NBA Playoffs Preview

With another league’s playoffs starting today, you, the lucky readers, get to read another glorious playoff preview.

The East

Chicago vs. Miami: This series should be the one to watch in the East. The Bulls have a strong team with a good all-around line up but the Heat are the defending champs and have the dominating Shaq and D-Wade leading their charge. It’s extremely hard to contain them both but having Ben Wallace in the middle really helps.
Pick: Miami in 6.

Toronto vs. New Jersey: Vince Carter’s return to Toronto for this series will be written and talked about ad nauseam so I won’t get into it here. This series will come down to how the teams perform on the road as the Raps and Nets split the season series where the home team won every game.
Pick: Toronto in 6.

Cleveland vs. Washington: No Gilbert Arenas, no Caron Butler, no problem; for the Cavaliers that is. The Wizards injuries couldn’t have come at worse time. This should be a walkthrough for LeBron and company and Washington probably won’t even be able to steal a win.
Pick: Cleveland in 4

Detroit vs. Orlando: The Pistons shouldn’t have any problems rolling through this Magic team. Dwight Howard will play great as he can but it’s hard to not see the Pistons taking him out of the equation.
Pick: Detroit in 4.

The West

Phoenix vs. L.A. Lakers: As much as I love Kobe Bryant because he’s the best player in the league, the rest of his Lakers aren’t much to talk about. Shawn Marion’s Suns shouldn’t have a problem like they did last year in this match up. Kobe can steal a game, maybe two, but not an entire series.
Pick: Phoenix in 5.

Dallas vs. Golden State: Talk to anyone and they’ll tell you’re the hip pick in this series is the Warriors toppling the number one seed Mavericks. Just because the Warriors have won five straight against the Mavs in the regular season doesn’t mean much to, at least, me in the postseason.
Pick: Dallas in 5.

San Antonio vs. Denver: The defensive-minded Spurs will have their hands full trying to guard both Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson. Throw defensive player of the year candidate Marcus Camby into the mix and the Nuggets could upset the Spurs; probably not though.
Pick: San Antonio in 7.

Utah vs. Houston: The Jazz had a season that no one expected them to and did it with their star Andrei Kirilenko having a very below average go at it. Players like Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur played incredibly but it will be hard for them to tackle this Rockets team. The only way I can see Houston losing is if they shoot themselves in their collective feet. McGrady and Yao are too much.
Pick: Houston in 6.

So much for the U.S. ratings

The Senators went a head and did what nobody outside of Ottawa wanted them to do; they eliminated Sidney Crosby and the Penguins from the NHL Playoffs. With their 3-0 win last night, one the game’s youngest and most marketable stars will no long get to shine and bring in the TV ratings that the NHL so desperately needs. David Stern would’ve never allowed something like this happen.

NBA lottery teams release their breath

The teams that didn’t make the NBA playoffs will exhale a loud sigh today when Greg Oden declares for the draft. Oden will be leaving Ohio State for the big time where he can start cashing in on his greatness and can, hopefully, turn around one of the hapless franchises that tanked games in order to get him. Oden’s Ohio teammates and fellow freshmen Mike Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook will also be declaring today but won’t garner nearly as much attention as Oden. It’s going to be a sad season next year at Ohio State.

Happy 4:20 everyone

While you’re trying to figure out why all the kids are acting weirder than usual and why their eyes are redder today, it seems only appropriate that during interviews at the NFL combine, three of this year’s top prospects (Calvin Johnson, Gaines Adams and Amobi Okoye) admitted to using marijuana in the past. If any team thinks that this fact actually matters and is relevant towards draft position, they’re in the Stone Age and would be turning their backs on players for an idiotic reason. Just because these guys smoked pot once upon a time, doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll turn into the next Ricky Williams or Pacman Jones.

Rangers sweep Atlanta

While this pundit thought it would take longer (6 games) for New York to dispose of the Thrashers, the Rangers seemed intent on proving me wrong. In their first sweep since 1994, when they won the Stanley Cup, the Rangers dispatched an Atlanta team that tried to bulk up at the deadline but apparently failed. That mortgaged future for Keith Tkachuk wasn’t such a good idea now was it?

Buehrle a walk away from perfect

My favourite White Sox lefty Mark Buerhle walked onto the mound last night against the Texas Rangers and made quick work of them; so quick that he forgot to allow a hit. He almost forgot to allow a baserunner but Sammy Sosa fixed that by drawing a walk. This no-no is the first for the White Sox since Wilson Alvarez tossed a gem back in 1991. But there are two things that I find funny about the whole turn of events.

If Sammy Sosa didn’t get walked, Buerhle’s no hitter would’ve been a perfect game. Doesn’t this just add fuel to the entire-city-of-Chicago-hates-Sosa fire? I think he should’ve just swung wildly to appease the crowd.

Where did they get the beer to shower Buerhle with and how’d they get it so quickly? Beer and drink service stops after a certain inning which means they must have had it in the clubhouse. Is there a better clubhouse to be in other than the one that has cold beer on hand? I think not.

EA breaks out the voodoo doll

The Madden curse has found its next target and the bull’s eye is squarely on the Titans franchise QB Vince Young. It seems so wrong for EA Sports to intentionally try to harm such a promising young player but business is business. Young says the curse is just happenstance, but the many who have fallen before him sang the same song and danced the same dance; then ended up on the sidelines. I wish you luck Vince, but your career may very well be over before it really started.

Virginia Tech Massacre

With at least 33 dead and 20 others injured after a brutal shooting spree at Virginia Tech, it is the deadliest shooting incident in North American history and there is no way that anyone can make a joke out of it. While the event is despicable, this is front page news and needs to be discussed. Furthermore, this is sports blog so this seems like an appropriate forum to discuss this massacre’s effect on the sporting world. It wouldn’t be out of question that memorial tributes and moments of silences will be held in remembrance at sporting events, but how will this whole situation have an impact on recruiting for V. Tech? One can surmise that while this won’t likely happen again (god forbid it does) but would you, assuming you’re a high potential high school prospect, want to sign up for a school that just suffered a blow like this? Also to be taken into consideration is the prior students of the school don’t have the best reputation, namely Marcus and Michael Vick. Virginia Tech has suffered a lot and this will more than likely have a lasting effect of suffering.

The Black and Blue Jays

It looks like the Toronto Blue Jays are going to have to look towards their bench to fill in for some big names over the next while. With starting 3B Troy Glaus, LF Reed Johnson and closer B.J. Ryan all going on the disabled list over the course of two days, the Jays might be in some trouble. While Jason Frasor could be adequate as a replacement closer, there’s a reason they went out and got Ryan after Frasor’s performance two seasons ago. Filling in for Glaus will be utility man John McDonald and Jason Smith. As for Johnson, Adam Lind will be filling in for him. The word on Lind is that he’s offensively gifted and has the potential to steal Johnson’s job in left with a solid performance now. The real scenario I see playing out - if Lind shows up that is - with Johnson getting a recent contract extension, it’s unlikely he’ll be dealt meaning a shift to right could happen with Alexis Rios being shipped out. Rumours have swirled around Rios before and Lind could force him out of the city inadvertently now. One thing is for certain though and that is this stretch of the season could be the make or break point for the Jays.

The Intern on: Questionable Reffing

Sunday was quite a peculiar day in the NBA. First off you have Tim Duncan accumulating 2 technical fouls while sitting on the bench and secondly you have Eddy Curry going a whole 43 minutes without committing a single foul. As I am sitting here typing this I am still having a hard time believing The Big Fundamental managed to get ejected while sitting on the bench. I could and picture ‘Sheed and Nate Robinson accomplishing that feat but not Duncan. Apparently what initiated the confrontation was Joe Crawford hearing Duncan murmur “The Ball never lies” after a questionable call. The second T came less then 2 minutes later when Duncan was laughing on the bench. What really irks me is that there is no way Crawford could know what Duncan was laughing at because he was at the other end of the court. Seriously Crawford, lay off the boozing before work. This is definitely unconfirmed but Isaiah must have promised the team of refs for the Raps game all the stripers and yayo. One can imagine because there is no way Curry can go a whole 43 minutes without perpetrating at least one foul.

Jackie Robinson Day

Mother Nature apparently didn’t like the fact that players were being allowed to sport the universally retired number 42 in a tribute Jackie Robinson yesterday. Six games were postponed due to rain in the northeastern US to put a damper on the ceremonies. Some entire teams were planning to don the number to honor the day which marked the 60th anniversary of Robinson’s major-league debut which shattered the colour barrier. Other teams only had one or two players wear the number but two of them stuck out to me.

Barry Bonds: Having the most hated player in the league plan to wear the number 42 isn’t exactly the smartest P.R. move in my opinion; maybe this is why their was a massive storm in the northeast where Barry’s team just so happened to be scheduled for a doubleheader.

Rich Harden: I just don’t get why a white boy pitcher from Canada would be wearing the number. The whites broke the colour barrier decades for the African-americans.