NBA Trade Deadline Moves

Gerald Wallace will help make the Blazers serious contenders in the West.

Did your team make a last minute move in this week's past trade deadline? Check out below to view the following trades, and how they impacted the teams that were involved.

The first major trade was between the Thunder and the Celtics.

The Thunder shipped Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic to the Celtics for Nate Robinson and Kenrick Perkins. At first i thought this was a great trade for the Celtics, but then i realized that in the long run, the Thunder benefit more from this trade.

 Jeff Green was making a name for himself despite playing along Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Playing the power forward position on an undersized Thunder Team, Green was able to guard some of the best forwards in the league, but on the offensive end was averaging 15 points and six rebounds per game.

The reason why at first i thought the Celtics got the better end of the trade was simply because of stats. I thought Jeff Green was better then Kendrick Perkins, but then i did some research. Perkins not only was a fan favorite, but was a great teammate to the Celtics. Although his stats (seven points and eight rebounds) did not look so well matched up against Green's, it was the unwritten stats that stood out. Perkins was Dwight Howard's kryptonite in the post season the last few seasons, and that is not all. Perkins would usually guard the best big man on any team and usually shut them down, helping the Celtics have one of the best defensives in the league. Also Nate Robinson as a great touch to this trade because although he wasn't getting the minutes in Boston, Nate will be able to spot up more for shooting with Westbrook running the point. Nate is a natural shooter, and is great at it. Can't tell yet whether this was a great trade or not, still a lot to unfold.

The next major trade was between the Cavaliers and the Clippers. The Cavaliers sent Mo Williams and Jamario Moon for Baron Davis and a 1st round pick. I felt terrible for Baron Davis, that he would have to play on such a crappy team, but also i was happy that Mo Williams got out of Cleveland.

With the most rising talent in the NBA, the Clippers were just lacking a young point guard, and they found that in Williams. With Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Blake Griffin, and a healthy Chris Kaman, the Clippers form a very young and talented starting five that can win big in years to come.Williams also will be much more comfortable playing the role of the passer, with Gordon and Griffin. Since LeBron left, Williams had all the weight on his shoulders to lead the team, and was not able to handle it. Now with a supporting cast, Williams will be back to work.

Despite giving up Mo Williams, the Cavaliers also benefited from this draft. They got a nice veteran in Baron Davis to pick up where Williams left. Davis is a much more natural scorer and will help the Cavs win a few more games this season. In my opinion, the most important part of the deal was the first round pick. The Cavs have pretty much locked up the first overall pick in next year's draft, and with another top ten pick they can get two great young rookies. With Davis aging, and the rest of the team likely to be gone in a few years, the Cavs have a great way to rebuild. With the assumed first pick, the Cavs can draft a great guard in Kyrie Irving who can help run the new Cavs. Also with the projected seventh pick in the draft, the Cavs might take a look at big men John Henson or Enes Kantor, to complement Irving down low. In the end, both teams benefit from this trade.

The Charlotte Bobcats traded with the Portland Blazers, sending star Gerald Wallace to Portland for
Dante Cunningham, Sean Marks, Joel Przybilla, a 2011 first round pick, 2013 first round pick, and cash.

In my opinion the Blazers came out as huge winners of this trade. They got rid of a bunch of garbage and cap space, to make room for Gerald Wallace, one of the hardest working and underrated players in the league. Wallace will help the Blazers become one of the better teams in the West, having stars like Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, the injured Greg Oden, and Andre Miller. Also coming off the bench comes Nicholas Batum, Marcus Camby, and Wesley Matthews, all being great players.

The Bobcats did not get much in return, as Michael Jordan shows he is only good on the court. The Bobcats can likely kiss the playoffs goodbye this season, and do not have much talent looking into the future. Blazers are huge winners while Bobkitties are huge losers.


The rest of the trades were not as big as these three but still deserve mentioning.

The Hawks and the Wizards traded earlier in the week, where the Hawks sent Mike Bibby, Jordan Crawford, Maurice Evans, and a 2011 first round pick to D.C. for Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong.

This trade is not very important to either team, and in my opinion was not good for either of the two.

The Wizards gave away a great shooting guard in Hinrich and just gained a point guard to back up the future of this franchise and the NBA, and a bunch of scrubs. At least they got the first round pick (late first round).

The Hawks also did not receive what they needed. They gained Hinrich who is a great shooter, but the Hawks are already a great shooting team. They have Marvin Williams, Joe Johnson, and other shooters to play the wing. Also the Hawks lost a great veteran point guard in Mike Bibby, who has shown he knows how to win. The Hawks might start Hinrich at the point, but he is not nearly as good as Bibby when it comes to being a real point guard. A loss for both teams.

The Rockets were busy during the deadline busting out two trades, with the Suns and the Grizzlies.

In the trade with the Suns, the Rockets essentially swapped backup point guards with the Suns. I think the Suns got the much better end of this trade. The Suns received Aaron Brooks while the Rockets got Goran Dragic and a first round pick (projected lottery).

Brooks will backup Nash, but looking into the future, Brooks will take over the job in a few years. He will be able to learn from one of the greatest guards ever, and was quoted saying, " I'll wait in line, (Nash) is a legend, MVP, and Hall of Famer". Later he was quoted saying "I'm ready to go behind him and learn from him".

As for the Rockets, they lost one of their great young stars in Brooks and got back an iffy young guard in Dragic. Dragic hasn't been able to shine backing up Nash, but after i watched the Suns game live vs the Hawks this past week, i saw glimpse of him shine with Nash out. Also a first round pick is always good for a team looking to rebuild. In the end, the Suns got a great deal, and the Rockets potentially can get a good deal.

The other Rockets trade involved the Grizzlies, where the Rockets sent Shane Battier and in exchange got DeMarre Carroll, Hasheem Thabeet, and a future first round pick. I think this was another idiotic move by the Grizzlies front office, and a great move for the Rockets.

The Rockets get Carroll, a young athletic player, Thabeet, and a first round pick, just for an old vet who wasn't doing much. Thabeet got off to a late start with the Grizzlies, but with a injured and aging Yao Ming, Thabeet might be able to redeem himself in Houston. Also a first round pick from the Grizzlies is always a good one.

The Grizzlies got Shane Battier, a veteran who was expected to do lots in the NBA but has not. The Grizzlies probably signed Battier to be a veteran leader on the team to help out with young stars like Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley Jr, O.J. Mayo, and Zach Randolph. Mayo, who is currently serving a suspension, was expected to leave Memphis after some faults, but ended up staying.

As for other trades, obviously the Knicks landed Carmelo, while the Nets landed Deron Williams. Also the Cavs landed Luke Harangody and Semih Erden from the Celtics for a 2013 second round pick. Danny Ainge, the Celtics GM was very busy, also send Marquis Daniels to the Kings for a 2017 second round pick and some cash. The Bobcats and Thunder did some minor switches, swapping D.J. White and Mo Pete, for Nazr Mohammed. The Kings got Marcus Thornton and cash from the Hornets for Carl Landry, and the Warriors got Troy Murphy and a 2012 second round pick for Brendan Wright and Dan Gadzuric. The last and final trade of the deadline was the Raptors getting James Johnson from the Bulls for a first round pick.

Many teams were involved in trades during this year's deadline. Did your team make a move or no, and if they did was it a good one?

Jacques Lemaire And The Devils Trying To Make Late Playoff Push

Lemaire and the Devils have a eight game win streak and are catching ground, can they make the playoffs?

The New Jersey Devils, are historically a great NHL franchise, and in the last 10 years specifically have been one of the best. With stars like Ilya Kovalchuk, Patrik Elias, and Martin Brodeur, the Devils not only have great offense but great goaltending. The only change was a new coach. This season, after Kovy signed his famous contract with the Devils, I had the Devils 2nd in the East. You could read my NHL preview hear @ http://halloffamesportsblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/nhl-preview-for-2010-2011-season.html to see how well my predictions were. Definitely had some errors, but also some good calls.

So the Devils looked and sounded great going into this season. Then the first month of the season went by and everyone was shocked. The New Jersey Devils were way deep down in the standings,  had myriad injuries, and their top star, Ilya Kovalchuk was playing awful.

The Devils took a even bigger hit when their goalie Martin Brodeur got injured, and now backup Johan Hedberg had to fill in, many thought the Devils would now be even worse.

Going into the New Year, the Devils only had nine wins but had 27 losses (two in overtime). Then they decided to make a big change, and fire their coach, and bring back Jacques Lemaire, the coach who won the Stanley Cup with them.

Since then the Devils have been amazing. Backup Hedberg is playing like an all-star, Elias and Kovalchuk are starting to wake up, and Jacques Lemaire is doing a great job bringing back this team. The Devils are 16-2-2 in their last 20 games, and are currently riding a eight game win streak.

In those 20 games, Hebderg has been playing out of his mind, giving up more then two goals only three times. Even when the Devils fail to score like last night, Hedberg comes through. They do not even need Brodeur right now.

Although Jacques Lemaire says he will not be back next season, he and the Devils are feeling very confident in making the playoffs, especially with teams injury plagued and slumping. If the Devils get in i think they can even upset a top seed.

For the first time since the first month of the season, the Devils have cut the points down to single digits from the eighth seed in the East. Still with about 25 games left in the NHL, anything can happen and don't be surprised if the Devils pull this off.

Deron Williams Traded To Nets In Recent Blockbuster

Breaking News: Deron Williams traded to Nets

After the Nets failed to deliver Carmelo Anthony to New Jersey, and soon to be Brooklyn, the Nets didn't quite give in yet, and just traded for a superstar almost as good as Carmelo. That superstar is Jazz point guard, Deron Williams.

At the moment right now, the current deal is Deron Williams, for Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, and draft picks. The Golden State Warriors could be involved sending more draft picks to Utah, but as of now this is the trade.

Williams is a very special player, being one of six point guards to average at least 17 points and nine assists in their first six seasons. Other players on that list are Chris Paul, Tim Hardaway, and Magic Johnson.

Williams was getting a lot of criticism in Utah the past week after the Jazz head coach, Jerry Sloan resigned. Many Jazz fans were upset at the sudden resignation because Sloan is the longest tenured coach in the NBA and in all of the four major American sports leagues. Rumors are that Sloan retired after a feud with Williams, where Williams said at halftime, either I'm going or you are. Looks like they are both out of Utah now.

Williams is having his best season yet, with Al Jefferson replacing Carlos Boozer as the big man in Utah. Williams is averaging 21 points and almost 10 assists per game.

In comparison to Carmelo Anthony, the Nets really did not miss out on much. Anthony leads Williams in points and rebounds with 25.2 and 7.6 compared to Williams' 21.3 and 3.9. Williams leads Anthony in assists, steals, and field goal % with 9.7, 1.2, and .458 compared to Anthony's 2.8, .6, and .452.

With Brook Lopez at center, Deron Williams will have another big man to work with. As for this season, the Nets will not be making the playoffs, but since Williams has to stay under contract for at least another season, next year the Nets might be back in the playoffs.

Melo Finally Goes To New York After A Three Team Trade

Carmelo is Finally a Knick after a three team 13 player deal.

It's over, it's over, it's over. Carmelo is in New York.

In the late hours of February  21, 2011, the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks finally reached agreements on possibly the biggest trade of the year. In a three team, 13 player, and three pick pick deal, the Knicks would gain Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Renaldo Balkman, and Anthony Carter. The Nuggets would receive Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, and Danilo Gallinari, two second round picks, and a 2014 first round draft pick.

In a side deal in order to keep the Knicks under the Hard Cap, the Minnesota Timberwolves agreed to send Corey Brewer to New York, for Anthony Randolph, the expiring contract of Eddy Curry, and 3 million dollars.

In the end Carmelo gets what he wants. He goes to New York, he gets his extension, his wife gets publicity, and he gets to play ball with his friend, Amar'e Stoudemire. Earlier this month, talks were getting very heated, when New Jersey Nets owner, Mikhail Prokhorov announced that he would meet with Carmelo in Los Angeles, and that the trade was almost complete. Also earlier in the months, trade rumors with the Nets were saying a deal could have been done in 24 to 48 hours. Eventually, those deals would fall due to Carmelo not wanting to go to New Jersey, despite the teams move to Brooklyn in a few years.

So the Knicks lost six players, and gained six players. When they play their next game on Wednesday against the Bucks, the whole team will look very different. The projected starting lineup would be Billups at point guard, rookie Landry Fields at shooting guard, Melo at small forward, Amar'e at power forward, and Ronny Turiaf at Center. Coming off the bench for the Knicks would be Corey Brewer, Toney Douglas, and Kelenna Azubuike, who was injured earlier in the season and did not play much after that.

For the Nuggets, their projected lineup would be Felton at the point, J.R. Smith at shooting guard, Gallinari at small forward, the injury plagued Kenyon Martin at power forward, and the big Brazilian Nene at center. Wilson Chandler is likely to be the teams 6th man. The Nuggets are looking to transform Gallinari into a star and they feel he still has a lot of potential as a dominant shooter and scorer.

As i read on Twitter, one person wrote that " With J.R. Smith, Chris Anderson, Wilson Chandler, and Kenyon Martin, the Nuggets will lead the NBA in tattoes". That is true, but i am not sure the Nuggets will lead the NBA in anything else after losing 'Melo.

Many Knicks fans are being unappreciative of the current deal, and are saying the old GM Isiah Thomas created and finalized the trade.

To all my Knicks fans out there, be grateful.

You got what you wanted, and besides maybe Wade and LeBron, the Knicks form one of the best one two punches in the NBA. So you gave up half of your team including Felton and Gallinari who everyone loved, but for a superstar like Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks did not give up THAT much. They still got to keep Landry Fields, the rookie sensation who has been a hit in New York, and the Knicks still have many first round draft picks, which are much better then seconds.

Steve Lavin: Bringing Back St. Johns Basketball

St. John's basketball has been phenomenal this season under new coach, Steve Lavin.

St. John's basketball back in the day, was like Duke basketball, or The Chicago Bulls. After the departure of Ron Artest, and a couple of other stars, the team got worse and worse. In the Big East, they used to be one of the elite teams, but the last decade, they were the easy game in the schedule to help players rest for the big games. Now St. Johns is back, with a new coach, recruiting class, and will to survive in the NCAA's top basketball conference.

Steve Lavin is one of the greatest coaches in college hoops today, and this year i would give him the coach of the year award. He took over the Red Storm this season, after working with ESPN the last few years. Before ESPN, Lavin was coach of the UCLA Bruins and had a 145-78 record there. He led them to the tournament every year except his last, and made it to four sweet sixteens, and even a elite eight run.

Lavin is back to prove his skills, and is transforming St. John's back to a power basketball school. Lavin currently hast he St. Johns Red Storm in the top 25, with a 17-9 record. St. John's arguably have the toughest schedule or RPI, in the land. Over the season, they have already played nine top 25 schools, with one still to go. Also the Storm have defeated other tough opponents like West Virginia, Cincinnati, and Marquette.

The Red Storm started off the season pretty weak, and the odds looked like another crappy season. The Storm dropped the first game of the season, vs the Saint Mary Gaels. After the next five games which they won, they dropped two in a row. Later after another group of wins, the Storm would get themselves in another hole, dropping five of six games in a row.

After that final loss against #20 Georgetown, the Storm transformed into a hurricane, and upset #3 Duke, #9 UCONN, and most recently #4 Pittsburgh. With the only ranked team left on the schedule being Villanova, the Red Storm are in good shape going into the Big East Tournament, and even the great 68 team tournament.

The Red Storm play at the worlds most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, and have been excellent there this season. They have had 5 upset wins vs ranked teams in MSG.

St. John's top player this year is guard, Dwight Hardy. Hardy is a Senior out of the Bronx and is the key leader of this team. He is currently averaging 17.2 points per game, along with a steal, a few assists, and close to four rebounds. He has hit many clutch shots this season, and had a season high 32 points per game vs UCONN.

Many Bracketology experts have St. John's being a high single digit ranked team, like a eight or nine. Many analyst though, have St. John's being that team to upset a potential one, two, or three seed, since they have done it many times this season already.

St. John's basketball has definitely improved under Lavin, and it is good to see great New York City College Basketball being played in the garden.

Blake Griffin, Javale McGee Make The Dunk Contest Worth Watching This Year

Blake Griffin impresses in the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

After a disappointed and boring dunk contest last year, many people were hoping that this year the dunk contest would be one to remember. After performing classic dunks and new creative dunks, the contestants definitely made this year one to remember at the Staples Center.

After Atlanta beat out Los Angeles, Chicago, and Texas, Stephen Curry beat out, Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, and others, and after James Jones defeated Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and others, the real thrill of the night was about to begin; The 2011 NBA Dunk Contest.

This year's dunk contest had a lot of hype going into the event, with many fans buzzing about rookie sensation, Blake Griffin. The other contestants were Javale McGee of the Washington Wizards, Demar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors, and Serge Ibaka of the Oklahoma City Thunder. These other contestants did not get as much talk as the favorite Griffin, but definitely shined out there tonight. DeRozan actually replaced Brandon Jennings, of the Milwaukee Bucks, after Jennings was unable to compete due to injury.

The first round set the tone for the night, having some very interesting dunks, some never seen before. Demar DeRozan completed a stellar through the legs dunk, via a pass from the side off the hoop from a teammate. Ibaka then called out some assistant to wave NBA Africa flags, as he jumped from BEHIND the free throw line like Michael Jordan and Dr. J did in the past. JaVale McGee brought back memories of Dwight Howard with a raised basket, but did something like never before. McGee dunked a ball into each hoops, the second one off of an alley-oop off the backboard. Griffin finished off the round with a 360 degrees two hand slam.

In the second round, McGee dunked three balls into one hoop, being the first person in NBA history to do so. Griffin responded with a dunk similar to DeRozan in the second round. In Ibaka's dunk, he rescued a stuffed animal with his teeth while dunking, while on his turn and DeRozan got a 50 on a spectacular dunk, but it was not enough to advance. After Ibaka and DeRozan couldn't match the quality of Griffin and McGee according to the judges, they were eliminated.

So the finals were set, the heavy  favorite Blake Griffin, v.s. the so far exciting Javale McGee.

Griffin started the finals off with a powerful dunk, jumping high above the rim and sticking his arm in the hoop for a good 10 seconds. You could tell Griffin slammed it with authority after revealing a cut on his arm from the rim. McGee then had a clever dunk where he would do a reverse dunk, making sure not to hit his head on the basket. McGee slammed it backwards while still jumping the other way.

Griffin's final dunk would be a crowd pleaser.

Griffin brought out a brand new car and placed it under the basket. After listening to a choir preach "I Believe I Can Fly", Griffin leaped over the car and slammed home an alley-oop from Baron Davis, who was inside of the car. McGee could not come up with a dunk even close to that level and after fans voted, Griffin came away victorious as expected.

So although the events leading up to the Dunk Contest were nothing special or exciting, The NBA made up for it with a very spectacular show, the Dunk Contest. In the end rookie sensation Blake Griffin was crowned the king in his team's home city of Los Angeles.

As for the NBA All-Star game, it will be played tomorrow night. The East is lead by LeBron James, Derrick Rose, and Amar'e Stoudemire, while the West will be lead by Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and rookie Blake Griffin.

Lakers Stock Keeps Falling While Clippers Look Like Los Angeles' Team In Years To Come

Is the Laker Dynasty coming to an end?

As a Laker Fan,  i rarely lose hope in them, but after a 109-89 defeat to the Charlotte Bobcats, it will be very hard to see the Lakers repeat for a third time.

The Lakers failed to reach 90 points while they almost gave up 110, that never happens. The Lakers shooting last night was grotesque. They shot 80 times, while only making 35. They were 3-19 from behind the arc, which is unlike the Lakers with so many shooters. Kobe only had 20 points after going 8-2 from the field and Ron Artest's struggles continued shooting 4-11 last night.

Pao Gasol said it best, "Pretty upset about what happened out there."

Last night's loss to the Bobcats was the worst of the season, and maybe on some minds, the worst loss in the last three seasons. This wasn't a fluke though, the Lakers seem to have lost their will to win games, and don't have the chemistry, mindset, or attitude to win games. The Lakers have had a few bad losses this season including games against the Grizzlies and Bucks by 19.


What can the possible problem be with the Lakers though?

They have practically the same roster as last season, besides a few switches like DJ Mbenga, Jordan Farmar, and Sasha Vujacic all leaving while Matt Barnes and Steve Blake have joined the Lakers.

The Lakers have had this season against the NBA's "elite teams". Those teams include the Celtics, Heat, Spurs, Mavs, and Magic. The Lakers are 1-6 vs those teams. The Spurs look like the front runner to win the West this year and haven't even hit double digit losses. Manu is on top of his game and along with Time Duncan and Tony Parker, the Spurs might be able to get back on top of the West.

The Lakers worst feature though is age. They have one of the oldest team's in the NBA and only have one starter who is under 25 years old. Kobe, Pao, Fisher, and Odom are all over 30 years of age, and in five years the Lakers will not be Los Angeles', or California's team.

While the Lakers are not looking exciting, two young California teams are; the Golden State Warriors, and the Los Angeles Clippers. Although the records, (24-29 and 20-35 respectively) may not say much, the names Blake Griffin, Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, and Eric Gordon do. These young stars look to take over their teams, and in addition, Los Angeles, California, and the Western Conference. When the Lakers, Spurs, and Mavs all have their star players retire in years to come, these young stars will be in their prime and will definitely not look back.

The Golden State Warriors have the supporting cast to even make it to the playoffs this season, and with a weak Phoenix Suns team, and chaos in Denver, they very well might make it into the playoffs. The Warriors signed David Lee this season to get double doubles every night and that is exactly what he is doing averaging around 16 points and 10 rebounds per game. Ellis and Curry do the rest of the scoring while Dorrell Wright hits clutch threes too. With a whole 30 games left to play and only being five and a half games back, maybe the Warriors can sneak into the playoffs.

The Clippers as well have a young talented team made up of players like Blake Griffin, Al-Farouq Aminu, Randy Foye, and Eric Gordon, and also have veteran Baron Davis to help lead the team. Although nearly ten spots behind the eight place team, I believe the Clippers will be in the playoffs within the next three seasons.

The Lakers look to get back into rhythm and compete to win their third straight title. The whole team will have to step up in order to win the championship again. As for the Warriors and Clippers, although time is running out this season, in a few years, these teams may be the team to beat in the Western Conference, and even the whole NBA.

Rangers Snap Losing Streak!

Ryan Callahan helped snap the Rangers six game lose streak with three points on Sunday.

The New York Rangers, woeful losing streak has come to an end with a 5-3 victory over the injury plagued, Pittsburgh Penguins.

Though, early in the game, it looked like the Rangers' terrible streak would continue. The Penguins got out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first two minutes. That's when Rangers coach John Tortorella called a time-out to talk to his team, and make sure a seventh straight loss was not going to happen.

The Rangers responded quickly to the time-out, and scored nearly 30 seconds after it was called. A couple minutes later, it was a tied hockey game, when Ryan Callahan scored his first of two power play goals.

Both teams were playing with a lot of intensity, the Rangers were looking to snap a awful streak while the Penguins tried to not get into a slump like the Rangers, with injuries to stars Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby.

The Rangers started off the second period hot, and never looked back. They scored three goals that period, to the Penguins zero, and had no bad penalties. Vinny Prospal scored the go ahead goal, after receiving a great pass across the ice from Brandon Dubinsky. Marc-Andre Fleury went for the Dubinsky, and left the whole half the of the net open for Prospal. Following Prospal's goal were Ryan Callahan's second power play goal, and Artem Anisimov with a power play goal, the Rangers third of the day.

In the third period, the Penguins got a late goal, but it wasn't enough because the score would only be 5-3, and Henrik Lundqvist was not planning on letting up any more goals.

The Rangers currently rank seventh in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Carolina Panthers, and four points behind the Montreal Canadiens.

Although the Rangers have not won many games in their last ten, a simple Win and Loss can be misleading. 14 of their last 18 games have been decided by only one goal, and two others would have been one goal decisions if it weren't for empty nets.

Goalie Henrik Lundqvist was pulled for a few games during the losing streak, but I believe that the blame was not on Henk, but it was on the offense. In games decided by only one goal, the offense should be able to score and not rely all on the goaltender.

The Rangers offense has not been nearly as strong as it was early in the season. It is very ironic though, because with offensive threats like Marian Gaborik, Vinny Prospal, and Ryan Callahan back from injury, the offense should be better. Also the addition of Wojtek Wolski should help the Rangers put some pucks in the back of the net.

The Rangers have a tough schedule coming up, but they should be able to keep their position in the standings. The Rangers face the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, and then face their rivals, the Devils on Friday. They finish up the month with games vs the Flyers, Hurricanes, Capitals, and Lightning.

Packers Defeat the Steelers to Win the Super Bowl

Rodgers celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy

Last Sunday, the Green Bay Packers, defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25. Again, the Packers were able to overcome injuries and dropped balls and come out victorious. MVP honors went to quarterback Aaron Rodgers, after completing 24-39 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns.

The festivities began after Christina Aguilera miss sung the national anthem, and then Lea Michele of Glee correctly sang America, the Beautiful. Besides the 400 seats that were empty due to safety violations, the overly priced Cowboys Stadium was packed with fans, celebrities, and players of course.

The Packers got off to a great start, scoring on their second possession, and then on the next defensive possession, Nick Collins picked off Ben Roethlisberger for another touchdown making it 14-10. Jordy Nelson would have several dropped passes throughout the game but made up for it after ending with 140 receiving yards and a touchdown.

The Steelers would go on to kick a field goal, only to be countered by a 21 yard Greg Jennings touchdown from Rodgers. The Steelers would end the half on a touchdown though with only 39 seconds left, when Hines Ward caught a jump ball in the endzone for eight yards. Ward ended with seven catches for 78 yards, and one touchdown.

At halftime, the Black Eyed Peas performed an interesting show. It was the first time the halftime show was pop, since Janet Jackson's accident. The Black Eyed Peas rocked out to all their hits, and also had guest appearances by Slash of Guns N' Roses, and Usher. They all rocked sparkly outfits and had a great light show on the ground of the performance.

The Second Half went under way and the only score of the quarter was a Rashard Mendenhall touchdown. Mendenhall finished the game with 63 rushing yards, a touchdown, but also fumbled after a hard hit by Clay Matthews.

The fourth and final quarter was a thriller. Greg Jennings scored another touchdown to give the Packers a 28-17 lead. Soon after, Big Ben connected with Mike Wallace for a 25 yard touchdown and after the two-point conversion, it was a three point game. After failing on first and goal, the Packers decided to kick a field goal with two minutes left.

Big Ben then was ready to start a two minute run, to potentially win the Steelers the game. He wasn't on his best game though all night, including two costly interceptions. After a series of completions, Big Ben and the Steelers were at a tough situation: 4th and long. After a rush by the defense, Roethlisberger's pass was incomplete and the Packers, after a kneel, officially won the game.

The Packers Super Bowl run was one to remember. Going into the final week, they were not sure if they were going to the playoffs. In fact, a loss at Chicago, would have put the New York Giants in the playoffs. The Packers defeated the Eagles, Falcons, and Bears to finally make it to Dallas.

The Packers also overcame a lot to finally win a trophy, named after their famous coach. Injuries struck starting running back and tight end, Ryan Grant, and Jermichael Finley early in the season. Also during the Super Bowl, at least five players left the game with injuries, including last years defensive player of the year, Charles Woodson. Nonetheless, the Packers came out victorious.

Also, this marks the first time the Packers have made it to the Super Bowl and won, since that #4 guy was playing quarterback. What was his name again? Doesn't really matter because the Packers forgot all about him and have their mind set on Rodgers, who was one of the most dominant quarterbacks in the NFL this season.

The Steelers were also able to overcome obstacles. The first being Ben Roethlisberger's suspension. Ben was suspended after a incident involving a young lady at a club. The Steelers responded during his suspension and went 4-0 in those games thanks to Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch.

The other Steelers obstacle was the hatred that referees and commissioner Roger Goodell have for James Harrison and defense. Harrison was fined so many times, he contemplated retirement. The league ended up taking back some fines, and the Steelers picked up their mojo.

In then end, Titletown is home of the current champions of the NFL, the Green Bay Packers. Congrats to the Packers for overcoming some rough obstacles. They still have a young team and might be able to repeat, or return in a few years to the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl Preview

Superbowl 45 will be one to remember in Dallas.

Whether you call it the "Super Bowl", "Big Game", or "NFL Championship", the game that will kick off at 6:30 on February 6th, 2011 will be the biggest game of the season. The game features the winners of the NFC and AFC conferences. From the NFC, are the Green Bay Packers who had a 10-6 record this season, and are lead by Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews, and Charles Woodson. From the AFC are the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were 12-4 and winners of the AFC North. The Steelers will try to win their 3rd Super Bowl since '05 when they defeated the Seahawks. They are lead by Big Ben Roethlisberger, James Harrison, and reigning defensive player of the year, Troy Polamalu.

The hype up to the game has been absolutely incredible. Some of the headlining news were Dallas' surprising cold weather, the Terrible Towel's vs the Cheesehead's, and of course the rapping battle between Wiz Khalifa's "Black and Yellow" vs Lil Wayne's "Green and Yellow".

I do think the Green Bay Packers, will be victorious in this one and win 27-24, here is a preview of why both teams can win, starting with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Although the Packers are favored, the Steelers have a great chance of adding to their #1 place Super Bowl collection. They have the will power, determination, experience, and athleticism to do so. The Offense is one of the NFL's best and is lead by Big Ben, Rashard Mendenhall, and the 60 minute man, Mike Wallace. Even though their all pro center Maurkice Pouncey is doubtful to play, the Offensive line is good enough to stop the Packers.

The Steelers Defense is one of the best All time.

The Steelers also have the best Defense in the NFL. The front three are lead by Casey Hampton, Brett Keisel, and Ziggy Hood. Then the best four linebackers pair in the league is lead by past NFL defensive player of the year, James Harrison, Veterans James Farrior, and Lawrence Timmons, and the ferocious Lamar Woodley. The back four is also one of the NFL's best and is lead by Polamalu, Ryan Clark, Ike Taylor, and Bryant McFadden. Rodgers is one of the greatest QB's in the league but this Defense is incredible.

Also the Steelers have one of the best fan sections in the NFL. Yes the game is being played indoors but many fans will migrate to Dallas despite the weather. Look for the terrible towels to be swirling indoors.
The Steelers also have the experience to win it all again this year. One last thing that might push the Steelers to win it all is that many experts have the Packers winning, and the Steelers feel, that they should be the favorites.

Now for the Packers:

The first fact that will persuade many people to pick the Packers is because of the Madden Simulation, that has predicted six of the last seven winners.  Just kidding, but you should still have that in mind. Also the Packers are favorites and will use that momentum to get their first Super Bowl since that #4 guy was playing QB.

Can Rodgers help the Packers forget about #4, and win
the Super Bowl?

The Packers have a much better offense then the Steelers

If you go position by position, they win in every category in my opinion, except running back. Still the running backs for Green Bay still get the job done, and with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, he makes you forget there even is a run game. Rodgers is better then Big Ben, despite the lack of experience. The Wide Receiving core of Driver, Jennings, and Nelson is also better then Mike Wallace and Co. despite injuries to Finley and Grant, the Packers still have a better offense! Also the Offensive line is much better especially with Pouncey out for Pittsburgh. The game changer is unexpected, the Kuhn, Starks, Jackson trio will help out Green Bay balance the offense.

Time for the hard hitting defense. The Packer's Defense might even make some forget about the Steelers. They have a great front seven, as well as some great secondaries. They are lead up front by B.J. Raji, runner up to defense player of the year Clay Matthews, Ryan Pickett, and AJ Hawk. In the backfield they have last years defensive player of the year, Charles Woodson, and in addition, they have Nick Collins, Sam Shields and Tramon Williams.

Both teams special teams are good, but one thing the Steelers have on the Packers, are trick plays. In past Super Bowkls, Wide Receiver, Antwaan Randle El has gotten action at QB.

So whether you have the Towels or the Cheeseheads, this Super Bowl might be one to remember. I wish both teams good luck, but remember i have the Packers, 27-24

The Great Debate: Should Fans Vote for All-Stars?

Yao will be starting at Center, although he will be spending the whole game on the bench.

   Whether it is the NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB or any other major league sports league or association, they all have an event where the best players in the league compete in one game. Many people look forward to these games because none of the scrubs are involved, and secondly, they like to watch how their favorite player, plays along with other great players in the league. Also, when looking back at retired athletes, some are remembered for how many years they were an all-star. For example, MJ was a 14 time all-star.

     Back in the day, all-star games used to be very exciting. There were many rivalries in all leagues, be it the National League vs American League in baseball, or North America vs the World in Hockey. Or the East vs West in the NBA or even the NFC vs the AFC in Football, either way, you got to see players who are usually division rivals play together to defeat players from the other conference, or in the NHL's case, hemisphere.

     Today, all-star games are becoming a joke, and everyone is starting to catch on, it's all about the money. Well if the quality of the games get any lower, fans will stop attending these fun games. Here is the main problem: The Fans

     Call me crazy but i think certain fans are ruining with some of the greatest traditions in sports. Today with the technology we have with texting, and the internet fans are allowed to vote in any player they want to participate in these games. That means if all of the Nashville Predator fans all decide to vote for Wade Belak, he would have a chance of making the all-star team. That is complete BS because he has 0 points this season but because of the fan voting. So when we compare Gordie Howe's 23 all-star appearances, his name will be up with Wade Belak the 0 point wonder who got voted in by fans.

     In the most recent all-star drama, Yao Ming is set to be the starting Center for the West in the NBA all-star game coming up in a few months. The problem is Yao, once again is out for the entire season with leg issues, this time the ankle. Yao though, got voted in thanks to the large Chineese population, that is more than three times larger then the US. To make it even easier for them, they only have one player to vote for!

    Because of Yao's all-star voting, Commissioner David Stern will have to select a player he thinks deserves the chance to play in the all-star game. Also, in this day and age, there is way to much talent, to get spoiled over by fan voting.

     The next reason i think the all-star games have been subpar in the last few years is because of the players.

    I understand it's fun to watch the players be themselves and show some character after MOST of them are somewhat serious during the regular season. Still, i think these players should still give it their 100% during these games for the fans. Too many tricks and jokes are incorporated into these games and they become a joke after the 1st quarter or period.

Peyton Manning has been a Pro Bowler
11 of the last 12 seasons.

     In the NFL Pro Bowl yesterday, the game was the biggest mock i have ever seen. Even Peyton Manning was making careless mistakes out there. Also in all of these big games, the rules are fixed. For example there was no blitzing allowed which puts the defense at a total disadvantage. They shouldn't have Pro Bowl defenseman if they just stand there and let the offense score. By the end of the 1st half it was 42-7 NFC. That's just not fun to watch.

One of my best All-Star/ Pro Bowl moments was when Sean Taylor jacked up punter Brian Moorman. Sean was a great NFL player and he rests in peace today. Here is the clip of him showing some effort and pride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neGsutVPOXw Moorman was ok.

   As for the NHL all-star game, it is always high scoring but at least it's close. They eliminate some of the rules to allow a quicker paced game. Still even with less defense 21 goals should not be scored, especially four in the first five minutes, that's just lame.

     In the future, i would like to see all-star games voted by the players, coaches, and commish, since they really do know the best. They should not be able to vote for anyone on their team to make it fair. Also i did love the new NHL fantasy format, because it is fun for the players, and something new. Finally though, in the future i want to see an all-star game where the players start to care again and make these events memorable, and not a waste of money.
  

NHL All-Star Weekend: The Best Yet?

The 2011 All-Star Game was one to remember.

    
     Don't get me wrong, in this new era of the NHL, there is no Gretzky, there is no Lemieux, there is no Orr, and there is no Howe. The NHL has a new face of all-stars led by Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Eric Staal, Nick Lidstrom, and many more. After last years all-star hiatus, due to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, the NHL All-Star Weekend resumed this year in Raleigh, North Carolina. In plan for the weekend was a fantasy draft, a skills competition, and a high scoring all-star game

     Although three top stars in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jarome Iginla all missed the fun weekend of events, that didn't mean that the rest of the country didn't enjoy the festivities. In fact, the players,fans, and NHL were very happy with the replacements, including the youngest NHL All-Star ever at just 18 years, rookie point leader, Jeff Skinner.

Staal and Lidstrom were the
Captains of the two teams.

     This year the NHL decided to spice up the weekend and do something that had never been done before in any Major League Sports "All-Star Weekend". The NHL decided to have a Fantasy Draft to decide the teams, instead of the traditional East vs West format. The two captains were Eric Staal, the best player on the hosting team, and Nick Listrom who was voted by the all-stars to run a team. Staal's assistant captains were Ryan Kessler and Mike Green while Lidstrom's assistant captains were Martin St. Louis and Patrick Kane.

With the 1st pick in the draft: Cam Ward

The Draft:
     The first NHL All-Star Fantasy Draft was held on Friday night in Raleigh, North Carolina. After the puck flip, Eric Staal got the 1st pick and selected his boy, Cam Ward who plays goalie on their team, the Carolina Hurricanes. To respond to that pick, Team Lidstrom selected Martin St. Louis' teammate, Steven Stamkos. Team Staal then took Mike Green's teammate, the Great Eight, Alexander Ovechkin. Team Lidstrom answered with Patrick Kane's boy, Duncan Keith.

     There were a few strict rules that applied to the Draft. The Goalies had to be gone by round 10 and the Defenseman by round 15, so the captains couldn't cheat the system and take the best forwards.
     The final captain of team Staal, Ryan Kesler then had a very interesting pick. He would take one of the Sedin Brothers. Henrik and Daniel have always played on the same team, and have dominated ever since they were young. In the NHL draft Daniel was taken one pick before Henrik, and the result was the same. Dan went to Team Staal while Henrik went to Team Lidstrom.

     The rest of the draft went pretty casual. Some highlights of the draft were Eric Staal, stalling to draft his brother and instead of taking his brother, Marc, he took Marc's teammate and goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Fortunately, no worries for Mama Staal because Marc was chosen on Eric's next pick. The next highlight was Patrick Kane, refusing to draft his teammate and captain of the Chicago Blawkhawks, Jonathan Toews. Kane started off by saying he was taking "his boy" so Toews started to stand up, but Kane took Duncan Keith. Then Team Staal said they were taking someone from Chicago, only to be Patrick Sharp. Finally, Kane was forced to take Toews by his other teammates.

     As for the end of the All-Star Draft, the youngest NHL All-Star, Jeff Skinner, was taken by Staal to make a team of three hurricanes. Also David Backes of the St. Louis Blues, claimed that if he was taken last, he would fight the other captain who didn't take him. Team Staal quickly chose him after he made that comment. And as for the last pick, it went to Toronto Maple Leaf Phil Kessel. Shocker: a Maple Leaf comes in last. Good for Kessel, he got $20,000 donation in his name to any charity, and also a brand new car.

     The NHL rookies were also split into teams and then flipped a puck to see what team they wanted to be a part of. Taylor Hall, who was captain of one rookie squad, one the coin toss over Logan Couture, and selected to be on Team Staal making Couture and his team play for Team Lidstrom.

After winning in 09 with this
ridiculous jersey, Ovi
Repeated in 2011

The Skills Competition:
     The Skills competition were played on Saturday Night.  Team Staal would face Team Lidstrom, and each team would elect players to compete to win various events. All events had to have at least 1 rookie participate.

     The first event was the fastest skater. Here the team elected six players on each team, one being a goalie, one being a rookie, and four forwards or defenseman. Goalies Tim Thomas and Cam Ward faced off, and Cam Ward won due to Tim Thomas losing balance and falling over. Also in one round Duncan Keith was forced to skate against Kris Letang backwards, Letang got the better of that one. Next the rookies dueled and New York Islander Michaell Grabner defeated Taylor Hall and then ended up getting the best time total. Team Staal would win that round gaining most of the eight points, that were offered.

    The next event was the Breakaway Challenge. Here each team chose three skaters (one being a rookie) and a goalie to compete in a fun styled contest, where the fans voted on the coolest goal. Alex Ovechkin was the two time reigning champ, and won again after pulling off some sweet moves. By far though, the player that gained the fans at the RBC Center the most, was Montreal Canadiens rookie, P.K. Subban. Subban put on Jefff Skinners jersey and pulled off an awesome shot, but only to be saved by the goalie. Subban placed second, and again Team Staal won the majority of the points.

    The Accuracy Shooting contest was up next. In this event the teams chose six skaters, one being a rookie, and also two passers. The objective was to snipe four targets in the goal before your opponent could. Convtrevsy sparked when Jonathan Toews lost, but claimed that he never heard the whistle. His opponent and teammate in the NHl Patrick Sharp, went a perfect four for four. In the rematch, Toews went perfect and won the round. In the finals of the competition, Dan Sedin of team Staal beat Patrick Kane and ended up going 8-9 in his two rounds of shooting. Once again, Team Stall victorious.

     In the next event, the Relay, the teams were broken down into two sub teams of eight. Each team had onerookie and seven all-stars. Each player had their own event and the team with the fastest time won. In the first event, a passer would pass the puck to three players where each player needed to drill three shots in to advance to the next shooter. They shot from the Blue Line which was the farthest, a medium shot, and short shot on a crazy angle off to the side. All Shots must be one-timers. After that came the passing. A player must pass the puck into six mini goals only about a foot wide. They consisted of a short, medium, and far shot, and after the first three, the next three were had to be lifted over an obstacle. Then two players had to work on puck handling, one skater circled in and out of cones, and then was followed by another skater who had to handle the puck, in and out of a line. The event is ended with an accuracy shooter who must hit four targets.

   The event was won by Team Lidsrom. Their team consisted of Oliver Ekman-Larsson doing the passing to Lidsrom, Richards, and Louis Ericksson. Next Henrik Sedin went almost perfect on the passing. Martin St. Louis skated around the cones, followed by Matt Duchene who puck slalomed around the obstacles. Finally, Jon Toews ended it with the accuracy shooting, and Team Ldistrom picked up its first win. They finished in 2:09 Team Staal still led total though 21-11.

Chara holds the NHL record
for Hardest shot!

    The next event was highly anticipated, the Hardest Shot. Zdeno Chara has won the last two events, and holds the record for the hardest shot. Many thought that Shea Weber of team Lidstrom might had been able to surpass Chara. In the first round, Weber did beat Chara and posted a shot in the 103 MPH range. Chara got the better of Weber in the finals and shot a new record, 105.9 MPH. He helped give team Staal another victory going into the last event.

    The last event was the shootout, which everyone participated in. It was simple, each goal is a point, you keep shooting until you miss, and at the end whoever has the highest amount won. It was dominated by the goalies and only Corey Perry advanced to round three. Team Staal won again and ended up winning the whole competition 33-22.

Goal, team Staal went up 5-4 after a goal
from Sharp

The Game:
     Team Lidstrom, went into this game with a different mentality and ended up getting the win when it mattered. Team Stall did jump out to an early 4-0 lead though in only the first five minutes. Quick enough though, the game was tied at four, at the end of the first.
  
     In the second period. Team Staal would go back up 6-4 only to have Team Lidstrom go up 7-6 after goals from Danny Briere, Anze Kopitar, and Steven Stamkos. Shea Weber had three assist at this point and ended up with four on the day.
 
     In the third period, Staal and Letang helped regain the lead putting them up 8-7, but Team Lidstrom would score three straight goals by Briere again, St. Louis, and Toews. Rick Nash would bring the lead closer to Team Staal but Louis Ericksson put in an empty net goal to put Team Lidstrom up 11-9.

    With a minute left, Eric Staal got a goal and narrowed it down to 11-10. His team had another chance to win the game with about ten seconds but were denied by Tim Thomas. Team Lidstrom won 11-10.

    For the first time ever, a penatly shot was awarded after Alex Ovechkin threw his stick at the puck when Matt Duchene had a breakaway. Duchene was denied by Henrik Lundqvist. Patrick Sharp was awarded the MVP after scoring one goal and having two assist. The fans vote on the winner.
 
     Anyways, The NHL All-Star Weekend was one to remember and it was a lot of fun for the players and fans. Hopefully we will see more fantasy drafts in the future.

Novak Djokovic Claims The Land Down Under

Novak Djokovic won his 2nd Australian Open after defeating Andy Murray in straight sets.

      Earlier today, Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray of Scotland, in the finals of the Australian Open, which is one of the four grand slams in the tennis world. Djokovic was able to defeat Djokovic 6-4, 6-2, 6-3, and this is his second time winning the Aussie Open.


    Djokovic's title stopped Rafael Nadal from winning his "Rafa Slam". By winning this tournament, Nadal would have won the last 4 Slam tournaments, although they aren't all in the same calender year.


     Both times Djokovic has won the Open, he defeated Roger Federer on his way. This year, he beat Federer in a thriller lasting over 4 hours, 7-6, 7-5, 6-4. The "Djoker" is currently ranked 3rd in he ATP, but  might be able to pass Federer for 2nd after picking up a lot of points in this Slam. The Australian Open is the only Major tournament Djokovic has won, despite reaching the US Open finals twice. Regarding the French Open and Wimbledon, the farthest he has advanced are the Semi Finals.


     The first set of the match, was the closest by far, and was over an hour of play. In that set, included a 39 point rally finally ended by Murray, at 5-4, 15-30 on Murray's serve. Murray would end up losing the next point, and set. Djokovic ended up cruising from there and only gave up 5 more games total for the rest of the match. Djokovic would just lose 3 of his service games while Murray only won 6 of 13. Djokovic also had more winners and less errors, showing his true domination.


    Djokovic is back and better then ever after being a little off the last year with injuries and fatigue issues.
  

Murray had a good run but
it ended with a loss against Djokovic.

     Belive it or not, Murray and Djokovic are actually good friends. They are both 23 and only born a week apart, and spend a lot of time together when their not playing during tournaments.

     After the match, Djokovic had some nice to say about Murray. He was quoted saying, " We have known each other for such a long time" and that "It was difficult tonight".


     Murray took the defeat as a way to push himself harder this season, and maybe win a Slam of his own. " I'll try to keep it together this year" and that "It was better than it was last year".

As for Cljisters, she defeated
Li Na in the finals of
the women's tourny.

    On his way to the title, Djokovic faced many tough opponents. He cruised in straight sets, in his 1st round match over Marcel Granollers but struggled in his 2nd round match, winning in 4 sets and taking two sets to 7 games when he faced Ivan Dodig. In his 3rd game his opponent retired in the 2nd set. In the 4th round, Djokovic faced Almagro and won again in straight sets. The Djoker then faced thomas Berdych in the Quarters and won in straight sets once again. Djokovic's Semi-Final clash was the match vs Federer which we know he won in 4 tough sets, and finally Djokovic defeated Andy Murray in the finals.


     As for the Women's tournament, it was one by Kim Cljisters who defeated Li Na in straight sets. United States tennis player Serena Williams was sidelined in this tournament, and her older sister Venus, lost early in the tournament.


    The next, Slam will be the French Open in late may. My prediction if for Rafael Nadal to win this tournament, getting back to his dominance. Nadal is unstopabble on Clay and has won 5 of the last 6 French Opens, the only won he hasn't won was in 2009. As for the Aussie Open, congratulations to Cljisters and Djokovic on their titles.

Move Over Conan, Jay, and Dave, Because Jimmer Now Runs The Late Show!

Jimmer Fredette has being more then great this season,
leading his BYU Cougars to a 20-1 Record.

  
     A lot of interesting things are on late at night. You have SNL on Saturday Nights, you have the talk show host with Dave Letterman, Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, and Conan O'Brien, and then you have your sporting events. Most games that are on past 10 Eastern Time, are usually being played out on the west coast.

   After watching TV the last few weeks,  I have found a new program that I would like to tell you guys about. That show is, the Jimmer Fredette Show.

It is almost impossible
to stop Jimmer from Scoring.

     Air Jimmer, and his BYU Cougars are one of the most exciting teams this season in college hoops. He is leading them to a 20-1 record and has also helped them mount the top spot on the Mountain West Conference standings.  Jimmer is currently leading the entire nation in scoring, averaging 27.4 points a game. In already 3 games this season Jimmer has scored more than 40 points in a game, including last night's upset victory over undefeated and 4th ranked San Diego State.

     After finishing with 20 of his teams 30 points in the 1st half, Air Jimmer, and the Cougars found themselves down 1 after 20 minutes of play. In the next 20 minutes though, Jimmer would score another 23 points, and with help from his teammates, help knock off San Diego State by a score of 71-58 @ BYU.

     Early in the season, college basketball analyst had a lot of diaper dandies as choices to win National Player of the Year. Those getting a lot of hype were Jared Sullinger of Ohio State, Kyrie Irving, of Duke, Harrison Barnes, from North Carolina, Josh Selby, from Kansas and Perry Jones, out of Baylor. I was pretty surprised when i found out that all the attention was going to these freshmen and not Jimmer because Jimmer has been around for a few years now.

     In his freshman season, Jimmer only played about 18 minutes a game, but still scored 7 points. During his sophomore year, Jimmer improved his game, and the playing minutes increased up to 33 minutes a game. His stats more then doubled and he averaged just under 17 per game. Like most college hoops players, his stats only got better from there and he average 22 points a game. Finally this season he is average 27 a game.

     This season, BYU's only loss came against UCLA by a score of 86-79. Jimmer still played well and scored 25 points, it was the defense that let up on BYU.

Jimmer helped BYU
get a win vs Florida
in the NCAA tourny
last season.

     Jimmer might be the best BYU men's basketball player of all time. Last year, he helped BYU advance to the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament in over 17 years. In that win over Florida, Jimmer scored 37 points, including 2 clutch three pointers in overtime.

     Fredette hails from Glen Falls, New York and actually faced off against Junior guard on Syracuse, Mookie Jones. Jones beat Jimmer's high school team in the class finals. Despite losing in the State finals to Jones' team, Jimmer is the current all time leading score in Section II in New York State and ranks 6th all-time in scoring for all classes. Fredette also played AAU basketball for the Albany River Cat's alongside Penn State's star guard, Talor Battle.

     Due to Jimmer's oustanding play this season, he is currently ranked 2nd upon point guards by Rivals.com, and has a rising stock in the 2011 NBA Draft. Right now in NBA mock draft's, he can go anywhere from a very late lottery at 13, but can slip as far down to 27. Also, many team's in the NBA are not in need of a starting point guard because of the depth in the position, but are looking for Jimmer to be that guy who comes off the bench, sparks up the game and knocks down some shots. He is only 6'2 but all point guards are small. Also team's in the NBA should not be worried about shooting up on taller guards because Fredette has shown his ability to knock down jumpers in front of player's faces.

Jones and Jimmer faced off
in the State Finals a few years ago.

     Aside from scoring though, Jimmer is a team player. He still notches in a few assist per game and has a great Basketball IQ. His assist to turnover ratio is very high as well.

    Jimmer and the BYU Cougars were ranked #9 coming into this week, but after the big win vs San Diego State, and losses from Syracuse and Villanova, BYU will rise in next week rankings, possibly into the top 5. The Cougars should not have any hard competition until their rematch with San Diego State in late February. Until then, I hope to see Jimmer continue to score and put on a show for the people out West, and even here on the East Coast.

NFC and AFC Championship Game

Hester has returned kicks for touchdowns against the Packers
and won't be scared to do it again this week.

NFC Championship Game : Packers @ Bears

My Prediction: 24-17 Bears

     Both teams have been dominant this season and in the playoffs too. The Bears won the division and beat the Seahawks 35-24 in the last round of the playoffs, and could have beaten them by more if it weren't by a few late scores by Seattle. The Packers made it as a wild card team and beat the Eagles in the 1st round, and then killed the NFC regular season champs, the Falcons in Atlanta, 48-21.

     In the two regular season games this season, both teams won at home and split the series 1-1. The Bears defeated the Packers in Chi City 20-17 week 3 and the Packers got revenge on the Bears, week 17 to advance to the playoffs. They won that game 10-3.

     If you ask anyone, most people would say that the Packers are the much hotter team right now and are favorites to win this game and the Super Bowl. I do think the Packers could win this game but i believe the Bears have the better chance of going to Dallas to play in the Super Bowl.

Heres Why:

     The Packers last game was played in warm Atlanta in a dome. Rodgers was able to pass very efficiently and threw for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. Now they will have to play in 10 degree weather in the snow and wind in Chicago. That will have a major effect on the Packers and the play-call. The Packers will need running backs Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn to step up this week and i just don't think they can handle the Bears D. The Bears D is one of the best in the league and is lead by players like Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Julius Peppers.

     Another reason i think the Bears can win this game is because the Packers are not efficient in games after recently playing indoors. This season the Packers went 3-3 after playing indoors. The losses came to New England, Atlanta, and Washington while they defeated the Jets, Niners, and Vikings. Also when they beat the Jets they only scored 9 points which shows they did not really adjust to the weather. Also they beat the Vikings indoors because they had back to back games in Domes. When they played the Niners they did score 34 points but then again San Fransisco is pretty warm during the day, and the Niners do not have a defense nearly as good as the Bears. Don't get me wrong the Packers have a great defense too, but the Bears are used to playing in the cold. They put up 35 on the Seahawks in the blizzard last week.

     The final two reasons i think the Bears can win this game is due to the injuries on the Packers and the Bears Special Teams. Devin Hester is a machine and has returned kicks for touchdowns in the playoffs. The Packers will be punting a lot on Sunday and even if they score they have to kick it bak to Hester. If they avoid Hester, the Bears can probably get great field position and will be able to score on short drives. Also the Packers are a very banged up team. Jermichael Finley and Ryan Grant have been out since the beginning of the season and play major parts in this offense. Also one of the Packers defense stars, Clay Matthews is injured and although he will play he will not be 100%. Running Back John Kuhn is also hurt.

AFC Championship Game: Jets @ Steelers
My Prediction: 20-13 Steelers

     Do you know what it is?

      Black and Yellow that's right. The Jets playoff runs end this week and will please most of America. Rex Ryan will stick his foot in his mouth after the Steelers Defense shuts down Sanchez and the rest of the Jets offense. The Steelers defeated the Ravens last week 31-24 and Big Ben again showed that he is clutch when it matters late in the game. The Jets did look very impressive against the Colts and the Patriots but all that ends this week. Although the Jets beat the Steelers in the regular season that doesn't matter because the postseason is what really matters and the Steelers will get revenge.

Here is why:

     The Steelers Defense is much better then the Colts and Patriots and the Jets will figure that out very early in the game. The Jets cannot rely on Mark Sanchez to win this game. The Steelers have an amazing secondary with Ike Taylor, Bryant McFadden, Troy Polamalu, and Ryan Clark. They rank 12th in pass rush and the Jets also do not have great wide receivers. The Jets had more drops than most teams in the NFL this season. So let's say that Sanchez can't pass so he gives the ball off to Shonne Greene and LT in the cold weather? Not a good idea either, the Steelers lead the NFL in rush defense, and running backs are only averaging 62 yards per game. The Steelers have stopped running backs like Ray Rice, Michael Turner, Chris Johnson, Peyton Hillis, and Darren McFadden all this season.

The Black and Yellow Nation will be all over the Jets this Sunday

     Another reason i think the Steelers can win this game is because of their own offense. Yes, Darrelle Revis is a great corner back but he can't guard Ward, Wallace, and Miller all at the same time. Cromartie has been playing pretty weak and I'm sure Big Ben will look to attack his side of the field. Also Rashard Mendenhall is a great back and can break through the Jets line for a score.

    The final deciding factor to why the Steelers will win is because of the home field advantage. The fans waving those towels will play a huge roll in pumping up Steelers Nation and cheering them to the Super Bowl. The Steelers were 5-3 at home this season and all the games they lost were decided by a touchdown or less.

So this week look for Black and Yellow, and for the Windy City to win this week for the respective Championship games.

The New, New York Knicks

The New Look Knicks have been great this season.

This season, the New York Knicks have been one of the most surprising teams in the NBA. The team leads the NBA in offense and made a few great pick-ups in the off season.

In July, Knicks GM Donnie Walsh signed forward Amar'e Stoudemire and guard Raymond Felton.  This doesn't  compare to the Heat signing James, Wade, and Bosh but still the Knicks are making a serious case for it. If the Knicks can pull off a Carmelo signing, many will argue saying the Knicks three of Amar'e, Carmelo, and Ray can compete with James, Wade, and Bosh.

Not just Amar'e and Ray have helped the Knicks this season.

The emergence of Wilson Chandler is vital to this team. Yes Amar'e can dunk and Ray can dish but the Knicks need that third player who can explode with dunks and shots. A man who can average 18 to 20 points per game. The Knicks have found that player in Chandler. This season Wilson is averaging 17.5 ppg, along with 6 rebounds. He produces these stats with an average of about 36 minutes a game, which is the equivalent to 3 quarters. This is just Wilson's 3rd year in the league, and his stats have only been getting better.

The next reason why the Knicks have found success this season is because of the most underrated rookie of this years draft, Landry Fields. the Knicks stole Fields in the 2nd round of the 2010 draft and actually took Routins earlier then Fields with the pick before. Rautins has only played in about 5 games this season. Anyways, Fields has been better then great. He's averaging 10 points a game and plays stellar defense. He plays shooting guard but when Felton needs some rest, coach Mike D'Antoni is confident in Fields to take up the ball.

The next reason i think the Knicks have been playing so well might surprise you.

Ronny Turiaf.

Ronny has been the fan favorite
in New York and gives the team
a lot of energy.

Ronny has not only been producing career best stats, but has given New York a lot of energy. All winning teams always has that one player that can get everyone pumped up. Ronny is that to the Knicks. He is funny, serious, and very tough and all three contribute to the Knicks. He also makes it much easier for the Knicks best player Amar'e Stoudemire. Amar'e is a true power forward, and without Turiaf he is forced to play center because the Knicks lack height.

The Knicks are 22-17 this season and sit comfortably at 6th place in the Eastern Conference. Last year the Knicks had 29 wins in total. Also the years before the Knicks had 32 and 23 wins under Isiah Thomas. The last time the Knicks made the playoffs was in 2003, and they didn't even have a winning record. The last time the Knicks finished above .500 or even reached 40 wins was all the way back during the Patrick Ewing age in the 1990's.

Now the Knicks are in real business. They have kept close with the elite and can beat the "good" teams.

Amar'e and Ray make a excellent pair
in New York.

Now i have to give credit for the real stars of New York, Amar'e Stoudemire and his sidekick Raymond Felton.

Amar'e has always been a great player, since his time with the Suns he was always a 20 plus and 10 guy.   He had Steve Nash to give him the ball, and a great coach in Mike D'Antoni. That is almost identical to this season with the 20 and 10 and coach D'Antoni, just one big difference, Raymond Felton.

Felton has been ridiculous in the 1st half of this season. he is averaging 18 points and 9 assist. He is also contributing on defense with 2 steals per game. During his time with the Bobcats, Felton was a quiet guy. He averaged 12 and 5 and wasn't really a star player. Now he has erupted since landing in New York and his averages have been much higher. His points and assist per game have rose about 5 this season.

The Knicks have been playing with great Chemistry this season as well. Everyone is playing with Bro-Mentality and the Knicks consider themselves all brothers. Amar'e and Ray have been great co-captains. Along with Turiaf, Chandler and Gallinari, the Knicks have all been solid. They have also had sparks from guards Fields and Douglas.

Besides the Ewing years, the Knicks have not been this good since the days of Walt Frazier, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, and Dave DeBusschere. Also the Knicks have not had a coach this great since the legendary Red Holzman led the team to Championships in the 70's.

Hopefully for Knicks fans, they can keep up their games and continue to win.