Monday, May 30, 2011

2011 NBA Finals Preview

(EDIT!: I'm not the sharpest at 3:00 am... Initially had Miami as the 3-point advantage, which is clearly insane, fixed now!)

Greetings... instead of summoning 800-ish words on Jim Tressel getting whacked/resigning (depending on what you believe), I decided to hit on the NBA finals... you're welcome... let's break it down Dr. Jack style by category (thanks to my friend Ryan for the assistance)

COACHING
  • Rick Carlisle vs. Erik Spoelstra... this is an interesting matchup... Carlisle had more playoff experience than the other 3 conference finals participating coaches COMBINED... and that's worth a lot... for what it's worth, I've never been a huge fan of his work dating back to Detroit and Indy, but he's done a pretty remarkable job with this Dallas team... on the other end, Spoelstra has been under the scope since the decision, and while he's been beaten up a bit nationally, I think he's done a legit job... the defense that he's gotten Miami to play (and really, the stars to play) should be commended, and the offense has morphed a bit as the season went along.... Slight Advantage: Dallas
PERIMETER PLAY
  • Originally I had this listed as "guard play", but that would ignore the fact that Lebron James is the best facilitator in the series, and he's not a guard, so we went here... Basically it comes down to Lebron, Wade, Chalmers, Bibby vs. Kidd, Terry, Barea.... Clearly the advantage goes to Miami before we even begin, but I wanted to spotlight the Dallas backcourt... if they are going to win this series, they MUST figure out how they're going to guard Lebron and Wade in the 4th quarter... Shawn Marion and Deshawn Stevenson are the 2 real options to guard these guys, but Carlisle CANNOT play those 2 together in the 4th quarter offensively... so does Kidd guard Wade? Terry?... Good luck with that.... that may be the single biggest key to the series... Huge advantage: Miami
TOUGHNESS
  • Welcome back Udonis Haslem... I thought Miami was simply the tougher team in the East finals, and that was shocking when considering Chicago's body of work... but Haslem gave them life, I've always respected Wade's toughness and grit (even when he flops and lays around), and Lebron has an edge about him this year.... on Dallas' side, this is always talked about... I don't consider them (or Dirk) "soft", and the infusion of guys like Chandler and Marion help them out, but if this turns into an all-out war? I got Miami... Advantage: Miami
BEST PLAYER IN THE SERIES
  • This is an interesting one... the best player on Earth is Lebron James in my opinion... but does that mean he's playing the best right now? Dirk has been out of his mind recently... shooting some of the crazy %'s you'll ever see, and showing an array of offensive moves we haven't seen from a guy that size since Hakeem (except Dirk has 25 foot range)... he's been absolutely unbelievable... The rule has always been that the best player in the series wins the series... so this is an important one... I'm going to go on a limb and give this to Miami because I feel that Lebron is bringing it on both ends here (and they have the 4th quarter trump card of sticking him on Dirk defensively)... SLIGHT Advantage: Miami
REBOUNDING
  • This is another key for me... can Joel Anthony continue this torrid pace? Will Tyson Chandler show up for the biggest series of his life?... All questions we need answered... Haslem is the key for Miami... you know you're getting excellent rebounding from Wade/Lebron positionally, and I now trust Anthony to do his job, so it really comes down to whether Bosh and Haslem do the dirty work... for Dallas, Chandler and Haywood should dominate the boards, but I don't necessarily trust them to do so... in the midst of all the Dirk hype, his rebounding numbers have faded a bit, and I don't know where else they go (other than Kidd) for rebounding.... this is a battle of haplessness to a point... Slight advantage: Dallas (thanks J-Kidd)
3-POINT SHOOTING
  • Well, Dallas... this is what you have to do... they've shot the ball lights out at times (see: Lakers, L.A.) and that's the great x-factor... Peja, Terry, Kidd, Dirk are 4 of the top 40 most prolific 3-point shooters in the history of the league... on one team!.... Jet Terry has to make shots for Dallas to have a chance in this series, and anything they get out of Peja is gravy... on Miami's end, it's more a case of getting GOOD 3-point looks... Lebron and Wade aren't 3 point shooters but they TAKE them when they get passive (especially Lebron)... the fewer the better for those guys... but guys like James Jones and Mike Miller really ONLY bring value when they are making triples... Advantage: Dallas
"TRUST"
  • I went back and forth on including this category, but I had to.... who do I trust on these teams?... Arbitrary I know, but when it gets down to business, who do I want out there?... Simply put, for Dallas, I trust Dirk, Chandler, Marion, Kidd, and Terry... for Miami, I trust Lebron, Wade, Anthony, Bosh (to a point), and Haslem... call it a draw... but I wanted my thoughts to be out there (I'm looking at you JJ Barea).... Advantage: Push

Okay, that'll do it for the Dr. Jack breakdown... but I wanted to get this out there (courtesy of Ryan).... Are we sure that Miami isn't going to set every free throw shooting record in this series?... Look, I'm not necessarily "conspiracy theory" guy, but with the fact that Wade (and to an extent, Lebron) has done this before in 2006, and they KNOW they're going to get calls, I'm scared that this will turn into a drive-and-hurl-your-body series, and that favors Miami... anyway, on the record... I'm taking Miami in 6... There's little conviction in that pick, but it comes down to the fact that while Miami has limitations roster-wise, I don't think Dallas has the type of team that can accurately abuse them on their issues... it would take a super-human Dirk performance, and with a gun to my head? I can't do it... Enjoy the series, everyone...

Thursday, May 26, 2011

5/26: Dallas to the Finals, etc.

Greetings all...
  • Dallas is headed to the NBA Finals... 100-96 victors last night over OKC on the back of 26 points each from Dirk and Shawn Marion... most impressive to me is that Dallas won the game despite being outrebounded, making just 5 threes, and shooting just 41% from the field... gritty... OKC got major impact from Harden and Collison off the bench, and 54 total points from Durant and Westbrook, but after Collison dunked to give OKC a 7-point lead with over 5 minutes to go, the Thunder shot just 2 of 9 and committed a woeful 6 turnovers... just can't do that on the road with your back against the wall... at any rate, one of the more impressive series in recent memory from Dirk, and Dallas marches on...
  • Mike Brown is the new Lakers head coach... we spoke on this yesterday, but now that it's official... there you go...
  • The Phillies and Reds played 19 innings last night... that's crazy enough in itself, but Philly won it in the 19th with Wilson Valdez as the pitcher of record... er... Valdez was their starting 2nd basemen last night, but pitched a scoreless 19th and even retired Joey Votto... First time a position player notched a win since 2000, and the first time a STARTING position player got one since Babe Ruth... what?!....
  • Buster Posey, the San Francisco Giants' prized young catcher, went down in a heap while blocking the plate last night... preliminary reports believe that the injury is serious and could be season-ending... a huge blow for the defending champs... and, of course, mine and James' (@jrniemeyer) fantasy keeper league team...
  • The Braves with another win... and another extra inning game... this time, the one and only Brooks Conrad hit the game-clinching blast in the top of the 11th... if there was ever an argument for the rostering of Conrad, this is it... the guy notches game winners... at any rate, a very efficient 5+ innings from Mike Minor in a spot start, and the bullpen did yeoman's work with the exception of one pitch by O'Flaherty... another day off on Thursday before welcoming Cincy to town...
What to watch for on Thursday...
  • Heat @ Bulls - TNT 8:30 - Chicago has an easier task to stay their own execution than OKC did because the game is in the United Center... I actually think Chicago sends this thing back to Miami...
  • Mets @ Cubs - WGN 2:20 - Dickey vs. Zambrano - a knuckleballer against a crazy man...

Enjoy...

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

5/25: Heat/Bulls, Mike Brown, etc.

Greetings all...
  • Miami 101, Chicago 93 (OT) - Well, that was the second straight night with a helluva game... Lebron James showed why he's the best player on the planet last night... throwing up a 35/6/6 and locking Derrick Rose down (yes, Lebron, at 6'9, 250) in crunch-time... Miami managed to sneak a win with Wade virtually disappearing offensively thanks to LBJ and some timely shot-making by Bosh (22 points, 6 boards, 6-12 FG)... on Chicago's end, they just couldn't score late, and Rose was just 3 of 17 on jumpers (8 of 27 overall)... if he shoots like that, it's certainly difficult for Chicago to scratch offensively... Is this series over? Probably... but not as over as the OKC/Dallas series simply because Chicago still has 2 home games...
  • Mike Brown is the front-runner to coach the Lakers... that seems.. weird... but I actually kind of like it... he got a bad reputation in Cleveland because of the way it ended, but that team won 60+ games multiple times and the talent wasn't exactly fantastic... he's a very, very good defensive coach, and offensively, just hire a big-time assistant and you're blessed with Kobe/Pau/Bynum/Odom off the bat... I don't hate it... especially when the other reported options include Mike Dunleavy... ha...
  • Vancouver is in the Stanley Cup Finals... I won't act like I watched it... but people seem to like the Canucks, and it IS the cup finals... so a mention is warranted...
  • Carlos Quentin hit 3 HRs last night for the Chi-Sox in their beating of the Rangers... 3 homers is 3 homers...
  • Small ball... that was the theme of the Braves 2-0 win last night over Pittsburgh... the first run generated by a hit-n-run that saw Gonzalez move from 1st to 3rd on a single and then score on a Conrad Sac fly, and the 2nd run generated with Jordan Schafer motoring home from 1st on a double... was nice to see some speed on the basepaths from Schafer... but the real story is Jair Jurrjens... the guy has been ridiculous this year (6-1, 1.56 ERA), and I have to eat some crow on him... not necessarily an "all-in" believer on him entering the season, and while my injury concerns are still there, he's been better than I'd ever expect...
  • Tate Forcier isn't going to Miami... no one nationally cares about this... but I have a soft spot for Tate that is slowly waning with every random move he makes... now he wants to go to Auburn or USC?... I have no idea... but get there quickly...
What to watch for on Wednesday...
  • Western Conf. Finals Game 5 - Thunder @ Mavs - ESPN 9:00 - I'd be pretty surprised if the series didn't end tonight... but I'm eager to see how Durant and Westbrook respond...
  • Braves @ Pirates - SportSouth 12:30 - Minor vs. McDonald - Mike Minor gets a look here in Hudson's stead... he's been lights-out at Gwinnett, so let's hope it continues...
  • Reds @ Phillies - ESPN2 7:00 - Wood vs. Halladay - The best in the business on the hill for Philly...
Enjoy...

Monday, May 23, 2011

5/23: Heat/Bulls, Braves Injuries, etc...

Greetings... Running quite low on time this morning so forgive the brevity...
  • Miami 96, Chicago 85... Big-ups to Chris Bosh... 34 points on 13 of 18 shooting to lead Miami to the victory on a night where Wade and LBJ combined to shoot 12 of 30... I thought Lebron was tremendous as a facilitator with 10 dimes, but they needed somebody to make shots and Bosh stepped to the forefront... for Chicago, there were bright spots like Carlos Boozer actually showing up with 26 and 17, but Rose was subpar (by Rose's standards) and Noah was a complete no-show (1 point, 5 boards, 29 minutes with foul trouble)... and they can't win like that on the road...
  • Jason Heyward to the DL... Nate McLouth with a strained oblique... Tim Hudson on a plane to Atlanta with back trouble... it's suddenly an injury epidemic in the Braves clubhouse... hilariously, the best player of the 3 (Hudson, currently) has the least impact injury-wise as long as it isn't a long-term ordeal simply because the Braves have amassed impressive organizational depth with starting pitching... the outfield issues are quite troubling when you consider 1) McLouth is the only major league center-fielder in the organization... 2) Heyward would be the next option in center (whoops), and 3) Wilkin Ramirez is going to have to play there... 4) Martin Prado is the best athletic comp for center but has to play 3rd base all the time because Chipper is Chipper.... It's not good right now... and that's not even bringing up Dan Uggla...
What to watch for...
  • Western Conf. Finals Game 4 - Mavs @ Thunder - ESPN 9:00 - Must-win time for OKC... if they drop this one and go down 3-1 with 2 more on the road, it's effectively over... paging Kevin Durant...
  • Red Sox @ Indians - ESPN2 7:00 - Buchholz vs. Masterson - If you are in need of baseball on a Braves off day...
Enjoy...

Friday, May 20, 2011

5/20: West Finals, Braves Offense, etc.

Greetings all... short today...
  • OKC 106, Dallas 100 - Kevin Durant had a ho-hum 24, but James Harden was the star last night... 23 points, 7 rebounds in 32 minutes for Harden on just 9 shot attempts featuring 4 triples and 7 free throws... about as efficient as it gets, and I really liked what he gave them... the "big" story today is that Scott Brooks decided to roll with Eric Maynor down the stretch over Westbrook... I thought it was a non-issue because the OKC bench (led by Maynor) had given them the lead, and he was playing extremely well (see his game-leading +18 rating)... Westbrook didn't have a bad game (7 of 15) but had 4 turnovers to match his 4 assists, and Maynor was playing good ball... there's no "controversy" here, but I'm fine with Brooks going with the hot hand... for Dallas, Dirk was tremendous again with 29 points on 10-17 but there wasn't the same magic from Terry and Barea, and they couldn't get a stop late... this should be a long series...
  • The D-Backs own the Braves in Arizona... another maddening 1-run defeat last night as Jurrjens pitched very well (again), but didn't get any help from the bats who produced only 1 run and even that was a gift in the 9th inning... It's a weird place right now... you can look at that lineup, and there's no "glaring" weakness or prime trade spot (Nate McLouth likely the closest, but he's been fine)... but the runs just aren't coming... I'm a firm believer that Heyward and Uggla will hit, and that'll likely do the trick, but it's a concern... on the bright side? Sherrill and Linebrink combined for 1.1 IP of scoreless relief and the rest of the pen had the night off... that's nice...
What to watch for on Friday...
  • Cubs @ Red Sox - 7:00 WGN - Davis vs. Lester - Interleague!
  • Braves @ Angels - 10:00 SportSouth - Hudson vs. Santana - Interleague! In LA! Late Night!
Enjoy...

Thursday, May 19, 2011

5/19: Miami Ties It Up, Braves Implosion, etc.

Greetings all...
  • Miami 85, Chicago 75 - Just an ugly, ugly offensive display from Chicago... 34% from the field and only 2 points (TWO!) in the final 7 minutes and 16 seconds of this game... that's not going to do it... Lebron was tremendous with 29 points and 10 boards, and Wade had an efficient 24 and 9 to key the Heat... Another real bright spot for Miami was the emergence of Udonis Haslem... one of their "big" rotation signings in the offseason, Haslem has been hurt all year, but gave them 13 points off the bench including a couple of monster dunks... on the Chicago side, it's very difficult for them to overcome 7 of 23 from Derrick Rose combined with 5 of 15 from Luol Deng... just not enough offensive weapons no matter how well they defend... big win for Miami, and this is a riveting series...
  • Ohio State's AD is still backing Jim Tressel... this story continues to provide me great pleasure as a Buckeye hater, but I don't understand this one... there's documented proof of Tressel's extensive wrongdoing on this case, and I'm not sure if OSU realizes the magnitude... that's really the only defense for how they've handled it...
  • The Braves took one on the chin last night... just a wild game, and it seems like Arizona is a bit of a house of horrors for Atlanta... with a 3-2 lead in the 7th, Arizona scratched home a run on a TWO-BASE wild pitch that scored Roberts from 2nd base... then in extra innings after Atlanta clawed out a run in the top-half, Kimbrel allowed 4 straight hits (including 2 infield singles), which doesn't sound crazy unless you watched them... one was deflected off his glove that would've ended the game with a double-play, and the game-winner was a feeble tapper off the plate... an underrated key? Joe Mather's base-running mistake in the 11th that looked initially (when the Braves scored) to be just an unfortunate mishap, but in the end cost the Braves an additional run... and to think, he was pinch-running....
  • The Atlanta Hawks and the Atlanta Thrashers are for sale... I apologize for under-covering this, but it seems like all or part of this ownership triumvirate has been for sale for years... the ASG is in exclusive talks with a part-owner of the San Diego Padres to sell the Hawks and the Arena, while they are in separate talks about selling the Thrashers to different groups... keep an eye...
  • Welcome back Jake Peavy... a complete game shut-out last night that showed his old Padres form... always rooted for him for some reason...
  • And a somber-ish note, Jeff Teague and a former teammate of his at Wake Forest are being discussed in connection with a potential sexual assault from 2009... no charges have been filed, but the accuser is on the Today show this week discussing a proposed incident... from what I've gathered, it doesn't seem like Teague was involved in the sexual contact (the teammate was), but he was in the vicinity and is being discussed... bad timing for a guy who seemed to be a catching a break professionally... but you can't sleep on bad behavior
What to watch for on Thursday...
  • Western Conf. Finals Game 2 - Thunder @ Mavs - ESPN 9:00 - Well, the Dirk show gets another opportunity... the key to me is Westbrook, so we'll see how he responds
  • Braves @ D-Backs - Jurrjens vs. Collmenter - SportSouth 9:40 - Looking to split the series against a relative unknown... should be interesting at the very least
Enjoy..

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

5/18: The Dirk Show...

Greetings all...
  • Dirk Nowitzki was inhuman last night... 48 points on 12 of 15 shooting and 24 of 24 from the line... he scored 48 points on 15 field goal attempts!... and think about this, he didn't even ATTEMPT (much less make) a single three-pointer... I've never seen an array of mid-range shots like he had last night... off one leg, sideways, off-glass, up-fakes... it was ridiculous... Okay, now that's out of the way... the officiating was a little sketchy to me... you don't get to the line 24 times in a game and draw 16 fouls on the opposition by yourself without some help, and he certainly got it... that being said, a big win for Dallas... JJ Barea and Jason Terry combined for 45 and that was enough to help Dirk get the W... on OKC's side? I think they should actually be a little bit encouraged... Durant was outstanding (40 points, 10-18 FG, 18-19 FT), and I liked what Ibaka gave them, but they really didn't play well otherwise, Dallas shot out of their minds, Russ Westbrook went 3 for 15.... and they still were down 6 with 3 minutes to go... oddly encouraging... I don't know if it's a confidence thing for Westbrook, but his shooting stroke is a bit off, and I can't put my finger on it... anyway, Game 1 in the books with one of the great offensive displays I've ever seen (not hyperbole)...
Elsewhere...
  • The Cavs win the draft lottery... with the Clippers' pick... the lottery is overblown in a year such as this with no clear #1 pick, but it's nice for the Cavs to secure the #1 and 4 picks... I'll obviously beat the NBA draft into the ground this summer (which you know if you're a longtime reader), but mocks I've seen where Cleveland would secure Irving and Kanter would be the best case scenario... I don't think Cleveland is the most interesting team though... keep an eye on David Kahn...
  • Harmon Killebrew passes away at 74... the best player in Twins history passes away after a long battle... 11th on the all-time home run list, 8 seasons with 40+ HR, and from all accounts, a pretty legit guy... RIP...
  • Brian McCann stole the show at Turner Field yesterday... without starting?... He hit a game-tying pinch-hit home run with 2 outs in the 9th, and followed it up with a walk-off 2-run blast in the 11th... Houston is now just 5 of 16 in save chances (unbelievably putrid), and blew another one for Wandy Rodriguez last night... big-ups to Derek Lowe on another very good outing as well...
  • Had to take a second to congratulate Lloyd Carr on his college football HOF induction... I feel like I've lived and died with Lloyd more than any other coach/manager except for Bobby Cox... he's deserving...
What to watch for on Wednesday...
  • Eastern Conf. Finals - Game 2 - Heat @ Bulls - TNT 8:30 - Miami needs to steal this one... Chicago was firing on all cylinders in the 2nd half of Game 1, but I don't envision a 12 of 32 from Lebron and Wade...
  • Rockies @ Phillies - 7:00 ESPN - De la Rosa vs. Hamels - De la Rosa is one of the more underrated good pitchers in the NL... should be a nice matchup
  • Cubs @ Marlins - 7:00 WGN - Dempster vs. Nolasco - Another decent pitching matchup...
  • Braves @ D-Backs - 9:40 SportSouth - Teheran vs. Saunders - Joe Saunders stinks... but the emphasis is on the 2nd start for the heralded Julio Teheran...
Enjoy...

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

5/17: Lockout is On, Mazzaro Implosion, etc.

Greetings... kind of a slow day with no NBA from Monday, so here we are...
  • The NFL Lockout is on... you're saying, "what? wasn't it already?"... well sort of... but the 8th circuit court ruled yesterday that the Owners were granted a permanent stay of the injunction that stopped the lockout, and that the business of the NFL couldn't resume until the "full appeal" was made next month... nothing to really see here, other than the realization that nothing is happening...
  • Vin Mazzaro allowed 14 earned runs last night... by himself... in RELIEF!... 2 and 1/3 innings and 14 earned runs is one of the crazier things I've seen... he allowed as many runs last night as James Shields, Trevor Cahill, and Zach Britton have allowed ALL YEAR... I don't even know what to say...
  • The Braves get a win with a makeshift lineup... 2 hits for Joe Mather (wow), 3 hits for Eric Hinske, and some dominant pitching from Tommy Hanson (7 IP, 2 R, 1 ER) get the win over the hapless Astros... I'm looking forward to seeing Heyward in the lineup, with Chipper hopefully not far behind
  • A random college hoops story... Bryce Drew is taking over as the head coach at Valparaiso... why is that noteworthy? Well, it really isn't unless you remember (as I do) seeing Bryce hit the famous game-winner over Ole Miss in the NCAA Tourney while coached by his dad Homer... cyclical...
What to watch for on Tuesday...
  • Western Conf. Finals Game 1 - Thunder @ Mavs - 9:00 ESPN - Kicking off the West matchup tonight... I really think OKC has a legit chance to win this series... the matchups are bad for Dallas... Jason Kidd's nightmare is a lightning quick guard (insert Westbrook), and I'm not sure how Dallas can play Terry and Kidd together against Westbrook and Harden... but honestly? I think the series comes down to who plays better between Durant and Dirk.. simple I know, but both have matchups they should be able to exploit... I trust Dirk more as a crunch-time guy in 2011 so I'll take them in 7....
  • NBA Draft Lottery - 8:30 ESPN - In the midst of the festivities tonight, the draft lottery is going down... always a riveting event, but this year has a different feel with no real #1 pick in sight... always helpful to see the order for future breakdowns though
  • Astros @ Braves - 1:00 SportSouth - Rodriguez vs. Lowe - Good pitching matchup for the businessman's special today...
Enjoy...

Monday, May 16, 2011

5/16: OKC Advances, Chicago Dominates, etc.

Greetings...
  • OKC 105, Memphis 90... That was the damage in Game 7 of the West semis... Kevin Durant was outstanding with 39 points on 13-25, and really dominated from the jump offensively... Westbrook took a step back (attempting only 12 shots), but was wildly effective as a distributor and threw up a triple-double with 14/10/14... all that said, I thought Nick Collison and James Harden were HUGE for OKC... Collison had 8 points and 12 boards in 33 minutes, but did a fantastic job on Z-Bo (who shot just 6 of 15), and Harden shot 6 of 10 including 4 triples off the bench... Valiant effort from the Grizz, but they shot just 40% from the field, Mike Conley took 19 shots (why!?), and Randolph was merely human... on to Dallas...
  • Chicago 103, Miami 82 - This was a weird one... Miami actually led in the 2nd half at one point, but the Bulls executed flawlessly in the final 2 frames, and blew it open... I absolutely love Luol Deng... 21 points on 15 shots, outstanding D on Lebron (5 of 15, 15 points), and there's really nothing he does poorly... Rose was Rose with 28 points, and they got decent enough production from Boozer (14 and 9) and Noah (14 boards, stellar D)... the key for the series (outside of Boozer) is how the non-Deng perimeter guys play for Chicago... they have to find a way to play Korver AND hide him on D, but Thibodeau found a nice balance in Game 1... I don't think this one is indicative of how the series will play out namely because I don't see Wade and Lebron both having stinkers on the same day again, but Chicago looked good... oh, and shout-out to Chris Bosh on showing up in Game 1... can't fail to mention his 30 and 9 when he's been getting crapped on from every direction...
  • Jose Bautista is apparently non-human... 3 homers yesterday for the Jays slugger and he now has 16 on the year... and 63 in the last 365 days... that's insane... especially when you consider how average he was prior to 2010... Of course, the requisite steroid talk will begin (or has begun already), but I'm going to take it at face value when there are various "experts" who can cite swing changes... that's plausible...
  • Um... Tennis!?.... Yeah, I'm going tennis... (shout-out to James)... Novak Djokovic doesn't lose... he's won his first 37 matches of the year including TWO separate clay court wins over Rafael Nadal... that's outstanding, and he's making a run at John McEnroe's 42-0 start... tennis mention over...
  • The Red Sox and Yankees play an unwatchable brand of baseball... that's all....
  • The Braves take 2 of 3 from Philly over the weekend thanks to some outstanding pitching, and a Dan Uggla go-ahead home run yesterday... any time you can beat Roy Halladay, you'll take it... the lead is 3.5 games and closing...
What to watch for on Monday...
  • Phillies @ Cards - 7:00 ESPN - Lee vs. Westbrook - Cliff Lee is worth the price of admission....
  • Astros @ Braves - 7:00 Fox Sports South - Myers vs. Hanson - Myers has been subpar this year (compared to his outstanding 2010)... this is a spot where the Braves could use a dominant series against a bad team
No NBA today with the series on break... but it's firing up... Enjoy...

Friday, May 13, 2011

Hawks Reaction...

Well, the unforeseen blogger issues/crash this morning kind of derailed my normal process... but I can't let today go without getting something up on the Hawks... This will be "last night only" focused, as I formulate my thoughts on the future direction of the squad...
  • I'm not even sure where to begin other than to say that this was basically a microcosm of every flaw on this team summed into one game...
  • Jamal Crawford was terrible... literally... as anyone who reads this blog regularly would attest, I've been a believer that Crawford's worth is ENTIRELY linked to whether his (often contested) jumpers are going in... and that held true, he shot 2 of 10, went -17 in 25 minutes, and was frankly useless for the majority of those 25 minutes...
  • Al Horford (who I've long felt and still do feel is the Hawks' best player) was a non-factor offensively in 4 of the 6 games in this series due to his lack of post options (in general) and the fact that Joakim Noah swallows up the pick 'n pop game that is his offensive bread-and-butter... I won't excuse Horford's lack of production, and he's got to do more...
  • Joe Johnson and Josh Smith were who we thought they were (copyright: Dennis Green)... Joe was a lack-luster 7 of 18, didn't make any big plays, and was underwhelming while doing his typical Joe routine... Josh had a decent boxscore (7 of 15, 18 points, 5 boards), but shot 2 of 7 on jumpers including 0 of 3 on threes, and was, as usual, the most maddening basketball player on the court...
  • Elsewhere, Teague got banged up and was decent in 25 minutes, but clearly not the same guy as previous games... not worried about that... the bigger issue? As usual, the depth just wasn't there... Marvin Williams got buried to just 15 minutes of action, but was scoreless in those minutes, and generally uninspiring... the end of the bench (Wilkins, Sy, Powell, Armstrong) should never see the court (and props for Larry Drew for burying them in this series for the most part), and there just isn't anything there.... I did have an issue with having Jason Collins guard Boozer in the first quarter... Boozer had 9 points in first 7 minutes and generally dominated him, getting off to a bad start....
What does it all mean going forward?... We'll have time to discuss it... right now? I'm certainly in favor of shopping (and moving) Josh Smith for the right package (or anything near the right package)... I'll co-sign the inevitable shopping of Marvin Williams, and the likely realization that he has no value... Jamal Crawford HAS TO (I repeat: HAS TO) be let go... there's no reason on the planet to bring him back when you take into account the repetitive skillset he has to Joe Johnson, the emergence of Teague, the pricetag, and the fact that Kirk Hinrich can play both guard spots... There's a little bit of encouragement there with Teague, a full season of Hinrich, and some flexibility (see above), but without a first-round pick, and with the cap uncertainty, it could be the same nucleus coming back... and we know how that ends...

Thursday, May 12, 2011

5/12: Goodnight to the Celtics...

Greetings all... Lots to get to today...
  • Heat 97, Celtics 87 - The particulars first... Lebron and Wade were both tremendous last night... LBJ threw up a 33/7/5 and Wade had 34/10/5... there really isn't much you can do to slow that duo down when they both have it going... and Bosh played decent (only 9 FG attempts, but 14 and 11)... but there were peripheral (aka non-Wade/LBJ) reasons that Miami won... only 9 turnovers... and they also won the rebounding battle 38-30... On Boston's end, that's just a different team with Rondo slowed as he is... and they didn't get the type of big game they needed from any of the big 3 to overcome that loss... There's been tons of talk of the LA run ending... but I feel like Boston's run is more likely to do so... with the contract situation and pure age of KG and Ray (plus Pierce not getting younger, and Shaq basically done), this should be it for them as title contenders IMO... it's been a good run...
  • OKC 99, Memphis 72... This was non-competitive... But it's encouraging to see OKC's extra gear... they totally swarmed Memphis defensively, and were able to absolutely cruise to the win even with only 30 combined points from KD/Westbrook... oh, and Westbrook took only 10 shots in 25 minutes... hmmm....
  • Ex-NBA player, Robert "Tractor" Traylor found dead in Puerto Rico... the former Michigan stand-out (and the greatest 300-pound dunker ever) has a special place for me... obviously as a Michigan guy, I particularly enjoyed him, but he was also the likeness of the first jersey I ever owned... RIP big fella...
  • Doc Rivers will "probably be back" as Boston coach... those were Doc's words yesterday, and while I don't particularly believe it, that's a nice sign for the Cs...
  • Angels 1B Kendrys Morales is out for the season... kind of a big blow for them in that he was their best power hitter a year ago (pre-injury) but Trumbo has stepped in nicely, and they've been hitting enough to win so far....
A Braves Rant...
  • Well that was fun last night, huh?... Craig Kimbrel entered with a 2-run lead in the 9th and promptly allowed 3 singles and a walk to see the lead evaporate, and the wheels came off in the 11th behind Scott Linebrink's 4 ER... the bullpen is a perceived strength for this club, and the bounds of the love bestowed upon Kimbrel and Venters have been crazy nationally... but Kimbrel has blown 3 saves already, and hasn't quite had the snap on his pitches that we saw late in 2010... that being said, he's not the issue (yet)... with Moylan out 8-12 weeks, there isn't a single reliable right-hander in the bullpen before the 9th inning, and that's an issue... Scott Linebrink is an unmitigated disaster... I don't have anything else on him... and I'm going to stop now... it's one implosion in May, and that's what it is, but the right-handed middle relief issue isn't going to evaporate...
What to watch for...
  • Bulls @ Hawks - Game 6 - ESPN 8:00 - Well, here it is for the Hawks... I can't even summon a prediction here... if they show up? I think they win the game, honestly I do... because Chicago doesn't have the reps in this type of situation to put down a team playing well on their home court with the talent that Atlanta has... but scroll back, and realize that Atlanta showing up is far from a given... Go Birds...
  • Nats @ Braves - Zimmerman vs. Lowe - 7:00 SportSouth - The Nationals are 7 games over .500 against the Braves since 2008... I don't even know what to say about that with how far the teams have been apart in the overall standings since that time, but they have Atlanta's number a bit... Zimmerman is the Nats' best pitcher, but Lowe has been good for the most part in '11...
Enjoy...

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

5/11: Hawks/Bulls...

Short on time so only one topic today...

Chicago takes the 3-2 series lead over the Hawks last night in the United Center... I've been hearing a lot of (almost) outrage this morning from Atlanta fans, radio, etc... and I don't understand it?... Were the Hawks supposed to go on the road and beat the #1 seed? I thought an egg-laying was fully within the scope of possibility, but the Hawks actually showed up, and led in the 4th quarter at one point... Jeff Teague has been a God-send in this series, and his good play continued as well as getting an above-average night from Smiff... the issue was Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford combining to shoot just 7 of 24 (1 of 9 for Crawford, yikes), and the Hawks couldn't create enough offense... I think I would've preferred more than 9 minutes for Marvin Williams on a night where Jamal clearly couldn't do the one thing he does well (score)... for Chicago, Rose was great in the 4th, but the key was Taj Gibson... he made play after play down the stretch and had 11 big points in the 4th.... what do we take away? The better team won a game at home in which the inferior team's 2 best scorers didn't score... kind of ho-hum for me...

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

5/10: Miami takes Control, 3 OTs in Memphis, etc.

Greetings...
  • Miami 98, Boston 90 - Don't let the final score deceive you... this was as tight as it gets... Lebron and Wade combined for 63 for the Heat, and it was enough to outlast Boston (with some help)... I thought the 3 most critical possessions of the game were 1) the Lebron dagger 3 when Miami was down 84-81 and he stared down Pierce in the corner and buried it... 2) The Rondo blown lay-up, and 3) The inexplicably bad execution on the final possession of regulation by Boston, when they had control of the ball with 19 seconds left, but failed to start their set in time to get a good shot... All 3 plays went Miami's way, and that's your game... Rondo was a bit of a liability offensively down the stretch (even at one point being benched for Jeff Green), but any blame placed there is likely misguided... Miami made plays... and even Chris Bosh (who somehow ended with 20 and 12) made the clinching play on the tip-in in OT... Is this series over? Probably... but I'd be too terrified to fully bury that Celtics team out of respect...
  • OKC 133, Memphis 123 - If you thought the first game was crazy... Memphis shot 36% for the game (all 3 overtimes included lol) and still managed to hang around thanks to some gifts from OKC... anyway, Russ Westbrook decided to (again) take 33 shots... this one wasn't as egregious since he played 51 minutes (obviously a better ratio), but his 33 shots to Durant's 20 (in 57 minutes) is cause for concern... Really liked what OKC got from Harden last night (19-7-7) and he was a legit option for them which is what they need... on the Grizz side, I thought Gasol was awesome (26 and 21), and Mayo played well, but other than that?... Yeah... Zach managed 34 and 16, but shot just 9 of 25 and clearly ran out of gas in the OTs... Conley and Allen combined to shoot 5 of 22, and that wasn't helping... this one is going 7 I think...
  • Maryland names Mark Turgeon head basketball coach... the former Texas A&M HC had been rumored in multiple openings this spring, and lands in College Park... not the "splash" hire they probably wanted, but an established guy with a nice track record...
  • The NBA All-defensive team was released yesterday with Howard-Garnett-Lebron-Kobe-Rondo... I have no issues outside of Kobe... yes, he's still above-average because he's very smart, and still fairly athletic, but anyone who watched that Dallas series would be laughing about Kobe on the all-defensive team... purely a "name" vote...
  • MLB Roundup: Carl Crawford hit a walk-off double for Boston last night... maybe they'll stop booing him... Milton Bradley was designated for assignment by Seattle (aka outright released) and his $12 million contract looms... he's certifiable, and he's not hitting... bad combo... Trevor Cahill shuts down Texas on the road... 7 innings, 7 Ks, 1 ER for the A's hurler in a tough place to pitch... continues to impress...
What to watch for on Tuesday...
  • Hawks @ Bulls - TNT 8:00 - the hometown Hawks get the national stage all to themselves tonight... what does that usually mean? a 20-point blowout loss... take it from experience here...
  • Nats @ Braves - SportSouth 7:00 - Marquis vs. Hudson - Braves kick off an 8-game homestand with Washington in town...
  • Cardinals @ Cubs - WGN 8:00 - Carpenter vs. Zambrano - This would've been a better pitching matchup a few years ago, but it's still a pretty decent one
Enjoy...

Monday, May 9, 2011

5/9: Big Night in Atlanta Sports...

Greetings all... straight to it...
  • The Hawks are alive... 100-88 victors over the Bulls last night in front of a raucous Philips Arena crowd (I'm as surprised as you, believe me)... the story was "good" Josh Smith showing up for the most part... 23 points, 16 boards, and 8 huge assists for Smiff... he still managed to take 6 jump-shots (shooting 1 of 6 and extending his laughable output on these shots to 1-21 in the series), but for the most part, his talent was on display in about as good a way as you can ever expect... Al Horford (20 points) and Joe Johnson (24 points on just 14 shots) were up to the challenge as well, and Jeff Teague continues to impress in hounding Derrick Rose a bit, and playing above his head... speaking of Rose, he managed to muster 34 points but needed a crazy 32 field goal attempts to do so, and any Hawks fan would love to see that kind of output continue... other than that, the story for Chicago was missed jumpers... 3 of 16 on threes including 0-5 from Korver hurt them badly... what does it all mean? I'm not sure... the Jekyll/Hyde nature of the Hawks combined with the playoff inexperience of this Bulls team makes predictions difficult... but if the Hawks play like they did last night (a stretch), they can win this series...
  • The Phil/Kobe Lakers are dead... at least it appears that way... they flat-out quit in a 122-86 blowout loss to Dallas last night... first off, credit to Dallas though... they shot 20-32 from three, 60% from the field, and a ludicrous 74% eFG last night... that's INSANE... yes, they were majority uncontested because of how bad LA was defensively, but most teams can't shoot those numbers in an empty gym... Jason Terry shot 9-10 from 3, and Peja shot 6-6... can't make this stuff up... they were fantastic... LA is the story though... from the Odom cheapshot to the absolutely flagrant Bynum flying forearm shiver (which was about as egregious as it gets), LA just was out-of-sorts... they didn't defend a soul all afternoon, and it's hard to ignore 3 different 30+ point blowout losses to end seasons in this era... weird stuff... If that's Phil Jackson's last game, he definitely deserved better from his guys...
  • The Braves take 2 of 3 from Philly... after a loss on Saturday, Atlanta rallied to take the series behind Jair Jurrjens last night... 6.1 IP, 1 ER for Jair (who's season ERA is now a crazy 1.50), and they got 3 HRs (Hinske, Freeman, Gonzalez) to hold off Philly... the lead is now 3.5 games for Philly, and while it's too early to watch the standings (come on), it's nice to see that gap dwindling...
  • Derek Jeter hit 2 homers last night... we can now stop the widespread panic...
  • The NFL may use WADA to implement drug testing... the World Anti-doping agency currently handles Olympic testing, and I actually think this is a great idea... so, count me skeptical that it actually occurs...
What to watch for on Monday...
  • Heat @ Celtics - Game 4 - 7:00 TNT - Really impressive performance for Boston in Game 3, but this is a quick turnaround, and you really have no idea what they'll get from Rondo... should be interesting
  • Thunder @ Grizz - Game 4 - 9:30 TNT - Must win for OKC? I believe so... and I think they get this one...
  • Twins @ Red Sox - Blackburn vs. Beckett - 7:00 ESPN - Random baseball if you don't want to watch Heat/Cs....
Enjoy...

Saturday, May 7, 2011

5/7: End of the Kobe Era?

Greetings all... my apologies for the extended absence, but thanks to Ryan for filling in... let's get right to it...
  • Dallas takes a 3-0 lead over the Lakers... I honestly can't figure out how LA lost this game late, but Dallas made play after play down the stretch (with some help from LA's defense), creating open threes for Terry and Dirk as well as open shots for Peja... Overall, I thought Peja was huge for Dallas with 15 points off the pine, but the always under-appreciated Jet Terry had 23 huge points... for LA, they got efficient games from Odom, Gasol, and Kobe, but no one played above-average for them except Bynum, and they just couldn't make plays down the stretch (example: the sequence where Odom threw up an off-balanced leaner, and then the failed inbounds pass the next trip)... big-ups to Dallas for putting this one away for the most part... if this is the end to the Kobe era, it's been a good run...
  • Chicago throttles Atlanta 99-82... Derrick Rose was the truth all night for Chicago... 44 points on 16 of 27... the Hawks inexplicably relapsed into trying to fight over the top of screens and Rose took advantage... props to Gibson and Noah for absolutely locking down the Hawks front line and contributing 26 total boards between them... Al Horford is in a shooting funk right now (5 of 12) and Noah may be in his head... Joe Johnson with another stinkbomb (4 of 12, 10 points) and they can't afford any more of them... Josh Smith had his best game of the series (not saying much) but shot 3 of 8 from the line, and was generally baffling as usual... I need to stop writing...
Elsewhere...
  • Gary Williams retires as Maryland's basketball coach... this one kinda surprised me because it seemed to come out of nowhere, and he's a national championship coach at that school... probably under-appreciated nationally, but he's done a pretty legit job with the Terps...
  • Andre Ethier has a 30-game hitting streak... only 26 short of Dimaggio!... oh.. that's a lot of games... pretty impressive though...
Baseball roundup...
  • Derek Lowe threw 6 2-hit innings before exiting with a blister problem on his foot, and the Braves got a 5-0 win in Philly... Cliff Lee had a ridiculous 16 K performance for Philly, but allowed 3 runs, and the Braves tacked on 2 more against Baez in the 9th... a very nice start to the series, and it's nice to see Lowe going well...
  • Roy Oswalt hits the DL for Philly with a back issue... that's something to keep an eye on...
  • Pitching Line of the Day - Jaime Garcia - With apologies to Cliff Lee... Garcia threw a 2-hit shutout with 8 Ks, and that takes precedent over 16 Ks...
  • Batting Line of the Day - Curtis Granderson - 2 for 4, 2 HR, 3 RBI for the Yankee outfielder...
What to watch for on Saturday...
  • Thunder @ Grizz - Game 3 - ESPN 5:00 - Crucial game for both teams... OKC needs to regain homecourt, and Memphis knows they can't afford to drop a home game... Keep an eye on the Randolph/Ibaka matchup... and of course, whether Russ Westbrook can play how he's capable of playing
  • Heat @ Celtics - Game 3 - ABC 8:00 - Win or go home time for Boston... I think they respond and get a win here... Rondo is the x-factor...
  • Cubs @ Cardinals - Arroyo vs. Coleman - 1:00 FOX - If you have nothing else to do...
  • Braves @ Phillies - Teheran vs. Kendrick - 7:00 SportSouth - the MLB debut of Julio Teheran is the headliner for any Braves fan... the #1 prospect in the system gets a chance to pitch (instead of Mike Minor for some reason!?) and that's worth a look...
  • White Sox @ Mariners - Floyd vs. Fister - 9:00 WGN - Because we can...
Enjoy it...

Monday, May 2, 2011

5/2 Good With The Bad

Good morning everyone..it's the substitute teacher Ryan again filling in for Brad...let's recap what happened Sunday alright?..

  • Heat beat Celtics 99-90..where it was kinda close..but not really that close if you follow me..every time Boston would make a small run to get nearby,Miami would separate themselves once again. Wade definitely came to play with 38pts and Lebron had 22pts(Bosh 7pts 3-10fg) and the role player to swing things was James Jones.He had 25pts(Five 3's and 10 ft attempts) and was seemingly open alot somehow lol. On Boston's end Ray Allen led with 25 and Pierce had 19 and was tossed mid 4th with a terrrrrrrrrrrrible 2nd tech..happens..Two players who will have to do much better is Rondo(8pts/3-10fg) and KG(6pts /3-9fg)..Rondo has to kill Bibby and Chalmers..has to.
  • I won't be covering Thunder/Grizzlies but the Grizz won 114-101.
  • Boston finally beats Seattle 3-2...Jenks blew the save and Ichiro lost the ball in the sun to get the win but its all the same in the win/loss column..King Felix was motoring with 10Ks
  • Speaking of blown saves..both St Louis and Atlanta blew one in the same game but Atlanta came around off the clutch bat of Brooks Conrad(Was that a joke?..not sure)..Lowe went 5 innings and gave up 4 ERs...I don't think I have a DUI related joke to toss there..just noting.
  • A seamless transition into the suspending of Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell for 2 weeks..hm..seems light for the stuff that was said..I'm not one to call for firings but considering the homophobic nature in a city like San Fran has to do something there..
  • In a lack of transitions...Andre Either extended his hitting streak to 27 games.
  • And lastly the Mets outlast the Phillies 2-1 in 14 innings..it gets a little overshadowed by the killing of Osama bin Laden(not going there,not why you're here) but yeah..was interesting to hear the crowd all of a sudden chant U-S-A during the game..
What to watch for today

MLB
  • Yankees at Tigers 7:05pm ESPN Colon vs Verlander..why is this..a good matchup? lol
  • Brewers at Braves 7:10pm FSS Gallardo vs Jurrjens..should be a good one
NBA
  • Hawks at Bulls(Game 1) 8pm TNT Hinrich is out so I don't know who gets the job of "slowing" Derrick Rose
  • Mavs at Lakers(Game 1) 10:30pm TNT This will mark the first EVER time where Dirk and Kobe met in the playoffs..crazy right?..I know..I know..
Have fun everyone..