Football on Saturday and NBA basketball jumping off on Sunday - this really is Christmas. I'm super stoked for the start of the NBA season, not just to see if LeBron makes an assault up the legacy ladder or falls into a worse version of Karl Malone, not just to see the demise of the LA Lakers, which I thoroughly look forward to, or to see if the addition of Rip Hamilton and a healthy Carlos Boozer is enough to aid D-Rose to a Bulls title. The best thing about the NBA may very well be the addition of one Shaq Diesel, a.k.a. "The Big AARP" to TNT's NBA show. I have always thought that by far, the two most entertaining people in sports were Shaq and Charles Barkley, and now they are together. That, my friend, is must-see TV.
Here's to Tom Brady, on pace to crush Dan Marino's NFL single season record for passing yards set in 1984.
With a 66-game schedule crammed in, this will give teams with young legs and/or great depth a huge advantage over most other teams. In the East, will the Knicks run-and-gun style be a hindrance or help to Carmelo and Amare as they try and crack the upper echelon of the eastern conference? With Baron Davis likely missing the first 2 months of the season and no real pg help, I see them struggling, and the Celtics will have to sacrifice games with an aging group to keep their legs fresh for the postseason. The Magic will not be able to add enough help for Dwight Howard and may end up trading him, so they are also rans. Which leads us to the Bulls and Heat: I think the Bulls are ready, but not Heat-ready, as the Heat take out my beloved Bulls in 7 games. My dark horse is the Pacers because of their youth and depth.
Here's to Eli Manning, with an outside chance of passing Dan Marino's NFL single season record for passing yards set in 1984.
The Lakers with Lamar Odom were done for, and now without him, you can still a fork in them. I have to believe that they will try hard for the services of Dwight Howard, and that may change things, but if not, it will be fun watching weekly Ron Artest and Kobe Bryant melt downs. I still can't believe the Mavs won last year, and with the subtraction of Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea (yes, that's huge), it will not be enough to overcome one of the most overrated players in the history of sports...Vince Carter. The fade away 3-pointer is not what championships are built on.
The Clippers are for real, but I'm not buying them; they have 3 point guards and no shooting guard, so as they are constituted now they will be a solid tough out in the playoffs, and that's it. Plus, can anyone see head coach Vinny del Negro cutting down championship nets? The Blazers will have one of the best records in hoops this year with the great depth that they have, but I don't accept LaMarcus Aldridge as the go-to player that can take his team to the next level. I do believe in Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder. This guy reminds me of Magic Johnson, not with his style of play, but because he comes across as a guy who just loves to play. If there's a game, lace 'em up. I bet that him and Russell Westbrook will take their game to new heights this year and, most importantly, take them to the finals.
The Clippers are for real, but I'm not buying them; they have 3 point guards and no shooting guard, so as they are constituted now they will be a solid tough out in the playoffs, and that's it. Plus, can anyone see head coach Vinny del Negro cutting down championship nets? The Blazers will have one of the best records in hoops this year with the great depth that they have, but I don't accept LaMarcus Aldridge as the go-to player that can take his team to the next level. I do believe in Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder. This guy reminds me of Magic Johnson, not with his style of play, but because he comes across as a guy who just loves to play. If there's a game, lace 'em up. I bet that him and Russell Westbrook will take their game to new heights this year and, most importantly, take them to the finals.
Here's to Aaron Rodgers, with a slim chance to pass Dan Marino's NFL single season record for passing yards set in 1984.
Heat vs. Thunder: I wanna pick the Heat, but I'm gun shy. A few blogs, ago I blasted the Chosen One as the worst kind of superstar to have - you know, the one that says, "Come on guys, put your eggs in my basket. I'll carry them" - but when you really need him to carry them, he's like, "Who the f**k keeps putting these eggs in my basket? I can't carry my eggs, but I'm going to make it seem like your eggs are the the reason why I can't carry my eggs." Yeah, that dude. Here's the deal: there is a blueprint to guarding Lebron. You gotta have the right personnel for it, and the Thunder have it. The problem is that the Thunder don't have enough scorers (3 total on the entire team: Durant, Westbrook and Harden. Maybe 4 if you count Nate Robinson. I don't.) That is just not enough to win against a solid defensive team like the Heat, so I reluctantly will climb on the bandwagon yet again and pick the Heat in 7.
Yeah, yeah, so everyone is on pace to break Dan Marino's record, and that's great for the game of football, but let's keep it real. Dan Marino's season is way more impressive than what anyone does this season. Rule changes have affected the way the game is being played. The NFL has made it tougher for defenses to defend the pass, and as a result record numbers are being put up. Think Kobe 35 a game, A.I. 33 a game and Arenas 30 points a game when the league changed their rules dramatically in '06 to increase scoring. Defenses will make adjustments as the season goes on, and the numbers will come down a bit.
After a spectacular 3-0 week against the spread and the NFL heading into week 16, I feel that I should have a good read on all 32 teams, so here you go.
Locks of the week:
Phi/Dallas over 50.5: has anyone seen these teams play all year? This game will have 60 pts. scored easily.
San Diego/Lions over 52.5: Philip Rivers has hit his stride, and they will put up big points. So will Detroit.
Pittsburgh/St.Louis under 43: Both offenses have been woeful of late, and that will stay the course.
I feel reasonably good about these picks:
Redskins -6.5 over Vikings: The Skins have been playing solid lately, and the Vikes have not.
Panthers-7.5 over Tampa: Tampa Bay has all but mailed in the season.
Atlanta +7 over the Saints: These teams know each other too well for there to be more than a td difference.
These games I pick with scientific knowledge:
Broncos-3 over the Bills: When referring to the Bills, please reference my thoughts on Tampa Bay.
Titans-7 over Jags: When the Jags are down they have to turn to Blaine Gabbert, and he's awful.
Ravens -13 over Cleveland: The Ravens always bounce back after a horrible loss.
Um, a tad bit of guess work:
Chiefs-2.5 over the Raiders: Yes, I believe in Kyle Orton.
Bears/Packers under 44: No way the bears score more than 14, which means the Pack can't score more than 30. They won't.
Houston-6 over the Colts: Arian Foster was on my FF team, and now my team is out so naturally Foster will run wild.
Seattle-2 over 49ers: Seattle is playing lights-out, and 49ers will have a MNF hangover.
Bengals-4 over Arizona: Cincy will win. The question is will it be by 3 or 6? I say 6.
Miami/NE over 48: The Pats will score, and the Fins will keep it close so the Pats will score some more.
Giants +3 over Jets: this is where the Giants do well, underdogs and on the road, even if they are playing at home...wait, what?
Merry Christmas to all and to all happy wagering!
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