what sets him apart? For those of you who don't remember George participated in the dunk contest back in 2012 and felt that he got robbed of a well deserved victory (for highlights of his dunks click here). He has openly expressed his frustration at not winning last time he competed and I think he intends on coming into the gym tonight and righting that wrong from two years ago.

Prediction: Paul George


Comment below with your picks for all the events tonight!

NBA Storylines So Far...

With the All-Star Break under way it's time to take a look at some story lines from the first half of the NBA season.

1. Blake Griffin has gone from overrated to underrated.

(http://club937.com/blake-griffin-ruins-pau-gasols-day-video/)

Whether fair or not I have always been a harsh critic of Blake Griffin. Since taking the league by storm during his rookie campaign I felt the media over-hyped him due to his monstrous dunks. Frankly, while the dunks looked cool, I was always mad because technically he would commit an offensive foul every time he dunked on someone as he extended his off arm into their faces (as seen above). The media quickly labeled him a star in the NBA and some even went so far as to call him a superstar. All I saw was an athletic young man with extreme dunking ability and not much else to offer either offensively or defensively. Not exactly "star" material. Now, in his fourth NBA season, it is clear that Griffin has put in the work to be a much more versatile player and the true definition of a star. Just using the eye test anyone watching can see that he now has a legitimate post game as well as the ability to step back and hit the mid range jumper. He has also improved his free throw percentage to a career high 71%. The numbers don't really do his improvement justice as some people can point to him rebounding at a lower rate than his first two years in the NBA. That, however, is in large part due to his teammate DeAndre Jordan leading the NBA with 14 rebounds per game. Additionally, he is actually averaging less assists per game than his rookie season as well. This is not a reflection of him, despite what some may say, because he now has Chris Paul handling the rock for the Clippers allowing him to be less of a play maker. To illustrate my point, in games that Paul has played in this season, Griffin averages 3.1 assists per game. While Paul was out with injury, that number jumped up to 4.4 apg. My last point will be to look at the Clippers win percentage. With Paul in the lineup the Clippers have a win percentage of 67.6%. In the 18 games Paul missed the Clippers win percentage only dropped to 66.7%, despite missing arguably the best point guard in the NBA. Griffin upping his game is the primary reason for that and is proof that he now deserves the accolades that he is no longer getting. 

2. The MVP race.

(http://streetball.com/photo/nba-mvp-2014)

Although there are always multiple names thrown around as possible MVP candidates, each year there are really only two. This year the race is between LeBron James and Kevin Durant. I know...shocking. I'm not going to spend any time comparing their stats because frankly you can do that for yourself. And most of you probably have your opinion set on who should win, at least to this point in the year. Durant is a scoring machine, James is the model of efficiency, blah blah blah. For now, I'm going to keep my opinion of who deserves it to myself. But I will tell you all who I think will be given the award. This year Durant will be the NBA MVP (barring some kind of physical or emotional breakdown). The reason I say this with confidence is because James has already won it two consecutive years and voters simply do not like voting for the same guy three years in a row. That's not to say Durant doesn't deserve it, it's just why I'm so confident about what the outcome will be. In the history of the NBA only three people have won three straight MVP awards: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird. Bird was the most recent yet was almost thirty years ago. Even though James is still the best player in the world, the MVP will elude him this year. On an additional note, as I said before the MVP race is really only ever between two players. However other names get thrown around and that in and of itself is an honor. Those names this year include Blake Griffin, Paul George, and LaMarcus Aldridge. I just want to throw another name in there that is not getting nearly enough credit, Stephen Curry. He is currently 5th in the NBA in scoring, 2nd in assists, and 11th in steals for good measure. He is also remarkably efficient from the floor at 46.3% despite taking over 8 threes a game. Not to mention he is regarded by many NBA players as the toughest guy to guard because he can pull up from anywhere on a dime.

3. The 2013 NBA Draft was terrible.

(http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/06/27/196389843/cleveland-takes-unlvs-bennett-with-first-pick-of-nba-draft)

The 2013 NBA Draft was terrible. The 2013 NBA Draft was terrible. One more time for emphasis...the 2013 NBA Draft was terrible. I watch a lot of basketball, so I'm not just looking at the stats and making these statements. I understand that a lot of these guys were considered projects and will take time to come into their own. But from what I've seen, there are only three players from this draft that I see having "good" NBA careers: Trey Burke, Michael Carter-Williams, and Victor Oladipo. Anthony Bennett to date has been the worst first overall pick in my lifetime. Otto Porter Jr. can't crack into the lowly Wizards lineup. Cody Zeller can't seem to buy a basket despite his 7 foot height and surprising athleticism. Alex Len might become a decent back up one day... maybe... possibly...I don't know. But he has trouble catching the ball and finishing against stronger defenders, a problem that dates back to his time at Maryland. I could go on but it really would just become repetitive. The point is none of these rookies seemed really ready for the NBA and are likely to fall back into obscurity within a few years.

4. Kendall Marshall deserves a starting spot in the NBA.

(http://lakerholicz.com/kendall-marshall-silences-the-critics-in-boston/2014/01/17)

I have been high on this young man ever since he was drafted out of North Carolina in 2012, as you can see from a previous blog post of mine. Due to injuries, primarily at the guard position, the Los Angeles Lakers reached a point of desperation this season, and in that desperation they found a lost gem named Kendall Marshall. Marshall spent most of his rookie season on the bench as he was backing up Goran Dragic in Phoenix. When the Lakers picked him up as a last resort, he saw his opportunity and he took it. In 16 games as a starter for Los Angeles Marshall averaged 11.9 assists per game, a rate that would be good for first in the NBA if he played enough to qualify for that stat. He was also able to score 12 points per game on 44% shooting. While his scoring numbers don't jump off the page, he has shown the ability to put the ball in the hoop when he needs to in between all the times he sets up his teammates for easy scores with his uncanny passing ability. Whether it is with the Lakers or some other team, Marshall has proven that he should be the starting point guard for some NBA team next season.

5. Anthony Davis was worth the hype (when healthy).

(http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/pelicans/2013/10/16/anthony-davis-austin-rivers-contract-option-new-orleans/2996559/)

Anthony Davis showed flashes of his insane potential during his injury riddled rookie campaign last year. In this, his second year in the NBA, he has shown everybody that there was a good reason he was so hyped coming out of college. At only 20 years of age he is averaging 20.5 points per game to go along with 10.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks. These numbers are extremely impressive for anyone, let alone a 20 year old. They are also eerily similar to Tim Duncan's second year stats, and we all know how amazing his career has turned out. The only downside with this kid is the caveat every athlete hopes to avoid..."when healthy". Davis has already missed 26 games due to injury in his young career which is almost 20% of his team's games. Hopefully this is not a sign of things to come and he will go on to have a long and (relatively) injury free career because if so we are all in for a treat.

NFL Playoffs: Divisional Round Picks

After an extremely busy semester I am now back on the blogosphere. Let's get back into the swing of things by picking the four NFL playoff games happening his weekend.

Seattle Seahawks vs. New Orleans Saints

(http://www.ultimatesportstalk.com/2013/12/02/series-history-past-and-present-games-between-new-orleans-saints-and-seattle-seahawks/)

This has become a relatively familiar match-up over the past few years ever since the Seahawks upset the Saints in 2011. This time around, however, it is New Orleans who is the underdog. This contest pits second year quarterback Russel Wilson (right side of pic above) against storied veteran Drew Brees (left side of pic above) who already has a Super Bowl ring in his collection. The Saints boast a much improved defense this year to go along with a deadly offensive attack. The Seahawks, however, have arguably the best defense in the league anchored by some of the most physical cornerbacks you will ever see play. The offense for Seattle, while not stellar, is certainly not to be taken for granted as Wilson effectively leads the read option offense with the help of running back Marshawn Lynch. The key to picking this game is how much of a different team the Saints are on the road than they are at home. Brees, while still above average, posts sub par numbers on the road compared to his home game stats. The Seahawks also have one of the largest home field advantages in the entire NFL which will not make the Saints job any easier. This will probably be a defensive battle with both teams scoring in the low twenties in what will be a very close contest.

Pick: Seattle 23-20

New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts

(http://profootballspot.com/_/nfl/collaboratives/afc-east-afc-south/colts-vs-patriots-showdown-%E2%80%93-who-wins-and-why-r1729)

If there is one thing I have learned to do in my time watching football it is not to bet against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, especially in their first playoff game of the season. Only two times in Brady's playoff career has he lost in his first playoff game. The Colts, on the other hand are coming off of an impressive comeback win against the Kansas City Chiefs last week in the Wild Card round which has a lot of people jumping on the Colts bandwagon. I don't mean to say that the comeback wasn't impressive, but people seem to forget why the comeback was necessary...they fell behind by a lot. You simply cannot do that against New England and expect to win. While there is no doubt that Andrew Luck will be one of the best QBs in the league very soon, he still tends to throw too many interceptions, a mistake you don't want to make against the Patriots. Additionally, the Colts lack a consistent running game which often results in a one dimensional game plan for Indianapolis, further playing into the Patriots hands. That being said I do see it being a close match-up that will probably come down to a game winning drive by one of these two quarterbacks.

Pick: Patriots 34-31

Carolina Panthers vs. San Francisco 49ers

(http://beachcarolina.com/2013/11/09/what-to-watch-panthers-at-49ers/)

This was the most difficult game for me to pick as I kept going back and forth in my head. However I have to follow my gut, even if it is being influenced by how Colin Kaepernick broke my heart in fantasy football this season. These two teams are almost identical. They are both defensive minded clubs that have mobile quarterbacks and a solid running game. This will undoubtedly be a low scoring contest, much like their regular season match-up that ended with the Panthers winning 10-9. Kaepernick has much more playoff experience than Panthers QB Cam Newton which does give an advantage to the 49ers. However, in a defensive game like this there probably won't be much of a difference between the two QBs overall performances. Both will probably struggle to move the ball down the field for most of the day, which interestingly enough plays into Carolinas hands. The 49ers have gone as Kaepernick has gone this season. In their wins he boasts a passer rating of 107.6, whereas he has an abysmal passer rating of 45.9 in losses. Newton's passer rating on the other hand is less than 20 points higher in wins than in losses, with ratings of 94.2 and 74.9 respectively. If Kaepernick struggles, which I believe he will against the stout Panthers defense, it will be very difficult for the 49ers to win.

Pick: Panthers 16-13

Denver Broncos vs. San Diego Chargers

(http://blog.betdsi.com/nfl-betting-predictions-denver-broncos-vs-san-diego-chargers/)

There is no doubt in my mind that the Broncos are the better overall team in this match-up. However I find myself not feeling too good about picking them to win. Not only does Peyton Manning tend to struggle in the playoffs, those struggles are amplified when he plays against the Chargers. Over the years it seems like Philip Rivers and the Chargers have had Peyton Manning's number, which means that they will not go into this game intimidated by his record breaking season Manning just had. Just a few weeks ago in a regular season contest between these two teams the chargers came out victorious. San Diego just barely squeaked into the playoffs, needing to win each of its last few games, so they have been in playoff mode for a while now. Watching the playoffs over the years it is apparent that a team that caught fire late in the season cannot be overlooked. This will definitely be a shootout between Manning and Rivers and the game will most likely come down to which quarterback can avoid the big mistake.

Pick: Chargers 38-35

NFL Story Lines Going Into Week 3

1. Which 0-2 Team is Most Likely to Bounce Back and Make the Playoffs?

(http://jseverns.wordpress.com/tag/espn/)

Of the eight teams that find themselves at 0-2, I'm giving the Redskins the best chance to come back and sneak into the playoffs. The primary reason for this is because of how weak the NFC East is this season. The Cowboys are an accident waiting to happen so I just can't believe that they will keep it together long enough to make the postseason. The Giants, another team currently 0-2, have absolutely no running game to go along with a sub par defense which means they have to rely heavily on the arm of Eli Manning. The result of this is that he has thrown six interceptions in just the first two games. Arguably the best team in the division is the Eagles. They have proven to have an electric offense (which I will be discussing more in depth later) that has the ability to put a lot of points up on the board in a hurry. Their defense, however, is positively abysmal which puts a lot of pressure on the offense to score a lot. Another thing to keep in mind is that if history has shown us anything, it's that it's only a matter of time until Mike Vick gets hurt. Essentially, all other teams in that division have major flaws and the Eagles and Cowboys are tied for first each with a record of 1-1, putting the Skins only a game back of first. Additionally, I'm confident that RGIII is going to get better and better as the season continues, giving them a fairly good chance of making it to the postseason.

2. Which 2-0 is Most Likely to Miss the Playoffs?

(http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2013/08/19/often-passed-over-kansas-city-chiefs-boast-sleeper-potential-this-fantasy-football-season/)

Let me preface this by stating that I'm not saying the Chiefs will not make the playoffs this year, simply that out of all the 2-0 teams I think they are the most likely to miss out. First of all, I have absolutely no doubt that the Broncos are going to win that division, so if the Chiefs make the postseason it will have to be as a wildcard. My primary reason, however, for choosing Kansas City is just because I haven't seen enough from this team to buy in. In their first game they beat the Jaguars...there are no words to accurately describe quite how bad the Jags are this season...but anyway, the point is beating Jacksonville doesn't exactly prove that you're a good team. Then they went on to play and beat the Cowboys, one of the most inconsistent teams in the NFL. It is also important to note that Andy Reid, as the previous coach of the Eagles, knows the Cowboys like the back of his hand, giving them an advantage. While I have no doubt that the Chiefs are greatly improved from last year, I will have to see a bit more before I endorse them as a playoff team.

3. Eagles Prolific Offense

(http://gcobb.com/2013/04/03/desean-jackson-is-excited-about-playing-for-chip-kelly-video/)

One of the biggest questions coming into this season was what would the Eagles offense be like under the direction of new coach Chip Kelly. Well that question has been asked and answered even after just two weeks. The answer is that the Eagles have a prolific offense that quickly marches down the field big chunks at a time. Their offense is a must see for any football fan that appreciates that side of the ball, as one can't help but compare this unit to the 2000 Rams, also known as the Greatest Show on Turf. To put into perspective how high-powered this offense is, take into consideration that they currently have the leading receiver and leading rusher in the league (DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy respectively). It's rare to see one team with leaders in those two categories. To take it a step farther, Jackson is on pace to obliterate the single season record for receiving yards that Calvin Johnson set a year ago by over 400 yards. While the defense certainly needs some work, this offense is simply fun to watch and will give fans a show week in and week out.

4. Trent Richardson Traded to the Colts

(http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2012/12/should_the_cleveland_browns_be.html)

Just yesterday the Cleveland Browns made the most peculiar decision of the season. Despite being competitive in each of their first two games, it appears that they have thrown in the towel for this season as they traded away Trent Richardson, their best player, for a first round pick in next year's draft. So now there is literally no reason to pay attention to the Browns this year as they are essentially and automatic win for anyone who plays them. Now on to the part of this trade that actually has an impact on this season. The colts have been looking for a good running back ever since they got rid of Edgerrin James after the 2005 season. They finally have that in what seems like a match made in heaven between Richardson and Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. Since drafting Luck with the first overall pick last year the Colts offense has been more than serviceable, but has been missing one crucial part to being a consistent offense. That missing part was a consistent running game. With the addition of Richardson, I think we are going to see a much more balanced offense that gives defenses a lot of trouble moving forward. I recognize that Richardson has not exactly been a stellar player, averaging only 3.5 yards per carry during his short career, but in his defense he was on the Browns. He was the only offensive player on that team that defenses were worried about. I think we are going to see a major boost in productivity for him, as well as a boost in efficiency for Luck. Watch out league, the Colts are not to be trifled with.

NFL Week 1 Recap

The NFL season is back which means I'm back as well. With Week 1 of the season in the books I'm going to take a look at a couple of things that stood out to me this weekend. Before we jump right into business I would like to warm everyone up with a joke: ...Mark Sanchez

Now that we have all had a good laugh let's see what we can take away from this week:

1. 2nd Year QBs Lived Up to Last Year's Hype

(http://www.templeofsports.com/nfl/second-year-quarterbacks-fantasy-vs-reality/)

Last year had the best collection of first-year quarterbacks that I've seen in my entire lifetime. For clarification, I'm using the term first-year, rather than rookie, because Colin Kaepernick (above, left) was not a rookie last season, but he did become a starting quarterback for the first time. Andrew Luck (above, left-center), Russell Wilson (above, right-center), and Robert Griffin III (above, right) were all rookies last season and took the NFL by storm. What was so unique about all these young QBs was their ability to run a read-option offense due to their extreme athletic ability. While Luck is more of a traditional QB, he is not lacking in the athleticism department which allows him to make plays with his feet just like we all saw this weekend on his game winning touchdown run. But, I'm getting ahead of myself here. When rookies burst onto the scene the same question always follows: are they going to be able to sustain this success? This is a legitimate question for a couple reasons. First and foremost is the classic "Sophomore Slump". This is the common phrase to describe a player that had a great rookie year but then followed it up with a disappointing season. This is most often due to the fact that opposing teams have much more game tape of the player and can better find weaknesses in their games. However, with these particular quarterbacks there was even more reason to be worried about a decline in production. As I mentioned before Griffin, Wilson, and Kaepernick all run a read-option offense which, in the simplest terms, means that the offense relies heavily on their ability to run with the football. Last season was the first time this offense was heavily used in the NFL which means defensive coordinators did not have much experience trying to stop it. With an entire off-season to come up with a game plan to stop this offense, some people expected these QBs to be much less effective. Those people were dead wrong. This section is already longer than I intended it to be and I'm sure you're tired of reading so much on one topic, so I will wrap this up pretty quickly. Kaepernick, Luck, and Wilson finished 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively in passer rating this week, and more importantly all won their games. While RGIII did not have as pretty a game as the other three, that was to be expected. The man tore his ACL in January and did not get a single snap in a preseason game, so there was bound to be some rust. Watch out football world, these young QBs are here to stay.

2. The Broncos Made the Right Choice

(http://tjsullivan.com/peyton/)

Although there really was not much doubt about this before, Peyton Manning's Week 1 performance simply reaffirmed that Denver made the right call when they decided to bring in Manning a year ago and trade away Tim Tebow. For anyone who doubts this (not that anyone does) let's just take a quick look at what they each did this week. Manning threw for an NFL record tying seven touchdowns, and Tebow is unemployed, praying to Jesus that he could throw like Manning. Just to be clear I really am not trying to be mean to Tebow. Anyone who knows me knows that I firmly believe that he could help a team more than oh, I don't know, Brandon Weeden or Christian Ponder (both threw three interceptions this week). That being said Manning is arguably the best QB in the league right now and Denver has a lot to be excited about this year.

3. Ozzie Newsome Did Not Have Some Secret Master Plan

(http://www.wildgrapesalovestory.com/2013/01/28/in-the-moment-lessons-from-the-ravens/)

This off-season was one full of change for the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens, starting with the retirement of all-time great linebacker Ray Lewis. Lewis was not the only player to leave town, however, as the Ravens got rid of a lot of starters from their Super Bowl team. All summer as this was going on everyone kept claiming that Ozzie Newsome, the general manager, must have some ingenious plan and we just do not see it right now. Well, I am here to say that does not look like the case. Many may say that I am overreacting to their 49-27 loss to the Broncos, but I can assure you I am not. This new look Ravens team just simply does not have the talent to even make a run at a repeat championship. After letting Ed Reed leave to go to the Houston Texans, the secondary of the Ravens looked flat out lost for most of their Week 1 game. I know Peyton Manning is a phenomenal quarterback, but even he had never thrown seven touchdowns in one game before. Additionally, the normally hard hitting Ravens defense could not seem to make a tackle the entire game. On the offensive side of the ball Newsome also made a bold decision to trade Anquan Boldin to the 49ers. Boldin was a humongous part of their Super Bowl run last year and was always Joe Flacco's go-to guy when they absolutely needed a catch. Without that safety net in their offense, they really had trouble moving the chains last Thursday. As if that was not bad enough, Boldin added salt to the wound by tallying a league high 208 receiving yards in his 49ers debut. While it is still quite early, it looks like Newsome's "masterplan" left the Ravens with a lot of weaknesses that they are going to need to fix if they want a chance to defend their title.

4. Reggie Bush is Going to Have a Monster Year

(http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/viewart/20130910/SPORTS/309100016/Lions-Bush-roams-open-spaces)

It may have taken a while, but Reggie Bush has finally started to live up to the hype. He left USC as one of the best college running backs of all time, but could never really get it to work in the NFL. Bush spent his last two seasons with the Miami Dolphins and he proved that he could be a serviceable running back in the league by averaging over 1,000 rushing yards per season and scoring 6 rushing touchdowns each year. However, he is primed to explode because he is now in the perfect system for his skill set. Bush has always been great a catching the football out of the backfield and now that he has a solid running ability he is truly the definition of a dual threat back. Now that he is in Detroit, his skill set will be utilized to his maximum potential because Matthew Stafford loves to dump it off to his running backs when he is unable to work it down the field. Another positive for Bush is that defenses this year are going to be so focused on dealing with wide receiver Calvin Johnson that he should have plenty of openings to break off big plays. In his first game with the Lions, Bush ran for 93 yards to go along with 101 receiving yards and a touchdown. I think we can expect to see huge numbers like this throughout the season, so if you get the chance, make sure to watch a Detroit Lions game because you are sure to witness some amazing plays.

NBA Finals Preview

(http://www.local10.com/sports/spurs-vs-heat-nba-finals-schedule/-/1717082/20378062/-/88i57o/-/index.html)

With the NBA Finals upon us it's time to take a look at the match-up that will determine this year's NBA Champion. This year we will see the San Antonio Spurs, arguably the best team of this century, attempt to win its fifth Championship since 1999. With Tim Duncan contemplating retirement at the age of 37, he hopes to be able to go out on top. In order to achieve this goal, they will have to dethrone The King and his reigning NBA Champion Miami Heat. The Heat struggled to get past the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals in an intense seven game series. The Spurs, on the other hand, swept the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals with relative ease. This is a very tough series to call so even now I'm having trouble deciding who I think is going to win. In order to clear this up I'm going to break down each match-up in order to figure out who has an advantage.

(http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-heat/heat-blog/)

Mario Chalmers vs. Tony Parker: Advantage Spurs

This is a no brainer. Nothing against Chalmers, but Parker is hands down one of the best point guards in the NBA (if not the best). There really isn't much else to say here. As I'm sitting here trying to figure out what else to say on the topic nothing is coming to me. So I'm just going to type another line or two so at a glance it seems like I at least did some analysis. Almost there. Getting closer. Just want to get to the end of this line. Close enough.

Dwyane Wade vs. Danny Green: Advantage Heat

There is no doubt that Wade has been struggling this postseason, primarily due to the bone bruise in his knee that he is suffering through. While Green is a fine player, even a hampered D-Wade has the advantage in this match-up. However, if the Heat want to win this series Wade is going to need to do more than win this match-up. He has to play the way he did in Game 7 against the Pacers where he scored 21 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.

LeBron James vs. Kawhi Leonard: Advantage Heat...duh

This is not meant to be a slight on Leonard. I have the utmost respect for him as a player and believe that he is on the verge of bursting into stardom in the NBA. After a very good regular season he has stepped his game up even more during this postseason, especially in terms of rebounding and efficiency. He has averaged 8 rebounds per game through the first three rounds which will be crucial for him to continue in the Finals as rebounding is the biggest weakness of Miami. He has also been shooting 57% from the field, so when he gets an open shot you can bank on it going in. All that being said, there's a reason James is called The King. He is the best player in the NBA and while Leonard's tenacious defense may make things more difficult for James, he will find a way to dominate in his usual fashion.

Udonis Haslem vs. Tim Duncan: Advantage Spurs

My boy Timmy D is the best power forward of all time. Nuff' said.

Chris Bosh vs. Tiago Splitter: Advantage Heat

Now, I know it probably seems like it would have been better to do an analysis between the match-up of Bosh against Duncan and I was prepared to do that at first. But after thinking about it I realized that these will be the most likely match-ups in an attempt to allow Bosh and Duncan to focus more on the offensive end. While these two will surely be up against each other at some points, I see that being somewhat limited. That being said, Bosh has an obvious advantage. While Splitter is a fine defender, he is not nearly quick enough to deal with Bosh. A lot of people have been very quick to criticize Bosh, and deservedly so, as he had an awful series against the Pacers. Many people expect his struggles to continue in this series, giving the Spurs a big advantage. Personally, I think we are going to see the Bosh of old in this series. Indiana has been his kryptonite all year. In three regular season match-ups he totaled only 10 rebounds against the Pacers, so his lack of rebounding wasn't much of a surprise to me. Also, his scoring troubles stemmed from the fact that his weakness is dealing with bigger and stronger defenders. Roy Hibbert and David West were both able to beat up Bosh and take him out of his comfort zone. No disrespect to Duncan or Splitter, but neither of them has a distinct size advantage which will allow Bosh to do his normal damage on offense as well as on the boards.

Bench Players: Advantage Heat

(http://www.news9.com/story/21845883/spurs-manu-ginobili-out-with-hamstring-injury)

Quite frankly, neither of these benches have been playing particularly well this postseason. That being said I'm giving the edge to the Heat because they have more players that tend to step up albeit not always at the same time. One game Shane Battier may step up, next Ray Allen will be big, then Norris Cole will knock down some corner threes. Then there's Chris "Birdman" Anderson who is always ready to come in and give the team some energy and defense. The Spurs, on the other hand, rely heavily on just one guy off the bench, Manu Ginobili. When he struggles the bench tends to struggle and this postseason has been a pretty rough one for him. He is shooting only 38% from the field and if he can't get that up at least into the low 40s then the starters for the Spurs are going to have to continue to carry most of the load offensively.

Coach: Advantage Spurs

(http://nba.si.com/2013/02/03/nba-all-star-coaches-gregg-popovich-erik-spoelstra-west-east-spurs-heat/)

I believe that Erik Spoelstra gets a tough rap from NBA fans. He has the best player in the NBA on his team so when the team wins he gets very little credit, but when they lose people start calling for him to lose his job. I personally think that he's a very good coach and is underrated in terms of making adjustments not only in between playoff games but even at half time as well. However, I formed my opinion of him before the Big 3 formed in Miami, aka before anyone else started to actually watch the Heat. Despite having an absolutely horrible roster outside of Wade, he led the team to the playoffs both his seasons before the arrival of James and Bosh. All that being said, there isn't a better coach in the NBA than Gregg Popovich. Everyone knows about all the wins and all the championships, but my high opinion of him stems from how great he is at utilizing players to maximize their abilities. I see this series being somewhat of a chess match and if you're the Spurs, there's no one you'd rather have moving the pieces.

Prediction: Miami Heat in Seven

(https://www.facebook.com/SASFans?directed_target_id=0)

This is a very tough choice. Whichever way it goes I see this being a very tight series. I've seen a lot of people picking the Spurs in seven games but I have one issue with that. Frankly, I just don't see the Heat losing a game seven at home with a championship on the line. The Heat simply has another gear that they can access at times that no other team in the NBA can replicate. When they're on, they're ON. With their health in question it will certainly be difficult, but I think that when push comes to shove Miami's big three are going to step up. The Heat are going to spread the Spurs out on defense by hitting the outside shot with more consistency which will open up driving lanes for Wade and James. Quite simply, I think LeBron is going to find a way to will his team to victory. It may be overly simplistic but it's gotten me this far and I'm not going to abandon my preseason pick now. King James will be crowned for the second year in a row as he moves closer to cementing his legacy as an all-time great.

Finals MVP: LeBron James

(http://www.therichest.org/celebnetworth/athletes/nba/lebron-james-net-worth/)

This is pretty obvious. If the Miami Heat win it's going to be on the shoulders of LeBron James. He is the best player in the world and continues to get better and better. As if it wasn't scary enough for Spurs fans to have to face him, add the fact that he is undoubtedly seeking revenge. In James' first finals appearance he was swept by the Spurs at the age of 22. Neither he nor his team were ready for a challenge of that magnitude back in 2007, but that doesn't make the sting any less harsh. Be prepared to see LeBron on a warpath in this series as he exacts revenge on the team that took away his first chance for a championship ring.

Frank Vogel Cost His Team Game 1

(https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151546719793463&set=a.90133653462.85142.8245623462&type=1&theater)

I have considered Frank Vogel to be one of the better coaches in the NBA for what he has done for this Indiana Pacers team. However, he made a serious error at the most crucial time in the first game of the Heat vs. Pacers series. Let's take a step back for a moment and look at the situation as a whole. 

This Miami Heat team has been known to let its guard down in the first game of series, even as recently as the last series against the Bulls. When you are an underdog, stealing game one is crucial to try to pull off the upset. The Pacers had the perfect opportunity to do just that yesterday. With a two point lead and under twenty seconds left in the game, Ray Allen went to the free throw line. Allen is a career 89% free throw shooter and is known as one of the most clutch shooters of all time. He hit only one of two, giving Miami only a three point lead, rather than making it a two possession game.

After Paul George hit a three to send it into overtime, the two teams went back and forth for five minutes. With a two point lead with 2.2 seconds left, Dwyane Wade fouled George while he was shooting a three pointer, leading to three foul shots. He hit all three to give his team the lead. Point being, at two crucial points in the game, the Heat made uncharacteristic mistakes that gave Indiana the perfect chance to steal the game.

This is where Vogel's mistake comes into play. In the last minute he started to take Roy Hibbert out of the game when they were on defense so he could have someone else out there to defend outside shooters. The problem is without Hibbert they have no one to defend the rim. Even when he is not blocking shots, he makes his presence felt and alters most shots down low.

What was the result of this decision? Twice in the last ten seconds LeBron James was able to get to the rim for a layup, including the buzzer beating game winner, which is in the picture at the top of this article. As you can see, there was no one waiting for him at the rim and he was able to get an uncontested layup. Had Hibbert been in the game it would have been a much more difficult shot.

The argument I hear in favor of Vogel's decision is that Hibbert would have trouble going out to the perimeter to defend Bosh, especially on the last play of the game. However, that really would have been worth the risk. With only 2.2 seconds remaining in the game there was very limited time to make a move with the ball and everyone and their mother knew the ball was going to LeBron. So even if LeBron would have seen Hibbert at the rim and decided to pass it to Bosh, he would have had to put up a difficult, rushed jumper. Clearly that would be a much more difficult shot than an uncontested layup. While the series is far from over, Vogel cost his team a great opportunity.