Bobby Lou With The Save of the Playoffs

Charlie Klein 

If you have not seen this play, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. Move over Tukka Rask.

For the Vancouver Canucks last night, it was the usual recipe for success. Extra on the Sedin, with a pinch of Luongo does the trick one more time. The Sedin twins were responsible for two of the three Vancouver goals including the winner. The win also marked the 13th time this season that the Canucks have trailed going into the third period and have comeback to win the game. 

After the series was finally settled and most of the fans had left the rink, a relieved Roberto Luongo told CBC jokingly that he only plays when it matters. The same could be said of his team last night. The Canucks showed up when it was most important and now await (in all likelihood) the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round. Whatever happens next, I do not think many Canucks fans will forget the save Luongo made on Ryan Smith, which for all intents and purposes kept the Canucks alive in the game and perhaps in the series.

2010 NFL Draft: These Streets Will Make You Feel Brand New...

Charlie Klein 

As we were constantly reminded by Alicia Keys in "Empire State of Mind" (the song of choice for the weekend bumpers), New York City has the ability to make a person feel brand new and that its big lights carry just as much power to inspire as Barack Obama. At first I came to interpret this song as only applying to the players being drafted, but then I realized that it also had a lot to do with the teams involved. And for one team in particular, the chorus holds to be particularly true.

Going into the 2010 NFL Draft, as a Seahawks fan I felt like had very little to look forward to in the 2010 season. Having just axed a head coach, team president and general manager, I accepted that there would not be much cause for optimism going into 2010. I was excited about the Pete Carroll hire and I had not heard much of new GM John Schneider (formerly of the Green Bay Packers) but thought he was a better option that Ruskell.

I mean it is difficult to be optimistic about a new season when your team goes 5-11. That being said, I can state without equivocation that the Seattle Seahawks were the clear winners in the 2010 NFL Draft held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City last weekend. Bam.

Going into the draft they had quite a few needs and most of them were addressed. The Seahawks desperately need help on the offensive line and the selection of Russell Okung at sixth overall goes a long way towards solidifying a position of weakness. I was convinced that the Redskins would take Okung at number four, given that he is the "safer" bet of this year's class of tackles. They instead went with the high risk tackle Trent Williams out of Oklahoma. When Okung "fell" to number six, it was a no-brainer. Okung will slide right into left tackle.

Not only did the Seahawks address their offensive line deficiencies, they also took a major step towards improving their secondary by selecting cornerback/safety Earl Thomas out of Texas. Thomas is another player that the Hawks have admitted that they did not think they would be able to take at 14. He was projected as a close second to Tennessee safety Eric Berry in terms of safeties at this year's draft. To get him and Okung in the first round was a massive success for Pete Carroll and John Schneider.

Bereft of an early second round pick, the Hawks missed out on Jimmy Clausen, a player who Mel Kiper believed that if Thomas had not slipped to 14, the Seahawks would have taken. I find that a bit hard to believe considering how many teams passed on Clausen who needed a quarterback (Minnesota, Cleveland, Oakland, etc) but I will save that for another post. In the second round the Seahawks selected the 2009 Biletnikoff Award Winner (for best wide receiver in college football) Golden Tate out of Notre Dame. Tate's incredible ability to get yards after the catch and his nature as a big play threat presents the perfect foil for T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the Seahawks offense. He also provides another weapon for quaterback Matt Hasselbeck.

Not only did the Seahawks draft some quality young players, they were also able to acquire two experienced and talented running backs. Carroll decided to trade a fourth and sixth round pick to the Tennessee Titans to acquire LenDale White and defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson. With the success of Chris Johnson last season, White was no longer needed in Tennessee and Carroll snatched at the chance to get one of his former players. I think this move has great potential to pay off for the Seahawks. No one has ever questioned White's talent. The main source of concern with him is keeping him motivated. Playing for Carroll could reignite his passion for the game and could pay dividends for the Hawks.

Not only did the Seahawks add LenDale White, they also were able to acquire Leon Washington from the New York Jets. I used to hear a lot about Washington from my friends who are Jets fans. To a man they all loved his work ethic and lightning quick feet. I don't want to be too ridiculous, but Carroll may have reassembled the White-Bush combination he had at USC. While Washington may not be the direct equivalent of Bush, he plays the same style of game with almost as much aplomb.

The 2010 NFL Draft for the Seattle Seahawks has me feeling like I just took a trip to New York City. As a fan I feel brand new and inspired by what could be in my team's future. In Carroll We Trust, for now.

Wesley & Arjen: A Pair Of Real Talismans

Charlie Klein

In last year's transfer windows, two world class players left Real Madrid. Not because they particularly wanted out of the Spanish capital, but because Real wanted them gone. At the time it made a little sense. When one goes out and spends upwards of 200 million euro on transfer fees, it is important to be bringing in some cash as well.

No one questioned Florentino Perez when he decided to sell Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder. Where were they going to play considering the additions of Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema? And Real already had Rafael Van Der Vaart, who they had judged to be a more worthwhile Dutchman to keep. Boy how wrong have they been?

When I saw the reported fees paid for both Robben and Sneijder I cried robbery! Inter Milan only had to give up 15 million euro for Sneijder, in the same summer in which Manchester City and Real themselves were inflating the market. When Joleon Lescott goes for 17 million pounds (roughly), Wesley Sneijder ought to go for at least that much if not more.

Bayern Munich paid 25 million euro for Arjen Robben, without having to give up Ribery in the deal Considering the going rate for world class wingers (with Ribery apparently valued at 70 million euro), this was a coup for Beckenbauer & Co. over at the Allianz. This deal in particular seemed to give rise to the idea that perhaps Robben was sold to Bayern to ease the "inevitable" parting between the German club and Franck Ribery. After all, Perez is known for such skullduggery. And Robben has outplayed Ribery this season.

Both Sneijder and Robben have been absolutely essential to both of their team's successes this season. Both Dutchmen find themselves on the right side of their Champions League Semifinal ties and can give themselves all the credit for their team's advantage. Sneijder has been excellent as Mourinho's midfield muse this season at the San Siro, and his attacking nous was on display for all to see versus Barcelona last week.

Arjen Robben has been the tie-winnner in the last three of Bayern Munich's Champions League matches. His goal against Fiorentina advanced them into the Quaterfinals versus Manchester United. And his wonder goal against United in the second leg of that tie proved crucial as well. His goals have not only been vital, but also spectacular. While Ribery (the supposedly better winger) got a red card for a terrible tackle, Robben led a ten-man Bayern side to victory.

Meanwhile back in Madrid, the Merengues find themselves in a very familiar position. With all of the pomp of their summer, Madrid again appear to be poised to watch Barcelona win La Liga again. When they needed a goal, where were Ronaldo, Kaka, and Benzema? They needed a bit of Dutch magic. A little bit of wizardry from Robben or an inch-perfect pass from Sneijder could have made all the difference at the Santiago Bernabeu a few weeks ago.

The Dutch maestros are the two that got away. Certainly Madrid did not need the money from their transfers. The word budget simply is not in their vocaubulary. It is not their style. If either Robben or Sneijder win a Champions League with their new team, I have a feeling that Madristas will come to rue the day they sold their best Dutchmen (of which they have a cadre) to two other titans of European football.

Portsmouth's loss is Liverpool's gain

Nuwan Peiris

Here's an easy one for college students to relate to. Think about those two different kinds of professors regarding deadlines; The first who set deadlines but really don't mind if you miss them, usually because they can't be bothered to stick to their own deadlines. Then there's that other professor who doesn't care if your laptop got a virus, or if you had some make-believe emergency. A deadline is a deadline.

Well to Portsmouth F.C., the Football Association is the latter. The FA refused Portsmouth's appeal to allow them to submit their application for a UEFA club licence, which they need to play in next year's Europa League.

Pause here...I'll let you confirm we're talking about the same Portsmouth. Already relegated, bottom-of-the-league-rooted, in administration Portsmouth? Yes, one and the same!

How did they achieve being painfully close to a lucrative place in next year's Europa League? Check who's playing in the FA Cup final on May 15th. That's right, Chelsea (potential league winners) and Portsmouth (guaranteed league losers).

As Portsmouth were in administration, they weren't in a position to apply for the licence. By virtue of Chelsea (their FA Cup final opponents) already being guaranteed Champions League play next year, their Europa League berth falls to Portsmouth. Well it should have fallen to Portsmouth.

However now that Portsmouth aren't getting that spot, this fantastic game of pass-the-parcel ends with the 7th place Premier League team. Currently that lies with Liverpool who are 5 points clear of Merseyside rivals Everton, and with 3 games to play should manage to retain this place.

Liverpool could finish 8th in the league and still make the Europa League next year, if they win this year's competition. They are currently at the semi-final stage.

Back to Portsmouth though, how fair is this on them? The obvious argument is that Portsmouth's fiscal irresponsibility is totally their fault and they are suffering the consequences now.

Personally I feel like the FA should take this opportunity to throw them a life-line. Give them the licence, allow them to play in Europe next year and allow them to benefit from it financially. Will it totally save the club? Probably not, but every little bit helps.

At the end of the day, the FA aren't going to reverse their decision.
Let Portsmouth's woes be a warning to other clubs, being irresponsible financially can cost you a lot more than Peter Crouch!

Dump & Chase: Who'd Be A Goaltender?

Charlie Klein

I tweeted earlier that for my money, the NHL Playoffs have been EXCEEDINGLY better than the NBA's so far. In terms of women it's Hilary Rhoda (NHL) to Kirstie Allie (NBA). Its that big of a gap. It is too bad that we have to watch Kirstie Allie on ESPN when we could be watching Hilary Rhoda, but that is a story for another time.

That's Hilary Rhoda, by the way.

What has surprised and engrossed me throughout these past few weeks is a lower seed's capacity to play leaps and bounds better than the "better team." The seventh seeded Philadelphia Flyers could eliminate the New Jersey Devils tonight. The seventh seeded Nashville Predators could go up 3-1 in their series with the Chicago Blackawks. If both seven seeds were to advance from their respective series, it would truly open up the competition for Lord Stanley's.

Pekka Rinne has been outstanding for the Predators, who have matched the physical strength of the bigger Blackhawks throughout this series. And yet Preds coach Barry Trotz said that he has seen his goaltender play better. "I've seen Pekks play better. I've seen him go for long stretches where he's absolutely dominant."

It must be nice for Trotz considering how many starting goaltenders have been given the sack by their teams. Montreal started Carey Price last night versus the Washington Capitals. Price fared no better than his teammate Jaroslav Halak, giving up four goals last night.

The Senators are going with Pascal LeClaire after Brian Elliott has failed to allow fewer than two goals (which is not bad, but when one considers his other performances the change seems more than necessary).

 Antti Niemi of the Blackhawks could be on his way out of net if his team goes down 3-1 in their series.

 The Washington Capitals made the change from Jose Theodore to Semyon Varlamov after Theo lost game one and allowed two goals on two shots at the start of game two. So far the switch has paid off for the Caps as they have been 3-0 with Varly between the pipes in this year's playoffs.

One of the more surprising things is that Brian Boucher has been as good as he has been for the Flyers, who have had almost as many goaltenders this season as Larry King's had wives. Boucher has a 1.98 goals against average in four games and does not appear to be on the verge of choking it all away.

Speaking of choking, the San Jose Sharks do not appear to be quite done yet. I am surprised that this series is due to go at least six games. I really thought the Sharks were that much better than the Avalanche. How wrong was I? Not as far off as my buddy Phil Fortuna picking the Thunder to knock out the Lakers... thankfully, but clearly I missed something. Whatever happens next in this series, I know that I will be glued to my computer screen watching it.

Daily Fail: Talkin' 'Bout Practice in the Playoffs!?!

Charlie Klein

We sittin' here, in the the NBA Playoffs, and we're in here talkin' 'bout practice. Or at least Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown is anyway. The Orlando Magic decided not to practice on Monday and man did Brown take notice.

According to the Charlotte Observer Brown told his team "Yesterday Orlando took the day off, that's how [expletive] seriously they're taking us." After game two, one would wonder just how serious the Magic ought to be taking this Bobcats team.

I seriously tried watching that game last night. At one point I fell asleep. I wanted to make a good faith effort to get into this series. After all Gerald Wallace is one of my favorite players and Dwight Howard is fun to watch. But in a game in which there was not very much scoring nor even exciting defense, it was all too easy to fall asleep even on my uncomfortable dorm couch.

Brown's comments about practice really only serve to drive up the number of views on this YouTube clip.

And I guess for that, we cannot be too mad. The Orlando Magic ought to sweep the Bobcats in this series. Raymond Felton looked completely out of sorts in the last game, and his team showed no inclination to attack the Magic at rim, even when Dwight Howard had four fouls. Stephen Jackson was completely MIA and Wallace played like the only one who cared. 

The Bobcats are making Skip Bayless look stupid right now. He was saying all season that they would be the team that would knock out the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round. Against a lower seed they have failed miserably. 

Maybe Larry ought to worry about his own team's practices before he worries about Orlando's. Are we really talkin' 'bout practice!?!

Ben Roethlisberger: Why Georgia, Why?

Charlie Klein

John Mayer has a song off of his first record titled "Why Georgia." In it, Mayer asks himself if he is living it right. One might think that by now, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger might be asking himself the same question. That fateful night in Georgia in which Big Ben had ________ relations with that girl at the club could have a major effect on the direction of the rest of his life.

This is not the first time that Roethlisberger has acted recklessly. On June 12, 2006, the Steelers quarterback was involved in a motorcycle accident in which he was not wearing a helmet. Now I understand his desire to let those golden locks of his flow in the wind, but there is a time and a place. And that certainly is not near downtown Pittsburgh. Reports made after the accident noted that the injuries Roethlisberger suffered in the accident made him almost entirely unrecognizable to witnesses at the scene. He was able to recover from the injury and played in the following season.

While Roethlisberger certainly cannot be blamed entirely for the accident occurring, his lack of judgment in not wearing a helmet is indicative of how he must have felt invincible. That nothing could touch him. Preceding the accident, Roethlisberger had led the Steelers to their first Super Bowl championship since 1979. Certainly he must have felt a sense of entitlement after that.

On July 17, 2009, a civil suit was filed against Roethlisberger by Andrea McNulty in Washoe County, Nevada. McNulty accused the Steelers quarterback of having sexually assaulted her in 2008 in his hotel room while he was in Lake Tahoe for a celebrity golf tournament. She claimed that she and Roethlisberger had had a friendly conversation earlier in the day, and that he called her up to his hotel room to fix a malfunctioning television sound system. After diagnosing that everything was working, she claimed that Roethlisberger blocked her from leaving the room and started kissing her. Roethlisberger's name was cleared following a statement made by McNulty's coworker in which it became known that McNulty had bragged about having consensual sex with Roethlisberger.

And then there is the incident at a Georgia night club in which Roethlisberger may or may not have actually sexually assaulted another woman. The local district attorney came to the conclusion that the evidence collected did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Roethlisberger was at fault.

Two reports surfaced today about Big Ben's future. The first of which made by ESPN's Adam Schefter, in which he suggested that Roethlisberger has been put on the block for a top ten draft pick. The second report was from the Commissioner's Office as Roger Goodell suspended Roethlisberger for the first six games of the 2010 season for conduct detrimental to the shield. I had originally thought that the suspension would be four games, and if Roethlisberger is a good boy for the rest of the build up to the regular season, his suspension could be reduced.

I do not think that the Steelers will end up trading Roethlisberger, mainly because I cannot see a team giving up a top ten for a player with Roethlisberger's track record. Considering how a player's character has affected the compensation received for him this offseason, it would be a steal for the Steelers to get a top ten pick out of all of this.

Most importantly, Ben Roethlisberger needs to stop saying your body is a wonderland to all of these girls he meets and instead needs to realize there's no such thing as invincibility. If his most recent transgressions prove to be the end of his career in Pittsburgh. All of the Steeler faithful are surely asking themselves, why georgia, why?

Barca are beatable!

Sorry if the title mislead you, this isn't the first in a series of "myths and legends".

For the first time in 66 days, Barcelona lost a game. Yes, the last time they lost was Valentines Day, 2-1 away at Athletico Madrid. That's 38 goals (I thought about checking how many of those were scored by Messi) and 15 games ago for the Catalan giants if you're interested. But I digress.

The side that seemed so unbeatable at times was found out by a pacy and obviously very well coached Inter side. 3-1 it finished, and while Barca were unlucky to be denied a penalty towards the tail end of the game, Inter could have racked up a few more goals themselves.

So let's see, what does it take to beat them?
At least from my very humble point of view, here's a few things:

1) Cause a volcanic eruption that disrupts flights throughout Europe, and force them to go on a 14 hour bus ride to get to the game.

Ok, that's a ridiculous one. Perhaps in the interests of fair play, Inter shouldn't be allowed to fly to the game at the Nou Camp either? But in all seriousness, let's try that again...

1) Rely on some sloppy defending. For Sneijder's goal (Inter's 1st) the Barca defense simply got sucked across. Count them, about six Barca players on one side of the box, Sneijder was just allowed to ghost in from the left for the easiest of goals. 3rd goal: I usually love the way Barca's defense likes to pass the ball out of danger. It totally suits their style of play: possession and passing. On this occasion, maybe a little too cavalier. Motta put in a great tackle, and four touches later the ball was in the back of the net. Which leads me to my next point...

2) Iffy officiating? Make your own mind up, the 3rd goal was offside for me. Far from blatant, but still offside.

3) Inter's 4-3-3 formation worked a charm, especially with Maicon playing his game, his pace certainly caused problems.

4) Top coach. Ok, not everyone can have a manager as colourful, arrogant and extremely football-savvy as Mourinho. Obviously the players executed the game plan and deserve the lion's share of the credit, but Mourinho is at the helm of this team and his role in this victory can't be denied. Before the game he said he wasn't going to man mark Messi, and too right, what player could possibly mark Messi on his own? Inter did a fantastic job of not giving him the time or space he needed (which isn't very much in the first place). Mourinho's tactics pressured Messi into relative obscurity, one of his lost possessions even leading to a goal. Xavi was forced into making an errant pass or too, shocker of the game! Chalk one up for The Special One.

5) Pace, especially on the counter attack. Inter made Barca pay on the few occasions that they didn't take care of the ball. The 2nd goal was a well taken opportunity, stealing the ball off Messi deep in their own half, they drove right down the middle and caught the Barca defense struggling back. I feel like Barca's back line is spoiled in the first place with the amount of possession their midfield usually garners, but today they were put to task by Inter.

Right, future opposition, take notes, it's as simple as 1, 2, 3...4, 5.

In reality it's obviously quite a task to beat Barca. Inter did it...once.

I have a sneaky feeling that Barca is still going to take the tie. A big absence in this game, was Lionel Messi. He was on the pitch, but he really wasn't the Messi everyone knows (and bows to). Now wind your clocks back a couple of weeks. Barcelona - Arsenal, first leg, Messi was (relatively) absent in that game. He then more than made up for it with a master class in the second leg.

I for one am certain that he'll make an impact of note in the return leg at the Nou Camp. It's definitely going to be a great game, with Barca at their attacking best.

The question is, did they dig themselves too big of a hole to climb out of in 90 minutes?

Advantage Chelsea...but only slightly

3:18pm. That's the time that this year's Barclay's Premier League unofficially became a one-and-a-half horse race. That's the best way I can put it.
Advantage Chelsea, while Man United have to hope for the Blues to drop points in at least one of their last three games.

What a difference a weekend makes. At the beginning of this weekend, Chelsea were four points clear of United, with Arsenal a further two points behind. Late late drama in the Manchester derby saw Paul Scholes score an injury time winner (United's third against Man City this season). Soon after that, Tottenham downed Chelsea 2-1, and a day later Charles N'Zogbia's late strike against Arsenal put the Gunners six points adrift of Chelsea, effectively ending their long standing pursuit of the title.

Barring massive failures from United and Chelsea in the final three games of their respective seasons, this year marks the fifth consecutive season that the Arsenal trophy cabinet remains unchanged. A huge disappointment for a team of their caliber.

On the domestic stage, eyes will be firmly fixed on Chelsea and United, and with both sides out of Europe, neither can have any excuses to not focus their complete attention on the final three games this season. Yes I'm aware Chelsea have the FA Cup final to play too, but let's be honest, I think they're focused on the league right now.

Here's how the remainder of their seasons look.

Manchester United

vs Tottenham (H) 15 points (from last 6 games)

vs Sunderland (A) 10 points

vs Stoke (H) 8 points

Spurs are the in-form team in the league, winning all but one of their last six encounters, the last two of which were against local rivals, Arsenal and Chelsea. United can count their blessings that they're not playing at White Hart Lane. Tottenham are a very average team on the road, at least as far as the season-long picture looks, while United have got 42 out of a possible 51 points at home this season. They did however lose their last game there (to Chelsea) and Spurs cannot be taken lightly on their current form.
Gareth Bale scored against both Arsenal and Chelsea. While United will be hoping to face the Pavlyuchenko who squandered many a chance against Chelsea, they still have to be wary of the Russian, as well as Peter Crouch and Jermaine Defoe. April 24th, mark down that date!

Sunderland will be United's penultimate opponents this season. When the sides last met in October, a silly late sending off for Kieran Richardson left 10 man Sunderland hanging on to a slender lead deep into injury time, when Ferdinand (no, not Rio, the other one), diverted the ball into his own net, giving United a point from the encounter. Sunderland have been a very up and down side lately, beating Tottenham and Birmingham, stealing a point from encounters with Villa and Birmingham, but losing to West Ham earlier in the month.
Good recent form or not, United should have no excuses for not beating Sunderland.

Finally United end the season at Old Trafford against Stoke. They beat them 2-0 at the Britannia way back in September, and should see them off once again.

and now to the league leaders...

Chelsea

vs Stoke (H) 8 points

vs Liverpool (A) 8 points

vs Wigan (H) 7 points

I'll be fair and give the same opinion I did for United, Chelsea should handle Stoke relatively easily. They beat them in an FA cup game 2-0, while their game at Stoke back in September saw Chelsea winning 2-1, with goals deep in injury time at the end of both halves for Chelsea.

Chelsea vs Liverpool...should be a Chelsea win, right? Especially with the latest news on Torres. Now consider Chelsea is playing Liverpool AT ANFIELD. Suddenly this encounter becomes a lot more interesting. Call me a hopeful United fan!
Of their last six games at home, they've only dropped points in one...which incidentally was the last game they played at home. So my hopes slide a little.
Simply because it's Chelsea's season to lose, this is the crucial game of the remaining season. United's game against Tottenham is a big one, but anything but a win for Chelsea against Liverpool could see United pip them at the post.

Chelsea end the season at home, against Wigan.
Reason for United fans to be hopeful:
Wigan seem to have reserved their spot in next year's Premier League with three goals in the last 10 minutes to beat Arsenal. They beat Arsenal!

46 Reasons to expect Chelsea to win:
That's 46 points out of a potential 51 (15 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss) at Stamford Bridge. Wigan on the other hand have lost 12 out of 17 on the road.

I'll be honest, till I saw those statistics, I harboured some hope that Wigan might pull something off.

At the end of the day though, not to be cliché, but it's a funny funny game. While small clubs like Stoke and Wigan are both safe from relegation (pretty much), come May 9th they may be able to play spoiler against one of the bigger sides, and that added incentive might produce some surprises.

Also, and I only realised this after I picked out the picture for this article, the potential absence of two key figures in both title challengers may be crucial in deciding where this year's league trophy ends up.

Wayne Rooney has been an injury worry, certainly of late, and as much as I'd like to believe we can keep winning without the boy-wonder on the field, it's oh-so much easier when he's on it. While United do have other sources for their goals, most notably opposition defenders, none are as reliable as Rooney is.
John Terry may not be as crucial to Chelsea as Rooney is to United, however it isn't to be completely disregarded (thanks to my brother for reminding me about this point). His sending off against Tottenham, means he'll miss Chelsea's next encounter against Stoke. I'm sure Chelsea fans won't lose too much sleep given that the words "prolific goal scorer" don't really go with any of Stoke's players. Still, if Stoke start to find some gaps in that Chelsea defense, you know why!

So there it is, United - Tottenham, Chelsea - Liverpool, those will be the defining games of this Premier League season. For Chelsea it's simple, win win win. Their fate is in their own hands...for United fans, just hope those hands are as safe as Lukasz Fabianski...

Dump & Chase: Anybody's Cup?

Charlie Klein

These NHL playoffs have presented some quality entertainment for puckheads around the world. Each series through two games was tied at one game apiece. Teams like the Avalanche, Canadiens, and Predators that were given no chance to make any noise in the tournament all won the first game of their series on the road.

The Avs Sharks series has been particularly entertaining. For whatever reason the Sharks refuse to make things easy for themselves. Dan Boyle's own goal last night is a perfect encapsulation of the Sharks mentality for the past few years in the playoffs. They are their own worst enemy. It will not be the Colorado Avalanche that will knock them out of the playoffs, it will be the San Jose Sharks just being the San Jose Sharks.

Granted, it takes more than luck to stop 51 shots. Craig Anderson was simply outstanding. I cannot take anything away from his performance. The rest of his team, however, did not give him much help. The Avs only mustered 17 shots, none of which resulted in a goal. Ultimately I am not sure how long the Avalanche will be able to ride their luck. Over the course of a seven game series the team people expect to win usually does, and I still think that San Jose will win it.

The Washington Capitals have appeared to solve their issues between the pipes. Semyon Varlamov has played an excellent game tonight at Le Centre Belle making 26 stops on 27 shots from the Canadiens. It also helped that the Capitals played a much better game defensively. Having learned their lesson from the first two games of the series in which their defense conceded eight goals, the Capitals dominated the Canadiens 5-1 in Montreal. After an emotional roller coaster of a game Saturday night, most Caps fans out there will take an easy 5-1 win. It looks like the Capitals have woken up. Expect them to march on.

I cannot really say that the Zombie Jets Detroit Red Wings has been the greatest series, but it sure has been entertaining. As a life-long Red Wings hater, it does my heart some powerful good to see them lose. The last thing I want to see from this year's playoffs is Nik Lidstrom lifting another Stanley Cup. The Coyotes have shown why they were one of the best teams in the NHL, playing fantastic defense and getting just enough scoring to boast of a 2-1 series lead. Winning at the Joe, the heart of Hockeytown, is a very difficult feat to accomplish, but having already done it once last night I don't see why they cannot do it again. The absence of Chris Osgood has killed the Red Wings thus far as Jimmy Howard has been a major let down in goal. He will have to pick up his play or the Wings will be out of the playoffs in the blink of an eye.

The Boston Bruins Buffalo Sabres series has also been a great one. It looks like Tukka Rask has been able to match Ryan Miller kick save for kick save through the first three games. With the injury to Thomas Vanek, there remains a major doubt around the league as to who will be able to score for the Sabres. The underlying assumption that I made when I picked them to advance was that their goaltending would be superior to the Bruins'. But after three games, that does not appear to be the case. We could be in for an upset here folks. Tukka Rask was outstanding last night.

The Nashville Predators shocked everyone around hockey by beating the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center in game one. Pekka Rinne was simply outstanding and just erected a wall through which Patrick Kane & Co. could not shoot, aside from their one goal. Rinne played well in game two, but the rest of his team could not put a single puck behind Antti Niemi. As the saying goes, it is awfully tough to win games when you do not score. If Chicago can get the consistent goaltending that it needs, this will be a short series. If Niemi has an off-night, we have ourselves a series that could go the maximum of seven games.

Attention! Attention! We have an imposter in our midst! The Los Angeles Kings are not really a number six seed! They are one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Better than at least the fifth seeded Detroit Red Wings and through three games of their series with the Vancouver Canucks the Kings have proven to be the better team. Two of the first three games were decided in overtime, and last night's ought to have followed a similar path. The Kings had pretty much taken control of the game until Mikael Samuelsson brought the Canucks to within two goals in the last six minutes of the second period. And the Canucks started the third period by scoring what was originally ruled a goal by Daniel Sedin. His linemate Alex Burrows had the puck behind the net and attempted to stuff Jonathan Quick. The puck instead ricocheted off of the outside of Daniel Sedin's skate and into the goal. Upon a lengthy review (a review CBC play-by-play man Jim Hughson remarked felt like was longer than Avatar) the league official in Toronto overturned the call on the ice ruling that Sedin had used a distinct kicking motion to put the puck into the Kings net. Sedin showed some composure by scoring only 72 seconds later, bringing the Canucks back to within one. But his team's inability to stay out of the penalty box ended up ensuring a 5-3 win for the Kings. If Vancouver expects to advance far in these playoffs, it needs to understand the fine line between legal and illegal physicality. If not, they will be out of this series in five or six games, the Kings have been that good on the power play. Drew Doughty has proven to everyone that even at the age of 20 he is in the top three defensemen in the league. His play with the man advantage last night was outstanding.

I honestly do not have that much interest in the Philadelphia Flyers versus the New Jersey Devils series. It is probably because I do not like either team nor do I particularly enjoy watching their teams. The Devils ought to have gotten to Brian Boucher by now, considering they do have one of the nastiest forwards in the game in Ilya Kovalchuk. At best, Boucher was the Flyers third or fourth option in net this year, and he is the one minding the net for the team who is up 2-1 in this series. If the Devils are to advance Martin Brodeur has to carry them on his back. And he is still capable of doing that. But his play thus far has not hinted at such a capacity. Giving up eight goals in three games for a goalie who has the career of Brodeur is simply unacceptable. If the Devils lose tonight, this one's over.

Sidney Crosby has been an absolute beast through the first three games of the 2010 NHL Playoffs. He has seven points through three games, not to mention the fact that his play has started to drum up support for him to win the Selke (the award for best defensive forward in the NHL). What's more, the Senators do not have an answer for him defensively. The Sens have given up ten goals in three games, as the play of goaltender Brian Elliott just has not been what is required for a team with Stanley Cup ambitions. His play, as well as his defense's, will have to make a major improvement or else they are done. As I remarked at the beginning of the series, the Sens maybe have enough grit to grind out one win, but they do not have the talent to match the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Pens will win tonight, and the next game too.

And The Man With The Copper Top Just Keeps On Going...

Charlie Klein

Just when we all thought it was all over, the English Premier League title race has been turned on its head by the copper top of Paul Scholes and the right foot of side-burned Welsh wonder Gareth Bale.

The day did not start with that special feeling that something miraculous was in the offing. The Manchester Derby, the first match of the day, was nominally exhibit a, b and c of anti-climax. Until around the last 15 minutes of the game, there were few chances and zero flash points.

If you had not watched the previous matches between these two teams and heard all of the hype that Carlos Tevez was getting before the game, you would wonder why commentators make such a big deal about him. Carlitos was more absent from the proceedings than Ferris Bueller in a classroom at Eastlands yesterday. When his team needed a goal, Tevez was nowhere to be found.

Shay Given and Edwin Van Der Sar were as involved in the proceedings as I was (sitting on my couch with a bottle of Newcastle) for most of the match. Van Der Sar made a good save on a Carlos Tevez free kick, but aside from that was not called upon to do very much. Given benefited from the poor finishing of Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs in the late minutes of the first half.

Following the tactical substitutions made by Sir Alex Ferguson and Roberto Mancini the game began to pick up pace. City were the first to develop a gilt-edged chance. On a corner sent in by Bellamy, United keeper Van Der Sar ineptly punched the ball into the path of City right back Nedum Onouha, whose shot was stopped by Nemanja Vidic on the goal line.

If a team could not score on an ugly play like that, it just felt as though there were not going to be any goals to be had by either side. That is, until Paul Scholes got involved. The man of the match, Scholes played magnificently in the center of United's midfield, playing pass after pass in hopes of unlocking City.

Call it luck, call it the will of a champion, but Scholes' goal and its associated build-up represents United's season in a nutshell. Patrice Evra expertly tackles the ball off of Shaun Wright-Phillips and charges down the left flank. He passes it to Dimitar Berbatov, who plays Gabriel Obertan down the left side. The young Frenchman then returns the ball to Berbatov, who has the ball taken off of him by Bellamy. The Welshman's poor passing decision gave the ball right back to United as Vidic intercepted and played it on to Obertan. After a few combination passes between Obertan and Scholes, the ball was crossed into the box by the left foot of Evra and fired into the back of the net by the head of Scholes. All of a sudden, United were back in the title race.

In the same week that he signed a one year extension, Paul Scholes proved yet again even at the tender age of 35 why he remains invaluable to United. Called the greatest player of his generation by Zinedine Zidane, the Ginger Prince has held court in the Premier League during the two golden ages of Manchester United. And his goal against City reminded the world that Scholes is perhaps the greatest player the Premier League has ever seen.

Just how much the goal meant to United was revealed by the boisterous celebrations that followed it. Sir Alex Ferguson and his assistant Mike Phelan celebrated like they were back in the Nou Camp in '99. Gary Neville was so ingratiated by Scholes' goal that he felt the need to kiss the Ginger Prince on the mouth. I slid on the carpet of my dorm room and swung my scarf around. It was a great goal.

The other big match on the Premiership schedule yesterday was Chelsea versus Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. And boy did that one not disappoint. Spurs started the game with the urgency and verve of a top four team while Chelsea had the look of a spoiled child whose coveted toy had just been yanked from their hands.

Jermaine Defoe converted a penalty on 15 minutes and from thereon in it was all Tottenham. Referee Phil Dowd had denied Spurs an obvious penalty shout only a few minutes before when John Obi Mikel appeared to impede the progress of a charging Gareth Bale inside the 18. Not but a minute later is Chelsea captain John Terry whistled for handling the ball inside the box. The protests by he and his defensive partner Alex are deflected by Dowd, and Defoe smashes his penalty into the back of Petr Cech's net.

Tottenham kept their foot on the gas and pressed for a second goal. The much maligned and perhaps over-hyped Gareth Bale ghosted past an irrelevant Paulo Ferreira (boy do Chelsea miss having Ashley Cole in the starting eleven/why didn't Ancelotti play Ivanovic?), working the ball beautifully onto his right foot. And my oh my was his finish ever so clinical. He simply rocketed a shot just inside Cech's near post. It was a finish any striker would be happy to claim as his own. Did Bale "Kevorkian" Chelsea's title hopes? Only time will tell, but it clearly dented their confidence.

Tottenham on the day were simply irresistible. Superior in every third of the pitch, Harry Redknapp's men did a massive favor for Manchester United in their pursuit of a fourth consecutive Premiership title. We in the media have made the mistake of assuming that one day will turn the title in one way or the other, but surely Saturday April 17 2010 will be remembered by football fans around the world as the day that Chelsea almost won the title.

This could all be much ado about nothing. Scholes' goal and the celebrations could be but a story told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. But in a time of the season in which bottle means everything, the Ginger Ninja and United proved that they have got bottle in spades.

As William Shakespeare once wrote "Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." And Paul Scholes' goal on that sunny afternoon at Eastlands could have United destined for just that, greatness. And a 19th title too.

Top Plays: The Ginger Ninja

Charlie Klein

Whenever Paul Scholes departs this earth, I sincerely hope that the epitaph on his headstone reads "He scored goals." And boy did he ever score a big one for Manchester United yesterday to defeat local rival Manchester City in "Fergie Time."

This is a compilation of my favorite Scholes goals, for those of you not familiar with the lad's body of work, these clips will give you an impression of what a player this man has been for the red half of Manchester.

3. Manchester United vs. Manchester City, 2010

Paul Scholes Goal Manchester United 1-0 Manchester City
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2. Manchester United vs. Barcelona

1. Manchester United vs. Aston Villa

NBA 2010: Western Conference Preview

Phil Fortuna

1. Los Angeles Lakers 

8. Oklahoma City Thunder

This is the series I’m the most excited for in the first round. The defending NBA Champions versus a team that just won 23 games last season. You have Kobe “Black Mamba” Bryant versus Kevin “Durantula” Durant. Last but not least the ever popular factor of experience versus youth. The Oklahoma City Thunder is the youngest team in the NBA, Durant at 21 is the youngest ever to average at least 30 points per game. Not to mention the rest of their lineup, Westbrook is 21, Green is 23, Sefolosha is 25 and Kristic is 26. Their best bench players James Harden and Eric Maynor are both rookies. Despite the Lakers recent struggles and concerns it would still seem a lock for the Lakers to run over this young Thunder team. This is a team who went from 23 wins last season to 50 wins this season with the only major roster changes being drafting James Harden and trading for rookie Eric Maynor. Durant has gone for 30 plus points over 40 times this season and has scored at least 25 points 73 times as well. What this means is that Ron Artest and Lamar Odom will have their hands full. Ron Artest isn’t the defensive stopper he once was and isn’t quick enough and Odom struggles defending on the perimeter but who else can you put on Durant. Also Kobe is going to have to keep up with Durant in the scoring department. Any other year this wouldn’t even been a concern but Kobe’s injuries really have killed him or he has lost a step. Either way the Lakers success will depend on if Kobe can stop shooting like Iverson and be the deadly assassin he is known to be. Kobe’s shooting percentage the last 4 games is puke worthy .2995% from the field. The Lakers luckily have won the season series at 3 games to 1, although the game they lost was the last time they met March 26th. The Thunder won that game 91 to 75, Kobe almost had a negative double-double with just 11 points and 9 turnovers. If anything the Thunder should have the most confidence heading into this series. For the Lakers they have Gasol who is a low post threat, nobody on the Thunder can defend him due to Gasol’s ability to be crafty around the rim. Andrew Bynum’s status is still unknown which is devastating to the Lakers and their quest to repeat as champions. If Bynum is able to play you have to wonder his impact, in past history when coming back from injury after missing significant playing time he has been ineffective not being able to produce. Let’s say Bynum does return and is effective then the inside presence of Bynum and Gasol will be too overwhelming for the Thunder. With both Gasol and Bynum dominating inside, Kobe doesn’t have to match Durant point for point so he can save his energy. Again this is a BIG IF for the Lakers and I wouldn’t bet on it happening. All the ESPN experts have the Lakers winning in 6 or 7 games except Jalen Rose who says 5 games; I’m going to be rebellious here. 


Prediction: Thunder in 7

2. Dallas Mavericks

7. San Antonio Spurs

This matchup will definitely go to 6 or 7 games played. Allow me to share with you something I’ve learned over the past decade and that is never count out Tim Duncan and the Spurs. The four championships they won going into the postseason those years they were not favored but won anyway. When the Spurs are favored they don’t win, weird isn’t it? We all agree and realize that the Spur’s age has finally hit them as Duncan took a step back this season plus the injuries to Ginobili and Parker. Heading into the playoffs this team is finally healthy but will it last? Going into this matchup against Dallas you have to wonder how affective Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili will be against Kidd and Caron Butler. I’m not expecting those two guys to be the stars their known to be but I do know there’s no way in hell they’re going to let Dallas run them over. I can see backup point guard George Hill also stepping in and taking over, sounds far-stretched but he’s an excellent player who has no problem stepping up. What also sparks an interest is how will Dallas contain rookie Dejuan Blair? This season Blair became the perfect backup for their aging front court. He has delivered big in many games during his rookie season. That includes two 20/20 games with scoring and rebounding. One of those games was during San Antonio’s last meeting with Dallas. Blair recorded 27 points to go with 23 rebounds and 3 steals while playing 37 minutes. Dallas on the other hand might be too much to handle for the Spurs, Dirk as usual had an MVP type season, Jason Kidd is still an elite level point guard, and Jason Terry is a microwave off the bench not to mention how great the additions of Butler, Haywood and Stevenson have been. Not only is this team dangerous offensively they’ve added guys who can do damage defensively. 


Prediction: Dallas in 6

3. Phoenix Suns

6. Portland Trail Blazers

Portland’s loss of Brandon Roy for the series decreases Portland’s chances of advancing tremendously. Bowie over Jordan part 2 is looking uglier and uglier by the year. Had Portland picked Durant instead of Greg Oden then the Roy injury wouldn’t have been as big as a blow. I feel for this franchise, the last 3 seasons have been injury plagued to all their key players but yet have managed to make the playoffs, especially this season finishing with 50 wins. I’m rooting for Portland to overcome another road block but you have to be realistic here. Steve Nash should be on a major decline right now but no he’s not, at 36 years old he put up 17 points a game and 11 dimes. I’m tossing in another wine comment and declare Steve Nash as a bottle of wine. Who does Nash have running up the court at full speed with? He has Amare “STAT” Stoudemire who during the second half of the season has been a human bulldozer!


Prediction: Suns in 5

4. Denver Nuggets

5. Utah Jazz

Utah losing Kirilenko for the next two weeks is a serious blow but it’s not as bad as Denver being without head coach George Karl for the first round. With George Karl’s battle with cancer and his absence from the sidelines it will impact Denver mentally. Will it cause it them to lose the serious? Possibly, to me this is a tough series to call. Utah’s balanced style of offense and defense will result in problems for Denver. At least for Denver Utah isn’t great on either end just good. There is no real go to scorer on Utah, one night Deron Williams will have 25 the next he has 15, the same goes for Boozer who has been cleared to play Sunday. Denver is decent on defense, they have a tendency to give up easy baskets and blow large leads. On the plus side they’re great on offense with go to scorer in Carmelo Anthony and guys such as Chauncey Billups and J.R Smith who are both capable of dropping 30 points when the game is on the line.


Prediction: Nuggets in 6.

NBA Playoffs: Eastern Conference Preview

Phil Fortuna


Goodbye regular season, hello playoffs! The NBA playoffs start off this Saturday starting with the Cavs taking on the Bulls at 3 P.M on ABC. All season long teams such as the Lakers, Cavs, Mavs, Magic and Nuggets have been talked about as championship teams. However, there can only be one so which one of these sixteen teams will bring home Larry O’Brien? Here’s a look at the first round matchups for the Eastern conference. The Western conference will be up later on.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

8. Chicago Bulls

Okay, this is the series that you can almost guarantee Cleveland sweeping. This is the series where the underdog should settle on being happy to make the playoffs. This is the series where Cleveland will dominate! If any of those above statements is what you’re thinking than shame on you. Let’s take a look back at the regular season series matchup; both teams tied each other with two wins each. The most recent win was by the Bulls but the Cavs were resting LeBron James. Sounds like with James the Cavs win by blowout. Not quite, 3 out of the 4 games were decided by 7 or less points including a Bulls loss without Derrick Rose playing. I’m not saying the Bulls are going to shock the world by upsetting the Cavs in a 7 games series. Although you have to remember this is an upstart Bulls team that took a dominant Celtics team to 7 games in the first round last year, granted Boston didn’t have Garnett. Kirk Hinrich always steps up in the playoffs and Derrick Rose last year proved he was capable as a rookie to take over in the first round. Throw in the presence of Joakim Noah on the defensive end and on the boards along with the high energy rookie Taj Gibson, the Bulls could possibly be a potential nightmare. The X-fact for Chicago is swingman Luol Deng, he is averaging nearly 18 points and 8 boards a game, however he has a tendency to be inconsistent. If Deng doesn’t bring his A game all series it will be a struggle for the Bulls to compete. We all know King James will get his numbers, that he will take over but the main key for the Cavs is getting Chicago’s big men in foul trouble. Shaq will be back on Saturday giving the Cavs the best front court in the playoffs. You have Shaq, Big Z, Vareajo, J.J Hickson and Leon Powe to throw around down low. The big men Chicago has are Noah, Gibson and Brad Miller, if they can get 2 of those 3 guys in foul trouble it will force Chicago to play small ball allowing Cleveland’s size to be the difference maker. 


Prediction: Cavs in 6

2. Orlando Magic

7. Charlotte Bobcats

Last year’s Eastern Conference champs against a team participating in their first postseason in franchise history. Orlando won the season series 3 games to 1 with Dwight Howard being dominating and aggressive. The Bobcats were a pleasant surprise this season led by legendary coach Larry Brown and the rise of star player Gerald Wallace. The Bobcats don’t have a go to scorer like the 2004 Pistons championship team which is a positive but a negative. On the positive side they have guys like Wallace, Captain Jack, Ray Felton and D.J Augustine who have proven they are capable of scoring 20 plus points anytime. On the negative side when the game is on line and believe me there will be several situations they don’t have a guy that will say “give me the ball and get out of my way”. Despite replacing Hedo Turkey, a key guy for their finals run a year ago with a nearly washed up Vince Carter they managed to win 59 games. The key for Orlando will be ball movement which they are masters at. Vince Carter needs a good series in the worst way, not many are convinced he’s the perfect fit so he needs to start doing what Stan Van has been saying all season. DRIVE THE BALL‼! Vince quit settling for jumpers and get to the basket. Nobody is saying you have to go up for a dunk or a layup, by driving to the hole the inside defense will focus on you leaving Howard slightly guarded. Either score for yourself or get D12 the easy dunk and possible 3 point play. Next, Mickael Pietrus prepare yourself for a difficult time against the Bobcats. SVG will have you switching between guarding Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson. Both guys are aggressive at getting their shots off anywhere on the floor. The Bobcats need to capitalize on their backcourt, Jackson, Felton and Augustine. If the Bobcats want any shot of winning the series those 3 guys need to outplay Orlando’s Carter, Jameer Nelson, J.J Redick and Jason Williams. The backcourt in terms of talent favors the Bobcats but the experience factor is greatly in Orlando’s favor. The thing that’s going to hurt the Bobcats more than anything is the injury status of Tyson Chandler after getting hurt last night. He’s the only guy on the team that can somewhat play Dwight Howard, if Tyson doesn’t play then Charlotte will be force to rotate between Nazr Mohammed and the old guy Theo Ratliff. 


Prediction: Orlando in 5

3. Atlanta Hawks

6. Milwaukee Bucks

NO ANDREW BOGUT‼ Atlanta if you realize that then exploit it as much humanly possible. Control no wait excuse me DESTROY the Bucks rebounding the ball on both ends of the court, feel more comfortable going to the basket, give Al Horford a few more shots and Josh Smith move to the inside move versus drifting on the perimeter, you have a better shot now but your still no 3 point shooter. I mean face it minus Bogurt the Bucks have Kurt Thomas, Dan Gadzuric, Primoz Brezec and Ersan Ilyasova. Those guys will come out aggressive for Milwaukee but they are not quick or athletic and aren’t offensive players. I loved Mikwaukee all year but c’mon Jennings as good as he is still way to inconsistent, their only offensive threat is John Salmons who averaged about 30 points a game against Atlanta this season. The Hawks are too talented, too quick and too athletic for the Bucks. Plus Atlanta has stat stuffer Joe Johnson and the high scoring 6th man Jamal Crawford. Add on Josh Smith and high shot blocking volume the sky isn’t sunny for the Bucks. 


Prediction: Atlanta in 4

4. Boston Celtics

5. Miami Heat

This is the toughest series in the East to get a grasp on and predict. Boston is no longer a force and the Big 3 hasn't been aging like wine. Miami has superstar Dwayne Flash Wade, who has been carrying this Heat team alone for some time now. The Big 3 has Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins to back them up. Perkins an excellent inside presence defensively has an improved offensive game. Rondo has been the best player on the Boston Celtics team all season. Remember the playoffs last year nearly averaging a triple double. Wade has Michael Beasley, he was suppose to be Wade’s sidekick somebody who takes a lot of pressure away from him. So far that hasn’t been the case as Beasley has been too inconsistent and looks like he doesn’t care. One game he’ll have 24 points and 10 rebounds then next game he has 8 points and 4 rebounds. Miami has nobody else to rely on offensively and if Beasley can’t get it together then Wade will be a one man show. When Wade has to go off on a scoring run there’s nobody on the team who can create from themselves and when Flash takes over, the player’s individual confidence goes down. 


Prediction: Boston in 7

NBA 2010: And The Award Goes To...

Jossif Ezekilov


With the basketball regular season over, it’s time to award the best of the best in the NBA.


NBA Awards

MVP: Lebron James

Runner up: Kevin Durant

There is really no contest here. Lebron has been absolutely phenomenal this year. 29.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 8.6 APG pretty much says it all. When you add in the fact he made half of his field goals and a third of his three pointers, it just makes this one of the best stat lines that this league has had since the Jordan era. Factor in the 60 plus win season and King James is a hands down winner for MVP. No runner up spot for Kobe this year. KD, in his third season, is already pretty much the most potent scorer in the league. Overall, he is actually a better shooter than James, but cannot contribute to nearly as many areas of the game as James can. Did Durant have a better season than Kobe? You can make a case either way, but what makes Durant get this over the Black Mamba is the fact that Bryant was injured for a chunk of the season, and the Lakers are a much better and deeper team than the Thunder, making Durant much more “valuable” to his team.

Rookie of the Year: Tyreke Evans

Runner up: Stephen Curry



Again, another easy pick here. Few doubted Evans would dominate in Sacramento, and he has established himself as the franchise player for the Kings. 20, 5, and 6 is ridiculous for a rookie and has not been achieved since the guy winning MVP this year came in the league. If he improves his range, Evans may become the best scoring point guard in the league. As I have discussed in another post, Curry eclipsed Brandon Jennings as the number two rookie in the league (no longer a point of contention given Jennings’ poor shooting). His game improved tremendously as the season went along, yet Evans remains slightly more dominant a player than the Warriors prospect. Both will be very exciting players for years to come.

Defensive Player of the Year: Josh Smith 

Runner up:  Dwight Howard, Gerald Wallace


To me, this award is not about who had the most blocks, steals, rebounds etc. I see it as the 
Defensive MVP, i.e. the player that contributes most to his team’s defense. Nothing against Dwight Howard, who will probably receive the award for the second straight time, but I think Josh Smith had a monster year defensively, and practically defines defense for the Hawks. Howard is the best post defender in the league, no doubt about it, but Smith’s athleticism allows him to defend on the perimeter as well as down low, allowing for fewer mismatches off pick and rolls, which makes the Hawks defense so effective. The 1.6 SPG and 2.1 BPG also help the case for Smith.

Sixth Man of the Year: Jamal Crawford

Runner up: Jason Terry


Until this season, Jamal Crawford’s career was basically the same story: he was one of the top scorers on some of the worst teams in the league. Such teams included the pre-Ben Gordon Chicago Bulls, the Knicks under Isaiah Thomas, and a season with Don Nelson’s Warriors. It was nice to see Crawford go to Atlanta, a playoff team which could use his services. And services he did provide. To the tune of 18 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 threes a game. In 31 minutes. That pretty much sums up why this guy is the top sixth man this year, and finally gives the Hawks true scoring depth.

Most Improved Player: Aaron Brooks

Runner Up: Carl Landry


MIP is a confusing award because it is never clear whether the award is based on the best statistical improvement or the best improvement in terms of a player’s overall game, role, effectiveness etc. Luckily, this year there is not much discrepancy in the player that has most improved this season. Brooks has pretty much improved any way you look at it. Statistically, he has 8.5 more PPG, .6 more RBG, and 2.3 more APG. His field goal and three point percentages have increased by about 3% each. What has grown most, however, is his leadership. He has simply evolved from being the Rockets’ starting point guard to the go-to guy in Houston following injuries to Yao and T-Mac (traded to NY). Landry has also improved tremendously, and was in the lead in the sixth man balloting until he was traded to Sacramento, but Brooks’ emergence as a  de facto All-Star has to be awarded.

Coach of the Year: Nate McMillan

Runner Up: Scot Brooks, Scott Skiles, Lionel Hollins, Larry Brown


This is the toughest award to consider because so many coaches have made great accomplishments this season, and I’d like to quickly point out why I have 4 runners up that you could very well make the case for each of them. Larry Brown made the Charlotte Bobcats, the NBA’s newest franchise, into a playoff team and one of the best defensive teams in the league. Lionel Hollins had to deal with drama from the Allen Iverson fallout, and was still able to get a Grizzlies team known for being dysfunctional to perform as a .500 team in the tough Western Conference. Scott Skiles had to endure the loss of franchise star Michael Redd for yet another season, and yet was able to win 11 more games than last season and secure the sixth seed in the playoffs. A great case can be made for Scott Brooks, whose Thunder won 27 more games (from 23 to 50 wins, and the sum of New Jersey and Washington’s wins this season) and transformed his team from cellar dwellers to one of the most exciting team in the league. 


Nate McMillan, however, eclipses them all, if only slightly. Like Skiles, he lost an important player, Greg Oden, midway through the season. However, I would argue that Oden was a bigger loss to the Blazers than Redd was to the Bucks because Oden anchored Portland’ defense in the beginning of the season more so than Redd was crucial to their offense. Moreover, McMillan was left with no true center after Joel Przybilla went down for the season as well, and then had to deal with long-term injuries to about half his team, including Rudy Fernandez, Nicolas Batum, Travis Outlaw, among others. This did not deter McMillan and the Blazers and their shorthanded roster kept battling along, with McMillan doing an amazing job in adjusting his rotations after so many injuries and keeping Portland playing great basketball. 50 wins for the Blazers, and with the trade for Marcus Camby, they look solid for the playoffs.


Executive of the Year: John Hammond (Milwaukee)


Runner Up: Kevin Pritchard (Portland)


Major props to Hammond for his transactions this season. First, he took a chance on Brandon Jennings, and yes it was a gamble given Jennings’ lack of college experience and reputation for aloofness. In Jennings, he found a player who he could build the team around. And build he did, but with some unorthodox role players. Hammond reached out across Europe and picked up Ersan Ilyasova andCarlos Delfino, both of whom have had great seasons for the Bucks. Hammond didn’t stop there, signing Jerry Stackhouse and trading for John Salmons before the deadline to replace the scoring vacuum and lack of veteran presence left over from Redd’s injury. The result of these transactions is a deep team that can play good basketball on both sides of the ball and on that should be fun to watch in the playoffs and beyond. Congrats to Mr. Hammond.

All-NBA

First Team
G:  Dwayne Wade
G: Kobe Bryant
F: Lebron James
F: Kevin Durant
C: Dwight Howard


Second Team
G: Steve Nash
G: Deron Williams
F: Gerald Wallace
F: Amar’e Stoudamire
C: Chris Bosh


Third Team
G: Derrick Rose
G: Brandon Roy
F: Carmelo Anthony
F: Dirk Nowitzki
C: Tim Duncan


All-Rookie Team

First Team
G: Stephen Curry
G: Tyreke Evans
G: Brandon Jennings
G: Darren Collison
G: Marcus Thornton


Second Team
G: Ty Lawson
G: James Harrden
F: Omri Casspi
F: Jonas Jerebko
C: DeJuan Blair

All-Defense Team
G: Rajon Rondo
G: Ron Artest
F: Gerald Wallace
F: Josh Smith
C: Dwight Howard