Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Some things you may want to know about the NBA this year

It's been almost 35 years (Seattle vs. Washington '78-'79) since the NBA finals didn't have 1 of the 3 best players in the NBA playing finals, that bodes well for LeBron James, Kevin Durant and a healthy Dwight Howard

Not including the 2004 Detroit Pistons who beat a dysfunctional Shaq/Kobe Lakers team, it's been almost 35 years since an NBA championship has NOT been won by one of the 25 best players to ever play and yes I have Dirk Nowitzki in my top 25

For those 2 reasons, I will not be mentioning teams like the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers or the Denver Nuggets, cause it's really 'not there year'!

Ray Allen took half as less money to play with his former team's hated rival, if that ain't a 'hold Deez Nuts' moment then the term doesn't exist.

For proper perspective that's Brian Urlacher leaving the Bears to play for the Packers...for less money...
Hell yeah, Ray Allen felt disrespected

Speaking of the Mavs, is Eddy Curry really the starting center for them?!!! Oh how they will struggle to make the playoffs

Amare Stoudemire is out for the 1st 6 weeks of the NBA season and that's a good thing for the Knicks...

And upon his return he would best be served as the 6th man...

Which means the Knicks is all Melo's team and I pick Carmelo Anthony as my 1st half NBA MVP

Jeremy Lin will be one of the worse starting point guards in the league

Oklahoma City has a chance to be better than they were before they traded James Harden, yes I believe in Kevin Martin as a 3RD option that much

Consider this, I think that James Harden was the teams 3rd best scoring option but he was going to be  their 4th best player behind the defensive monster Serge Ibaka, so no I don't think that losing your 4th best player on the team and replacing him with someone almost as good, while still keeping 2 of the best 10 players in the league, effects them at all

The Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs are mirror images of themselves, past their prime veterans, mixed with nice young talent, 10 deep rotation and ultimately not enough firepower to dethrone the superstars in the league.

The Los Angeles Clippers have rebuilt themselves with a really deep team, much like the Celtics and Spurs and unlike those 2 they have a legitimate superstar in Chris Paul, but unlike those 2 they don't have a coach to manage that many egos, sorry Vinny Del Negro

The Los Angeles Lakers having Kobe Bryant averaging 20 points a game will be better than Kobe Bryant averaging 25 points a game

The Miami Heat are better than they were a year ago...yikes!!!

Damon Lillard the starting point guard for the Portland Trailblazers will give the New Orleans Hornets Anthony Davis a run for his money for NBA rookie of the year

The Charlotte Bobcats will again be the worse team in the NBA...Sorry MJ, but not next season...Yay MJ!!!

The NBA is as good a product as it's been since Michael Jordan and the Bulls heyday

Deron Williams will remind everyone that he is every bit as good as Chris Paul is

Kevin Durant will win his 4th scoring title in a row and win the MVP this year, if only because everyone is tired of giving it to Lebron James. Think Karl Malone and Charles Barkley winning it over MJ

Lebron James is not MJ, he's got a long way to go before he touches MJ, buuuttt.... he has a chance to be and who thought we would ever say that

And why wouldn't you want to watch that

Everyone compares Lebron James to Jordan and Magic, but in reality he's a better version of Scottie Pippen and you know how I feel about Pippen

Derrick Rose is gonna come back before he's scheduled too and ain't nobody gonna want to play them in the playoffs

The Miami Heat does not match up well with the Los Angeles Lakers but they match up well with the Oklahoma City Thunder who don't match up well with the Miami Heat but matches up well with the Los Angeles Lakers....

And that math ends up Heat over the Thunder in 6 games




Friday, October 26, 2012

I predict the NBA finals and Vegas picks this is very exciting for me

David Stern is about to retire and good for him. He's definitely has had his ups and downs during his tenure, the downs being most notably the 2 lockouts and the abysmal play of the NBA during the immediate post Jordan years. The NBA now though is rock solid, for the ones who bash the NBA for self play and low quality entertainment clearly you're clearly jaded. The NBA is as in a good of state it's been in since Jordan, and right or wrong stern had a lot to do with that and he's leaving on top which is when you should retire, that and the fact that every time i see him his face is getting more and more leathery.

We're fast approaching the midway point of the NFL season so you one trick fan sport ponies may not even realize that the NBA season starts next Tuesday. While others can't get over that there is more to life than just football, I of course have been anxiously awaiting this moment, for I have the ability to appreciate the greatness of the NBA. Barring a torn ACL (Damnit D Rose) from a star player this promises to be a very exciting year as Lebron tries to make a legitmate run at MJ, Kobe tries to stay relevant and others like Kevin Durant, Chris Paul hope that next year I only have to say their last name and everyone instantly knows who I'm talking about. No time like the present boys, here we go:

The Western Conference:
The San Antonio Spurs is very deep, but their best players are all past their prime, which means that in order for them to turn the corner, one of their young players has to turn the corner and become their best player, that's not gonna happen. The Spurs are built for the regular season and not championship runs. Kudos to Tim Duncan for still being effective at this stage in his career but this team as it's constituted today will not get him a 5th ring.

The Los Angeles Clippers has a legitimate superstar in Chris Paul and a potential one in the making with Blake Griffin, the team is deep, with a nice mixture of veterans and youth, but the West is rugged up top and unless Blake starts hitting free throws in the clutch or Chauncey Billups/Caron Butler/Grant Hill/Jamal Crawford been sipping on Gin and Fountain of youth, laid back I got my mind on my money and my money ain't on the Clippers!!!

The Los Angeles Lakers has Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Ron Artest and Pau Gasol, those names alone instantly put them as legit title contenders, some of my very best friends (I won't say who they are, because I'm not one for embarrassing them when they're wrong) believe they are the favorite to win the West as well as the NBA title. Consider this though, Nash and Kobe, the Lakers starting back court are a combined 75 years of age, that's a lot of mileage boo. especially when you consider that the NBA is a guard driven league and young guns are very explosive. Now consider that Dwight Howard who in my opinion is the 3rd best player in the NBA, has had his most success when he was surrounded by great 3 point shooting. The Lakers have Steve Nash that can shoot the 3 but everyone else is shaky at best and yes Kobe can shoot the 3, but you really think the Black Mamba is gonna be content with just hoisting up treys? The Lakers best offensive set may very well be the pick and roll with Nash and the highly skilled Gasol, that would be a very tough match up for anyone and throw in the superior athleticism of Dwight howard...whew, but you really think the Black mamba is gonna be phased out like that. What about the Lakers bench you say, what about that garbage, is what I say. This Laker team I tell you has a Gary Payton, Karl Malone, Kobe and Shaq kinda feel to it, the pieces just don't fit the puzzle.  (gee look Laker fans you get my biggest right up)

The Oklahoma Thunder got way better than people think over the summer. They got younger and more athletic. They have championship finals experience under their belt, but most importantly their best players got a year older. Yep Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, 2 of the 10 best players in the league haven't even hit their prime yet and already they are competing for championships. I think James Harden is a bit overrated but I still think he is very good, even though for my money with his defense and ever improving offensive skills, Serge Ibaka is the team's 3rd best player. That's a pretty potent starting line-up they have and because they are so young they don't have to be quite as deep as other teams have to be. Yep the Thunder are coming out of the finals unless this dark horse emerges...

The Denver Nuggets are indeed 10 players deep, they play in Mile High where opposing teams generally are gassed cause of the thin air, so they are gonna win a lot of games in the regular season, but when the playoffs start and teams slow them down, who will they go to, Ty Lawson? Andre Iguadola? Dan Gallinari? Yikes!!! I don't like those options at all. They are gonna have one of the best records in the West, with not one player sniffing an All-NBA team, and trust me no one is gonna want to play them and that's a dark horse!!!

The Eastern Conference
The problem the New York Knicks have is that their best players don't mesh well with each other. The Knicks are better off with Carmelo playing the power foward and Amare playing center but they have Tyson Chandler playing center and he's the best defensive player on the team so he has to play. The team will go only as far as Carmelo will take them and he can take them far if they got rid of Amare which they won't be able to do, so make no mistake Knick fans your team will die (that's the speech the Emperor gave to Luke Skywalker during the Return of the Jedi, well sort of)...

But wait, New York has 2 teams....BROOOOOKKKKLYYYNNN is in the house. The Nets in my opinion are a better team than the Knicks. they have a legitmate star in Deron Williams a legit #2 in Joe Johnson, when healthy, a good post game with Brook Lopez and a glue guy who does everything well but not great in Gerald Wallace. The fact that their bench is shaky and the 2 teams I have above them are really good is why they can only max out in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Boston Celtics are always hanging around, they have retooled themselves and they will easily cruise past the 50.5 wins Vegas has set for them. The problem is they come across as a mirror image of the San Antonio Spurs, unless Rajon Rondo has learned how to shoot jump shots and free throws they will need KG and Paul Pierce to take over games late in the 4th quarter, now don't get me wrong I love both of them but honestly do you think they got the fire power to get past these 2 super studs...

Lebron and Wade has hit their stride, which means the Miami Heat will be the team to beat this year and yes they got even better. Adding Ray Allen and (watch me not be so washed up anymore) Rashad Lewis on the team will give them more 3 point shooting which will prevent you from clogging the lanes when Wade and Lebron drives. Defensively they are tremendously underrated. Wade is healthier if not completely healthy and oh yeah Chris Bosh is pretty fucking good. Their only weakness is superior post play, which means Andrew Bynum who is way to much of a head case to single handedly beat them, Brook Lopez who is not that tough and Dwight Howard who won't make it out of the West (unless David Stern gives himself a going away gift and orchestrates some questionable refereeing, cause let's be honest a Lakers/Heat finals would be a ratings bonanza), Since I'm betting against those scenarios I'm gonna take the Heat over the Thunder in 6 games unless a dark horse emerges...

The Chicago bulls are a very competitive team without Derrick Rose,however  they proved they can't compete in the playoffs without him but who says they are gonna be without him. Have you seen Adrian Peterson this year for the Vikings? He's playing at a really high level and guess what he had a torn ACL. Have you seen D-Rose crying after showing him rehabbing from a torn ACL, he's hungry son and trust me if D-Rose is back and the Bulls are in the playoffs ain't no body gonna want to play them and that's on da fo real boo!

Vegas Picks
St. Louis/New England u 47
Have you ever seen an exciting game played by the NFL overseas, it doesn't happen. The Rams are not bad defensively and the Patriots are scuffling offensively. The Rams are not very good offensively and the Patriots are not that bad defensively, wait did i just say the same thing... Patriots 24- Rams 16

Washington+4.5 over Pittsburgh
RG3 covers spreads, he dosen't win games but he does keep it close this spread is dropping quicker than a pair of hooker's panties, it started at + 6 I suspect it to drop to 3.5. The Steelers aren't quite right yet so anything over 3 and I go against them. Steelers 26- Skins 23

Bears-7.5 over Carolina
The Bears played Carolina last year and Cam Newton scored a td for a last minute cover, but that was last year's Cam when he was this year's RGIII, all he did was cover. Now he's lost confidence his team is in disarray and the Bears look realllllyyyy good Bears 30- The Cams 17

Denver/Saints over 55.5
This game has got shootout written all over it. Drew Brees is trying to get back in the playoff hunt and he has hit his stride playing like the Brees of old (meaning last year) and Peyton Manning is looking like the Manning of old (meaning 2 years ago) and I'm feeling a bit nostalgic (meaning the teams last games both went over 55.5) Denver 38-Saints 35

Lock of the Week:
Packers-14.5 over The Jags
Sadly the Packers have found their stride and the Jaguars has lost there best player in running back MJ-Drew. The Pack will score early and often and then they will score some more, this saddens me, :( so I may as well make some money off of it Packers 41-Jaguars 10

Friday, October 19, 2012

Playoff baseball and A guaranteed football lock

Baseball has a way of playing out the post season and before it happens you're like i have no idea whats gonna happen but when you see the games play out it makes perfect sense as to why teams are advancing. Case in point the Detroit Tigers, yes they played well the last 2 weeks of the season, but they also are in the worse division in the American League this year so with all that talent they shouldn't have limped in. Then you see them in the playoffs and it makes sense they have an incredible ace in Justin Verlander and 3 really good pitchers after him and with that offense all they have to do is play solid defense and they are tough to beat. The Yankees have the biggest payroll in baseball and the biggest stars with Jeter, A-Rod and Ichiro but they are home run hitting team, very few guys on their  hit for average anymore so if you keep them in the park they have a hard time manufacturing runs which is almost impossible to win playoff baseball witha home run or bust formula.

The Cardinals lost one of the best managers in baseball history and one of the best players to ever lace 'me up so its easy to discount them, but they have one of the best run organizations in all of sports. They know what it takes to win, they have solid if unspectacular pitching, but they have the best offense suited for post season baseball they manufacture runs ask the fucking Nationals, no lead is safe from them. The Giants are built on pitching but there pitching has not been able to contain the Cardinals and there offense is mediocre at best, so they have a hard time keeping up with the Cards.

This shit is really easy to see as it unfolds. I find myself watching the games going "ooohhhh I get it' and 'now I see', teams like New York and the Braves are built for the regular season and teams like Detroit who is subpar defensively has guys that can strike out 10 batters taking pressure off of there defensive liabilities. While the Cards never panic because they can score lots of runs and the Giants panic because they have a hard time scoring more than 3 runs.So simple this game of baseball is.

I liked Jim Harbaugh as a coach until last night but now I REALLY like Jim Harbaugh, turning down a meaningless safety to preserve a 7 point win and against an 8 point spread, shit like that gives me hope that my boys can go to college and it also gives me hope that I can break my string of mediocrity so lets get down to it shall we:

Minnesota-6.5 over Arizona
The Vikings are playing really good football, even when they were getting ran rough shod by RGIII last week they kept playing hard. Now they are back in the dome and I don't trust Arizona. Quick name Arizona's starting running back, you can't unless your fantasy football team is awful and you are in desperate need of a starting running back and you decided to see if Arizona even actually lined up a starting running back. Now they have a super stud at wide receiver in Larry Fitzgerald but a super dud at QB in Kevin Kolb. So let's do some math, Super Stud receiver - Super dud QB -we're six weeks into the season and I don't know who the fuck Arizona's running back is equals Vikings 27-Cardinals 17

NewOrleans -2.5 over Tampa
The Saints are back baby, sort of. They are not a playoff team but they're definitely not the shitty team we seen the first 4 weeks of the season either. Here's something else to consider, if Tampa Bay plays anyone that has a semblance of talent and the spread is under 3 either way, I bet against them. They are not strong defensively and are not strong enough offensively to keep up with Drew Bree's. let logic take over boo, don't let your love for those cool helmets influence your decision.
Not so Aint's 30 - Tampa 24

Baltimore + 6
What's harder to overcome a thorough ass whooping at home when you hadn't lost all season or losing one of the best defenders that ever played football. Here's my long answer, the Texans were rocked plain and simple and when you are on such a momentus high and come crashing down that hard, it's gonna take something out of you, not only that they were exposed, because guess what they also lost a stud defender in Brian Cushing and the Pack ran up an effortless 42 points on them. I say effortless because they could have scored more. Now the Ravens are without Ray Lewis the player but not Ray Lewis the leader, he tore a muscle but not his ability to give those awesome motivational speeches, nothing rally the troops like a win one for the Gipper speech and even though they will still lose to the Texans they will cover and that's a win
Texans23- Ravens 20

Bears/lions over 47 (lock of the week)
Yo the Bears will score a defensive/special-teams TD this Monday. It's what they do at home on Monday Night Football. Now you never factor that in when betting over/unders so that's a bonus, which means that now only 41 points has to be scored to cover. Detroit does not have the defense to consistently stop Chicago and because Detroit believes that they can come back on anyone they will keep attacking the Bears til the bitter end of a shoot out Bears 31-Detroit 27

Friday, October 12, 2012

Im crushing football picks like an alcoholic crushes beer cans son!

Eagles-3.5 over the Lions
If Michael Vick doesn't turn the ball over so much the Eagles probably would have won every game by double digits this year. Vick also announced that he is once again a dog owner, that for some reason strangely plays into my picking the Eagles this week. When you have a guy who does hard time for abusing dogs and then comes out and says 'hey guess what I'm so rehabilitated that I got another damn dog', now if this same person fumbles the ball a lot and then says you know what I'm going to do a better job of protecting the football, if I choose to believe him about the dog which I do, then surely I will also take his word about fumbling. Eagles 30 Lions 23

Atlanta - 9.5
Atlanta is an elite regular season team, has been now for a few years, we are dismissive about them and rightfully so, because they haven't won any playoff games since the rehabbed dog lover (ahem, look up) was running rabid (yes I chose the word rabid) on NFL defenses almost 10 years ago. This is week 6 in the regular season the Falcons are 5-0, the offense has been clicking on all cylinders and the defense has been stellar, on the other hand, Oakland thus far has been less than impressive on offense and defense and they are not a good road team. Oakland will not be able to stop Atlanta from scoring which means they themselves will have to continue to score to keep it close. They will not: Atlanta 38-Raiders 20

Atlanta/Raiders over 48
I mean if you just read the last line of the last paragraph and have just a little bit of knowledge about basic math, then you know that 38+20 = 58 which is > than 48. Ta Da.

St. Louis + 3.5 over the Dolphins
If you are from St. Louis or Miami and/or are starting Reggie Bush and Steven Jackson aka the only 2 players worth having on your fantasy football team, then i get the semi-interest in this game. Otherwise, watching this game is like following an alderman debate, cause you just looovveee politics. There are much more entertaining options out there boo and these 2 teams maybe on the rise but ain't no way this game gets rated higher than sunday afternoon bowling on ESPN or that either team is better than more than a fg than the other.  Rams 23-Fins 21

Cowboys +3.5 over Baltimore
This game smells suspicious. The Ravens with only 1 loss going against an inconsistent Cowboys team that just got shellacked at home on Monday Night against my beloved Bears. It's easy to say that the Ravens will crush the Cowboys, but my keen gambling radar thinks otherwise. The Cowboys generally shine when they are written off. Romo rarely follows a shitty performance with another one. The Ravens win but they don't dominate, barely beating the Chiefs last week and holding on against the Browns and Patriots at home the weeks before that. Yep my radar is definitely ringing on this one, this game will be nip and tuck all the way Ravens 24 Cowboys 23

In less more important news:
Kudos to Bud Selig with all 4 divisional playoff games going to a deciding game 5. It's hilarious to me how everyone is jumping on A-Rod for being awful in the playoffs this year, um it's what injured 37 year olds are suppose to play like, mmm still spoiled by steroids we are (in my Yoda voice, feel free to use your Yoda voice as well). Maybe Miguel Cabrera will win the AL MVP this year but last night Justin Verlander showed who wins Championships. Will Dusty Baker ever catch a break? For that matter what about Dale Earnhardt Jr. ? Last week the Bears won, the Packers loss and my fantasy football team went 3-0, whoa!!! I mean I probably could have bought a prostitute and got a free BJ with that kind of week. I probably could have went on a date and the girl actually had something interesting to say. Ok that's maybe pushing it, I'm just saying that's a good week.

Dueces!!!

Friday, October 5, 2012

Things I notice and therefore you should too

I noticed that despite Miguel Cabrera being the 1st guy to win the triple crown in 45 years and leading his team to the playoffs, that Mike Trout put up huge offensive numbers himself, was a way better defender, led his team to a better record, and played in a much tougher division than Cabrera did.

I notice that Albert Pujols in the 1st year of his fat 10 year contract did not make the playoffs but his former team the World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals are back in the hunt.

I noticed that the Oakland A's are on a roll, playing loose and confident which is exactly what teams that win championships do at this time of year.

I notice that the N.Y. Jets are without their best receiver, their best defender and they absolutely can't throw the ball, and the only way they can stay competitive is to run a gimmick offense and subsequently  I notice (gulp) that Tim Tebow is on the roster.

I notice that the Seattle Seahawks has a great defense, a solid running game and need a QB to not lose the game for them and yet they are starting a rookie QB who most likely will make mistakes to lose games for them.

I also notice that the 3 of the 5 best defenses in the NFL this year belong in the NFC West in Seattle, Arizona and San Fran.

I noticed that the NHL season is on strike and I still don't miss it.

I noticed that Hayden Panittiere is back on tv and I miss her, save the cheerleader, save country music...um, huh?!!!

I noticed last year the Boston Celtics strongly considered trading and then benched Ray Allen but now consider him a traitor for leaving and going to the Heat.

I noticed that the European Golf team made some spectacular shots in the Ryder Cup and just cause you blow a big lead doesn't mean you choked.

I noticed that if David Stern would have pulled the same shit as Roger Goodell did with replacement refs the media would have went bananas and that's on the Fo real boo!!!

I notice that I went 3-1 on my Vegas picks last week after saying that I'm about to heat up, now exhibit B:
Bengals-3.5 over the Dolphins - Why the Bengals don't get respect from Vegas is beyond me but I will keep taking them until they do

Houston -9 over the Jets - I will take Houston(which is the best team in football right now) against the dysfunctional Jets led by Ozzie Guillen, I mean, er... Rex Ryan anytime, anywhere.

New England/Denver over 52.5 points - Brady and Manning will light up the scoreboard as a matter of fact it maybe close to 50 points in the 1st half

Bears-5 over the Jaguars - Da Bears!!!!

Dueces