Matchup of the Year: The New York Knicks at the Miami Heat

       Which NBA team is currently in first place of the Eastern Conference? No, not the New York Knicks or the Chicago Bulls. Actually, the Miami Heat are leading their conference with their 26-7 record. Ever heard of them? They're the only team with three All-Stars and were the runners-up in last year's NBA Finals. No one ever thought that the Heat would be under the radar, but Jeremy Lin's rise to stardom out of nowhere has turned the national spotlight to the Big Apple. The Knicks have won nine of their eleven games with Lin as a starter and the microscope has intensified with Carmelo Anthony's return to the lineup. With the media's attention turned away from LeBron James and the Heat, Miami has quietly won nine of their ten games since Linsanity took over the country.

Courtesy of http://reddogreport.com/2012/02/thursdays-news-81/jeremy-lin-knicks-kings-2-15-12/

       The Eastern Conference matchup is a statement game for both teams. The Miami Heat have the chance to give the Knicks their third loss in the Jeremy Lin Era and prove that they deserve the hype as the league's premier team. For the Knicks, tonight's game is their biggest game of the season and Jeremy Lin's greatest test as an NBA starter. New York needs to figure out its chemistry between Lin, Melo, and Amar'e Stoudemire.  
       The first quarter was evenly-played but the Miami Heat were always a basket ahead of the Knicks. Miami showed why it is a legitimate title contender-not just because of its offense, but because of its lockdown defense. The Heat forced eight turnovers, three of which were on Lin, including a Mario Chalmers strip in the open court, which he took for an uncontested dunk. Between LeBron, Joel Anthony, and Shane Battier, the Heat blocked five shots. New York outrebounded the Heat thirteen to five but shot poorly after grabbing the offensive boards. Miami had lots of fast break opportunities but missed a handful of easy layups. The Knicks took three charges from the Heat, in a quarter in which Miami committed seven total. The Knicks gradually cut the deficit to four by the end of the quarter after rotating bench players Steve Novak, who hit a big three, and Baron Davis.
       New York came out strong in the second quarter with a 12-4 run, including two more threes from Novak. Amar'e Stoudemire and Chris Bosh came out hot in the new quarter. Bosh hit a pair of baseline jumpers for the Heat while Amar'e had a monstrous block on D-Wade, followed up by a statement dunk after blowing past his defender. Lin committed his fourth turnover of the game when he was pickpocketed by Heat rookie Norris Cole. Miami got some big minutes from its key bench players. Cole gave Mario Chalmers a needed rest as well as Haslem and Battier played great defense in their limited minutes. The pace of the game increased as the game progressed and both teams stepped up their game on defense. Lin committed two more dunks that led to dunks by LeBron James and Dwayne Wade. Miami's transition offense was at its best and contributed to the Heat retaking the lead. The Heat went into halftime leading 51-47 after both teams hit big shots in the final ten seconds of the half.
       A few things stuck out to me in the first half:

• This is the first game where Jeremy Lin isn't bigger than the game itself. Tonight's matchup is a playoff environment against the Knicks' biggest Eastern Conference foe on the road. Lin has played against the Lakers and Mavericks but New York has to make it past Miami if the Knicks want to make a run to the NBA Finals. He has never faced a team with as much starpower as the Heat. Miami has made it its goal to shut Lin and the Knicks down. He is tightly pressured every time down the court and committed six turnovers in the first half with only two points and two assists.
• The Knicks were lucky to be down by only four points at halftime. New York turned the ball over fifteen times in the first half and Lin and Melo were a combined 4-15 from the floor. The Knicks can't survive a playoff series if they commit this many turnovers and their scorers go cold shooting.
• Both teams have bench players with defined roles that are crucial to their respective team's success. The Heat have a solid backup point guard in Norris Cole, a good shooter in Mike Miller, and two extremely hard workers who hustle up and down the court in Udonis Haslem and Shane Battier. On New York's bench, J.R. Smith provides another scoring option and Steve Novak is an incredible spot-up three-point shooter.

       In the third quarter, Melo started to heat up with six points to bring his game total to fifteen, but the Knicks were countered by Chris Bosh and D-Wade, who has nine and eight points respectively. Jeremy Lin continued his worst performance of the season by only scoring four points and dishing out one assist in the quarter. He had some success driving to the basket and drawing the foul, but only two of his eight points through three quarters were not from the free throw line. He was not getting good looks at the basket and was not setting up his teammates in positions for them to score. Shane Battier scored a quick three after coming into the game and the Heat shut down the Knicks offense as their lead grew to twelve points.    

Courtesy of http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/heat/for-miami-heats-dwyane-wade-and-lebron-james-1166040.html

       It's the end of the third quarter and Miami Heat are up 80-66. It's 9 o'clock and probably a good time to open my backpack to start tonight's homework. The Knicks could could go on a run in the fourth quarter but New York and Jeremy Lin haven't shown me that they can win a quarter on the road against the Heat. The outcome may have been different had the game been played at Madison Square Garden, but it is clear that Miami is a much better team. The Heat have too many great scoring options between LeBron, D-Wade, and Chris Bosh, not to mention the solid production off the bench from Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers. Their transition offense and defense are unrivaled. With the possible exception of the Oklahoma City Thunder, there is not a team as athletic as the Miami Heat. Currently, the Heat are the number one seed in the Eastern Conference and the New York Knicks are the seven seed. If these two teams were to play in te playoffs, Miami would win in four games in a five game series and five games in a seven game series. If the Knicks continue to improve their record and earn a higher seed, I think they have the capability to win one playoff series, but I can't see them beating Chicago or Miami in the postseason.

What If Wednesday: What if LeBron Does Not Win a Championship in His Career? Will He Still Be One of the Greatest Players Ever?

       This is the first article for a new series called "What If Wednesdays," where I create hypothetical scenarios and examine the results of them. I do not necessarily think that these events are going to happen or should happen, but it is always fun to make conjectures.

       Never before in the history of professional sports has a single player's offseason and free agency been as widely publicized and scrutinized as that of LeBron James prior to the 2010-2011 NBA season. LeBron showed all other athletes who will be in similar situations in the future why it is a bad idea to change teams and leave your previous team in the dark until the last minute. The goal of this article is not to rip on LeBron, so before anyone wants to jump on Cleveland's Anti-LeBron Bandwagon, keep in mind that the worst decision he made in his professional career resulted in him donating thousands of dollars to the Boys and Girls Club. LeBron James had every right to find a new team--he spent seven years in his home state of Ohio, completely revitalized the city of Cleveland, and even took the Cavs to the NBA Finals. LeBron was the Cleveland Cavaliers and the front office never put the proper pieces around him for them to win a title. There were a few nice players such as Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejao, and Mo Williams, but they lacked someone who could take over the game if LeBron was having an off night. When the Cavs won, all credit was given to LeBron. And when they lost, especially in the playoffs, most of the blame fell on James' shoulders. The Miami Heat gave LeBron to play with two close friends and NBA All-Stars on a nightly basis. LeBron James lived in northern Ohio for the first twenty-five years of his life and as the best basketball player in the world, he had the opportunity to go to any major city in the United States. All loyalties and allegiance aside, which city would you choose? Florida, seventy degree weather, sunshine, lots of different forms of entertainment or Cleveland, a city destined to never win a major championship in sports, and it's fifteen degrees with six inches of snow on the ground. Miami wins that battle every time. Plus, having Pat Riley in the front office never hurts either.

Courtesy of http://chasing23.com/revisiting-the-decision-lebron-james/

       After "The Decision" was over and LeBron had been criticized nationally, his jersey burned in Cleveland, and the Heat filled up the rest of the team's roster spots, the new Big Three (LeBron, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh) put a target the size of Texas on their backs by declaring that they were going to win eight championships, after they rose out of center court in a cloud of smoke. Of course they got caught up in the moment and were trying to get the fans in Miami excited for the star-studded roster, but winning that many championships is quite a bold prediction for someone who played in one in his previous seven years in the league.        
       Let me make it clear--I think LeBron James will win multiple NBA Titles in his career, with the first of which coming this season. The Heat have developed a good chemistry and he is arguable having the greatest season of all time with his averages of 27 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals per game for a 26-7 team. However, let's say LeBron continues to choke late in important playoff games, he suffers a major injury, or the Big Three's chemistry goes down the drain. The Miami Heat as we know it today split up and LeBron lands with a new team.

Courtesy of http://www.nowpublic.com/sports/lebron-james-miami-heat-introduction

       Even if LeBron James never wins a ring, he is guaranteed to be a Hall of Famer. However, there is an honor, that is in name only, which is even greater than the H.o.F. and that is the small, exclusive room within the Hall for the best of the best. Michael Jordan is there. So is Bill Russell. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, and Elgin Baylor are there. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal will be there once he retires. A common theme in this elite group is rings, and often multiple of them. Karl Malone never won a title but he is also second all time on the NBA's scoring list.
       LeBron James will go down in history as one of the greatest players of all time even if he does not win an NBA Championship. He consistently averages a near triple-double. Through eight and a half seasons in the NBA, James has scored over 18,000 points and is on pace to finish in the top ten, if not the top five of all time. The change in the Cleveland Cavaliers' record from 2009-2010 to 2010-2011 should speak enough to the impact LeBron James has as a player. 61-21 to 19-63. That's a forty-two game difference because one player left. I think LeBron will overcome his fourth quarter struggles at some point in his career which should get rid of the bad taste in some people's mouths after they say his name. While true success and historical recognition largely depend on the number of rings a player has, LeBron James is a superhuman athlete who can turn any team in the league into a 55+ game winner and legitimate contender. Plus, when you consider the rest of his recognitions-2 MVP's, R.O.Y., 8-time All-Star, NBA Scoring Champion, 5-time All-NBA First-Team, 3-time All-NBA Defensive Team-he seems a lock to join the Jordans, Russells, and Chamberlains of the Hall of Fame. If LeBron still has three or four or five more years in his prime and another seven or eight years in the league, he is going to retire with numbers that few people could match.

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

NBA Athlete to Watch for in 2012

            Whether you want to call this my MVP prediction, burning LeBron James' jersey metaphorically through my writing, or simply premature hype, here is my NBA player to keep an eye on in the New Year.

NBA-Kevin Durant

            KD 4 MVP. If Durant were to hold a contest for the most conceited license plate suggestion for him, I think this would be a strong contender. Nothing against Derrick Rose or LBJ/King James, and no I'm not referring to the 36th President of the United States or the British king who has translation of the Bible named after him, but 2012 is Durantula's year. The Bulls are my favorite team, but it will be much harder for D-Rose to stand out in a very competitive Eastern Conference with a three-way race between Chicago, the Miami Heat, and the New York Knicks. The 2010-11 MVP will have to compete with Melo, Amare Stoudemire, LeBron, and D-Wade to make the headlines. And this year, LeBron and the Heat aren't taking no for an answer. D-Wade will take credit and even a few MVP votes away from his teammate and the Miami Heat will be the premier team in the East, making it difficult for Rose to get the recognition he deserves.

Courtesy of http://sportstalkbyzach.com/no-love-for-kevin-durant-this-year/

            Watching Durant play his first four games of the season, it was obvious he had made serious improvements in the offseason and is ready to dethrone the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers as the kings of the West. He tied the record of most consecutive games of scoring 30+ points to start a season with four such performances. KD was shooting lights out from the field, with a .573 shooting percentage from the field in that span and while he won't be a league leader in three-pointers, he is shooting 50% on the season. Between his physical prowess and basketball skills, it's actually unfair to play against him. He stands on the court at 6'9" 235 lbs. as the NBA's second leading scorer behind LeBron. Similarly to LeBron James, he's the perfect storm of athleticism, size, and basketball talent that the only defenders who have a chance to shut him down are ones with that "Big Three" combination. Watching the Orlando Magic try to play defense against him in the season opener was laughable.
            Yeah, like Hedo Turkoglu, a below-average player in league when he's doing anything besides taking spot up threes, has any chance of stopping a player with nine fewer years of wear and tear on his body and led the NCAA scoring and rebounding five years ago. Give me a break. Durant scored thirty as he led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 97-89 victory, but he could have easily scored forty. One quick move was all it took for Turk to question if Durant slipped on an invisibility cloak in front of him or was posterizing one of his teammates behind him. KD could drive past Hedo at will, make his way into the paint to either score an easy bucket or draw a foul on Dwight Howard. Howard has won three Defensive Player of the Year awards but that still doesn't make a difference against Durant. While a center like Superman, may have the height to contest most of his shots, that leaves a gaping hole big enough for Charles Barkley and Shaq to cartwheel through in the lane, not to mention the mismatch that creates on the perimeter.
            Not only has KD's scoring improved, but his assists per game is above his career average and he has shown flashes of his college self, where he can pull in close to ten boards per game. In a shortened season where teams are forced to play 66 games in 120 days, young players and teams have the advantage. They can play on back-to-back-to-back nights and remain healthy while the same cannot be said confidently about teams like the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. The average age of an OKC player is 25.4 years old, making them one of the youngest teams in the league. Compared to the Lakers' 28.2, the Thunder's players are practically on the verge of needing car seats and binkies. With guys like Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Serge Ibaka, and Daequan Cook, Durant is surrounded by very talented, young players. Oklahoma City will not grow as weary as other teams in this fast-paced season and the best part for Durant is that even though Harden and Westbrook could be All-Stars and "the guy" on other teams, KD is respected as the go-to man and the Thunder's best player.
            This season's MVP Race will be a photo finish between Durant, LeBron, D-Rose, Melo, and a case could be made for Dwight Howard, but I think the KD is the current favorite. The Thunder have the advantage with a young team in a shortened season, making them favorites for the Western Conference Finals, which will only help Durant's case.

Philadelphia Eagles Have A Hurt Wing

            The "Dream Team" is quickly going down the drain. After last night's 31-14 loss to the Seattle Seahwaks, the Eagles have fallen to 4-8 and they show no signs of improvement. Vince Young had a pretty horrendous game, going 17-29 for 208 yards, one touchdown and four picks. One interception was due to a bobbled catch by wide receiver Riley Cooper, but the rest were simply horrible passes. Young's arm strength and accuracy were shaky. In the fourth quarter, when Philly was still in the game, the Eagles were driving down the field and Vince Young lobbed a screen pass to LeSean McCoy only to be intercepted by David Hawthorne for a pick six.

Courtesy of http://dailysop.com/2011/01/09/marshawn-lynch-breaks-8-tackles-on-67-yard-td/

            The star of the game was Marshawn Lynch, who rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns on twenty-two carries. His biggest play came at the start of the second quarter when he broke off a forty yard touchdown run. Part of me is wondering if the Eagles' defense thought they were playing two-hand touch football last night, because the could not tackle anyone on Seattle's offense which, shockingly, is what they are paid to do. The first score of the game came when the Seahawks were in the red zone and Lynch ran up the middle only to get stuffed by the crowded line. At least four Eagles defenders got their hands on him, but he kept on powering through and stormed into the endzone.
            I owe Tavaris Jackson an apology. As much as I ripped on him for turning the ball over and not being able to play at a high level, he had an excellent game last night. Jackson was 13-16 for 190 yards and a touchdown. If he can replicate that kind of performance the Seahawks have the potential to be at least an 8-8 or 9-7 sort of team. With an excellent running back in Marshawn Lynch, the pressure is taken off of Jackson, and he just has to make the throws on passing downs. A balanced, or even rushing-oriented offense allows him to make fewer throws and he won't be forced to make the offense go all on his own.

Courtesy of http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/

              To make things worse for Philadelphia, salt was poured in their wound when Nnamdi Asomugha was injured with a head and neck injury and did not return to the field. Once again, DeSean Jackson had an extremely quiet game with only 4 catches for 34 yards. His body language throughout the game showed that he had given up on the team, especially when he failed to make a block for LeSean McCoy on a screen pass down the sideline. His post-game interview showed even more of his frustration when he got upset with the reporters for asking about his interactions with his teammates on offense. With Michael Vick out, the Eagles need LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson to step up on offense and clearly Jackson is checked out for the rest of the year. Jackson has 43 receptions, 698 yards, and two receiving touchdowns this season, not nearly the expected numbers for an explosive player with Pro Bowl worthy talent. All he has been this season in Philadelphia is an under-producing, quitting, locker room distraction, so I wouldn't be surprised if the Eagles check the trade market or simply release him. The Eagles finish their season with games against the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins. My guess is that they will go 2-2, with the possibility of 1-3 in that stretch. If they want to finish this season on a high note, someone in the locker room has to step up. Whether it's Vince Young on offense or Trent Cole on defense, the team needs a strong leader to rally the players. Andy Reid doesn't deserve to get fired. Philadelphia would have a hard time finding a better replacement.
            The Eagles should be a lesson for the rest of the NFL, and all professional sports teams for that matter. Simply signing some of the most talented players does not automatically make you a championship contender. The Eagles are in a similar situation to the Miami Heat before Christmas last year, when they were still trying to figure out their rotations and team chemistry. Philadelphia probably needs a season or two to figure out their defensive schemes with all of their new talent and let team chemistry develop. And most of all, let the rest of the league and media deem you the "Dream Team," not one of your own players, or else the target will be on your back starting Week 1.