NBA Playoffs

Lebron James hit a fadeaway three as the buzzer sounded to beat the Orlando Magic in game two and even the series up at 1-1. There's a decent chance that half of you guys haven't even heard about this yet. That's a problem. The 2009 NBA Playoffs have been great; the conference finals have been unbelievable. Each of the four games so far have gone down to the final possession. Three of the top four players in the league are playing (even if Friesen doesn't believe it). This is great basketball. I'm not going to compare it to March Madness because that is just on a level of it's own, but I've been watching the NBA closely for about six years now. These are easily the best and most entertaining games night in and night out that I have seen. So make up an excuse for the girl. Call in sick to work. Pick up the remote, turn from Lifetime and watch some good basketball. It'll be worth it.

Now for the actual games. How much better can these get. Every game has started off looking like a blowout is coming. And invariably, it comes down to the wire. Watching Lebron James is like watching eagles on animal planet. They're doing something that you can only dream about and it ticks you off because they don't even have to try. The Kobe-Carmelo matchup is mout-watering. By the fourth quarter they end up guarding each other and it is just physical, hard-nosed, back and forth play. The Magic are they wild card in these playoffs and they might be the most intriguing. No one knows who is going to step up. Dwight Howard gets all the publicity (and he deserves it), but I've enjoyed watching two 6'10 guards drain threes and take guys off the dribble. Not only that, but you've got an Indiana native (Courtney Lee, Pike High School) taking over stretches of some of these games. It really is awesome to watch these guys. 

I'm sticking with my Nuggets pick. They have a home court advantage that I think is more unique than any other team. Their style of play fits a loud crowd and high elevation. Plus I think that Chauncey has hit somewhat of a groove and Melo isn't slowing down any time soon. Denver in seven.

In the East I'm torn. I love the Magic and hate the Cavs. Lebron sure is fun to watch, but I just don't like him. I think he acts entitled and always has, but that is a huge discussion that would take up a lot of time and energy. I think eventually the Cavs will figure out a way to contain one of Hedo and Lewis, but there is no figuring out Lebron James. I'll take Cleveland in seven.

There it is. I know people hate that I picked Denver (Friesen and probably a bunch of other people). So go ahead and tell me why I'm wrong. I've missed all that banter.

Nuggets vs Lakers

I wrote this on a kid's wall two days ago, and so I figured I'd put it on here so we could maybe get some NBA talk going. I understand if you're ticked at me that I haven't posted anything in like four months. I'm sorry. It happens.

In one day the Denver Nuggets will start their series against the Los Angeles Lakers for the Western Conference title. Here are some reasons why the Nuggets will win this series.

1. Pace of play- the Nuggets play faster than any team I've seen since the Suns a few years ago. They push the ball better than anyone in the league. Every guy they play can run and play that style, which is more than I can say for the Lakers. Pau Gasol is good but will not be able to stay with Nene. He does not have that kind of athletic ability. Bynum might have had that ability before his injury, but now there is no way. Denver will completely take him out of the series by running the way they do. This means that both Laker big men will have trouble in this series. That does not bode well for them. Derek Fisher is also going to be hurt by the pace. Chauncey Billups is much too quick for Fisher's old legs. That means Farmar will get a huge chunk of the minutes at point. While I do admit that he has played well the last couple of games, he cannot play at the pace of the Nuggets. He's too turnover prone and the speed of the game will bring that out even more.

2. Carmelo Anthony- Melo is the perfect player in this Denver offense. He can get out on the break and do great things. He's getting better at passing and taking care of the ball. But his main asset is his half-court game. He is the one guy that makes Denver so versatile. He is money from twenty feet and in and in the last couple months he has gotten so much better at getting to the basket and finishing. Now there's a good chance LA will put either Lamar Odom or Trevor Ariza on him defensively. A year ago Odom would have scared me. But now Melo is just so much quicker. I don't think Odom can handle him off the dribble. And Ariza may have the quickness, but Anthony has 20 pounds on him and a great post-up game. I see Carmelo presenting problems for both of these guys, even if LA decides to play him dirty and put Luke Walton in thegame, Melo should be fine.

3. Defense on Kobe- the Nuggets have two guys they will most likely throw at Kobe, Dahntay Jones and JR Smith. Both are the same height as Kobe but are stronger. Jones is the one who will be all about stopping Kobe. That is his one and only job and I think he will do it well. Smith is the one that I like on him. My guess is he will try to play him physical and muscle him away from the shots he wants to take. Kobe might be able to handle that, but after dealing with Artest last series and this one possibly going six or seven I think he will just get worn down.

So there it is. Obviously that is not all that needs to be discussed, but that is my opening statement. Denver will have some troubles matching up on the defensive end, but I do think that they will be trying to outscore LA. And with that in mind, I like their chances.

Picks

March Madness would not be complete without me trying to prove how smart I am by giving you my picks. So tomorrow after my player draft via skype, I am going to break down the tournament region by region and tell you why Michigan State, Missouri, Pitt and North Carolina will be there in Detroit. Yes I know you must all be on the edges of your seats.

Madness

Yes I know the brackets aren't even out and the conference tournaments haven't even finished, but I am going to give you a quick heads up on the tournament this year. North Carolina is going to win, beating out Pitt, Michigan State and Oklahoma who will make up the rest of the Final Four. Purdue and Bulter are going to represent the Hoosier state and get to the Elite Eight while Minnesota and Northern Iowa will be the low seeds in the Sweet Sixteen. I may be wrong, but I doubt it.

Bonus pick. The Grace Lancers will pull three straight upsets to make it to the Final Four of the NAIA D2 national tournament.

Fans Are Idiots

Michael I just have a quick question. And this isn't exactly aimed at you, but it's been on my mind for awhile. Why do you think you know who is "one of the best players in the NBA?" How many NBA games have you sat through and watched all of this year? 5? Maybe 10? To have an opinion that actually matters on this stuff you would need two things: knowledge about the sport (I have no idea who you are so I don't know if your brilliant or clueless) and experience. By experience I mean that you have watched the "best" players play (let's say the top ten or twelve players in the league) at least six or seven full games... each. Do you realize how many people actually have those qualifications? Not very many.

When I said I didn't mean you personally I was serious. I say this because I am so sick of fans who give blanket statements like, "UConn is easily the best team in the country" or "Colt McCoy deserved the Heisman way more than Sam Bradford." All of their knowledge is based off of either only watching their team or sportscenter. That's it. They aren't even close to being qualified enough to say those things. Few people are. This is a rant on fans. Michael, you didn't give any blanket statements and I appreciate that. But everyone out there who thinks they know what they're talking about, shut up and just be a fan. Don't try to be a sports analyst when you saw the highlights on baseball tonight. You're clueless. In saying that. Do you realize how much influence ESPN has over the general public. They can pick and choose what to show and almost everyone will believe it. They know they have that power and trust me they use it.

P.S. Yes I realize that this rant completely kills me and proves that I should not be picking 90% of the games that I do. Long story short, I watch more sports than most people, therefore I'm more qualified.