We Talking Playoff's

AFC Wild Card

CIncy at Houston

Houston, we have a problem?  The Texans have gone from top spot in the AFC most of the year to a wild card berth.  The Texans have been underwhelming the last few weeks.  They don’t seem to have the heart to advance far in the playoffs.  Matt Schaub was hurt in last year’s playoffs limiting their chances.  It’s time for the quarterback to lead the team and dispel the recent naysayers. 

Bengal nation must be excited by a playoff game.  It’s been awhile.  Dalton and AJ Green are young talents.  The Bengals have had a good run but it ends here.  Too inexperienced, the bright lights will get to them. 

Look for Arian Foster along with a few big catches from Andre Johnson to lead the way as Houston wins by ten 

Indy at Balt

Has there been a better story that the Colts and Chuck Pagnano this year.  From two wins a season ago, behind a rookie quarterback and rookie/sick coach Indy has amazed all year.  Luck has been solid and is one of three rookie quarterbacks in the playoffs.  The youth movement this year in the NFL has been fun to watch. 

Baltimore behind the middling Joe Flacco has not lived up to expectations this year.  Ray Rice must have a huge game for the Ravens to win at home behind an aging defense.   

Look for this to be an ugly low scoring game Baltimore wins by four points. 

NFC Wild Card

Minn at GB

Minnesota won yesterday’s battle behind the league MVP, Adrian Peterson, and a raucous home crowd.  Peterson deserves the MVP over Manning for one reason: although both had horrible injuries to overcome Peterson’s was near record setting.  And without Harvin AP has no talent behind him.  There is no passing game in MInny, Ponder is young and unimpressive. 

The Packers have somehow remained in the mix all year.  I counted them out at the beginning of the year.  Rodgers keeps rolling along.  If the defense could ever perform at a high level a long playoff run would be possible. 

Minny will fall behind early, Ponder will throw a pick six early.  Over by halftime Packers win big. 

Sea at Wash

The Redskins have won seven in a row.  Last night Alfred Morris ran roughshod over the Cowboys giving its first division title in 13 years and a playoff berth.  RG3 still seems a bit hobbled by the knee but got the job done.  Have to credit the Shanahan coaching family tree for adjusting to the young offensive talent and putting formations in that utilize the talent of RG3.

Seahawk nation is led by Russel Wilson another rook qb.  Like the Skins the Hawks have had a shocking season.  Their defensive is explosive and Marshawn Lynch is a beast. 

This game should be a classic!  Almost too hard to pick.  The turnover battle will be won by Seattle going away and the Seattle will win by 3.   

Clips

The LA Clippers have now run off 17 wins in row.  What a breathtaking streak!  The streak has been fuelled by the bench.  Jamal Crawford appears headed for the 6^th man award, and makes the ridiculous crossover and step back three seem commonplace.  Eric Bledsoe, although a bit out of control of late, has quicks and is a defensive force.  Lamar Odom is coming into shape literally.  Odom is key for the Clips, they will need his late game prescience given Griffin’s and Jordan’s free throw woes.  How does an NBA player not keep in shape?  I don’t get Odom.  Barnes and Cutler are interchangeable and capable of big games now and again.  CP3 is having an MVP type season as expected. 

LA’s other team is flashy and fun to watch. They remind me of UNLV back in the day in NCAA early 90’s hoops. Are they better than OKC?  Standing wise at the moment, maybe, but I have my doubts as the season progresses.  San Antonio always goes on a streak.  Sure Memphis has fallen off, but they still are lurking.  At some point Vinny Del Negro will blow it and piss off some of his players. The number 2 seed in the West is attainable for sure.  Long term in the playoffs can the flashy roster succeed with two bigs who can’t play in crunch time?  Let’s not get overexcited and think the Clippers are title contenders.

Raps Sinking?

Raps sinking early in the big easy. How is Ryan Anderson not starting for the Hornets? Robyn Sideshow Lopez has his spot until Davis puts on some lbs and can play the 5.

Glimpses?

               Ahhh, yes!  Christmas brought all tidings and good cheer.  Hope everyone was spoiled!  The NBA fan was delighted on Christmas day with five games.  It was hard to juggle the games, family, and food.  I caught a bit of three games. 

                Boston stomped on Brooklyn winning with ease.  Boston has looked legit for moments this year.  Unfortunately, due to age Pierce and Garnett can’t perform at a high level.  Rondo has not had the MVP type season I thought he would.  Green has had spurts of great ball but consistency is an issue.  The wait for Avery Bradley might be over soon.  Hopefully, he can a la Eric Bledsoe infuse some energy in this team.  Brooklyn has struggled of late.  Deron Williams is whining about something seemingly everyday.  Humphries is in the doghouse for poor defense.  Things are falling apart with the Nets.  It is not a surprise given the roster’s weakness in character and defense. 

                The Lakers are back!  At least for one day, they beat the Knicks.  With Nash’s return the taste of what could be with Los Angeles is enthralling.  The bigs rolling to the hoop with a driving Nash is classic basketball.  Kobe is still gonna get his.  Artest has been a competent shooter this season.  However, given the age issues the Lakers can’t seem to sustain or string victories together.  Witness: last nights loss in Denver.  The Knicks continued their impressive play.  At this point Melo has to be the MVP of the season.  Amare should be back soon.  We all have been waiting for Knickerbockers to crumble.  Amare should tilt the chemistry a bit but will the other vets (Kidd, Thomas, Camby) allow it to get out of hand?  Mike Woodson seems to be a good coach.  Remember this turnaround started last season when he replaced D’antoni. 

                JR Smith’s game winner versus Phoenix last night was money.  Talk about living up to your potential and turning around a career.  If it were not for Crawford on the Clippers Smith would be the runaway leader for the 6^th man. 

                Toronto lost last night to San Antonio snapping a five game win streak.  5 games in a row!  It was great to see the Raps turn it around for a spell.  Of course the run came with the two most selfish Dinos out with injuries.(Bargnani and Lowry)  The ball zipped around during  the streak and the extra pass to an open teammate became commonplace.  Ed Davis seems to have a place in the league.  Terrence Ross has shown flashes of brilliance in addition to being a ridiculous in game dunker.  Calderon has improved his trade value.  Alan Anderson is a solid pro.  Unfortunately the Lithuanian rookie center is out for a bit with hand issues but this will only give Ed Davis more minutes to show his wares.  Colangelo in all of this has probably been given a reprieve by the owners, too bad, he and Bargnani need to be gone for the franchise to turn around. 

East Powers

1.        Miami- Ugh begrudgingly!  Title hangover.

2.       New York- Issues ahead?

3.       Atlanta- Sneaky good. 

The rest of the mess-  Bos, Chi, Ind, Phi, Brok, Mil

West Powers

1.       OKC- Undisputed in the West

2.       LAC- Is this deep team for real?  14 in a row.

3.       San Anonio- Hail to Popovich

The rest of the mess- Memph, GS, Den, Utah, LAL, Min, Hou, Dal

The last ¾ of the season in the East ans West is going to be extraordinary.  Who will make the runs? And who is gonna fall off.  Solid hoops ahead! 

Are the Celtics and Lakers capable of contending this year?  Or are the recent flashes of brilliance from the squads just isolated events?  Experience has to count for something.  Look for these two teams to make runs for the rest of the season and have us all far too optimistic heading into the playoffs.  

Bandwagons

Well then!  The Heat have been toppled a few times in the past two weeks.  Last night the Warriors topped them on a great last second feed from Jarret Jack to Draymond Green.  Green earlier in the game talked junk with Lebron.  All in all it was an entertaining battle.  The Warriors are on a roll, winning five in a row on the road, with a 15 and 7 overall record.  Bandwagon time. 

Golden State is a good team with depth in the wing position.  Thompson and Curry are elite players.  Coach Mark Jackson will have them playing a bit more defense than we are used to from the Warriors.  Inspired ball!  They should make the playoffs. 

Boston finally beat Dallas in two overtimes.  If Jeff Green can play at a high level consistently the Celtics perhaps regain some of last year’s form.  Avery Bradley is sorely missed on the defensive end and Paul Pierce seems to be fading into his twilight years.  Jason Terry seems to be finding his stride.

Brooklyn is fading without Brook Lopez.    

Miami hasn’t turned it on in the East.  Yet!  The Knicks seem to have passed Boston for the main contender to the Heat in the East.  Melo is in beast mode and looks like an MVP.  Even JR Smith is playing smart ball passing up the usual junk shots he would take in previous years.  Jason Kidd has been solid and has prolonged his career with his smarts and astonishing three point shooting.  It always helps to add something to your game. 

Out West the Clippers continue to roll.  Their bench is simply astonishing.  Eric Bledsoe is an athletic freak.  I don’t remember noticing his athleticism at Kentucky.  Lamar Odom is losing the weight and might be a factor later in the year. 

Lakerland is swirling.  With disgust.  How are they losing these games to mediocre teams?  Lack of effort and atrocious defense are the main issues.  Kobe is already steaming.  Thing is they are already going to be way off the leaders by the new year when everyone is back.  Los Angeles is looking at the number 5 seed as being their ceiling this year.  Onto next year boys. 

Kevin Love is voicing his displeasure with Minnesota management.  Why now?  I have no clue, Rubio is back this week, and then things might start rolling.  Love feels punked and I get it if what he says happened is correct but Kevin needs to handle himself with some class.  Rise above or Minny fans will turn on you. 

The Raptors are now 4-19.  I was hoping for a 10-13 start and a shot at the playoffs.  Barnagni thankfully is hurt.  Just amnesty him already.  The Bargs injury gives Ed Davis a chance to showcase his talents.  So far he has looked pretty good.  Terrence Ross looks like a super dunker, wow, two nice ones last night versus the Brooklyn.  Ross needs to mature and redevelop confidence in his shot.  Valanciunas looks like a legitimate center.  Time to develop the kids.  Hopefully the Raptors start to trade the older players on the roster.  Colangelo is an ass, blaming the Raps problems on focus and not talent, trying to save his job.  Raptorland is burning, this would have been the perfect year with no NHL to capture Toronto’s and Canada’s attention.  But no the chiefs are still in place.  Time to tear it up MLSE. 

Pigskin Dreaming

CFB

Can’t wait for the BCS championship game, it will be exciting to see two storied programs face of in Miami.  Alabama has the experience and depth of talent.  Will the luck continue to carry Notre Dame?  The Irish defense should be able to contain Lacy and Yeldon.  The concern is the young secondary.  Yet Bama doesn’t seem to have great playmakers at receiver.  The game will come down to McCarron against Golston.  Who will make more plays? 

The Heisman went to the freshman wunderkid Johnny Football.  I would have loved to see Teo win it but at least he was a finalist after a special season.  What interests me more is where does Manzell’s career go from here?  Is it headed to Tebow territory?  Does the success go to his head and does he flame out? 

TEAM GAGAN

The squad went on a five game win streak to sneak into the #4 spot in the playoffs.  Exciting times.  We will lose this week but it looks like the margin of defeat will not leave us out of contention.  Gotta love the two week matchups.  A surprising run given the injuries: Gronk and MJD.  This upcoming week will be tough given the health issues surrounding RG3 and Bradshaw.  Keep hope alive! 

Week Fourteen

Important.  Big time games yesterday.  Mostly in the NFC East.

NFC East:  Things were looking very shaky yesterday for the Giants at around 4pm.  Dallas came back on Cincy and won on a late field goal.  It is incredible that the Boys are 7-6.  Solid win for the team in the wake of an emotional weekend with the loss of Jerry Brown, they played hard and didn’t blow the game.  I can’t believe this team is still in it.  Washington came back late and won versus the Raven’s.  RG3’s injury was gruesome.  Did you see that leg whip and then get crushed by the defender?  Somehow Kirk Cousins came in and got the job done, throwing for a last minute touchdown and getting the two point conversion to send the game into overtime.  RG3 is lucky to have only suffered a grade one knee sprain.  These two early game victories left the Giants with a must win situation against New Orleans at home.  The men in blue got it done late in blowing out the Saints.  David Wilson was a pleasant surprise on the ground and in the return game.  Bradshaw is oft injured and hobbling.  Could Wilson be both the long term and short term solution?  Manning was productive yet threw some lazy/troublesome picks.  The Giants maintained their one game lead in the division.   I think the Giants will win the division by default after a very inconsistent lackluster season. 

Atlanta is who we all thought they were.  Headed for the December swoon, losing to an awful Carolina team is inexcusable. 

Chicago is fading fast. 

Ditto for Tampa. 

San Francisco and Seattle are playing strong and appear to be the class of the conference at this point. 

Harbaugh going with Kapernick is a bold move.  The Niners should they have home field are in the drivers seat unless Russel Wilson pulls off a miracle.  It would seem the NFC Super Bowl representative will be one of these two or a Packers team that is quietly gaining momentum. 

AFC

Great matchup tonight as the Texans take on the Patriots in New England.  The class of the AFC?  Each team needs to make a statement tonight to solidify their claim to being the conference favorite.  I cannot wait for the overreaction tomorrow from the media.  The loser will be forgotten and the winner ordained.  Ought to be interesting. 

Denver seems to be the other AFC contender in addition to the two above mentioned teams.  Manning is on a roll and looks like himself again.  The defense is solid and Von Miller is a freak. 

Baltimore and Pittsburgh looked unsteady yesterday.  The Ravens axed their offensive coordinator today.  Joe Flacco is not a difference maker or a winner.  Rothlesberger is recovering on the field it seems.  Losing to the Chargers was brutal.  Both teams have playoff experience but they seem to be out of the title race given their rocky seasons. 

The Colts have been the true shocker all year long.  The emotional win for Chuck mentality has been a sight to behold.  If it were not for RG3, Luck would be getting much more attention.  Look at their record.  Unreal compared to last years.  Looks like the Colts will make the playoffs, have a very hyped matchup in Denver versus Manning, and bow out with inexperience.  

Big Boy Pants

Some great games last night and here is what I saw.

Lakers- This team is in trouble.  Up 17 on the Rockets and they lose the game.  Besides my growing admiration for everyone on Houston not named Jeremy Lin, I noticed the footspeed issue with Los Angeles.  Pau and World Peace are not geared to D’antoni’s system.  Sure Jamison and Meeks will put up some numbers off the bench but the roster is not there for 7 seconds or less basketball.  How does the system even utilize Howard and why was he kept on the floor during hack a Dwight time?  The Lakers aren’t even top four in the west.  They can’t keep up with Memphis, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and the Clips.  Nash should improve things a bit in terms of moving the ball but seems like the year is already over for the Lakes.  Locking them into a four or five seed, and that is about it.  Pau needs to be dealt soon because the guy has been the lightning rod for all of LA’s problems for too long now.  Everyone one has turned on him, even the head narcissist, Kobe.  Will Howard even want to re-sign in LA after this season? 

OKC/Brooklyn- Props to the Nets for making this game interesting at the end and coming back.  They were shorthanded, without Lopez.  This team has surprised me, winning in Boston last week, and Joe Johnson seems to have found his swagger.  OKC is the class of the west again.  Kevin Martin is beginning to answer the Harden questions.  Sure he doesn’t create for others but he knocks down shots.  The Thunders title hopes will rest on the development of Ibaka.  Offensively he showed some nice moves last night.  I do think the Thunder could use another productive big.  Perkins and Collison are not enough. 

Memphis- Zach Randolph was huge with 38-22 versus the Suns. Love his non-aerial dance in the post. Impressive comeback win for the Grizz.  Sure they played down to their competition but they turned it on when needed. 

CHI/IND- Great play by Hibbert at the end, smartly jumping straight up and not being called for a foul.  George seems to be really producing in spurts.  The Pacers are playing better ball.  Chicago keeps on keeping on with defense and great play from Noah.  Here’s hoping good health and a return for Rose.  The game really needs him.  Sorely missed. 

Miami- Triple double for Lebron in a loss to the Wizards.  Losing to the worst team in the league was brutal.  Jordan Crawford is a bit of a vacuum/black hole player.  Time for the Heat to turn it on, hopefully the loss will be a catalyst. 

My Teams

Boston- Rondo showed some heart last week in the Humphries duel.  I loved the little guy sticking up for his teammate.  The entire team now needs to take his lead, toughen up and start winning games Celtic style. 

Toronto- Showed heart in coming back and almost winning in Denver.  Kyle Lowry, who has not been the same since his injury,  displayed a bit of the spark he was hired for.  Loved the lineup of athletes around Bargnani at the end versus the Nugs.  Ross has shown some glimpses as has Davis.  Start developing the youngems Dino’s.  The signing of Pietrus is classic Colangleo.  Bryan won’t leave his comfort zone with players.  The hack needs to stay out of the playing time decisions and the lockeroom. Barg needs to be dealt and Colangelo axed.