An Odyssey of Mediocrity

 
  For decades the Celtics and it's fan base have prided themselves on not settling for anything less than a championship. The older generation of Celtics fans are not content with just playing .500 basketball they grew up watching Bird's Celtics dominate the 80s era while these younger generation of fans(like myself) grew up watching Pierce,Antoine Walker and Ricky Davis(Couldn't leave him out). So it only seems natural for a generation who's only witnessed one Celtics championship team to be content with watching Mediocre basketball.
    For me I just like watching NBA basketball but not enough that I enjoy watching my favorite team spiral towards the abyss of mediocrity or even worse, the Lottery. These are no longer the 2008 Celtics ripping off 8-10 game win streaks, playing lockdown defense and winning crucial road games. These are the 2012-13 Celtics, the team that relies on consistent contributions from guys like Jeff Green, Courtney Lee and yes even Jason Collins. Defensively this team is a far cry from the 2008-12 teams. This is a team that needs 40 points from Paul Pierce just to beat a team who is 5-22 by 12 and what's even more surprising is that people seem perfectly content with being just "ok".
     One of the infuriating comments that I come across from time to time is people using the "The Celtics were 15-17 last year and got to the ECF" excuse. Last year's improbable Conference Finals run was a little bit of Fools gold. They lucked out on not having to face the Bulls with a healthy Derrick Rose. Also this year the Atlantic Division is very much improved with the prospect of the Celtics being possibly the 3rd best team in the division after having a string of 5 straight division titles. In my mind excuses are a sign of weakness and lack of strength. Fans(mostly on twitter) seem to be be perfectly fine making excuses for this team and are continually lying to themselves.
      I love the Celtics and I love basketball but I can't keep lying to myself that everything will be okay with this team if we keep it as it is. While I would love to wait for Avery to return as I have stated his importance to the defense in a previous article, I just dont know how much longer the celtics can afford to play like this without making a roster move. There may be no clear cut way to fix this team right now and I'm fine with that  but I'd still like Danny to try and see what's out on the open market.
  This Celtics team is teetering on the side of being a Lottery team. They dont get consistent contributions outside of the Big 3. The bench scoring is erratic at best and their defensive effort is sometimes nonexistent. Those are all the qualities of a mediocre basketball team. Some may say I'm not being a real fan by criticizing them this much but at least I'm being honest with myself.

Trouble in Los Angeles

    A team synonymous with winning finds itself in a very unfamiliar and peculiar situation right now. After suffering their 3rd straight loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers the Lakers now find themselves sitting at 9-13(Their worst start since 2002-2003). The Lakers were supposed to be a juggernaut and roll through opponents.Injuries,coaching changes and defense have inhibited this team from really fulfilling its true potential.
    One of the truly strange things going on with this team is that Kobe Bryant, someone who has been maligned for poor shot selection, is having one of his most efficient seasons of his career. Kobe is averaging 29.2 points on 48% shooting(A career high). As it stands right now the Lakers offense is far from the problem. Their offensive efficiency(Points scored per 100 possessions) ranks just outside the top 5 at 106.4. However their defense has not performed as well, especially in transition. Right now the Lakers are ranked dead last in Fast Break defense giving up about 16 points a game.
     Defensively everyone expected Dwight Howard to make up for the deficiencies of the lesser talented perimeter defenders that the Lakers have like he did in Orlando but so far that has not been the case. According to 82games.com the Lakers rank 27th in the PER difference between their starting point guard and opposing point guards. They also rank 25th in point guard defense and are dead last in point guard scoring. So not only are they getting no offense from the point guard position right they also aren't getting any defense. Now getting Nash back healthy may help them in the scoring department but I really dont see how a 38 year old coming off of a broken can really solve their perimeter defensive struggles.
    Structurally the Lakers are one of the leagues most imbalanced teams. They feature a bench that most D1 college teams would laugh at. Their point guard rotation without Nash is almost laughable. When you have Chris Duhon and Darius Morris playing major minutes for you you're going to experience some struggles.
      We all knew that this team was going to take some time to come together and really play at its full potential but I dont think anyone predicted that they would be this bad. Even Kobe voiced his frustration with his team while doing post game interviews.
 

It's still very early in the season and we still haven't really seen this team at full strength but whether it's making a few lineup changes, making a trade or just increasing the effort level the Lakers have to do something quick before they fall into a hole they can't climb out of.

The NBA: Where You Get Fined for Resting Players

      David Stern, like most professional sports commissioners has always been the center of controversy in the NBA. Whether it's accusations of rigging the NBA Draft Lottery, NBA Refs rigging games or vetoing trades for "basketball reasons" the man just can't escape it. Now he's at again and for once I think he's outdone himself. On Thursday night the Spurs were playing their 4th game in 5 nights and Gregg Popovich decided to give 4 of his stars(Parker,Ginobli,Green and Duncan) a night off as they have a big divisional game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. Well this game just happened to be a marquee nationally televised game vs the defending champion Miami Heat. Surprisingly enough the game ended up being pretty exciting as the Heat only won by 5 points.
     The reaction to this lineup change was very surprising to me as people were acting as if Pop just started doing this or if teams have never done it before. Last year while riding a 11 game win streak Pop did the exact same thing and I didn't hear one peep from anyone about it. The only reason anyone is talking about or why I'm even writing about it is because it was a National TV game against the Heat. Yesterday the NBA released a statement saying that the Spurs have been fined $250,000. David Stern said that what Pop did was "a disservice to the fans". You know what's a "disservice to the fans" Stern, the lockout that made me miss precious games of basketball. I'm pretty sure the fans that went to last nights game were not disappointed one bit with the game they saw. I understand the fact that the NBA is a business and that TNT pays a lot of money to televise big games but you also have to understand that Gregg Popovich is a Head Coach not a GM or an Owner. His #1 job is to put his team in the best position to win a championship not a meaningless game in November.
    I'm very intrigued to see how Stern or Silver when he takes over handles this in the future. Is he going to fine teams in April who have already locked playoff spots for resting players on Nationally Televised games? Is he going to try and crack down on tanking which is essentially the same thing? Just last year the Golden State Warriors blatantly tanked in front of our very eyes. Tanking is something that happens in every sport and something that can't be definitively proven.
    Gregg Popovich is the epitome of a "rebel" in the NBA. He comes off like a jerk and he really doesn't care what you think. He's gonna do things his way and judging by his 4 championship rings his way works pretty well.

A Streak Worthy of Praise,Rajon Rondo is Making History

    Taken 21st in the 2006 NBA Draft Rajon Rondo has more than exceeded expectations, he's shattered them. Blessed with great court vision and an insatiable need to make others better Rajon Rondo has inserted himself in a conversation where he's being talked about alongside Magic Johnson and John Stockton. For the past 37 games Rondo has had 10+ assists in each of them which has tied him with John Stockton for 2nd on the all time record list with Magic Johnson's record of 46 in sight.

  
Over his career Rondo has been known to unpredictable, moody and known to take some games off but this streak has shown us that he's capable of playing at high level consistently. Right now Rondo is averaging 13.7 assists per game which is 4 more than Chris Paul who sits in 2nd place.
  While some people(me) have criticized Rondo for going assists instead of being aggressive or "stat padding" you can't help but marvel at what he's doing right now. To be able to garner such gaudy assist numbers in 37 straight games is incredible. Right now instead of analyzing and dissecting this streak we should just appreciate it because you never know when it might end.

What's wrong with the Celtics Defense?

   Ever since Kevin Garnett stepped on the Parquet Floor the Boston Celtics have been know for their suffocating defense. They were a juggernaut that forced teams into unfamiliar situations. They hounded players on the perimeter and made them fear venturing into the paint with guys like Kendrick Perkins controlling the middle. Now they're a small team that is struggling guarding Pick & Rolls,Protecting the rim and 3 point shots which are all necessities to being a great defensive team. Right now the Celtics are 19th in Points Allowed per game(99.3), 27th in Opponents FG%(.463), and 23rd in Opponent 3pt FG%(.368) which are all team lows since the "Big Three" Era began in 2007-08.
   Right now it just seems as if the Celtics dont have the personnel to be a great defensive team. They don't have the size necessary to challenge opponents at the rim or near the basket. According to HoopData.com the Cetlics 5th worst defensive team at the rim with opponents shooting 67.7% and they're the 3rd worst defensive team at 3-9 feet with opponents shooting 45.9%. I think we all knew going in that this team was going to have trouble defending the rim since they primarily play very small lineups with Kevin Garnett being really the only legit 7 footer in the rotation. Now there is still some reason to have hope with defensive ace Avery Bradley scheduled to make his return sometime in mid December. Last year according to 82games.com 4 of the top 5 lineups which featured Avery Bradley gave up less than a point per possesion. Avery's defensive is so important to this teams success. His ability to pressure the ball in the backcourt and take precious seconds off of the shot clock is so invaluable to this team.
   Maybe this season's defensive struggles can attributed to the lack of chemistry between new guys or that it still is missing one of it's premier defenders, whatever it is it needs to be fixed. If this team is going to compete for a championship the defense needs to return to it's former glory.

Rapid Reaction Celtics beat Jazz 98-93

The Celtics have improved to 5-3 after a win against the Utah Jazz. In what proved to be a very hard fought physical game the Celtics came out on top despite an ankle injury to star Point Guard Rajon Rondo. The bench was huge scoring 47 points. Jeff Green and Leandro Barbosa each scored 16 points off. So far this season Leandro Barbosa has proved to be a great signing by Danny Ainge as in multiple games he's provided a great spark off the bench and he's been able to really give Rondo some much needed rest.
  Player(s) of the Game:In most cases I will only do one player of the game but tonight since both Jeff Green and Barbosa played so well they both earned it tonight. After begging Jeff to be more aggressive he has finally heard my pleas. Early in the 4th Green drove to the basket and was able to dunk right over Al Jefferson, he also showed off some very nice post moves which is where I really want to see him operate more. Leandro came in and was an instant spark plug his scoring was especially needed when Rondo left the game in the 3rd with an ankle injury.
  Game Deciding Factor(s):For the first time all season I finally feel comfortable with the Celtics bench. They were able to come in and really give the Celtics some very solid minutes.
  Unsung Hero of the Game:Chris Wilcox. Ever since Doc has put Wilcox back in the rotation he's made this bench so much better. His ability to run the floor and finish at the rim has been so pivotal to this teams success as of late.I expect him to be in the contention for "Tommy Awards" every night.

Play of the Game:Jeff Green Posterizes Al Jefferson

Well there are still some things the Celtics need to work on (defensive rebounding) but right now I am very pleased with their play so far. Next game is tomorrow night against the Brooklyn Nets

So much for the Zen Master,Mike D'antoni Hired as new Lakers Head Coach

The "Weekend With Bernie" era is officially over! Well not really, Interim Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff is still scheduled to coach a few more games as New Head Coach Mike D'antoni recovers from knee replacement surgery. The deal is reportedly worth 4 years with $12 Million guaranteed. The Lakers surprised everyone(even me) by hiring D'antoni over Phil Jackson. D'antoni was the architect of the "7 seconds or less" Phoenix Suns offense which was one of the greatest offenses of all time.
   The general consensus of opinions on the D'antoni hire were mostly negative and surprised. Many felt that when you have the opportunity to bring one of the greatest coaches of all time on your team you do it. It was especially surprising considering Magic Johnson's "win no matter how much it costs" attitude. Maybe the Buss family felt that Phil Jackson's travel and front office decision demands were too much, maybe it was money related(Phil was asking for around $10-15 million per year) or maybe Jim Buss just plain doesn't like Phil.For some reason the Lakers felt that D'antoni's Pick & Roll based offense was better suited for this team rather than the Triangle which is very similar to the Princeton.

     Many people are under the assumption that D'antoni is an awful defensive coach. While he certainly isn't a elite defensive coach I think most people get lost in the traditional Points Allowed per game stat.For example in 2006-07 the Phoenix Suns were in the bottom 10 in terms of points allowed per game(102.9) but their Defensive Efficiency was only 89.4 which was good for 16th in the league. All I'm trying to say is that points per game & points allowed per game are very decieving when talking about a team that had as many posessions as the D'antoni Suns(3rd in Pace).What people also forget to mention is during his Phoenix days the anchor of his defense was Amare Stoudemire and now he has the greatest defensive player of his generation(Dwight Howard) under his command.
     Now lets get to how D'antoni fits with the Lakers. At first glance you see the potential for a deadly offense led by an even deadlier Nash-Howard P&R combination. But the elite offensive Phoenix teams had deadly 3pt  shooters something that this Lakers team doesn't. Guys like Boris Diaw,Raja Bell and Shawn Marion all commanded respect from the 3pt line. D'antoni will have to find a way to find a rotation that spreads the floor while also putting out he best lineup on the floor. Guys like Jodie Meeks and Antawn Jamison will play even bigger roles now than they did under Mike Brown. Now the success of this offense depends on a 38 year old who right now has a semi fracture in his leg.That's pretty dicey if you ask me.For the time being Chris duhon will be running the offense(Pretty funny right?).Even though there are plenty of questions surrounding this team it also has an enormous ceiling.Hopefully(for Laker fans) D'antoni can prove that he's better for the job then the "Zen Master".

NBA Stats Leaders Update

  We're about two weeks into the regular season and so I thought I'd give you the top 5 leaders in some statistical Categories. I will continue to do this every week or so. All stats are from ESPN.com & NBA.com .
                   
                           Individual Stats

Points: 1.Carmelo Anthony 27.3 PPG
             2.Kobe Bryant 27.2 PPG
             3.James Harden 26.5 PPG
             4.Kyrie Irving 23.3 PPG
             5.Lebron James 22.2 PPG

Rebounds: 1.Zach Randolph 15 RPG
                   2.Anderson Varejo 14 RPG
                   3.Omer Asik 12.8 RPG
                   4. Kevin Durant 11 RPG
                   5.Al Jefferson 10.7 RPG

Assists: 1.Rajon Rondo 13.3 APG
              2.Chris Paul 10.7 APG
              3.Jrue Holiday 9.5
              4.Grevis Vasquez 8.8 APG
              5.Brandon Jennings 8.6 APG

Blocks: 1.Marcin Gortat 3.86 BLKPG
              2.Serge Ibaka 2.67 BLKPG
              3.Anthony Davis 2.67 BLKPG
              4.Larry Sanders 2.6 BLKPG
              5.Roy Hibbert 2.57 BLKPG

Steals Per Game: 1.Brandon Jennings 3.4 STPG
                              2.Kyle Lowry 3 STPG
                              3.Kemba Walker 2.8 STPG
                              4.Nicolas Batum 2.67 STPG
                              5. Jeremy Lin 2.67 STPG
                           
                                                               

PER(Player Efficiency Rating): 1. Lebron James 26.43 PER
                                                     2. Tim Duncan 25.55 PER
                                                     3. Anthony Davis 24.65 PER
                                                     4.Carmelo Anthony 24.34 PER
                                                     5.Kyle Lowry 23.20 PER
                                            (Note: For this stat I only included players who average 25+Minutes)
                                                         
                                                                   Team Stats
Points Per Game: 1.Miami Heat 107.5 PPG
                              2.Dallas Mavericks 104.71 PPG
                              3.New York Knicks 104.5 PPG
                              4.Los Angeles Clippers 104.33 PPG
                              5.Memphis Grizzlies 100 PPG

Points Allowed Per Game: 1.New York Knicks 87.5 PPG
                                            2. Philadelphia 76ers 88.33 PPG
                                            3.New Orleans Hornets 88.6 PPG
                                            4.Chicago Bulls 88.67 PPG
                                            5.Minnesota Timberwolves 89.50

Field Goal %: 1.Miami Heat 0.515%
                         2.Los Angeles Clippers 0.502%
                         3.San Antonio Spurs 0.488%
                         4.Dallas Mavericks 0.477%
                         5.Oklahoma City Thunder 0.475

The Return of the Zen Master?

On Friday afternoon the Los Angeles Lakers fired their head coach Mike Brown after a slow 1-4 start. Most people were shocked to see such a knee jerk reaction from the Lakers but Kupchak and the Buss family felt that the Princeton Offense wasn't working and they needed a change. Almost immediately talks of the Legendary Coach Phil Jackson coming out of retirement began. Lakers fans even went as far to begin chanting "We want Phil!" while Kobe shot free throws against the Golden State Warriors.
    While Phil Jackson is one of the greatest coaches of all time and the All Time Leader in Championships won(11) you have to wonder if The Famed Triangle Offense best suits this team. The Lakers have 3 guys who have previously operated under Phil(Kobe,Metta and Pau) but guys like Dwight and Nash will have to learn this offense after they just spent a whole offseason learning the Princeton. Nash will most likely be affected the most by this offense as it's an offense designed to take the ball away from the point guard. Phil Jackson has never had a point guard who can run the offense quite like Steve Nash, so he's going to have to intergrate some Pick & Roll sets to accustom Nash's style of play. I have no doubt that a coach of Phil Jackson's caliber can do it but it remains to be seen how Nash will play when he returns from injury.
     Ultimately this decision lies within the hands of Phil Jackson and only he knows whats best for him. Health wise he's better than ever and that should not affect his decision. While we still don't know if he can handle the 24/7 grind of a typical NBA Season he's gone through enough seasons to know whether he can handle it. The NBA and it's fans miss seeing Phil calmly sitting at the bench,his great soundbites and seeing his glory as he reached the top of the NBA world 11 times. As a coach Phil was unlike any other he was able to command the respect of his players with such ease that he didn't need to berate his players on the sidelines. His peaceful demeanor earned him the nickname "The Zen Master". The Lakers are in a state of panic right now and they need The Zen Master.

Celtics-Heat Recap 10/30/12

Celtics fall to Heat in Season Opener, 120-107

The NBA season kicked off last night and the two titans of the Eastern Conference squared off in the NBA's marquee matchup that featured the defending champion Miami Heat facing off against the Boston Celtics. Two thing marred this Celtics game, Turnovers and Defense. While the turnovers should be a surprise to nobody as they've always been awful at taking care of the ball it was very uncharacteristic of them to give up 120 points on 54% shooting. The defensive rotations and pick & roll defense were absolutely atrocious. People were late on their rotations and guards were coming off of screens scoring at the rim. After only being down 8 points at the half the Heat who looked like they were in control all night extended the lead to 17. In the 4th quarter the Celtics were saved by an unlikely savior, Leandro Barbosa. Barbosa scored all 16 of his points in the 4th quarter just trying to keep the Celtics in the game as the Heat were without Lebron James who left early with Leg Cramps. In the end bad defense and turnovers cost the Celtics this game. The biggest storyline going into this game was Ray Allen going up against his former team and how he would play. Well it's safe to say he's acclimated pretty well to his new team. Ray finished with 19 points and gutted his former team with back breaking shot after back breaking shot. While the new members of the Heat played well the same could not be said for the Celtics. Not including Leandro Barbosa the Celtics bench scored only 13 points,so much for this "new found depth".Jeff Green, who was coming off a great preseason looked like a guy who hadn't played a meaningful game in over a year. He looked lost on defense and tentative on offense. In all seriousness the Celtics are going to need time to gel and cohesion is not formed through one regular season game.

        The one and only thing that impressed me during this game was the offense. A team that was as inept on offense as you can get last year looked like the "7 seconds or less" Suns out there. They were getting out in transition,knocking down their shots and getting to the free throw line. As usual our offense was carried by the Captain Paul Pierce who finished with a team high 23 points on 6-15 shooting and 9-9 at the Free Throw line. Early on in the game I was really disappointed by Rondo, I thought he'd come out ultra aggressive and assert his will on the offensive side of the ball but instead in the first quarter he finished with just 0 points. Going forward the Celtics are going to need Rondo's offense, they can't always count on Leandro Barbosa going 6-8 from the field. He needs to take it to rim and draw fouls. I did however like his confidence in his Jumper something that has not been present in years past. On the other side of the ball the Miami Heat looked as thought they were coming off an NBA Finals win(Oh wait they're) and were in control for most of the game. Lebron was.....well he was Lebron and dominated both sides of the court with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Dwayne Wade had 27 to lead the Heat and Chris Bosh had 19. It was evident last night that the Celtics weren't in midseason form defensively but there's a lot of time to get things right and I have faith in Doc Rivers to get the job done. There's a reason they play 82 games.

NBA Season Preview 2012-2013

NBA Season Preview 2012-2013

Well folks we made it, the NBA season starts in 4 days and I'm filled with excitement. The excitement and build up to this season has been as big as it's ever been. With so many questions this season that need to be answered I felt that there were too many to cover them all so I'll just go through 10. At the end I will include my preliminary playoff predictions.

1. Can the Heat repeat as NBA Champions?: The Miami Heat come into this season as overwhelming favorites to win the championship this year. In the annual NBA GM survey 21 out of the 30 GMs picked the Heat as favorites to win it all. It really shouldn't surprise anyone that the Heat are the favorites to win it. The Heat have arguably the best basketball player since a guy named Jordan retired, the 2nd best SG in the game and an all star pf/c. One of the things that makes the Heat even more dangerous than last year is their newfound versatility. Now while last year wasn't the first year Lebron played the 4 on a regular basis but it was the first tim he played exceptionally well on the low block. While playing the 4 last year Lebron had an astonishing 37.1 PER while averaging 39 points and 12 rebs(All of these stats are per 48 minutes). Now he only played the power forward 24% of the time he was on the court so it's a small sample size but we'll get a much bigger sample size this year. Not only do the Heat have a great starting lineup they bolstered their bench by signing perhaps the greatest 3pt shooter ever Ray Allen. The Heat should be the favorites to not only win a much improved Eastern Conference but win the title as I don't think anyone in the league other than the Thunder or Celtics matches up with them that well and they just got beat by Miami last year. So if the Heat are blessed with health this year expect them to coast through the regular season even in a tougher conference than last season.

2.Is OKC still the team to beat out west?: With all the big acquisitons the Lakers made this offseason it seems like(at least in the eyes of the media) that the potential "Thunder Dynasty" may be put on hold for a year or two. I don't think that's true. Oklahoma City is coming off a crushing defeat in the NBA Finals to the Heat. Now while the only meaningful acquisition OKC made was the drafting of Baylor Forward Perry Jones III, they're getting back backup point guard Eric Maynor which is a huge lift for them. Lets not also forget that they're 4 best players are all coming off of a summer in which they all competed in the olympics in which 3 of them won Gold(Durant,Westbrook and Harden) and the other won silver(Ibaka). The Thunder have the best scorer in the world(Durant),the most or one of the most explosive and atheletic players in the league(Westbrook),the best bench player in the league(Harden) and one of the most emphatic shot blockers we've seen since Mt.Mutumbo(Ibaka). Now the Thunder do play in a very improved divisions with some teams who will make some noise so they might struggle in the regular season in terms of playoff seeding, but in the playoffs if I had to bet a large amount of money on the team I think would make the finals it'd be the Thunder.

3.Are the Lakers as good as we think they're?: As a bitter Celtics fan it's hard for me to write about the Lakers being one of the top contenders........AGAIN! It just seems like these guys never go away. I got to give a lot of credit to Mitch Kupchak(Lakers GM) he's always keeping this team in title contention without really having to completely having to rebuild. Now a starting lineup of Nash-Kobe-MWP-Gasol-Howard looks very scary and in the one preseason game they played together for streches it looked like the best starting lineup in the league. While the starters did not disappoint the same can't be said about the bench. The Lakers's bench was outscored 57-18(yes you read that right). Now while the bulk of those points came from Marcus Thorton and Aaron Brooks(Two guys worthy of starting) allowing the Kings bench to outscore your bench by 39 points is unacceptable. Now some chemistry issues have to be worked on but the bench NEEDS to be fixed if they're to beat OKC or any other western confernce team in a potential playoff matchup. Now back to the starters. With the Lakers instituting a new offensive scheme known as the "Princeton Offense" some headaches and issues will arise over the course of this season as it's a brand new team trying to intergrate a brand new offense. Defensively with Mike Brown coaching them they'll be even better than before since they added one of the best defensive players of this generation. I really want to say that Kobe will be different this season but it's Kobe and anybody can tell you this guy will not relinquish his role as LA's alpha dog even if he's the 2nd best player on his team now. The Lakers are going o be very good, even great but it's going to take some time to get used to each other and their starters are going to have to log extreme minutes if that bench doesn't improve.

4.Can Boston compete with Miami?: One number can describe the Celtics goals for this upcoming season....18. To get to that sacred number the Celtics are most likely going to have to get through Miami as that's been the case for the past two years. The Celtics are equipped and ready to be the #2 seed in the east and that seems to be the consensus around the league. With the additions of Lee,Green,Terry and Sullinger many believe this Celtics team to be as deep as it's been in years.There are still some concerns like rebounding and turnovers but I think those will get ironed out as the season wears on. The most important part of this team right now and going forward is 3x All Star Point Guard Rajon Rondo. With Ray Allen gone Rondo has stepped in the center of the Celtic's "Big 3" and his improvements to his game have been well documented. For the Celtics to be abl to beat the defending champs Rondo has to be a top 10 player EVERY NIGHT.The 2nd seed in the East is the Celtics's to lose right now

5.Can the Bulls compete without Derrick Rose?: Anytime a player goes down with an injury it's an awful sight but last year it was different. When Rose grabbed his knee and layed on the floor you could see and hear the Bulls fans and their sheer disappointment. I think I can speak for most fans of other teams in saying that we all felt bad Rose. Rose is one of the most humble and hard working players the league has,he also happens to be one of the best. Going in to the offseason many people specualted on what the Bulls would do as they were in such a tough place money wise. They broke up the "Bench Mob" which for the past 2 years had been one of the best group of backups in the league.They acquired Kirk Hinrich and "spark plug" Nate Robinson to try and fill the gaping void left by Rose. For the Bulls to actually have a shot at making the playoffs their defense (which has been one of the best in league since Thibs was hired) can't falter. Offensively they're going to have issues creating shots for themselves but if they keep up with their vaunted defense this team could sneak in as an 8th seed and cause some trouble.


6.Can the Clippers finally step out of the Lakers shadow?: Since the dawn of time the Lakers have dominated Basketball in Los Angeles but for the first time in years it seems like the Clippers can finally get out of the proverbial "little brother" role. The Clippers were very busy in adding major depth to this roster. Jamal Crawford,Grant Hill and Lamar Odom. All three of those players will make major contributions once the season rolls around. Defensively though they're going to have to rely on the backcourt pressure guys like Eric Bledsoe and Chris Paul can apply to opposing point guards. With no real imposing shot blockers on this team they'll have to rely on perimeter defense.Offensively the sky is the limit for this team with guys. Ultimately I think this team will have difficulty getting stops but will be one of the top 4 teams in the west.

7.Are the Knicks finally going to live up to their potential?: The Knicks are full of mysteries and questions but the biggest question that has been surrounding them since they acquired Melo in a trade is whether they can live up to their potential. When you really take a good look at this team you realize how flawed they're. Their best two players refuse to do what's necessary to win and are also bad defensive players. You also realize that their top 3 players(Melo,Chandler and Amare) can't even be on the court together. Last year Melo was extremely effective at the power forward position but you can understand why he's so hesitant to play it as he takes more of a pounding playing in the post against bigger opponents. My Ideal starting lineup for NYK looks like this Felton-Shumpert(when healthy)-Novak-Melo-Chandler with Amare coming off the bench. In theory it looks great and when you see the offensive numbers with Melo at the 4 you're even more inclined to love it. With Melo starting at the 4 the Knicks averaged 108 points per 100 possesions compared to 98 with him at the 3. This injury to Amare is the perfect time for Mike Woodson to try out this lineup and when Amare is healthy bring him off the bench. Even though I've been saying this for the past year, the Knicks are too talented to not be a top 4 team in the east.

8.Can Brooklyn dethrone the Knicks as the best team in New York?: A team that was last in its division last year is being hailed as one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. The Nets are an interesting team. On paper you look at the lineup and think "Hey, this team could be pretty good!" but then you look at the defensive statistics and see how awful they were on defense you realize that this team is all hype. Last year Brooklyn was 24th in points allowed(99.1), 27th in opponent's FG%(.472) and 29th in opponent's 3pt FG%(.374). Many people bring up that the Nets brought in Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez but neither of those players will make that much of a drastic impact on the defensive end.What surprises me most about the Nets is how people act like Deron Williams will be the savior of this city. This is the same guy who shot 40% last year and led the league in turnovers while playing no defense. Now two of those things(FG% and TOs) may be a product of his surrounding cast but the two years he's been here he has proving he isn't a franchise changing player. At best this team is a 6th seed.

9.Are the Nuggets a top 4 team in the West?: A team that took the Lakers to the brink of elimination last year is being looked at as one of the more exciting teams in the league. Guys like Ty Lawson,Javale Mcgee,Kenneth Faried and Andre Igoudala are the main reasons for that excitement. Last year this team led the league in points(104.1) and this year while they didn't improve much on offense they added a huge piece on defense. Andre Igoudala is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league and held his opponents to the lowest PER(Player Effieciency Rating) in the league. Much was made over Javale Mcgee's work with Hakeem Olajuwon and many expected him to have a breakout year but with him coming off the bench he can still have a big impact on the game. I expect Denver to hover around that 4 seed but ultimately getting the 5th seed.

10.Are the Spurs finally too old to compete?: "Are the Spurs too old?" "Can these guys compete in the fast,athletic Western Conference?" Both of those questions are pretty common among NBA fans who doubt the Spur's greatness. I'll even admit last year I was one of those people. Last year the Spurs had a 20 GAME WIN STREAK going into game 3 of the Western Conference. That's pretty good for a team deemed too old to compete for a title. I'll make this short and sweet, As long as Gregg Popvich is the coach of this team they will be able to be a top 4 team in the west.

Eastern Conference Playoff Predictions:
1.Miami Heat(58-64 wins)
2.Boston Celtics(50-55 wins)
3.Indiana Pacers (45-52 wins)
4.New York Knicks(45-52 wins)
5.Atlanta Hawks(44-51 wins)
6.Brooklyn Nets(43-48 wins)
7.Philadelphia 76ers(41-45 wins)
8.Chicago Bulls/Milwaukee Bucks(41-43 wins)

Western Conference Playoff Predictions
1.Oklahoma City Thunder(59-65 wins)
2.Los Angeles Lakers(55-62 wins)
3. Los Angeles Clippers(50-56 wins)
4.San Antonio Spurs(50-55 wins
5.Denver Nuggets(48-54 wins)
6.Memphis Grizzlies(44-46 wins)
7.Dallas Mavericks(40-42 wins)
8.Minnesota Timberwolves(40-41 wins)

    

Can Jared Sullinger and Jeff Green contribute for the Celtics

      This time last year many considered the 6'9 Ohio St forward to be a top 10 pick in the draft but concerns over back problems made Sullinger slip all the way to the 21st pick. At Ohio St Jared Sullinger dominated on the offensive end. In his freshman year he averaged 17..2 on 54% shooting. He wasn't a slouch on defense either, in his freshman year he led the Big Ten in rebounds and defensive rebounds. Sullinger makes up for his lack of elite athleticism with great low post moves and great positioning on the boards something the celtics severely lacked last year(Last year the Celtics were the worst offensive rebounding team in the last 30 years). The real question is can all of this translate against NBA level talent? The answer is yes. So far in the two preseason games he's averaging 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds. He has excelled in finishing around the rim and cleaning up the offensive boards. He has excellent hands which is very important in playing with Rondo.Even in this short sample size we've seen in the preseason against European teams I'm confident He can succeed in the NBA, it just depends on how Doc uses him. Doc has already elaborated on how he'll use Sully. Doc has said that Sullinger will never be the biggest celtics on the floor so his struggles with going against length aren't exposed.I think Sullinger will be a perfect fit for this team and will a huge impact on their success.In the regular I wouldn't neccessarily expect the same level of play he displayed in Europe but this weekend will be a perfect preview as the Celtics take on the Knicks.

       One year removed from season ending heart surgery Jeff Green has silenced almost all of his critics. As I wrote in an earlier piece many people criticized Danny Ainge for giving Green a 4 year $32 Million contract but after the Celtics Europe trip I think all of the specualting and wondering whether Green could still play was over. In the Celtics first preseason game Green erupted for 11 points in the 4th quarter and did with such ease that it attracted comparions to a certain Hall of Famer named James Worthy. While I wasn't alive to see Worthy play live I've seen lots of tape on him and can say that it's not a totally crazy comparison. Both were/are athletic swingmen who excell at driving to the basketball and can post up smalller defenders. What impressed me most about his preseason performances was that he was agressive. One of the knocks on Green was that he was very timid and was passive. I thought that would be the case with it being his first two games back but Green proved me wrong. Green can be a huge difference maker for this team as he gives the team a much needed athletic wing player. He needs to continue this great play and can't have any setbacks before I can truly trust him but right now he's looking pretty good out there.

Both Green and Sullinger will be vital this season as they will be counted on to come in and buy some rest for Garnett and Pierce. These two along with Jason Terry will be counted on heavily to improve a bench which was 29th in scoring last year. Expect these two players to have wonderful years in green if all goes well

Can the Celtics win a Title this Year?

     Celtics training camp has officially started and the Banner 18 buzz has been huge around Celtics' fans.
For most Celtics fans like me we expect the Celtics to win a title every year but realistically we know that's not going to happen. This year the competition for the coveted "Larry O'Brien" Trophy is more heated than ever. By my count there are at least 6 teams with a legitimate shot at winning it all(Miami,LAL,OKC,San Antonio and Boston) and then you have about 3-4 other teams who could actually beat those teams. I'm going to quickly run through the potential finals/playoff matchups and see if Boston can hang with them.
     Boston vs Miami: An ECF rematch pitting arguably the two best teams in the east. Now lasts years matchup was full of "what ifs" and injuries. Hopefully when/if these two teams meet up in the playoffs both are fully healthy. Over the last two years these two teams have played each other 18 times resulting in probably the most heated rivalry we have in this league and to make it even worse the Heat signed former "Big 3" member Ray Allen making the rivalry even bigger. The Celtics are the best equipped team in the Eastern Conference to knock off the defending champs. Danny reloaded a bench that was 2nd to last in bench scoring last year and now it seems they have the potential to be top 10 at the least. Courtney Lee and Jeff Green would be leaned on heavily this potential series to try to slow down both Wade and Lebron. Now obviously there is no way you can really slow down Lebron as he showed us this past year but Paul Pierce has proved that he can go toe to toe with Lebron. Chris Bosh and Ray Allen could potentially be the X-Factors for this team. We saw how easy it is to beat the Heat when you only have to worry about Lebron and Wade but with Chris Bosh on the court it opens up the court and helps them run their offense to perfection. Ray will definitely help this team but it remains to be seen whether Ray will get accustomed to his new rule coming off the bench but all he has to do is move without the ball and knock down open shots. Now it will obviously be a very daunting task but I think the Celtics can still hang with and beat the trio down in South Beach
     Boston vs Lakers: The most successful franchises in Basketball potentially facing off in the Finals could prove to be the exciting match up in all of sports. The Lakers were all over the headlines this past summer with their acquisitions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard. Obviously those signings made fans screaming all over for another title. To be completely honest this would probably be one of the more easier match ups for the celtics. Other than Dwight Howard there is not one player match up I would be worried about if I were a Celtics fan. Kobe and Nash aren't the players they once were and it has definitely shown the past couple of years. Rondo and Bradley would definitely have the advantage defensively in my opinion because of their youth and athleticism. Dwight Howard obviously would be a huge problem defensively and on the boards but his free throw shooting makes him one of the biggest offensive liabilities in the NBA. LA did help their bench this offseason with the signing of former All Star Antawn Jamison but I still don't think that their bench can be on par with teams like OKC or San Antonio. In the end I honestly don't think the Lakers would pose that much of a threat to the Celtics. With the age of their backcourt they couldn't keep up with the speed and athleticism of the Celtics.
     Boston vs San Antonio: Now this is a finals match up I would love to see and one I thought might be possible last year. Now many people will bring up the Spurs age and I used to be one of those people. As long as Greg Popovich is the head coach this team will compete for a title. Greg Popovich was able to change this team from a defensive minded team to an offensive juggernaut seamlessly. I just can't keep this team out of this post because of him. Tony Parker had an MVP like season last year and really opened everyones' eyes(pun intended). This might be a very interesting matchup becasue of guys like Kwahi Leonard. Kwahi is a very interesting player because his game has changed so much from college to the pros. When he came out of college I though he would be more of a slasher type forward but somehow Pop got him to be a very effective spot up 3pt shooter. We know what Duncan,Parker and Ginobli are giving the spurs but if the bench doesn't play well that team just does not function very well as we saw in the Western Conference finals last year. San Antonio commands a lot of respect from the rest of the league because of their previous success but in reality they're very easy to stop. Should Boston run into them in a potential finals match up I wouldn't expect San Antonio to give them much trouble.
    Boston vs Oklahoma City: The defending Western Conference Champions pose a major threat to the rest of the league and the Celtics. The Thunder are hungry for a title and should the Celtics face them it would be a huge problem maybe even bigger than a match up with the Heat. The difference between the Thunder is that stopping their stars would be even harder than Miami. The way to stop Miami is simple in a sense, make them shoot jump shots. Now with the Thunder the problem is that they're stars love shooting jump shots. Kevin Durant is easily the worlds best scorer and can shoot it from anywhere,James Harden is a deadly spot up 3PT shooter and Russell Westbrook is almost automatic from mid-range. Not only can they hit jumpers but they can also take it to the hoop and finish at the rim. I think the Celtics would be at big disadvantage during this potential match up because of the scoring ability of OKC's stars. Right now even though I have OKC as the 2nd best team in the league I have them winning the championship next year.

Who has the "Clutch Gene" in The NBA?

      One of the most defining traits of  "Legends" in any sport is the ability to perform under pressure. That trait is simply called being "clutch". Now when you think of being clutch most likely you think of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. These two players are generally known as two of the greatest players when the game is on the line. I will take a look at the leagues premier players in "Clutch Time" since the 2008-2009 season.
      According to 82games.com "Clutch" is defined as 4th quarter or overtime less than 5 minutes left neither team ahead by more than five points. With that definition they compiled a handful of players' stats and averaged them out per 48 minutes.
      Kobe Bryant is considered to be the league's premier clutch player and while that may have been true a couple years ago I don't think it's true anymore.Since 2008 Kobe Bryant has averaged 56.1 points(08-09), 51.2 points(09-10),49.8 points(10-11) and 36.3 points(11-12) per 48 minutes in clutch time.Now the 2008-2011 stats are quite impressive there was a huge drop off in production this year(13.5 pts). His FG% has always been an issue since he takes so many shots. Among all players with at least 20 FGA per 48 minutes he had the 6th worst FG% in the league(.327). Now when evaluating players in "Clutch Time" it's important to take all stats into account all stats. Heres Kobe's full stat line from 82games.com: 36.3 Points, 7.8 Rebs and 6.8 Asts. Here are his Shooting Splits: .327 FG%, .214 3PT% and 80% FT. Now I'm no expert but those shooting splits seem average at best to me for a guy who's considered to be "cold-blooded". The point I'm trying to make is I think age has finally caught up with the Black Mamba and he's not the same clutch player people make him out to be.
       I'm now going to delve deep into the stats of the most scrutinized player in the league, Lebron James.
Ever since that dreadful playoff series against Boston in 2010 Lebron has been labeled as a "choker". Last season his stats were surprisingly closely similar to the stats of Kobe Bryant. Here is his full stat line: 33.2 Points,15.1 Rebs and 9.3 Asts. Now before you criticize his points average keep in mind two of his teammates are averaging 25 pts in clutch time. His stat line seems very proficient especially the Rebounds. his 15.1 Rebounds are good for 14th in the league which isn't surprising since he spent a lot of last year playing the PF position. His 9.3 Asts are the highest for a non-Point Guard which is again not surprising. Now here's where I get critical of him. His shooting splits are as equally as disappointing as Kobe's. Here they are: .386 FG%, .273 3PT FG% and a putrid 68% on FTs. What I find most surprising is that he's only 13th in FGAs per 48 minutes. Most Lebron critics are quick to point out that he won't take the last shot but for the past 3 years he's been in the the top 15 in FGAs, leading the league in 2009-10(41 FGAs). In 2009-10 Lebron was easily the best player in Clutch Time. He averaged a whopping 66.1 points(15 more than Kobe),15.9 Rebs and 8.3 Asts.
         We tend to generalize "clutch players" as guys who score the ball frequently in pressure situations. However I tend to think of "clutch players" as players who make the right play at the right time. Here are some players who I deem to be clutch but may not be seen the same way in the public eye. Rajon Rondo for the past two season has averaged 10.3 Asts and 12.8 Asts per 48 minutes in Clutch Time. Last season he was the only player averaging at least 10 Asts that didn't the ball over more than 5 times per 48 minutes(He averaged 2.4). This is one of the most surprising stat not because I didn't already know rondo could take care of the ball but that there was such a disparity between him and another great passer, Steve Nash. Nash who is usually known for his excellent playmaking skills struggled to take care of the ball averaging a staggering 8.1 TOs per 48 minutes. Rondo also happens to be the only player in the league averaging a triple double per 48 minutes.Another trait that is lost in the mix with "Clutch Play" is the defensive side of the ball. When I talk about defense I take Rebounds,Blocks and Steals in to account. Serge Ibaka averaged 19.1 Rebs, and 5.6 Blks per 48 minutes. Not surprising for the leagues leading shot-blocker. His rebounds are what really surprises me. Ibaka has never averaged more than 7 rebs per game in his short career but it seems he gobbles up more rebounds when the game is on the line. Here are some cool stats I found while exploring this site: Kyrie Irving in his rookie year averaged a whopping 56.4(led the league) points per 48 minutes, Paul Pierce is the 2nd best 3pt shooter(60%) with at least 5 3pt FGA per 48 minutes and. Warriors' SG Klay Thompson led the league in steals per 48 minutes with 4.8 steals

Boston Celtics 2012-2013 Season Preview

      The NBA season is just under 40 days from getting started.With that being the case it's only natural for me to do a preview of my favorite team. The Celtics' 2011-2012 season ended with a game 7 defeat to the eventual champion Miami Heat. Many thought that the Celtics overachieved for a team that started 0-3 and went into the All-Star break at 15-17. In the second half of the season the Celtics were among the top teams with a record of 24-10 to end the season. With the 4th spot in the playoffs they took out the Atlanta Hawks in 6 games, then finished off the Philadelphia 76ers in 7. After that we all know what happened. After the loss in the Conference Finals many people speculated whether Danny Ainge would break up the Big 3 with KG and Ray Allen being in the last year of their contracts. Well KG immediately ended any specualation about him being a free agent with him signing a 3 year $34 million deal. Ray however took a different route and decided to sign with the Miami Heat.Danny then signed Jason Terry,Courtney Lee, Dionte Christmas,Jason Collins and recently Darko Milicic. He resigned Brandon Bass, Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox. He drafted Jared Sullinger,Fab Melo and Kris Joseph. At the end it turned out to be a great offseason for the Celtics now lets hope it can be a great regular season.
        Now you would think that being a Celtics fan I think the Celtics will win it every year but that's not the case. I tend to look at things from a numbers standpoint and while I still love the Celtics the numbers just don't add up to a championship for us. With that being said they still have a shot to win it but thats only if a number of things happen. Rajon Rondo showed us in the playoffs what he is truly capable of when he's fully engaged but while he played phenomenal in the playoffs he still hasn't showed that he can be trusted to do that in the regular season. The days of Paul Pierce carrying the offense are gone and now Rondo has to be the guy that can carry this team for 48 minutes night in and night out. While his numbers may not suggest that he's an elite player in this league many people would say he is.
        The most improved aspect of this team is easily the bench and Danny really made it a point to bolster a bench that last year was pretty bad. Last year the Celtics' bench was ranked 29th in the league with an average of about 21 points per game. Well with the additions of Jason Terry,Courtney Lee, Jared Sullinger and the return of Jeff Green.With Avery Bradley being out until late december at the least Courtney Lee and Jason Terry will be very important. The Celtics' bench on paper looks like one of the best in the league.
         With all of the new additions it's really hard to determine which one will be the most important. While I love the acquisition of Jason Terry there has to be some concern with him coming off his worst shooting season since his last season in Atlanta. Though the bench scoring and leadership he will provide will outweigh his possible shooting splits.The most maligned and criticized signing by Ainge had to be the resigning of Jeff Green. Most people were in awe that Danny  Ainge would give a 4 year $34 million contract to a player coming off of season ending heart surgery. While he did overpay there was really no other option for him with there not being much left in the Free Agent market. It has been written/announced multiple times that Jeff Green over the course of his career has statiscally made his team worse when he's on the court. While that may be statiscally true it's not Jeff's fault. In his time with the Thunder Jeff Green found himself playing the Power Forward position most of the time he was playing at the same time of Kevin Durant. Jeff Green is 6'8-6'9 ft and around 230 pounds,does that seem like the build of a NBA power forward to you? For Jeff Green he was nightly going up against guys who were 40-50 lbs bigger than him, it's like asking Paul Milsap to play center every game. With all of the flaws Green has in his game he's still 6'9,athletic and can run the floor, none of those thing were present on this team last year. He'll also be able to give Pierce some much needed rest before the playoffs. I expect Terry and Green to have the biggest impact among the newcomers.

      Obviously the most important aspect of this team is the starters but theres really nothing different to say about them. We know what we're getting every night from Pierce and KG. Rondo and Bass will do their thing in the pick and pop. When Bradley comes back he'll hopefully return to his pesky defensive ways and continue to make backdoor cuts.But what really needs to improve is the offensive rebounding. Last year they were at the bottom of the league in offensive rebounding and were historically bad when it came to Offensive Rebounding %. Sully,Wilcox,Collins and Darko will hep with the rebounding but they wont be a juggernaut on the glass and that's to be expected as they've never been one.
        Rookies + Doc Rivers = Not much playing time. That's been Doc's philosophy for the past couple of years. I think this season will be different. This is easily the best draft the Celtics have had since the 2006 draft. Jared Sullinger,Fab Melo and Dionte Christmas will all have chances to play with this team but they also need to contribute. Jared Sullinger is the most NBA ready prospect the Celtics have and will most likely contribute the most to the team. Sully will rebound,defend and give them some points while proving the 20 teams who passed on him that they were severely wrong.
        The Celtics regular season success hinges on them fending off the young teams who're hungry to knock off the Celtics from Atlantic Division supremacy. The Knicks,Nets,Sixers and Raptors all improved in hopes of winning the Division. They also still have to deal with Miami but the games against them in the regular season aren't very important compared to the playoffs if you take a look at the last 2 years.Even with the improvements the Celtics are still the class of the division and I expect Boston to win it. KG and Pierce minutes will go down. Expect KG to be in the mid to high twenties while Pierce will probably be in the low 30s when it comes to minutes.If Rondo can have the kind of stat line he had in the playoffs and improve his shooting splits he could be at the top of the MVP voting and really surprise a lot of people.With that said their regular season win total could be anywhere from 47-54 wins from the Celtics while they play their tenacious brand of basketball. Expect basketball in Boston to be very exciting this year.
     

Quick Week 2 Recap

Upsets,Penalties and Missed Field Goals. That pretty much sums up a wild week 2 in football. Here is a recap of the best games of the weekend.
          Arizona Cardinal 20, New England Patriots 18: In the most surprising upset of week 2 the Cardinals stunned the Patriots in the their home opener. For most of the game the Cardinals were putting pressure on Tom Brady racking up 4 sacks. Arizona proved the old adage that "if you put Brady under pressure he just isn't that effective" and they were able to hold him to 0 TDs until the final Quarter. If you were like most Patriots fans who were attending the game and left before it was over than you missed a great finish. With under 2 minutes left in the game with the Cardinals up by 2 RB Ryan Williams fumbled on the their own 30 and it looked like that turnover had sealed a win for the Pats. With just 6 seconds left Patriots Kicker Stephen Gostowski missed the potential game winning field goal which brought back memories of the famous "wide left" missed FG by Billy Cundiff. While it's only week 2 and the game itself may not have any playoff implications Pats fans have to be worried about star TE Aaron Hernadez who injured his ankle in the 1st quarter. Early reports indicate that Hernandez will be out for up to 6 weeks.With this win the Cardinals improve to 2-0 while the Patriots fall to 1-1. The MVP of this game had to be Cardinals Defensive End Calais Campbell who finished with 2 sacks.


          Philadelphia Eagles 24, Baltimore Ravens 23: In one of the NFL's marquee week 2 match ups it turned out to be a hard fought and physical football game. Both teams won their week 1 openers and were determined to beat the other team the good ole fashioned way. For Eagles fans it has been a very confusing two weeks. In just two weeks the Eagles have committed 9 turnovers yet they're still 2-0. In week 1 Michael Vick threw 56 TIMES and 4 of those passes were intercepted. This week was a little better but he still made those plays where you wanna say "What are you doing!?". In the first quarter Michael Vick was scrambling towards the right side and had a WIDE OPEN running lane and instead of running for some extra yards he decided to throw the ball right in to coverage and had it picked off in the endzone. The Ravens were coming off a dominant performance which made most people crown the Ravens the best team in the AFC and Joe flacco looked like his performance in the AFC championship game wasn't an aberration. However in this game he looked like his "I'm the best QB" proclamation was way off. In the end this game came down to the refs when it looked like Michael Vick  had fumbled the ball and the game away. With a look at the monitor the refs concluded that it wasn't a fumble and the Eagles were rewarded when Michael Vick ran in for the Game winning TD. While he made some boneheaded plays Vick turned out to be the MVP of this with 2 total TDs


      Pittsburgh Steelers 27, New York Jets 10: The circus rolled into Pittsburgh hoping to improve to 2-0 on the season while the Steelers were looking to avoid the dreaded 0-2 start but were without two former Defensive MVPs in Troy Polalmalu and James Harrison. In the end it didn't matter as the Steelers rolled over New York. "Big" Ben Roethlisberger had a great game, He went 24-31 for 275 yards and 2 TDs while also being impossible to tackle. Mark Sanchez was very good early on but faltered late in the game when Pittsburgh's defense really settled in. The most exciting and contrversial play came when Ryan Clark was called for Pass Interference on a play where the only time he interacted with the Receiver was when he came from the other side of the field and laid him out. This game really pointed out the glaring weakness that is the replacement refs. With this win the Steelers avoided their first 0-2 start in a decade and silenced any talk of the Steelers defense being old. While he didn't have the flashiest stats Steelers' Free Safety Ryan Clark was the MVP of this one finishing with 7 tackles and making up for the loss of Polalmalu.

Roger Goodell and his Tyrannical Power.

     Roger Goodell is considered by many to be the most powerful man in Professional Sports. He is the commissioner of the most popular sports league in North America. A league in which he yields enormous power over.

      Since 2006(When Goodell took the job as commissioner) Goodell has suspended 24 players for a total 124 games for violating the leagues player conduct policy. While I have no problems with most of the suspensions there are some that bother me. The biggest of all the suspensions and the one I have a problem with is the the "Bounty Scandal". In March the NFL released a statement saying that they had found evidence that Former Saints' Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams had orchestrated a "Bounty" System which rewarded players for their performance. It turns out that the NFL had been investigating them for over 3 years and had warned the Saints on a couple of occasions. Not long after Goodell suspended players Jonathan Vilma(Entire Season), Anthony Hargrove(8 Games), Will Smith(4 Games) and Scott Fujita(3 Games). He also went after the management and coaching staff by suspending Head Coach Sean Payton(Entire Season),Assistant Coach Joe Vitt(6 Games), GM Mickey Loomis(8 Games) and Gregg Williams(Indefinitely). Soon after a tape of a Gregg Williams Pre-game speech was released. While it may have been a bad speech never in that tape was there ever any mentioning of money changing hand between the players mentioned. Roger Goodell never released any evidence of the players mentioned receiving money. What bothers me even more is that Goodell knew about this for THREE YEARS and not once decided to do a thing about it. This past weekend it was released that the four players who were suspended for their involveent in the case won their appeal and were eligible to play in their Sunday openers. It has also come to my attention that the NFL is being sued by thousands of former players over concussions. The plaintiffs are stating that the NFL knew about the concussions that are now affecting these players and the NFL tried to cover them up and since the Bounty scandal is a matter of player safety Goodell is trying to tie up loose ends if you will.

   

While I do think the Saints had a "Bounty Sysytem" in place(Like many other teams have had in the past) and I think the Management/Coaches suspensions were justifiable I just haven't seen enough evidence to single out these players. Goodell is using this "Bounty Scandal" as leverage and it just might work.

Top 5 NBA MVP Candidates

It may be a bit premature to do a "Top 5 NBA MVP Candidates" piece but I'm bored so I'm doing it anyway.


1.Lebron James: Being the reigning NBA MVP gives you some leeway on this list. Other than that Lebron James should be on the top of every ones list just because he is the best all around player in the game. In his career he has consistently been a top scorer in the league and he's one of the best passing forwards we've seen since Bird. He's also an elite player on the defensive side of the ball consistently guarding and shutting down the other team's best player whether it's out on the perimeter or in the post. If Miami can have the same regular season success they did last year then expect Lebron to claim his 4th MVP trophy.

2.Kevin Durant: Kevin Durant is undoubtedly the best scorer in the world. He can score from literally anywhere on the court. As long as Westbrook and Harden aren't dominating the ball you can expect anywhere from 25-35 points on any given night from him. Part of what makes him so good on offense is he's unusually tall and long for a SF and with his high release point it makes it hard for players to contest let alone block his shot. Although he is an elite scorer his lack of defense is what gives Lebron the edge. It's not that he can't play defense it's just that his body isn't built to guard guys down in the post. OKC would have to win  at least 62 games next year for Kevin Durant to win the MVP

3.Chris Paul: Last year Chris Paul turned a perennial losing franchise into a top 4 playoff team in the west. It was truly remarkable what CP3 did. He is without a doubt the league's most talented point guard. He makes everyone better around him and that is the mark of a true great point guard. For CP3 to win this award the Clippers would have to finish with a top 2 seed in the west.

4.Rajon Rondo: If there was a national tv game MVP award Rondo would have definitely won it last year. As a C's fan I've watched just about every game of his career and last year there were a lot of inconsistencies. He played exceptionally well in the nationally televised games against big time opponents but against teams like Cleveland and Milwaukee he looked despondent and uninterested. In a game against Cavs Rondo was held scoreless on a night where he took just 6 shots. That can't happen this year if Rondo wants to included in the Elite group of points guards. While he already made a case for that in the playoffs with a magical playoff run. During that run he averaged 17.3 pts, 11.9 and 6.7 rebs. If he can carry those averages in to the regular season Rondo could climb in these rankings.

5.Dwight Howard: I don't know if Dwight will be healthy at the start of season but what I do know is that this guy is the single most dominant force in the NBA at his position. Any team he is on is guaranteed at least 50 wins. He's the pick and roll finisher in the league playing with the best pick and roll passer in the league. If Dwight can come back before the All-Star break and return to his dominant ways then expect him and the Lakers to make a late season surge

NFL WildCard Predictions

AFC: Buffalo Bills: Last season the Bills started off 5-2 and looked poised to make it to the playoffs. However injuries to key starters like Fred Jackson and Kyle Williams derailed those hopes. This season they're fully healthy and are welcoming a big time acquisition. In the offseason they signed star DE/LB Mario Williams to a 6 year contract worth about $100 million. Expect playoff football in Buffalo this season.

       
Denver Broncos: Fresh off of Tebowmainia the Broncos went and signed one of the greatest QBs to ever play the game in Peyton Manning. Manning coming off of 4 neck surgeries is looking to prove he hasn't lost a step and after watching that 3rd preseason game against the 49ers that looks to be true.While they may get off to a rough start expect the Broncos to get hot late and surprise teams in the playoffs.

 NFC: Chicago Bears:  The Bears started last year off 7-3 before injuries to Jay Cutler and Matt Forte ended their playoff hopes. In the offseason they acquired Pro Bowl WR Brandon Marshall and drafted WR Alshon Jeffery to pair with Jay Cutler. With Marshall and Jeffery the Bears finally have the receivers they need to compete in the NFC North.

       
  Detroit Lions: Last season Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson     had an explosive season and you can expect the same this year. While many people are concerned the Johnson will the latest victim of the  "Madden Curse" I think he'll be fine. As long as Stafford and Johson are healthy there will be playoff football in Detroit.

 

NFL Division Winners Predictions

         With the start of the NFL season almost upon us I felt the need to release my predictions for the division winners. Lets start with the AFC.


   AFC East: New England Patriots: Coming off a heartbreaking defeat to the New York Giants the Patriots were once again reward with one of the easiest schedules in the league. Led by future Hall of Famer Tom Brady the Patriots will once again be one of the best offensive teams in league and should cruise through their division

AFC South: Houston Texans: Like the Patriots the Texans have the benefit of playing in one of the least difficult divisions. With both Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson healthy the Texans seem like favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers: This year the AFC North is going to be very competitive and might just come down to the wire like last year. While the Ravens seem like the safer pick I'm not convinced that their defense can return to what it once was with  the loss of last years Defensive POY Terrell Suggs lost at least until week 6. The Steelers also have injury problems of their own with their top draft pick David DeCastro being lost for what may be the whole season. But with Todd Haley in as the new offensive coordinator the Steelers are going to throw the ball more and open up the offense for Big Ben. And don't forget about the defense, if James Harrison and Lamarr Woodley can stay healthy then I don't expect the Steelers to miss a beat.

AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs: Last year the Chiefs lost Eric Berry,Jamaal Charles and Tony Moeaki to season ending ACL injuries. That's three of their top 5 players and they still managed to win 7 games in a tightly contested division. With a full season under new coach Romeo Crennel the Chiefs look poised to make it back to the Playoffs

NFC East: New York Giants: The Giants coming off their magical playoff run the ended with a Super Bowl run should be the favorites to win their division. Eli is coming off his best statistical season in which he threw for 4933 yards good for 4th in the league. While their passing game was phenomenal last year this team is dependent on their defensive pass rush led by 3rd year sensation Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Tuck.

NFC South: Carolina Panthers: This is one of my more bolder picks. Last year everyone was stunned by the performance of Rookie Cam Newton. Last year they were a top 5 offense with a dynamic running game.While they only won 6 games most of that can be attributed to their defense which was without All Pro Linebacker Jon Beason. This year they drafted Luke Kuechly out of Boston College and in the preseason he did not disappoint. Don't expect the Panthers to suffer a sophomore slump.

NFC North: Green Bay Packers: When you go 15-1 in the regular season and you have the leagues best QB, you should be the favorites to come out of your division. Last year Drew Brees wasn't the only QB breaking records, last year Aaron Rodgers had a league record 122 Passer Rating while throwing for 45 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions. While their defense had some major problems last year they are looking to improve with the drafting of former USC linebacker Nick Perry and Charles Woodson's full time move to safety.

NFC West: San Francisco 49ers: Last year the 49ers surprised everyone and were two fumbles away from a Super Bowl appearance. They were able to keep all 11 of it's defensive starters and added some offensive weapons. In a division that always seems to change don't expect the 49ers to falter next season