NBA Playoff Update

When I made my original picks for the playoffs over a month ago, I had no idea who would get hurt and what would change for teams throughout the playoffs. I would like to think I made some good picks though considering I picked all 8 first round series winners correctly, then unfortunately just two of the four second round series winners, but I did choose both of the conference finals winners correctly. Looking at the two series I incorrectly predicted, some slack should be given. For the Rockets-Clippers series, I predicted the Clippers to win and they were a 4th quarter meltdown in game 6 away from winning that series. They choked worse than almost any other team has in the history of the NBA playoffs. So yes I was wrong, but I was so close to being right. With the other series I predicted incorrectly, Hawks-Wizards, there should be an asterisk next to my pick. Since I picked before the series started, (and before the playoffs even began) I would never have known that the Wizards best player John Wall would get injured early in the series and miss a couple of games and then play a couple of games not near 100%. Before Wall's injury, the Wizards looked like they could have won that series and were playing much better basketball than the Hawks. However, injuries are a part of the game and unpredictable, so what can I do? All I know is if there were NBA playoff brackets like with the college basketball tournament I would be towards the top right now.

With the NBA Finals beginning next week, both my picks will be playing. The Golden State Warriors are seen as the favorites, especially since they have home court advantage. However, to doubt Lebron and the Cavaliers would be foolish after witnessing how dominant they have been. I have to stick with my original pick as well, which was the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Kevin Love injury definitely weakens their team and if Kyrie Irving is not able to play his A Game, the Cavs will probably end up losing. But I picked them to win it from the beginning and to change my pick now would be flip-flopping. Also with the news coming out today that Klay Thompson has a concussion, if he has to miss any time in the next series that would be a big blow to the Warriors and would possibly turn a lot of people to favoring the Cavaliers. It should be a close series, even though I believe each team will blow out the other for one or two games. Since I picked Cleveland to win, I will guess they win in 6 games, but who knows maybe they will win in 7. Or maybe they will not win at all. The Warriors have been dominant all season and whatever the outcome there is sure to be a great NBA Finals that has best of all a new NBA champion team, with many first time NBA champions.

Knowledge is Power

Home sweet home. That is exactly how it is for the Dodgers who are almost unbeatable at home this season. Last night didn't start out perfectly for the Dodgers as they allowed a home run to Giancarlo Stanton in the first inning that cleared the bleachers and was one of the farthest home runs in Dodger stadium history. The Dodgers also left five runners on base on in the first two innings. Then the offense started clicking as Howie Kendrick hit a solo homer to lead off the third inning, Andre Ethier led off the fourth inning with another solo homer and the Dodgers continued to clobber former Dodger Dan Haren and the Miami Marlins bullpen until they had scored 11 runs already in just a few innings. There is something about the way the Dodgers have been playing, specifically at home that makes it look like the Dodgers might not lose there again all season. On Monday, the Dodgers blew a lead in the ninth and were down to their last couple outs before Scott Van Slyke hit a three run walk off home run to win it for them. They have now won 10 straight series at home, a Los Angeles Dodgers record. The most surprising thing this year has been at both home and away for the Dodgers. The Dodgers lead the Major Leagues in home runs, something they have not done in a long time. With two of the top home run hitters in the league, Adrian Gonzalez and rookie Joc Pederson, as well as guys with some power in Van Slyke, Ethier, Justin Turner, Kendrick, Alex Guerrero and others, the Dodgers are proving to be a powerful team. Hitting coach Mark Mcgwire must be proud to see them hitting the ball so well. As long as the Dodgers continue showing off their power and being an unstoppable home team, they could clinch their division by August. They have already built up a 5 1/2 game lead in the division and it is constantly growing. Now if they could only be as dominate on the road...

Tuesday's Box Score

NBA All-Team Floppers of the Year

Now that the regular season is well over and the playoffs are already a few weeks in, it is time to name the top floppers of the NBA. These men have real potential when it comes to faking getting hit and they should all sleep well at night knowing once their basketball careers are finished, they have a real shot at making it big in Hollywood.

1st Team All-NBA Floppers

Corey Brewer-The King of Flops, leads the league in falling on the floor per minutes played

Manu Ginobili-It's a big reason he has had such a great career, flopping and defense win championships

Pau Gasol-Uses facial expressions better than anybody, the famous bird scream 

JJ Barea-Easy to get away with flops when you are smaller than everyone else around you

Lance Stephenson-Making all-first team despite rarely playing this season tells you how good of a flopper he is

2nd Team All-NBA Floppers

CJ Watson-He had to figure out some way to keep the Pacers in the playoff race this year

Glen Davis-Was almost casted in the movie 'The Blind Side' so shows how much acting potential he has

Marcin Gortat-Nicknamed the Polish Hammer, but acts more like the nail

PJ Hairston-Rookie of the year in flops, was only rookie fined for flopping this year

James Harden-Master at getting foul calls, but inside that beard is someone who knows how to flop

10 Current Thoughts of NBA Players

10. Tim Duncan-"I missed two weeks of playing bridge to lose in the first round?"
9. Chris Paul-"Thanks Blake for making me seem expendable."
8. James Harden-"Where's Kevin Durant when you need him?"
7. Steph Curry-"At least now I can say I've won as many MVPs as Kobe."
6. Anthony Davis-"I can't believe we were swept by a team led by a guy with less hair on his chest than I have on my eyebrow."
5. Blake Griffin-"You still think all I can do is dunk? Well yeah, that and get triple-doubles."
4. Dwight Howard-"At least I made it a lot farther than the Lakers did this year."
3. Lebron James-"Maybe Love is all you need. Is it too late to sign Ray Allen?"
2. Derrick Rose-"As long as I have all my limbs attached I will play hard."
1. Paul Pierce-"I don't even need to smack talk against the Hawks to make this easy."

A Chance for Revenge 15 Years Later

It was reported yesterday that the Milwaukee Brewers  fired their manager of the last four seasons, Ron Roenicke. Immediately afterwards they announced that Craig Counsell would be the new manager. And who is Counsell's first game as manager against; the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers arrive in Milwaukee for a four game series today as Counsell begins his Major League managerial career. He is definitely familiar with the organization since he was acquired by the Dodgers from the then Florida Marlins in June 1999. However, less than a year later, the Dodgers released Counsell before the 2000 season even began.
Even though he was outright released by the Dodgers, Counsell went on to play more than ten more seasons in the MLB. He even got his 1,000th career hit against the Dodgers. And now just over 15 years after being released by them his first game ever as manager is against them. The Brewers currently have the worst record in the MLB, but expectations are still high for them. His chance to prove he is a better manager than ballplayer as he has claimed to be starts tonight. It will tough though for his last place Brewers to win the series against the first place Dodgers, but it is a great opportunity to show off his skills from the get go. Unfortunately, having to face Clayton Kershaw in your first game as manager is not an easy task and Counsell would probably admit he would rather have his team face any other pitcher. But the era of Manager Craig Counsell has now begun and we will all see if the Brewers can turn it all around in this still young baseball season.

Dodgers Looked Awfully Familiar Last Night...

Starting a road trip after a day off, it looked like the Dodgers might come hungry to San Francisco as they faced the last place Giants last night. The fact that the Dodgers were on an eight game winning streak made their chances look good as well. Last night might have just been one game, but it surely did not look good for the Dodgers. Starting pitcher Brett Anderson got into trouble almost every inning he was in there, allowing Giants batters, who have not had great seasons so far, get clutch hits. Meanwhile, the Dodgers were getting runners on base early in the innings, but kept erasing them on double plays. Four double plays in the first six innings against starter Tim Lincecum made this game seem like it was taking place five years ago. The Dodgers were the opposite of clutch at the plate. The offense struggling to get anything going all night and ended up losing 6-2. The one reason for hope was that the Dodgers fought until the end and even ended up scoring a run in the ninth inning. In previous years, the Dodgers would have given up and gone 1-2-3 in the ninth and lose it. This may seem like a small point, but despite looking terrible all game last night, the Dodgers have a good chance of succeeding tonight, (especially with Clayton Kershaw on the mound), and the rest of the season. 

Some other notes on the Dodgers...

Adrian Gonzalez has 'slumped' in his last couple of games seeing his batting average drop over 100 points. Hopefully he finds his rhythm again especially since he hasn't homered in a while now..

Jimmy Rollins is not batting very well this season and even with good defense, the leadoff man has to have a higher batting average. 

Kershaw's era is almost at four and a half after his first three starts. Tonight's game will be a big test to see if he can reach anything close to the season he had last year. 

Juan Uribe has struggled so far at the plate, but Alex Guerrero has shined in his brief playing time. If this continues there is a good chance Guerrero takes over the starting job by midseason. 

Joc Pederson has done well so far and makes the Dodgers look good by starting him over Andre Ethier. Unless Ethier puts up some big numbers in the next couple of months, there is a very slim chance he is traded this season. 

2015 NBA Playoff Preview

Well it's that time of the year again, the time that seems to last almost half the year; the NBA playoffs. It took until the very last game of the regular season to determine the match-ups, but each series is finally set with many surprises and story lines.
Eastern Conference Series
1. Atlanta Hawks vs. 8. Brooklyn Nets-The Nets looked like they didn't want to make the playoffs, but in the weak eastern conference they still made it despite finishing six games under .500. The Hawks meanwhile dominated the east all season and easily won the conference with their four all-stars. With such a contrast between the two teams, the Hawks should easily win this series despite struggling over the last couple of weeks. Hawks in 5 (or 6).
2. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 7. Boston Celtics-Lebron took the Cavaliers from the lottery to the number two spot in his first year back in Cleveland. Meanwhile, the Celtics finished the season strong and made the playoffs to surprise everyone. The Cavaliers have been so dominant recently that no one is giving the Celtics a chance to even win a few games. It would be a surprise if the Celtics won even one game. Cavs are looking for a championship and this is the first step. Cavaliers in 4.
3. Chicago Bulls vs. 6. Milwaukee Bucks-The Bulls are back and might have a healthy lineup for the first time in a long time soon. Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose and Mike Dunleavy have all missed large chunks of the season, but with Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol can together take this team far. Meanwhile, the Bucks were the worst team in the league last year and Jason Kidd's first year as coach of the team has helped them improve vastly. However, the Bucks are still a .500 team and have no chance to beat the Bulls as long as they are even semi-healthy. Bulls in 5.
4. Toronto Raptors vs. 5. Washington Wizards-The Raptors had yet another franchise best season thanks to a well rounded team led by Kyle Lowry. Meanwhile, the Wizards have a very deep team full of veterans and young stars such as Paul Pierce, Nene, Marcin Gortat, and Bradley Beal, Otto Porter and John Wall. This will be the closest series in the east and might go down to the wire. The Wizards have a good chance of pulling off the mini-upset and winning this series thanks to their young stars. Wizards in 7.

Western Conference Series
1. Golden State Warriors vs. 8. New Orleans Pelicans-The Warriors have been the best team in the league all year long and have shown no sign of slowing down. The Pelicans barely made it into the playoffs, but when healthy have a very strong roster. Anthony Davis has proven to be one of the best players in the world, and has a nice supporting cast of Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday, Eric Gordon, Omer Asik, Ryan Anderson and so on. But against the splash brothers in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson does not leave the Pelicans with much of a chance. There will be some nice highlights in the series, but it will probably not go too deep. Warriors in 5.
2. Houston Rockets vs. 7. Dallas Mavericks-The Rockets went from the fifth seed to second seed on the last night of the season. Meanwhile the Mavericks have been soul searching all season even with the midseason acquisition of Rajon Rondo. The Rockets have Dwight Howard back, but lost Patrick Beverley for the season. James Harden will lead Houston the best he can, but it will tough against Dirk Nowitzki, Monte Ellis, and the Mavericks. Rockets in 7.
3. Los Angeles Clippers vs. 6. San Antonio Spurs-Who would believe that the last game of the season could cause a team to go from the second seed to the sixth seed? That happened to the Spurs and it is just the Clippers luck to have to play the defending champions in the first round of the playoffs. This is likely to be the closest series with the most story-lines. Will Chris Paul advance deep into the playoffs in his tenth season? Is Kawhi Leonard the best player on the Spurs? Will the Clippers bench hold up even with Jamal Crawford healthy? Is this the last of Tim Duncan in the NBA? All those to be answered in this amazing matchup that will likely have one team going very deep into the playoffs. Clippers in 7.
4. Portland Trail Blazers vs. 5. Memphis Grizzlies- The Trail Blazers are lucky to be division winners or else they would have ended up with the sixth seed. Both teams are going into the playoffs with injury problems. The Blazers lost Wesley Matthews for the season and have Nicolas Batum, Arron Afflalo, C.J. McCollum, and Chris Kaman hurt. The Grizzlies have played without Mike Conley and Tony Allen recently, but expect them back. Whoever is healthier will likely win this series, which looks like it will be Memphis. Home court will help them as well. Grizzlies in 6.

Based on the first round predictions here are my second round predictions, which will be updated if needed after the first round.
1. Golden State Warriors vs. 5. Memphis Grizzlies- Warriors will win this one but it will be a little harder.
2. Houston Rockets vs. 3. Los Angeles Clippers- Clippers will have an easier time in the second round despite being the road team. Clippers
1. Atlanta Hawks vs. 5. Washington Wizards-I really think Washington can defeat Atlanta and if Atlanta has a tough time in the first round, the Wizards will be the favorite in the second round.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 3. Chicago Bulls-After a easy first round the Cavs will be tested by the Bulls, but will still end up coming out on top. It will likely be a long series though. Cavaliers

1. Golden State Warriors vs. 3. Los Angeles Clippers-Warriors will get their rematch in the conference finals and have home court advantage this time which will put them over the top against the Clippers and help them reach the Finals. Warriors
2. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 5. Washington Wizards-The Wizards will have made it farther than expected, but they do not have enough to beat the Cavs. This series will be easier for Cleveland than the previous one, so they should win without too much difficulty.

1. Golden State Warriors vs. 2. Cleveland Cavaliers-This is the finals matchup most people are probably expecting at this point so it is a safe pick. However, can Lebron win another finals or will the Curry era in the NBA officially begin? I think it will be very close but the Cavaliers will win their first championship and Lebron will be even a more celebrated NBA legend.