Monday, May 18, 2015

GSW vs HOU Western Conference Finals - NBA Playoffs 2015


Houston Rockets guard James Harden (left) and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (right). Congratulations to both the Warriors and Rockets on making it to the Western Conference Finals. Both franchises haven't been to this round of playoffs for a number of years. I'm still surprised the Rockets made it this far after the meltdown by the LA Clippers. I wish the Spurs would have made it to the WCFs instead of the Rockets because I believe they are the only team that could have beat the Warriors.


Houston stands no chance against the Warriors. In the 4 game regular season series, the Warriors swept the Rockets 4-0. That included 2 games at Houston. The first game of the regular season series was the closest game of the series, which the Warriors won by 11. Followed by a 12 point victory at Golden State. When the MVP contest was as close as could be, the Warriors thumped the Rockets in Houston by 25. In the season finale of the series the Warriors won once again by 13 at Golden State. A regular season sweep doesn't define what the playoff series will result in, but to me I think there is a clear indication that the Rockets don't match up well with the Warriors.


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It will be fun to watch the MVP and MVP runner up play against each other, but Curry will show why he ultimately is this season's MVP over James Harden. Dwight Howard will get very frustrated this series with the swarming defense the Warriors play and the tough-nosed defense of Andrew Bogut. The Warriors have so many weapons and play too good of defense to lose this series.

I will give the Rockets the benefit of the doubt of not getting swept because they did beat the Clippers in a 7 game series after being down 3-1 and down 19pts in the 4th quarter on the road in Game 6. Unless they play miraculous, I don't see any surprises in this series.

Golden State will win the series 4-1. The Warriors will lose a game in Houston due to Houston's desperation not to get swept.

Warriors win 4-1

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Friday, May 15, 2015

Cleveland Cavs Eastern Conference Finals

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After a tremendous first 5 games of the Cleveland Cavaliers-Chicago Bulls series, Game 6 was the opposite of the first 5 games. Expecting another down-to-the wire game and maybe a Chicago win to force Game 7, Game 6 was everything but that. Derrick Rose started off really hot, scoring 10 in the first quarter, which led many to believe that he would play hero again and force a game 7 with a tremendous effort. After that first quarter he hardly did anything. He finished with 14 points on 7/16 with no FTs made or attempted. One could make the argument that the only Chicago player that played halfway decent was Jimmy Butler, but even he shot very poorly at 8/22 and posting a -25 +/- rating. The Bulls' front court was a non-factor as well. Combining for just 21 points between Noah, Gasol, Gibson, and Mirotic, the Bulls were destroyed by Tristan Thompson, who recorded a career best 17 rebounds.

With Kevin Love out and Kyrie Irving twisting his knee/ankle in the 2nd quarter, you would think LeBron was going to have to carry the team on his back and have another remark game like Game 5. No, not this game. He had another horrible shooting night, but excelled in other areas, nearly notching a triple double with 11 assists and 9 rebounds to go with his 15 points. His teammates finally stepped up and played great. The small-ball game plan worked. The line up of Thompson, James, Shumpert, Smith, and Dellavedova was the line up that pushed the lead past 20. All the players in the line up had a +/- of +19 or better. Cleveland's bench was the key to winning Game 6. All the Cavs' role players played great, including James Jones who came off the bench to knock down 3 three pointers in the game.

After a competitive half, both teams came out of halftime with no offense. At one point, the teams were shooting a combined 3-23 6 minutes into the 3rd quarter. It was horrendous basketball to watch. The lack of a comeback by the Bulls helped lock the win in for the Cavs, as the 4th quarter was very undramatic as well.

Moving on to the Eastern Conference Finals for the Cavs is something Cleveland hasn't done since you guessed it: when Lebron led them there in 2009 in his last game as a Cavalier before going to the Miami Heat. Making it to the ECF marks 5 consecutive seasons for Mr. James as he waits to find out who his next opponent will be. This one will be different though. He has a new team, full of young stars and a few veterans. The young guys like Kyrie, TT, Dellavedova, and Shumpert have never made it this far, let alone played in the playoffs besides Shumpert. This will be another true test against a very talented and defensive minded Washington Wizards or a tough, well round team that plays great team basketball in the Atlanta Hawks. Either team will definitely test the Cavs to the brink, but I believe the Cavs have what it takes to make it to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2007.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Stephen Curry KIA NBA MVP 2015

Steph Curry NBA MVP

Steph Curry was the obvious MVP of the 2014-2015 NBA season. He lead his team to the best record in the league and was top 6 in scoring and assist per game. He had an unbelievable season that can only get better if the Golden State Warriors win the NBA Finals. Hopefully the Houston Rockets advance to the Western Conference Finals to have a battle between the 1st and 2nd place vote-getters Curry and James Harden.
I predicted the MVP results in March correctly. Here are the results:



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Sunday, May 3, 2015

NBA PLAYOFFS 2015 2nd Round

Round 2 is going to be awesome! Game 7 of the Spurs-Clippers series was one of the best games of recent NBA Playoffs. I was very shocked the Clippers pulled it off, but hats off to them. I think the Spurs losing surprised the majority. I had them beating Houston in the second round and eventually going to seven with the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. Now with the Spurs out, I think the Rockets have a lot better chance of advancing against the Clippers. With that being said here are my predictions of the 2nd round:

GS vs MEM 
Earlier in the season I had the Grizzlies as the #2 seed. This is the series of better teams, because whoever wins this series will be the Western Conference champion. The Grizzlies are going to struggle with the pace when they play at Golden State, but they are one of the top defensive teams in the league. If they grind it out by dumping it down low, I believe Memphis can keep it close and steal one on the road. GS wins 4-3

HOU vs LA
This series is really up for grabs. Houston played very well against Dallas and the Clippers were sensational in their seven game series against the Spurs. Chris Paul being a tad beat up could hinder the outcome of the series. I also believe that because LA played a brutal seven game series will make them start down 0-1. Game 2 could be a chance to even the series, but I think the Clippers with go back to LA down 0-2. Even down two games, LA will even the series after Game 4. The deciding factor will be Houston owning home court advantage and winning Game 7 to advance to the Western Conference Finals. HOU wins 4-3

ATL vs WASH
After watching Atlanta struggle against Brooklyn, I am very hesitant to pick them to beat the scorching hot Wizards. How Atlanta plays is why I think they will win the series. They are a good defensive team and an excellent offensive team that shares the ball. The scary thing is that the Wizards are playing unbelievably. Sweeping the higher seed Raptors and averaging nearly 10 point more per game is a recipe for success. I wouldn't be surprised if Washington won, but I think Atlanta is the better team. ATL wins 4-3

CLE vs CHI
This will be the most popular series of the 2nd round. The Cavs are on role after sweeping the Celtics and the Bulls won convincingly against the Bucks after 2 games of missed opportunities.There are a few concerns for both teams. The biggest: Kevin Love out for the rest of the playoffs. Though he has has under performing season, his importance and role on the court hasn't changed. His ability to stretch the floor enabling Lebron and Kyrie to get to the hoop, will be seriously jeopardized now that he is out. I think James Jones and Mike Miller will play big roles in this series filling in for Love, but they don't bring the rebounding ability as Love does. Lebron and Kyrie will have to up their games and production in order to move on.
The Bulls have concerns as well. Blowing game 4 and 5 didn't help them at all. Yes game 6 was a convincing win, but that put more wear on the whole team and especially Derrick Rose. Rose will be the deciding factor in this series. If he can play near his former MVP self that we saw glimpses of in the Milwaukee series, I think they have a good shot of winning. I still don't think they will beat Cleveland, but expect this series to be a physical one. CLE wins 4-2

Saturday, April 18, 2015

NBA Playoffs 2015

1v8 GS vs NO GS wins 4-1
4v5 Port vs Mem Mem wins 4-2
3v6 LAC vs SA SA wins 4-2
2v7 Hou vs Dallas Hou wins 4-2

1v8 ATL vs Brooklyn ATL wins 4-0
4v5 TOR vs WSH TOR wins 4-3
3v6 CHI vs MIL CHI wins 4-1
2v7 CLE vs BOS CLE wins 4-1


Round 2 if all predictions are correct

GS vs MEM GS wins 4-3
Hou vs SA SA wins 4-2

ATL vs TOR ATL wins 4-2
CLE vs CHI CLE wins 4-2

GS vs SAS GS wins 4-3
ATL vs CLE CLE wins 4-3

GS vs CLE CLE wins 4-3

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Jahlil Okafor, March Madness, and NBA thoughts

Jahlil Okafor will be the number one pick in the NBA draft. He is a very similar player to Blake Griffin. Very strong, athletic, and  low post scoring threat that will eventually expanded his game to 18ft. As of now he is the most dominant player in the NCAA. The Knicks or whoever grabs the number one pick would be stupid not to draft this kid. He is going to be a very good NBA player within his first few years.

Moving on from Okafor to the NCAA tournament, I think Kentucky will run the table, but with 3 true tests to win it all. Depending on the seeding and placement of teams, I truly think Arizona, Villanova or Virginia will be the team that gets to square off against Kentucky for the championship. 

NBA thoughts

It's pathetic that the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets will not make the playoffs. 

Chicago has been on a terrible skid allowing the Cavs to separate themselves from the Bulls for the #2 seed.

The Hornets are playing well enough to make the playoffs. 

Love that the Nuggets have beaten the Hawks and Warriors in a row, especially after just firing Brian Shaw. 

MVP

I think Steph Curry will win it and he deserves it, but I think Westbrook is playing out of his mind. If OKC wouldn't have had such a rough start to their season, I believe Westbrook would be the MVP. 

1. Curry 
2. Harden 
3. LeBron 
4. Westbrook 
5. Davis 

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Super Bowl XLIX

I have to start off by saying I'm a huge Tom Brady fan and love that he has made it to another Super Bowl. That is an incredible accomplishment and to me he is the most deserving QB to win this game. Even with the #Deflategate scandal lingering, the Patriots are focused on winning the Super Bowl.

Let's talk the game. If you think this is going to be similar to last year's game, you're wrong. Yes, I know Peyton Manning and the Broncos were unstoppable on offense last year and had a decent defense, but when it came down to pressure, stopping the run, and scoring points, the Broncos were hopeless. This Patriot team has arguably the best corner in the league with Revis, Opposite of Revis is Browner, who is a top corner as well. The Patriots have the defense that they have been missing in their recent playoff runs. After Russell Wilson's 4 interceptions in the NFC Championship against the Packers, his life will get even more difficult when he faces the Patriots dangerous secondary. The thing Russell Wilson accelerates at better than just about every QB in the NFL is his play-making abilities when he gets outside the pocket. He is if not the best scrambling QB. He can tuck and run for a big gain or hit one of his play-makers like Doug Baldwin or Jermaine Kearse.

With all that being said about Russell Wilson, I think the Patriots are going to be able to contain Wilson by doing a few things.They will have Rob Ninkovich and Jamie Collins in a spy position. Ninkovich will do a variety of pass rushing and containment, while I think Collins will do more spying on Wilson and covering Tight Ends and backs. This will seriously limit Russell Wilson if he can't escape the pocket and his wide receivers are being guarded tightly. This leads me to the conclusion the Marshawn "Beastmode" Lynch is the Seahawks' best option for success and he has been all post season. My fear for Seattle is that Belichick knows that Seattle's game plan is to get it to Lynch and Belichick will have a gameplan to take Lynch out of the game, forcing Seattle to be a pass first offense. If the Seahawks are going to score Russell Wilson is going to have to make plays with his arm or else their offense will get stiffed.

Luckily for Seattle they have the best defense in the NFL, which has got them to this point. They have no weak spots on paper. Unfortunately for Seattle, they are facing arguably the best postseason QB in NFL history. Tom Brady is the ONLY QB that will be able to dissect this Seattle defense, but with help from his teammates. In my opinion, the biggest factor in this game will be the battle between the New England offensive line against the Seattle defensive line and the pressure Seattle's defense puts on Brady. Seattle's pressure from their D-line lead by by Michael Bennett, complements their top of the line secondary. Whoever wins the battle at the line of scrimmage, I believe will win the game. A key stat to look for at the end of the game will be the number of times Brady is sacked. 4 sacks is the max the Patriots call allow for Brady to lead them to victory.

One more point I want to hit on before I give my final prediction and that is GRONKOWSKI. "Gronk" is the Patriots best offensive weapon. Although he had a very quiet game against Indianapolis, his presence doesn't go unnoticed. His quiet game was because the Colts' secondary focused so much on him, which allowed the other New England wide receivers to get open and make plays. Amendola and Edelman have been playing well during these playoffs and I expect one of them to have a big game, picking up key 1st downs to keep drives going. The success of the bubble screens and quick routes are going to be key to a successful offensive game plan. Don't think Richard Sherman will let these go, I expect him to try and jump one or two, but that's when Brady will catch him trying to jump a route and hit Brandon LaFell for a big play, possibly a game-changing touchdown. All of the other wide receivers success will be due to the coverage on Gronkowski and how effective LeGarrette Blount can be running the ball. If the Patriots run game does struggle, no problem, that has been an issue all year and hasn't stopped them. Seattle has given up 11 TD's to Tight Ends. Watch for Brady to go over the top of the linebackers to hit Gronk on a seam route for a TD.

My Final Thoughts:
Both teams have great special teams and I expect a few field goals from each team. The difference maker is that the Patriots have always been good, but this year they have the players that will get them over the hump and win the Super Bowl. Seattle's offensive struggles that lead to field goals rather than touchdowns, much like the Packers will be what kills them in this game.

2 TD's from Brady, 1 New England Rushing TD, and 2 Field Goals will be what it takes to beat Seattle.

27-23 New England wins.

MVP: Tom Brady


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Sunday, January 18, 2015

NFL Playoffs Championship Round

Seahawks by 8, 28-20 over the Packers. Patriots by 10, 30-20 over the Colts.

Never bet against Tom Brady

Thursday, January 8, 2015

NFL Playoffs Divisional Round 2015

AFC Playoffs

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots
A playoff rematch from 2 seasons ago, where Baltimore went on a magical run to cap off Ray Lewis' career and spoil both the Broncos and Patriots Super Bowl hopes. The game 2 years ago was dominated by the Ravens in the 2nd half, forcing Brady into 2 interceptions and a fumble. You can bet your money that Brady remembers that game and is out for vengeance on Saturday. The Ravens D' did look good in the 2nd half against the Steelers, but I think Tom Brady and the Patriots will be tougher to stop then the Steelers were for the Ravens.
27-22 Patriots go on to the AFC Championship.


Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos
I don't see a good outcome for the Colts this weekend. Their running game is virtually no existent so this will mean they will have to rely on Luck's arm most of the game. I think he will be pressured into some bad throws resulting in at least an interception or two. The Colts defense is playing well, but with an extra week of rest for the Broncos I don't think the Colts are going to be able to stop Manning or the run game with CJ Anderson.
34-20 Broncos go to Foxborough to face the Patriots in the match up we have been waiting for.


NFC Playoffs

Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks
Though the past meeting between these two teams have been low scoring and ended by game winning drives led by Russell Wilson, there are some big differences between those games and this game. 1) the 12th man of the Seattle fans. The previous games were in Carolina. 2) This Seattle team is not the same team as they were in week 8. The Seahawks are playing like the best team in the NFL. They are on a 6 game winning streak and haven't gave up more than 14 points during that streak. I don't the Panthers win against the quarterbackless Cardinals will help them vs Seattle.
27-13 Seattle goes on to the NFC Championship.

Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers
This is the game of the weekend! The Dallas Cowboys perfect road record against the Packers perfect home record, with arguably the MVP, Aaron Rodgers. I've talked to some die-hard Packer fans and even they could see this going either way. As I see it, nobody is going to beat the Packers at home this season. I give Dallas a lot of credit for their come back win, but there is no way Aaron Rodgers allows them to win. If Dallas and Tony Romo play perfect, there may be a chance for a win, but if it comes down to the wire, Rodgers will deliver a game-winning drive.
My prediction 34-23 Packers go to Seattle to face the Seahawks in the NFC Championship



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