Jan10

NBA Thoughts

by Sked on January 10, 2013 at 11:18 pm
Posted In: NBA

I’m not a big fan of power rankings, especially when it comes to the NBA in January, so lets take a look at some of the teams in what their strengths and weaknesses are and how far they can go:

Miami Heat – Still the best team in the East, but it’s not just the rebounding they need to improve, they have to get better defensively inside overall. That includes help defense and post presence. Their rotation is great on the perimeter, but not inside. Their biggest problem is when they face a team with two solid big men (Memphis, Indianae, Chicago). I still don’t think it’s possible to say any team in the East is better though.

Indiana Pacers – This is still the second best team in the East to me. They have the best defense, the offense is coming together and they have a solid bench. Once Danny Granger returns, the offense will become more dynamic over 48 minutes. If they make they make the Eastern Conference Finals and play the Heat, it’s going to be a war.

Brooklyn Nets – Currently they aren’t the third best team in the East, but they will be. There is fantastic balance with this team and they are more effective playing at a faster pace because of Derron Williams. Joe Johnson is finally stepping up and the Nets have four players with tremendous size that can all rebound. The chemistry is developing and the coaching change (so far) seems to have been the correct move.

The rest of the teams still have major flaws to me. Chicago is getting a lot better offensively and they are really learning how to play together. But I have serious doubts on how everyone is going to fit once Derrick Rose returns and how the offense will change. The Knicks don’t rebound outside of Tyson Chandler and Amare Stoudemire is already having soreness from returning from him injury. Carmelo and JR Smith can’t carry the entire team offensively with pure isolation. Boston has massive issues all over the place. Rondo can’t generate enough offense and needs to have a greater attack mentality. Paul Pierce needs some help on the perimeter not named Jason Terry. There is no consistent help in the post with Kevin Garnett. Jeff Green is starting to come around and if Boston wants a shot at the title, he’s going to have to take his game to the next level. Atlanta still plays too much isolation. Philadelphia needs Andrew Bynum and Jrue Holiday is the only person showing up every night despite Evan Turner’s hot run.

As for the West:

LA Clippers – The Clippers needed two things in the offseason. A better fundamental postgame, and better depth. Blake Griffin has turned into one of the best power forwards in the game and DeAndre Jordan has some post moves and a jump hook. Then they brought in Jamal Crawford as a scoring spark off the bench. Chris Paul is running the show beautifully with lob city as well as an effective and efficient offense. They are currently have the best record in the NBA and it’s well deserved. The key will be defense for 48 minutes for them down the stretch in the post season.

San Antonio – Incredible balance on offense. Solid defense inside but needs some work on the outside. Second best team currently in the West and chemistry is their strength. Also helps that Pop is their coach.

Denver – I love the balance of this team and by balance I mean they take care of business in just about every single category. They have a ton of great scorers and a ton of fire power. They have reboudners and they have passers. They are a small step behind the Spurs because they break down sometimes a little too easily defensively.

Oklahoma City – OKC really needs a great passing guard. Yes that’s what James Harden was, but they really need just someone who can distribute off the bench who isn’t even a good scorer. I’ve spent too much time saying how stubborn Russell Westbrook is despite how great the player is and I give in. He’s an amazing scorer and defender but if he’s gonna be stubborn and have his games where he’s 5-19 from the field, so be it. The Thunder need someone to distribute backing him up.

Memphis and Golden State have the talent to be the best in the West but they are lacking depth which is effecting their consistency. It’s great to see James Harden play this well this often, but the bench again is an issue and they need to get fully healthy. Utah is in a similar boat.

As for the Lakers…lol…I’ve never said “I told ya so” in early January in an NBA season for anything because it’s way early…but I told ya so.

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Jan10

NFL Playoff Predictions

by Sked on January 10, 2013 at 10:43 pm
Posted In: NFL

While my preseason predictions called for the Houston Texans to beat the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl (both still alive), my predictions for the Super Bowl now have changed. I called preseason for the Seattle Seahawks to make the playoffs and win the NFC West and apparently I was off on one thing. I should have called for the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl instead of the NFC West because they are by far (yes by far) the most complete team in the NFL right now. They have won five straight and six of their last eight and are hot at the right time. They have a great matchup with Atlanta because the Falcons has struggled against dual threat quarterbacks defensively and have not faced many solid pass defenses. I believe they will have the Packers in a rematch up the replacement ref debacle early in the season and while the game would be in Green Bay, Seattle’s defense will prevail on the Packers offensive line again.

Who will they face? The Texans pass defense didn’t all of a sudden magically get better, and the Patriots should get another win against Houston this weekend. Peyton Manning owns Baltimore, but more importantly, how is Baltimore going to move the ball against the Broncos defense? Joe Flacco has not played well at all as of late, the running game is inconsistent at best, and even with a healthier defense they still haven’t come close to stopping a prolific offense. So here is Brady vs. Manning once again. This showdown should be epic and neither quarterback are making many mistakes. This could go either way but I am going to take New England based on that they have been battle tested more as of late and have been in more late game situations. They also have the better special teams.

So a rematch between the Seahawks and Patriots. The rookie Russell Wilson against one of the best in Tom Brady. New England has struggled against the great pass defenses (Seattle, San Francisco, Arizona). Seattle thrives on turnovers and have a balanced offense. The Patriots have lost in their last two Super Bowl appearances and you can make it a third. I love the way Pete Carroll has his team playing. Seattle beats New England.

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Jan10

Bleacher Report

by Sked on January 10, 2013 at 9:10 pm
Posted In: Uncategorized

Sorry for those who have been wanting to see posts the past month but I am proud to say I will be writing for the Bleacher Report starting in a couple weeks. Most of my writing will be with B/R now but I will continue to write me thoughts here at times and most likely in a more informal way. A lot has happened in the past month so the next few posts you see this week will be catching up on what has happened and looking ahead as well. Enjoy!

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Dec04

BCS Bowl Games – Underdogs Who Will Pull Off Massive Upsets

by Sked on December 4, 2012 at 3:51 pm
Posted In: NCAAF

I know what you’re thinking. Every BCS game features a touchdown favorite against either – a five-loss Big Ten team, a one-loss MAC team, another average Big East team, another overrated Big 12 team, and a victim of another SEC national title winner. It seems like all the outcomes are decided. But January never goes as expected, and here are two games that will surprise you.

Orange Bowl: Northern Illinois over Florida State - Are people really going to fall for this again? With all the criticism that NIU has taken, small-school critics have ignorantly forgotten that non-BCS schools are 5-2 in BCS bowl games. Utah had no chance against Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl before the Utes dominated the Crimson Tide 31-17. Boise State had no chance to keep pace with Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl before the Broncos brought us arguably the best bowl game in college football history. The 2013 Orange Bowl is another classic example of a team that feels like they are playing for the national title, against a team that had goals of a BCS championship but is limping into their bowl game.

Criticize Northern Illinois’ resume all you want, but they have one of the most dynamic offenses and best defensive lines in the country. In a conference that’s sending seven teams to bowl games, the Huskies have averaged defeating their opponents by 21.8 points per game and have won 12 straight contests.

While Florida State’s statistics are solid, in their two games against ranked opponents this year (Clemson and Florida), they have given up 37 points in each affair. The Seminoles then closed the regular season squeaking by a 6-6 Georgia Tech team and only scored 21 points against a defense that averages giving up 30 points a game.

Northern Illinois jumps on Florida State early and then holds on for the win.

BCS Championship: Notre Dame over Alabama – Notre Dame might be the No. 1 team, but Alabama is the nine-point favorite and putting the six-straight SEC national title streak on the line. Yes Nick Saban is arguably the best coach in college football and yes he has won two of the last three BCS championships, but the Crimson Tide defense is struggling. In Bama’s three games against currently ranked SEC teams (at LSU, Texas A&M, vs. Georgia), they averaged giving up 415.67 yards per game. On offense AJ McCarron has had his moments, but has also struggled against the tougher defenses. Notre Dame has the No. 1 scoring defense in the nation at 10.3 points per game that includes four overtime periods.

There has been one constant about this Fighting Irish squad, they play their best on the big stage. Freshman quarterback Everett Golson has gone from a game manager to a leader and play maker. While he’s responsible for 16 touchdowns and only five interceptions, Golson never makes the big mistake and converts in crucial situations.

In comparing the resumes, most people would say that Alabama had the tougher schedule because they play in the SEC. Not so fast. In 13 games, the Tide defeated six teams with at least six wins. In 12 games, Notre Dame defeated 10 teams (eight from BCS conferences) with at least six wins. The Irish have been severely battle tested and passed the gauntlet.

No luck of the Irish needed. Notre Dame is the better team.

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Nov28

Sports in 2012 – A Test of Durability to the Fans

by Sked on November 28, 2012 at 4:39 pm
Posted In: Miscellaneous

When you turn on Sports Center or read about the top moments in 2012 on New Years Eve, you will probably be saying, “Oh yeah, I forgot about that.” Or, “Oh yeah, that was so cool!” This year we can look back to the Mario Manningham catch in the Super Bowl to help the Giants win their second Super Bowl in five years. We can look back to LeBron James winning his first NBA title. We can look back to Michael Phelps setting the all-time gold medal record at the Olympics in London. We can look back to the dramatic comeback on Sunday for the Europeans in defeating the Americans at Medinah in the Ryder Cup. All great stories and memorable moments.

But make no mistake, this year in 2012 was simply a year where patience was tested among sports fans. When the NFL replacement officials came in, did we stop watching football? No, and we would have continued to watch even if they stayed the entire season. When the NHL comes back, whether it’s this year or October of 2013, are hockey fans going to refuse to watch because of their anger toward the league? No, because they desperately want to see hockey grow on the national stage. Are people going to refuse to watch the Big Ten because they took Maryland, Rutgers, and most likely a few others in the future? No, because even if you hate that Maryland and Rutgers chased the money and wish the Big Ten would stay off the East coast, ESPN has already proven people will watch a 6-6 team from the Sun Belt play a 6-6 team from the WAC in the Let’s Bankrupt Small Schools Bowl (no disrespect intended to those two conferences).

So what does this mean? It means people are going to watch sports despite how much the people in power sacrifice traditional elements for dollars. No matter how many changes happen in the sports world, there are always two constants. First, people will watch and participate in sports because there is a craving for it. Second, people want money and power. These truths aren’t implying that commissioners or presidents of teams are bad people or unethical, it just means they are using their power to gain benefits while they try and make their league as strong as possible. Who wouldn’t want more money if it doesn’t decrease the value of their league? Why do you think the NFL has been trying to make the league as safe as possible, but when it came to the replacement refs they didn’t seem to care as much about player safety? Simple. In one case, there were lawsuits. In the other, it was essentially a public relations problem for the league when dealing with the unhappy coaches, players, and fans. To be fair though, if you replace the Monday Night Football episode in week 3 between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers, and replace it with the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys on opening night with Hakeem Nicks coming down with the simultaneous catch, I’m sure Jerry Jones could have influenced the situation a little sooner.

Will there ever be a point where the majority of fans will go on strike and refuse to give the leagues and their respective teams revenue? Unless you are one of the few hundred Miami Marlins fans left, the answer is no. I am currently on strike with Major League Baseball because of having no salary cap, the refusal to use instant replay in more scenarios, and the fact it won’t maximize television revenue by ending its regular season in August. By going on strike, this means I refuse to buy any official MLB products, buy any tickets on the primary market, or watch nationally televised games. How do I keep up with MLB then? I constantly get updates from social media and apps, buy tickets in the secondary market, stream games, watch regional games, research statistics, watch highlights, watch certain MLB Network programs for analysis, read articles online, etc. Will this make a difference? No, because there aren’t enough people that feel as passionate as I do about this. I am just doing it for my own conscience and I’m sure there are other people out there with similar strikes.

If the 2011 NFL season was a complete lockout and the Packers were this year’s defending Super Bowl champions, would you have been annoyed at the league enough to only watch college football? Or would you have felt that pain in August of waiting for the season to begin, multiplied by 12 months, and letting it all out by throwing a huge party with your friends on week 1? I’m guessing you wouldn’t be sober with your buddies on Sunday afternoon. Since the NBA was locked out until Christmas last season, do we remember that year with an asterisk? No, we remember Miami and LeBron James winning the NBA title and the premature conversations starting up again about comparing LeBron to Michael Jordan.

Let’s put this in perspective though. This didn’t all of a sudden just start happening. It’s just magnified. We live in a world where media deals and player contracts are worth hundreds of millions of dollars, anyone can blog or write about their thoughts and views on topics on and off the field, and information is available instantly by following enough people on Twitter. Today the common sports fan is significantly more aware of what happens in the sports world than ever, but ultimately, it doesn’t matter. The two constants still remain: people crave sports, people crave power and money. The only difference is that the public relations departments have more stress to take on. If you Google the move of Maryland and Rutgers joining the Big Ten, roughly 80 percent of the articles will tell you the real reason why it happened from sports journalists, in that it’s a tradeoff of money to the schools for conference control and media exposure. The other 20 percent will be the official statements from the press conference or the public relations departments telling you how it fits academically and how the schools believe they fit best for athletic competition. We know it’s all a bunch on nonsense, but it still comes down to this. If fans become more involved and interactive with what’s happening, they are still more likely to tune into the games. News equals popularity. Popularity equals ratings. Ratings equal money to the people in power. People are addicted to sports.

I wish I could sit here and tell college football traditionalists that the Rose Bowl will have the Big Ten and Pac 12 champions square off for another 50 years. I wish I could tell college basketball traditionalists that the NCAA basketball tournament was going back to 64 teams so we could actually care about watching games in November and December. I wish I could tell hardcore NBA fans that the good days of “tougher” basketball will be back with heated rivalries between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks from the mid 1990s. But I can’t. Money prevails because we can’t stop watching.

We all want to make a difference and make our voice heard for what we want to see in sports. Needless to say, it always feels good to express your feelings on a situation and it can be a tremendous amount of fun. However, I ask sports fans out there this. If we take one step back and think about how awesome American sports are, that athletes from all over the world come to the United States to compete against the greatest players in the most competitive leagues on a professional and a collegiate level, and that we are given instant access to sporting events on television and the internet through the boom of technology, is it possible that American sports fans are the real greedy ones?

 

 

 

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