Pardon My Bias

Some NBA players are just not meant to be the number 1 player on their teams. You can try it out and hope that it works but it will never win you a championship, and I’m betting that it also will not help you get too far in the playoffs (if you can even get that far).

Deron Williams, PG, New Jersey Nets. (Career: 17.2 PPG, 9.2 Assists, 3.2 Rebounds) Williams is obviously one of the top point guards in the game, hands down. He most likely ranks in the top 5 for that position but I am not sold on the fact that he could be the number one guy on a team. Until this season, he had been leading the Utah Jazz and the team had successfully fought in the Western Conference but unfortunately could never make it too far in the playoffs. I considered D-Will the lead man for that Jazz team with Carlos Boozer as his number 2, somewhat similar to how Derrick Rose has it right now. Although the team may have not been fully constructed to win a championship, it definitely consisted of many great, talented players. There was no real excuse for why Deron Williams could not lead that team deep into the playoffs besides the fact that he did not have D’ Will…get it?

Andre Iguodala, SF, Philadelphia 76ers. (Career: 15.6 PPG, 4.8 Assists, 5.8 Rebounds) After Allen Iverson was traded during the 2006-2007 season, the new “AI” was expected to take over and become the leader of the team. Over the next few years, Iguodala’s numbers were close to 20 PPG, 5 assists and 5 rebounds, but the Sixers were straight struggling. They have been able to make some playoff appearances but they have all been just to get knocked out of the first round. The acquisition of Elton Brand was supposed to help bring support for Iggy but only until this past season has Brand even shown up. Iguodala is a beast of a dunker (and should of won the 2006 NBA Dunk Contest) and has become one of the top wing defenders in the league, but he does not seem to possess the number 1 player quality. This is quite hard for me to say, as a 76ers and Andre Iguodala fan, but Iggy doesn’t have that second gear that he can turn on during the playoffs. His first gear is actually not even good enough to be considered a cornerstone player of a team. I believe the Sixers know this and therefore drafted Evan Turner to try and fill that void but unfortunately his rookie season did not live up to the high expectations.

Iguodala had "big" shoes to fill. Photo courtesy of blog.pennlive.com.

Danny Granger, SF, Indiana Pacers. (Career: 18.2 PPG, 2.1 Assists, 5.3 Rebounds) In my opinion, Granger is a very interesting case. During the two seasons from 2008-2010, Granger averaged over 24 PPG and brought in over 5 rebounds per game, numbers that fell just a little short of those put up by Carmelo Anthony. Granger has not had too great of a squad around him but many other stars have been able to take their do-little rosters and make a playoff push, so why so different with Granger? Plain and simple, he does not have what it takes to put a team on his back and lead them to victory.

Joe Johnson, SF, Atlanta Hawks. (Career: 17.7 PPG, 4.5 Assists, 4.2 Rebounds) I am actually a little shocked by these numbers. I had always assumed that Joe Johnson was a big time scorer and although he did average over 25 during one season and has been around 21 for the past few years, it is nothing too impressive compared to what I had imagined. Johnson is an all-around player, very similar to Iguodala, except that he has a pretty good 3-point shot and just got a huge contract for about $119 millions over six years. Yes, it has been discussed many times already…what were the Hawks thinking? Unlike all the other players that are mentioned on this list, Joe Johnson is not only expected and seen as the number 1 player on the team but he is PAID like a number 1 player. He, out of all these other players, should be able to lead his team in the same way that Kobe, Rose, LeBron and Wade do. Although the Hawks have been having some success as of late, it is more of a collective effort rather than Joe Johnson taking this team on his back.

Is Joe Johnson Overpaid? Photo courtesy of www.soraspy.com

Rudy Gay, SF, Memphis Grizzlies. (Career: 17.8 PPG, 1.9 Assists, 5.6 Rebounds) The Grizzlies are obviously succeeding in the playoffs without him, so that in itself is a true argument that Gay cannot be considered a cornerstone player. The only reason I have still included him in this list is that he is being payed like one of the top players and definitely as the top player on that team. This past summer he signed a contract for over $80 million over 5 years…yeah, the player who is not even involved in their recent playoff success!

So these are some of the top players that I would include in my “Robin League.” They are great players, don’t get me wrong, but they just do not have what it takes to be Batman. I do like seeing LeBron James and Dwayne Wade on one team but these “Robins” are the type of players that they needed to pair up with to keep things more entertaining and competitive. Some past “Robins” that have found success in teaming up with a true Batman are Pau Gasol, Ray Allen and now Chris Bosh…although while LeBron and Wade fight for the Batman spot, he will have to settle for being Commissioner Jim Gordon.

Western Conference

San Antonio Spurs (1) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (8)

This should be an easy pick yet it is not. I have been pretty high on the Grizzlies for a few years now, mainly because I was a big fan of O.J. Mayo and Mike Conley Jr. This is a young but up and coming team and have some very strong pieces. Conley, although not an elite point guard, has definitely stepped up his play after signing a big contract with Memphis and Marc Gasol, although nowhere near the level of Pau, is a quality center. O.J Mayo, a player that I like a lot, actually took a step back this season but that mainly has to do with his reduction in minutes. He has increased his level of play during the end of the season as more minutes opened up with the injury of Rudy Gay. All this added to the veteran presence of Zach Randolph, Tony Allen, Shane Battier and Jason Williams is a scary lineup. The Gay injury is a huge loss for this team but they seem to still be playing strong even without their best player.

Can Manu and the Spurs Stay Healthy? Photo courtesy of www.backseatfan.com.

Spurs are the number one seed so this series should take no more than 5 games BUT it will all depend on their health. It seems as if Manu Ginobili will not play the first game and both Tim Duncan and Tony Parker had some injury issues during the end of the regular season. Although health will play a big part in the Spurs playoff run, this team is too talented and experienced to lose in the first round.

Spurs over the Grizzlies in 6 games

Los Angeles Lakers (2) vs. New Orleans Hornets (7)

The two time defending champs against a not very exciting Hornets team is a pretty simple call. Chris Paul is great but no David West and no real experience on the team dooms trouble in the playoffs.

Lakers over the Hornets in 5 games

Dallas Mavericks (3) vs. Portland Trailblazers (6)

Finally a little more of a tough decision. After the All-Star break, I believed that the Mavericks would make a huge push and wrap up the second spot with no problem but just like many other teams, they seemed to hit some setbacks. This team is not like other Dallas teams of the past and this mainly has to do with Tyson Chandler. He adds a little toughness but the Caron Butler injury may come back to affect this team in the playoffs. I have never seemed to be a big fan of anything Dallas sports related but I did have some high expectations for this team throughout the season. Also during the horrible skid this team went through with Dirk Nowitzki on the bench, I was convinced that Dirk would be a strong contender for the MVP award.

No Longer in the Shadows of Roy. Photo courtesy of www.emptythebench.com.

Now a few months later they come into the playoffs as the third seed and are about to take on a young Trailblazers team. Brandon Roy, the face of this team for the past few years, is no longer a starter and his future is very uncertain after receiving devastating news about his knee. Fortunately for Portland they picked up Wes Matthews in the off season and he has provided some very consistent scoring. Gerald Wallace was a solid pickup at the trade deadline and adding that to the leadership and experience of Andre Miller and Marcus Camby could prove beneficial for the Blazers. The biggest surprise has been LaMarcus Aldridge. He has always been in the shadows of Roy and given the chance to shine, he took it and blossomed into a legit go to guy. I truly believe that he is the reason that Portland stayed afloat and although he has no chance of winning, he should definitely get a vote or two for MVP.

Big expectations for the Mavericks but a lot of grit and passion in the Blazers.

Trailblazers over the Mavericks in 7 games

Oklahoma City Thunder (4) vs. Denver Nuggets (5)

Wow, what a first round match-up! Two teams that I think have the best chance of knocking off the Lakers. Unfortunately only one of them may get the opportunity to do so. I could sit here and discuss how amazing the Nuggets have been since the Carmelo trade but it comes down to one thing, who is going to close the game for them? You cannot do a closer by committee in the NBA and this will be their biggest drawback.

Thunder over the Nuggets in 6 games

Eastern Conference

Chicago Bulls (1) vs. Indiana Pacers (8)

It is nice to see the Pacers make the playoffs and I am glad to see the success of Roy Hibbert but let’s be honest, this team stands no chance. Danny Granger would make a great number 2 but he is not a guy that can carry a team, especially to a championship. I also expected huge things from Darren Collison this season as he finally got a chance to become a full-time starter and move out of the shadows of Chris Paul, unfortunately he did not live up to what I had imagined.

Is an MVP season enough? Photo courtesy of www.thesportsbank.net.

The Bulls, on the other hand, are a very complete team besides the hole of not having somebody other than Derrick Rose who can create and score for themselves. It may be nice to add someone like O.J. Mayo this upcoming off-season…just an idea?

Bulls over the Pacers in 4 games

Miami Heat (2) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7)

This makes me very sad! I am a Sixers fan and really wanted to see them matched up against the Celtics but unfortunately things did not pan out the way I wanted and they now have to face the steaming Heat. The only positive is that this team seems to be rising and Evan Turner actually began playing well near the end of the season, so fingers crossed.

Heat over the Sixers in 5 games

Boston Celtics (3) vs. New York Knicks (6)

Still not over the fact that it could have been Knicks vs. Heat and Celtics vs. Sixers in the first round! Well seeing I have to analyze this match-up and not the ones that I wanted to, this series will still be entertaining. The Celtics screwed up by trading away Kendrick Perkins and the Knicks are still a year and a few pieces away from being a legit contender. With that being said, this could really go either way but I am going to give it to the old guys and bank on the fact that their experience will count and well, also that Shaq will be able to play more than 6 minutes in these playoffs.

Celtics over the Knicks in 7 games

Orlando Magic (4) vs. Atlanta Hawks (5)

At this point in the article, I really could care less. Both teams are good but not good enough, Orlando is and has been missing a huge piece and that is not Arenas or Turkoglu, and Atlanta overpaid a player who also is just a very good second option. Joe Johnson would of been smarter to take less money and head over to Chicago but his loss.

Magic over the Hawks in 6 games

The NBA regular season is coming down to the last few games and the playoff teams are all set. There have been some surprises and many givens as we see the teams that are entering the playoffs this year, with the success of the Chicago Bulls being the biggest surprise. They are in a battle with the San Antonio Spurs to get the best record in the NBA and Derrick Rose is having an MVP year. On the Western end, the Spurs shocked the NBA world by grabbing the number 1 seed in the Western Conference even with the “old age.” Last year’s finalist, the LA Lakers and Boston Celtics, are back in the playoffs but both have been struggling as of late. The Lakers of course could turn it on at any time and although the Celtics pulled it off last year, the loss of Kendrick Perkins seems to be playing a huge factor in their team chemistry and success. There have also been some nice stories such as the Philadelphia 76ers and the Memphis Grizzlies, who both seem to be heading in the right direction, and of course the New York Knicks, who once again make the NBA Playoffs after aquiring Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony.

With all these talented teams in the playoffs, the big question is who will be the last two teams standing. The Lakers, Spurs and Celtics have veterans players with tons of playoff experience and then there are teams such as the Bulls, Heat and Thunder, who are new to the playoff scene with their current rosters. There are many teams with the ability to reach the finals but my gut has me thinking that it is not as open as we all believe.

The Spurs have the best record in the West, the Lakers are said to be the “best team” in the West, but I believe the Oklahoma City Thunder will be representing the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. They are a very young team, yes I know this, but I had been saying for a while now that the Thunder were a legit center away from being a true contender. Well thanks to the Celtics, they got their legit center. Kendrick Perkins adds a huge defensive force in the middle and teamed up with the 7 foot Sergi Ibaka, that is a scary front court. Most people say that the Lakers’ biggest advantage is their big men, well the Thunder have big men who can match up pretty well with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. Thabo Sefolosha is a lock-down defender who can match up against the opposing team’s best scorer, aka Kobe Bryant. Also with the departure of Jeff Green, James Harden has become to 3rd option on this team and he is definitely stepping into the role. He has been averaging almost 15 points per game over the past month and that added to the firepower of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook is a scary thought for opposing teams. Speaking of the two Thunder stars, Westbrook has raised his game to an all-star level this year and with the FIBA World Championships, Durant has proven that he has what it takes to lead a team to the championship.

Can the Miami Heat live up to expectations? Photo courtesy of www.sneakernews.com.

The East representative is not as easy to pick as I am at a toss-up between the Bulls and the Heat. Although I picked the young Thunder team to get through the West, I am just not as sure about the Bulls. Derrick Rose has been playing like a complete beast this season and it is terribly difficult to pick against such a complete team but their youth and lack of playoff experience worries me. For this reason I am going with the most talked about team this year, the Miami Heat. With Boston giving away Perkins, the Bulls being too inexperienced and no other real legit contender (in my opinion), the Heat have the best opportunity to make the NBA Finals. They obviously have the two big guns in LeBron James and Dwayne Wade, and receive great consistency with Chris Bosh. Along with the aggressive offense, they have a scary defense that has the ability to stop any team. For the Heat, it all comes down to team chemistry. It seems as if they have figured it out BUT the playoffs are a whole new arena. These games are bigger and there is more on the line. Even with LeBron and Wade having years of playoff experience, team chemistry may feel a shake as the playoffs arrive. Who will be the prime player in the playoffs? Who will take the final shot? What role will each star play? Everything changes in the playoffs and it will all depend on how quickly the Heat can figure themselves out in these big games.

But there we have it, a Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat match-up in the NBA Finals. Of course I am sure many people disagree but this is what my gut is telling me. Let the playoffs begin!

New York needs to prove they aren't a fluke by sneaking into the playoffs, and the Caps will provide a more than adequate test. Photo courtesy of Zimbio.com

Washington Capitals (48-23-11) vs. New York Rangers (44-33-5)

Last year the Caps were the number one seed then as well, but ran into a wall in the opposing net and got dismissed in the first round by a team that on paper they had dead to rights. A lot of it was also attributed to a light defense and a goalie that was out of his league. Well déjà vu. The Capitals’ defense is better this year with Karl Alzner and John Carlson stepping up, but injuries to Mike Green, Dennis Wideman, and Tom Poti is a problem still. The goaltending went from one inexperienced goalie to three inexperienced goalies, so while there is a chance of one of them taking over it is still a best of seven series so the Caps can’t wait to figure out the carousel. As for the Rangers, they made the playoffs this year after Carolina choked away their postseason berth (as reparation for New York’s absence from last year’s playoffs due to the shootout) but really on paper the Rangers look like they should have been a better team. Injuries popped up though, and up and down the roster the Blue Shirts were just flat out inconsistent. If they up their focus, and, more importantly, Henrik Lundqvist turns into a super human this postseason the Rangers do have a legitimate chance. But it will also require Marc Staal and Dan Giradi to play out of their minds and shut down the Ovechkin-Backstrom-Semin line along with the rest of the Caps offense that is frankly far deeper than that of the Rangers’ blueliners. Also hindering New York is the removal of Ryan Callahan, a big part of their offensive machine, which means it is time for Marian Gaborik to finally show up. Given that Lundqvist also has had some rather spotty performances throughout his playoff career the Caps may escape the first round this time.

Prediction: Washington’s offense is deeper than the Rangers’ defense and that is really all that it comes down to. The Caps will struggle though finding their man in net for a playoff run. The bold prediction for this series is the goalie that will step up for the Capitals will be (drum roll) Seymon Varlamov, who got the playoff jitters out of him from last year. Washington in five.

The Flyers made it to the finals last year as the number seven seed, and look to keep Buffalo from emulating that success. Photo courtesy of zimbio.com

Philadelphia Flyers (47-23-12) vs. Buffalo Sabres (43-29-10)

In terms of momentum this a large reversal in terms of seeding. The Sabres have been rolling as of late, and the Flyers, well, have looked something between rotten and mediocre. Still, if it comes down to basic talent against talent the Flyers are still the front runner in the east. Except in one category. Sergei Bobrovsky has been a stabilizing factor for Philadelphia all season, something they haven’t had in god knows how long, but he has zero big game experience seeing how the Flyers were first to clinch a playoff berth in the east and Bobrovsky is only a rookie. His counterpart, Ryan Miller, however is one of the best in the business at what he does and Buffalo’s playoff losses certainly weren’t his doing. If Phily can get their act together and remember that the playoffs started the series should still go their way with the likes of Jeff Carter, Danny Brier, Claude Giroux, and Mike Richards outweighing a Derek Roy-less Sabres squad. The blueline isn’t even a comparison if the Flyers play to their full ability. The issue may be that coasting too much is going to bite the Flyers in the butt. They should be familiar to that seeing how they were in the same spot doing that to New Jersey last year.

Prediction: The Flyers have the talent, but Buffalo has the goaltending and momentum, so unless Philadelphia spent the last month resting they may be in trouble. Stealing an early game on the road for the Sabres could prove to be the tipping point. This is my bold prediction…Sabres in six.

This feud is something akin to medieval lords, or rap lords. So of course you should watch. Photo courtesy of newyork.cbslocal.com

Boston Bruins (46-25-11) vs. Montreal Canadians (44-30-8)

Original Six teams…Division rivals…And a load of bad blood. Oh yeah, this will be a fun one to watch though it may be a good idea to tell the kids to go to sleep, less their eyes are tainted with the blood of hockey players. While that may be a tad over the top the Habs and Bs are bound to have a pretty physical series similar to that of the Kennedys in the early sixties on St. Patrick’s Day. In terms of winning a physical matchup it is hardly a contest as Boston possess size and grit aplenty with the likes of Nathan Horton, Zdeno Chara, and Milan Lucic. Montreal is a team looking like they play more for the Lollipop Guild as it is hard to find a forward on their team over six feet or two hundred pounds. But when it comes to special teams Montreal has been better on the penalty kill and power play while Boston has been middle of the road at best in both categories. The skill up front overall though does tip more in favor of Montreal, but the defense has been a patchwork behind Hal Gill and P.K. Subban while the Bruins hold two of the top defenders in the league with Chara and Tomas Kaberle, with a very solid shutdown core behind them. So as for goaltending…Tim Thomas has been playing out of his mind while getting plenty of relief from Tuuka Rask. Carey Price hasn’t been so fortunate despite playing very well, though he has been called upon 72 times, second in the league only behind Cam Ward (and then you wonder why he looked shaky in the last game for the Hurricanes). Added that Price in the postseason is equivalent to sticking a high schooler in net and, well, you get the idea.

Prediction: If the play gets scrappy, Boston will need to avoid the penalty box. Montreal has a deadly power play and they can entice the Bruins into some needless penalties with a few penalties of their own and easily afford them. The series though will ride on Price. He has been awful so even if Montreal can exploit the special teams gap the Canadians may be undone. Bold prediction is Karma strikes Zdeno Chara in the form of, wait for it, Brian Gionta. Just kidding, Price will fold like a lawn chair. Bruins in four.

No Crosby or Malkin against Stamkos, Lecavlier, and St. Louis? Time for Dan Byslma to earn his cash. Photo courtesy of fresnobee.com

Pittsburgh Penguins (49-25-8) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (46-25-11)

Despite all logic, the Penguins are succeeding quite well in the absence of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. And their odds of winning this series sky rockets if Crosby comes back. Until then, he will be tortured with the fact knowing that he now has wingers capable of scoring with James Neal and Alex Kovalev. Tampa Bay however knows they can light things up in a hurry if need be with Steven Stamkos, Vincent Lecavlier, Simon Gagne, and Martin. St. Louis. On the flip side the Lightning can’t keep pucks out of their own net if they paid the other team, while Pittsburgh has completely turned into a shutdown lineup anchored by Kris Letang, Brooks Orpik, Paul Martin, Zybnek Michalek, and Jordan Staal who should be up for Selke consideration. With that being said, defense wins championships and the Penguins have more than enough offense with what they got. So unless Marc-Andre Fleury reverts back to his garbage play from early this season, or Dwayne Roloson turns back the clock and puts on a performance mirroring his success he had with Edmonton back in 2006 Pittsburgh has the upperhand. Plus they have home ice advantage and the Bolts have yet to win in Pittsburgh this season.

Prediction: With or without Crosby the edge goes to the Pens. Their defense will face a huge test up against the juggernaut offense Tampa sports but they have proved time in and time out they can handle the job. The only real question will be if Fleury falls back into his subpar play, which he has done in the past in the playoffs, but he also has been a wall before as well. The bold prediction is Crosby returns, doesn’t record a point, and winds up benched. Penguins in seven.

Chicago has been the problem team for the Canucks. Winning here may mean no stopping the Canucks anywhere else. Photo courtesy of canucks.nhl.com

Vancouver Canucks (54-19-9) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (44-29-9)

Once again the Vancouver Canucks will match up against the Chicago Blackhawks in the postseason though this is a very different Chicago team. Chicago has suffered a lot of turnover from last season, and barely squeaked into the playoffs but for some reason everyone still has the Hawks as the team most likely to knock off Vancouver. Probably because the Hawks knocked off the Canucks twice in a row in the playoffs that past two years. My guess is however that for the Canucks the third time is a charm, and not having half your roster from the seasons prior doesn’t help either. Added that the Canucks are first in goals scored, goals against, power play conversion, and in the faceoff circle while also being the fourth best penalty killing team in the league means that Chicago certainly has their work cut out for themselves. Chicago certainly proved last year they know how to bring it come crunch time, which may be the one thing they have going in their favor compared to Vancouver, as I think it is fair to say the Canucks are deeper on offense and defense. The Hawks have the talent on the top end to hang with Vancouver but little beyond Toews, Sharp, Kane, Hossa, Keith, and Seabrook. The Nucks however have about six lines of offense that are dangerous, two Art Ross winning Sedins, and a defensive corps enviable of the NHL. The turning point is Roberto Luongo. Putting it that way Chicago stands a chance.

Prediction: It’ll likely be more of a struggle than Vancouver would like to be, but they are still the better team. Even if Luongo blows a game and Corey Crawford stands on his head. Bold prediction is Cory Schneider sees some starts after Luongo gets lit up in game four. Canucks in six.

San Jose may have gotten their choking habit out of the way earlier this season, though the Kings are really hoping not. Photo courtesy of nhl.com

San Jose Sharks (48-25-9) vs. Los Angeles Kings (46-30-6)

A perfect series considering the bad blood between northern and southern California going on currently after the Giants and Dodgers opening series. This is however the first time the Sharks and Kings have met up in the postseason. In fact, it’s the first time the Kings have run into a fellow California team in the postseason. Sadly for them they will be shorthanded as leading scorer Anze Kopitar is done for the year, and Justin Williams will be playing with a bum shoulder at best. Given that the Sharks have three centers with Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, and Logan Couture that could be number one guys LA is in a spot of trouble. But while San Jose has the clear edge in offense, the nod for defense goes to the Kings. SJ’s isn’t bad by any extent with Dan Boyle and Douglas Murray but the Kings simply have more weapons and shutdown guys with Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson backed up by a very underrated trio of Willie Mitchell, Rob Scuderi, and Matt Greene. The issue will be scoring goals for LA though. The Sharks caught fire the second half of the season, and the Kings squandered home ice down the stretch so momentum could very easily be another factor. The wild card will yet again be goalies. Jon Quick can be inhuman at times, and Antti Niemi has shown what he can do when he gets going so that duel will be interesting to watch. The Kings have the better depth though with the other Jon (Bernier) but again it won’t amount to squat if the Kings can’t score.

Prediction: Defense wins championships, but goals win games. Added that the Kings only beat the Sharks in regulation once out of six games, have been in a skid lately, and aren’t healthy gives the clear advantage to San Jose. The bold prediction is both sides make a vow that however wins HAS to beat the Ducks (if they make it) and has the backing of the other’s fan base. Sharks in five.

Once again it looks like the Wings may keep Phoenix from seeing the second round. Photo courtesy of coyotes.nhl.com

Detroit Red Wings (47-25-10) vs. Phoenix Coyotes (43-26-13)

A repeat of last year’s opening round, but with the home ice advantage switched in favor to Detroit, the matchup on paper seems to be more clearly in favor of Detroit as well. Up front it will be Henrick Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, and Pavel Datsyuk against…Shane Doan. Defensively the Wings have Nicklas Lidstrom, likely to get another Norris trophy, while Phoenix has Keith Yandle, who will likely get snubbed for the Norris in favor of Lidstrom. Goaltending is relatively the same as last year. Jimmy Howard is no slouch but the Coyotes have the great consistency of Ilya Bryzgalov between the pipes, and there is likely going to be a few games where Bryz is going to need to shoulder the load himself. Phoenix is not as good as they were in the season prior, whereas the Red Wings are (mainly due to their roster being completely healthy, or thereabout) so this could be a quick series. However, Detroit has scuttled down the stretch, but still showed they can win the important games (important as in screwing over Chicago), but they have struggled with stifling games that teams like the Coyotes use. Phoenix’s ultimate undoing though will be there struggling penalty killing against the high octane Red Wings. Doesn’t help either that Phoenix can’t score on the power play also. Dave Tippet will achieve god-like status as a coach if he can sneak the ‘Yotes past Detroit.

Prediction: Usually for the Red Wings to choke they have to play a California team and try as they might, Phoenix isn’t California. Phoenix will play tough close games, but winning those is a completely different series. I will boldly (BOLDLY I SAY) predict that each game goes to overtime, and Phoenix wins one giving us another great Doan-Face. Red Wings in five.

Teemu Selanne has more goals than most of the Preds do combined showing that being a dinosaur isn't a problem. Photo courtesy of predators.nhl.com

Anaheim Ducks (47-30-5) vs. Nashville Predators (44-27-11)

The purest battle of offense versus defense in this series. The Ducks stack up with Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Teemu Selanne while Nashville counters with Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and the guy I used to play against (ok, sorry I went back to that) Jonathan Blum. Nashville has plenty of forwards but not much offense, while the Ducks have a top heavy scoring machine, again providing a nice contrast. Goaltending will be where this series is decided though. The Ducks have Jonas Hiller, Ray Emery, and Dan Ellis while Nashville uses the unsung Pekka Rinne like the work horse he is, showing off another battle of quantity versus quality. Sadly for Anaheim you can have only one goalie play at a time, though the chances of one catching fire is a lot better. The question then becomes how many games does it take to find that goalie for Randy Carlyle. Nashville’s shutdown play will be asked to do a ton (much like Phoenix’s against Detroit, and Los Angeles’s against San Jose. Sensing a pattern?) but they have the tools to do so, and the offense is there just enough to keep games close if Anaheim can get on the board. The Ducks’ blueliners aren’t a bad bunch either but are far more offensively minded, and if Nashville can apply pressure Anaheim may be in trouble. That or Hiller’s vertigo is contagious.

Prediction: Again, defense wins championships. Or in this case series. Anaheim has the offensive firepower to bring down some of the better defenses so it will be up to Nashville to at least score a few. They will get chances with the Ducks’ suspect penalty killing and love of visiting the sin bin. That being said, the crazy prediction will be Sergei Kostitsyn blowing up the score sheet while Weber and the Preds’ defense keeps Perry goalless. I did say crazy. Predators in seven.

The discipline department at the NHL had another busy week, and of course getting ridiculed at every which direction for their decisions and rulings handed out. This week’s entrees were that of Trevor Gillies yet again and Zdeno Chara. Gillies launched hockey back into the main spotlight of the sporting world (and about five minutes of air time on ESPN, which is four minutes more than it usually gets) with his attempt to decapitate Eric Tangradi a few weeks back when the Islanders played the Penguins in what can only be described as a total joke of a game reflecting the old joke of “going to a fight and a hockey game broke out”. Gillies was tossed for his hit, though not before standing near Tangradi just off the ice and taunting him while Tangradi was still down. A nine game suspension later Trevor Gillies is back in action.

Gillies got what he deserved for what he didn't get in his earlier offenses. Photo courtesy of startribune.com

In my previous post regarding Gillies and the Islanders cluster cuss as a whole, I thought Gillies actually got off pretty light. Not that a nine game suspension is small by any extent but I was guessing 15. And then this happened where Cal Clutterbuck, known pest and mustache enthusiast (which are one in the same really), threw a clean hit like Clutterbuck usually does (he leads the league far and away with 298 hits) when Gillies and his even bigger mustache attacked. It looked like Gillie left his feet a bit, led with his elbow, came from behind, and hit Clutterbuck in the head. Oh yeah, that’s another suspension. But then the punishment came down and it was ten games? I know there is a whole thing for repeat offenders but this was in no way even close to as bad as what Gillies got suspended for prior. It was a bad hit, it was intent to injure, and yeah he just came off a suspension already but this seems like the NHL was kind of trying to make up for the suspension before by giving out and even larger one. It does make slight sense where they are basically telling Gillies if he is going to try head hunting again he may very likely find himself out for the remainder of the season. Frankly I think if Gillies tries anything looking dirty and intentional again this season he should be removed for the season’s entirety, though yes I know that is likely only to be another six to ten games if Gillies sees ice time ever again this year.

Dangerous, yes. Reckless, yes. So how does Chara get diddly for this? Photo courtesy of sportsillustrated.cnn.com

That however brings us to Big Z. Chara was involved with what looked like the ugliest play and arguably the most dangerous when he rode Max Pacioretty into the boards along the Bruins’ bench and Pacioretty’s head caught the glass that separates the two teams’ benches. Pacioretty was left on the ice in front of the Canadians’ bench where he was then rushed to a hospital via ambulance and was found to have a concussion and displaced vertebrate. I was kind of surprised that Chara has never been suspended before, not because he plays dirty, but because he is one big guy who likes to throw a lot of big hits. But Zdeno has avoided the wrath of the NHL so far and id so yet again when he got a zero games suspension. Did the NHL botch this one? Hell yeah they did.

A concussion and a neck injury and the NHL sat on their hands. Photo courtesy of financebehavior.co.uk

While obviously Gillies’s and Chara’s hits were drastically different the fact that Gillies was basically assured a suspension and Chara got squat doesn’t pan out logically. Gillies was head hunting, Chara definitely had intent to put on a big hit. Gillies’s was a head shot; Chara’s was interference without a doubt and was late as all get out. But the biggest thing is was the location of the hit. And while some may say that if the hit had happened anywhere else Pacioretty would have been fine and people would have exclaimed the hit was a hard intense play but nothing more, the play just simply wasn’t like that. It was in a dangerous spot, Chara knew it, just like how he knew the hit was late. Sure Chara probably wasn’t intending to nearly snap Pacioretty’s neck like a GI Joe’s but he knew the hit he was going to pull was a big one. He knows how big he is, he knew the play, and he knew where it was. He just didn’t mean to hurt the guy but it was reckless and outside of a hockey rink that is reckless misconduct. It was a dangerous play, plain and simple, but the NHL gave Chara a pass whereas Gillies and his cheap and dirty head shot was just a bit clearer. Chara obviously doesn’t deserve ten games, or even five games, but a hit like that, intended to injure or not, warrants a suspension for the disregard Chara had. Two games would have sat well with me and I think the NHL whiffed on the ruling. They are trying to clean up the game, but how can they when they don’t take any action regarding the carelessness a player may take when it comes to their opposition’s life and career potentially?

So now the NBA trade deadline is over and all I have to say is WOW! There have been many moves, some pretty obvious and expected and some that not even the NBA insiders could have predicted.

First we will start with the biggest trade and the one that took months to finalize…Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks. This was a trade that was expected but it just took way too long to get it done. The Nuggets finally ended up shipping Carmelo, Chauncey Billips and three other pieces to the Knicks for Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and a few other players along with some picks. Although it seems as if the Knicks gave up a lot to get Carmelo, I think this was actually a win-win for both teams. Knicks got the player that they wanted, the perennial All-Star, first tier player in Carmelo Anthony. They now have Carmelo and Amar’e Stoudemire paired up with a veteran point guard in Billups. The Nuggets on the other hand got some very young talent that they can try and build around. Although they no longer have a #1 player, they have a very deep team that could still make an impact in the playoffs. The Knicks now do become a huge threat in the Eastern Division although I am not sure if they can do anything too big this year, especially with no real defensive players.

Carmelo Anthony is Home. Photo courtesy of www.everyjoe.com.

The next piece to fall was pretty shocking. The Utah Jazz sent Deron Williams to the New Jersey Nets for Devin Harris, Derrick Favors and some draft picks. This trade does not make too much sense to me. Yes, the Nets finally got an All-Star player and this whole off-season/trade deadline situation has not been a total failure but they only really have Williams and Brook Lopez and have given up so much talent and picks. Now Williams has also announced that he has not thought about signing an extension with the Nets and if he ends up not signing, this could be a huge bust for New Jersey. The Jazz, on the other hand, gave up their best player just a few weeks after losing their Hall of Fame coach. This does not make much sense for a team who are fighting for a playoff position and one that already has a young power forward in Al Jefferson. I wonder if Jerry Sloan will now try and make a return to Utah?

Another big trade that took place was the Portland Trail Blazers getting Gerald Wallace. Portland is currently the 7th seed in the West and with the unpredictable health issues of Brandon Roy, this is a huge pick up. Wallace is a talent player that can help this team in the playoffs and take off some of the load from LaMarcus Aldridge, who is playing some beastly basketball as of late. There were many other smaller trades that happened right before the deadline but there was one that totally shocked everyone in the basketball world.

The Boston Celtics sent Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic. The best team in the Eastern Conference traded their starting center, a player who’s absence they believe cost them game 7 in the NBA finals. This trade still has many saying “whaaaat?” and I honestly do not see the reasoning behind it. The Celtics do get a young, talented player in Green but will now have to rely on the health of Shaquille O’Neal and Jermaine O’Neal. The only reason that makes sense is that the Celtics believe they can get past the Eastern teams without a big man and that they do not believe that the Lakers and their height will make the NBA Finals. We will just have to wait and see if this will come back to haunt the Celtics.

For the Thunder, this trade is remarkable. I have always felt that they were a legit center away from being a true contender and now they have one of the best defensive big men in the league. Although they have lost the young Green, this move also allows Serge Ibaka to move to the starting power forward position, giving them a front court that can match up height wise with the Los Angeles Lakers. With this move, the Thunder now have two good, young big men, a great defender in Thabo Sefolosha and two big time All-Stars in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Along with this scary starting lineup, the Thunder will have James Harden and Nate Robinson to come off the bench and provide some big time scoring. To me, this is a very scary team now and the Lakers, Mavericks and even the Spurs need to be truly worried.

This year’s trade deadline was very active and it will be interesting to see how many of these expected and totally shocking moves make an impact as the season goes along. All I know is that all teams should now fear the Thunder.

So the NBA has reached its “halfway” point or more correctly, it has reached the All-Star break. The Boston Celtics are playing as well as ever while the Miami Heat are somewhat living up to expectations. There have also been many surprises this season, with the San Antonio Spurs having the best record in the NBA, the Chicago Bulls following close behind the Celtics and Heat, Jerry Sloan retiring mid-season and the Los Angeles Lakers struggling (including the embarrassing loss today to the Cleveland Cavaliers). With all that in mind, who is my MVP so far?

1) Derrick Rose, PG, Chicago Bulls. The Bulls are 37-16 even with injury issues to Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah. This has a lot to do with Rose and his high level of play this season. He is averaging 24.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game and it is obvious that he has lifted his game to a whole new level. With Noah coming back sometime after the All-Star break, this is going to be a scary team. Just image what this team would of been like of LeBron had chosen to take his talents to Chicago…yikes!

Rose Has Lifted His Game. Photo courtesy of www.ballornuthin.com.

2) LeBron James, SF, Miami Heat. LeBron is averaging 26.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game. Many believed that LeBron would get nowhere close to his old numbers now that he is teamed up with Dwayne Wade but he is proving his critics wrong. The Heat have the 3rd best record in the NBA and is a team still working on cohesiveness and blending. This team can only get better from here.

3) Dirk Nowitzki, PF, Dallas Mavericks. Dirk’s numbers are not all that impressive with him averaging 22.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, but his team is sitting with a record of 39-16 and in the 2nd spot in the Western Conference. My reason for putting him third in the MVP race has a lot to do with when he was out and not playing with the Mavericks. This team succeeds through Dirk Nowitzki.

I could list out a few more but this is where the order gets a little messy. There are the obvious other contenders such as Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Dwayne Wade but there are a few who do not have as impressive numbers, are overshadowed or play for less glamorous teams. For example Russell Westbrook is averaging 22.2 points, 5 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game, and is playing at a whole new level, but tends to be overlooked because of Durant. Chris Paul has his New Orleans Saints competing in the West even with a pretty lackluster roster. I did have Amar’e Stoudemire high up until the New York Knicks sank back down to averageness. One person to definitely look at is LaMarcus Aldridge. He has been a beast as of late and is keeping the Portland Trailblazers afloat while Brandon Roy deals with his traumatic knee issues. Depending on how the Blazers continue to play, I may have to start giving him more thought and moving him up.

The biggest issue I have with all of my MVP race picks is that there are no representatives from the two best teams in the league. It is hard to pick a player from either the Spurs or the Celtics to place in this race but this speaks volumes about their teams. Each squad is built on great teamwork and there is a sense of comfortability between the players. This has a lot to do with the fact that they both sit on top of their respective conferences.

Mario is not happy. Rightfully so after his Pittsburgh team first of all got demolished by the lowly New York Islanders on the scoreboard, but then of course with the play reminiscent of Slap Shot that ensued later in the game after the Islanders had taken a commanding lead. Trevor Gillies, Matt Martin, and Michael Haley may just be the second coming of the Hanson brothers. Give those boys some foil. The play of these three certainly reflected the play not seen since the great days of Aamir Dhalla, Pesh Madhav, and Billy Van Dorn which I experienced during my high school years.

Trevor Gillies is not nice, nor nice looking, but he will throw elbows your way even if you don't ask. Photo courtesy of zimbio.com

In all seriousness however the game between the Islanders and Penguins was, all in all, not good for hockey. It was the sort of business that gets hockey noticed for all the wrong reasons akin to the Marty McSorely incident, the Chris Simon swing to the face, and essentially everything Sean Avery ever says. Media outlets were having a field day with the NHL all of a sudden. It was by far the most attention ESPN gave it this year. And in this case you couldn’t blame them. Gillies basically leapt up with his elbow, driving it into the face of Pittsburgh’s Eric Tangradi. It was a pretty blatant attempt to injure. However things got worse when Gillies was tossed from the game, only to be standing just off the rink, then mocking Tangradi who was still down. The hit was going to get a suspension, but mocking an injured opponent after you just tried to decapitate the guy should have brought more. I was actually thinking 15 games would have been more appropriate instead of the nine Gillies actually received for his suspension.

Meanwhile, Michael Haley was showing why he got called up to play for this one game. He beat Max Talbot pretty soundly in a fight, and then went after the Pittsburgh netminder, Brent Johnson, who in the game prior knocked the Islanders’ goaltender, Rick DiPietro, out onto the injured list with a one punch shot. DiPietro should have tried to avoid that seeing how a slight breeze can result in him being sidelined with a broken foot. In any case, Haley and Johnson were just about to get into it, until Eric Godard jumped off the bench to break things up. Haley got the gate, and frankly I thought not suspending him was the right call seeing as he only fought, and he instigated things. Not suspension worthy. Godard getting ten games for joining the fray was basically enforcement of the rule that already exists and the inflexibility of it. I approve of this, even if only because he broke up a potentially good fight between Johnson and Haley.

Lastly there was Matt Martin. Taking a page out of Matt Cooke’s playbook, Martin sucker punched Talbot then proceeded to punch him while he was down. If you have seen Talbot fight before, i.e. his Sean Avery “pawing” defense, it was pretty one sided. Martin got four games for the punch, the same as Cooke. By most standards this is the right call.

However, the NHL has been trying to clean up the players policing themselves on the ice throughout the season but instead of sending the message that this wasn’t acceptable, they hit Martin with the same sort of punishment that is textbook. Martin was planning this though. Talbot was a marked man from the get go after he injured the Islanders’ Blake Comeau in the contest prior between the two squads. Not that Talbot should have been surprised he was going to be getting run at every opportunity, but if the league wanted to knock this behavior off Martin would have gotten eight games.

Mario Lemieux lost a lot of respect with his whining. Better call the waaaahmbulance. Photo courtesy of post-gazette.com

I’m all in favor of a little bit of justice being divvied out by the players themselves. Smack Talbot around, try to fight him. Swat at Johnson a bit more. You don’t go out trying to injure the entire team you are playing and fighting everyone you possibly can. The Islanders certainly deserved the hundred thousand dollar fine the received. Then Mario Lemieux, the Penguins owner, opened his trap, making the problem even worse and drawn out. Lemieux is highly respected by just about everyone in the hockey community but he didn’t do himself any favors calling out that the Islanders needed more punishment and those actions taken had no place in the league. In a certain regard he is correct. Those actions shouldn’t be in the league and a few of the Islanders’ players could have been handed stiffer penalties but the last bit was what did Mario in, where he threatened to remove himself from the league.

Cooke is a scumbag player. That's not opinion, that is a fact, and Lemieux has to know that. Photo courtesy of blueandoutsider.blogspot

Beyond the polarizing comments, Mario got down right immature. Saying you don’t like the system which hasn’t had a game like this in a long while, and where the number has been greatly cut down over the years is childish. Any other team and Lemieux wouldn’t have spoken up. Instead people are pegging him as a hypocrite since he employs the deplorable and detested Matt Cooke who is known for being a dirty player. The comments also only brought extra focus to the incident. At the end of the season where the league could discuss the incident is one thing, but keeping something that negatively portrays the NHL in the spotlight longer was not smart. The NHL looks bad, and Lemieux doesn’t look great either. The argument, justified or not, should have been put on hold, and the threat shouldn’t have ever been made publicly.

It was an ugly incident made uglier where Lemieux couldn’t control his emotions or his mouth. The NHL didn’t do the greatest job in sending a message about that sort of play, but the league doesn’t have this run rampant. Mario essentially whining and “taking his puck and going home” only exacerbated things further and the league can’t do damage control with that. The punishments may not have been perfect but they closed out the incident, which is the way things should have remained for the rest of the season where Lemieux could have then voiced his opinions privately with the league. You know, the way things should have been done.

Almost half way into the 2010-2011 NBA season and the Miami Heat are currently on top of the Eastern Conference. They are half a game ahead of the Boston Celtics and 5 games behind the league leading San Antonio Spurs. Ever since LeBron James made his “decision” to come to Miami, there has nothing but high expectation for this Heat team. Some, such as Jeff Van Gundy, expected them to beat the 72 wins record set by the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls. Of course this is out of reach now, but still many expect this team to win the championship this year and anything less is unacceptable.

The big three are putting up pretty good numbers with LeBron averaging 26.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game, Wade getting 25.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists and Bosh putting up 18.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Not only do they have two of the best scorers and finishers in the league, but they also currently rank in the top 5 for points scored by the opposing team. Plain and simple, the Miami Heat are pretty damn good!

The Miami Heat Big Three Can Do It. Photo courtesy of www.lebronjames.com.

So do I expect them to win it all this year?  No. I am not one of those critics that will give this team crap if they end up getting knocked out of the playoffs or losing in the NBA Finals. The big 3 have 5 years together and they will win at least one championship in that time, and most likely more. This is just their first year together and although they are already playing so well, it takes time to really reach your peak. This doesn’t mean that I would be shocked if they did end up winning it all this year, because they obviously have the talent to make that happen. I am just saying that just because you stick 3 great players together, you cannot expect them to be great right away. They will have their time to shine, and whether that is this year or later on in their contracts, it is all dependent on their growth and ability to blend with each other…but it will happen!