Miami Heat 86 - New York Knicks 91

The 'New-Look' Knicks took on Miami's big three last night and the game lived up to the expectations. The Heat came out hot early and were up by 15 at one point but late in the second quarter the tide changed. The Heat continued to try to sink a killer three pointer to put the dagger in the Knicks but nobody could connect. Miami at that point had a 51-36 lead with just 4:25 remaining in the half. The Knicks went on to score the final 16 points in the half, starting with a Billups 3 pointer, Knicks 51-51 at the half. The Heat started strong out of the gate in the second half but again collapsed late in the quarter. They were up 66-60 with 3:30 left in the quarter when Mike Miller drained a deep 3-pointer. The Knicks were down 66-65 at the end of the third after a big rally by Carmel Anthony.With 3:05 left in the game the Heat had all the momentum and the game was in their hands, up 84-78....but again they could not hold the lead. This has been a problem for the Heat all season and one of the reasons I don't see them being in the Finals for the East. The Knicks went on a 9-2 run including the biggest shot of the game. With 1:01 left in the game Dwayne Wade was covering Chauncey Billups and Billups lived up to his nickname "Mr. Big Shot" by draining the go ahead 3-pointer to make the score 85-84. On the Heats next possession Billups intercepted a pass and set up Shawne Williams for two free throws, which he made, 87-84 Knicks. The Heat went down and scored quickly to make it 87-86, and with 12.7 seconds left Bill Walker was unable to handle a pass and Miami was given a second chance. Lebron was able to crossover Melo and drove to his left where he tried a lay up but was blocked by Amare Stoudemire. James had another chance with 2 seconds left but his 3-point attempt missed and the 'New Look' Knicks got there first big win since the trade.

Stats:
New York Knicks:
Carmelo Anthony: 29 points, 9 rebounds
Amare Stoudemire: 16 points, 10 rebounds
Miami Heat:
Lebron James: 27 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists
Dwayne Wade: 12 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists
Chris Bosh: 20 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists

Player of the Game:
Chauncey Billups, 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals.

Billups really took this game over with 5 minutes left in the game, he had the big 3 and the huge steal as well.

This picture really sums it up:

Blake Griffin Goes Reverse: Dunk Of The Night

Blake Griffin again shows why he is the most entertaining player in the NBA.

Dunk of the Night - 2/22/2011

The Poll Has Closed!

After 2 weeks up the poll is over and according to my viewers your 2010-2011 NBA Champions will be the: Miami Heat! Looks like most of you think 'The New Big Three' (seen below) are going to bring home the trophy that they all got together for.

Your 2010-2011 NBA Champion Miami Heat??

The official results are as follows:

1. Miami Heat - 50%
2. Boston Celtics - 28%
3. San Antonio Spurs - 14%
4. Chicago Bulls - 7%

I'm very surprised that the current best team in the league, the Spurs, only got 2 votes as they are my current favorite to win it all.

Baseball is Back!!!

In case you haven't heard baseball is back, the spring season starts in a few days and teams have already met in camp and have been throwing for a few weeks.

The top pitching staff in the bigs has finally sat down for a photo shoot as well.

In case you have not heard, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels are kind of a big deal.

I'll be getting into my division predictions for baseball next week and just a little preview, I have those 4 pitching in the World Series....stay tuned.

Blake Griffin is a Man's Man

Blake Griffin slams it down in the second round of the 2011 Slam Dunk Contest

Kobe Bryant Avoids Block By Lebron James - 2011 NBA All-Star Game

Weekend Happenings

Daytona 500 News:

I am not a big NASCAR fan but I thought this was remarkable enough that I had to mention it today. Trevor Bayne became the youngest driver EVER to win the Daytona 500. He was 20 years old and it was only his second sprint cup race and he has now won the biggest race in NASCAR the Daytona 500.

NBA Weekend Recap:
Again the All-Star game in all sports proved just how pointless it is. I know I am not alone in thinking all sports should get rid of the all-star game. Players don't truly care about it, play half speed on defense to avoid injury, and its really just an attempt to get on the ESPN top 10 with countless alley-oop attemps and crazy pass attempts.

The dunk contest on the other hand was actually entertaining for the first time in years. Blake Griffin, the rookie of the year favorite, came home with the gold after having Baron Davis lob a pass through a car's sun roof and Griffin caught it over the car and slammed it home (see below).

He opened the dunk contest with this:

On to the actual game though the West beat the East in large part to MVP Kobe Bryant's 37 points. Overall it wasn't a highly entertaining game (like most all-star games) but there was one part that was entertaining. Kobe  Bryant was on a fast break and we actually saw some defensive effort from Lebron James who came charging from behind to try to block him (seen in next post). Overall a decent sports weekend in the NBA.

MLB, NFL, + NBA Happenings

MLB Happenings

Albert Pujols, hands down the most dominant player in baseball currently, has enlisted a deadline for the Cardinals to get a contract done. Noon today, and as of 10:55 am Buster Olney (ESPN) has stated that talks have ended at Pujols has made it seem that he will test free agency at the end of the year now. He is looking for a 10 year/300 million dollar contract, which is just insane. He is 31 currently, which would mean by the end of his contract he will be getting paid 30 million a year at age 41. I am in the Cardinals corner on this one as I don't think any player is worth that much money, and I think Pujols should be giving them a hometown discount as he has been a Cardinal his entire career. It really makes me look down on Pujols because I always looked at him as the 'Anti-ARod' that cared more about the team than a paycheck but now I am starting to wonder. I think a good fit for Pujols if it isn't the Cardinals would be the San Francisco Giants, who need offense, the Toronto Blue Jays, who won 85 games last year and with Pujols would probably win upwards of 90.

NFL Happenings

Teams were allowed to place the franchise tag on players now. In the National Football League, the franchise tag is a designation a team may apply to a player scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. The tag binds the player to the team for one year if certain conditions are met. Each team has access each year to only one franchise tag (of either the exclusive or non-exclusive forms). As a result, each team may only designate one player each year as that team's franchise player.

So far these players have been given the Franchise Tag:

Indianapolis Colts - QB Peyton Manning
Philadelphia Eagles - QB Michael Vick (Only exclusive tag so far)
Baltimore Ravens - DT Haloti Ngata
New England Patriots - OL Logan Mankins
New York Jets - LB David Harris
San Diego Chargers - WR Vincent Jackson

The potential franchise-tag contract numbers for 2011 (according to NFL.com):
Quarterbacks: $16 million ($16.4 million in 2010)
Running backs: $9.5 million ($8.15 million in 2010)
Wide receivers: $11.3 million ($9.5 million in 2010)
Tight ends: $7.3 million ($5.9 million in 2010)
Offensive linemen: $10.1 million ($10.7 million in 2010)
Defensive ends: $12.9 million ($12.4 million in 2010)
Defensive tackles: $12.5 million ($7 million in 2010)
Linebackers: $10 million ($9.7 million in 2010)
Cornerbacks: $14 million ($9.6 million in 2010)
Safeties: $8.8 million ($6.5 million in 2010)
Kickers: $3.1 million ($2.8 million in 2010)

NBA Happenings:

There was an amazing pass by Dwayne Wade in the Heat's win last night (seen below). He also added 41 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists. The 'Big Three' scored 90 points for the Heat in the 110-103 win. The Wade pass is already being called the pass of the year, and Lebron James had this to say about the full court alley-oop from Wade: "(Wade) threw the best pass in NBA history".

NBA Sunday Recap

Miami Heat @ Boston Celtics

Final: Miami 82 - Boston 85

Well for all you Heat fans out there; you might want to slow down on booking that parade in South Beach. The Heat were 0-2 against the Celtics coming in to yesterdays game and came out with a 3 point loss. The Heat played an okay game minus the third quarter when they gave up 35 points. Lebron James had a great game going 22 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds. Dwayne Wade still can't figure out a way to score against Boston as he only had 16 points on 6-17 shooting, plus 6 turnovers. The Heat had problems controlling the ball all game and in the third it finally caught up to them. Chris Bosh was also terrific for the Heat at one point 6-6 from the field, finishing 8-11 24 points, and 10 rebounds. This was a game the Heat had to win to prove they were a true contender out of the East; they held Paul Pierce to 1 point on 0-10 shooting and still couldn't pull out a win. At times it just looked like the Celtics wanted more, Rajon Rondo, the short feisty point guard of the Celtics, single covering Lebron James, the strong muscular star from the Heat, and doing a great job of frustrating him down the court. Player of the Game: Rajon Rondo, not only did he 'D' up one of the deadliest players in the league he added in 11 points, 10 boards, and 10 assists for an easy triple double. Second biggest player on the Celtics was probably Glen 'Big Baby' Davis who besides a laughable dunk attempt (seen below) scored 16 points and really dominated on defense all game.

Overall I think this game showed the Celtics are still the team to beat in the East and the Heat better figure out a way to beat them because the road to the finals might go through Miami but they will have to beat the Celtics in Miami to get there.

Aguilera + Halftime Show Recap

National Anthem

First let me state that I was very excited when I first heard that Christina Aguilera would be singing the National Anthem. She has easily one of the best voices in today's music. I am not going to kill her for messing up the National Anthem either, her voice sounded great during the "remixed" version she just messed up one line. Instead of singing the song's fourth line with the correct words - "O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?" - Aguilera sang, "What so proudly we watched at the twilight's last gleaming?" If anything I think this further proves that singing the National Anthem at every sporting event isn't necessary. In 2009 Jesse McCartney goofed the words before the NASCAR Fontana Race. In Dec. 2010, the lead singer of the Eli Young Band flubbed the words before a Kansas City Chiefs-Denver Broncos game. The amount of mistakes or terrible renditions of the National Anthem can't be counted on two hands, if you have like three-four hours to spare just go to Google and type in "terrible National Anthem versions" or "lyrics messed up on National Anthem." The one thing we can say for Aguilera was at least she was singing live, there have been many reports of recent years of performers recording it before the game and just lip-syncing.

Halftime Show Recap

Unlike the National Anthem where I was excited for who was performing, I was not as excited for the Black Eyed Peas. I didn't expect much from the Black Eyed Peas, not because I didn't like their music but because rap music doesn't play well live generally. The audio for the past few Super Bowls has been sub-par to say the least and that is for less-bass heavy classic rock. The vocals seem to always cut out on performers, ala last year on The Who (who pre-recorded their show). Well the Black Eyed Peas started by falling from the sky and right when they started their first song, "I Gotta Feeling", my concern about the audio proved true as everyone on stages microphones cut out numerous times. Besides the bad audio though I thought the show was actually entertaining, I wouldn't call it great, or terrible, but entertaining really.

Set List:
I Gotta Feeling
Boom Boom Pow
Sweet Child of Mine
Pump It
Let's Get It Started
OMG
Where Is the Love
Time of My Life
I Gotta Feeling

My favorite part of the show was probably the dancers on the field in colored jumpsuits with flashing lights on them. They started as white, and then after they became green for the second song, during Where Is the Love they were red and formed a heart it was very cool looking. Slash was a great addition to the show when he came out from under the stage to play his famous riff in Sweet Child of Mine, I thought Usher was a terrible addition as he hasn't been relevant in years and didn't even really sing. Overall I would have rather seen a classic rock band but I was entertained by the show despite the terrible sound audio.

Super Bowl Recap

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Green Bay Packers
Prediction: Steelers 24 - Packers 20
Actual: Packers 31 - Steelers 25

The Green Bay Packers are Super Bowl Champions!! The Packers wins makes my playoff record 8-3 overall. It was an awesome game, started out looking like a blow out and the Steelers were able to close the gap after the first half but just too little too late.

The scoring started with Aaron Rodgers drove the Packers 80 yards in 9 plays and finishing it with a 29 yard strike to Jordy Nelson. Jordy Nelson, who I predicted would have a good game, finished with 9 catches, 140 yards and a touchdown. On the Steelers next drive Ben Roethlisberger dropped back to pass and had his arm hit while throwing, the pass fell short of his target and Nick Collins was able to intercept the pass and return it 37 yards for a touchdown and make it 14-0 Packers.

After a Steelers FG on their next drive, Ben Roethlisberger threw another interception on a pass intended for Mike Wallace that Jarrett Bush jumped in front of. The Packers again turned the turnover in to 7 as Aaron Rodgers hit Greg Jennings for a 21 yard touchdown, 21-3 Packers right before the half making this game look very one-sided. The Steelers showed why they have won 2 super bowls over the past 5 years as Ben Roethlisberger kept his cool and drove his team down the field and cut the lead to 11 before the half with a touchdown pass to Hines Ward. 21-10 Halftime score, now we have ourselves a game.

The Steelers defense came out the second half and immediately forced a punt giving the Steelers offense the ball back only down 11. Roethlisberger drove the Steelers 50 yards ending the drive when Rashard Mendenhall punched it in from 8 yards, 21-17 Steelers and the momentum had completely shifted towards the Steelers. The Packers went 3 and out on 3 of their 4 third quarter drives and everyone watching at that point was thinking Big Ben would put another comeback on his resume.

Towards the end of the third quarter is when that momentum shifted back to the packers and the play of the game took place. Steelers had a drive starting in Packer territory and on the second play Rashard Mendenhall rushed to his right and was hit by Clay Matthews, FUMBLE!!! The Packers recovered it and started the fourth quarter with a 55 yard touchdown drive ending with an 8 yard Greg Jennings touchdown.

The Steelers were able to score again on a 25 yard strike to Mike Wallace, and then were able to toss the 2-Pt conversion to Antwaan Randle El to make it a 3 point game. The Packers were able to kick a field goal but gave the Steelers the ball back with a little over 2 minutes and needing only a touchdown to win. Ben Roethlisberger is known for these types of comebacks. Roethlisberger completed his first pass for a first down, but then missed on his next 4. All MVP Aaron Rodgers had to do was take two knees and it was over.

The Packers lost their top CB and 2nd WR in the first half and Aaron Rodgers was still able to keep his team calm and lead them to victory. It was a very impressive performance, over 300 yards, 3 scores, no turnovers, absolutely amazing performance against any defense, let alone the #1 defense. Aaron Rodgers was named MVP of the Super bowl and definitely deserved it.

Players of the Game:

QB Aaron Rodgers

As stated previously he dominated this game, 24-39 304 yards 3 touchdowns. Most importantly no turnovers.

WR Jordy Nelson

9 Catches, 140 yards, 1 TD. As stated they lost Donald Driver and Nelson stepped up, he had a few drops but still made plays.

WR Greg Jennings

2 touchdowns against the top defense in the league is very impressive

LB Clay Matthews

He was silent most of the game but when the Packers needed a stop, he was able to force Mendenhall to fumble which was the play of the game.

On Thursday I will talk about my thoughts on the Super Bowl Halftime Show and Christina Aguilera's "remix" of the National Anthem.

Players To Watch In The Super Bowl + Prediction

Super Bowl XLV

Players to Watch:

Green Bay Packers:

LT Chad Clifton

Clifton in my opinion will be the most important player on the Packers offense on Sunday. His job is to protect Rodgers blind side, so far this postseason he has done a great job but on Sunday his job will be to stop one of the best outside LB's in the league, James Harrison, from getting to Aaron Rodgers. Harrison has had at least 10 sacks in 3 straight seasons and even when he doesn't get there he is constantly putting pressure on the QB. If Clifton can't handle Harrison the Packers offense is going to struggle all game long.

QB Aaron Rodgers

Hate being this obvious but if Aaron Rodgers has a bad game it is going to be very hard for them to win this game.

RT Bryan Bulaga

Much like Chad Clifton he will have his hands full with LaMarr Woodley who has become as dangerous as Harrison on the outside the past 2 seasons. He has 3 straight years of more than 10 sacks, and 6 straight playoff games with a sack.

WR Jordy Nelson

Jordy Nelson is not a starter for the Packers but I think he will have a bigger impact then Jennings and Driver. Jennings and Driver are going to get their catches and yards as usual but if Nelson can continue his good postseason the Packers chances of succeeding on offense are much better. He will be working in the slot mostly vs. William Gay. Gay has done a very good job the past few weeks so it will be a tough task but I could see him having a good game.

LB Clay Matthews

Matthews played in 15 games this year and had 14 sacks, nearly a sack a game. He will be trying to sack one of the toughest QB's to bring down in the league in Big Ben, but Big Ben also has a tendency to hold on to the ball for a little too long allowing LB's to get hands on him during the game. Matthews should be able to have a sack or two on Sunday.

CB Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams

Tramon Williams has become arguably the best #2 CB in the league over the past 4-5 weeks, in the playoffs the past 3 games he has 3 interceptions and 3 pass deflections. Woodson the reigning defensive player of the year continues to excel at CB. The Steelers starting WR will have a tough time getting open on these two.

Pittsburgh Steelers: 

WR Mike Wallace

Mike Wallace will have his hands full as I previously said with Williams and Woodson covering him all game but Wallace will have to show up big this week for the Steelers to be able to get anything going on offense. Wallace has been quiet this postseason and is due for a big game, Williams and Woodson are great corners but they are not going to be able to keep up with Wallace deep, if Roethlisberger can buy some time in the pocket Wallace should be able to get some separation deep.

RB Rashard Mendenhall

Mendenhall was the star of the game last week vs. the Jets. He was able to run the ball well and made a few catches for big yards. If he can have another game like that the Steelers will win this game big.

QB Ben Roethlisberger

Same as Rodgers, he needs to have a good game. Unlike Rodgers his good game doesn't mean big stats, his good game means just making the clutch throws, gaining a few yards with his feet, and buying time in the pocket.

TE Heath Miller

Miller doesn't get big stats that show his worth, but he's probably the second or third most important player on the offense. Miller scored against the Ravens and caught 5 passes against the Jets; He is a great run blocker and will definitely help the offensive line by chipping Clay Matthews on a handful of plays. The Packers have struggled to cover tight ends the past few weeks and he could have a big game.

CB Ike Taylor

Taylor will be covering the hottest WR in the league currently in Greg Jennings. Jennings caught 1 ball for 8 yards against the Eagles in the divisional round and since then has gone for 101 and 130 yards each game. Ike Taylor is a very physical corner and is one of the bigger CB's in the league measuring in at 6-2 195. He has a clear height advantage over Jennings who is only 5-11.

SS Troy Polamalu

Troy Polamalu the recently named defensive player of the year will play a big role in this game. He is known for big hits, clutch interceptions, and always making the clutch plays. Polamalu played in 14 games this year and was battling an Achilles problem for most of the season and still had 7 interceptions, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble. He is in my credit the most valuable player on defense in the entire league. With Troy the Steelers defense is the best defense in the league and dominant. Without him, they are a slightly above average defense. He is the player to watch on the Steelers defense at all times and he is easy to spot with his long hair flowing.

Prediction:

When the games match-up was decided I immediately thought the Steelers would win, after 2 weeks of thinking about it I am having some trouble deciding who to pick, I could see the Packers winning by spreading out the Steelers defense much like the New England Patriots do when they face the Steelers. For example, Tom Brady this season faced the Steelers and the Patriots went to 4 WR, 5 WR sets almost the entire game spreading out the Steelers defense and neutralizing their blitz, Brady threw for 350 yards and 3 TD's. The Packers are a young team overall, where as this is the Steelers 3rd super bowl trip in just 6 years. The Steelers have the toughest defense in the league and I could see the nerves getting to Rodgers more than I can see them getting to Roethlisberger. Dick LeBeau is a better defensive coordinator in my mind then Dom Capers. Big Ben always seems to make the clutch play and is in my opinion the best QB under pressure in the league, I can't bet against him.

Final Prediction: Steelers 24 - Packers 20  

MVP: Ben Roethlisberger 

Super Bowl XLV Preview

Super Bowl XLV Preview

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers

I will not be making my prediction until Thursday so get all your votes in!!! This post I am going to talk about what I think is the three key matchups for each team. Some of these might be very similar besides the player’s names because of the fact both teams run the 3-4 defense where there is 3 down lineman and 4 linebackers. Both defenses have amazing speed from the linebacker position, and both teams are known for putting the pressure on Quarterbacks. The Steelers are much better at stopping the run and have better personnel in their front 7 then the Packers, but the Packers have a dominant duo at cornerback.

Steelers vs. Packers Defense:
Points per Game Allowed: Steelers 14.5 (#1), Packers 15.0 (#2)
Yards per Game Allowed: Steelers 276.8 (#2), Packers 309.1 (#5)
Rushing Yards Allowed: Steelers 62.8 (#1), Packers 114.9 (#18)
Pass Yards Allowed: Steelers 214.1 (#12), Packers 194.2 (#5)
Interceptions: Steelers 21 (#5), Packers 25 (#1)
Sacks: Steelers 48 (#1), Packers 47 (#2)

As you can see both defenses are dominant and both defenses having their strengths and weaknesses when comparing the two.

Top Matchups to Watch:

1. CB Charles Woodson vs. WR Mike Wallace

Charles Woodson, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year is going to have his hands full on Sunday with star wide receiver Mike Wallace. Mike Wallace is coming off a great year where he launched himself in to the top tier of wide receivers with 10 touchdowns and over 1000 yards receiving. If Wallace can have a big game on Sunday the Packers are in big trouble, Hines Ward is Roethlisberger's favorite wide receiver but he isn't the game changer Wallace is. If Woodson can shut down Wallace the Packers chances of winning this game go way up. Woodson is one of the more physical CB's in the league and will attempt to play bump and run on Wallace, but if Wallace can get off the bump his speed will leave Woodson way behind.

2. LT Chad Clifton vs. LB James Harrison & RT Bryan Bulada vs. LB Lamar Woodley

The Steelers have probably the most dominant outside linebackers in the league with Harrison and Woodley. Harrison had 10.5 sacks and 2 interceptions this year, Woodley had 10 sacks and 2 interceptions as well. As everyone remembers Harrison had a key interception in the Steelers last super bowl off Kurt Warner that he returned 100 yards for a huge touchdown. Woodley has a sack in 6 straight playoff games and has been dominant. If the tackles of the Packers can't block these two the Steelers are going to run away with this game.

3. QB Aaron Rodgers vs. SS Troy Polamalu

The Associated Press just selected Steelers SS Troy Polamalu as the 2010 Defensive Player of the Year, he was injured occasionally throughout the season but he was dominant while having 7 interceptions and 9 total turnovers forced. Clutch interceptions and game saving tackles are what Steelers fans have come to expect every time Polamalu takes the field. Aaron Rodgers has been amazing in the playoffs so far save last week when he struggled vs. the rival Bears. If Aaron Rodgers has a similar game against the Steelers they are going to have a hard time winning.

4. WR Greg Jennings vs. CB Ike Taylor

Greg Jennings has been the best WR in the playoffs so far with 239 yards receiving and 17 catches in 3 games. Ike Taylor is going to have a hard time slowing Jennings down as Jennings has some of the best hands in the league and is known for making great catches and burning CB's. Ike Taylor will have a lot of chances at stopping Jennings as most likely 8-12 balls will be thrown his way in the Super Bowl.

On Thursday I will make my predictions and go over who I think will be the most important players on Sunday for both teams,