NFC Preview - East

The NFC has become the power conference of the NFL with four of the last five Super Bowl champions coming from the blue pro bowl team. The conference resurgence has been led by powerful aerial attacking offenses the likes of which have not been seen since Dan Marino's heyday. Guys like Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo, Matt Stafford, Jay Cutler and Matt Ryan are the poster boys for the "new" NFL that protects QB's and favors receivers on every interference flag thrown. Once again the NFC fields a solid core of teams with Super Bowl aspirations, but all of them must survive the 16 game regular season and come out on top of their division to even have a chance (yes there are two wild card spots). Let's take a look at each NFC division.

Washington Redskins 

Popular opinion says the NFC East is the strongest division in the conference. That can be argued against the North, but nevertheless it is a formidable division that is rich in rivalry and history. The Washington Redskins of course have Robert Griffin III (RG3) and high expectations for a team with strong defense and special teams. The first question will certainly be, can RG3 perform to the level everyone expects him to? If he can do a Cam Newton impersonation the 'Skins will be in a good place. If not, there are not enough high end skill players on the offense to carry the team to a playoff birth. There is a lot of promise in Washington, and Griffin III will prove to be worthy of his number two overall pick. However, this will not be the year they make the jump to playoff contender.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are still looking to build their "dynasty" but continue to face tough times in this pursuit. The Eagles have the most raw talent in the East, but somehow most of that talent ends up in the training room far too often to be a consistently great team. Mike Vick is truly an electric football player, but his ability to stay healthy and put together a full season as a pocket passer remains to be seen. LeSean McCoy is a top three RB in the NFL and he will once again be heavily relied upon to carry the Eagles late in the season. They will have multiple division games late in the season, in the cold, and it will be essential for McCoy to produce like he has over the past few years. All this talk about offense and the Eagles defense is where we should see the most improvement. With a season and a full training camp under their belt, the Eagles defense should be relentless up front and impenetrable in the secondary. Time will tell if all the pieces have gelled to create another vaunted Philadelphia defense, but the smart pick is to say they will and cause problems for every team they play. The Eagles are the favorite in the East, except for that big elephant in the room...injuries.

Dallas Cowboys

Jerry Jones is growing impatient down in Dallas. The man wants to win. He may make some interesting roster choices and personnel decisions, but he wants to win. This season's Dallas Cowboys football team is as good as any they have had since Troy was slinging the rock. Tony Romo takes a lot of heat for a guy that has been pretty consistent over the years. The guy is a good quarterback and with a solid running game in place (see Demarco Murray), this offense should be putting up big points this season. The defense has been somewhat retooled with the first round pick of CB Morris Claiborne, but showed moments of brilliance last season that will carry into this year in the form of a top D-corps that will cause major problems for the rest of the division. This is a Cowboys team to like if you are a Dallas fan, but they must face their demons and get by all of the off field nonsense that inevitably circles Cowboys Stadium. Can Jason Garrett hold it all together? Time will tell.

New York Giants

Now for the reigning Super Bowl champs, the G-men. Eli Manning is not the better Manning by the numbers or even by the look much of the time. He is however a two time champ and an undercover top QB in the NFL. He is cool and calm, and maintains a consistent rhythm regardless of who lines up next to him. Eli quietly finished 4th in passing yards and 6th in touchdown passes, right up in the mix with Brees, Brady and Rogers. The defensive side of the ball has traditionally been equally as strong as the offense, but this may be the year it falters. The front line of Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and Jason Pierre-Paul, while all physical freaks, cannot continue to carry this team on their own. The Giants will need young guys to step up right away in the secondary or they will continue to get diced up by opposing offenses. The Giants have the experience to put up another strong run at the Super Bowl. Tom Coughlin, while always maligned, knows his players and has this team ready to go when it counts. The NFC East, this season, may require them to be ready more often than they are able.

Final Standings:

1. Dallas Cowboys 10-6 
2. Philadelphia Eagles 10-6 
3. New York Giants 9-7 
4. Washington Redskins 7-9 

I'm Back

You may kiss the bride!

It's been a crazy and fun summer filled with lots of great times with friends and family!  There have been Stanley Cup celebrations, a new job, a wedding of my own, a honeymoon, a wedding of a best friend, and much more to come as it's only the middle of August.  I could not be more grateful for all of the time I have gotten to spend with people I love.  The best part is of course sealing the deal on being with my BEST friend and new wife, Tara!  Our wedding was a perfect day in Tahoe made more amazing by sharing it with those closest to us.  We are so happy after one month of marriage and look forward to many years ahead.

All of this fun put the blog on the back burner for a little while, but I am back and looking forward to a great time of the sports year approaching.  There is the return of the NFL and college football.  No need for people to ask why, but go Packers and USC.  It appears we are front running again, but no big deal for some of the strongest football programs the sport has ever known.  The US Open (tennis) is on tap next week and really is an exciting event with the raucous NYC crowd and primetime matches.  The NBA and NHL (pending lockout) are on tap as well.  Lebron will look to cement his legacy among the greats of all time, and the wide open NHL will begin its 82 game grind back to Lord Stanley's Cup.  We are also six weeks away from the MLB playoffs that should have more excitement as there will be 2 wild card teams from each league this season.  There are great story lines with perennially poor teams making a push for the playoffs (Pirates/Nationals), and other stalwarts battling to the end (Giants/Dodgers, White Sox/Tigers).

With all the great events on tap, let's not forget about the great sports summer we have already experienced. The Kings and Heat won their championships in commanding fashion, establishing new superstars in the NHL and reaffirming others in the NBA.  Roger Federer won a record 7th Wimbledon title and further distanced himself from other tennis greats in the historical rankings.  Spain reasserted itself once more on the world stage winning their third major world soccer title in a row.  They have become the preeminent world soccer power holding both the World Cup and Euro Cup title at the same time once again (the Olympics do not count as it's an U23 tournament that does not include most of each countries best players).

Speaking of Olympics, there was a little event over in London that had too many amazing stories to count.  The major ones included Michael Phelps becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time and the U.S. women's gymnastics team and individual all around gold medals.  There were many American athletes to be proud of in London.  The U.S. won the most medals and most gold medals going away.  We won often times where we were supposed to (see Swimming, Track/Field, Gymnastics, Soccer, Volleyball, Basketball).  We also took home medals and many of them gold in our weaker sports (see Judo, Water Polo, Wrestling).  It was also a great celebration for Britain.  Their athletes performed at the highest level coming in 3rd in the medal count and putting on a fantastic show for the entire world.  The Olympics are always a captivating and often times a controversial event and this version was no different.  Britain did a fine job hosting and it was fun to watch (minus NBC tape delaying EVERYTHING).  Now it becomes Rio's job to prepare for the world spotlight both for the World Cup and Olympics in the coming years.

It has been a great summer of sports with many memorable events and outstanding performances.  There have been highs and lows, controversies and uplifting moments.  More importantly, it has been the best summer ever with friends and family.  So with all that, I am back in the groove and looking forward to what lays ahead inside the boundary lines of athletics.

mfindorff

Sports are the Greatest

As the Staples Center crowd counted down the final five seconds of Game 6, you could feel the energy and excitement in your bones.  The Kings Stanley Cup win was transcendent as history was made with the first Cup win in the franchises 44 year existence.  The entire playoff run was indeed fit for Hollywood, and ended with a high on home ice in front of a raucous crowd and friends and family.  Every hockey player dreams of putting that Cup above their head.  Watching the players unleash their unbridled joy as they raised the Cup was awe inspiring.  It was surreal.  It was the greatest thing I have ever had the opportunity to be around.  The adjectives are endless. 

Alec Martinez celebrates with the Stanley Cup after a 6-1
drubbing of the New Jersey Devils in Game 6

The face of Alec Martinez reflects every player on the ice, in the locker room, and at the post game celebration.  Every guy was elated as they celebrated the win.  I found myself smiling and laughing uncontrollably with excitement as the Cup was raised again and again.  Captain, Dustin Brown, carried it around like it was his fourth child as two of his boys were draped from him all night.  Parents hugged their boys as any proud mother or father would.  The emotions ran high, and in the best way possible. 

The grind of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is well documented.  It takes true on ice warriors to win 16 games and get your name forever imprinted on the Cup.  Defenseman, Rob Scuderi, embodied this in the final game as he took a vicious hit from behind leaving him bloody on the ice behind the King's goal.  He missed the rest of the period and was stitched on his nose and mouth.  He was clearly shaken from the hit, but made his way back to the bench and played meaningful minutes on the penalty kill as Kings pushed towards the victory. 

Winning the Cup takes true family and loyalty from the entire organization. After the Scuderi hit, the Kings responded the right way, emphatically scoring 3 goals on the five minute power play and essentially ending all hope for the Devils.  The organization is classy and takes care of their own.  They have believed in players when they have seemed to hit a wall in their career (Jeff Carter, Dustin Penner, Simon Gagne).  They have put their trust in young guys to step up and make every play required of them on a nightly basis (Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Quick, Jordan Nolan, Dwight King, Alec Martinez, Trevor Lewis).  They have locked down proven performers that have led the team on and off the ice (Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards, Willie Mitchell, Rob Scuderi, Drew Doughty).  Ownership has put their trust in their hockey operations management and involved the most popular King, Luc Robitaille.  They do it the right way and have been rewarded in the best way.

The locker room, post game, was an amazing site.  Champagne was of course everywhere as the celebration was on for the Champs.  What is always special is seeing grown men hug each other and share smiles and tears as they begin to realize what they have accomplished.  Some just sat in their stalls taking in everything around them, their face showing the unbelievable feelings they were clearly experiencing in this life changing moment.  Others led the way filling the Cup with bubbly and attempting to drink from the chalice while mostly just getting swamped in champagne.  No matter where you stood in that room, you saw ecstatic joy and of course adult beverages sprayed in your face.  There was no holding back, and why would there be?  The Kings won the Cup!

Winning the Cup is why sports are the greatest.  It is not the truest form of reality TV; it is REALITY.  Real human beings like you and me, going through unscripted ups and downs and dealing with it all minus any outside help.  There is no relying on anyone except for the people inside the four walls of the locker room.  Losing truly depresses people and forces them to reevaluate their drive and become more determined to get to the top.  Winning creates euphoria that is immortalized with your name on a trophy that every player dreams of raising.  The best season in sports has come to an end and as usual it did not disappoint.  Thanks Tino.

mf

24 Hours to LA and Back

Because it was such an awesome time going to game 4 in LA, here's a little recap of the whirlwind 24 hours.  I am fortunate enough to have one of my best friends playing for the Kings making it the greatest Stanley Cup playoffs ever to follow.  Many hockey players will never get the opportunity to play in the NHL, let alone a chance at winning the Cup. 

When Alec Martinez called and wanted me and few other close friends to be there when they had that chance, I was stoked!  This is a once in a lifetime event so answering yes to that request was simple.  (A little side note: I have always planned on being in LA on June 11 for a potential game six always assuming the Cup Finals would be a battle that saw at least 6 games; hopefully it will go 5.)  Jumped on a plane Wednesday morning and by 2 PM the five of us (Bill Loupee, Jeff Zatkoff, Vincent LoVerde, Brandon Smith, and myself) were valeting our rental car under the arena and heading to LA Live to grab some food.  It was a complete zoo down there making the atmosphere amazing with the Cup in the house.  There were Jeremy Roenick and Barry Melrose sitings.  Chants of "Go Kings Go" and "We want the Cup" were everywhere.  LA fans generally get ripped for not be good sports fans, but I saw the exact opposite outside of the Staples Center.

With a game time of 5 pm PST, we went in the arena around 4 to purchase some beverages and see some of the warm-ups.  It was electric in the building and you could feel the excitement as we talked with other spectators around us.  As a group of guys that played/plays hockey, we had great seats up in the club level corner to the left of Quick.  We could see the game as it developed and still feel the on ice action.  Leading up to the drop of the puck was fully energized.  The building was packed to standing room only as the music and pregame videos electrified the arena.  The Kings entire player and game intro video is awesome and set the stage for what we had hoped would be the best night ever. 

Let me say that the five of us before the game felt very confident the Kings we going to sweep to the Cup win.  Quick has been in the head's of the Devil's players and the King's relentless pressure on offense would show up again to push them to the franchise's first championship.  The Devil's truly have a good team, but the King's have played at a level well above anyone else in the playoffs.  So again we felt confident when the puck dropped.

Seeing Alec on the ice with a chance to win the Cup was amazing.  We all dreamed of it as long as we laced up our skates.  Again, skating in the NHL is the pinnacle, but on the ice with the Cup in the building and your name could be on it in a few hours...not many people do that.  We all had huge smiles on our face and felt all the excitement as the game commenced.  No slight to everyone watching the games that have no hockey experience, but being with the guys watching that game made everything that much better.  There's no explaining what happened or asking about nuances of the game.  It was all nods of understanding and appreciating great plays all over the ice regardless of them being a scoring chance or not.  Don't be mistaken, these two teams are playing at the highest level in the world on the most important stage for hockey.  The speed and skill that each team has displayed is phenomenal and hopefully is appreciated by hockey fans everywhere. 

As the game went on you could feel everyone getting tense.  No score through two periods gave all of us the feeling that the next goal would be the winner.  When the Devils got that goal it was so deflating, but thank goodness for David Clarkson's stupid penalty and Drew Doughty's PP goal.  Staples was electric again and the confidence that the Kings were now going to win was back.  We once again felt the momentum on the Kings side and felt the Cup close at hand.  Then Adam Henrique scored one of the best goals of the playoffs kicking a cross ice pass up off the outside of his right skate and labeling a wrist shot under the bar to Quick's right side.  The five of us knew this may have been the end of the game.  There was not much time left and expecting the Kings to respond as they had already done once was farfetched.  The penalty two minutes later confirmed our feeling as the Devils put in the empty netter and ensured there would be a game five back in New Jersey. 

Usually a loss in such a meaningful game brings many dejected attitudes and disappointed people, but right away there was the understanding that all was okay.  There were three more chances and surely the Kings would continue their road dominance in game five clinching the first cup for the Kings.  We waited post game in the friends and family area below the stands by the Kings locker room.  Everyone was of the same mindset: everything is fine, we will get it in game five.  When Alec came out he was more disappointed that they didn't get it done for us!  Regardless of the outcome, we had a great time and were disappointed that the Kings didn't finish it off in a sweep, but the reality was that it will happen soon enough.

As we were waiting to leave the arena we saw another friend and former teammate Andy Greene.  Greene is a top defenseman for the Devils just as he was at Miami, but is also a great guy and talked with us until everyone was on their bus ready to leave.  The entire 24 hours was great because of being with and seeing good friends all in the midst of an intense battle for the Stanley Cup.  With the Kings not departing until the next day, we had a late dinner and had some time to be with Alec.  It was old times with guys ribbing each other (especially Loupee as always) and having many laughs reliving memories from college and everything that had happened that day.  I have no doubt the Kings will win this series.  It’s just a matter of time with the odds steeply against the Devils winning four in a row.  Hopefully everyone will be able to make the celebration this summer when Alec has his day with the Cup!

Thanks Tino!

mf

Sporting Checkup

It is a great time for the sports world right at the moment.  Here's a quick checkup on all that is happening in the next 10 days.

Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup will be raised in the next week.  Tomorrow night features game 5 in New Jersey with the Kings looking to put away the Devils once and for all.  You still have to like Jonathan Quick between the pipes for the Kings.  He is by far the best goalie in the league right now and will continue to show that as long as this series continues.  The Kings have not lost on the road this season and I do not believe that will start any time soon.  They will continue to pressure the Devils and make it difficult for the them to sustain any of their own pressure in the Kings zone.  Kings 3-1 to win the Cup.

NBA Playoffs

The NBA Finals will be established and begin following what should be an exciting game 7 between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics.  I see the Heat finding a way to win this game.  The Celtics are a worthy contender but may have hit the end of their run, especially if Lebron has a say in the deciding game.  Regardless of who wins to face the Oklahoma City Thunder, they will surely be the underdog against the young team on fire.  Durant, Westbrook and the Thunder look comfortable playing at a high level and should dismantle either team they face.  The Thunder have gotten outstanding play from all of their top players and their supporting cast has been excellent.  That will continue in the Finals and the Thunder should win the series.

US Open Golf

The US Open begins next Thursday and there are some awesome pairings for the first two days.  Tiger, Phil Mickelson, and Bubba Watson is quite possibly the best group ever to follow especially considering the stage.  Tiger is coming off a big win last weekend, Bubba is the reigning Masters champion and Phil is of course Phil.  Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, and Rory McIlroy will also be fun to watch.  All three are some of the best players in the world and of course all hail from some part of the British Isles.  Then there is that stage, the legendary Olympic Club in San Francisco.  It is an amazing course that will be in perfect condition and ready to challenge the best field in golf.  It would be great to see Tiger get another major, but likely it will be another first time, young guy that pulls through in the end to continue the current trend of young up and comers putting their stamp on the golfing world.

French Open Tennis

The French Open wraps up over the weekend with an epic men's matchup and hopefully a win one of the best on the women's side.  Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic square off pitting 2 vs. 1 and the best clay player of all time against the best player of right now.  I expect a 5 set thriller with Djokovic cementing his status as the best player in the world and pounding on the door of the elite of all time.  This win would give him all four majors at one time, a tremendous accomplishment, and certainly set him up to go on a run for the next couple years that could be unmatched. 

Euro 2012 Cup Soccer

The Euro 2012 Cup has begun in Poland and Ukraine and will continue through all of June.  Spain looks to repeat and Germany will try and reestablish themselves as the best in Europe.  This tournament is usually ranked as the second best international tournament behind the World Cup.  It is always exciting watching countries face off on the pitch and the high level of play will make this another tournament to remember.  Watch for Germany to breeze through the early rounds and stake their claim as the world's best, defeating Spain in their attempt for the repeat.

The Belmont Stakes

The Belmont is Saturday, but has become a footnote as I'll Have Another has pulled out and another Triple Crown opportunity gone.  It will be a fun race to watch, but has certainly lost its luster.  Let's hope a long shot wins and someone makes millions off a random last minute bet.

There is plenty to hold us over through June as we enter the traditional dog days of summer sports.  Once all of these exciting events are over, we get the Olympics in July.  Here's to a great some of athletics!

mf

Stanley Cup Finals!

If you are not excited for the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, just watch game one tonight, and I dare you not to watch the rest of the series.  Tonight starts the best sporting event you can watch.  The intensity, speed, grit, teamwork, and skill that will be displayed by the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings is unmatched in the athletic world.  What makes it better is we get at least four games and in this series the likelihood of six or seven!  The Kings are hot, and it is hard seeing them stumble at all with the pace they have played at the first three rounds.  This extra time off since the Conference Finals means they will be rested and eager to continue the high flying run they are on.  The Devils have built their confidence through the playoffs to where they are now, poised to play their best hockey of the season at the most important time.

The lead is of course the goaltenders.  Jonathan Quick has turned in the best performance of the post season only losing two games and backstopping the Kings to eight straight road victories.  He has been unflappable between the pipes and allows the Kings to open up their game offensively with constant pressure on opposing team's defense.  Quick has never been in this position at the highest level, but continues to make game changing saves and instill confidence in his team.  He will need to continue this play for the Kings to win the series, and if he does, will undoubtedly be the Conn Smythe winner.

You cannot talk Quick, however, without talking about the man standing across from him.  The man that will go down as the greatest goalie of all time with or without winning this series.  Martin Brodeur is a phenomenon still playing at this level as he reaches forty years old.  His athletic style always makes games an adventure, but there is no questioning his ability to stop the puck.  He makes all the "easy" saves that always keep his team in games and more importantly with a chance to win night in and night out.  His leadership and experience is unmatched and this gives the Devils a slight edge.  Young guys bring enthusiasm and energy, but the veterans like Brodeur are the even keel that keeps a team focused and mentally prepared to be great and excel on the biggest stage. 

It's a good thing there are two quality goalies in this series because there will be a lot of offense with many great scoring chances to be had.  Both teams are deep showing the ability to score with their third line and put pressure on with their fourth.  Both teams also have offensive stars.  The King's Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, and Mike Richards are matched by Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Travis Zajac.  All these guys make game changing plays every night and this must continue for their team to hoist the Cup.  Brown and Kopitar need to find the back of the net shorthanded at least once this series while maintaining their excellent penalty kill.  Kovalchuk has been a goal scoring machine on the powerplay so he will be ready to bury the biscuit when given the chance.  The Kings seem to have more proven guys that can score, but the Stanley Cup loves unlikely heroes.  The team that maintains their speed of play will be the winner.

Defensively the Kings get all the press led by Drew Doughty.  Doughty has played exceptionally well this postseason becoming an anchor in the defensive zone.  The Kings roll six d-men which keeps the legs fresh and allows them to be more active offensively while still dominating in their own end.  Rob Scuderi, Willie Mitchell, and Matt Greene bring the veteran grit of successful playoff defensemen while young guys Alec Martinez and Slava Voynov round out an impressive d-corp.  All can make plays and defend against any line in their own zone. 

The Devils back line, while not as talked about, is just as an impressive group of blueliners.  Bryce Salvador has had a surprisingly impressive offensive playoffs with more points in 18 playoff games than he had in 82 regular season games.  Salvador, Andy Greene, Marek Zidlicky, and Mark Fayne have been the backbone of a strong defensive team moving away from the clutch and grab trapping Devils of the past to a quick puck moving, gritty play making group.  They defend below the hash marks and make all the simple outlet passes so that their forwards can take care of business at the other end.

To say one of these teams has an advantage going into the series is crazy.  The Devils and Kings truly mirror one another which excites me even more.  There will be great play in all areas of the game leaving the door open for heroes each night.  These will all be close one goal games that will have us fans on the edge of our seats.  Within two weeks the Stanley Cup will be raised and a group of 20 guys immortalized in hockey history.  I may or may not have some stake in this, attending game six in LA, but here it goes anyways.  Kings in 6!

NBA Conference Finals Picks

Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics

Tonight is the start of what could be a very quick series between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics.  It is a repeat of last season's Eastern Conference Semi-Finals and features all the same major players.  This reason alone could stand as to why the Heat should win this series without too much issue.  Maybe having two of the best seven players in the league, including the best player in Lebron James, is another reason why the Celtics will hope to not get swept.  Let's take a look at each team going into the series.

The original, modern day big three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen will all be looking to not keel over in this series as each of them has a battle tested and banged up body.  It is almost sad to watch Allen hoist up 3's as he shoots off one leg and throws up brick after brick.  Pierce has been nearly as ineffective, capable of getting his shots and getting to the line at times, but never being a sustained force for the opposing team to worry about.  Garnett has actually been the one shining light, but even with his rejuvinated play, KG can no longer carry a team through a grueling seven game series.  The Celtics can probably count on two huge games from him at most.  So what does that leave the Celtics?  Rajon Rondo is great in one game and disinterested in the next.  He is a walking triple-double when he wants to be, but he relies on rebounding especially at the offensive end which is not a good thing when playing a quick transition team like the Heat.  The Celtics have lost their young defensive energy guy in Avery Bradley.  They have no bench to speak of whatsoever.  Doc Rivers is a great coach, but this is not a team to go to battle with.

The new big three, now down to two, of the Miami Heat are looking in prime form to dismantle the Celtics and have a nice long rest before playing the Spurs/Thunder winner in the NBA Finals.  Lebron is consistently playing at the highest level of anyone in the playoffs.  Let's disregard the "can't close" talk as this is a new playoff season, and to this point he has made good decisions and taken over games multiple times when necessary.  The pace Lebron can play at, all while remaining fully in control, is incredible and unmatched.  He has appeared to take on this postseason's challenges with a more aggressive attitude than in year's past.  Dwyane Wade is the other factor that makes Lebron great.  Wade is arguably the second best player in the playoffs which takes pressure off Lebron and lifts the Heat to new heights.  As long as both guys continue their own high level of play and each take over when the time is right each of them, the Heat will be hard to stop. 

There are, however, question marks about the supporting cast of the Heat.  Chris Bosh can hopefully make a return to the lineup soon, but for now it is up to guys like Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller, Shane Battier, and Joel Anthony.  All have been serviceable at times, but need to show more consistency shooting from beyond the three point line and defending inside to keep opposing teams off the boards.  The Heat do not always have the best supporting cast or bench, but if a few guys can step up each night this is a team that is hard to beat right now.

The Heat are the trendy pick and with good reason.  They have superior talent, and actually have a deeper team at the moment.  The Celtics will battle as any good veteran team does, but the Heat will just be too much.  Game one tonight will not even be close with a worn down Celtics team and the rest of the series will favor the high tempo Heat.  Miami in 5.


From Sunday:

San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

The San Antonio Spurs begin their series at home tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder.  It is of course the old guard against the young budding team, and makes for an interesting matchup.  The Spurs are a model franchise in the NBA.  They routinely find unknown players to fill in spots on their team and keep quality character guys on the roster.  They find a way to get every ounce of talent out every man on the roster.  Let's not discount however the big three of the Spurs.  Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan are a formidable core of the team and whether plays run directly through them or they just bring experience and leadership to the floor, these guys keep their team consistently playing at a high level.  Basketball truly relies on experience as games often come down to the last seconds requiring players to make great plays under immense pressure. 

Tony Parker has proven to be an elite point guard in the league and continues to drive this Spurs team on a surprising title run.  Tim Duncan is certainly not the player he once was but the character and drive to win are unquestioned.  He has adjusted his game to accommodate other scorers and found a way to be continually effective on defense and rebounding.  If the Spurs won it all this season, I would not be surprised to see the big man hang it up.  The Spurs have played great basketball the first two series, but the Jazz and Clippers are no where near the level that the Thunder are at.

OKC has arguably the best player in the NBA in Kevin Durant.  The man can score at will and has done so thus far in the playoffs.  You just simply cannot teach 6'11" with a deft touch and the ability to shoot from anywhere on the court.  The Spurs have no one that can straight up guard him, so Durant must make a big impact in this series.  35 point games had better be routine for him, otherwise the Thunder may struggle.  Certainly the most intriguing matchup is between Parker and Russell Westbrook.  Russ is so athletic and an electric player to watch.  His speed with the ball is only matched by a healthy Derrick Rose. It will be his lack of experience, however, against Parker that makes this matchup so great.  If Parker is creating turnovers and making life difficult in anyway for Westbrook it will again be tough for the Thunder to hang. 

There is then of course the wild card in sixth man of the year winner James Harden.  Harden had a fantastic season and has had moments to remember in these playoffs.  The Thunder completely rely on him to be the third scoring option for them and he must continue to rise to the occasion in this series.  Harden is excellent at getting to the basket, but watch out for the Spurs clogging the middle and making this difficult on him.  If Harden isn't getting to the basket he is not always a very effective player.

Tonight's game one should be exciting and fun to watch. It should also tell us where each team stands entering this series. Both teams are rested and will be well prepared.  The Spurs will not give this one up easily and could, in the end, be moving onto the Finals.  I think it is time for the Thunder to step up.  They have the team they want.  The play a complete game and have a couple guys that can score when necessary.  They have the opportunity to use their athleticism to wear down an older Spurs team.  This is going to be a great series to watch and is very hard to pick.  Thunder in 7.

mf