From the Press Box--April 4, 2012

       After an extended leave of absence from writing, due to finals, college visits, and scholarship applications, I'm finally on Spring Break. So much has happened since my last post on March 18th, both for me personally and in the world of sports. I finally experienced world renound Chicago-style pizza at Giordano's, was accepted to the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern and had a great campus visit (followed by being notified in the mail that the first year in Evanston would be upwards of $60,000 and I lost any interest I had in the school), officially became a second semester senior, and most importantly, decided on Indiana University for college and can not be happier about it. A month's worth of sports headlines have taken place in the past eighteen days; the Major League Baseball season officially kicked off in Asia, the Kentucky Wildcats won their eighth national championship, Nike released the new NFL uniforms, and Mohammed El Akkari, an International Basketball Federation player for Moutahed of Tripoli, allegedly scored 113 points in a single game.

March Madness

Going into the NCAA Tourney, UK was clearly the best team in the country and I picked them to win the National Championship, yet it was so difficult to choose the Wildcats because of the reservations I had about them. Coach Cal had choked in his previous appearance in the title game as well as Kentucky was relying on freshmen and sophomores to not crack under the pressure riding on them to win it all. Not to mention that UK entered the NCAA Tournament on a one-game losing streak after being defeated by Vanderbilt in the SEC Championship.

Coach Calipari and the University of Kentucky needed the National Championship to validate their one-and-done focused program. In each of Cal's previous six seasons, going back to his tenure at Memphis, his worst postseason finish was in the Sweet Sixteen. His teams were eliminated three times in the Elite Eight, once in the Final Four, and once in the National Championsip in 2008 (Memphis later had its entire 2007-2008 season vacated due to Derrick Rose's misconduct regarding his false SAT score). If he had fallen to Kansas, many of his critics would question his ability to close out a season. No one can argue his greatness from November through February, but if UK would have lost in the NCAA Tourney a part of Big Blue Nation would have been ready to show him the door out of Lexington.

Overall, this was an ideal tournament for college basketball. There were some major upsets, with #2 seeds Duke and Missouri exiting in the first round, and three double-digit seeds advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, but no "Cinderellas" made it to the Elite Eight. It was exciting to watch the likes of Xavier, Ohio, and North Carolina State challenge major powers in college basketball, but at the end of the day, the best matchups are between the premier teams. The 2011 National Championship between UConn and Butler may have been the ugliest college basketball game I've ever seen. Upset-minded md-majors and Cinderellas can make the first two weekends of the NCAA Tournament two of the best weeks of the year, but once the Final Four rolls around, basketball powerhouses are the only teams who can guarantee high-quality basketball that is enjoyable to watch.

Jared Sullinger to the NBA

I can't argue with his decision to leave because there is a direct correlation between the number of years of college and when a prospect is drafted. Sully has nothing left to prove in college. He's averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds for his two years of college, with a shooting percentage above 50%. He has lead Ohio State to the Elite Eight and Final Four in consecutive years and the Buckeyes have sixty-four wins in that time span. However, don't expect him to be dominant in the NBA as he is in college. While he is physically big at 6'9" and 265 lbs., he lacks the height and the jumping ability to average a double-double immediately at the next level. If he can develop a consistent outside jumper, he can become a very nice role player. He shares the size and stature of Indiana Pacers forward David West, who has career averages of sixteen points per game and seven rebounds per game. The longer he stayed at OSU, the more NBA teams would begin to see him plateau at the college level and it could only hurt his draft prospects.

Joe Flacco Thinks He's the Best QB in the NFL

On WNST 1570 in Baltimore earlier this week, Joe Flacco said that he believes he is the best quarterback in the NFL. I have no problem with him thinking this. If I were an NFL owner or coach, I want a QB who thinks that he is the best every single snap. However, his thoughts about how he stacks up compared to the rest of the starting quarterbacks in the league should not leave a four inch radius in his brain. He is only opening himself up to more criticism than he already deserves and his resumé does not warrant him being a top five quarterback, let alone the best one in the NFL. Last season he threw for 3,610 yards and 20 touchdowns while Aaron Rodgers threw for 4,643 and 45, Eli Manning threw for 4,933 and 29, and Tom Brady threw for 5,235 and 39, to name a few of the league's elite quarterbacks. Of course, statistics alone do not define a player and Flacco's two AFC Championship Games help his case but still not enough. If I rank all of the starting quarterbacks in the NFL, he is thirteenth on my list. Eli Manning has two Super Bowl rings, Aaron Rodgers has one, Tom Brady has three, Ben Roethlisberger has two, Peyton Manning has one, and Drew Brees has one. Until Flacco gets some jewelry on his hand, he is not in the conversation and should be careful about publicizing questionable statements.

Ubaldo Jimenez Beans Troy Tulowiztki

The pitch was by all means intentional, especially considering the bitter feelings Jimenez has towards his former club. It's a shame that he was willing to plunk Tulo in the preseason. He deserves his five-game suspension, but he still may be able to make his scheduled start if the MLB hasn't responded to his appeal in time. Hopefully Jimenez does not start for the Indians if they face the Rockies this season because there is a high likelihood that Colorado would get revenge in some form or fashion.

FIBA Player Drops 113?

It is highly unlikely that a story like this could be completely fabricated but part of me is still skeptical. Mohammad El Akkari averaged just under eight points per game heading into his three-point shooting contest that happened to occur in the middle of the Lebanese Division A League Final Eight game. Maybe it's that basketball overseas is different than what we're accustomed to in the NBA and there were 314 total points in the game, but Akkari's performance is out of the ordinary by all means. There are only three players in the modern era of the NBA who I could rationalize their taking of sixty-nine shots in a game--Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, and Monta Ellis. To make 40 of 69 shots from the floor and 32 of 59 from behind the arc is beyond comprehension. I'm not sure who his team was playing that night, possibly a team of local nuns or fifth-grade rec basketball team, but his performance goes down in history nontheless.

Joey Votto's Contract

It is great to see that the Cincinnati Reds are committed to winning and have a "World Series or Bust" mentality. However, the 10-year, $225 million dollar contract should raise an eyebrow. The Reds have no idea how good Votto will be in ten years, but if the first baseman can lead Cincy to a World Series, then it won't matter as much. The 2010 N.L. MVP's price tag makes it difficult to re-sign second baseman Brandon Phillips, which is very hard to swallow since Phillips is one of the best Reds on and off of the field. The contract extension tops off the biggest offseason in Cincinnati Reds history and is a great way to kick off the season with their best player under contract until 2023.

Mo Egger Interview

I got the chance to interview sports talk show host Mo Egger of ESPN 1530 tonight and it was fascinating listening to him talk about his career and Cincinnati sports. The interview will takes lots of editing but should be posted in the next week.

Matchup of the Day

St. Louis Cardinals @ Miami Marlins. Tonight's game is Opening Day in America since the Oakland A's and Seattle Mariners played in Japan last week and also is the first game played in Miami's new stadium. Two excellent pitchers in Kyle Lohse and Josh Johnson face off in the National League matchup.

Video of the Day

 Courtesy of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBMQ79NweQU

From the Press Box 1.26.12

Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots

"I think Joe was kind of rattled a bit."

"I think a couple times he needed to get rid of the ball. It just didn't look like he had a hold on the offense."

"He can't play like that."

Ed Reed earned his pay last week by getting under the skin of his quarterback Joe Flacco and can arguably add the titles of head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach to his resumé in doing so. At the time it seemed reckless, deserving a Caution: Highly Flammable label for criticizing the most important player on the field before the biggest game of the year. Did the long-time standout safety on defense take one too many hits to the head? What was he thinking?

Not only did Flacco show up to play in Foxboro against the Patriots, he did something that was thought to be unthinkable--outperform Tom Brady in the NFC Championship (a.k.a. "Uggs vs. Suggs"). The mustache-growing, illegally skateboard-riding Flacco was 22-36 for 306 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He counterpart for the Pats was 22-36 for 239 yards with two picks. In a season where Ray Rice put the Ravens' offense on his back game after game, it was Joe Flacco who carried Baltimore to a near victory. Had Lee Evans held onto the game-winning touchdown pass with twenty seconds remaining in the game, Flacco would have been paraded out of the stadium on his teammates shoulders and hailed in the state of Maryland as the hero who took them to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2000. Give Flacco credit, he set his team up to advance to the Super Bowl and his teammates couldn't finish it for him. The players I do feel bad for are Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. The former "The U" defensive stars are both growing old in terms of football years and probably have less than four years combined left in the NFL. They carried the Ravens for years and finally were set to make it back to a Super Bowl and their offense let them down. That would have been one hell of a way for them to go out-win their second championship after shutting down Brady and Manning, and then retire.

Speaking of the defense, the Ravens had two of the most acrobatic interceptions of the season. Ladarius Webb caught one diving backwards, followed by a deep pass to the endzone that was tipped to Jimmy Smith and returned for 39 yards.

                                                                                   Courtesy of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIb1kgqJ_vA

San Francisco 49'ers vs. New York Giants
The other conference had an equally thrilling matchup, that sadly, was won off of mistakes. Who would have ever thought that Ted Ginn Jr. would be such an important player in the NFL. Ginn, one of the most electric special teams players in the league, did not play in the NFC Championship Game due to an injury. His backup, Kyle Williams was sent deep to field punts for the 49'ers on Sunday. Williams didn't turnover the football once, but twice against the Giants. In the fourth quarter, he let a bouncing ball scrape his knee deep in San Francisco's territory and it was recovered by New York. Even though the game was one of the best playoff matchups I've ever watched, I hated to see it be decided by mistakes as opposed to phenomenal plays.

Give Mike Singletary some credit. Even though the former Bears linebacker was fired after a 5-10 season coaching the Niners, he deserves some praise for San Francisco's success this year. Singletary lit a fire under Vernon Davis, going as far as sending him to the locker room after a personal foul penalty after a touchdown. Davis was a young, cocky player and Singletary was trying to tame a wild horse. Harbaugh showed faith in Daivs and has developed into an All-Pro Tight End.

3 receptions, 112 yards, 2 touchdowns. To prove that's not a fluke performance, the game prior he set the record for most receiving yards in a playoff game with 180 on 7 receptions for 2 touchdowns.

Other than Rob Gronkowski, Davis is the best tight end in the NFL. I would argue that if Davis was on the Patriots, where Tom Brady was targeting him ten times a game, he would be a better receiver than Gronk.

We can all settle down on Alex Smith, including myself, because I know as a reactionary NFL fan, I thought the number one pick in 2005 was the greatest thing since Sony TV, which I got the week previously. However, the real Alex Smith showed up on Sunday--an above average quarterback, but one who is nowhere near elite or skilled enough to reach the Super Bowl. Completed less than half of his pass attempts for under two-hundred yards. Smith can work as Harbaugh's QB in a rushing offense in a weak division but as long as he stays in San Francisco, the 49'ers will remain on the verge of the Super Bowl.

Time to sign or trade for Peyton Manning? I think so. Jim Harbaugh, Peyton Manning, Vernon Davis, Frank Gore, the 49'ers defense. Give Peyton one legitimate threat at wide receiver and I think you can pencil in San Francisco in the Super Bowl representing the NFC next season.

Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Syracuse Orange

I turned on the TV Monday night believing that UC would win. I wasn't being optimistic, I wasn't being irrational, but I was being realistic. The Bearcats beat #22 Pittsburgh, #11 Georgetown, and #11 UConn all on the road. Cincy developed a new identity ever since the Crosstown Shootout--a guard-heavy team with center Yancy Gates down low. Syracuse was coming off of their first loss of the season against Notre Dame, which I think gave them the motivation to not double their losing streak at Fifth Third Bank Arena.

The game seemed to be a perfect opportunity for UC. Syracuse was at their weakest point of the season after dropping three spots to #4 in the country (which seems ridiculous to me since they only lost one game, on the road, in the Big East), as well as the Orange were without seven-foot center Fab Melo (possibly one of the greatest sports names ever, especially with the combination of the Fab Five and Carmelo Anthony) due to academic reasons. Melo, whose head is only five feet below the basket and weighs nearly 250 pounds would have been a huge difference maker in the game against Yancy Gates. 'Cuse lacked a big body in the paint to slow down Gates.

I would put my money on the line saying that UC's fans have never been as excited for a game as they were for the Syracuse game. The arena was sold out nad the student section did an amazing job whiting out the stands. I doubt there were any fans sitting in their seats during the first ten minutes of the game. Cincinnati started out looking like they were going to beat the Orange by double digits. Their first trip down the floor resulted in a deep three from Sean Kilpatrick. Cashmere Wright decided to play horse with his teammate on the Bearcat's next possession and swished an even deeper three. Cincinnati started the game on a 13-6 after two more threes from Wright. However, UC lives and dies by the three. They cooled down after their initial lead and finished shooting 32% from behind the arc and 34% overall as Syracuse's zone defense expanded beyond their typical positions.

Cincinnati's guards besides Cashmere Wright cooled down and the lack of height on the court hurt them in the battle of the boards. Their only rebounds that were grabbed by Gates were mostly from tips to open teammates. The Orange  picked up their defense and forced turnover after turnover, causing eleven total. The Bearcats had been extremely protective of the ball in the games leading up to  Monday and they picked the wrong game to be loose with the ball. Syracuse finally reached their first lead in three halves and went into halftime up 28-25.

UC started the second half with a driving floater from Cashmere Wright. Justin Jackson showed his potential to develop into a heads-up passer with a handful of no-luck and behind-the-back passes but they were too out of control for his teammates to handle. Yancy started wandering outside of the paint occasionally on offense and defense, which was highly questionable since Syracuse clearly lacked a defender to cover him. The crowd was at its peak when Jackson blocked Rakeem Christmas from behind on a lay-up and the arena erupted. As the game approached its end, the Orange were dominating off of the dribble-drive offense and led by eleven with two minutes remaining. UC dropped the deficit to six with twenty-six seconds left and had the opportunity to make the game closer but Yancy Gates failed to grab a rebound after a missed Syracuse free throw. Syracuse ended up winning 60-53 as UC fans walked away downtrodden. Kris Joseph finished with 17 points and 6 rebounds for the Orange and Scoop Jardine has 13 and 6 assists. Cashmere Wright scored 17 (5-9 for three) and Gates had the only double-double with 16 and 10.

While Cincinnati blew a major opportunity to be tied for the lead in the Big East. The Bearcats look to be in good position to make the tournament and have shocked the basketball world with their wins on the road against ranked teams so far this season and no one can fault them for losing to one of the best teams in the country.

Full-Court Shot at the Buzzer

Even though North Carolina is leading their in-state rival NC State 72-49 and there has been no reason to watch the game because of the blowout, Wildcat guard Lorenzo Brown made a shot from behind his own free throw line at the buzzer for halftime. While the shot had absolutely no significane, I've never seen a longer shot made in college basketball.

                                                      Courtesy of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TygnoaW2hs

From the Press Box 1.16.12

5 Takeaways from the Weekend

1. The Packers affirmed what we learned from the '07 Patriots. It's not about being the best team during the regular season in the NFL, it's about being the best team at the end of the season. I would go so far as to say that the Giants are the best team in the league right now. They're playing and winning very similarly to when they won the Super Bowl, so I wouldn't be surprised if they make it back there again.

2.  There's this really good quarterback named Tom Brady. I don't know if many of you have heard about him because of the never-ending Tebow hype, but Brady was the real quarterback in Foxboro. I'm not anti-Tim Tebow. I admire his leadership as a young player, his religious faith, and ability to respond to adversity, but I think he has a limited future in the NFL. In case anyone forgot, this was his first full season in the league, which means that opposing teams had extremely little film to study and absolutely no experience with his play style. This game was over within the first ten minutes, 14-0. Brady tied the playoff record for most passing touchdowns in a game by halftime. If Bill Belichick had Brady go 100% in the second half, he could have doubled the record! Tebow got his playoff win over the Steelers at home, but that was against a banged up Ben Roethlisberger and a Pittsburgh defensive coaching staff that decided they wouldn't change their approach despite Tim Tebow's long pass completions.

The New England Patriots were in the bottom two defenses in the league during the regular season, so one would think that Tebow would have increased chances of putting up big numbers on Saturday. Well that was a whiff of a prediciton if there ever was one. 9-26, 136 yards with no touchdowns passing and five rushes for thirteen yards with his longest run being for fourteen yards.

3. The last four minutes of the 49'ers vs. Saints game may have been the most exciting four minutes ever of a football game. Luckily for me, I was only able to watch the last ten minutes of the game. I turned on the TV to San Francisco leading 20-17. It blows my mind how the teams were able to be sound defensively for most of the game and practically double the score in the final four possessions. Alex Smith matched Drew Brees throw for throw in the fourth quarter.

Guess what? Alex Smith is not a bust.

I know no one ever dreamt of speaking those words but stranger things have happened. Give the guy some credit. Seven offensive coordinators in the same number of years. All he needed was a good coach like Jim Harbaugh to put all of his eggs in the Alex Smith basket and give him the support he needed. If the 49'ers win, Smith is playing in the Super Bowl. Mark Sanchez has never done that. Joe Flacco has never done that. Philip Rivers has done that. Even if San Fran loses its next game, he will still get a multi-year contract and try to repeat this season's success in the future.

It's pretty incredible that New Orleans was able to stay competitive against such a good defense like San Francisco when they turned the ball over five times. Brees was still on the doorstep of 500 passing yards in the game but it's next to impossible to win on the road when the home team gets that many gifts. If the Saints can improve on defense while Brees is still in his prime, they can make another run at the Super Bowl.

4. I wouldn't want to face the Ravens' D. Ed Reed. Ray Lewis. Terrell Suggs. I don't know about you but typing those names is making me curl up in a ball in the corner of my room and hide under a blanket. Baltimore's defense is filled with big-time playmakers and heavy hitters that would make me not want to face them in the playoffs. Two fourth quarter interceptions, plus two forced fumbles on special teams. New England better hold onto the ball next weekend or at least score enough that turnovers don't matter.

5. As much as I like Indiana's basketball team, they are not the same team on the road. First with their loss last month on the road in East Lansing against then #17 Michigan State and then on Sunday at Ohio State. A 74-70 win at home is lightyears different from an 80-63 loss on the road. At a neutral court I would take, Ohio State by about ten. IU should be a three of four seed in the tournament unless they win the majority of their ranked opponents, in which case, they'll be a two seed. The Hoosiers are definitely a threat and I would favor them in most matchups, but I think the nation has gotten ahead of itself slightly on the Hoosiers bandwagon. We'll find out in March how good Tom Crean's squad really is and if the Assembly Hall Hoosiers can play the same way outside of their own arena.

From the Press Box 1.14.12

NFL Divisional Round of the Playoffs

San Francisco 49'ers vs. New Orleans Saints

The age-old question of what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object definitely applies to this matchup. A top five offense going on the road against a top five defense. Drew Brees takes his 5,000+ passing yards and dozen different receiving threats to San Fran against a Jim Harbaugh's physical defense. Good luck to whoever has to cover Jimmy Graham-the guy had more fouls than field goals while playing college basketball and Brees will surely target the tight end throughout the game assuming the Saints running game stalls.

Did I mention the 49'ers have only given up one rushing touchdown all season? My Calculus grade doesn't indicate that I'm a math expert, but that means that they played 15 games WITHOUT giving up a rushing TD. The Saints have a very underrated and unique three-pronged rushing attack but the 49'ers know how to stop opposing teams' ground games.
If you're similar to the middle school kids with ADD and short term memory loss, here are the two things to write down on your hand or forearm with your scented non-toxic purple marker (I'm personally a fan of writing on your forearm because it's less likely to get washed off and people in rough neighborhoods might mistake the writing as tattoos and be intimidated by you).

The Saints are not playing at the Superdome. It's as if the air is filled with krypton and Superman is at risk whenever he leaves his home. If the Saints played all of their game at home, they wouldn't lose more than one or two games each year. But considering the NFL is a fair league where the teams with the best records get home-field advantage in the playoffs, they have to leave the state of Louisiana after the first round. I can't explain but they're a different team when they leave the bayou.
The San Francisco 49'ers have much less playoff experience than the Saints. The 49'ers haven't played past Week 17 since 2002. That's before rookie coach Jim Harbaugh made a name for himself at Stanford. That's before Mike Singletary's fiery press conferences. That's before Alex Smith went #1 overall to the 49'ers. The Saints have had six playoff appearances in that time span, including a Super Bowl victory in the 2009-2010 season.

           San Francisco will have to keep the Saints under thirty points if they want to have any shot at winning and I can't see Alex Smith keeping up with Drew Brees offensively. Get your Mardi Gras beads, jazz music, and jumbalaya ready-Saints win 31-17.

New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos

                                                                                                                   

              Same song, just a different beat. The Broncos are a much better team a mile up in the air. Plus, playing at Foxborough is one of the worse locations because that means that they have to face the wrath of Tom "I wear Uggs but don't try making fun of me because I have a supermodel wife and three championship rings" Brady and Bill "My wardrobe consists of twelve different grey hoodies" Belichick.
Anyone who claims that Denver will win because of it's defense is either forgetting or blatantly ignoring who they're up against. The name's Brady, Tom Brady, Agent 0012. The Pats have exited the playoffs after their first game each of the past two seasons and they're definitely not going for the three-peat. Tim Tebow got his $250,000 from winning last game and the victory means that the county will get at least one more year of endless talk about him in in the media. However, he is without Eric Decker and will need more than a Hail Mary to win the game (pun intended).

The Fighting Tebow's lose 31-13.

 Jeff Fisher to the Rams

                   This is the kind of decision that makes fans question “experts” and analysts such as Adam Schefter. Now there’s no question that Schefter is good at what he does for ESPN and no bum off the street could just replace him and do the same quality of work. Miami seemed like the more favorable choice.

                   Why did the Big Three—I’m referring to the ones in Miami, not the ones in Boston, the Three Stooges, or the Three Musketeers—choose to land in Miami instead of Cleveland? 80˚ weather on a daily basis in the winter versus 20˚ weather, snow storms, and a terrible sports city.

                    Miami would have the upper hand in most comparisons between two cities. The Dolphins were 6-10 this year, which is by no means good but at least respectable compared to the St. Louis Rams’ record of 2-14. The Patriots’ days are numbered. Tom Brady has maybe four years of high-level performance but lacks excellent wide receivers, running backs, and defense. The New York Jets took a nose dive this season despite their claims to make it to the Super Bowl and whatever other ridiculous claims Rex Ryan made. The Bills started surprisingly well but in the end turned out to be the team everyone expected them to be. Miami could contend for the AFC East title by finding a quarterback to go along with Reggie Bush and Brandon Marshall, who both had 1,000 yard seasons, and improving their pass defense through the draft or free agency.

                  I understand Fisher, but I don’t necessarily agree with him. The Rams at least have a quarterback, Sam Bradford, to build around for the future, but it’s a quarterback who has faced lots of issues with injuries in the past few seasons. St. Louis also has the second overall pick, which they can use on essentially any position other than quarterback or running back and their team would benefit greatly. Or, they could always go the route of trading the pick for a combination of player(s) and picks to fill more of their holes. Although, in case he has lived under the rock for the past five months, I have a wake-up call for Jeff Fisher--the San Francisco 49’ers are really good. Alex Smith is still a relatively young player, Frank Gore is a monster out of the backfield, and don’t even bother trying to run against SF because you won’t get anywhere. The ‘Niners are going to dominate this division for the next five years at least and it will be difficult to build a team quickly that can dethrone them.

                    We’ll see how Fisher feels about the decision next year around Week 8 when the Rams are 2-6 or 3-5 and the temperature in St. Louis drops to half of that in Miami.

UNC Blown Out by FSU

                    North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams has never been embarrassed this badly before in his time at Chapel Hill.

                    90-57.

                    That’s more than just a bad shooting night. Florida State almost scored as many second half points as that Tar Heels did in the game.  Two Seminoles, Deividas Dulkys and Michael Snaer, dropped nearly as many as the #3 team in the country. Florida State shot well, nothing jaw-dropping at 48.4%. The biggest differences were free throws and three-pointers.

                      UNC: 9-20 and 4-21.

                     FSU: 18-24 and 12-27.

                   Good teams make free throws, it’s as simple as that. North Carolina was caught on a bad day on the road against Florida State, who played out of their minds. Most top ranked teams slip up at some point during the season and today just happened to be that day. Had the game been played at Chapel Hill, I don’t think the result would have been worthy of the #1 story on SportsCenter as it is now.

Miami Heat Three-Game Losing Streak

                   After starting 8-1 and managing to win a game in overtime without LeBron or D-Wade playing at all, the Miami Heat have dropped three straight games, two of which were in OT. However, the worst news of last night for Miami was Wade’s ankle injury that leaves him questionable for the upcoming games. With a shortened season, the Heat are 1/5 of the way done before the start of the playoffs. They are still second in the Southeast Conference and have one of the best records in the NBA so they have nothing to worry about. For now. As long as they can pull themselves together and turn things around they are still in great position to make a deep run in the playoffs. LeBron has been scoring like crazy this season and a likely frontrunner for MVP

 Fantasy Basketball

                 I’m in my first legitimate fantasy basketball league (the one for computer lab in junior high where you “reported” your own score and the girls drafted the players with funny foreign names doesn’t county) and the draft was last night. I wasn’t able to draft my team live and I was given the last pick of the first round sadly, but here’s my team:

Rajan Rondo
Pau Gasol
DJ Augustin
Al Horford
Marcus Thornton
Wesley Matthews
Landry Fields
Boris Diaw
Nick Young
Mario Chalmers
OJ Mayo
DeAndre Jordan