Posts

Showing posts from April, 2009

Heat vs. Hawks playoffs

Zaza Pachulia had 12 points and 18 boards, Mike Bibby scored 15, and the Hawks are still in a good position to win the series after a 81-71 win over the Miami Heat to even the series up at 2. The Hawks frustrated Dwayne Wade, the leader of the Heat who had 22 points and 6 rebounds. The Hawks led by as many as 21 points, and the Heat were never on top. D-Wade had some good or great plays to light up the Miami crowd, but the Hawks starters all shined, and the Hawks lead was never smaller than 3 points. James Jones scored 10 points in 41 seconds to shorten the halftime lead, and the Heat closed the first half on a 19-2 run. The Heat expected Atlanta's best shot, because it is very hard to win 3 in a row to take a playoff series. The Heat started off shooting 5-23, while the Hawks shot well and led by as much as 44-23, but Miami ended the half on a 19-2 run, shortening the lead to 46-42.

Bay Area NFL Draft Picks

Oakland Raiders: 1st round Grade F/D-: What are you thinking Al Davis? You draft speedy receiver Darrius-Heyward-Bay over Michael Crabtree, Jeremy Maclin, Percy Harvin, and Hakeem Nicks. He probably would have been there in the second round. Heyward-Bay is a great route runner, and he ran a 4.23 in the 40 yard dash. Coach Tom Cable says "he is the best route runner i the draft". An announcer on ESPN covering the draft said "the only reason Oakland keeps getting good picks is because they keep using them badly". Davis always picks speed over talent, but when he is wide open this could be a problem for opposing teams. In the second round the Raiders chose Ohio State hard-hitting safety Michael Mitchell, who Tom Cable says is the hardest hitting player in the draft. Some other picks were Louis Murphy, a good receiver who has talent. They also picked Wisconsin DE Matt Shaugenhassy, Brandon Myers, Iowa TE, Oregon State DE Norris Slade, and Missouri DE Stryker Sulak. Over

Rockets vs. Blazers Game 3

The Blazers hung with Houston the whole game, Rudy Fernandez and Steve Blake hit key 3's in the fourth, only to lose a shocking 86-83 game to Houston where Aaron Brooks didn't shine, but knocked down key free throws and grabbed the game stealing rebound. Brandon Roy had 19 points before fouling out with about 20 seconds, but if he was in the game he could have tied and put pressure on Houston, and forced it in to OT and won. Roy had 19 for Portland, who came back from 9 down with 3:30 to go and trailed by as much as 17. Luis Scola had 19 points and 9 boards, Yao Ming had 13 boards, Shane Battier hit a key 3 pointer that they couldn't have won without and they would have lost by 2-7 points. Battier also had 4 blocks, leading the team

NBA PLAYOFF MADNESS/5 Comment post

Cavs-Pistons. Bulls-Celtics. Magic-76ers. Heat-Hawks. Lakers-Jazz. Nuggets-Hornets. Mavs-Spurs. Rockets-Trail-blazers. All 8 of these exciting first round playoff matchups go into second, and then 3rd, and the Finals. As exciting as it sounds, a big rivalry series between 2 East powerhouses. And, believe it or not, it is a 1-8 series. After a regular season record of 39-43, Detroit hosts the next 2 games trailing 2-0. As dominant as it seems, the Bulls won game 1 in OT, lost on a buzzer-beating 3 in Game 2 but got blown out at HOME by Boston 107-86. Dallas took a 2-1 series lead over San Antonio with a 88-67 blowout, holding the Spurs to their lowest playoff total in a game ever. See Mavs-Spurs Game 3 for more details. In Game 1 of Heat-Hawks, Atlanta held Miami to 64 points in a 90-64 win. That tied the lowest amount of points allowed by Atlanta in the playoffs ever. But D-Wade lit the arena up in Game 2, scoring 33 points with lights-out shooting from downtown, as the Heat rolled

LA Lakers vs. Utah playoffs

Carlos Boozer led the attack, but he didn't make "the shot". The shot was made by "the shot-maker". Carlos Boozer scored 23 points and had 22 rebounds, Deron had 13 points, 9 assists, and the game-winner in Utah's 88-86 victory over the LA Lakers. With about 16.9 seconds, Carlos Boozer electrified the crowd with an amazing dunk, but Pau Gasol knocked down a close up shot. Deron Williams made about a 8-10 foot fade-away swish. Boozer tied a franchise record for rebounds in the playoffs, ad Utah out-rebounded LA 55-40. After 1 quarter, Utah led 26-17. At halftime, LA cut the lead to 43-39. Then, LA opened the third on a 15-1 run, and led 68-60 entering the fourth. Then, Boozer and the Jazz were able to come back. And, they survived without their second leading scorer, Mehmet Okur. Kobe shot 5-24 from the field, and had only 18 points, his second lowest in points in a playoff game. He only shot 20.8 from the field. Game 4 is on Saturday in Utah, at 9:00 PM ET o

Mavs vs. Spurs Game 3

Dirk Nowitzki had 20, Josh Howard had 17, and the Mavs blew out the Spurs 88-67 on Thursday night. Jose Juan Barea had a surprise effort of 13 points on 5-8 shooting in 31 minutes. Dirk had 7 rebounds and Howard had 8. The Mavs took control early and took a 46-30 halftime lead. After the third the score was 75-42, and the Spurs scored oe of the lowest amount of points in the playoffs in franchise history, and it was the lowest the Mavs had ever allowed, yet the Spurs scored 25 in the fourth. Erick Dampier, the Mavs 7 foot center guaranteed that he would do a hard foul on Tony Parker, but he didn't have to. He blocked his shot early in the game, pumping Dallas's crowd up. Down 26, with 7:53 left in the third quarter Gregg Popovich, the Spurs coach pulled his starters to save them for Game 4. Dallas allowed an amazing 42 after 3 quarters, which is a low halftime score. With 6 minutes left in the first, Daellas was up 12, forcing SA to miss early s they hit thir shots. Tony Parker

NBA PLAYOFF MADNESS

As the NBA Playoffs gains more excitement, let's review Wednesday's games. New Orleans vs. Denver: Chauncey Billups scored 31, Carmelo Anthony scored 22 and that trade [Iverson for Billups] not only led Denver to a 2 seed, but now up 2-0 with 113-84 and 108-93 blowouts, they are on the right path heading into New Orleans for the next 2 games. Led by much improved players, the Nuggets have the team to beat the Lakers and the Cavs, if they play like the team that can do it. It will be harder in New Orleans, but I like the Hornets and Nuggets to split and the Nuggets to finish them off in 5. Game 3 is on Saturday the 25th at 10:00 AM Pacific. It is in New Orleans on ESPN. Heat-Hawks: The Heat needed to respond: they scored 64, lost by 26, and Dwayne Wade scored 19 but was the entire team. D-Wade responded well, and the 5th year player from Marquette scored 33 points and dished 7 assists as Atlanta's 3rd and 4th quarter comeback attempt wasn't enough, and Flip Murray's

Blazers vs. Rockets playoffs

In Game 1, Yao Ming went 9-9 from the field, and with 24 points, the big man led Houston past Portland 108-81, even though second year player Aaron Brooks led Houston in scoring with 27 points, the exact margin of victory. Brooks also had 7 assists. In Game 2, with many expecting another blowout, Brandon Roy wouldn't let that happen despite another nice performance by Aaron Brooks's 23 points and 5 assists, as Roy had 42 points and him and LaMarcus Aldridge, who had 27 points and 12 rebounds, with a lot of crowd-electrifying shots and dunks. The Blazers were able to secure their first playoff win in 6 years, and take out all the fun of Von Wafer's big night [21 points]. In Game 3 in Houston on Friday at 6:30 PT on ESPN, the Rockets and Blazers will really go at it. With no Dimeke Muntombo, Ming has to play a full, complete game, and Aaron Brooks has to show up again like he did in the first 2 games, but putting Roy against Brooks should see 30+ games in the field from both.

Heat vs. Hawks playoffs game 1

Predicted by many to be one of the best playoff series, the Hawks weren't willing to grant Heat fans their wish of winning as Atlanta held Miami to only 64 points,tied for the lowest Atlanta has ever held any opponent to. Atlanta's Josh Smith went on with his dunk show and had 23 points, Joe Johnson had 15 and Al Horford had 14. Mike Bibby, Zaza Pachulia and Marvin Williams had 10 points in the 90-64 win. Atlanta made the game look like the Hawks vs. Dwayne Wade, and Wade only had 19 points, and Miami had 7 points in the fourth quarter, and the Heat and Hawks combined for 21 4th quarter points. The Hawks shouldn't continue to dominate, but without star performances from 2 of these players: Wade, Michael Beasley and Daquean Cook every game, the Heat could be doomed. I like Atlanta in 6 here, being led by Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson and Josh Smith. If Atlanta keeps playing like this they could have the power to defeat what should be LeBron, Mo Williams and the 66-16 Cavs. Game 2

Orlando Magic vs. Philidelphia 76ers playoffs

Game one was an absolute surprise. Who would of thought that Philly would trail by 18, come back, and have Andre Igudoula hit a fadeaway to the side to win the game for Philly. The 76ers really proved themselves as one of the league's elite, but if Orlando wants to advance, Howard, Lewis, Alston, and the rest of the crew have to beat Philly. Orlando has to have impressive games from the defensive player of the year in Dwight Howard to advance. But Philly had a great effort as Donyell Marshell hit the game-tying 3 and had 11 points on 80% shooting, Lou Williams had 18, Andre Miller had 15 and Thaddeus Young had 14. Orlando was led by Dwight Howard, who had 31 points and 16 boards, and Courtney Lee had a surprise effort with 18 points. Howard is going to have to play like a beast and have at least 2 20-20 games for Orlando to be able to hold off Philidelphia, who is hot right now. Game 2 is on Wednesday at 7:00 PM ET on NBA TV.

NFL Draft Needs and Reports

As the Nfl Draft clock ticks down, let's discuss the needs, reports, and ideas about each team, from Detroit to San Diego [ 1-16]. Detroit Lions: Coming off an 0-16 year, the Lions have many needs, and they could trade the pick for a nice package of players and picks. Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez would be their best bet, and even though I like guys like Pat White more than him, they should take Stafford. Latest Report: Matthew Stafford or a trade is what Detroit wants. St. Louis Rams: The Rams are looking into selecting an OT like Jason Smith or Eugene Monroe, but could easily select LB Aaron Curry or even DE Michael Johnson, who impressed many scouts at the combine. I think it comes down to Curry and Smith, but I like the big Baylor OT to land in St. Louis. Reports: Jason Smith is the Rams best bet and most likely pick, but don't be surprised if they take Curry. Kansas City Chiefs: As the team with a terrible D, KC needs a defensive player who can blitz the QB well, and

NBA PLAYOFF MADNESS

Bulls vs. Celtics: In Game 1, the C's couldn't overcome not having Kevin Garnett, and the bench struggled, Paul Pierce couldn't hit 2 key free throws, and Tyrus Thomas went 3-4 in OT and had 16 overall points while being deadly on the jump shot, Derrick Rose had 36 points and matched the rookie points record for his first NBA Playoff game, and Joakim Noah had 15 points and Chicago won 105-103 in OT. Rajon Rondo played well, and Paul Pierce had 19 of his 23 points in the second half, but that wasn't enough as the Bulls won a tough game without Brad Miller and Kirk Hinrich performing. Ben Gordon had 20 points on 6-17 shooting. Game 2: Ben Gordon had 42 points on 13-23 shooting from the field, and made 2 3's in a row to pump the Bulls players up with about 3:30 left, but Boston's Rajon Rondo had another great game with 19 points, Ray Allen had 30 and the GW 3 pointer, and Glen " Big Baby" Davis had 26, a career high in the Celtics 118-115 win over Chicago

Midway through title preview and recap

Tyler Hansborough and Wayne Ellington have led UNC on offense so far, and Ty Lawson broke the steals championship record with 8. Michigan Sate needs to get in the game, get the ball to their best players and create turnovers. The score is 65-`47 with 11:18 left, and the Spartans have to start doing that NOW if they want to win.

Finals Preview

Key Matchup: PF Goran Suton vs. Tyler Hansbrough Keys to the game: Michigan State: Shoot the 3 well North Carolina: Attack the glass and outrebound the Spartans Prediction Half Michigan St. 39 UNC 33 Final: UNC 78-Mich St.76. Why: I like Tyler Hansbrough to take care of the glass down low, and Ty Lawson or Danny Green to have a great 3 point day, and Kalin Lucas and Goran Suton will keep it close, but UNC wins and Tyler Hansbrough wins MVP with 26 points and 11 boards, and Danny Green has 24 points and 6 assists. It should be a great game without a big lead, but I think North Carolina has better players and beat Villanova by 14, who was a very hot team who beat UCLA, Duke and Pittsburgh.

Best Cinderella Story of all time

Cinderella stories happen every year.Weather it's George Mason of 2006 or Villanova of 85, they always happen. Here are some big ones. 1963 Loyola Maromount [ IL]Ramblers.The Ramblers had many upsets and big wins, like over Duke 94-75. The Ramblers then came back from down 45-30 in the second to beat top seed Cincinatti in overtime 60-58. 1966 Texas Western Miners Texas Western made history by being March Madness's first team to have a starting lineup of black players. They beat Utah in the semifinals and were huge underdogs to Kentucky, an all-white team. The black starting lineup led the Miners past a very talented Kentucky team 72-65. 1983 North Carolina State Wolfpack Not even expected to make it past the first round, the Jimmy V led NC State Wolfpack past Pepperdine in double OT, taking advantage of their OT mistakes up 5, came back and 2 late scores powered them past UTEP. Then they blew out Utah, and then blew out Virginia and beat Georgia in the Final Four. Vs. Houston