Written by: Joseph Patrick Ezekial Nezezon
So the Sabres just lost game 7 of their first round playoff series to the Flyers of Philadelphia. Coming into the series, people wondered what to make of the Flyers staggering, and the Sabres on fire, heading into the playoffs. Philadelphia finished the regular season by going 3-4-3 in their last 10 games, while the Sabres had the best record of the last 10 games, going 8-1-1. The teams were playing completely opposite types of hockey; the Sabres winning, and the Flyers, well, not as much.
As a Sabres fan, I was excited to play Philly in the first round. Buffalo had beaten Philly in the second to last game of the season 4-3, and also 5-3 the previous time before that. It didn't help that I felt like my favorite team was playing the best hockey of the season, right when they needed to be. They were winning the close games, which is what you see in the playoffs, by having only a +10 goal differential in their last 10 games, but winning 8 of those games. Philly on the other hand, was a -1 goal differential in the last 10 games. Their 3 wins were all by 3 goals each, but when it came to the close games, they were losing them. I liked that my team was winning the close games, and my opponent was losing close games.
On the other hand, there was a reason why Philly had been in a race for the #1 seed in the East. They are a very talented, very deep team, and that's an understatement. They had 9 players with over 40 points in the season, and 4 with over 60, with Claude Giroux leading the way with 76 points. Comparatively, the Sabres had only 6 players with over 40 points, and only one had over 60 points, and that was Thomas Vanek with 73. That was the difference maker, and people had made a point of it prior to the series starting; that the playoffs are a completely new season, and the Flyers are too talented for the Sabres to handle. Game 7 was a microcosm of what SHOULD of happened. The Sabres really didn't have any business being in this series, being outplayed 84% of the time by the Flyers. What kept them in it was the ungodly goal tending of Miller in games 1 and 4, and the terrible goal tending of any Flyer with goalie pads on.
Miller got pulled after giving up 4 goals in game 7, but I don't blame him. Only the first goal do I feel was a lack of concentration from him, not following the puck into his pads. The other goal was a deflection, and then Briere and his rat self putting back a dirty rebound from a scrum of sticks and legs. The fourth goal was just an absolute rocket that could of only been in the exact place that Leino put it. When he got to the bench you could see Ruff go over to Miller and mouth something to the effects of "It's not your fault." And it wasn't. The Sabres managed only two shots in the first period. Two. The Flyers had 15. 15. 15-2. Game 7. That is completely unacceptable. It should have been 5-0 Flyers after one, but Miller kept them in it, and how did they repay his efforts? By playing the worst hockey they've played in two months.
The final score was 5-2, but it wasn't even that close. Enroth made some nice saves in relief of Miller and a gorgeous glove save on a 2-1, but it wasn't enough. Had the Flyers recieved good goal tending earlier in this series like they did in game 7, the only wins Buffalo would have had were the shutouts that Miller provided; and even those would have been 1-0 games.
It was a great run fellas, especially since at one point they were 10 points outside of a playoff spot. Once Terry Pegula bought the team, you could instantly see things change over night. He said that he owned this club in hopes of bringing the city of Buffalo a Stanley Cup, and that he wasn't in it for the financial gain of owning an NHL club. Looking forward, its a nice feeling knowing that my team has an owner that is committed to winning. I'm very curious to see what we are going to do in the off-season, hoping we bring in a leader and goal scorer (preferably the same person) and bring in more offensive talent. This was a great half season for Pegula as owner, as you could feel it in the air, the cool breeze coming off Lake Erie was actually giving the people of Buffalo hope, as opposed to deep set depression. Here's to future runs deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs. The last half of the year was a good run, fun to watch, and unfortunately, it's time to shave this beard.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Assessing the 2011 MLB Season Three Weeks In
Written By: Michael Jordan Miller
I am not going to hide this fact at all, but baseball has been, and probably always will be, my favorite of the major sports in America. I will also not hide the fact that the Boston Red Sox are my favorite team in Major League Baseball. So, following an off season that included picking up an in-division rival's best player (Carl Crawford) and the best hitter in the National League not named Albert Pujols (Adrian Gonzalez) I would be lying if I didn't say I was expecting anything less than a World Series appearance this season.
And here we are three weeks into the (still young) season and I feel like the standings throughout all of MLB are flip-flopped from what most experts had previously predicted before the season. Yes, the Yankees are atop of the American League East, the Rangers atop of the AL West, and the Phillies atop of the NL East. Most could have predicted that happening. But, when you dive deeper into the standings you see that a lot of small market teams have something to root for heading into Summer. The Indians, Reds, and Rockies are all leading their divisions and the Royals, Blue Jays, Rays, Marlins, Nationals, and Brewers all either have winning records or are in second in their division. Then you have teams such as the Pirates, Diamondbacks, Athletics, and Orioles who are all hanging around .500 and far from out of their division races.
You might be asking how three weeks into a season any team can really be considered out of the hunt for a playoff berth? Being from around the Pittsburgh area and having quite a lot of my friends be fans of the lowly Pirates, I have to say that I have seen their reaction to the season after as little as ten games. Something feels different about this year. I don't know if it's a league-wide pandemic, or the fact that every team this year just seems to be average coming out of the gates, but fans of teams in these small markets have a glimmer of hope heading into the upcoming Summer months.
Where does this leave teams such as the Red Sox (5-11), Twins (6-11), White Sox (7-10), Tigers (8-10), Braves (8-10), Cardinals (8-8), Cubs (8-8), and Dodgers (8-10)? All of these teams spend far and away more money than those previously mentioned teams on their players. What is the cause of this lack of standout teams early in the year and no team really showing any promise of running away with the title as "best team"? Currently, no team has a winning streak of more than three games and only eight teams have a winning percentage over .600. Granted, the rust is still probably being worked out and most players probably realize not a lot of people are paying much attention to MLB with the NBA and NHL playoffs both in full-swing and the NFL draft just a week away. Or maybe all of the talk about how terribly bad MLB needs a salary cap in place, like the beloved NFL, is completely overblown.
Something just feels different about this season. It does not seem as likely that these big market teams, such as my beloved Red Sox, are going to be able to flip the proverbial "switch" and catch fire late through the summer like seasons past. If teams like the Indians can keep their pitching in line and the Rockies can keep hitting the way that they do, it is going to extremely hard for the preseason favorites, such as the Red Sox, Twins, Tigers, White Sox, Giants, and Cardinals, to be able to grab their playoff spots when August comes around and into September.
Should MLB be concerned about the fact that these teams are slumping and the smaller market teams are striving right now? Once again, being from around a small market area, in terms of baseball, it is definitely nice to see that even three weeks into the season people are still caring about the Pirates. Something about seeing people care about baseball even in the early part of Spring brings a smile to my face. Bring on the summer. Bring on competitive baseball throughout the rest of the season. And most of all bring on the wish that this story is dead wrong and the Red Sox can lock up their division in September... Here's to hoping.
I am not going to hide this fact at all, but baseball has been, and probably always will be, my favorite of the major sports in America. I will also not hide the fact that the Boston Red Sox are my favorite team in Major League Baseball. So, following an off season that included picking up an in-division rival's best player (Carl Crawford) and the best hitter in the National League not named Albert Pujols (Adrian Gonzalez) I would be lying if I didn't say I was expecting anything less than a World Series appearance this season.
And here we are three weeks into the (still young) season and I feel like the standings throughout all of MLB are flip-flopped from what most experts had previously predicted before the season. Yes, the Yankees are atop of the American League East, the Rangers atop of the AL West, and the Phillies atop of the NL East. Most could have predicted that happening. But, when you dive deeper into the standings you see that a lot of small market teams have something to root for heading into Summer. The Indians, Reds, and Rockies are all leading their divisions and the Royals, Blue Jays, Rays, Marlins, Nationals, and Brewers all either have winning records or are in second in their division. Then you have teams such as the Pirates, Diamondbacks, Athletics, and Orioles who are all hanging around .500 and far from out of their division races.
You might be asking how three weeks into a season any team can really be considered out of the hunt for a playoff berth? Being from around the Pittsburgh area and having quite a lot of my friends be fans of the lowly Pirates, I have to say that I have seen their reaction to the season after as little as ten games. Something feels different about this year. I don't know if it's a league-wide pandemic, or the fact that every team this year just seems to be average coming out of the gates, but fans of teams in these small markets have a glimmer of hope heading into the upcoming Summer months.
Where does this leave teams such as the Red Sox (5-11), Twins (6-11), White Sox (7-10), Tigers (8-10), Braves (8-10), Cardinals (8-8), Cubs (8-8), and Dodgers (8-10)? All of these teams spend far and away more money than those previously mentioned teams on their players. What is the cause of this lack of standout teams early in the year and no team really showing any promise of running away with the title as "best team"? Currently, no team has a winning streak of more than three games and only eight teams have a winning percentage over .600. Granted, the rust is still probably being worked out and most players probably realize not a lot of people are paying much attention to MLB with the NBA and NHL playoffs both in full-swing and the NFL draft just a week away. Or maybe all of the talk about how terribly bad MLB needs a salary cap in place, like the beloved NFL, is completely overblown.
Something just feels different about this season. It does not seem as likely that these big market teams, such as my beloved Red Sox, are going to be able to flip the proverbial "switch" and catch fire late through the summer like seasons past. If teams like the Indians can keep their pitching in line and the Rockies can keep hitting the way that they do, it is going to extremely hard for the preseason favorites, such as the Red Sox, Twins, Tigers, White Sox, Giants, and Cardinals, to be able to grab their playoff spots when August comes around and into September.
Should MLB be concerned about the fact that these teams are slumping and the smaller market teams are striving right now? Once again, being from around a small market area, in terms of baseball, it is definitely nice to see that even three weeks into the season people are still caring about the Pirates. Something about seeing people care about baseball even in the early part of Spring brings a smile to my face. Bring on the summer. Bring on competitive baseball throughout the rest of the season. And most of all bring on the wish that this story is dead wrong and the Red Sox can lock up their division in September... Here's to hoping.
The NFL Schedule Came out Last Night...
Written by Seth Edwin Thompson
The NFL (‘Nuff Fuggin Lockout), all said in my best Jersey accent, released its “tentative” schedule for the 2011-12 season last evening. Of course the schedule being tentative based upon the lockout being settled in a timely manner and not going so late that the season has to be shortened or possibly not played at all.
I’m going to take a look at the NFL schedule and give you my “tentative” games of the week. Of course these being tentative on injuries, how teams are playing, who Roger Godell decides to suspend, and whose teams quarterback falls to a sexual assault charge. Mark Sanchez, the ball is in your court.
WEEK 1
While the NFL is pulling out all its stops for a great first week of the season, the best game of this week comes as the very first game of the 2011 season, as it puts the last two Super Bowl champions head to head, as the New Orleans Saints visit Lambeau Field and the Green Bay Packers.
What should be a great defensive game, the more important match up in this game will be the marquee QB match up of Drew Brees vs. Aaron Rogers.
WEEK 2
Call it the Mike Vick Bowl, Philadelphia (Vick’s current team) heads into the Georgia Dome to face the Falcons (Vick’s previous employer). I’m sure for the first time in Atlanta history there will be more PETA rallies than strip clubs open on a Sunday night.
WEEK 3
The Monday night game seems like a joke, especially if McNabb is gone from Washington, so as much as I didn’t want to pick my favorite teams game for too many of these, the SNF game of Pittsburgh/Indy in the Oil Drum looks to be the best game. Two Super Bowl winning quarterbacks, two good defenses, two of the most respected organizations in the league; should be a real humdinger.
WEEK 4
No surprise here, the matchup of two of the loudest mouth linebackers in the game today Bart Scott vs. Ray Lewis; I meant to say, Jets vs. Ravens. I wouldn’t be surprised if those two get tossed in pre game warm ups, but to see these two defenses in prime time on week 4, I’ll take the under of 13.5.
WEEK 5
An AFC Divisional round rematch, the Jets go into Foxboro to take on the Brady Bunch. 4:15 game, mark it on your calendar Jim Nantz and Phil Simms breaking down for three and a half hours how great of coaches Bill Belichick and Rex Ryan are. I’m rooting for terrorists.
WEEK 6
Two weeks in a row I pick a Patriots game? Excuse me as I go puke my guts out. It’s the 90’s America’s team against to 2000’s America’s team. Jerry Jones vs. Robert Kraft. Troy Aikman Tony Romo vs. Tom Brady. Should be a great game, if Dallas remembers what it’s like to play in big games again.
WEEK 7
I’m going to take a dark horse game here, but I feel that the best game of this week will be whenever San Diego heads into East Rutherford to take on the J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets. LT’s old team vs. his new happy home, and let’s not forget that it’s a West coast team heading across the country to play a 1 pm game. Oh my goodness San Diego fans, football and bloody mary’s before noon on a Sunday, yes please!
WEEK 8
The day before Halloween and what could be scarier for Tom Brady than having to face the Steel Curtain? Well after last year’s Heinz Field whooping, it may end up being scarier for the Steelers lack-there-of defensive backs. No respect to HOFer Dick LeBeau, but please put pride aside this year and realize that Brady doesn’t throw anything other than slants anymore.
WEEK 9
We’ve made it to the second half of the season. Time some teams to start to grind to the playoffs to start, and for some teams to start making trips to Stanford to check out Andrew Luck. As badly as I want to pick Ravens/Steelers, I’m going to pick the game that features two of the most electric players in the game today, Devin Hester and DeSean Jackson. Bears/Eagles on Monday night may seem like a reach, but if the NFL’s actually thinking for once, these could be the two front runners in their respect divisions by this point in the season. That is if Jay Cutler hasn’t gone down with a phantom knee injury by now.
WEEK 10
In my attempt to not take repeat divisional match ups, this week’s best game goes to the Saints heading to Atlanta. By this point in the season this game could make the stretch run for the NFC South very interesting. But of course, if history repeats it’s self for what would seem to be the 20th year in a row, the Panthers should have the South all but locked up at this point in the season.
WEEK 11
Matt Cassell takes the Kansas City Chiefs into Foxboro for what should be an interesting matchup against the Patriots. Don’t sleep on the Chiefs, what they did last year could very easily be seen after this season as not a fluke. I also love the fact that this game should be a very offensive show, but then again, you never know which Patriots defense will show up.
WEEK 12
The best day of the year (Thanksgiving) and once again the NFL can’t put a game on that people outside of those viewing areas will give a damn about. But not to fear, save some turkey and mashed potatoes, and get ready for some real fun on Sunday night as the Steelers hit the road to Kansas City. Yes this is the second week in a row I’ve picked the Chiefs, yes I still think they have a legitimate chance to repeat as AFC West champs, and yes; Jamaal Charles is the scariest running back in the league not named Chris Johnson or Adrian Peterson.
WEEK 13
Here we are, week 13, and it’s time for the heavyweight title bout that everyone seems to get all warm and gooey over, Indy at New England. With age starting to become a factor, could this be the last year that the Manning/Brady duel is regarded so highly? Will Peyton play another three quarter disappearing act before almost bringing the Colts back to a miracle win? Or is this finally the time where everyone can sit back and recognize that Brady is the better of the two?
WEEK 14
In a week of relative mediocrity, a certain 1 o’clock game sticks out like a gem. The Colts in their second straight tough road game as they head to Baltimore. Defense, defense, defense should be the slogan of this game, but at the same time you have to remember that both these teams still have potent offenses and can light up a scoreboard. And maybe more importantly, how worn down will the Colts be after last week’s game in New England?
WEEK 15
On a week where we get four days of NFL games, the most intriguing match up to me is the Jets flying (pun intended) into Philly. What could be huge games for both these teams divisional chances, I feel as though this would have been a more favorable Monday night match up than the Steelers/49ers. Of course people may like to see a NFC West leading 49ers at 6-7 taking on the Steelers.
WEEK 16
The penultimate week of the season; by the way, penultimate may be my favorite “hey look at me I can use a big fancy word that means relatively nothing” word. The best game of this week comes to us on Christmas night, as the Bears head into Green Bay. It will be cold, these teams will hate each other, and I’m calling it right now, a divisional title and a first round bye will be on the table. Mark. It. Down.
Side note, how sweet will it be to be able to possibly lock up your fantasy league’s championship on Christmas day? Talk about the best gift of all time!
WEEK 17
New Year’s Day, no Sunday night or Monday night games, playoffs up in the air, teams seasons hanging on a balance, and most people will be watching College football hung over all day. Come on NFL, move the games up to Saturday, don’t have too much pride in your product to realize that people would much rather watch college games than the NFL, especially on New Year’s Day.
Since every game this week is a divisional match up, and I’m sure that all most every game will have some kind of playoff implication on the line, I’m going to make my smartest pick of this entire article.
Crack a cold one at about 11 AM to cure that headache, eat lots of pork and sauerkraut, and just keep your eyes on the ticker at the bottom of ESPN/ABC as you enjoy the bowl games.
With this all said and done, this “tentative” schedule sure has me excited to possibly watch some football again as there are what seems to be some great games scheduled for this year.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Bucco Blog (Volume 1)
Written by Seth Edwin Thompson
Week two of the 2011 MLB season has come to a close, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are under .500. Yes they’re only one game under .500 (7-8), and they have a chance to even up their record and win the series today in the finale of a four game series with the Cincinnati Reds.
This was a very short week for the Pirates, with an off day on Monday, and then the first game of the Brewers series rained out on Tuesday; the Pirates had a very mediocre week by going 2-4. But not to worry! We can never beat the Brewers anymore, and we have a chance to possibly take a series off the defending NL Central champion Reds; I like the competitive nature this team is displaying.
Through the first fifteen games of the season you would be very hard pressed to find an offensive stat that the Pirates aren’t doing at least somewhat decent in. Four of the six players with a homerun so far this season respectively have 3 a piece. And five of eleven players who have played in at least 10 games are hitting over .250, with two of the remaining six under the dreaded Mendoza line.
Maybe the biggest offensive disappointment thus far has to be Pedro Alvarez. Alvarez is hitting a meek .193 with no homers and only 4 RBI. I know that everyone in the world expects him to be the next great power hitting third-baseman, but I can accept the fact that he is a historically slow starter. I don’t see Pedro being in this slump for too much longer, and I can just hope and pray that he doesn’t develop a habit of being as slow of a starter as former Pirate first baseman Adam Laroche.
As we turn over to the pitching staff, I’m very pleasantly surprised by Charlie Morton’s 2011 campaign so far. 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA in 22 IP over 3 starts, 1 CG, Morton has himself as the frontrunner to be the ace of this staff, something that Hurdle truly didn’t have coming into spring training or even opening day.
I’m also very happy to see that we have three starters with ERA’s fewer than 2.75. The other two joining Morton are Kevin Correia (2.70) and Paul Maholm (2.33). But on a lesser note, the other two of the starting rotation are both having serious troubles right now, as James McDonald (0-1, 7.47 ERA) and Ross Ohlendorf (0-0, 7.27). While it’s no surprise after his horrific ’10 campaign, but McDonald’s half season in Pittsburgh last year after being traded over from the Dodgers showed a lot more promise than what he has shown thus far in 2011.
From the bullpen I’ve been very pleased with Joel Hanrahan’s role as closer; going 5 for 5 in save opportunities, including a 5 out save yesterday (4/17) against the Reds. Hanrahan is a very Heath Bell-esque closer with just two pitches and being a very hard thrower. While some people hate seeing closers like that, to me a closing pitcher isn’t about style and technique, but rather the mentality to come in with a game on the line and be able to shut it down.
Our 2010 All-Star, Evan Meek has struggled so far this year. With an ERA of 7.20, in 5 IP; Meek has 1 blown save, 4 ER, and has walked 4 batters to his 6 K’s so far. And after seeing him put the game in jeopardy yesterday, it is very evident that Clint Hurdle has a very short leash on Meek right now. I think that when Meek’s at his best and Hanrahan the way he’s throwing right now, we should never lose a game that we’re winning going into the 8th inning.
Stud of the Year (To this date)
Jose Tabata- Tabata has done nothing short of everything in his power to keep this team hanging around .500 so far. Hitting .310 with 3 HR’s and 3 2b’s, Tabata’s becoming a very good number 2/ leadoff hitter for the Bucs. His 8 stolen bases tie him for most among big leaguers, and his .420 OBP is exactly what we need in the top part of the order. For a team to have a 1 or 2 hitter that’s getting on base in almost half of his AB’s with Tabata’s speed on the base path, those are the kind of guys you need to have a successful season.
Not-so-Stud of the Year (To this date)
Ronny Cedeno- Cedeno has not done much at the dish or in the field so far this season. His saving grace of the season may have come yesterday in the 8th inning when he snagged a line drive and was able to complete the double play at second base to get Joel Hanrahan out of a jam. His mere .167 avg along with 9 SO’s make him easily our weakest spot in the line-up. He also has 3 errors and a .961 fielding percentage which are not exactly the type of fielding numbers you want from your everyday short stop.
A Look into the Crystal Ball
After finishing up the four game series with the Reds today (4/18), they will head off to a 3 game set at Joe Robbie Stadium, Pro-Player Stadium, Dolphin Stadium, Sun Life Stadium against the Florida Marlins. The Marlins enter the series with an 8-6 record, and have no common opponents as the Pirates so far this season.
Then on G.O.O.D. Friday, the Pirates return to the friendly confines of PNC Park to take on the Washington Natinals Nationals for a 3 game series. The Nationals are 8-7 currently, and are 2-0 against the Brew Crew (Pirates 0-2).
My Prediction for the Next Week
I’m looking for Pedro Alvarez to start to get out of his slump this week as the 3 game set against the Marlins in a warmer climate will help him get back into the swing of things. I also look for the pitching staff to keep up the good work, and for Clint Hurdle’s crew to go 4-3 this week putting them at .500 after Easter. And for me, that would be like finding a 20 pound Reese’s peanut butter egg in my basket Easter morning, super sweet!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
24 Reasons To Watch the NBA Playoffs
By Joseph Patrick Ezekiel Nezezon
So college basketball is over, congrats UCONN (and Aggie Women). The
Masters was won by Charl WHO? The baseball season is in full swing, pun intended, and
my beloved Buffalo Sabres are up 1-0 in their first round series in their quest for the cup.
What else is going on in the world of sports? The NBA playoffs begin Saturday
afternoon and there is no clear cut dominate team this year that over shadowed everyone
else. Since I love random, arbitrary numbers, lets take a look at 24 different who, what,
where, why’s and how’s, to figure out whose going to come home with ship this June.
24. The Black Mamba: Kobe Bryant is seeking his 6th ring, which will tie him
with the GOAT, and arguably send him leaping into the top 8 players of all time. He
knows what it takes to win, and he is the game’s fiercest competitor, but will his team
stay healthy (mainly Bynum) enough to get him to where he needs to be to capture his 6th
title?
23. We here at FAPTH just witnessed the greatest NBA regular season since
we’ve been fans of the game. Will the post season surpass and launch us into arguably
the greatest season in NBA history?
22. Veteran teams like the Lakers, Celtics, and Spurs, have all won
championships with their current core guys. Can their older bodies take the beating and
hold up over the NBA post season to win 16 games?
21. Can teams carried by young guns such as the Bulls and the Thunder, who are
loaded with talent, maintain their composure come crunch time and rise up to the
adversity of being places they haven’t been to yet? Such as a conference championship or
the NBA finals?
20. Melo. Actaully. Fuck him. They are losing in the first round.
19. Amare. See #20
18. The Magic-Hawks series is a repeat of a 2nd round matchup from last year’s
playoffs in which the Magic swept the Hawks in 4 games, and out-scored them by over
25 points a game. Hopefully the Hawks with their well overpaid “superstar” can bring
something more to the table this year. But I doubt it.
17. Kendrick Perkins. Traded away from Boston to OKC mid-season, and the
Celtics have lost a certain tough edge about them. Will the Celtics be able to toughen up
down the stretch? And will Perk possibly provide the size and toughness that OKC will
need if they end up against the Lakers?
16. George Karl. The man is a miracle worker. Will he be able to keep the troops
rolling as they face the young guns of OKC?
15. The Miami Heat. Started 9-8, went on a tear, had a losing streak, ended up
with the 2 seed. They seem to be playing more physical and their big goons are actaully
playing like Goons (Big Z). Are they going to be able to mature and come together even
more, to get their goal of an NBA championship?
14. Dwight Howard. The man could carry Domepiece to a 6 seed in the East for
crying out loud. Will he keep his cool with those silly techs, and play in enough games
to carry his team to 16 wins.
13. Dirk Nowitzki. He is an all time great, and possibly the greatest foreign born
NBA player….EVER. Without him, the Mav’s are nothing. I hear speculation that he
needs to win a championship to verify his status in the history of the league. Funny. Karl
Malone never won but he’s still the 3rd or 4th best PF to ever play.
12. The Sabres WILL WIN the Stanley Cup. Oops, wrong sport, sorry folks.
11. In the East, the first round will be all chalk.
10. In the West, all chalk, but I fear that the Nuggets will take the Thunder to 7
games. Only first round series to do so.
9. I lied. the Portland-Dallas Series will Go 7. I don’t know who will win tho.
8. And I don’t need to tell you, cuz either team is going to lose to the Lakers in
the 2nd round.
7. Orlando will surprise CHI with a game one win, but end up losing to the Bulls
in 6.
6. The Heat and the Celtics will have one of the greatest first-two-rounds playoff
series. However, I feel the Heat will win in 7, and Lebron will average a triple double for
the series.
5. East Finals. Heat-Chicago will be one of the most entertaining, highlight reel-
containing, series we’ve seen in a long time. The Heat’s best player is better than the
Bulls’ best player. The 2nd and 3rd best players on the Heat are much better than the 2nd
and 3rd best players on the Bulls. However, the Bulls’ 4-12 are a lot better than the Heat’s
4-`12. With that being said, Rose will average over 28 a game, Lebron a 29-10-8 series,
and D-wade will average over 30 a game, and get them to the NBA finals.
4. West Finals. Tim Duncan. The Big Fundamental. Kobe Bryant. The Black
Mamba. This is going to be a tough, physical series that will come down to the 7th game.
And because the Spurs play sooooooo well at home. I give them the edge, for that reason
only. If it was going to be held on a neutral site, and they were to play 100 games, the
series would be 50-50. Spurs in 7.
3. NBA Finals. Heat-Spurs. Scout, draft, deep, re-sign, old school vs. young, “The
Decision”, “The Pact”, top heavy. Two completely different franchises, teams, type of
players. Kind water vs. fire. The Heat will try to run on the spurs, and wear their old
frames down, and it will work here and there. However, the great mind of Gregg
Popovich will coach circles around Eric Spoelstra. On the other hand. The Heat have the
two best, possibly the 3rd best if Chris Bosh doesn’t get eaten alive by the shell of Tim
Duncan, and either Lebron or D-Wade can take any Spur one on one. It’s going to go 7.
2. However, the Spurs have the much better coach in Gregg Popovich, and the
historically greater player in Tim Duncan. No game is going to be decided by more than
8 points. When it’s crunch time, the Spurs will perform better, and Popovich will make
the right changes in the game plan and make the right calls and the end of the game to
win the close ones. Like in Game 7, when the Spurs win by 6 points.
1. Manu Ginobli will win the NBA Finals MVP, and this is the first time I have
mentioned his name. Pretty deserving that he gets the number one spot then huh?
So college basketball is over, congrats UCONN (and Aggie Women). The
Masters was won by Charl WHO? The baseball season is in full swing, pun intended, and
my beloved Buffalo Sabres are up 1-0 in their first round series in their quest for the cup.
What else is going on in the world of sports? The NBA playoffs begin Saturday
afternoon and there is no clear cut dominate team this year that over shadowed everyone
else. Since I love random, arbitrary numbers, lets take a look at 24 different who, what,
where, why’s and how’s, to figure out whose going to come home with ship this June.
24. The Black Mamba: Kobe Bryant is seeking his 6th ring, which will tie him
with the GOAT, and arguably send him leaping into the top 8 players of all time. He
knows what it takes to win, and he is the game’s fiercest competitor, but will his team
stay healthy (mainly Bynum) enough to get him to where he needs to be to capture his 6th
title?
23. We here at FAPTH just witnessed the greatest NBA regular season since
we’ve been fans of the game. Will the post season surpass and launch us into arguably
the greatest season in NBA history?
22. Veteran teams like the Lakers, Celtics, and Spurs, have all won
championships with their current core guys. Can their older bodies take the beating and
hold up over the NBA post season to win 16 games?
21. Can teams carried by young guns such as the Bulls and the Thunder, who are
loaded with talent, maintain their composure come crunch time and rise up to the
adversity of being places they haven’t been to yet? Such as a conference championship or
the NBA finals?
20. Melo. Actaully. Fuck him. They are losing in the first round.
19. Amare. See #20
18. The Magic-Hawks series is a repeat of a 2nd round matchup from last year’s
playoffs in which the Magic swept the Hawks in 4 games, and out-scored them by over
25 points a game. Hopefully the Hawks with their well overpaid “superstar” can bring
something more to the table this year. But I doubt it.
17. Kendrick Perkins. Traded away from Boston to OKC mid-season, and the
Celtics have lost a certain tough edge about them. Will the Celtics be able to toughen up
down the stretch? And will Perk possibly provide the size and toughness that OKC will
need if they end up against the Lakers?
16. George Karl. The man is a miracle worker. Will he be able to keep the troops
rolling as they face the young guns of OKC?
15. The Miami Heat. Started 9-8, went on a tear, had a losing streak, ended up
with the 2 seed. They seem to be playing more physical and their big goons are actaully
playing like Goons (Big Z). Are they going to be able to mature and come together even
more, to get their goal of an NBA championship?
14. Dwight Howard. The man could carry Domepiece to a 6 seed in the East for
crying out loud. Will he keep his cool with those silly techs, and play in enough games
to carry his team to 16 wins.
13. Dirk Nowitzki. He is an all time great, and possibly the greatest foreign born
NBA player….EVER. Without him, the Mav’s are nothing. I hear speculation that he
needs to win a championship to verify his status in the history of the league. Funny. Karl
Malone never won but he’s still the 3rd or 4th best PF to ever play.
12. The Sabres WILL WIN the Stanley Cup. Oops, wrong sport, sorry folks.
11. In the East, the first round will be all chalk.
10. In the West, all chalk, but I fear that the Nuggets will take the Thunder to 7
games. Only first round series to do so.
9. I lied. the Portland-Dallas Series will Go 7. I don’t know who will win tho.
8. And I don’t need to tell you, cuz either team is going to lose to the Lakers in
the 2nd round.
7. Orlando will surprise CHI with a game one win, but end up losing to the Bulls
in 6.
6. The Heat and the Celtics will have one of the greatest first-two-rounds playoff
series. However, I feel the Heat will win in 7, and Lebron will average a triple double for
the series.
5. East Finals. Heat-Chicago will be one of the most entertaining, highlight reel-
containing, series we’ve seen in a long time. The Heat’s best player is better than the
Bulls’ best player. The 2nd and 3rd best players on the Heat are much better than the 2nd
and 3rd best players on the Bulls. However, the Bulls’ 4-12 are a lot better than the Heat’s
4-`12. With that being said, Rose will average over 28 a game, Lebron a 29-10-8 series,
and D-wade will average over 30 a game, and get them to the NBA finals.
4. West Finals. Tim Duncan. The Big Fundamental. Kobe Bryant. The Black
Mamba. This is going to be a tough, physical series that will come down to the 7th game.
And because the Spurs play sooooooo well at home. I give them the edge, for that reason
only. If it was going to be held on a neutral site, and they were to play 100 games, the
series would be 50-50. Spurs in 7.
3. NBA Finals. Heat-Spurs. Scout, draft, deep, re-sign, old school vs. young, “The
Decision”, “The Pact”, top heavy. Two completely different franchises, teams, type of
players. Kind water vs. fire. The Heat will try to run on the spurs, and wear their old
frames down, and it will work here and there. However, the great mind of Gregg
Popovich will coach circles around Eric Spoelstra. On the other hand. The Heat have the
two best, possibly the 3rd best if Chris Bosh doesn’t get eaten alive by the shell of Tim
Duncan, and either Lebron or D-Wade can take any Spur one on one. It’s going to go 7.
2. However, the Spurs have the much better coach in Gregg Popovich, and the
historically greater player in Tim Duncan. No game is going to be decided by more than
8 points. When it’s crunch time, the Spurs will perform better, and Popovich will make
the right changes in the game plan and make the right calls and the end of the game to
win the close ones. Like in Game 7, when the Spurs win by 6 points.
1. Manu Ginobli will win the NBA Finals MVP, and this is the first time I have
mentioned his name. Pretty deserving that he gets the number one spot then huh?
Friday, April 15, 2011
I Love This Game
By Andrew John Walczak
Anyone that knows me can tell you this, but for those reading who may not know; the game of basketball will forever and always be my one true love. I basically eat, sleep, and breathe every form of hoops from October to June every year. While normally I tend to skew my interest toward college basketball, there has been something about the NBA that has grabbed not only mine, but what seems like everybody’s interest this season. Sure, I’ve always watched the NBA playoffs, but I can’t remember ever being as excited about a regular season as I was this year. My personal favorite moment of the regular season you ask? It’s a toss up between Kobe calling a referee a “fucking faggot” and Kevin Garnett saying Charlie Villanueva looked like a cancer patient. I really can’t decide. But anyway, that brings me to the playoffs. PLAYOFFS?!?! You kiddin’ me? PLAYOFFS?! (Sorry guys I had to.)
My first round picks:
EAST WEST
Chicago over Indiana in 4 games San Antonio over Memphis in 6 games
Miami over Philadelphia in 5 games L.A. Lakers over New Orleans in 4 games
Boston over New York in 6 games Dallas over Portland in 7 games
Orlando over Atlanta in 6 games Oklahoma City over Denver in 6 games
I’m not gonna get too deep into analyzing the first round. No surprises here. If anyone really thinks the Knicks are gonna beat the Celtics in a 7 game series then they are out of their got damn mind. They might steal a win or two with some hot shooting, but they do not play enough consistent defense to beat the Celtics four times.
Onto round 2!
This is where things will start to get interesting. Lets start in the East. Everyone knows the C’s aren’t getting any younger, and Danny Ainge may have made the biggest team killing trade of all time. I really believe that those five guys for Boston (Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Garnett & Perkins) thought they were unbeatable together in a series. They were a family out there on the court. That chemistry has clearly been affected by trading Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson, who played so well in relief of Rondo in last year’s finals run. With the way LeBron, Wade, and Bosh dismantled the Celtics by 25 points just last week, I cant help but roll with “The Heatles” in this series. Pick: Heat over Celtics in 6 games.
Now here is where you are all going to think I’m crazy. Everyone and their brother is officially on the Chi-town bandwagon, but I’m just not buying the Bulls this year. Derrick Rose certainly made the leap into elite stardom this year, but I’m not convinced that the Bulls have enough to get it done. Dwight Howard has very quietly had an MVP type season for Orlando. I like the veteran experience this team has with Howard, Nelson, Richardson, etc. Correct me if I’m wrong, but hasn’t the recent trend been the more experienced teams making the deep run? A hard fought series to the end, but Dwight Howard dominates it in the post.
Pick: Magic over Bulls in 7 games.
This brings me to an Eastern Finals of Orlando vs. Miami, or as I like to call it, the battle for the Joe Nezezon trophy. While Howard poses a huge mismatch for the Heat, so do a couple guys by the name of James and Wade for the Magic. The Big 3 put all of the doubters and critics to rest, getting to the finals in their first season together.
Pick: Heat over Magic in 6 games.
Back to the West.
Let me make one thing perfectly clear. I. Hate. The. Lakers. Probably more than any other team in sports. But dammit, they get the job done, which is exactly what they will do against Dallas. Believe it or not, Kobe and Dirk have never faced each other in the postseason, and this series just does not bode well for the Mavericks, on paper, or on the hard wood. It’s really not close from the beginning.
Pick: Lakers over Mavericks in 5 games.
On to the next, on-on to the next one. I feel as though Oklahoma City is ready to make the next step and a really good young team, and essentially bring Tim Duncan’s career as we know it, to an end. Sorry Timmy, but the torch is going to be passed whether you like it or not, and there is something I really love about this Thunder team. I feel like they may be on their way to being the next powerhouse in the West. Pick: Thunder over Spurs in 7 games.
I will be praying that my picks pan out so 1. I don’t look like a total dumbass for posting this online, and 2. I really want to see this Lakers v. Thunder series more than any other. Durant vs. Kobe. Does an aging Kobe still have the ability to be the man in May/June? Or is Durant ready to become king out west? I can’t wait to find out. As much as it pains me to say this, Pick: Lakers over Thunder in 7 games. Just because Kobe has done nothing but crush my soul for the last 15 seasons.
FINALLY! Here we are, The Finals. Talk about a serious money maker for the NBA. Lakers vs. Heat. Kobe vs. LeBron. Ko-be LeBron. Ko-be LeBron. (Jeezy voice) Yeah. I would love nothing more than to see LeBron get his ring, and then do the D-X suck it sign at center court in the Staples Center. However, the Lakers are just too big, too experience, too good of a team to lose at this point. That’s why they have won back to back titles with this team. Ron Artest does everything he can to throw this series away, but the Lakers bring home the 3peat in 7 games over the Heat.
Finals MVP: Kobe Bryant. Like if the Lakers win again he really won’t get it? Come on.
NBA Playoff Preview 2011
Written By: Seth Edwin Thompson
Here we are, the time of the year that people actually start to care about the NBA again. It’s not that people don’t care about the NBA all season, it’s just that in what can be viewed as 2,460 games of mediocrity, now is the time where people actually care and players play like they care about it again. The defenses tighten up, the players play harder, and my favorite part; teams will actually try to stick to a strategy to win a series.
Here we are, the time of the year that people actually start to care about the NBA again. It’s not that people don’t care about the NBA all season, it’s just that in what can be viewed as 2,460 games of mediocrity, now is the time where people actually care and players play like they care about it again. The defenses tighten up, the players play harder, and my favorite part; teams will actually try to stick to a strategy to win a series.
I’ll start in the East where I see the very strong chance of a (1) Chicago vs. (2) Miami matchup in the Eastern Conference Finals. Some people may question the ability of the Bulls to make a deep playoff run as they are inexperienced, but I feel that the combination of (soon-to-be-named-MVP) Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Carlos Boozer are the best combination of three players in the East. Yes, I said it. Yes, I mean that. The three of them work a lot better together than the Miami big 3, and have a lot better chance to go farther than Boston’s “fossil 3.” Could Miami’s big 3 show up and finally play together well enough to completely take over the playoffs and make this article look completely stupid? Yes. But if after 82 games they’re still not playing well enough together to take down the East’s 1st spot, I feel as though this is just not their year.
My biggest question mark in the East goes to the Boston Celtics. My first question about them is if they’ll even make it out of the first round. The reason I even pose this question is the fact that I feel that Amar’e will have to work against KG down low, but whenever KG is out of the game, I see the miss match of Amar’e vs. Kendrick Perkins Glen Davis being a crucial point in the series. My other main question about the C’s is pertaining to Shaq. While using Shaq as the main center in Boston may have seemed like a great idea when the Perkins deal went down, you now have to look at the fact that over the last 35 games of the season, Shaq has seen 5 minutes and 29 seconds of game time action. Not exactly the type of game ready conditioning I want my big man seeing down the stretch run.
As we flip coasts and head to the Western Conference, I see the West being very wide open this year. While the two-time defending NBA champion LA Lakers come in as the two seed, I see Kobe and Phil’s quest for their second three-peat in serious trouble. While they may not get much of a challenge in the first round against the David West-less New Orleans Hornets, round two more than likely against the Mavericks may be the end of the road for the boys of Tinsel town. My pick for the WCF comes down to Oklahoma City and Dallas.
For the NBA Finals this year I see it being a very young matchup and a set of teams that may very well go on and be competing with each other for a while now, the Chicago Bulls and the Oklahoma City Thunder. I feel that Derrick Rose vs. Russell Westbrook at the point guard position will be an epic battle that could later go on to bring back the nostalgia of the Isaiah Thomas vs. Magic Johnson.
NBA Finals Champion:
For the first time without Michael Jeffrey Jordan in the lineup, I see the Chicago Bulls “cutting down the nets” at the end of the postseason. While it would be a great series with the Thunder, I see the Bulls locking up the title in 6 games.
For the first time without Michael Jeffrey Jordan in the lineup, I see the Chicago Bulls “cutting down the nets” at the end of the postseason. While it would be a great series with the Thunder, I see the Bulls locking up the title in 6 games.
NBA Finals MVP:
Derrick Rose- This isn’t a hard choice really, but if the Bulls do go as far as I say they will, it’s going to be because of one man and one man only, Derrick Rose. Between his scoring, passing, and defensive abilities, Rose is very much becoming the best PG in the league, (sorry Rondo fans), but Rose has something that Rondo hasn’t been able to prove he has yet, a jump shot. You can’t tell me the best PG in the league can be guarded from the free throw line because he is absolutely no threat to shoot from downtown. With Rose’s handle and ability to get to the rim, you must guard him from half court and stay up on him; Rondo just doesn’t have that scoring prowess yet.
Derrick Rose- This isn’t a hard choice really, but if the Bulls do go as far as I say they will, it’s going to be because of one man and one man only, Derrick Rose. Between his scoring, passing, and defensive abilities, Rose is very much becoming the best PG in the league, (sorry Rondo fans), but Rose has something that Rondo hasn’t been able to prove he has yet, a jump shot. You can’t tell me the best PG in the league can be guarded from the free throw line because he is absolutely no threat to shoot from downtown. With Rose’s handle and ability to get to the rim, you must guard him from half court and stay up on him; Rondo just doesn’t have that scoring prowess yet.
Biggest Disappointment:
The Boston Celtics are going to be the disappointment in this year’s playoffs. The East 3 seed will struggle with the Knicks and will fall to the Knickerbockers in 6.
The Boston Celtics are going to be the disappointment in this year’s playoffs. The East 3 seed will struggle with the Knicks and will fall to the Knickerbockers in 6.
Most likely to shake things up:
The Los Angeles Lakers get this distinction, while I don’t have them picked to get out of the West Semi-Finals, with Kobe’s will power and their strong supporting cast, they have the best chance to take a run at the Western title outside of the Mavericks and Thunder.
The Los Angeles Lakers get this distinction, while I don’t have them picked to get out of the West Semi-Finals, with Kobe’s will power and their strong supporting cast, they have the best chance to take a run at the Western title outside of the Mavericks and Thunder.
I hope to see this year’s NBA playoffs live up to all the hype that has surrounded them in past years, and I truly feel that they won’t. With so many star studded line ups and superstars in this years playoffs, it really is a wide open race to the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
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