The NFL draft. NBA playoffs. NHL playoffs. The only negative? The Astros winning.
I worked all weekend so I didn't get to enjoy the Draft Party at Texans headquarters this year. Plus I would have missed a Penguins vs. Senators match up. Turned out to be an amazing game despite the Pens losing. Ottawa scored the game winner in the third overtime.
I'm a huge fans of the Penguins going back to the Mario Lemieux days. Everybody I knew that followed hockey and wasn't from up north was bandwagonning the Edmonton Oilers and Wayne Gretzky. I looked down the stat sheets and saw Lemieux's stats and decided front that day forth I would be a Pens fan. I'm still here all those years later.
Football and hockey are the only sports I can watch no matter who is playing. NBA basketball is pretty painful to watch these days. I grew up in San Antonio watching the Spurs. If it wasn't for them I doubt I'd watch an NBA game ever again. I'm from Texas, football is in my DNA.
The Spurs disappointed me during the regular season and falling to the 7th seed in the Western Conference. Now that it's playoff time, I'm impressed with the job they've done thus far with the Dallas Mavericks. They lost the first game in Dallas but took game two there and held serve in SA with two wins for a 3-1 series lead. The game swing back tonight to Dallas for a possible Spurs clincher.
Game 4 was brutal and harsh. The Mavericks came unglued when the game turned rough. Tempers flared on sided but the Spurs maintained their composure. The Mavs turned over the ball, missed shots and their offensive timing went haywire. The Spurs turned a deficit into a lead they would never relinquish.
I think a series loss should lead to the demolition of the Mavs current make up and start from scratch. Owner Mark Cuban probably won't do it because past actions show he considers the Mavs one piece away from winning it all.
Everything around Dallas has changed but one key player: Dirk Nowitski. Dallas has changed coaches, made major in season trades and tried to toughen up defensively. Yet here we are again on the brink of another major playoff meltdown. Nothing will ever beat the 2006 Finals choke of being up 2-0 on the edge of 3-0 and losing the series 4-2. The 2007 playoffs exit with the 1st seed against the 8th seed Golden State Warriors ranks a close second. 2010 we are looking at possibly the 3rd worst choke job in Mavs history.
That's all I have time for today. Work, errands and other things are calling.
Showing posts with label Spurs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spurs. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Friday, May 16, 2008
Live to Fight Another Day
The Spurs, the Stars and the Flyer survived to fight another day. The Spurs were facing elimination at the hands of the New Orleans Hornets in game 6. The defending champs held off the upstart Hornets to force a game 7. The Stars held off a sweep at the hands Detroit Red Wings. The Flyers also staved off a sweep by the young Penguins.
In the Spurs vs. Hornets series, no team has won on the opponent's court. Game seven will be Monday night in Hornet. If San Antonio wants to keep defending their title, they need a victory in New Orleans. It's a tall order because the Spurs have been blown out in the three games in New Orleans. Duncan, Ginobili and Parker need to bring the A game and the supporting cast needs to throw in some points too. It's going to have to be a team effort to oust the Hornets. The Hornets have the advantage of youth and the home crowd in game 7.
In the NHL Conference finals, the Penguins were denied sweeping the Flyers. Dallas too survived to force another game. It's a tall order for the Flyers and the Stars to come from 1-3 deficits. Barring two miracles, it will still be a Penguins vs. Red Wings Stanley Cup Finals.
In the Spurs vs. Hornets series, no team has won on the opponent's court. Game seven will be Monday night in Hornet. If San Antonio wants to keep defending their title, they need a victory in New Orleans. It's a tall order because the Spurs have been blown out in the three games in New Orleans. Duncan, Ginobili and Parker need to bring the A game and the supporting cast needs to throw in some points too. It's going to have to be a team effort to oust the Hornets. The Hornets have the advantage of youth and the home crowd in game 7.
In the NHL Conference finals, the Penguins were denied sweeping the Flyers. Dallas too survived to force another game. It's a tall order for the Flyers and the Stars to come from 1-3 deficits. Barring two miracles, it will still be a Penguins vs. Red Wings Stanley Cup Finals.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Uh Oh Spurs, Astros mediocrity, Fantasy football
I knew the Hornets were going to give the Spurs a run for their money. It's obvious because of the age difference in the two clubs. The Hornets can run up and down the court all day long against the Spurs. They out hustle, out gun and out shoot the Spurs. The Spurs definitely cannot keep up the pace of the first three games and hope to win the series.
They were absolutely run off the court in the first two games by a younger team that shows no fear of the four time champions. The Spurs aren't exactly the fastest team in the NBA but they've shown in the past that they could run and gun when they had to. Not this time around. The Hornets made the Spurs look like they were stuck in mud on top of a swamp. Game three does offer some hope that the Spurs can win the series but they need to slow the pace down.
The Hornets have shown proven they can hang with the big dogs. Can they deliver a mortal wound or do they let the Spurs right back into this series? If San Antonio wins on Sunday, they have new hope. The Hornets need to finish them off and the sooner the better. The Spurs aren't four time champs for no reason.
Well, I looked up long enough from the NBA playoffs to see what the Astros have been up to. Good Lord, they are playing .5oo ball. That's a lot better than I'd expected. As of tonight, Lance Berkman has been on a torrid place. I lifted this fact from Jose de Jesus Ortiz's Houston Chronicle blog. Berkman was coming into Saturday night's game batting 18 for 24. If he got a hit on his first at bat, he would have a 19 for 25 stretch for a .720 average. He ended up going 2 for 3 against the Dodgers tonight putting his average to .808 (21 for 28). Even if he doesn't get a hit, he's still getting on base. In his last 32 plate appearances, he's reached base 25 times. That's just a blazing pace.
I tried finding other stats that are driving the current Astros .500 ball pace. It definitely isn't the pitching. They are ranked 11th out of 16 in the National League ERA. They've given up more hits than anybody except the Pirates and the Rockies. They also have one the highest batting average against. They aren't shy about giving up homers either. The Astros lead both leagues in serving up the long ball.
So what's driving the Astros' march to mediocrity? The hitters offset some of the pitching woes. The batters like hitting home runs as much as the pitcher like giving them up. Batting average, RBIs and runs scored rank in the middle of the league. They just look like they are plodding along.
The Astros don't stand out in any one category. Other than Berkman's streak, the Astros seem to be just about average. It definitely shows in the .500 winning percentage.
As long as the Cubs don't win the World Series, everything will be right in the baseball universe.
With the NFL draft out of the way, you'd think I'd put football on the back burner for a while. Not a chance. Minicamps and organized team activities (OTAs) are in session or will be soon for most teams. Just like the real football GMs, fantasy football geeks like myself start paying attention to players, injuries and trades. Also I try to guess which rookie running back is going to make a splash. Last year I hit the jackpot in taking Adrian Peterson in the fourth or fifth round. I knew he was going to be good but I had no earthly idea he was going to go off like he did. Then again who did? He did well enough to propel me into third place in the Chem Plant league.
The Chem Plant league is a keeper league. What that means is you can carry over players from the previous season. The only rules are the players must be from different positions and a two year limit on a player. You can keep a player a third year but you must surrender a first round draft pick. For me that's too high a price for one player. Donovan McNabb and Rudi Johnson were my holdovers from 2006. I can't keep McNabb without giving up my first round pick nor do I want to. The other backs I have on my roster are batter than Johnson. It's a no brainer to keep Peterson.
So it comes down on whether to keep TJ Houshmandzadeh or Brandon Marshall. Both had excellent years but barring injury I'm going with Houshmandzedeh. If Chad Johnson holds out or is traded by the Bengals, that gives more opportunities for Housh. There is a flip side to Johnson's absence. Defenses will be able to key more on Houshmandzadeh. Marshall is coming off injury and doesn't have the past production that Housh has either.
It's a long way off but I just can't help thinking about next fantasy football season.
P.S. - I won the Spin Doctor's League thanks to a late season charge. I barely made the playoffs.
They were absolutely run off the court in the first two games by a younger team that shows no fear of the four time champions. The Spurs aren't exactly the fastest team in the NBA but they've shown in the past that they could run and gun when they had to. Not this time around. The Hornets made the Spurs look like they were stuck in mud on top of a swamp. Game three does offer some hope that the Spurs can win the series but they need to slow the pace down.
The Hornets have shown proven they can hang with the big dogs. Can they deliver a mortal wound or do they let the Spurs right back into this series? If San Antonio wins on Sunday, they have new hope. The Hornets need to finish them off and the sooner the better. The Spurs aren't four time champs for no reason.
Well, I looked up long enough from the NBA playoffs to see what the Astros have been up to. Good Lord, they are playing .5oo ball. That's a lot better than I'd expected. As of tonight, Lance Berkman has been on a torrid place. I lifted this fact from Jose de Jesus Ortiz's Houston Chronicle blog. Berkman was coming into Saturday night's game batting 18 for 24. If he got a hit on his first at bat, he would have a 19 for 25 stretch for a .720 average. He ended up going 2 for 3 against the Dodgers tonight putting his average to .808 (21 for 28). Even if he doesn't get a hit, he's still getting on base. In his last 32 plate appearances, he's reached base 25 times. That's just a blazing pace.
I tried finding other stats that are driving the current Astros .500 ball pace. It definitely isn't the pitching. They are ranked 11th out of 16 in the National League ERA. They've given up more hits than anybody except the Pirates and the Rockies. They also have one the highest batting average against. They aren't shy about giving up homers either. The Astros lead both leagues in serving up the long ball.
So what's driving the Astros' march to mediocrity? The hitters offset some of the pitching woes. The batters like hitting home runs as much as the pitcher like giving them up. Batting average, RBIs and runs scored rank in the middle of the league. They just look like they are plodding along.
The Astros don't stand out in any one category. Other than Berkman's streak, the Astros seem to be just about average. It definitely shows in the .500 winning percentage.
As long as the Cubs don't win the World Series, everything will be right in the baseball universe.
With the NFL draft out of the way, you'd think I'd put football on the back burner for a while. Not a chance. Minicamps and organized team activities (OTAs) are in session or will be soon for most teams. Just like the real football GMs, fantasy football geeks like myself start paying attention to players, injuries and trades. Also I try to guess which rookie running back is going to make a splash. Last year I hit the jackpot in taking Adrian Peterson in the fourth or fifth round. I knew he was going to be good but I had no earthly idea he was going to go off like he did. Then again who did? He did well enough to propel me into third place in the Chem Plant league.
The Chem Plant league is a keeper league. What that means is you can carry over players from the previous season. The only rules are the players must be from different positions and a two year limit on a player. You can keep a player a third year but you must surrender a first round draft pick. For me that's too high a price for one player. Donovan McNabb and Rudi Johnson were my holdovers from 2006. I can't keep McNabb without giving up my first round pick nor do I want to. The other backs I have on my roster are batter than Johnson. It's a no brainer to keep Peterson.
So it comes down on whether to keep TJ Houshmandzadeh or Brandon Marshall. Both had excellent years but barring injury I'm going with Houshmandzedeh. If Chad Johnson holds out or is traded by the Bengals, that gives more opportunities for Housh. There is a flip side to Johnson's absence. Defenses will be able to key more on Houshmandzadeh. Marshall is coming off injury and doesn't have the past production that Housh has either.
It's a long way off but I just can't help thinking about next fantasy football season.
P.S. - I won the Spin Doctor's League thanks to a late season charge. I barely made the playoffs.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Bring on the Hornets!
Okay so I needlessly worried myself about San Antonio losing to Phoenix. They made quick work of the Suns to set up a Western Conference semifinal match up against the Charlotte Hornets. The experts on ESPN are picking the Spurs to win the series. How quickly their tune changes after one series. I think all but three or four pick the Suns to win. Now only one picks Charlotte to emerge.
As for myself, I don't see the series going past six either way. I think the Spurs should win it but it won't be easy. In fact I think it's going to be an all out war. I was talking to my friend the yesterday about the series. In discussing the obvious, we concluded that the Spurs would do well to get out of there with the split. I like the Spurs chances in the series if they come home 1-1. If they come home 0-2 then kiss the season good bye. The Hornets are a young team and going into the hole against them doesn't bode well for the older Spurs. The Spurs need to knock them back and daze them. The longer this series goes, the more it favors the younger Hornets. I'm predicting the Spurs in six.
How about the Atlanta Hawks taking Boston to the brink? Boston will come out on top in game seven. Who the hell thought the Hawks would go so far though? Give them credit holding serve and taking all three games at home. Now if they can just get that one win at the Garden. No doubt about it, this would be the biggest upset in NBA history. It would surpass Golden State's upending of Dallas last year. This definitely has to get the Celtics asshole puckering up. I guess now they realize they just can't waltz to the title. The Hawks though are playing like they have nothing to lose. And they don't. If they go home, everybody expected it. If they win, the will get all the accolades but nobody still expects them to get past the next round. Game seven tomorrow at noon. I'll be there!
As for myself, I don't see the series going past six either way. I think the Spurs should win it but it won't be easy. In fact I think it's going to be an all out war. I was talking to my friend the yesterday about the series. In discussing the obvious, we concluded that the Spurs would do well to get out of there with the split. I like the Spurs chances in the series if they come home 1-1. If they come home 0-2 then kiss the season good bye. The Hornets are a young team and going into the hole against them doesn't bode well for the older Spurs. The Spurs need to knock them back and daze them. The longer this series goes, the more it favors the younger Hornets. I'm predicting the Spurs in six.
How about the Atlanta Hawks taking Boston to the brink? Boston will come out on top in game seven. Who the hell thought the Hawks would go so far though? Give them credit holding serve and taking all three games at home. Now if they can just get that one win at the Garden. No doubt about it, this would be the biggest upset in NBA history. It would surpass Golden State's upending of Dallas last year. This definitely has to get the Celtics asshole puckering up. I guess now they realize they just can't waltz to the title. The Hawks though are playing like they have nothing to lose. And they don't. If they go home, everybody expected it. If they win, the will get all the accolades but nobody still expects them to get past the next round. Game seven tomorrow at noon. I'll be there!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Random Thoughts
My favorite Houston Texans site is no more. Housotn Pro Football is gone. A new incarnation of the site has risen in the name of In The Bull's Eye. Some of the old posters are starting to find their way over to the message board. Let's hope most of them return.
What a game between the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz. The Rockets could have mailed it in and started thinking about summer vacation. Freaking Carl Landry had a hell of a game. He got a tooth knocked out and returned to make a game winning block. Tracy McGrady scored more than one point in the fourth quarter. He made a bone headed offensive foul down the stretch but the Rockets survived. They seized home court back but they need to take game four to stay in it.
My beloved San Antonio Spurs look to take a commanding three game lead tonight in Phoenix. I know it's been talked and written a lot about. Even so I still wonder if the Spurs are really that much in the Suns' head? In every sport it some teams just have another team's number. I don't know if I they really are in their heads or is it match up problems or what. The Suns really aren't worse than the Spurs. Yet the Spurs just have their number in the playoffs. In the Tim Duncan era, the Spurs and the Suns have met up four times. The only series the Suns won was 2000 when Duncan sat out due to an injury. The Shaq experiment isn't working so far. No doubt about it, tonight is a must win for Phoenix.
I don't comment much on the NFL draft. There are enough draftniks and gurus out there that know far more about it than I do. I just read up on players who the Texans might be interested in and who might be the best fit. The most debated topic is what position the Texans will draft with the first pick. CB or LT? We won't know until Saturday.
What a game between the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz. The Rockets could have mailed it in and started thinking about summer vacation. Freaking Carl Landry had a hell of a game. He got a tooth knocked out and returned to make a game winning block. Tracy McGrady scored more than one point in the fourth quarter. He made a bone headed offensive foul down the stretch but the Rockets survived. They seized home court back but they need to take game four to stay in it.
My beloved San Antonio Spurs look to take a commanding three game lead tonight in Phoenix. I know it's been talked and written a lot about. Even so I still wonder if the Spurs are really that much in the Suns' head? In every sport it some teams just have another team's number. I don't know if I they really are in their heads or is it match up problems or what. The Suns really aren't worse than the Spurs. Yet the Spurs just have their number in the playoffs. In the Tim Duncan era, the Spurs and the Suns have met up four times. The only series the Suns won was 2000 when Duncan sat out due to an injury. The Shaq experiment isn't working so far. No doubt about it, tonight is a must win for Phoenix.
I don't comment much on the NFL draft. There are enough draftniks and gurus out there that know far more about it than I do. I just read up on players who the Texans might be interested in and who might be the best fit. The most debated topic is what position the Texans will draft with the first pick. CB or LT? We won't know until Saturday.
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