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NBA Playoffs- 2nd Round: Thunder vs. Lakers

May 14, 2012 By 2 Comments

Here is the 2nd round series that everyone is looking forward to because these teams don’t like each other and add the fact that towards the end of the season when they played Metta World Peace or I still call him Ron Artest elbowed James Harden after a dunk.

 

 

 

So that just added fuel to this series and it’s not like it needed it but I expect this to be a physical series and we could see alot of technical fouls down low between Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum against Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka. I still haven’t added the likes of Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook and 3-time scoring champion Kevin Durant to the mix. This will be a great series and it wouldn’t surprise me if this series goes the entire 7 games. We have the Thunder, who finished off the World Champions in 5 games and the Lakers was took to 7 games by a scrappy Nuggets team. So who will win it, could it be the young Oklahoma City Thunder team or the veteran Los Angeles Lakers. I believe when it’s all over the Thunder will win a physical series. Winner: Thunder in 7.

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NBA Playoffs- 2nd Round: Spurs vs. Clippers

May 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I guess the Spurs are well rested because they finished off the Jazz last Monday in a four game sweep and the Clippers won the series with the Grizzlies in 7 games. This will be the #1 seed versus the #4 seed matchup. We’ve heard since the start of the season that the San Antonio Spurs are too old and too slow but all they did was finish with the best record in the West. The on the other hand we have the young and athletic team that was on ESPN Sports Center top 10 every night. They’re known as “Lob City”, because Paul is always throwing lobs to either Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan. But can the stop Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, who are proven veterans and the Spurs as a team is a smart team, that doesn’t make alot of mental mistakes. This series will be a growing experience for the Clippers seeing they’re looked at as a team of the future, yeah I know it’s still hard saying saying great things about the Clippers who is lead by all-star point guard Chris Paul, whom they acquired from the Hornets via trade. There are a couple of good matchups in this series with Tony Parker vs. Chris Paul at the point guard position and Tim Duncan vs. Blake Griffin. Alot of people are not giving the Clippers a chance after going through a physical series before this and I think they could win a couple of games but they won’t have enough to beat the Spurs. Winner: Spurs in 6.

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2012 NBA Playoffs- 2nd Round: Celtics vs. 76ers

May 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

This is the other 2nd round matchup in the Eastern Conference. This is the 4 seed Boston Celtics versus the 8th seeded Philadelphia 76ers. The Celtics just finished off the Atlanta Hawks in 6 games and the 76ers beat the 1 seeded Bulls in 6 games also. That is the 5th time an 8 seed has beaten a 1 seed in playoffs history, but we can agree that the outcome would’ve been different if the current league MVP Derrick wouldn’t tore his ACL in the closing moments of the opening game. Now onto this series between 2 teams who have a history that goes back to the 80s when it was Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish against Moses Malone and Julius “Dr. J” Erving. Now today’s teams have a fast paced and younger squad led by Andre Iguodala and against the older, slower and more experience Celtics led by the “The Big Three”: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen with all world point guard Rajon Rando. It is crazy that the Celtics were called old, slow and should’ve been broke up during the season and there was talk of making trades before the deadline but here they are in the next round and I believe they’ll advance into the Eastern Conference Finals. Winner: The Celtics in 5 games.

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NBA Playoffs 2012- 2nd Round: Heat vs. Pacers

May 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Here is the first match-up in the 2nd round of the playoffs. This will be a 2 vs. 3 matchup, with the Heat finishing the Knicks off in 5 games and the Pacers finishing the Magic off in 5 games also. I know most likely the “experts” will think the Heat will cruise into the Eastern Conference Finals and it’s a possibility they may. Roy Hibbert will be a key in this series with his defensive presence because he’s a shot blocking machine, which could force the Heat to be a jump shooting team, unless they use Bosh to get him in foul trouble. Still the keys to this series is Dwayne Wade and MVP candidate LeBron James and how the Pacers are going to slow them down. Danny Granger and David West will need to come up HUGE if they have a chance to win this series. Darren Collison and Dahntey Jones can provide some good defense against Wade, because they’re great on the ball defenders but they will have to provide a spark on offense also and they need production from Paul George. For the Miami Heat, of course they’re going to need more than the Big 3 also, they have Mario Chalmers, Mike Miller and Shane Battier who can hit big shots. In the end, I believe the Heat will win the series but not as easy as most think. Winner: Heat in 5 games.

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Would You Reconsider Your Son Playing Football?

May 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

If you follow sports and specifically football you know about the news of Junior Seau committing suicide, by shooting himself in the chest, not before texting his ex-wife and kids saying “I Love You”. I’ve been watching football since I was around 7 or 8 years old, I also began collecting sports cards and he immediately was one of my all time favorites. I remember having his rookie cards and most of them after that, along with alot of other football players. Almost 2 years ago my best friend passed away and he was a big fan of his, to the point that he wore #55 on the football field.

The big issue here is the concussions having major issues to former players who were in the league. Recently we’ve had former Bears defensive star Dave Duerson also shooting himself in the chest also, but he sends a text telling his family to have his brain researched. Months later neurologists confirmed he suffered from a neurodegenerative disease linked to concussions. Symptoms can vary but according to Children’s Hospital Colorado Orthopedics Institute, there are some immediate signs including:

-A headache that gets worse, lasts for a long time or is severe

-Confusion, extreme sleepiness or trouble waking up

-Vomiting three or more times

-Weakness, numbness or troubled walking or talking

-A seizure or Convulsion (arms or legs shake uncontrollably)

-Any other sudden change in thinking or behavior

Not only we’ve had Junior Seau and Dave Duerson committing suicide linked to concussions they had in there NFL careers but 62-year-old former Atlanta Falcons safety Ray Easterling shot himself also. His wife said he developed symptoms of dementia after his football career. Easterling filed a federal lawsuit in Philly against the NFL in 2011 over its handling of concussion-related football injuries, claiming the league knowingly knew the injuries and the game were linked.

There have been several lawsuits being filed against the NFL by former players who are dealing with the rigors of these concussions after there playing careers are over. There are 1500 former players, who are filing lawsuits against the NFL, which they’ve been bunched together by the NFL and we’ll see the results of this action in the near future and hopefully it gives the ex-players not only the help they desperately need but also be compensated also.

Recently, Kurt Warner spoke out about not only, the fear of his own well-being but also hoping his kids choose not to play football. This is the Kurt Warner, who not only was targeted by the Saints bounty program but also received numerous concussions during his playing career.

Researchers in Colorado enacted new laws requiring athletic coaches to be trained in concussion awareness and prevention throughout the state. Estimates show that on average over 1,500 young athletes end up in Colorado emergency rooms as the result of concussions from sports injuries.

To all the parents, caregivers or whoever else. Would You Reconsider your child playing football? Not only, we’ve seen the long term affects of these concussions, but we have also seen how many young athletes end up in the hospital as a result of concussions. Now we know kids can get concussions from baseball, basketball and other sports. But most of the concussions are coming from the impact in football. I really don’t know what I would do but I’m happy my son chose basketball over football.

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WWE Extreme Rules 2012 Review

May 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

 

Here we go again, this month we have the Extreme Rules PPV from the WWE. The event takes place in Chicago, you know the place where the Money In the Bank PPV last year, great PPV also. This year I want to give a shoutout to the live Chicago crowd. To me, the crowd can make an event better than what it really is. The main event for the PPV is John Cena against the former UFC and 3 time WWE champion, Brock Lesnar, who’s wrestling his first match in over 8 years. Let’s get started.

 

 

The show starts off with Kane and Randy Orton, which is a rematch from there match at WrestleMania. But this was a falls count anywhere match. This was a real good brawl from these two, they actually have good chemistry with one another. They brawled in the crowd, where there were several pin attempts and they also went to the backstage area. While backstage, Zack Ryder got involved by attacking Kane but was fought off quickly until Orton made the save. They used pipes and chairs also and made there way back to the ring. Orton hit a big spot by hitting the suplex from the top rope but Kane kicked out. It was followed by Kane hitting a chokeslam for a nearfall also. The finish came when Kane went for a tombstone piledriver onto a chair but was reversed by Orton to an RKO for the pin. Winner: Randy Orton

Match Rating: 3.5/5- This was a really good opener and the crowd was definitely into the match.

Brodus Clay vs. Dolph Ziggler

This was an unannounced match and before I talk about the match, I just want to know what in the hell is up with them not pushing Ziggler, he deserves so much and should be fighting for a world title. Ziggler is so good that he made Clay look better that he has since his new gimmick, the way Ziggler sold made Clay look great. Clay picked up the win with the big splash. Winner: Brodus Clay

Match Rating: 1/5- I gave my reasons for this rating.

This also is a rematch from WrestleMania and these two have been feuding for around 2 months. Show won the Intercontinental title from Rhodes at WrestleMania and this match stipulation would be determined by the Roulette wheel. It was determined it was going to be a Tables Match. This match didn’t go too long and the finish came when Show was trying to get in the ring but was dropkicked by Rhodes and he stepped on a table and broke it. Winner and New Intercontinental Champion: Cody Rhodes

Match Rating: 1.5/5- Yes it was a cheap finish but, winning the title by Show at Wrestlemania gave him a moment and Rhodes winning the title back doesn’t hurt Show since it was fluke.

This was the match that we wanted to see at Wrestlemania between these two. I recommend you watch this match, it was great. The fans only enhanced this match also, the crowd loved it. Sheamus won the first match but after the restart Bryan turned up his offense and got the win with the Yes Lock, in which he passed out instead of tapping out. Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick for the 3rd and decisive win. Winner and Still World Heavyweight Champion: Sheamus

Match Rating: 4.5/5- This was a great match and match of the year candidate.

Ryback vs. 2 Jobbers

I don’t like having these matches on a PPV but I understand you’re basically letting a huge audience see him on a PPV. A loud “Goldberg” chant broke out. But I’ll be honest I’m sold on him, I just want to see him in a meaningful feud.

Match Rating: DUD

This is a rematch from Wrestlemania but this time it’s a Chicago Street Fight. This match was tremendous and they pulled out all the stops. To add fuel to the fire, C.M. Punk’s sister was ringside and she got involved by slapping Jericho and when Jericho went after her, Punk went crazy on him. But Jericho got the advantage back and even smashed a monitor onto the back of Punk. They used chairs, kendo sticks and whatever they can get there hands on including alcohol by Jericho. Big spot saw Punk hit a flying elbow drop on Jericho from the ring to the announcers table. The finish came when Punk hit Jericho’s head into the turnbuckle Jericho exposed earlier and then hit the GTS for the win. Great match. Winner and Still WWE Champion: C.M. Punk

Match Rating: 4.5/5- Another Match of the Year candidate.

This match was supposed to be between Beth Phoenix and Nikki Bella but due to the injury to Beth it was announced that Nikki would face a mystery diva. The crowd was chanting “We Want Kharma” and I was wanting her also. But the mystery diva turned out to be Layla who’s been out for almost a year with a torn ACL and MCL. She looked great in the return and showed alot of great offense. The Bellas tried the twin magic but it didn’t work as Layla hit the neckbreaker on Brie Bella to win the title. Winner and New Divas Champion: Layla

Match Rating: 1.5/5

Now to the main event, it had to follow 2 classics and another really good match and it lived up to the hype. The match started out with Brock taking  Cena down and hitting him with elbow strikes and forearm shots to bust Cena open. Then Cena got up and Cena was hit with a clothesline, the trainers checked on Cena. Cena tried to rush Lesnar but was took down again and Lesnar just beat the hell out of him. The entire match was Brock being dominant and then while Cena was outside, Brock was waiting on him then he bounced off the ropes and jumped off the steel steps in the ring to hit Cena but fell over the top in the process. I thought Lesnar injured his knee, as he was limping around until he stopped and started laughing. The finish came when Cea was trying to get in the ring s Brock was about to hit another flying elbow but Cena connected with a chain to the head of Lesnar and busted him open, which was followed by the Attitude Adjustment onto steel steps for the win. Afterwards Cena addressed the crowd. Winner: John Cena

Match Rating: 4/5- Wow. What a physical match. Props to both guys, I know Cena catches alot of flack for alot of things in that ring but he delivers and I can’t say enough about Lesnar’s performance after a 8 year hiatus.

Overall: 4/5- There were a couple of things I could’ve lived without on this PPV but when your top 3 matches are great and throw in the Randy Orton/Kane match, it made up for a great PPV. Best PPV of the year, so far.

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2012 NFL First Round Results

April 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

Okay the 1st Round of the 2012 NFL Draft is in the books and there were alot of trades and surprises throughout the round. I’m just going to go through every pick and rate them, as far as the pick and there needs. I’m not an expert, I’m just a huge fan.

 

1. Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

Grade: A- Well this was a no brainer seeing that all world QB Peyton Manning was released after missing the 2011 season with neck issues. The Colts released alot of there veterans and it seems they’re starting from scratch. So with that said, you need a franchise QB and I believe he’s the one. I don’t think he’s going to have a great year or maybe the second one either but neither did Peyton. But in the long run he’ll be a future pro bowler. He’s a great leader, has a strong arm and great composer.

2. Washington Redskins (from St. Louis) – Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

Grade: A- Well there starter is Rex Grossman, so of course I think he’s being brought in to be the starter and the Redskins have went out and signed more receivers for him prior to the draft. He has a big arm and very versatile, I believe he will succeed in D.C.

3. Cleveland Browns (from Minnesota) – Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

Grade: A- This pick could be the beginning of the turnaround of this franchise. They have a great defense already, Richardson will keep the ball in the offenses hands more with a ground and pound game. He’s not only quick, but he’s strong and can catch the ball out of the backfield.

4. Minnesota Vikings (from Cleveland) – Matt Kalil, OT, USC

Grade: A- Great pick for the Vikings, not only he can help 2nd year QB Christian Ponder but also help in the running game and Adrian Peterson when he returns from his knee injury. He could be there starting left tackle for the next 10 to 12 years.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Tampa Bay) – Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

Grade: A- I think this is a game changer right here. Blaine Gabbert didn’t really have anyone to throw to last year and this year not only, did they draft Blackmon but they signed free agent receiver Laurent Robinson in the offseason. Those 2 along with Lee Evans and Mike Thomas, they have a nice receiving core and put them with all world running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who is wanting a new contract. I believe the Jaguars are a team on the rise because they already have a top 10 defense.

6. Dallas Cowboys (from Washington via St. Louis) – Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

Grade: A- Seeing they’ve just signed Brandon Carr via free agency, the Cowboys have 2 lock down corners. This was great for them because they lost alot of leads last year because the secondary was being targeted, this will help.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from Jacksonville) – Mark Barron, S, Alabama

Grade: A- Can’t go wrong with getting the leader of the National Champion Alabama team. The Buccaneers have a lot of issues and Safety is one of them. Great pick.

8. Miami Dolphins – Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

Grade: C- Now alot of analyst were going crazy about this guy, maybe I’m wrong. I just think Matt Moore deserve the chance to be the guy. They also signed David Garrard and I just think Tannehill was a system QB. I could be wrong but I don’t think so.

9. Carolina Panthers – Luke Kuechly, MLB, Boston College

Grade: C- Now I’m not saying this is a bad pick but I was thinking they would draft Stephen Gilmore at CB from South Carolina since they’re in the  NFC South with QBs like Matt Ryan, Drew Brees and Josh Freeman. The division has some good receivers also. So I thought there first round pick would’ve been a CB or DT.

10. Buffalo Bills – Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

Grade: A- The Bills went downhill after a great start last year because they couldn’t get to the QB and couldn’t cover the WR. Well they signed free agent Mario Williams to get to the QB in the offseason & now drafting a lockdown CB.

11. Kansas City Chiefs – Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis

Grade: C- The key issue for the Chiefs were not able to protect the QB. I thought DeCastro, the Guard from Stanford would’ve been the perfect pick right here. Poe could be really good but I think he need to be coached a little more.

12. Philadelphia Eagles (from Seattle) – Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State

Grade: A- I’m not just saying this because I’m a Eagles fanatic or I like the pick but it was the right pick. He should help right away in the middle of the defensive line. Strong guy, great ability to lock up blockers and makes plays on the ball.

13. Arizona Cardinals – Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

Grade: A- I know Larry Fitzgerald is thinking, thank you finally. He’s needed someone to play on the other side of him since the departure of Anquan Boldin. He has great speed for his size and can be a threat underneath while Fitzgerald can still be the homerun guy.

14. St. Louis Rams (from Dallas) – Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

Grade: A- Great pick and was the No. 1 DT on some peoples draft board. Jeff Fisher is great at coaching up Defensive Tackle, remember Albert Haynesworth in Tennesse.

15. Seattle Seahawks (from Philadelphia) – Bruce Irvin, DE, West Virginia

Grade: F- Bad pick. Just a bad pick, so many other options they had or they could’ve traded out of the 1st round to get him, while picking up more picks.

16. New York Jets – Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

Grade: D- Maybe I’ll be wrong but his work ethic is a huge question and I believe that Courtney Upshaw from Alabama would’ve been the perfect pick for them.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland) – Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

Grade: B- I actually like Kirkpatrick but I thought they should’ve got a Offensvie lineman but maybe this could be a blessing is disguise.

18. San Diego Chargers – Melvin Ingram, OLB, South Carolina

Grade: B- They already have Jarrett Johnson, Shaun Philips and Antwan Barnes on the roster, so I don’t know exactly where he fits.

19. Chicago Bears – Shea McClellin, DE, Boise State

Grade: B- I don’t think this is a bad pick nor a great pick. I would’ve gone with Nick Perry but McClellin could benefit with the guys on the Bears team.

20. Tennessee Titans – Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

Grade: A- Great pick by the Titans, who will be a great help for the development of Jake Locker and a great No.2 receiver to Kenny Britt.

21. New England Patriots (from Cincinnati) – Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse

Grade: A- I for one, never question Bellichick and his decisions. I knew they would probably draft someone to get after the QB.

22. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta) – Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State

Grade: B- I know some of you are thinking, how did he get a B rating. He’s about to turn 29 and they have Colt McCoy, who is entering his 3rd year but I like both of them, Weeden is very accurate and can be an NFL QB for a good 10 years.

23. Detroit Lions – Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

Grade: A- Great pick, I believe he had top 10 talent also. He’ll eventually take over for Jeff Backus.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers – David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

Grade: A- I believe he should’ve been picked much higher and see him as a future pro-bowler, I believe this is the biggest steal of the first round.

25. New England Patriots (from Denver) – Dont’a Hightower, ILB, Alabama

Grade: A- If Pittsburgh got the steal of the draft, then the Patriots had the best first round along with the Buccaneers. They filled 2 huge needs in the first round. So they’re serious about making another run to the Super Bowl.

26. Houston Texans – Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois

Grade: B- Now Brooks Reed and Connor Barwin played well last year, so I don’t know why they went with this pick but he can help the team out immediately, just think they could’ve went in another direction.

27. Cincinnati Bengals (from New Orleans via New England) – Kevin Zeitler, OG, Wisconsin

Grade: B- The Bengals needed a Guard badly but I thought they should’ve stayed where they were and picked up DeCastro but maybe this could work out for them.

28. Green Bay Packers – Nick Perry, DE/OLB, USC

Grade: A- This was a great pick for the Packers, seeing he could’ve went much earlier. He’s great on the edges and will have an instant impact.

29. Minnesota Vikings (from Baltimore Ravens) – Harrison Smith, S, Notre Dame

Grade: B- He could start from day 1, he’ll fit in there cover 2 defense where he can sit back and be a ball-hawk.

30. San Francisco 49ers – A.J. Jenkins, WR, Illinois

Grade: D- I’m shocked by this pick, I mean if they wanted a WR there sat Alshon Jeffrey and Stephen Hill, which would’ve been alot better.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from New England, via Denver) – Doug Martin, RB, Boise State

Grade: A- I think Greg Schiano got a Ray Rice type back to go along with LaGarrette Blount for a physical ground game with Schiano did at Rutgers.

32. New York Giants – David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech

Grade: B- I thought they were going to draft TE Coby Fleener from Stanford but I understand getting another back to go along with Ahmad Bradshaw.

 

Here is my NFL Draft review, I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time.

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NBA Playoffs 2012 Preview

April 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

NBA fans, the time is here, yes you guessed it, it’s the playoffs. The NBA’s version of the Sweet 16, featuring 8 teams from the Eastern and the Western Conference. I’m going to try to predict the outcomes of these playoffs but I’m going to do it round by round instead of making the pick up to the NBA Finals and picking the eventual winner. I’m going to do posts after each round is over since they’ll all end in different times. So let’s get started and let’s see how I’ll do.

Eastern Conference

 

This is the No. 1 seeded Chicago Bulls against the eighth seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs. The Philadelphia 76ers started the season off fast and was in first place in the Atlantic Division for most of the year before being overtaken by the Boston Celtics, who won the division and the New York Knicks, who finished a game in front of the 76ers. The big question is, can Derrick Rose stay healthy? He’s missed more than a third of the shortened season with various injuries. I believe the Bulls supporting cast could still pull this off if Rose isn’t 100 percent. John Lucas has played well in his absence, along with the entire team. They have great guys down low with Noah, Boozer and Taj Gibson. Richard Hamilton will bring veteran leadership in these playoffs with Deng, Gibson and the rest of the team they’ll be fine. But this should be a good series because 76ers have a good team lead by Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand, along with Lou Williams coming off the bench I can see them getting maybe 1 or 2 wins but that’s all. Winner: Chicago Bulls in 5 games.

 

Now this is the 4-5 matchup between the 4th seeded Boston Celtics and the 5th seeded Atlanta Hawks. These two teams history go back to the days where Dominique Wilkins and Larry Bird were battling each other. Only a few seasons ago these 2 also had a competitive 7 game series that the Celtics won. This year, the big question is the health of Ray Allen, he’s battling a ankle injury and his status for the playoffs have yet to be determined. Even though the Celtics are the 4th seed, the Hawks have the home court advantage because they have the better record. Boston is lead by all world point guard Rajon Rando, who is a double-double machine and have 10 assists or more in 24 consecutive games. Rondo is assisted by some future Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, along with Ray Allen, as I stated he’s got an ankle injury. Now on the other hand the athletic Hawks come into this series coming off a huge win over the defending champion Dallas Mavericks. The athleticism of the Hawks could be an issue for the older Celtics, the Hawks are lead by Joe Johnson and Joe Smith. Al Horford, who has been missing most of the season wiht a torn pectoral has been ruled out for the series. In the end, I believe the Celtics veteran leadership will be the difference in the end and I see them winning the series. Winner: Boston in 7.

 

This is the 2 vs. 7 matchup and I believe it has the potential to be the best series in the East. This is a great matchup and it offers so many great matchups in the series. LeBron vs. Melo, Bosh vs. Chandler/Amare Stoudamire and the defense of Shumpert against Dwyane Wade. I really believe this series could go either 6 or 7 games and can go either way. The last month of the season Carmelo Anthony has been playing some of the best ball in the league. With the Miami Heat they have basically said this season is either championship or bust. In the end I believe the Heat pulls it out but if the Knicks were to pull off the upset I wouldn’t be surprised. Winner: Heat in 6.

 

For the final matchup in the East we have the 3 vs. 6 matchup between the Orlando Magic and the Indiana Pacers. I’m going to keep this short and sweet. Orlando is without Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu, 2 of there best players. So that tells me that Indiana wins this pretty convincingly. The Magic may win 1 game, if that. Winner: Pacers in 5.

 

 

 

 

Western Conference

 

This is the 1 vs. 8 seed out West, and look who is the #1 seed out West, it’s the San Antonio Spurs. Everyone called them old and past there primes but they came out during this shortened NBA season and played some of the best ball in the league. But Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are trying to bring another title to San Antonio. They meet up against a young and scrappy Utah Jazz team, who is lead by Al Jefferson. They have a speedy, veteran point guard in Devon Harris and Derrick Favors have been playing good also, then add Paul Millsap, the Jazz have a great frontline but I believe the guard play by the Spurs will help them win the series. Winner: Spurs in 5.

 

This is the 4 vs. 5 matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers, yes the Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies. For me, this is the best first round series out West between the 2 teams that can run with the best of them. The Los Angeles Clippers, who made a splash by trading for Chris Paul, have had a great season along with Blake Griffin. Then we have the Memphis Grizzlies, who made a great run last year, which ended in a game 7 loss in the conference semi-finals to the Thunder after upsetting the Spurs. This year they have a chance for that kind of run now they have Zach Randolph back healthy and this year they’ll have leading scorer Rudy Gay, who was hurt last year with a bad shoulder. I think this series could go 7 games and will provide some great basketball from these 2 young squads. Winner: Grizzlies in 7.

 

This is the 2 vs. 7 matchup. This also is a rematch of last year’s of the Western Conference finals, in which the Mavericks won to advance and win the championship. This year the Thunder seem to be more hungry and coming off a great season lead by the 3 time scoring champ and MVP candidate Kevin Durant and point guard Russell Westbrook. They also added veteran leadership in Derek Fisher, who was apart of 5 championships with the Lakers. This Dallas team is missing Tyson Chandler badly, who was there leader on defense and they play slow also. They added Vince Carter to help Dirk Nowitzki but he’s not the same player and this is probably the worse matchup the Mavericks could’ve had. I see the Thunder winning this series and moving on. Winner: Thunder in 5 or 6.

 

This is the 3 vs. 6 matchup. Kobe Bryant begin his run to try and get his 6th ring, which would tie him with Michael Jordan. The Lakers will be without Metta World Peace, okay Ron Artest unless this series goes 7 games for elbowing James Harden of the Thunder in the next to the last game of the regular season. The Denver Nuggets have an uphill battle because I don’t believe they matchup well up front against the Lakers, I think Andrew Bynum will present a problem against Javale McGee, then add Pau Gasol who have been playing well not only scoring but getting rebounds and dishing out assists. The Lakers will try to end this as soon as possible and try to get some rest. Winner: Lakers in the 4.

 

Okay here are my predictions for the 1st round of the NBA Playoffs, let me know what are some of your picks. I’ll be back whenever the first series is over. Enjoy.

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TNA Lockdown 2012 Review

April 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

Sorry for the delay, I’ve been really busy lately and doing a review takes up a little time. But enough of the excuses and let’s get straight to the review.

We started the PPV off with James Storm looking like he was headed to the event and saying he’s home since the event is held in Nashville, his hometown. Then we cut to a package talking about the history between James Storm and Bobby Roode.

Before the match we see Anderson, Styles, Garrett, Aries and RVD discussing who will go out first and it’s decided that Garrett goes and he’ll face Gunner to start the match off. Gunner got most of the offense in and then Bully Ray came out next, because competitors come out every 2 minutes. Austin Aries is out next and he goes after Bully Ray, let me say that Aries is one of the best in the world and one of my favorites. Next up is Kazarian for Team Eric, the 3 guys for Team Eric beat on Aries and Garrett until A.J. Styles comes out and unloaded on all members of Team Eric until he was stopped by Bully Ray. Out next is Daniels for Team Eric. Out next for Team Garrett was Mr. Anderson to even things up. The final 2 was Eric Bischoff and RVD. Styles, Daniels, Kazarian and RVD had some nice spots in the match, while Garrett was beat the hell out of in this match, seems like he’s being groomed to be a star, we’ll have to see. But Garrett got the pin on his father Eric Bischoff, which means he’s gone from the company. Winners: Team Garrett

Match Rating: 3/5, nice opener and alot of cool spots also.

 

The return of the Motor City Machine Guns is definitely a boost to the tag division, nice to have Chris Sabin back. These guys worked really hard and I must admit that I hated the crowd. They wasn’t into the match like I thought they should’ve been. Nice spot where Shelley decided to hit the Sliced Bread on Magnus instead of breaking up the choke from Joe forcing Joe to break it himself and stop the pin. Joe and Magnus won with Joe hitting the snap mare followed by Magnus hitting the elbow from the top. Winners and Still Tag Champs : Samoa Joe and Magnus

Match rating: 3/5

 

There is nothing I want to say about this match and this TV title is a worthless title. Winner and Still TV Champ: Devon

Match Rating: 1/5

 

It’s nice to see Gail Kim being a focal point of the Knockout’s Division, seeing how bad things were for her in the WWE. The match wasn’t nothing special, just not a fan of Velvet Sky. She did perform a nice powerbomb from the top rope on Kim. Gail Kim won with a roll up while holding the tights. Winner and Still Knockout Champ: Gail Kim

Match Rating: 2/5

 

Look let me start off by saying that Crimson has been in TNA over a year and I’m still not sold on him. As far as Morgan goes, I think he deserves better and should have been a world champion by now, especially when he was feuding with Kurt Angle a couple of years ago. These 2 held the tag titles together and feuded before winning those titles. Nothing to special happened in this match. Crimson won by escaping the cage. Winner: Crimson

Match Rating: 1.5/5

 

This for me, was the match of the night. There was a great concern from me seeing that Angle is dealing with alot of injuries that has kept him from the Olympics. There was great storytelling and great spots also. These 2 work great together and I have to mention those Swanton Bombs Hardy hit on Angle, he land flush on the sternum of Angle. The match would’ve been better if the crowd was better, yes crowds can make a really good into a great or classic match. The finish came when Hardy hit the Swanton Bomb on Angle from the top of the cage. That spot will go down as one of the best moments of the year.  Winner: Jeff Hardy

Match Rating: 4.5/5

 

Rosita & Sarita vs. Eric Young & ODB- Knockout Tag Titles

No comment for this stupid shit.Winners and Still Knockout Tag Champs: ODB & Eric Young

Rating: 0/5

 

Nice promo from Roode and then it lead to a nice video package before the match detailing there history. They started the match outside of the ring. They basically told a story of them not liking each other, very physical battle. The finish came when Storm super kicked Roode out of the ring and onto the floor. Winner and Still World Champion: Bobby Roode

Match Rating: 3.5/5

 

Overall PPV Rating: 2.5/5- I thought the Main Event, Hardy/Angle, Lethal Lockdown and Tag title matches saved this PPV from being a wreck.

Filed Under: Wrestling, Wrestling PPV Reviews Tagged With: ,

WrestleMania XXVIII Review

April 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

 

Okay, it’s that time of year again everyone, it’s WrestleMania. You know the greatest spectacle, well maybe not but I was actually excited about this year’s WrestleMania because of all the uncertainties and of course the 3 main events between Cena/Rock, the Taker/HHH/HBK saga and the Punk/Jericho match. Let’s get started.

 

Coming into this match I thought this could be one of the best matches of the night because not only, I’m a fan of both but these are 2 of the better wrestlers. Boy was I wrong on this front, after Bryan kissed his girlfriend A.J. he turned around to a Brogue Kick from Sheamus for the win in about 18 seconds. Now if you watched Raw maybe this could be a good thing for Bryan because it seems that Yes! is the new What! chant, whcih was made famous by Stone Cold Steve Austin, pretty good company. Winner and New World Heavyweight Champ: Sheamus

Match Rating: DUD

 

The feud is built on Kane not being himself after Orton beat him in a good match on Smackdown a few months back and he shook his hand afterwards. The match was alot of brawling back and forth from these 2. The finish came when Orton had Kane on the second rope, in what it seems like he may have been going for the RKO but Kane grabbed him by the throat and chokeslammed him from the second rope for the surprising win. Winner: Kane

Match Rating: 2.5/5

 

This feud started with Rhodes causing Big Show the World Championship and led to Rhodes mocking Big Show because of his bad history at WrestleMania. This match wasn’t anything special which is more because of the Big Show than Rhodes. Actually I’m hoping Rhodes get a world title run in the near future. Big Show picked up the win after spearing Rhodes after he attempted a second Beautiful Disaster, which led to the Knockout Punch. Winner and New Intercontinental Champion: Big Show

Match Rating: 2/5

 

Well I’m not going to recap what led to this match because they could’ve got a better divas match for WrestleMania, maybe have a Natalya/Beth Phoenix match would’ve been great. But the finish came when Maria and Kelly rammed Beth Phoenix into Eve and Maria rolled her up for the win. Winners: Maria Menounos and Kelly Kelly

Match Rating: 1/5

 

If you’re a wrestling fan I don’t need to tell you the history of these 3 guys involved in this match. This match had so much great storytelling and had some unbelievable spots by all 3 guys also. For me personally, I love storytelling more than just about anything in wrestling matches, also it’s been rumored that Undertaker requested Jim Ross call this match, which is definitely cool in my book. The match was so emotional and both men had there share of war wounds, check out HHH’s face and the back of the Undertaker. So many near falls when both men hit finishers to no avail. One of the best spots was after HBK gathered himself after being put in the Hell’s Gate by the Undertaker he gave the Undertaker Sweet Chin Music followed by the Pedigree from HHH for almost a 3 count. Chairs, the cage, the steel steps and the sledgehammer was used in this match. At the end the Undertaker was telling HHH to stay down but HHH did the DX crotch chop to Undertaker and then was hit with the sledgehammer and then finally the Tombstone piledriver for the win. After the match HBK and the Undertaker helped HHH up as a sign of respect and they helped them up the entrance ramp and they stood to the crowd as a sign of respect, really nice moment as this was billed as the “End of An Era” match. Winner and 20-0: The Undertaker

Match Rating: 4.5/5- Just wow, maybe a little better than the match last year and that says alot.

 

Next we had all the members of the 2012 Hall of Fame and this was a great class headlined by recently retired Edge, due to lingering neck issues. The other inductees were Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen, who I believed should’ve headlined and arguably the greatest group of all time. Also, we had Ron Simmons, the great Yokozuna, Mil Mascaras and Mike Tyson, congratulations to them all.

 

Before I get started I liked the build for this match but so many guys should be having singles matches that participated in this match. Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre, Dolph Ziggler, R-Truth, The Miz, Kofi Kingston, Zack Ryder and Mark Henry(he’s had a great year and carried Smackdown). Fast paced match and it was as fun as a 12-man tag match can be. The finish came when the Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale on Zack Ryder for the win. Afterwards Eve checked on Ryder but kicked him afterwards. Winner and Control of both Raw and Smackdown: Team Johnny

 Match Rating: 2.5/5

 

This match pits “The Best Wrestler In the World” C.M. Punk vs. “The Best At What He Does” Chris Jericho. This was a great match from the beginning to the end but they had to get the fans back into it because of the HHH/Taker match because the fans were into that match but they definitely got them back with alot of action. There were alot of counters and physical action but after more counters Punk got the win with the Anaconda Vice. Winner and Still Champion: C.M. Punk

Match Rating: 4.5/5- Great match and looking forward to this feud continuing.

 

This match was made the night after WrestleMania last year and the feud really heated up the last month. This is billed as “Once In A Lifetime” with these 2 all time greats. The Rock as you know has been doing his thing in Hollywood and haven’t wrestled a singles match in over 9 years. Let’s say that the crowd was crazy for this entire match, as a matter of fact the Miami crowd was great all night and the following night for Raw. Now I’m not one of those guys that dislike Cena but my big problem with him is that he doesn’t know how to sell nothing, which is a big part of matches. There were alot of nearfalls with the Cena hitting the Attitude Adjustment a few times for some nearfalls which got the crowd louder. The Rock hit the Rock Bottom for nearfalls also. The finish came when Cena was going to mock The Rock by doing the People’s Elbow but the Rock jumped up and hit the Rock Bottom for the win. Winner: The Rock

Match Rating: 4/5- The crowd made this match better and I honestly can’t believe The Rock was able to do what he did after all these years.

 

Overall- 3.5/5- I rated it a little higher because the top 3 matches more than lived up to expectations. Also, the crowd was great throughout the night. I really was looking forward to the Sheamus/Bryan match but made Bryan will come out a bigger star from it. I really liked the 2012 Hall of Fame class and it would be nice guys like Ziggler, Swagger, McIntyre, The Miz, Kofi, Zack Ryder and Cody Rhodes have a better role at Wrestlemania.

 

 

Filed Under: All Sports Talk, Wrestling, Wrestling PPV Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
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