You think #12 had failed smile after this happened...
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
The Dog Days of Summer Are Here
I generally try to post my thoughts on a subject of two a couple of times a week. However, in the summer time, posting a couple of times a week might be pushing it. Basically, the Rangers are the only game in town currently playing and I'm a fringe baseball fan at best. So, keep checking back and I'll try to have something up here a couple times a week...even if it isn't sports related. Now, about the Rangers...
It's been a while since the Rangers were really worthy of any kind of discussion unless it is about their future. The Rangers have been compelling one season (2004) since 1999...and even then they missed the playoffs. The Rangers, in my mind, are to baseball what the New Orleans Saints are to football. Both have had minimal success, you pretty much can expect them to miss the playoffs year in and year out and, more than likely, neither one will win the championship in their respective sport. However, the Rangers are the only baseball team I've ever really followed, even when I didn't live in the Dallas area) so I count myself as a fan of theirs. This year though, something interesting is happening out at the Ballpark in Arlington.
This Rangers team is actually pretty decent. Through the first 23 games, the Rangers were 7-16. However, since then, Rangers have arguably been one of the best teams in the American league. They now have a record of 26-26 and are only 4 games back of the division leading Angels. The most interesting story of the season, so far, is the impact that newly acquired Josh Hamilton is having on the team.
Hamilton is showing why he was the 1st overall pick in the 1999 draft (by Tampa Bay). He already has 12 home runs, 53 RBIs and has a batting average of .333. If the season ended right now, Hamilton would be in serious contention for the AL MVP, that's how good he's been. But the most interesting thing about Hamilton his how he came to even play of the Rangers. Hamilton arrived in Texas via an off season trade with the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Edinson Volquez. Volquez was part was part of the threesome of minor league pitching prospects, which were untouchable a few years ago, known as DVD (John Danks, Edinson Volquez and Thomas Diamond). Currently, no player of DVD are on the Rangers roster (Danks and Volquez have been traded; Diamond flamed out and never produced).
Anyway, the interesting thing to me about the Hamilton-Volquez trade is that it was a great trade for BOTH teams. The Rangers got an outstanding talent in Josh Hamilton and the Reds got Volquez who currently has 76 strike outs and a 1.31 ERA. I don't remember when the last time the Rangers had a pitcher with an ERA below 2, much less 1.31. If the season ended right now, Volquez would be in serious contention for the NL Cy Young. So my question is, when is the last time a Cy Young winner was traded for an MVP? I know it's way too early to be talking about either of those but with the way Hamilton and Volquez are playing, it isn't out of the realm of possibility that both guys earn those respective honors.
I've watched several more Ranger games, to this point in the season, than I have in past several seasons and I really am enjoying them. I hope they can keep it up and keep the metroplex interested. If so, then the Dog Days of summer might not be so dogged. But it's early and the Rangers are still the Rangers so I have cautious optimism about their early success.
It's been a while since the Rangers were really worthy of any kind of discussion unless it is about their future. The Rangers have been compelling one season (2004) since 1999...and even then they missed the playoffs. The Rangers, in my mind, are to baseball what the New Orleans Saints are to football. Both have had minimal success, you pretty much can expect them to miss the playoffs year in and year out and, more than likely, neither one will win the championship in their respective sport. However, the Rangers are the only baseball team I've ever really followed, even when I didn't live in the Dallas area) so I count myself as a fan of theirs. This year though, something interesting is happening out at the Ballpark in Arlington.
This Rangers team is actually pretty decent. Through the first 23 games, the Rangers were 7-16. However, since then, Rangers have arguably been one of the best teams in the American league. They now have a record of 26-26 and are only 4 games back of the division leading Angels. The most interesting story of the season, so far, is the impact that newly acquired Josh Hamilton is having on the team.
Hamilton is showing why he was the 1st overall pick in the 1999 draft (by Tampa Bay). He already has 12 home runs, 53 RBIs and has a batting average of .333. If the season ended right now, Hamilton would be in serious contention for the AL MVP, that's how good he's been. But the most interesting thing about Hamilton his how he came to even play of the Rangers. Hamilton arrived in Texas via an off season trade with the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Edinson Volquez. Volquez was part was part of the threesome of minor league pitching prospects, which were untouchable a few years ago, known as DVD (John Danks, Edinson Volquez and Thomas Diamond). Currently, no player of DVD are on the Rangers roster (Danks and Volquez have been traded; Diamond flamed out and never produced).
Anyway, the interesting thing to me about the Hamilton-Volquez trade is that it was a great trade for BOTH teams. The Rangers got an outstanding talent in Josh Hamilton and the Reds got Volquez who currently has 76 strike outs and a 1.31 ERA. I don't remember when the last time the Rangers had a pitcher with an ERA below 2, much less 1.31. If the season ended right now, Volquez would be in serious contention for the NL Cy Young. So my question is, when is the last time a Cy Young winner was traded for an MVP? I know it's way too early to be talking about either of those but with the way Hamilton and Volquez are playing, it isn't out of the realm of possibility that both guys earn those respective honors.
I've watched several more Ranger games, to this point in the season, than I have in past several seasons and I really am enjoying them. I hope they can keep it up and keep the metroplex interested. If so, then the Dog Days of summer might not be so dogged. But it's early and the Rangers are still the Rangers so I have cautious optimism about their early success.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Stars Season Over
Well, as disappointing as it is, the Stars season ended tonight with a 4-1 loss to the Red Army. Dallas didn't seem like they were half the team they were in the previous 2 games. The Stars went down 3-0 in the first period and it was basically over. Detroit got another goal in the 2nd period, on a short handed score by Zetterberg. Only in the 3rd period did Dallas come out and play with the fire and aggressiveness that they had in games 4 and 5. The Stars notched their lone score on a power play goal by Robidas which gave a glimer of hope but that was about it.
Make no mistake, Detroit is the best team in the NHL. They are better than the Stars, this year, and will probably win the Stanley Cup. But it still is a little disappointing to see the Stars final game not really be competitive. Detroit controlled the game from stem to stern. Of course it didn't help matters that Dallas was only 1 of 8 on power play chances and gave up too many odd man rushes and the short handed goal that Brendan Morrow gift wrapped for Detroit.
However, I had a feeling Dallas would lose tonight and really even though I'm disappointed in the score tonight, I was proud of the Stars for not shrinking back into their shell and getting swept 4-0 by Detroit (like Colorado did...). It's been a fun post season and there is now hope that the team will return to the elite form they had back in late 90's and early 00's.
Congrats Stars on a great season and great post season. Now, everyone's attention is sqaurely on Tom Hicks' other sports franchise, the Rangers. Let's hope they can continue their stellar recent stellar play (they have won the last 7 series) and now revert back to the team they were in the first 25 games of the year.
Make no mistake, Detroit is the best team in the NHL. They are better than the Stars, this year, and will probably win the Stanley Cup. But it still is a little disappointing to see the Stars final game not really be competitive. Detroit controlled the game from stem to stern. Of course it didn't help matters that Dallas was only 1 of 8 on power play chances and gave up too many odd man rushes and the short handed goal that Brendan Morrow gift wrapped for Detroit.
However, I had a feeling Dallas would lose tonight and really even though I'm disappointed in the score tonight, I was proud of the Stars for not shrinking back into their shell and getting swept 4-0 by Detroit (like Colorado did...). It's been a fun post season and there is now hope that the team will return to the elite form they had back in late 90's and early 00's.
Congrats Stars on a great season and great post season. Now, everyone's attention is sqaurely on Tom Hicks' other sports franchise, the Rangers. Let's hope they can continue their stellar recent stellar play (they have won the last 7 series) and now revert back to the team they were in the first 25 games of the year.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Scatter Shooting
Well, I’ve been MIA due to tending to my ill wife for the past several days but I’m happy to say she fought through it and is on the mend and doing much better. Oh, and just for the record, I’m not quite sure how single parents work and raise a toddler…that’s tiring stuff! Over the past week, several things have happened that deserve mention. So, here are my thoughts on the happenings around where we live today, Sports…
A New Coach for the Mavs - Rick Carlisle
I’ve heard thoughts on Carlisle ranging from being an uninspired hire to a questionable hire to a good hire. Basically, I haven’t heard a consensus on if this is a good thing or not. My thought is that this is a good hire. Or let me put it this way…I don’t know of another available coach that would have been a better hire. According to Donnie Nelson, Carlisle has a balance of offense and defense, which is a good thing. The Mavs went from Don Nelson who was all about offense to Avery who was always preaching about defense, but neither one of those guys had a good balance of stressing both offense and defense. I think Carlisle can do that. I wasn’t onboard with Mike D’Antoni being brought in here for the reason I just said. D’Antoni, while being a solid coach, is all about offense which is why he never won a title, or even got to the Finals, in Phoenix (and why Dallas never did either under Nelson). Another trendy name being tossed around in the media is Marc Jackson. I wasn’t in favor of him either because he has no head coaching experience and with this current roster of veteran players, I don’t think the Mavs can wait through another rookie head coach learning the job on the fly as Avery did. They need someone who has some skins on the wall and knows the ins and outs of being a head coach in the NBA. Here are Carlisle’s skins as head coach:
-Detroit (2001-2003), Indiana (2003-2007); NBA coach of the year 2001-2002; Reached Eastern Conference finals with the Pistons in 2002, which wasn’t expected, and with the Pacers in 2003, where in his first year with the Pacers, he led the team to 61 wins.
So, Carlisle knows what he’s doing. Lets see if he can breathe some new life into a team that had gotten stale on offense and complacent (at best) on defense. I think he can and will.
Is This the Same Old Rangers? Or Are We Seeing Something New?
The only baseball team I’ve ever really followed on a consistent basis is the Rangers. And over the past few years, I’ve come to accept the fact that the Rangers may never have a championship team, much less a competitive one. On April 24th, the Rangers were 7-16. At that time they were leading the league in errors, had no timely hitting…just playing some horrible baseball There were many rumors in the media that Ron Washington’s job was in serious jeopardy and general apathy was really starting to set in…on April 24th! Less than a month into the season!
However, since then, they have turned things around 180 degrees. From April 25th through May 14th, they have won 6 consecutive series and now stand at 20-22. Let’s hope they continue this! Summer can be extremely long, hot and boring around here when the Rangers are the typical Rangers.
Stars Still Alive
Well, I predicted the Stars would take the Wings in 7, so my prediction is technically still alive. In all likelihood though, Dallas will probably be eliminated on Saturday afternoon and if not at that time, then in game 6. There is a glimmer of hope they can come back from the hole they dug themselves but realistically they probably won’t. Detroit is so good in every phase of the game…on the offensive side, on the defensive side, on the power play and killing penalties. They are a well oiled machine.
However, it is good to see that the Stars won at least one game. I know that is a small consolation but Colorado didn’t even do that against Detroit in the Western conference semi-finals. When you are playing a team as good as Detroit, moral victories are big and seeing as the playoff expectations for the Stars were “one and done”, just like they had done in the previous 3 playoff appearances, Dallas is playing with the casino’s money right now. I just hope they can continue this because it’s been really fun watching these games. But even if they get beat on Saturday, they have given this city some hope for next season and something to look forward to (because there probably won’t be very high expectations for the Mavs).
A New Coach for the Mavs - Rick Carlisle
I’ve heard thoughts on Carlisle ranging from being an uninspired hire to a questionable hire to a good hire. Basically, I haven’t heard a consensus on if this is a good thing or not. My thought is that this is a good hire. Or let me put it this way…I don’t know of another available coach that would have been a better hire. According to Donnie Nelson, Carlisle has a balance of offense and defense, which is a good thing. The Mavs went from Don Nelson who was all about offense to Avery who was always preaching about defense, but neither one of those guys had a good balance of stressing both offense and defense. I think Carlisle can do that. I wasn’t onboard with Mike D’Antoni being brought in here for the reason I just said. D’Antoni, while being a solid coach, is all about offense which is why he never won a title, or even got to the Finals, in Phoenix (and why Dallas never did either under Nelson). Another trendy name being tossed around in the media is Marc Jackson. I wasn’t in favor of him either because he has no head coaching experience and with this current roster of veteran players, I don’t think the Mavs can wait through another rookie head coach learning the job on the fly as Avery did. They need someone who has some skins on the wall and knows the ins and outs of being a head coach in the NBA. Here are Carlisle’s skins as head coach:
-Detroit (2001-2003), Indiana (2003-2007); NBA coach of the year 2001-2002; Reached Eastern Conference finals with the Pistons in 2002, which wasn’t expected, and with the Pacers in 2003, where in his first year with the Pacers, he led the team to 61 wins.
So, Carlisle knows what he’s doing. Lets see if he can breathe some new life into a team that had gotten stale on offense and complacent (at best) on defense. I think he can and will.
Is This the Same Old Rangers? Or Are We Seeing Something New?
The only baseball team I’ve ever really followed on a consistent basis is the Rangers. And over the past few years, I’ve come to accept the fact that the Rangers may never have a championship team, much less a competitive one. On April 24th, the Rangers were 7-16. At that time they were leading the league in errors, had no timely hitting…just playing some horrible baseball There were many rumors in the media that Ron Washington’s job was in serious jeopardy and general apathy was really starting to set in…on April 24th! Less than a month into the season!
However, since then, they have turned things around 180 degrees. From April 25th through May 14th, they have won 6 consecutive series and now stand at 20-22. Let’s hope they continue this! Summer can be extremely long, hot and boring around here when the Rangers are the typical Rangers.
Stars Still Alive
Well, I predicted the Stars would take the Wings in 7, so my prediction is technically still alive. In all likelihood though, Dallas will probably be eliminated on Saturday afternoon and if not at that time, then in game 6. There is a glimmer of hope they can come back from the hole they dug themselves but realistically they probably won’t. Detroit is so good in every phase of the game…on the offensive side, on the defensive side, on the power play and killing penalties. They are a well oiled machine.
However, it is good to see that the Stars won at least one game. I know that is a small consolation but Colorado didn’t even do that against Detroit in the Western conference semi-finals. When you are playing a team as good as Detroit, moral victories are big and seeing as the playoff expectations for the Stars were “one and done”, just like they had done in the previous 3 playoff appearances, Dallas is playing with the casino’s money right now. I just hope they can continue this because it’s been really fun watching these games. But even if they get beat on Saturday, they have given this city some hope for next season and something to look forward to (because there probably won’t be very high expectations for the Mavs).
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Stars vs. Red Wings
Well, the Stars get back to the Western conference finals tonight for the first time since 2000. And they have done something I greatly appreciate…make me forget about the Mavs flameout, for a little while at least. As I’ve said, I’m not the biggest hockey fan in the world. I’ll watch maybe a handful of games during the regular season. But watching the Stars in the playoffs the last month as been fun. The town, which is usually talking about the Mavs or looking forward to Cowboys training camp, seems to be zeroed in on the Stars which is kind of cool to see again. The last time this town was abuzz with this kind of enthusiasm for hockey was 2000 when Dallas lost in the finals to the New Jersey Devils. It hasn’t been the same since then…but then of course neither has the team.
Hockey used to be one of the ‘Big 4’ sports. You had football, basketball, baseball and hockey. However, in the last 3 to 4 years, NASCAR has really pushed hockey to the back burner, just a tick above professional soccer. The strike that cancelled the 2004-2005 season did a lot of damage to hockey and as a result, many of the fans the NHL once had, disappeared. The NHL is trying to get back to where they once were, as one of the major sports in this country, however it’s a slow process. The cities that have the tradition rich franchises like Detroit and New York will generally still have the die hard fans they always have. However, I’m sure the NHL is pleased about having a southern team back in the spotlight as a possible Stanley Cup winner, especially since Dallas is a top 5 media market, so their exposure will reach some of the ‘fringe’ fandom, like me.
The Stars have been an underdog the past 2 playoff series and are, again, an underdog to advance past Detroit and on to the finals. But playing the underdog role is something this team relishes in. Dallas opened up against division foe and defending Stanley Cup champion, the #4 seeded Anaheim Ducks, who Stars bested with in 6 games. Then they moved on against the #2 seeded San Jose Sharks, again a division foe, who were the trendy pick to win it all this year. The Stars, once again, won the series in 6 games. Now they move on to face the Red Army who is the #1 seed and probably the best team in the league. And while Dallas has faced the #2 and #4 seeds, Detroit has only faced the #7 and #8 seeds in Colorado and Nashville, respectively…so facing Dallas will be a step up in competition for Detroit.
However, under Dave Tippet, Dallas is 4-11-5 in the last 20 games against Detroit and Marty Turco is 2-10-5 and winless in Detroit. So, it looks like the deck is stacked against Dallas which I would agree with. But if any team is in the perfect position to defeat the Red Wings, Dallas is it. In order to do that, Dallas MUST exorcise their demons, erase that mystique Detroit has and win at least 1 of their first 2 games in Detroit. I think they can and I think they will.
My prediction: Dallas wins in 7 and moves on to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Hockey used to be one of the ‘Big 4’ sports. You had football, basketball, baseball and hockey. However, in the last 3 to 4 years, NASCAR has really pushed hockey to the back burner, just a tick above professional soccer. The strike that cancelled the 2004-2005 season did a lot of damage to hockey and as a result, many of the fans the NHL once had, disappeared. The NHL is trying to get back to where they once were, as one of the major sports in this country, however it’s a slow process. The cities that have the tradition rich franchises like Detroit and New York will generally still have the die hard fans they always have. However, I’m sure the NHL is pleased about having a southern team back in the spotlight as a possible Stanley Cup winner, especially since Dallas is a top 5 media market, so their exposure will reach some of the ‘fringe’ fandom, like me.
The Stars have been an underdog the past 2 playoff series and are, again, an underdog to advance past Detroit and on to the finals. But playing the underdog role is something this team relishes in. Dallas opened up against division foe and defending Stanley Cup champion, the #4 seeded Anaheim Ducks, who Stars bested with in 6 games. Then they moved on against the #2 seeded San Jose Sharks, again a division foe, who were the trendy pick to win it all this year. The Stars, once again, won the series in 6 games. Now they move on to face the Red Army who is the #1 seed and probably the best team in the league. And while Dallas has faced the #2 and #4 seeds, Detroit has only faced the #7 and #8 seeds in Colorado and Nashville, respectively…so facing Dallas will be a step up in competition for Detroit.
However, under Dave Tippet, Dallas is 4-11-5 in the last 20 games against Detroit and Marty Turco is 2-10-5 and winless in Detroit. So, it looks like the deck is stacked against Dallas which I would agree with. But if any team is in the perfect position to defeat the Red Wings, Dallas is it. In order to do that, Dallas MUST exorcise their demons, erase that mystique Detroit has and win at least 1 of their first 2 games in Detroit. I think they can and I think they will.
My prediction: Dallas wins in 7 and moves on to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Monday, May 5, 2008
One Heck of a Hockey Game
I've been really dragging around today. Why? Well, maybe it's because I stayed up until 1:30 last night watching the Stars and Sharks play a little more than 2 full games in one shot. Their game went the normal 3 periods and then went an extra 4 overtime periods. It started at 8:00 pm and ended about 1:30 am. I was happy when the game ended and I can tell you I won't have any problem going to sleep tonight that's for sure.
I'm not a die hard, life long hockey fan. In fact, I really didn't watch much of it before moving back to Dallas in 1999. That was the year that the Stars won the Stanley Cup and the entire town was in a frenzy over hockey. I usually don't watch much during the regular season though. Every once in a while I might turn on a game if Dallas is playing Colorado, Detroit, Anaheim or San Jose but probably won't watch it from stem to stern...I really don't have the motivation to watch the spare-to-fare middle of the season hockey game. And since hockey season and basketball season run concurrently, the Mavs get most of my attention during that time.
However, playoff hockey is something different. You can just tell that the intensity and speed are dialed up a notch and the deeper into the playoffs the more intense the teams get as well as the crowds. Hits like this, which happened in last night's game, are not uncommon in the playoffs:
Last night's game was game 6 and Dallas was leading 3 games to 2 in the series. All the Stars needed was one more victory and they would move on to the Western conference finals. They had actually gotten up on the Sharks 3 games to none but San Jose came back and won the next 2. As I mentioned above, the intensity in last night's game was through the roof and both teams were playing like their lives depended on the game. But the best thing about last night's game was the goal tending on both sides. Turco (for the Stars) and Nabokov (for the Sharks) were unflapable and neither one wanted to be the first to blink. Both teams were exhuasted both mentally and physically. In the end, it took 3 1/2 overtime periods for Brendan Morrow to deflect a centering pass past Nabokov for the game and series winning score.
It was fitting that Morrow got the game winner. Not only is he the captian but he was the difference maker in the series. In fact he had 2 goals that were reviewed and overturned in game 5. He has been the best player on the ice, not only for the Stars, but on both sides of the puck.
Dallas now faces the hated Detroit Red Wings which actually look like the old Soviet Union hockey team. The Red Wings which are a little like the Red Sox of hockey. They have a storied history in the NHL, have pretty big fan base across the country and are almost always at or near the top of the Western conference. And Dallas' goal tender, Marty Turco, doesn't have a great record against them either. So, this could be interesting. It all starts again on Thursday night. And hopefully I won't have to stay up until dawn watching it either.
I'm not a die hard, life long hockey fan. In fact, I really didn't watch much of it before moving back to Dallas in 1999. That was the year that the Stars won the Stanley Cup and the entire town was in a frenzy over hockey. I usually don't watch much during the regular season though. Every once in a while I might turn on a game if Dallas is playing Colorado, Detroit, Anaheim or San Jose but probably won't watch it from stem to stern...I really don't have the motivation to watch the spare-to-fare middle of the season hockey game. And since hockey season and basketball season run concurrently, the Mavs get most of my attention during that time.
However, playoff hockey is something different. You can just tell that the intensity and speed are dialed up a notch and the deeper into the playoffs the more intense the teams get as well as the crowds. Hits like this, which happened in last night's game, are not uncommon in the playoffs:
Last night's game was game 6 and Dallas was leading 3 games to 2 in the series. All the Stars needed was one more victory and they would move on to the Western conference finals. They had actually gotten up on the Sharks 3 games to none but San Jose came back and won the next 2. As I mentioned above, the intensity in last night's game was through the roof and both teams were playing like their lives depended on the game. But the best thing about last night's game was the goal tending on both sides. Turco (for the Stars) and Nabokov (for the Sharks) were unflapable and neither one wanted to be the first to blink. Both teams were exhuasted both mentally and physically. In the end, it took 3 1/2 overtime periods for Brendan Morrow to deflect a centering pass past Nabokov for the game and series winning score.
It was fitting that Morrow got the game winner. Not only is he the captian but he was the difference maker in the series. In fact he had 2 goals that were reviewed and overturned in game 5. He has been the best player on the ice, not only for the Stars, but on both sides of the puck.
Dallas now faces the hated Detroit Red Wings which actually look like the old Soviet Union hockey team. The Red Wings which are a little like the Red Sox of hockey. They have a storied history in the NHL, have pretty big fan base across the country and are almost always at or near the top of the Western conference. And Dallas' goal tender, Marty Turco, doesn't have a great record against them either. So, this could be interesting. It all starts again on Thursday night. And hopefully I won't have to stay up until dawn watching it either.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Some time ago, I reviewed SI’s NFL Preview edition they put out last fall before the season started. After seeing some of their predictions, I came to the realization that they may not necessarily be more of an “expert” than I am when forecasting the playoffs and Super Bowl champion. The other night, I picked up the NBA preview edition, dated 10/29, and looked at their predictions for this NBA season. Care to remember, or know, what they picked? I got a pretty good chuckle out of it, that’s for sure. SI’s rankings 1-15 for each conference are in ( ) and each team is listed in order of predicted finish for their respective division.
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
Boston Celtics (1)
New York Knicks (6)
Toronto Raptors (8)
New Jersey Nets (9)
Philadelphia 76ers (15)
Central Division
Detroit Pistons (2)
Chicago Bulls (3)
Cleveland Cavaliers (5)
Milwaukee Bucks (11)
Indiana Pacers (12)
Southeast Division
Miami Heat (4)
Washington Wizards (7)
Orlando Magic (10)
Atlanta Hawks (13)
Charlotte Bobcats (14)
Eastern Conference Finals
Pistons over Celtics
Western Conference
Northwest Division
Denver Nuggets (4)
Utah Jazz (6)
Portland Trailblazers (13)
Seattle Supersonics (14)
Minnesota Timberwolves (15)
Pacific Division
Phoenix Suns (3)
Golden State Warriors (7)
Los Angeles Lakers (9)
Los Angeles Clippers (10)
Sacramento Kings (12)
Southwest Division
Dallas Mavericks (1)
San Antonio Spurs (2)
Houston Rockets (5)
New Orleans Hornets (8)
Memphis Grizzlies (11)
Western Conference Finals
Mavericks over Spurs
NBA Finals
Mavericks over Pistons
So, if you weren’t taking SI’s preview editions with a grain of salt, I think you will now. Obviously the biggest chuckle came with regard to the Mavs. Not only does SI have them ranked #1 in the West but they had them winning the championship (they also had the Mavs winning the title in their midseason report as well, but I didn’t save that issue). What a joke. Other notable misses:
For the Eastern conference, SI had the Bulls, Heat, and Knicks ranked #3, #4 and #6 respectively. Miami ended up #15 (and the worst team in the league this year), Knicks ended up #14 and the Bulls ended up #11…all three missing the playoffs. SI also had Orlando #10 but at the end of the season was #3 in the East.
For the Western conference (other that the major miss on the Mavs), they had the Lakers missing the playoffs altogether (being #9) and New Orleans #8 when in reality the Lakers and Hornets finished #1 and #2 in the West respectively. The Suns and the Nuggets were also ranked #3 and #4 and each, just like the Mavs, ended their playoff runs with very little resistance as the Lakers swept the Nuggets 4-0 and the Spurs put away the Suns, in short order, 3-1.
Reading through the Mavs preseason scouting report (allegedly from an “opposing team’s scout), here are a few humorous nuggets:
“I see Josh Howard as a true star in the league that is going to keep improving”. Well, he was a star in the league until he regressed in his play and made some incredibly bad decisions in voluntarily calling up a local radio station to talk about his off season, recreational Mary Jane use AND organizing a birthday party for himself during the playoffs. Star no longer.
“Jerry Stackhouse has at least one more really good year in him.” Unfortunately not. His knees were too bad and his play rapidly declined as the year droned on.
“If Devean George is healthy this year, that could be another area of improvement.” Um, what? Devean George should not be associated with the phrase “area of improvement for the team.” Total waste of space and roster spot this year…as was Eddie Jones.
I’m not saying that SI is all wrong about their predictions as they usually hit on several of them. But as I said when looking at their NFL predictions, take them with a grain of salt and don’t get too pumped if they predict tremendous success for your team or too low if they predict minimal success.
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
Boston Celtics (1)
New York Knicks (6)
Toronto Raptors (8)
New Jersey Nets (9)
Philadelphia 76ers (15)
Central Division
Detroit Pistons (2)
Chicago Bulls (3)
Cleveland Cavaliers (5)
Milwaukee Bucks (11)
Indiana Pacers (12)
Southeast Division
Miami Heat (4)
Washington Wizards (7)
Orlando Magic (10)
Atlanta Hawks (13)
Charlotte Bobcats (14)
Eastern Conference Finals
Pistons over Celtics
Western Conference
Northwest Division
Denver Nuggets (4)
Utah Jazz (6)
Portland Trailblazers (13)
Seattle Supersonics (14)
Minnesota Timberwolves (15)
Pacific Division
Phoenix Suns (3)
Golden State Warriors (7)
Los Angeles Lakers (9)
Los Angeles Clippers (10)
Sacramento Kings (12)
Southwest Division
Dallas Mavericks (1)
San Antonio Spurs (2)
Houston Rockets (5)
New Orleans Hornets (8)
Memphis Grizzlies (11)
Western Conference Finals
Mavericks over Spurs
NBA Finals
Mavericks over Pistons
So, if you weren’t taking SI’s preview editions with a grain of salt, I think you will now. Obviously the biggest chuckle came with regard to the Mavs. Not only does SI have them ranked #1 in the West but they had them winning the championship (they also had the Mavs winning the title in their midseason report as well, but I didn’t save that issue). What a joke. Other notable misses:
For the Eastern conference, SI had the Bulls, Heat, and Knicks ranked #3, #4 and #6 respectively. Miami ended up #15 (and the worst team in the league this year), Knicks ended up #14 and the Bulls ended up #11…all three missing the playoffs. SI also had Orlando #10 but at the end of the season was #3 in the East.
For the Western conference (other that the major miss on the Mavs), they had the Lakers missing the playoffs altogether (being #9) and New Orleans #8 when in reality the Lakers and Hornets finished #1 and #2 in the West respectively. The Suns and the Nuggets were also ranked #3 and #4 and each, just like the Mavs, ended their playoff runs with very little resistance as the Lakers swept the Nuggets 4-0 and the Spurs put away the Suns, in short order, 3-1.
Reading through the Mavs preseason scouting report (allegedly from an “opposing team’s scout), here are a few humorous nuggets:
“I see Josh Howard as a true star in the league that is going to keep improving”. Well, he was a star in the league until he regressed in his play and made some incredibly bad decisions in voluntarily calling up a local radio station to talk about his off season, recreational Mary Jane use AND organizing a birthday party for himself during the playoffs. Star no longer.
“Jerry Stackhouse has at least one more really good year in him.” Unfortunately not. His knees were too bad and his play rapidly declined as the year droned on.
“If Devean George is healthy this year, that could be another area of improvement.” Um, what? Devean George should not be associated with the phrase “area of improvement for the team.” Total waste of space and roster spot this year…as was Eddie Jones.
I’m not saying that SI is all wrong about their predictions as they usually hit on several of them. But as I said when looking at their NFL predictions, take them with a grain of salt and don’t get too pumped if they predict tremendous success for your team or too low if they predict minimal success.
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