Are the Knicks Contenders or Pretenders?

Are the 2013 New York Knicks an elite threat in the East or just a another team in the conference?





This offseason many teams in the National Basketball Association made many changes with coaches gone and some new. Teams cleared out allot of its roster to bring in players from other teams through trade. The one team that made a huge impact was the Brooklyn Nets who brought in hall of famer's Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce as well as Jason Terry. They made themselves from a top five team to a team to contend for the NBA Title. There is one other team in the city that people will never forget they are the New York Knicks. The Knicks this offseason traded away certain bench players that were a key part of their success this past season along with players leaving through the free agency. But this Knicks brought in some younger players who can make a huge impact right away along with bringing back some veterans from last year’s team.

The additions of Tim Hardaway Jr. Andrea Bargnani, Beno Udrih, Metta World Peace, Kenyon Martin, and Pablo Prigioni are definitely good bench players. These players they included this offseason I think will be a huge part in the Knicks upcoming season. I know it is only one preseason game but they looked faster, quicker, and determined on the defensive side to be a tougher team. Last year they were good on defensive side but when the playoffs came around you saw the age of the team catch up to them. Two key players are still out J.R. Smith who is recovering from knee surgery and Amare Stoudemire who is recovering from either neck or back surgery is also another key part of the Knicks Success.

With the Nets looking like contenders they don’t have a deep enough bench and a lot of their team is aging as well. While the Knicks Headed in the right direction by getting key players in the free agent market along with players in the NBA draft that they help in each position the team. One player that I am very anxious to see is Tim Hardaway Jr. the son of NBA hall of famer Tim Hardaway. Hardaway Jr is coming off a successful senior at the University of Michigan where they lost in the National title game. He was one of the main contributors to the Wolverines success.  He averaged in total 14 points per game and 4 rebounds, and 2 assist per game along with being one of the best defensive players in the country. He will be getting a lot of playing minutes behind Iman Shumpert who is the Knicks best defensive player. He will be getting these minutes while J.R.Smith recovers from knee surgery. I think he was a great draft pick but only time will tell until the season starts. Hardaway brings a lot of explosiveness and determination in wanting to help this team win ball games. Udrih is going to help Hardaway with being key offensive players but it looks like the Knicks will be a top 5 team.

I think the Knicks will be a very good team better than what most people expect. The Knicks aren’t a very old team anymore many of them look healthier and in better shape. Tyson Chandler built up on his muscle this offseason he is determined to be a better player. He said he had a bad taste in his mouth from the playoffs and wants to prove himself this season. I think the Knicks will at least finish with 40 plus wins this season and could make it past the second round this year. The key thing will be them staying healthy and everyone playing on the same page. Time will tell when they open up the season against the Milwaukee Bucks, and then their first challenge will be against the Chicago Bulls the next night on the road.

Is Ryan Braun a Idol to look up to, or is he someone that should be banned from baseball for good?

Ryan Braun is Suspended for the rest of the year for the use of steriods!!!!!!

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun was suspended for the rest of the 2013 season for the use of steroids.  Braun who is signed by the Brewers until the 2020 season with an option for the 2021 season completely lost the respect from many people in the game and out of the game. He especially lost the respect from the fans that looked up to him as their favorite player. I don’t see how he gets only a suspension this season and not for the rest of his career. He had a lot of believing him when he first admitted the use of steroids a few years back but now with this story developing more and more it frustrates a lot of fans who thought he was a good player  now don’t how to react to this because this came out of nowhere. Reports are speculating that he reached an agreement with Major League Baseball for him to just get this 65 game suspension. There are many people who want him along with the other players to receive a longer suspension than what he received or a life time ban from the game. What I don’t understand is how Pete Rose one of the all-time great players gets a life time ban from baseball for gambling. It seems like it was a slap on the wrist for what he did many players who don’t use the steroids who work hard in training to be the best get less recognition than a player like Braun. Braun was the face of the Brewers franchise it seems like they just got a slap to the face. He cheated the game and doesn’t deserve a second chance because he thought he can get the edge by using illegal drugs. The one thing that bothers me is a few years back he addressed the media after he was cleared for the assumption of him using steroids back then as well. Braun was convincing and had a lot of people totally believing him. The 2011 and 2012 season had me thinking about how he is playing because of the numbers he was putting up.  The 2011 season he won the Most Valuable Player award which is for the best player in the national league along with another winner in the American League as well. His numbers were incredible he was batting 332, with an on base percentage of 372, and hit 33 homeruns, and hit 111 RBI’S.  The following year he was batting 319, with a 391 on base percentage, and hit 41 homeruns and had 112 RBI’S. The years before he had numbers increase but not that drastically which had people questioning him and what he did in changing his play on the baseball field.

My frustration that I have towards this is the history of the game and how players like Braun tarnish all the hard work they had put in. Also how do they just give him a 65 game suspension to me that is just a slap on the wrist and they are pushing this under the rug like he did nothing wrong. What I think they should do is include a full year suspension for next year to make a statement to the league that they aren’t playing around. This Biogenesis report has me wondering in who was part of this process of being injected with steroids along with Braun. I think he should be stripped of his Most Valuable Player Award from the 2011 season. He should be stripped and be given to Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers who finished second. He is one of the people kids should be looking up to if they want to play the game. Braun is very selfish and to me very ungrateful. He pulled a very cowardly move by not answering the media which he left his team high and dry. A lot of people want answers but he hasn’t been able to be contacted. He went hiding and will not been seen for a very long time probably not until next year’s training camp. This is very unfair to the Brewers organization where they will be forced to pay 120 million dollars of what is left of the contract. They won’t be able to get out of this deal which is sad and you feel bad for the ball club. I just hope that Braun will be getting a deeper suspension than what he has already. There has to be more to this story than what we are reading in the paper or seeing on the television.

What incredible way to honor a hall of famer closer at his final All Star Game..

The Baseball world said its thank you and showed its gratitude this past week to Mariano Rivera at this past weekends Summer Classic.

At the beginning of this season New York Yankees Closer Mariano Rivera announced his retirement at the end of this season. Most people understand why he is doing this but most don’t want him to go because they know there will never be a closer like him. He is one of the most respected players on and off the field for the contribution he gives to the league and to the communities in New York and to his home country of Panama.  His legacy is going to be remembered for years for having over 600 saves, a 15 time all-star, and is a 5 time World Series champion, who was also a World Series most valuable player for having the best earn run average, and was the best player during the 1999 World Series. He also has 42 saves in total from the postseason. The great thing about him is he thanks everyone and takes very little credit for the work he does. The reason is because of the appreciation he has for the game, and never takes it for granted for having the chance to play professionally. What is also incredible about his career he was voted as one of the top five postseason players in Major League Baseball history. Hall of Fame starter-turned-closer Dennis Eckersley called him "the best ever, no doubt"; while Trevor Hoffman said he "will go down as the best reliever in the game in history". I found a great quote from a current player on the Texas Rangers his name is Joe Nathan he quoted  by saying I look up to how he's handled himself on and off the field... You never see him show up anyone and he respects the game. I've always looked up to him and it's always a compliment to be just mentioned in the same sentence as him."

This past Tuesday was the annual Mid-Summer Classic All Star Game at Citi Field in Flushing Queens, NY. The fans had got to see the players they voted for to be in this special game. There are so many things for the fans to be a part of that you normally wouldn’t be able to get close to. Many Fans enjoy this incredible week because of the events they get to attend for example; Homerun Derby, Celebrity Softball Game, Futures Game, and especially the Fan fest that is held at the Javit Center. The event at the Javit Center is so incredible because they have Hall of Famers or current players come give baseball clinics or have an autograph session.  At the game everyone was anticipating Mariano to pitch either in the eighth inning or in the ninth. When he came in the eighth the crowd in attendance along with the players from the American League, and National League came out of both dugouts and applauded him for his contribution to the game and want to show his thanks. The cool thing about it the American League players never came on the field they stayed in the dugout. Mariano rarely shows any emotion but you can see him ready to cry and was taken it all in. At the end of the game he was voted for Most Valuable Player. The reason for this is because of the career he has had as well as he had a perfect inning when he had pitched.

It was an incredible scene to watch just because of the respect people showed to him and how Rivera was in total shock that they did this. For being a fan of the game basically all my life that is a scene I will never forget because it will never be like that again. He has so much respect for the players and the game. What is also incredible is he is the only player left to wear the number 42. The number 42 is retired throughout the whole game. The number is retired throughout the league since 1997. From the research I have done about him I haven’t found anything negative people had said about him all I read is something positive. Everyone needs to cherish these moments left in the season because this type of player will never been seen again. I think a lot of players want to be like him in being a dominant pitcher. He was going to retire last year but he suffered a horrific injury which made it easier for him to understand to not want to go out like that. For being a Yankee fan it is going to hurt me not seeing him pitch anymore. It has been an honor watching him pitch to bring the championships to the team like how he has done. From all the Yankees fans we just want to say thank you Mariano for the career you have had and the great games you have closed out.

A preview for the up coming 2013 NBA Playoffs?

What are we as fans going to expect in this years NBA Playoffs

In this year’s NBA playoffs we have many new teams in the tournament that haven’t been there in so long and are looking to make this a consistent thing.   It seems like no reporter or NBA legend is giving any other team a chance to win the championship other than the Miami Heat. That is unheard of that they think that there is only one team that will win this championship this year. If they truly believe that then they should just give the title to them and not even hold the playoffs or even have an NBA season in that case. I think this years playoffs are going to be very memorable because of the matchups we are able to see in the first round in the Eastern and Western Conference. There are two matchups that stand out to me one from the west and one from the east. The one from the East is the New York Knicks who are the number 2 seed in the playoffs against there rivals the number 7 seed the Boston Celtics. This matchup is like a heavyweight fight. This will be a very emotional matchup for Boston to try to help the city heel from the tragic events that took place earlier in the week. I don’t know how emotional and how hard it would be for them to even step on the court and play this game.   They talked to the Celtics Players before the game and they said that it has been tough and especially when they play the first game on Sunday. What I think will be key for the Knicks is Carmelo Anthony being able to score against a bigger and tough defensive team in the Celtics. Also what I think will be important is where will the other scoring come from the bench players to the starters. Everyone will need to contribute defensively and offensively. They will need to use the pick & roll and to pass the ball to the open man and not take the shots that are unnecessary. The Defense will need to double team Garnett, Pierce, and Green and force the ball out of their hands. These are the important keys to what I think will help prevail the knicks to victory in this series.  

What will be key for the Celtics is to find who will contribute to help Pierce and Garnett since Rondo had went down with his torn ACL.  Pierce and Garnett will need to carry the load against the Knicks because they don’t have the team like they did the past few seasons. They have young talent but are very young which will hurt them. Unlike the Knicks who is a veteran team the Celtics have a lot of young players who havent been in the playoffs or never been in the NBA period. The Celtics are going to need to maintain time of possession and not try to play a fast pace of a game.  They aren’t that young of a team anymore so it will hurt them late in the game. They also have to be able to get second chance points and do a lot of offensive rebounding since they are the worst in the league. The Defense will have to get the ball out of Carmelo’s hands and have them make the other players on the Knicks beat them.  Everyone must contribute in order for the Celtics to be able to have chance in this series. My prediction for this series is the Knicks in either  5 or 6 games.

Now to the Western Conference matchup I think will be like the Knicks and Celtics series and that is the number 3 seed Denver Nuggets verse the number 6 seed the Golden State Warriors.  This series is looking like the Knicks series on the matchups and the fast pace they both play. These teams have great point guards in ty Lawson from the Nuggets, and Steph Curry from the Warriors. What will be key for Nuggets is to keep attacking the paint like they have been all year since they are the best in the league in doing that by averaging 58 points in a season. They also will need to penetrate the ball around the key to the open man to avoid the double team the warriors like to play. They will need also to help the guards on the screens and they need to double team curry and Thompson on top of the key. This will help the nuggets easy the pressure of the main scores and on Coach George Karl. Also the big men of the nuggets will need to contribute to help the scores on the team. What will help the Warriors in the playoffs is help of the screens and to drive to the lane and attack the big man to get them in foul trouble. Also they would need to make sure of staying out of foul trouble this past regular season they were among the top teams to be in foul trouble.

They will need to penetrate the lane a lot instead of shooting the three balls like they always do every single game. This season they were among the top three point shooting teams in the NBA they also will need to get back on defense. If they don’t get back on Defense it will hurt them because the Nuggets are the top 5 teams in fast break points. The defense will need to take the ball out of Lawson chandler and miller who can kill you in anyway.  This series will be a six or seven game series and I think will be a great one. I think the end result will be the Nuggets in seven.

In this Knicks Series I think one of these two teams will be playing the Heat the East Conference Finals because of the type of teams they have that can hold down the heat.  There are many other series I think will be interesting to watch but we all already can predict the outcome of it. It should be an exciting fun playoffs but we will have to wait and see what will happened this is just the beginning and will be getting better and better. Come back and see if I am right and for my decision on who will win in the other series going on. Let me know what you think and send me feedback.

Eastern Conference                                Western Conference

Heat over the Bucks in 5                       OKC over the Rockets in 6

Nets over the Bulls in 7                         Clippers over the Grizzles in 7

Pacers over the Hawks in 6                  Spurs over the Lakers in 5

Who is this Cinderalla Team that has caught everyone's attention in this years mens Ncaa Tournamnet?

Where did this Florida Gulf Coast Mens Basketball team come from?



 

When the Men’s NCAA Tournament occurs every March many are wondering or looking for that Cinderella team. Well I think this year we have found one but there is also a special story about this team who is coming into the tournament only in there second year of eligibility. Let’s meet the Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast University who has made history this year in the tournament by becoming the first 15^th seed in making the Sweet 16 in the Men’s NCAA Tournament. It wasn’t an easy task for how they have gotten here they had to beat a very good Georgetown team whom many thought could make the Final Four for the type of team they have also they beat a very good team from the university of San Diego State who was coming out of the Mountain West Conference. The head Coach of the Eagles Andy Enfield who is in his first year as head coach for this team who has changed the mindset for this program for the near future. Give credit to this coach who probably didn’t know what he was getting himself into and have this incredible run that could continue on if they are able to beat their next opponent the Florida Gators coming out of the SEC conference. It will be a very tough test but if they stay posed and execute the game plan maybe this upset will happen. What is also interesting about coach Enfield is that he is a very successful business man who really didn’t need to take this job. He took it because of the love of the game he has and he was willing take pay cuts in order to fulfill his dream in becoming a head basketball coach.  

What is amazing about this team is there is only one senior player on this team and the rest are young players who still have time to develop. But Senior Captain Sherwood Brown has been the vocal leader in making sure everyone does there job and was the leading score in the Atlantic Sun Conference Division. He has had big games so far this tournament but also has had many contributions from other teammates during this run. In order for them to pull of the major upset on Friday evening they are going to have to outrebound and have a majority of the time of possession during the game. They also will need to get the second chance points like they have been in the first two games we will have to wait and see. It is in incredible how a team coming into their second year makes the tournament and has this run and catching the media’s attention. Anything is possible but what is also amazing about this team is the swagger of confidence they have when they are out there. A lot of people re understanding why they are eagles because of all the high flying dunks they have been doing.  Both wins in the tournament have been by double digits which is impressive. Many people are still scratching their heads in wondering who these guys are. I can tell you right now they aren’t the silent killers anymore. This team is well known right now and the teams left in the tournament are out to get them a piece of this team.  I think they will lose on Friday night ending this Cinderella story. I think Florida is just too much for them to handle but I could be wrong and they will pull of this upset. No matter what this is a special story that many people will never forget. Let’s hope the other schools that are as small as them work hard and do the same thing this school is doing. What I also like is how the university along with the town they are located in is treating them like celebrities. This is well deserved because of the hard work and dedication they have put up to this point.

Dominican Republic the true champs of the real world series of the world baseball classic!!!

Dominican Republic displayed why they are the best in the World!!!!!!

Congratulations to the Dominican Republic in what was an amazing run in claiming the 2013 World Baseball Classic Title. Last night the Dominican Republic defeated Puerto Rico by the score of 3 to 0. They showed that they were determined and on a mission in showing the people that 2009 was just a fluke and nothing was going to get in there way. Their lineup was MLB star studded from the top to the bottom. The one person who displayed their power was second baseman for the New York Yankees Robinson Cano. Cano batted an incredible 517 in the tournament which is unheard of. Throughout the tournament he played a key role in providing the offense for the Dominican ball club. Manager and for Major League Ball player Tony Pena felt very confident going to his bullpen early in the game just because of the all stars he had in their as well. What were key was the runs scored by Dominican Republic in the first inning to take the pressure of their young pitcher Samuel Deduno which allowed him to relax and pitch his game. He had pitched an incredible game in which he got himself out of situations which could have changed the game completely.

What was also a key stat was Puerto Rico leaving 16 men on base in scoring position or on 1st base. On paper and on the field the team from Puerto Rico was out matched and were heavily favored underdogs.  They didn’t back down from the tough task but kept fighting in the game. What was another possible turning point was when Puerto Rico had an easily Taylor made double play turn into only getting one out. With the runner on second for the Dominican Republic Eric Ayabar came up to bat and delivered a double that allowed the runner from second to score to give them a little extra breathing room. When it came to the 9^th inning Fernando Rodney came in and shut it down to secure the championship and bring it back to the Dominican Republic. This championship was a huge deal for the island that doesn’t really have much to celebrate and not this happened it will make it even more special. This championship is like if one of our major teams had won one. They should be celebrating and enjoying this moment because it displays a lot in what baseball means in the Caribbean leagues especially in the Latin culture. What I thought was a show of class and gratitude was after the lost the whole Puerto Rico came from out of the dugout and applauded the Dominican team. This made me smile and understand even though you lose you know it is against a better team that you battled to the end. This made me even more proud of my culture and my heritage in how they acted and showed the class they have.

Baseball means a lot to us, and how we play each and every day to get better at it and want to live that dream we wish we can do once we get older. It was an incredible tournament in seeing the enjoyment from the fans and them cheering on their home country in the tournament. We saw many upsets in the tournament two big ones were the Kingdome of the Netherlands defeating Cuba and Puerto Rico defeating the two time defending champions in Team Japan. I can’t wait until the 2017 World Baseball Classic and what it has in store for us I hope it is just like the one this year.

I will be back on later on in the week to discuss the NCAA Tournament as it prepares to start Thursday afternoon. Come back and check it out in who I think will take home the championship and who will be the major upsets this week.

What did we learn from the first two rounds of the World Baseball Classic?

Who will continue there cinderalla run heading into the final rounds of the World Baseball Classic?

Now that the first round and partially the second round are over the Baseball classic this year has been very intense and exciting. We have seen so much controversy with a big fight between Mexico and team Canada. We also have seen major upsets from the Netherlands defeating the number 1 team in the world Cuba. This lost by the Cuban team will cause some changes to happen in who will manage the ball club in the next tournament. Give credit to the Netherlands who fought very hard throughout the whole game and never gave up. They lost two key players leading up to the game and then lost their starting third baseman during the game. They had to rely on their bench which ended up being big because of the timely hitting and pitching. The Netherlands just kept grinding out the runs and stayed positive by the encouragement there leader and Major League ball player Andrew Jones gave them. The two teams that will be coming out of that side of the bracket will be team Japan and team Netherlands who will head to San Francisco for the semifinals and wait to see who will come out of the other side of the bracket between the team Italy, USA, Puerto Rico, and team Dominican Republic. Team Japan is starting to come alive and dominant competition which is very scary. They Merced ruled there last two opponents. But I have a feeling out of the other four teams who need to still battle it out will be a huge threat to beating Japan. Watching Japan they are a very fundamental team who likes to play small ball and not try to hit the massive homerun. From listening to my father in how baseball was played when he was growing up I have a lot of respect in the way they play. But I think with the time off in waiting for the semifinals it will kill their momentum.
The second round that is starting tomorrow has some incredible teams playing in it but the biggest Cinderella team in the games tomorrow is team Italy. Team Italy will be facing off with the powerhouse Dominican team who has All Stars from 1 through 7 in the batting order. They have been dominating competition from the exhibition games they played all the way through the first round of the tournament. The biggest surprise and scare was Team USA starting off slow and almost were eliminated but played impressive in the two games they needed to win. David Wright of the New York Mets was the leader of the team who came up big with the hits and plays in the field. Also Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles came up with the big hit when he hit a two run double to help Team USA take the lead and never look back. Italy showed some encouraging things compared to previous years in being blown out each game but I think it will be a quick exit from the second round. Team Puerto Rico is going to give team USA a true test tomorrow night but it will be a difficult game which they just need to play their game and continue to pitch the way they have been. I think Puerto Rico can advance to the semifinals but they got to play the way they did in the first two games in the tournament and not get frustrated to easily. If they can keep their composure and stay focused it will be them advancing and possible could take it all. This tournament has a lot I can talk about but there is so much baseball left where I am excited to continue to watch what occurs over the next few days. I think the two teams coming out of Miami will be team USA, and Dominican Republic. They can give the true test in beating Japan and taking the title from them. We will have to wait and see what happens I cannot wait till tomorrow for games especially the night matchup between Team USA and Team Puerto Rico. It will be hard for me to choose in who I will root for because of where I am from which is the United States and my heritage and my nationality which is Team Puerto Rico.

I will try to be back on tomorrow night after the matchups but depending on what time they finish it will be timely a decision.

Who will make there country proud in this years World Baseball Classic?

Will this years Baseball Classic have a fairy tale ending, or will we finally see one of the top teams in the world take it all?

Every four years a tournament is held in which teams from all over the world play one another to determine who is the best in the world. For the past two years, the team from Japan has won the World Baseball Classic. They've  beaten every team in the finals that everyone else picked to win. But In this year's tournament, it seems those who were eliminated in the past have come back, this time with better teams and better pitching. Each Pool seems very strong but the one that stands out to me is Pool C, coming out of Puerto Rico. This bracket seems packed with power house teams up and down the roster.  Dominican Republic along with Puerto Rico will most likely be the ones to be coming out of that bracket. I think it will be different. Dominican Republic will or won't advance and what about Venezuela? I might be wrong but this is will be difficult to pedict because each team is very well rounded so anything can happen. What is special about this classic is we are able to see players who are considered the best in the world. Even if they aren’t able to advance in the tournament, this is something that is very special. The reason for this is because you are able to represent your home country with pride by playing in this tournament. Wearing that Jersey with the name across your chest is something you will never forget as a player.

Getting the chance to watch these games is tough because the tournament begins  in Japan and Taiwan. Those games start late because of the time difference. Japan and Chinese Taipei are going to come out of the pools politely and will not  see any real competition until they meet in round 2, which are held in Tokyo. What I have seen from the two pools, the two teams that can give a problem to the powerhouse teams in these pools are the Netherlands and  first time participants Brazil, managed by Hall of Famer Barry Larkin.  Brazil put up an incredible effort against Japan, which came down into the late innings until Japan pulled it off. It's still hard to tell how things will play out because the tournament is just underway and we really don’t know much. The tournament will fully get under way next week when everyone will be playing at their location of tournament play.  One team I will be paying close attention to is Team USA, who has been a disappointment in how they've been playing . With a star studded line up, they should be able to change things around. Another reason why things should be changing is because of the younger players they brought along. It should be interesting to see how they  play starting next week when they get tested against team Mexico.  Let' s see how things turn out as the  tournament plays on. I will be paying close attention to Team USA and watch what they do under manager Davey Johnson.  My predictions in the final four are Teams Cuba, Dominican Republic, USA, and Japan and the winner of this whole tournament will be the Americans. I think they will be determined and on a mission to prove to the world that the Americans are the best in the world when it comes to baseball.

Come back tomorrow when I will have the recap from the big Showdown between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks.

What conference is the king of College Basketball is it the Big 10 or the Big East?

VS.      

    

What conference is the best college basketball divison this season these two are fighting like it is a heavyweight battle!!!!

                                        

        

Usually this discussion wouldn’t occur because of how dominant the Big East conference is during the basketball season. This season turned out to be a different story the Big Ten has made a statement with the exciting basketball games it has had this season. The heart, sweat, and work they put in each and every week shows when they go into big games and are able to pull the victory out or lose a heartbreaker that they know they can take the good things they did out of that particular game. The Big Ten has some good teams that if they played the top notch teams in the Big East they can give a game for the ages. The top teams in the Big Ten Conference are Indiana who is the number one team in the country, followed by Michigan State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio State these teams define the words of what a team is supposed to be. The players each team has is a true captain in Indiana they have Victor Oladipo, Michigan State has Adriean Payne, Michigan has Trey Burke, Wisconsin has Jared Berggren. Ohio State has two players Aaron Craft, and Deshaun Thomas. These are considered the best players in the country. When these teams are in a grind it out type of game these players I have mentioned always seem to come up big, and produce the points the teams need. They also express their voice in making themselves heard and has the other teammates gain confidence and start playing better to help produce.

The teams have had memorable games this year for example Indiana versus Michigan State where it went took till the last minute and a half to find out the winner. Also When Indiana defeated Michigan in a battle of top 3 teams went at it and Indiana made a statement and exposed the Wolverines. One game that was a heart attack was when Michigan State defeated Wisconsin by only two points which is hard for any team to win in Wisconsin.  The players that I have mentioned stepped up big for their teams which lead them to victory. It’s hard to find any negative things about this conference because this is what people pay to see and not any blowout games. I hope the Big Ten Tournament is as exciting as the regular season games are because then they are making a push to be the best conference in the league.

Now to one of the best conferences in the league in my opinion but it’s only one person view on things. Many people think they are one of the top conferences but many think they are the best. The top teams in the Big East Conference are Marquette, Georgetown, Syracuse, Louisville, and Notre Dame. These teams have something that the big ten doesn’t which is a deep history in rivalries that are coming to an end. This weekend the end of a great rivalry came to an end this weekend between Georgetown and Syracuse with the end result being Georgetown winning by 11 on Syracuse’s home court which is very hard to do. The top player for Georgetown Otto Porter Jr. who is the captain of the team and leading scorer along with being a leading candidate for player of the year for the Big East conference. On the other hand Syracuse didn’t have the luck like Georgetown did with C.J. Fair Was held in check along with Brandon Triche. You have to give the Hoyas credit for playing tight defense. The reason for the end of the rivalry is because next year Syracuse will be moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference to join the powerhouse teams of North Carolina, and Duke.

They always seem to have incredible games that also come down to the wire just like how the Big Ten games are ending up. There was one matchup tonight when Marquette came from behind to defeat the Orangemen who have lost 2 straight after tonight’s game by the final score of 74-71. Junior Cadougan had a huge game with recording twelve points he had a good game he recently has been struggling and it seemed he found his range. When he started to score his team started to play harder and contributed as well. C.J. Fair also struggled again which was unheard of because he usually knows how to bounce back. They need to figure things out because they got two big games coming up against Georgetown and Louisville. Louisville on the other hand is looking like the team they did in the beginning of the year. After losing a heartbreaker against Notre Dame in five overtimes they seemed like they took that game and it motivated them to begin playing better basketball. Peyton Silva has picked up the load and took the team on his back in making sure they get back to their winning ways.

The one negative I have against the Big Ten are those mediocre teams don’t really seem try to compete against those teams I have mentioned before. They aren’t really giving those teams a problem in causing mayhem in the big teams trying to win the division outright. But when you look at the mediocre teams in the Big East they always give problems which make it harder to win that division title during the regular season. We can debate about it all we want we just have to wait and see what happens with the NCAA tournament that is right around the corner. I will be back Wednesday night after the Knicks vs. Warriors game to talk about the Knicks and see if they play a good game for once.

The ACC Conference just got very interesting

Maryland pulls off the biggest upset this week by taking down Goliath ( Duke) in dramatic fashion to keep there NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

Leading up to the week the Maryland Terrapins were heavily underdogs against their matchup against the Duke Blue Devils.  Well they proved a lot of people wrong by playing strong from start to finish. They came out victorious by winning the matchup by two points with the final score being 83-81.  Duke coming into this game was playing on fumes that played there fourth game in ten days which is a lot of traveling and preparation. It can take a toll on a team especially in the collegiate level but that doesn’t excuse for the way they played. They were being outplayed at all phases of the game. Star player Mason Plumlee must have had his worst game of his career by only contributing 4 points. That is unheard of because he usually averages a double double each game. Duke wasn’t rebounding the ball they got outrebounded on the boards by the total of 40 to 20. To me the Blue Devils showed once again why they shouldn’t be considered a top 10 in the country. They have a great a coach in Mike Krzyzweski and he shouldn’t be satisfied with how they played because they are supposed to be one of the best teams in the league. Seth Curry and Quinn Cook carried the load by combining for 43 of the Blue Devils points. The first half featured two ties, 10 lead changes and ended with the Terrapins up 35-34. Curry (14 points) was one of only four Duke Players to score before halftime.

Give Maryland credit they played a hard game in being scrappy for the loose balls and tight defense. The freshman and sophomore class for Maryland lead the way which helped the other players play with confidence, and relaxation. They had contribution from everyone leading the way for them was sophomore  center Alex Len the big man played incredible who I believe had one of his best games in his early career. Maryland Coach Mike Turgeon told Len that he wanted him to play tonight’s game as if Plumlee thought of him as his younger brother.  If that’s what he told him he definitely took that to heart and played incredibly hard and made it personal.

Maryland had lost 12 out 13 previous matchups against Duke. Maryland had last won against Duke in 2010 in their home arena. I think coach Turgeon said it best after the victory when he quoted by saying “This win was for my family and the fans. I know what this win means for our fan base, and I really wanted to beat Duke. This shows me that coach Turgeon is very committed in changing the attitude and look of Maryland basketball. They had an equal balance on the offensive end of the game. With the help they had the other leader in scoring was Seth Allen who had a total of 19 points in the game. He was person who broke the tie by making two free throws with just 2.8 seconds left. What wasn’t so bright in the win was they had 26 turnovers which are unheard of in being able to win this type of game against this type of team. The crowd increased its volume with every subsequent basket by the Terrapins. Maryland’s pervious win against Duke came in 2010 when Greivis Vasquez celebrated Senior Night with a 20-point performance.

I really hope that whoever is part of the voting for the Top 25 really sees the true colors of how good Duke really is. Enough is enough the voters really need to stop playing favorites. Teams are beating Duke with hard play and it shows that Duke starts to fold under pressure. This Duke team shouldn’t be considered for a number 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. There are other top 10 teams that can be put as a number 1 seed in place of them.  I think these voters are biased and not loyal in voting. I think it is difficult in trying to trust these people because they only want to give the schools that bring in the money top seeds because they are winning and the attraction they bring. Also I don’t know how Indiana like Duke is still in the top 3 seeds. I think Indiana on Tuesday is going to be really tested and be exposed when they go play Michigan State at the Spartans stadium.  I hope the rankings aren’t the same as the way they have been I hope there is a change and won’t be as aggravated as I usually am. Being a huge fan of college basketball things need to be changed and be looked in a whole different way in selecting the top 25. Congratulations, again to the Maryland Terrapins on a huge win use this as momentum for the rest of the season and keep playing stronger.

Will the second half of the NBA season be exciting as the first half was?

Do we have something brewing up to be very exciting for the second half of the NBA season?

Now that we have finally reached the All Star break in the NBA season lets talk about what possibly could happen. The Eastern Conference is trying to desperatly change its outlook in how people see them as. In the Western Conference, many teams look like they can win the championship but they will fight it out like it was a 12 round boxing match. The East has the caliber of teams that could match with the powerhouse of the west but certain teams need to make some trades in order to change the mindset of the team and the organization. The powerhouse of the West are stacked with All Star players who can start on any team that play in the East. Don't take it for granted the East has some tough teams for example: Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls these are the top 5 teams that could give problems to the teams in the west. The only thing i think they need to do is upgrade thier benches and get scrappy players that can help the big men in the middle. The Knicks should look into getting a powar forward like a Paul Millsapp from the Utah Jazz who averages 7.3 rebounds a game along with 15 points that can be a big boost to the team. Brooklyn needs to focus on possibly getting another perimeter player who can help out with the scoring. Indiana should look at getting a forward like a Lamarus Aldrige type of player. Chicago should look into getting a veteran point guard since there is a possiblity that Derrick Rose might not return this season. If Rose decides not to come back this season that can be a big blow to the team.

The Western Conference is very dominant with thier top 5 teams who are established very well. The top 5 teams in the west season are: San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, L.A. Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets. These teams are very well rounded up and down the roster. They have players who can be starting on any of the Eastern Conference teams they are well coached as well. The Spurs are a very old team with Parker, Duncan, and Ginobili who are almost certain to retire in the next few years. They should look into trading for a younger center but they could also look at the possibilty of getting a another point guard to take away the minutes from parker who plays a tremendous already as it is. The Thunder are one of the exciting teams with Durant and Westbrook on the team they are a very fast and high flying team. This team is going to be very tough to beat if they make it the conference finals. They should look into getting a backup center and power forward because the players they have now coming off the bench arent as good as they should be. The Clippers i would of recommended trying to get someone before the trade deadline but now since they are healthy they are good. Just by the way they have been playing the last two games they look like they are going to be a very scary team this coming playoffs. Finally the Nuggets need alot of help in the shotting guard position and bench they need to focus on those areas if they want to stay the five seed.

These are areas in what i think the teams should focus on for the final push towards the playoffs. Any team can win the championship but i personally think it will come out of the West. Who knows we will have to see what will happen because we can debate all we want but the only way it happens is by the teams playing the games. I also want to point out that this whole comparing Lebron James to Micahel Jordan is crazy because these are two different players who played in two different style eras. Let Lebron focus on his career who is having an amazing year this year who has improved tremendously in his shooting. We have to give this guy credit for how hard he plays the game. With the second half just around the corner we are going to see some exciting basketball.


Please leave me some feedback in what you think of the blog. Let me know what you think is positive of negative all the comments will help. Also let me know what you want to read or cover. I am open into any subject in any sport that is played out there. Thank you again everyone. I will be back on tomorrow after the day of college basketball as we prepare for the march madness and the conference tournaments just around the corner.

Who deserves the number 1 ranking in college basketball?

sports

Which team will take the chance in rolling the dice in being the new number 1 team in the country after Indiana losses to Illinois as time expires.!!!!!

Tonight another big upset occured when the number 1 ranked Indiana Hoosiers lost to Illinois University at the buzzard by the final score of 74 to 72. What a win by the Illinois mens basketball team in needing a win to secure a chance in the Ncaa Tournament. With being down double digits late in the second half with about six minutes left in the game. Backup Forward Tyler Griffey is going to be the man on campus after making the big shot in the final 0.9 seconds of the ball game to secure the comebehind victory against the Hoosiers. The Illini were down double digits most of the second half before clsoing the game on a 13-2 over the final 3:36 in the ball game. The game looked like it would be all over when the Illni's starting center Ninanna Egwu fouled out with just under 5 minutes to play, the Hoosiers looked in control , Egwu is the only Illni player with seem to be the good size matchup against Cody Zeller who is 7 feet tall. To me the Hoosiers had a hangover from the big weekend victory over the Michigan Wolverines who were number the one team in the country at the time of that matchup. What gave the Illni a chance in winning this game was the key steal from Brandon Paul from the Illni poke the ball from Victory Oladipo and D.J. Ricardson recovered the ball and was able to give the team one last chance. I thought this game was over after the Hoosiers went up double digits late into the game. As the saying goes  " You play to the last whistle is blown and to never give up to the end". The Illni showed heart and desire which was an incredible thing to watch because of the words the coach kept telling them which they took to heart. The Hoosiers seemed to be thinking that they had this game with plenty of time left in the game to allow the opponent to come back and win the game. The key players fofr the Illni showed up tonight when they were needed the most which were Brandon Paul and D.J. Ricardson who combined for 45 of the 74 points in bringing them back in getting this victory tonight which i am in total shock. This shows us that there are no true dominant team in mens college basketball right now that this season is wide open.

It's not even the weekend and two upsets have occured with both the number # 1 and number # 2 teams go down in losses in there conference matchups. This will be interesting in who will be considered the two new top teams but i have a good idea in who will be in those spots the teams are Michigan and Duke who are sitting right behind Indiana and Florida. This years Ncaa Tournament is going to be something special because it is anyones game and the title could go to anyone. If Indiana is going to be consider more of a threat to win the National Title they got to take care of these games they should win, and take it more serious. I think they still have the hangover from the big win they had over the weekend like i had mentioned before. Indiana doesnt show me that they are a threat in beating everyone in there way in getting to the National Championship game and winning it all. They remind me of the Duke team from last year and choked when tournament time came around. They got to take care of business for the rest of the season because there schedule doesnt get any easier from this point on. I am not trying to take anything away from the Illni who played hard and never gave up. They kept in the game by sinking in there Free Throws as well as getting the Hoosiers in foul trouble. They were able to set up there type of game and not play the Hoosiers fast break offense which would of got out of hand. I think the Illni will built from this and starting playing like they were in the beginning of the season. Who will obtain the number # 1 spot and try to keep it for more than one week it seems like no one wants it and we have a new team each week. This is going to be a interesting college basketball season of what is left of it.

Let me know what you think leave comments and keep checking out the articles i post on the blog. All the help from my reviewers will be grateful. I will be back on Sunday night after the Knicks take on the Clippers to see if they can take down one of the top contenders in the Western Conference. I appreciate all the love and support so far for how many people keeping coming back. Please let me know what you would like to read and have me do a report about it. Have a safe and i mean safe with the storm coming in tomorrow night be careful out there.

What an incredible Superbowl the Baltimore Ravens defined the word Underdog!!!!!

Ravens make a statement and now are celebrating as World Champs!!!!!!!

What a way to end the 2012-2013 NFL season with an incredible Superbowl that came down to the last drive. The Baltimore Ravens proved all the doubters wrong in finishing off the incredible Cinderella season the organization had. Ray Lewis now can retire and go out on top as the champion he will have many doubters who don’t think he should be playing because of his past in what he was involved in. I think he will be remembered as one of the best inside linebackers to ever play the game. I think the 49ers shouldn’t hold this against them because this team has a future franchise quarterback in Colin Kaepernick. Colin had an incredible game in leading his team back into the Superbowl he went 16 for 28 for a total of 302 passing yards against a very good defense in the Baltimore Ravens. The 49ers had 484 in total yards of offense while the Ravens had 380 yards of total offense which is very impressive as well but all the momentum changed to the 49ers side after the power outage occurred in the middle of the game. Reports came out today that the owners of the Superdome were afraid this might occur when they ran test on the stadium. the city is still recovering from Katrina but they should have had a backup plan in case this occurred. The game changed from a blowout to a shootout after the blackout occurred which made it more exciting and watchable. I thought the game was going to turn into a complete blowout and would have made me fall asleep. I think we should be happy that the blackout occurred because it changed the mindset of both teams and made it hard to change it. Also the momentum changed when Haloti Ngata left the game with an injury that’s when the 49ers went back on the attack of running the ball and made the plays to come back in the game.

The game plan of the Ravens offense was perfect in how they controlled the line of scrimmage from start to finish. They had a good mixture of plays in making the 49ers defense work for the battle of containing the playmakers the Ravens have. Reports had come out a few hours before the game that the Ravens were looking into the possibility of releasing Anquan Boldin because of the salary he has and them wanting to make room on the roster. I think that is a real bad idea and just by what I saw in the game Boldin was the go to receiver for Flacco that had the big plays that either lead to a touchdown or a first down to keep the drive alive. The one thing I think they should have done more is playaction plays and also run the ball more with Ray Rice he seemed like he wasn’t used a lot during the game. If he is going to be your future running back then you got to use him because he a big threat in backfield who can turn small plays and make them into something big. That’s what I felt they had gotten away from because the offense was clicking early in the game and when the blackout occurred they looked like a whole different team. If something is working on a team who is scoring basically on every drive need to stick with what is working and not to try something different. What was also impressive is that Flacco didn’t throw an interception in any of his playoff games. To me he deserves a really good contract.

Now let’s turn to the 49ers who came out the gate sluggish and you can see the inexperience out of the young quarterback. Colin struggled a lot during the night until he settled down and started making the plays he needed to. The running game as well as one of the receivers seems to have played with passion in helping the 49ers stay in this game. Frank Gore had a great game in making those big runs and making the field open up more and made the defense play on their feet. Michael Crabtree who had struggled in the past with this team but he defiantly showed improvement throughout the game and the season he had great catches that were big yard gains. What I think they should of done was pass the ball more and use the game plan they had against the Falcons two weeks ago. I think they will be able to learn from this and come back next year with a purpose. I don’t think I would want to be ant NFC team that has to play the 49ers because they will be one scary team.

Now that football season is over it is time to move on and focus on basketball and soon to be baseball and the world baseball classic. Please leave me your feedback in what you think of the website and tell me what you think because every little feedback helps. I will be back on later on this week to see what goes on in sports. Keep coming back everyone and check the website out and tell me what you want to read. Thank again everyone, have a safe and enjoyable week everyone.