The Dallas Mavericks End The Lakers' Chances Of Three Peating

(AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)
Kobe Bryant and the Lakers will not be three-peating this year
after getting swept by the Dallas Mavericks.

After barely sneaking out of the first round against the New Orleans Hornets, the Lakers did not have the will power or determination to get by the Dallas Mavericks. The Los Angeles Lakers, who have won the Western Conference the last three years, and the last two NBA Championships, will see their streak come to an end, after getting swept by the Mavs.

A sweep is hard enough to deal with, just ask any Knicks fan, but when you go out losing by almost 40, you know something is up. The Lakers were 57-25 this season, finishing second in the Western Conference and were given the #2 seed. They were expected by many to go back to the finals, and even win. They had all the pieces they had last year minus Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar, and i doubt that is why the Lakers will not be playing for another ring.

Is it Kobe Bryant's age that is finally getting to him? What about Phil Jackson? The Lakers looked miserable out there in Game Four, getting shots knocked down on them from all areas of the court.

Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas' best player played great, but his 25 points and nine rebounds a game, definitely was not the answer to the defending champs. It was the bench.

The Dallas Mavericks are owned by one of the richest men in sports, Marc Cuban. He loves his Mavericks, and will buy as much talent as he can (within the hard cap) to make them title contenders. The Mavericks have one of the deepest benches in all of the NBA. They have at least eight players who would start on any average NBA team.

Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion, Jason Kidd, Tyson Chandler, Caron Butler, Jason Terry, Peja Stojakovic, and arguably JJ Barea are all exceptional players.

The Lakers also have their depth in Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, and Ron Artest, but they simply do not have the energy that the Mavericks have.

Throughout the short four game series, Jason Kidd was lighting up Derek Fisher, whose career looks like it is finished. Dirk and Tyson Chandler looked to be too much for Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. Kobe Bryant also couldn't dominate this series, like he has been able to in the past.

Is it time for the Lakers to trade Bynum or Gasol, and others for Orlando's superstar, Dwight Howard. Right now, that looks like the only bit of hope the Lakers have left in them.

After watching their rival Spurs go down in the first round vs the Grizzlies, the Lakers too would fall. Both teams were arguably the best two teams of the decade, but now the NBA and America thinks their time is done. The future of the NBA lies in the hands of the Heat, Grizzlies, Clippers, Thunder, Knicks, and other young teams.

Many sources are saying that Phil Jackson, the "Zen Master", as called by Ron Artest, will finally call it quits. Jackson has 11 NBA Championships, the most of all time, and has three-peated three times in his career. Jackson has had the oppurtunity to coach arguably the two greatest players to ever play the game, in Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, but no doubt he is one of the greatest coaches in all of sports.

The Lakers' biggest problem in their series vs the Mavericks was perimeter defense. The Mavericks were unstoppable from beyond the arc. In Game Four, Jason Terry went 9-10 from three point land, and Peja Stojakovic went a perfect 6-6. Also, throughout the whole series, Dirk was left wide open from three with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum not daring to go out of the paint.

The Lakers were definitely beaten badly this series but they had their chances. In two of the games of this series, the Lakers were leading in the fourth quarter. In Game One, the Lakers were leading the whole game until the final minute. The Lakers were outscored in the fourth quarter in all four games, and by a total of 41 points overall. Kobe Bryant who has been the clutchest player in the league over the last five years, simply was not there in the final minutes of the game.

The Mavericks will go on to face the winner of the Memphis Grizzlies vs the Oklahoma City Thunder, two of the youngest and most talented teams in the league. Currently the series is lead 2-1 by the Grizzlies, who have had tremendous efforts from Zach Randolph in the postseason.

Derrick Rose Dethrones LeBron To Become The NBA's Next MVP

(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
Derrick Rose, the NBA's newest MVP looks to tie up the series vs the Hawks tonight.

Not only has Derrick Rose ended LeBron James' MVP streak, but he is also the youngest MVP in NBA history. Only in his third season in the NBA, Rose is only 22 years old.

This season Rose led his Chicago Bulls to the best record in NBA. They finished atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 62-20 record, winning nine of the last ten games of the regular season.

Rose averaged 25 points per game, to go along with about eight assists and four rebounds. With Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer being injured sporadically throughout the season, it was Rose who stepped up for Chi-Town. 

Rose is the last Bull to win the MVP award since MJ won five back in the '90's and '80's. Rose and his coach Tom Thibodeau are one of twelve pairs in NBA history to win MVP and Coach of the Year in the same season.

Rose racked up over 1,000 points and 100 first place votes. Second on the list for MVP was Orlando's Dwight Howard, who was then followed by LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Durant.

Throughout the season, Rose had 23 double doubles, and broke 30 points, 23 times as well. Rose is also only the second player in Bull's history to finish in the top ten for scoring and assists. Rose also helped the Bulls go from the seventh seed last year, to the first seed this year in the playoffs.

Now in the second round of the playoffs, Rose has been bothered by ankle injuries but looks to be ready to go for Game Two. The Bulls dropped Game One two days ago, after Rose got off to a late start. Rose looks to come back and put up his MVP type stats in Game Two, in order to tie up the series at 1-1.

In the playoffs Rose's numbers have been even more impressing. He is averaging 27 points per game, seven assists, and five rebounds per game. The Bulls had a tough opening series against the Indiana Pacers, but Rose helped them escape and advance to the second round.

Rose was very modest and humble when winning the award today. He said he would give the trophy to his mom, who also has been holding on to his Rookie of the Year award from a few years back. Anyways, congrats to Derrick, and good luck to him in the playoffs.

Heat Take Commanding 2-0 Lead On The Celtics

(Photo by Victor Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
Can LeBron and the Heat defeat the former champions of the East, the Boston Celtics?

When LeBron James announced he was taking his talents to South Beach, he was serious about contending to win multiple titles. Although the Heat got off to a cold start, compared to their expectations, they finished the season hot, winning eight out of their last ten games. Everyone knew their offense would be explosive, but what people didn't realize is how good Miami's defense has been.

Miami ranks in the top six in points allowed as well as top ten in rebounding. They match up well against almost every team in the NBA, having two very skilled guards, and a big man down low to guard the paint.

After finishing the season 58-24, the Heat were given the two seed in the playoffs. Their opponents would be the young and rising Philadelphia 76'ers. Like many people expected though, Miami's talent, experience, and determination was too much for the Sixers. After a five game series with the Sixers, the Heat moved on to their next opponent, the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics and Heat have a lot in common. Both are top teams in the NBA with a "big three". Many people actually compare the 2010-2011 Heat, to the 2007-2008 Boston Celtics, who ended up defeating the Lakers to win the NBA Championship. The Celtics advanced to the semi's of the Eastern Conference after sweeping the Knicks.

So far, the Heat have had no trouble with the Celtics. In both games, the Heat have taken early leads, and never looked back.

In Game One, it was Dwayne Wade, Miami's original leader, who led the Heat over the Celtics. Wade contributed 38 points as five assists, three steals, and two blocks.

When Boston was making a comeback though late in the fourth quarter, Paul Pierce, Boston's original leader, was ejected from the game on a controversial play. Pierce appeared to be setting a screen on a Heat defender. Although he did extend his elbow and committed an offensive foul, it definitely wasn't severe enough to be a ejection.

Despite some late three's by Ray Allen, the Miami Heat would go on to take Game One.

In Game Two, a different player stepped up for Miami. It was LeBron James, the past MVP winner of the last two years, who stepped up for the Heat. James scored 35 points and also grabbed seven rebounds.

Again like in Game One, the Celtics did make a late run, only to be matched by Miami. The Heat had a 14-0 run late in Game Two that iced the game.

Heading back to Boston down 0-2, are the Celtics necessarily screwed?

No.

The Celtics are one of the best teams in the NBA, and an even better team at home. The Celtics are 92-31 at home in the last three years.

Also, the Celtics are an experienced enough team to know how to play well when the team is in trouble. Yes, they know they are down 0-2, but then again all they have to do is match the Heat. The Heat won their two games at home, but now the Celtics can easily match them.

One player on the Celtics who definitely needs to step up is Kevin Garnett. A few years ago, Garnett was one of the most feared big men in the NBA. A past winner of the MVP award, Garnett used to put up 25 points and 14 rebounds in Minnesota.

In the past two games, Garnett has only scored six points, and 16 points respectively. Also he has only been averaging seven rebounds per game.

So why have Garnett's stats and performance been so low?

Chris Bosh is the answer to that question.

Bosh took a lot of Heat (no pun intended), early in the season for not playing like the all-star everyone expected him to be. What many people don't realize though is that Bosh ended the season averaging close to 19 points a game, and handling eight rebounds per game.

Now in the playoffs, though, Bosh has stepped up his game even more. Bosh is averaging a double double, scoring 18 points per game and grabbing 10 rebounds. With James and Wade providing the scoring, Bosh's main job is to get rebounds, and stop the opposing team's big man. He has done a phenomenal job with both so far.

If the Celtics want to make this a series, they have to improve their play down low. Shaq is injured, and Perkins was traded, but with the size they have available, they should be doing better. Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O'Neal need to do a better job of scoring, rebounding, and stopping the Miami Heat.

As for the Heat, kudos on jumping out to a 2-0 lead but it isn't even close to being over. The Celtics will not be the team to lose a series on their home court. Even if Miami advances to the next round, they still will have to play a tough opponent. Whether it's MVP Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls or Joe Johnson and his Hawks, the Heat still have a ways to go before they can be crowned the next champion of the NBA.

Wisconsin Badgers Extend Coach Bo Ryan Through 2016

The University Of Wisconsin has extended coach Bo Ryan's contract through the 2015-2016 season.

Ten years ago, Wisconsin basketball was a joke, like Indiana football. Then, the Badgers hired Bo Ryan, the coach of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Right away, Ryan turned the team around, and is now not only a top coach in the Big Ten conference, but in the whole country.

After much success at the University of Wisconsin, the Badgers decided to extend Ryan through 2016. The 63 year old has been coaching the Badgers for ten years now, and hasn't had a disappointing season yet.

Since hiring Ryan, the Badgers have had a winning record each year, and have made it to the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Overall the team is 272-118 with Ryan leading the Badgers. Wisconsin has also won the Big Ten regular season title three times, and the tournament twice.

Ryan is a spectacular coach and perfect for the Badger's system. Ryan teaches that defensive and hustle comes first. Wisconsin is always one of the hardest teams to score against, especially at home. Wisconsin has the 5th best winning record at home under Ryan, at 136-11.

Another thing Ryan preaches to his players, is to be efficient with the ball. If you ever watch a Wisconsin Badgers game, you realize that they aren't very exciting, but they get the job done. Wisconsin always uses the full shot clock, another reason why other teams don't score much on them (time of possession). The Badgers offense, consists of many screens, cuts, and passes, before getting a high quality shot.

Wisconsin also usually has one of the highest assists to turnover ratio. Under Ryan, the Badgers have been one of the most efficient teams in the country.

Wisconsin never produces stars in the NBA, but that is because everyone gets a little bit of the wealth. The team is a family under Ryan, and all of the players wouldn't mind giving that extra pass to guarantee a basket.

At Wisconsin, Ryan has a 73% winning percentage. His winning percentage all time, ranks only second to active coaches. The only coach ahead of Ryan, is North Carolina's coach Roy Williams. Also Ryan has the best all time winning percentage against the Big Ten.

This year the Badgers again had a solid season finishing with a 25-9 record. They advanced to the Sweet 16, but finally lost to Butler, who eventually made it to the title game. The Badgers defeated Belmont and Kansas State in order to reach the Sweet 16.

Next year with floor general Jordan Taylor back, the Badgers and Ryan look to have another successful season in the Big Ten.

Memphis Grizzlies Upset Spurs For First Series Win In Franchise History

Zach Randolph has been the Heart and Soul of this Memphis Team. Can he
Lead them to another series victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Memphis Grizzlies have come a long way since upsetting the Spurs last night in Memphis. The Grizzlies, originally hailing from Vancouver, moved to Memphis in 2001. After trading for Spanish star Pau Gasol, in his rookie year in 2001, the Grizzlies would become an average team in the Western Conference. In that time though, until Pau got traded in 2008, the Grizzlies made three playoff appearances, only to be swept every time.

 After Gasol left for the Lakers, the Grizzlies had three miserable years. They drafted Hasheem Thabeet, who was sent down to the D-League after not performing well in the NBA. They also signed Allen Iverson, but just after six games, AI quit the team for personal reasons.

Now, three years later, the Grizzlies are back in the playoffs, and have made franchise history.In the past, the Grizzlies have only had three playoff wins in Vancouver and Memphis combined. After upsetting the top seed San Antonio Spurs, the Grizzlies now have seven playoff wins, four coming from this year.

 The Grizzlies are a young team led by a veteran leader. Some of the young stars of the Grizzlies include, Pau's brother, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley Jr, Rudy Gay, Darrell Arthur, OJ Mayo, and rookie Xavier Henry. The leader of this team though is Zach Randolph. With Rudy Gay out for the season, it was Randolph who kept the Grizzlies in the playoffs towards the end of the season, and eventually helped them upset the Spurs.

 The Grizzlies were 46-36 this season.  Randolph led the team in points and rebounds, averaging 20.1 and 12.2 respectively. Mike Conley Jr ledMemphis in assists with 6.5 per game. Rudy Gay, averaged 19.8 points per game and six rebounds. With Gay out for the season, many players are stepping up in his absence.

 Now in the playoffs, Randolph is averaging 21.5 points per game, his 29 points last night helped cap off a first round series victory over the Spurs. Marc Gasol has stepped it up in the playoffs, and has averaged 12.3 rebounds per game. The two big men, overpower the Spurs who do not have that much height.

 The Grizzlies are much younger, and have much more energy then this aging Spurs team. Mike Conley and Darrell Arthur both sped by defenders throughout the series. The Spurs just could not keep up. Even when Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker would try to help the Spurs win the game, it would be Randolph who would also clinch the win for the Grizzlies.

 The Grizzlies got up to a 3-1 lead in the series. They were in position to win game five, but Gary Neal hit a three pointer to tie the game with only one second left. The Spurs would end up to win that game in OT.

 In game six, the Grizzlies knew they had to finish off the Spurs, because if not, game seven would be played in San Antonio. The Spurs hadn't beat the Grizzlies in Memphis all season long (0-4). The Grizzlies got off to an early lead, and kept it throughout most of the game. Then with only a few minutes left in the fourth, the Spurs took a 81-80 lead. Then the Grizzlies went to Zach Randolph for the next five possessions, and by the time the clock struck 0:00, the Grizzlies were advancing to the next round.

The Grizzlies now face the Oklahoma City Thunder. Also a young and energetic team, the Thunder are led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. The Grizzlies still have a great chance to win this series as well. The Thunder do not have the height or strength to hold off Randolph and Gasol on the post. The most important matchup though will be Kevin Durant vs whoever steps up to guard him. If the Grizzlies can shut down Durant, and force Westbrook to shoot 30 shots again, they might find themselves playing in the Western Conference Finals.

New York Giants Draft Preview

Like many picks in the draft this year, the Giants pick is not totally decided or obvious,
but there are definitely some players who stand out.

Last year, despite not making the playoffs, the New York Giants had a very good season. Overall they finished 10-6, which in most years is good enough to qualify for the playoffs. The Giants also were ahead the majority of the season, but after a few bad losses down the stretch, and a very bad punt, the Giants found themselves out of the playoffs.

In this draft preview, you can find where the Giants need players, who the Giants should take in the first round, and who are some late sleepers.

Right away when you look at the Giants team, you think they are fine. They have a somewhat young quarterback in Eli Manning, a balanced running game, and a young group of wide receivers led by Hakeem Nicks. On defense you have a solid front four led by Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck, and also have a good secondary with Corey Webster and Antrel Rolle.

So what positions were not named?

That would be the offensive line, the tight end, the linebacker core, and the special teams.

The Giants have a very experienced offensive line, and a good line too, having racked up numerous pro bowls. The problem with the offensive line though is that they are old! The youngest player on the line is Chris Snee who is still 29. The rest of the line is over thirty and although they are still good, they are aging.

As for the tight end, the Giants found a late round steal in Kevin Boss a few years ago. Boss has showed some signs of improvement, bit in a draft with some great tight ends including  Kyle Rudolph, the Giants can look into upgrading that position.

The Giants have a very bad offensive line, and i would think they draft multiple linebackers in this draft. The current linebackers in the 4-3 defense are Jonathan Goff, Keith Bullock, and Michael Boley. As many Giants fans painfully watched, wide receivers, running backs, and quarterbacks like Michael Vick on a Monday Night Game, burned the Giants linebackers all season. Bullock is aging and with Mathias Kiwanuka as a free agent, the Giants should look to resigning Mathias and even drafting a linebacker.

Now by far the worst part of the giants lineup: the special teams.

Oh where to start.

The punter, or should i say, the season ender, Matt Dodge, has to go. One name i keep hearing pop up, is former Florida Punter, and Ray Guy winner Chas Henry. I would love for the Giants to snag Henry in the late rounds.

The kicker, Lawrence Tynes, has been on the Giants for a few years now, and I don't know why we keep bringing him back. I do not know how many times i have heard how bad and unclutch Tynes is. The Kicking class is also a good one, but I don't think the Giants should draft a kicker and punter. Just one would be fine, but the Giants definitely need to make changes.

One thing I have always said about the Giants is how they have never had a spark plug or speed demon to return kicks or punts. This year we had Darius Reynaud and DJ Ware returning kicks and punts. It wouldn't matter if the Giants even sent Matt Dodge out there to return, because either way the return game was terrible. A big reason why the Giants didn't make the playoffs was because of field position. The Giants never had big returns to propel them on important drives. The Giants definitely should bring in  a guy who can both return kicks and punts, but also play offense or defense.

Right now the Giants have the 19th pick in the draft.

If Florida offensive linemen Mike Pouncey is still available at this pick, it should be a no brainer. His brother had an immediate impact on the Steelers, and helped lead them to the Super Bowl. Wouldn't be too shabby if brother Mike can do that for the Giants.

Realistically though, other linemen the Giants should consider getting are Anthony Costanzo out of Boston Collge or Gabe Carimi, who to me looks like Joe Thomas Jr. It could just be the fact that both went to Wisconsin, but Carimi definitely has the skill and work load to have a successful NFL career.

On the defensive side, the Giants should definitely look into Mark Herzlich out of Boston College. Herzlich hasn't had that big of an impact the last few years, but that is because he had cancer, and fortunately survived. Herzlich is a great player, leader, and effort to definitely be a good NFL player.

If Akeem Ayers or Derek Sherrod, or Nate Soldier, slip into the second round, the Giants should definitely consider drafting them. All three had great senior years, at UCLA, Mississippi State, and Colorado respectively.

As for the later rounds, the Giants should look to draft a tight end, more help to the offensive line and linebackers, and to work on the special teams.

Looking into next season (yes the lockout was lifted today), the Giants will definitely be in good shape to possibly win the division. Like most years, it will be a coin flip between them Dallas and Philadelphia for the title.

Any draft or other sports questions, feel free to email me @jreichman511@yahoo.com!

Ray Allen's Late Three Gives Celtics Win Over Knicks In Game 1

Ray Allen points the finger at Rondo, after assisting Allen on one of his three pointers.

In a game where the Knicks controlled all aspects of the game, offense and defense, something they usually don't bring to their game, it came down to the NBA's all time best 3 point shooter, who when it mattered the most, hits the big shot for the win.

When it came down to the rebuttal after Allen's big shot, Amar'e Stoudemire, the Knicks general not only during the game, but the whole regular season, did not touch the ball once. He didn't even touch the ball on the last three team possessions. It was Carmelo Anthony, the new guy who eventually took the last shot, a low percentaged one too, that ended the Knicks chance of upsetting the Celtics. Anthony on the  previous offensive possession, was called for an offensive foul, which ended up giving the Celtics back the ball. It would be on that drive by the Celtics, where Ray Allen, the NBA's all time leading three point shooter, would knock down his third three of the game to give the Celtics a 87-85 lead.

Going into the series, nobody though the Knicks would have a chance. They were swept in the regular season by the Celtics, and many though that they were mismatched against the Celtics. The Knickerbockers came out strong though at the TD Garden last night, and by the end of the first half, were up by 12.

All season long everyone knew how good the Knicks offense was. Amar'e Stoudemire is one of the most explosive players in the game, and the addition of Carmelo Anthony, should have made the offense even stronger. It was the defense, that in the beginning, helped out the Knicks the most. They only gave up 39 points in the first half, including a 15 point 2nd quarter. At times in the seasons, the Knicks have given up more than 39 points in a quarter alone.

Amar'e had a pair of blocks, and Ronny Turiaf had 4. Jared Jeffries off the bench helped out and grabbed nine rebounds. Turiaf wasn't just good on defense though, he was perfect from the field, until late in the game when he missed a highly contested lay-up.

It was Carmelo, the new guy who really threw the Knicks off. Anthony was awful down the stretch and only had three points in the second half. He was 5-18 from the field and missed a free throw as well.

More bad news for the Knicks is that veteran guard, Chauncey Billups will be out for game two, after injuring himself late in game one.

As for the Celtics, it wasn't Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, or Rajon Rondo, who really stepped it up and helped spark a comeback. It wasn't Shaquille O'Neal either, who sat out of game 1, but it was Jermaine O'Neal who helped the Celtics knock off the Knicks.

O'Neal was a perfect 6-6 from the field, and had four blocks. He wasn't the leading scorer, but O'Neal's presence on the floor was a key contributor to the C's comeback.

Rajon Rondo also played a great game. He was one assist and one rebound away from a triple double. Glen "Big Baby" Davis, who has been one of the most improved players in the NBA, and one of the best 6th men in the league, was ineffective in the game. He shot an atrocious 1-8 from the field, had a pair of turnover, and only grabbed four rebounds in 25 minutes of play.

It was Ray Allen though, who was the hero for the men in green. Allen led the Celtics with 24 points, which was more then a fourth of the team's total points. Allen was 2-3 from beyond the arc, and was perfect from the free throw line. If the Knicks want to have a chance in this series, not only do they need Carmelo Anthony to step up, but they need Ray Allen to step down.

Chris Paul And The Hornets Defeat The Lakers To Take Lead Of Series 1-0

Chris Paul scores on a layup over Andrew Bynum. This layup was just 2 of Paul's 33 points in today's game.

Chris Paul, or CP3 as many call him, is a basketball machine, and when he gets programming he cannot be stopped. Paul showed the basketball world today, that even when a team is mismatched, or in general worse then the team they are playing, if their best player is ON, they can beat any team.

The Hornets, a team lucky to even make the playoffs, after a shaky end to the season, couldn't believe they just beat the two time defending champs in game one. Paul after the game said "I know for us, we didn’t finish the season as strong as we would’ve liked to, so in all of our practices we were focusing on us. We’re not good enough to judge who we want to play. We just had to make sure we would be ready no matter who it was. And that’s the thing about our team, since day one everyone has had a chip on their shoulder. We lost [David West], we’ve just been through all different kinds of circumstances".

It wasn't even the fact that the Lakers played bad. They put up 100 points in front of a very loud home crowd, and Kobe Bryant even had 34 points. Overall the team shot 46% from the team, and even out rebounded the Hornets 41-33.

The Lakers simply got out-hustled by this New Orleans team. Led by CP3, who has led the NBA in steals almost every year he has been in the league, the Hornets had more steals, more forced turnovers, and less fouls then the Lakers.

Chris Paul dazzled the Los Angeles Lakers, putting up 33 points, 16 assists, and even grabbing seven rebounds. Of course, he also collected four steals as well. Overall shooting he was 11-18 from the field, including 2-3 from downtown. He was very efficient from the free throw line (9-12) which was important down the stretch, icing the game. One huge stat for Paul though was that he only had two turnovers, making his assist to turnover ratio 7:1.

The Los Angeles Lakers big men, just could not take advantage of the undersized Hornets. With all-star David West out for the Hornets, they had to go deep into their roster even creating time for former Laker D.J. Mbenga to get some minutes.

The Hornets pulled to an early lead, in the first quarter, increased the lead eight at halftime, and never looked back. The Lakers tried to make a run late in the third and fourth quarters, but just as the game got close, Paul took over the game.

Paul got a lot of help, from a lesser known Hornets bench. Aaron Gray, a former Purdue big man attributed 12 points, and was 5-5 from the field. Jarrett Jack was 5-6 from the field and had 15 points. While Emeka Okafor played limited minutes and eventually fouled out, it was Carl Landry, another former Purdue big man, who helped out Paul the most. Landry scored 17 points on 6-13 shooting and was perfect from the line. In addition he grabbed five rebounds.

Paul was very proud of his bench after the game and was quoted saying, "It was very important. That’s why we were able to win this game. AG [Aaron Gray] was outstanding, just his presence on the boys, not really letting those guys get deep post positions. [Jarrett Jack], he’s been outstanding after All-Star break, leading our team, he was good for us tonight."

The Lakers look to rebound, in game two. The game will also be played in the Staples Center. Kobe Bryant said that in order to win games, the team needs to find the energy they had in previous playoffs runs. The Hornets are a good team, but the Lakers definitely have the skill and ability to knock them off.

Rangers Defeat Caps In Emotional Win At Home

Brandon Dubinsky celebrates after giving the Rangers a 3-2 lead with only two minutes to play.

Going into today's game vs the Capitals, the Rangers were not yet nervous, but another loss would almost ruin their chances of advancing to the next round, and upsetting the #1 seed Washington Capitals. Good thing the Rangers weren't nervous because in front of a packed Garden the Rangers defeated the Caps 3-2 in a nail biter.

Previously in the last two games, the Rangers had lost both games in Washington, to go down 2-0 in the series. The first loss was a tough one, that was ended in OT when the Rangers turned the puck over in their own zone. They were up 1-0 for most of the third period, but a late goal by Alex Ovechkin sent the game to OT. In the second game, it was all about Capitals goalie Michael Neuvirth. Neuvirth stopped every shot his way, and helped Washington defeat the Rangers 2-0.

Henrik Lundqvist was doing the best he could to keep the Rangers in the series. The offense just wasn't there, combining for only one goal in two games. That goal was by defenseman Matt Gilroy in the first game.

In game three, in front of 18,000 blueshirts fans, the offense came out. After a scoreless and intense first period with plenty of bone bruising hits, Erik Christensen scored on a power-play goal to give the Rangers a  1-0 lead. The Rangers would keep up the pressure and looked good for the majority of the game at that point, until Alex Ovechkin scored on a redirection goal with only a minute left in the 2nd.
The Rangers were unlucky to give up that goal, because going into the 3rd period with a lead this season, the Rangers were 29-0-0.

The hitting and bruising continued into the third period. The Rangers and Capitals both had great scoring opportunities. Vinny Prospal ended the stalemate though when he slapped one past Neuvirth with about 12 minutes to play. The Rangers looked in position to give themselves the win, and narrow the deficit against the Capitals, but just when it looked perfect, Marian Gaborik took a two minute penalty for cross checking.

It would be on that power-play where Mike Knuble tied up the game with about five minutes to play. The Rangers and fans could not belive that their lead once again had been tied up by the Capitals. The Rangers were out shooting, out hustling, and overall out playing Washington.

With about two minutes to play though, Brandon Dubinsky, who had been the Rangers best skater all season, gave the Rangers a 3-2 lead when he faked out Neuvirth for the winning goal. Dubinsky looked like he was going to wrap around the net, but spun in front of the net instead, and put one over Neuvirth's shoulder to give the Blueshirts the lead.

The Rangers outshot the Capitals 35-25 during the game.

Prospal, who scored in the game was quoted after saying, "We knew this game was huge. We reminded ourselves not to look at the big picture and just focus on this one game. They did what they were supposed to do at home, so it was up to us to do the same. We were resilient and got the job done today."

Lundqvist was also quoted after the game, "The great part (in a series) is that one game can change a lot. Our focus was to come in here and get a win, try to change the momentum of the series a little bit. It was great to see the finish we had tonight. We kept fighting. We have a great feeling in here". Henk sounded very relieved too, knowing he helped give the Rangers the win.

The Rangers next game is Wednesday, also at MSG. The Rangers look to tie up the series at 2-2. If the offense could show up again, with a very loyal crowd around them, the Rangers have a great shot of coming back against the Capitals, a team known for not living up to high expectations.

Josh Hamilton Hurts Arm After Home Plate Collision

Josh Hamilton will be on the DL for the next eight weeks after breaking his arm in a slide at home plate

The Texas Rangers made it to the World Series last year, but fell short to the San Francisco Giants. After losing Cliff Lee in the offseason to Philadelphia, the Rangers are still continuing their success and have jumped out to a 9-3, which is good enough to lead their division and the whole American League. Also the Rangers have scored the most runs in the American League, with 66, and much of that is due to Josh Hamilton.

Hamilton was the 2010 American League MVP, as well as the ALCS MVP, and a Silver Slugger. Hamilton started off this season on the same note that he left off last year. Hamilton is batting .333 with seven runs batted in. He also has a .409 on base percentage which is also in the top half of the league.

Hamilton hit a rough patch though, when on a game vs the Tigers on April 12, Hamilton was sent home by 3rd base coach, Dave Anderson, although the ball was a fly ball pop out that didn't even reach the outfield. The reason Anderson sent Hamilton, was because the catcher wasn't at home, and went to go catch the ball.

Once the ball was caught Hamilton sprinted his 90 feet, and had a head first slide trying to avoid the tag. Not only was he tagged and called out, but Hamilton apparently hurt his arm on the play. After getting it checked out, Hamilton was diagnosed with a small fracture in his humerus bone, in his right arm. Josh will now miss 6-8 weeks healing his arm.

After the game, Hamilton caused some sparks to fly, after calling his coaches decision "stupid".

The Rangers already showed signs of missing their big slugger. Texas was defeated by the Tigers the next day 3-2. Hamilton has apologized to his coach for his remarks. "I was just frustrated, more for getting injured". Said the reigning AL MVP.

Hamilton has been a great story in the MLB. He was a former #1 overall pick in the draft, but faded away from the game for a few years after a struggle with drugs or alcohol. Hamilton came back just a few years ago to play for the Reds. After a comeback season with the Reds in 2008, in only 90 games he had 47 RBI's and 19 home runs, Hamilton signed with the Texas Rangers, where he would get voted to three straight all star games.

Hopefully for Josh, and the Rangers, he can recover from his injury very quickly. He is one of the best players in the game right now, and although the Rangers will probably be able to hold their lead on the Mariners, Angels, and A's, they would love to have Josh Hamilton back as soon as they can.

New York Rangers Make Playoffs In The Last Game Of The Season

Ryan Mcdonagh celebrates his 1st NHL goal that gave the Rangers a 3-2 lead over the Devils.

Last Year, the Rangers lost to the Flyers in overtime on the last day of the season and were eliminated from the playoffs. This year, the Rangers weren't going to allow the same thing to happen. The Rangers were tied with the Carolina Hurricanes going into the last game from each team.

The Rangers played the New Jersey Devils, while the Hurricanes played the Tampa Bay Lightning. Even though the Rangers won, it was up to the Hurricanes whether who would get the final spot, because a win for the 'Canes meant playoffs and a loss meant elimination.

Many of the Rangers players were confident that they would at least win their game against the Devils. Although the Hurricanes game wasn't in their hands, they still went out there to have a chance. Brandon Dubinsky, who leads the team in goals, assists, and points was quoted before the game saying,  "We are going to take care of our game and get the win".

That is exactly what the Rangers did on Saturday.

The Rangers' captain, Chris Drury, returned to the ice after missing nearly three months of hockey due to surgery. Drury right away made impact, and on his first shift, tied up the game only a minute after the Devils scored their first goal, which was only two minutes into the game. The Devils would then score a late goal with only 30 seconds remaining in the first period.

The Rangers started off the second period with a bang. Instantly they tied up the game, and by the end of the second it was 4-2 New York. Ryan McDonagh would score his first career NHL goal, to give the rangers  a 3-2 lead. They would score two more unanswered goals to give themselves a 4-2 lead.

The beating wouldn't stop though because Vinny Prospal scored the final goal in the third period to give the Rangers the 5-2 win. The Rangers had 14 different skaters record points, and Prospal was the only skater who recorded two. McDonagh said after the game, "It made it sweeter that we got the win.. it was exciting and a lot of fun (to get it)".

The Garden was shaking, the Rangers final game was a win which put them in position to advance to the playoffs. Like most years, the Rangers gave away their game worn jerseys and equipment to lucky fans. It was a good afternoon for most fans.

Then the nerves came back in the night, as the players and fans watched the Lightning take on the Hurricanes, in Carolina. King Henrik said it best, "It was do or die today and we did what we had to do... we played a great game.. we got the points, but don't know if it's enough"

Things got underway at around 7 PM in Raleigh, Carolina. The Lightning quickly scorched the Hurricanes for three straight goals in the first period. By the end of the second period it was 4-1. After a power play goal by the Hurricanes, and two empty net goals by Tampa Bay, the season was over for Carolina.

The New York Rangers could not be happier. All the stress and tension was over, and the Rangers are returning to the playoffs after a short hiatus.

Captain Drury was quoted saying," I never want to be watching a game with Henk again.. He's intense!"

Although the Rangers will be the #8 seed in the East, they like their chances of advancing to the next round because of their success vs the #1 seed Washington Capitals this season. The Rangers are 3-1 against the Caps this season, with big wins like 7-0 and 6-1. Although the Rangers will be without assistant captain Ryan Callahan due to a broken ankle, the Capitals will be without their start defenseman Mike Green.

With the New York Knicks also making the playoffs for the first time in a while, both the Rangers and Knicks will be busy in April. Along with the New York Yankees, the Knicks and Rangers can make New York proud, something they haven't done in a long time. The last time both teams made the playoffs was over ten years ago.

New York Yankees Starting Off The Season Hot

Mark Teixeira has hit a bunch of "Tex Messages" out of the Ball Park this season,
and looks to continue as the Yankees face off against the Red Sox.

After two series against the Tigers and Twins, and a series going on now vs their long time rivals, the Red Sox, the New York Yankees have looked once again, like one of the best teams in the league. The offense has been great, the pitching (for the most part) has been solid, and with the Red Sox at a 1-6 record, who could be upset? The Yankees are 4-3 this season and look to add on  another win today when Ivan Nova (1-0) takes the mound against Clay Buchholz (0-1).

One reason the Yankees have found success earlier in the season, is because Mark Teixeira, a star who is known for late starts, has been the hottest player in the league so far. Teixeira already has four homeruns and 10 RBI's in just seven games. He leads the whole MLB in both categories.

Teixeira isn't the only Yankee who has been hot so far this season. Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada both have three home runs, and are in the top five, along with Teixeira in the AL. A-Rod also has a great batting average at .304.

Two newcomers to the Bronx, Russell Martin and Andruw Jones have also been solid. Jones is batting .400 in a couple of pinch hit situations and even has a home run. Russell, who has been catching with Posada at DH, has a healthy .292 batting average and has also knocked out a home run.

And to finish out the rest of the lineup, Nick Swisher, Curtis Granderson, Derek Jeter, Brett Gardner, and last years star Robinson Cano have all been solid too. Out of these players, Granderson is the only one who has a batting average under .200, but also knocked in a run in the opening game to give the Yankees the lead.

Now for the Yankees pitching.

The Yankees rotation and bullpen have had some tweaks to them since last year. The first, and most notable of the moves, was Yankee great, Andy Pettitte retiring. The Yankees did bring in, Rafael Soriano, a great closer who previously pitched for the Rays and Braves, and will now set up Mariano Rivera. The Yankees also signed Bartolo Colon, a previous Cy Young Winner, to pitch in the bullpen.

CC Sabathia has been great this season. Although he has not recorded a win due to blown set up opportunities by Soriano and Boone Logan, Sabathia has an incredible 1.38 ERA.

AJ Burnett has rebounded from an off year and is 2-0 this season, giving the Yankees two out of their four wins so far. Burnett also has 11 strikeouts which is second, to CC's 13.

Phil Hughes may be last year's AJ Burnett. Hughes was expected to come out this season and be an ace for the Yankees. The Bombers wanted Hughes to potentially be the #2 guys behind Sabathia. So far this season, Hughes is 0-1 in two starts, and has a 16.50 ERA.

Coming into the season, I wasn't big on Ivan Nova, but he has really changed my mind. Nova is 1-0 and gave up only three runs in his first start this season. Nova will take the mound today and look to give the Yankees a win over the Red Sox.

The bullpen for the Yankees, are the only part of the team not doing well. The only reliever who has been great this season, is long time Yankees closer, Mariano Rivera. Rivera has a 0.00 ERA and has saved all four of the Yankees wins. Joba Chamberlain also hasn't been too bad, and i think the Yankees might even add him into the rotation mid year.

As for  Rafael Soriano, Boone Logan, and Luis Ayala, they all need to step up. Each of them have blown games so far and have terrible ERA's. Boone Logan has been the worst out of the three though. Logan hasn't blown one, but TWO games this season. If he wants to see himself wearing pinstripes by the end of the season, he must step up.

The Yankees have looked great so far this season. Their offense is in the top five, and their pitching for the most part has been solid. Hopefully, they can keep it up and win the division, even with 75% of baseball analyst picking the Red Sox to win the division and the World Series. Go Bombers!

UCONN Wins The Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament

The Connecticut Huskies won their 3rd title yestday, defeating Butler by a score of 53-41

The Connecticut Huskies did it, it wasn't pretty, but still they defeated the Butler Bulldogs to win the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament. The Huskies finished with an overall  32-9 record, and ended the season winning 11 straight games, throughout the Big East and NCAA tournaments. Connecticut also never lost to a team outside of the Big East all season. The Huskies this season won three tournaments this year, a rare feat that not many teams have accomplished. In addition to the Big East and NCAA tournament, the Connecticut won the preseason Maui Invitational.

Throughout the season, the Huskies were led by Junior guard, and scoring sensation, Kemba Walker. Walker was an absolute beasts this year, averaging 23.5 points per game, 4.5 assists per game, and 5.4 rebounds per game. Although he was a little rusty in the championship game, Walker throughout the season led UCONN to important wins.

So everyone knows how good Kemba Walker is but who else stepped up and helped the Huskies win their 3rd title. Walker got much of his help from some very talented underclassmen.

Jeremy Lamb, the dual flex guard and forward, stepped it up not only in the title game but throughout the season. Lamb averaged 11 points and five rebounds per game.

Alex Oriakhi also was a big help to Kemba. The Big guy averaged close to ten points and nine rebounds per game, cleaning up Kemba's misses. He also averaged a block and a half per game. Oriakhi was the only player in the championship game to record a double double this year.

Another huge help to Walker and the Huskies was Roscoe Smith, the freshman forward who along with Oriakhi shut down opponents big men and also grabbed rebounds down low. Smith averaged six points and five rebounds per game.

Of course, head coach Jim Calhoun deserves a bunch of credit. A year ago, Calhoun was contemplating retirement. He had broke a NCAA violation and was serving a suspension, was physically sick, and the Huskies were an inexperienced wild team. Calhoun settled them down this year, brought in a great freshman class and led the Huskies to their third national title. All three titles have come under Calhoun. The 1999 team was led by Rip Hamilton, the 2004 was led by Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafor, and this year was led by Kemba Walker. With this year's title, Calhoun becomes the oldest coach (68) to ever win the championship.

The Butler Bulldogs. What another heartbreak story. The team loses their star Gordon Hayward, just to prove the world wrong again, but returning to the title game just to lose. Just the look on their faces said it all, the tears running down their faces. Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard, the two leaders of the team this year were in disbelief, once again coming so close to winning it all. Coach Brad Stevens also was in awe, and could not believe what had happened.

Going into the half Butler did have a 22-19 lead, but both teams were shooting terribly. The Huskies turned that around in the second half, and the Bulldogs were never able to find their touch outside or inside. The Huskies would end up cutting the nets down with a score of 53-41.

In the rankings, Uconn was one vote short of a unanimous decision for the #1 ranking. The rest of the top five was finished out by Butler, Kentucky, Kansas and Ohio State.

So with the underclassmen definitely staying for at least another year, will Kemba also return for his senior year, and possibly win another. Ohio State freshman Jared Sullinger said he would be back in Columbus, and reports are saying that Harrison Barnes along with John Henson and Tyler Zeller of North Carolina might all be back too.

Shaka Smart and VCU Shock Kansas And The Rest Of America

VCU is trying to become the first 11th seed ever to reach the title game.

This year, the NCAA expanded it's playing field from 64 teams to 68 teams. For VCU, this was a great move by the NCAA, because now they will face off Butler next week in the Final Four.

VCU, a 11th seed in the tournament this year, was one of the eight teams who played in the "First Four" round of the tournament; now they will be playing in the "Final Four". The Rams will also be the first team that had to win five games in order to make it to the final four.

The VCU Rams finished the regular season with a 23-11 record, did not win their conference, and only defeated one top 25 team all season, yet they reached the tournament. VCU got a lot of heat for being placed in the NCAA men's basketball tournament, but now nobody should be complaining.

So far on their road to the final four, the Rams have beaten the USC Trojans, Georgetown Hoyas, Purdue Boilermakers, Florida State Seminoles, and most recently, the Kansas Jayhawks, who were the number one seed in the region. Also, only one game out of these five have been decided by less then ten points and that was against Florida State, the worst ranked team they played. The Rams defeated the Trojans by 13, the Hoyas by 18, the Boilermakers by 18 and the Jayhawks by ten.

Like their next opponent Butler, VCU is coached by one of the youngest coaches in the country, and the youngest in the tournament, Shaka Smart. Before becoming the head coach at VCU, Smart was an assistant coach under Oliver Purnell at Clemson and Billy Donovan at Florida. Shaka Smart is 33 years old, while Butler's coach Brad Stevens is 34, but only six months older then Smart.

Yesterday, Stevens became the youngest coach to make it to two final fours.

The VCU Rams are led by a "big three" which is made up of Seniors Jamie Skeen and Joey Rodriguez, and Junior, Bradford Burgess. Skeen averages 15 points and seven rebounds, while Burgess averages 14 points and six rebounds. Rodriguez, the point guard averages ten points and five assists.

In the regular season, some of VCU's biggest wins came against #25 George Mason, Hosftra, UCLA, Wake Forest, Old Dominion, and a double OT thriller vs Delaware. They also played #24 Tennessee, but lost by five.

Shaka Smart is known for his unique coaching strategies which has helped him win big games this year. On defense he is known for coaching a "havoc" defense which often uses a full court press to put the other team in "havoc" or chaos. On offense, he prefers a slow paced, efficient offense which uses up a lot of the clock.

Since the tournament created it's 16 seed format, VCU is just the third 11th seed to make it to the final four, the other most recent being George Mason back in 2007.

VCU vs Butler is a great final four matchup and should come down to the wire. Both teams are coached by two of the youngest coaches in the NCAA in Shaka Smart and Brad Stevens. Also both teams are lead by trios. VCU has Burgess, Rodriguez, and Skeen, while Butler is lead by Howard, Mack, and Vanzant.

The winner of this final four matchup will play the winner of Kentucky and UCONN in San Antonio, Texas

Henrik Lundqvist Gets League Leading 11th Shutout of Season

Henrik Lundqvist has been great all year in goal for the Rangers.

Along with the rest of the New York Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist has been playing great hockey lately, and is helping the Rangers not only make the playoffs, but is helping them move up in the standings too.

Like most seasons with the Rangers, they got off to a great start this season. "Henk" was playing great between the pipes and the Rangers were one of the top teams in the whole league. The Rangers then hit a cold spot where many offensive players were injured including Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal. Lundqvist too hit a cold patch for a little bit, which led to back up Martin Biron getting more starts.

Biron got injured in late February and Henk hasn't looked back since. The all-star goalie has started the last 20 games for the Rangers, and is 8-1-1 in his last ten games. The Rangers fell out of the playoffs in February but are now tied for seventh with the slumping Montreal Canadiens.

Lundqvist last night, extended his lead for shutouts when he recorded his 11th of the season. The Rangers beat the Bruins 1-0 in Boston yesterday thanks to some great saves by Lundqvist and a early first period goal by rookie, Derek Stepan. In the last ten games, Henrik has three shutouts, and also has only given up one goal in two other games.

The Rangers have been playing some great hockey, and most of the team is back from injury.

This season, the offense has been lead by Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubkinsky, two young american skaters who have picked it up when Gaborik was injured. Respectively they have 47 and 51 points, with Callahan leading the team in goals and Dubinsky leading the team in assists. "Duby" and "Cally", as Ranger fans call them have sparked the Rangers offense this season with others like Brian Boyle, Wojtek Wolski, and of course Marian Gaborik also contributing.

Lundqvist was quoted saying " I am happy with the way (The) guys are playing right now. As I said the other day, it is exciting. I check the standings-everything in my life is about getting ready for the next game". With that attitude, it looks like no one will be stopping the Rangers or Lundqvist soon.

The Rangers finish off the season with games against the Sabres, Islanders, and Flyers this week, and then play the Bruins, Thrashers, and Devils to end the season in early April. As of now, the Rangers are projected as the seventh seed in the playoffs and would play the Washington Capitals. The Rangers are 3-1 vs the Capitals this year including 7-0 and 6-0 victories. Still, with at least five games left to play, the Rangers can still move up of standings more.

Knicks Starting To Look Like The Old Knicks Of The Past Decade

Has the Carmelo Anthony deal hurt or helped the Knicks so far?

The New York Knicks started off the season very hot. They brought in some great talent in Amar'e Stoudemire and Raymond Felton. They also brought over Timofey Mosgov from Europe, and matured young stars, Wilson Chandler, Tony Douglas, and Danilo Gallinari. The Knicks also signed a steal of the draft, Landry Fields and yes, they brought in the energizer bunny, Rony Turiaf.

Coming into all-star weekend, the Knicks were 6th in the East and a few games over .500%. They were making ground on the Hawks, and with the Heat and Celtics slumping, everyone thought the Knicks could be serious title contenders.

Then the Knicks pulled off the trade of the decade for them. They brought in Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, and a few other scrubs, but in return had to give up Timofey Mozgov, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Anthony Randolph, Eddy Curry, and multiple draft picks.

Many thought the Knicks gave up too much for 'Melo but fans were still too eager to see 'Melo and "Stat" play alongside each other. In Carmelo Anthony's first game, the Knicks defeated the Bucks at the garden and the fans went nuts.

Now a month later, Knicks fans aren't so confident this trade was worth it.

The Knicks all season long have been a streaky team. They win five in a row and then lose the next five.
The Knicks are currently in their worst slump of the season, losing the last six in a row, and nine out of ten total. Out of these last nine losses, six have had losing records, so it's not like the Knicks had a tough schedule.

Also, Carmelo and Amar'e have both been off since the beginning of this trade. Both have been taking around 20-25 shots a game, but only an average of about eight go in. Billups was playing good basketball, until he got hurt, and now he is still looking to regain his mojo. The problem with Carmelo and Amar'e is that both don't want to be selfish (despite shooting 25 shots per game), and are taking awkward shots when they have the ball. They will also pass up on good opportunities to score.

Also the Knicks have the worst defense in the NBA. Coach Mike D'Antoni runs a great fast paced offense, but probably hasn't said the word "defense" this whole season to his team. Sure, the Knicks average 106 points per game, the second most in the league, but they also give up around 106 points per game which is the third worst in the NBA.

Another problem killing the Knicks is the depth of the roster. After giving up six solid players for Carmelo and Chauncey,  the Knicks have been forced to use a seven man rotation, after using a ten man roation. The starters are playing too many minutes and are tired at the end of the game, which makes it harder for the Knicks to make a late run, or hold onto a lead.

The Knics now find themselves, at 35-38, and have dropped to seventh place in the East. The good news is that the Knicks schedule lightens up. They do face the Magic at MSG in their next game, but after that face the Nets, Cavs, Raptors, Sixers, Nets again, and then the Pacers. The Knicks finish out the season with games against the Bulls and Celtics, which will be tests to see how far the Knicks can go in the playoffs.

Butler Does It Again

Shelvin Mack had 30 points, and helped lead Butler to another upset over #1 Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, the number one seed in the Southeast region of the tournament had a great chance to escape a nightmare, when Gilbert Brown, one of the better shooters on the team, was summoned to the line to shoot two free throws with only two second left.

The first one was good. Shelvin Mack was on the verge of tears, pulling the Bulldogs to another Cinderella upset, and having 30 of the teams 71 points, Mack has a terrible foul on Brown with 2.1 seconds left. Mack was having one of his best games of his career, shooting 7/12 from beyond the arc and 10-16 overall.

The second one bounced off the rim and was grabbed by Matt Howard, Butler's best big man and helped lead them to the finals last year. Howard also had a great game including 16 points, one very clutch three pointer, and an even clutch-er free throw. Howard also played great on the other end of the hoop with a few charges taken and key stops. As Howard grabbed the rebound he threw the ball up, just trying to run the clock out and go to overtime. That's when Nasir Robinson, Pittsburgh big man, slapped Howard on the rebound causing a foul, and two decisive free throws with barely any time left.

Howard now had two free throws, only one being needed to pull off yet another upset. The first one was good, and everyone on Butler felt relived. Howard threw the second shot off the rim, the time expired and tears were running down every player on Pittsburgh's face.

Many at first blamed Gilbert Brown, if only he had made that second free throw the game would be over. It was definitly not Brown's fault. When the Panthers star player Ashton Gibbs was limited to only 11 points, it was Brown who stepped up and scored 24 points.

Then the finger pointed to Nasir Robinson. Why would he foul? It is not Robinson's fault either. Robinson was the key big man down low for Pitt, who was the team's second leading scorer. Robinson was just looking to be the hero and get the tap back to win the game for the Panthers. So whose fault is it? I hate to say it but this one is coach Jamie Dixon's fault. Why wouldn't Dixon just tell his men to back off the line for the second shot. Nobody knows and in the end Butler comes away victorious.

Butler was not on many peoples brackets to win this game, and even the game before against Old Dominion. You must realize, Butler is the same team last year without Gordon Hayward. They still have Shawn Vanzant, Matt Howard, Shelvin Mack, and a great coach in Brad Stevens, this time he just has glasses. Also, many forgot that last year, throughout the season Hayward wasn't even the team's best player. He simply just stepped up in the tournament, when everyone watched and when Matt Howard was in foul trouble, the team looked for Hayward to make the shots. This year Shelvin Mack is last years Gordon Hayward.

Shelvin Mack helped lead Butler again to the tournament this year, averaging 16 points, four assists, and four rebounds per game. Going into the big dance, Butler was riding one of the longest winning streaks in the nation at nine games. Now it has reached 11.

So back in the locker room, Brad Stevens did his traditional chest bump after a big win, and the team chanted their winning chant. Now the Bulldogs face off Wisconsin, who have knocked off Belmont and Kansas State so far.

This matchup, Wisconsin vs Butler will be a great one to watch. Both teams play very efficient  basketball and are lead by great guards in Shelvin Mack and Jordan Taylor. Both teams also shoot the three ball very well, and have good assist to turnover ratios. The two will face off in New Orleans later in the week, and should be a good one. Can Wisconsin continue their streak lead by Jordan Taylor and Jon Leuer, or will Butler slip on the glass slipper, and possibly make another run deep in the NCAA Tournament?

March Madness Has Arrived!

Can Harrison Barnes lead North Carolina to their first final four since winning it all?

Every year around the middle of March, sports fan start to get symptoms of a very contagious fever. This fever is not the Bieber Fever thank god, but is March Madness Fever! This is the time America comes together and watches who will boom and bust in the tournament. March Madness is defined by #12 seeds upsetting #5 seeds, experienced teams cutting nets, and top notch coaches proving why they are the best. In this upcoming column, i will express my opinion on the top one seeds,  top three Cinderella's, key players, key injuries, best coaches, and a sneak peak at my bracket (that is not finalized)!

Let's get this started with the one seeds.

Ohio State: The Buckeyes come into the tournament as the overall top seed in this years tournament. The Buckeyes just beat Penn State in the finals of the Big Ten tournament this past weekend. The Buckeyes are led by Freshman sensation Jared Sullinger who is a freshman, but also have experienced guards in William Buford, David Lighty, and Jon "Threebler" Diebler. Also the Buckeyes have a beast on the blocks in Dallas Lauderdale to play alongside Sully. Ohio State is also coached by one of the best in Thad Matta who led Ohio State to the finals just a few years ago. The Buckeyes are many of America's locks to win their section of the bracket and I think they can definitely do it. The only thing holding back the Buckeyes is the schedule they face, and this is why they are not my pick to win it all. Ohio State is set to play Villanova/George Mason, if they win the first round. After that they are projected to play a very good and young Kentucky team, or a very experienced Big East team in West Virginia. If Ohio State dodges that they will then play North Carolina or Syracuse, who both are great teams not only in their conferences but in the whole nation. Also If all the one seeds were to make it to the final four, Ohio State would have to face off against a very very good team in the Duke Blue Devils.

Pittsburgh: The Panthers won the Big East regular season title this year but slipped in the Big East Tournament when they lost to UCONN. Still the Panthers obviously impressed the committee enough to get a one seed in one of the most unpredictable regions in years. The Panthers are a good team led by junior Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanabaker. The Panthers also have Gary McGhee down-low to grab rebounds. To complement the pretty solid rotation, Pittsburgh also has a great coach in Jamie Dixon. One negative i see in Pittsburgh is there lack of schedule. Don't jump to soon, because i know they play in the Big East, but yet they only played five ranked teams in conference during the regular season. Also they were not very good on the road this season, which is very important in the tournament. Now the key reason why Pittsburgh will not advance to the final four is their region. This region of the tournament includes teams like Florida, BYU, Wisconsin, Kansas State, Michigan State, UCLA, St. Johns, Gonzaga, and last year's runner up, Butler. Right there i just named nine other teams, ten including Pittsburgh, who can win this bracket (there are 16 teams total)!

Kansas: The Jayhawks had a very quiet 32-2 season that included a regular season and postseason Big 12 titles. Also the Jayhawks played part of their schedule without Josh Selby, a spectacular freshman guard who was forced to sit out do to infractions. Kansas' only two losses came from an emotional loss at Kansas State, and halfway through the season at home against Texas. Kansas' only weak point was their strength of schedule in a relatively weak Big 12 this year. They only played six ranked teams this whole season, one out of conference, and one in the conference tournament. Nonetheless The Jayhawks are led not only by Josh Selby, but by twin brothers Marcus and Markieff who dominate the low post. Marcus averages close to 17 points and seven rebounds per game while his twin averages close to 14 points and eight rebounds per game. Thomas Robinson and Tyrel Reed also contribute a lot to the team. Like the other top seeds, Kansas has a great coach in Bill Self, who led Kansas to a title three years ago against Memphis. I have Kansas representing the Southwest and Southeast side of the bracket in the finals because not only can they rebound, but they run a nice offense, and have a great coach to lead them through a panic.

Duke: I hate to say it, but Duke is my frontrunner to win the title again this year. The Blue Devils are just way too good. Duke goes eight men deep, each of them being able to start on most teams in the NCAA. These eight are Nolan Smith, Seth Curry, Mason Plumlee, Miles Plumlee, Ryan Kelly, Andre Dawkins, Kyle Singler, and yes he might be back by the first round, diaper dandy Kyrie Irving! Potentially, Duke is the same team they were last year but replace Scheyer with Seth Curry, and replace Zoubek with older and more matured Plumlee brothers. The key factor to Duke's success this season was not even Kyrie Irving, during the few games in he played this season. the key is Nolan Smith, who has become an elite college point guard after a few alright years at Duke. This year he has propelled himself to averaging 21 points five assists and four rebounds per game. Duke also has one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time, Coach K, calling plays for them. Duke not only has a crazy good offense but have the defense to match it. Their only losses come this season are away at North Carolina, who they got double revenge on, Virginia Tech, and Florida State. Still, Duke is my team to beat.

Now for the Cinderellas

Gonzaga: Gonzaga usually is a solid college basketball team, but this year feels a bit out of place. Coming in as an 11 seed, the Bulldogs will be underdogs when they face off against St. Johns. I think Gonzaga can make a serious run in this region, not only because they themselves are good, but because this region is so unpredictable, and St. Johns has lost one of their best players to injury. Gonzaga also plays great perimeter defense and might be able to stop St. Johns outstanding shooting. Never doubt 'Zaga.

Utah State: Another team in the Southeast region of the tourny, is Utah State. Utah State is one of the most unique teams in the NCAA having not only a great fan section at games, but a great team. For a team representing the WAC, they are phenomenal. The Aggies finished the season at 30-3 and their only losses are at BYU, Georgetown, and Idaho. Tai Wesly is also a great player down low who might be able to take advantage of an undersized Kansas State team. Watch out for Utah State this year!

Butler: I realized, yes another team in the Southeast region but yes, they can pull it off again! Many teams can be "Cinderella's" like Missouri, Marquette, Florida State, and Tennessee, but historically those teams usually excel in college basketball. Anyways to Butler. Butler practically has the same team that sent them to the Finals last year, except they lost Gordon Heyward. To be honest, going into the tournament Heyward wasn't even the teams best player, or even second best. The good thing is Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack. The two form a dynamic one to punch, and I seriously believe not only can they beat Old Dominion, but don't be shocked if they beat an overrated Pittsburgh team. Still, do not except this to happen, but just know it is possible.

Now for the top players and injuries.

My top three players to watch in this tournament are Nolan Smith, Jimmer Fredette, and Ben Hansbrough.

Smith: Smith has evolved in to one of the best point guards in the nation. He plays on a great Duke team, and i can easily see Nolan cutting down the nets again in early april. Nolan Smith plays great defense and contributes even more on the offensive end. He is explosive, emotional, and always fun to watch.

Fredette: It would be impossible not to have Air Jimmer on this list of who to watch for. Even with the dismissal of Brandon Davies, Jimmer can lead this undersized, underrated BYU team to the final four even. Like i said many times, BYU plays in the controversial Southeast region, and as long as they play it one game at a time, do not be surprised if Air Jimmer does it again. Last year we saw Jimmer lead BYU to it's first NCAA win since Danny Ainge ran the point, when BYU upset Florida in the first round.

Hansbrough: The younger brother of one the greatest college basketball players in this era is making a nice name for himself. Ben is showing great leadership on the mature Notre Dame team. Coach Mike Breen has turned Hansbrough into a phenomenal player, and if Ben is on, he can help lead his team to an upset over Kansas and even make a run for the title. Hansbrough is a very traditional player, who plays team first basketball, but can still take over a game. The thing Notre Dame doesn't have to worry about is even if Hansbrough is off, they can still win games.

As for my injuries, the top ones belong to Kyrie Irving, DJ Kennedy, and Chris Singleton.

Irving: As explained earlier, Irving is arguably the best player in the country and plays on the best team. Even without him Duke still has a chance to win it all, but the chances decrease a lot. Irving contributes a lot to the Blue Devils on both sides of the ball, and makes it much easier for Nolan Smith. He can dominate a game and when Duke's other seven players are off Irving can still lead them to a win, like he did against Butler early in the season

Kennedy: St. Johns rarely missed this season, but when they did DJ Kennedy was there to clean up the boards. St. Johns will miss Kennedy very much, and their status is in jeopardy after his season ending injury. Although St. Johns has great guards led by Dwight Hardy, they are undersized down low and that might hurt them in the tournament.

Singleton: Chris is by far the best player on the Florida State Seminoles, and if he is healthy he can help them pull an upset over Texas A&M. If the doesn't play the game will not even be close, that is how much he means to this team. Signs are pointing to Singleton playing which is not only good for the Seminoles, but for my bracket as well.

So i am curious to your thoughts on these points. Feel free to comment or email me about picks, opinions, injuries, or player watch. Even if it isn't NCAA related, I can talk sports all day.

NFL Lockout: Will There Really Be No Football Next Year?

Goodell and Smith have gone head to head, and after two weeks have not made peace.
Will there be an NFL Season?

To start off, I am sorry i have not been able to write as much, but this is due to the extraordinary amount of work i have had in the past week, including a trip to one of America's finest universities, Cornell, where I competed in the annual CMUNC event.

Anyway, when I got back to the hotel Friday night I had one thing on my mind and that was to see what would happen to America's favorite sports league, the NFL. Rumor was that the NFL was entering a lockout, after negotiations between the players and the owners failed. As it turned out, this rumor ended up being true and ruined my weekend. I kept thinking how next year will be without no NFL (If the lockout stays). I wondered what would happen to the free agents, the rookies, veterans on the verge of retirement, Indianapolis not hosting the Super Bowl, my New York Giants, and Fantasy Football!

So you may be asking, what exactly does this "lockout" even mean? Can there still be an NFL season next year?

The answer to this is yes, but it is not likely.

According to multiple sources, the NFL is set to officially lockout April 6th. The last time the NFL was jeopardized like this was back in 1987.

In the 16 failed days of negations between the owners and the players union, many issues were brought up, that caused the lockout. The Owners wanted even more money then they already had, as well as an 18 game season, and the players wanted fair share of the eight billion dollar revenue. One thing both teams had in common was to lower the ridiculous rookie salaries which are by far the most crazy things in any sports draft. Not only are these NFL rookies getting payed just as much as some stars, but more than half of them are busts! The NFL Players union were lead by DeMaurice Smith and players Drew Brees and Jeff Saturday. Around 11 owners represented the Owners, including Jerry Jones.

So with this "lockout" official and to be put in place supposedly April 6th, there are three possible outcomes with this. The first is the lockout stays, the owners disconnect the players and no games are played this year. The next outcome would come early in the season and the players would play a shortened schedule probably around 10 games. The Final and best outcome is that the NFL picks up it's can some time before training camp, and all games are played as if there was no stinking lockout.

In order for options two and three to occur, the supreme judge must rule the owners unfair in a lawsuit that pretty much determines the NFL season. According to most of America, the owners are being very selfish and greedy in this case, and the players really look like they want to play football for the love of football. Maybe that isn't entirely true, but who does want an NFL Lockout and to not watch Football on CBS and Fox during Sunday days, and the NBC at night. Who doesn't want to watch Monday Night Football, and bight your nails at the same time because you know if your opponents player has a good game, you might lose your week. Who doesn't want to watch NFL Live, or NFL Countdown and listen to Boomer and the crew argue over games. Who doesn't want to here " C'mon Man". Who doesn't want to see the Jets once again talk big game only to fall short. Who doesn't want to see rookies turn into stars, and for vets to finally win their first rings. Who doesn't want an NFL season?

Have i made my point....

America NEEDS the NFL like a fat boy needs cake, maybe even a little more. Without the NFL, weekends are ruined as well as fantasy leagues, fun, and exciting games. Hopefully the owners can realize that they own these teams because they are ALREADY rich business tycoons, hopefully Roger Goodell realizes that he doesn't have to be evil, and we can have ourselves another great NFL season.

BYU Falls After Dismissal of Brandon Davies

BYU will miss Davies input to the team after dismssing Davies earlier in the week.

Along with Notre Dame and Georgetown, Brigham Young is a private college that is very religious. While Notre Dame and Georgetown are catholic, BYU's population is mostly mormon and is owned by The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These universities follow strict honor systems respecting their religious and ethical beliefs.

This season, the BYU Cougars have been one of the best college basketball teams in the nation, including a 27-3 record and a top ten ranking in the AP poll. Two of their best wins are against in conference rival, and also a top ten team, San Diego State. BYU is led by star Jimmer Fredette who leads the entire nation in scoring with 27 points per game.

BYU was on a roll, until the dismissal of forward, Brandon Davies. Davies was not a star on the team, but a great roll player who led the team in rebounding and was third in scoring.

Brandon Davies was dismissed from the basketball team, after rumors came out that he had premarital sex which is against the BYU honor code. Davies later admitted that the rumors were true, and was officially off the basketball team. Other rules of the honor code include no swearing, drinking, smoking, doing drugs, and drinking coffee. Yes that is coffee and it is not a typo.

BYU had just come off their second win vs SDST, and after the rankings, they peaked at three in the entire country, and on ESPN's bracketology page were expected to be a number one seed.


Yesterday in the Cougars' first game since Davies was kicked off the team, BYU had it's worse performance of the year, when they lost at home against New Mexico. Despite Jimmer's 33 points, the rest of the team was not able to overcome a quick bad start to the game. New Mexico got off to a quick start and at the end of the half it was 42-26. BYU was really missing Davies down low to get rebounds not only on the defensive side of the ball, but on the offensive side of the ball when Jimmer misses shots. The final score was 82-64 New Mexico and it was  BYU's worst defeat in six years.

The Dismissal of Davies is a popular discussion topic in the sports world, and so is BYU's current stock as a top college basketball team.

Although Davies did break the honor code of BYU by having underage sex, should he really be kicked off a basketball team for it? BYU is definitely going to miss Davies, who was a huge underlying factor to the Cougars success this season.