tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72055643348917657752024-03-13T12:30:44.579-04:00The W ColumnBilly Summershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02166663260019880298noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205564334891765775.post-28379808036082352009-11-06T14:50:00.000-05:002009-11-06T14:51:46.007-05:00Week 9 NFL picks<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CBilly%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CBilly%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CBilly%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> 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margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Due to a conference, I’m posting my picks earlier than usual. Last week I picked 9 out of 13 games correctly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Washington at Atlanta: ATLANTA</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Arizona at Chicago: ARIZONA</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Baltimore at Cincinatti: BALTIMORE</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Houston at Indianapolis: INDIANAPOLIS</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Miami at New England: NEW ENGLAND</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Green Bay at Tampa Bay: GREEN BAY</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Kansas City at Jacksonville: JACKSONVILLE</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Detroit at Seattle: SEATTLE</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Carolina at New Orleans: NEW ORLEANS</p> <p class="MsoNormal">San Diego at N.Y. Giants: N.Y. GIANTS</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tennessee at San Francisco: SAN FRANCISCO</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Dallas at Philadelphia: PHILADELPHIA</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Pittsburgh at Denver: DENVER</p> Billy Summershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02166663260019880298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205564334891765775.post-7654838100278788082009-11-01T12:37:00.000-05:002010-03-30T21:27:17.704-04:00Week 8 NFL picksWeek 7 was just a mediocre bounce-back performance for me, picking 8 of 13 of the winners. I had a “Two For The Money” week against the spread however, picking 11 of 13 games correctly. That’s pretty damn good if I say so, myself.<br />
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On to my week 8 picks…<br />
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Houston at Buffalo: HOUSTON<br />
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Cleveland at Chicago: CHICAGO<br />
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Seattle at Dallas: DALLAS<br />
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St. Louis at Detroit: DETROIT<br />
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San Francisco at Indianapolis: INDIANAPOLIS<br />
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Miami at N.Y. Jets: N.Y. JETS<br />
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Denver at Baltimore: BALTIMORE<br />
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N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia: N.Y. GIANTS<br />
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Jacksonville at Tennessee: TENNESSEE<br />
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Oakland at San Diego: SAN DIEGO<br />
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Minnesota at Green Bay: MINNESOTA<br />
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Carolina at Arizona: ARIZONA<br />
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Atlanta at New Orleans: NEW ORLEANSBilly Summershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02166663260019880298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205564334891765775.post-86353017897835983902009-10-27T13:37:00.001-04:002010-03-30T21:26:32.472-04:00It's All About The ChipsWhatever your personal feelings are about them, arguably the two most loved and hated teams in professional sports will be sharing the championship spotlight over the next two nights.<br />
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Tonight at 10:15 p.m. EST in Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers will be receiving their brand new championship rings. (Lebron, make sure you're in front of a TV after your game to get a good look - LOL)<br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/Suc0UfEViYI/AAAAAAAAAJk/IARVslKbyVE/s1600-h/LakersChampionshipRing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 274px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/Suc0UfEViYI/AAAAAAAAAJk/IARVslKbyVE/s320/LakersChampionshipRing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397340204968544642" border="0" /></a>This will be the 15th championship for the Lakers franchise, and in case you missed my blog "Memo To Laker-Haters:" <a href="http://billysummers.blogspot.com/2009/10/memo-to-laker-haters.html">click here</a> for an explanation on why they will be receiving their 16th championship ring this time next year.<br />
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At 7:57 p.m. EST tomorrow night, 3000 miles away, the New York Yankees will host game 1 of the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. (Shortly after a pre-game performance of "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys... Major League Baseball is trying to step up their game, by the way!)<br />
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I'm picking the Yankees in 6 games. This will be their 27th World Championship.<br />
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Amidst all of the media hype, off-field drama, scandals, etc, this is what it's all about... Raising the trophy and being crowned "champion."Billy Summershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02166663260019880298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205564334891765775.post-4642848630516923932009-10-25T01:39:00.000-04:002009-10-25T01:57:00.387-04:00Week 7 NFL picksBack when I was in high school, my friends and I had a saying: “Nothing like a good ass-whoopin’ to shut a m#+@$&f<@#r up.”<br /><br />And in regards to last week’s picks, I’ll man-up and admit… I got my ass whooped! (5 out of 14 – no excuses for that kind of performance) Shit, I took I took it on the chin worse than "Red" in "Friday." <br /><br /><div align="center"><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/K8sRaPX8tyw&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/K8sRaPX8tyw&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></div><br /><br />Ok, maybe not <span style="font-style:italic;">that</span> bad...<br /><br />So this week, I’m going back to the basics: No analysis… nothing but picks.<br /><br />Green Bay at Cleveland: GREEN BAY<br /><br />San Diego at Kansas City: KANSAS CITY<br /><br />San Francisco at Houston: SAN FRANCISCO<br /><br />Indianapolis at St. Louis: INDIANAPOLIS<br /><br />Minnesota at Pittsburgh: MINNESOTA<br /><br />New England at Tampa Bay: NEW ENGLAND<br /><br />Buffalo at Carolina: CAROLINA<br /><br />N.Y. Jets at Oakland: N.Y. JETS<br /><br />Chicago at Cincinatti: CINCINATTI<br /><br />Atlanta at Dallas: DALLAS<br /><br />New Orleans at Miami: NEW ORLEANS<br /><br />Arizona at N.Y. Giants: N.Y. GIANTS<br /><br />Philadelphia at Washington: PHILADELPHIABilly Summershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02166663260019880298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205564334891765775.post-77923524037723723162009-10-17T23:09:00.000-04:002009-10-25T01:50:41.011-04:00Week 6 NFL picksLast week was my 5th straight week of double-digit games correctly picked. My score of 10 out of 14 brings my yearly total to 56 games correctly picked thus far – which puts me in the top 2.3% of all people in ESPN’s Pigskin Pick ‘Em. Other then the Colts’ route of the Titans (I should probably take a negative on that pick), the teams I picked to win that lost (Bills, Ravens, and Redskins) all lost by just 3 points apiece.
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<br />Last week was also my 1st week of picking games against the spread… that went just as well, with me picking 10 out of the 14 games correctly.
<br />(click the image below for a detailed view of my week 5 picks against the spread)
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/StqV4FOsBwI/AAAAAAAAAJU/qkQABwoz6Xw/s1600-h/WEEK_5_Picks_ATS.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/StqV4FOsBwI/AAAAAAAAAJU/qkQABwoz6Xw/s320/WEEK_5_Picks_ATS.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393788294438586114" border="0" /></a>Moving on to this week’s picks…
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<br />Houston at Cincinatti: CINCINATTI
<br />Cedric Benson’s ability to produce the type of #’s that people were expecting from Steve Slaton at the start of the season (but has yet to deliver) gives the Bengals the edge here.
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<br />Detroit at Green Bay: GREEN BAY
<br />The Packers will not only win, but cover the double-digit spread against the Lions. Given Calvin Johnson’s unknown status as to whether or not he’ll play, I have a feeling this one will get out of hand early.
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<br />Baltimore at Minnesota: BALTIMORE
<br />Yeah, the Vikings are 5-0. However, their wins have come against the 1-4 Browns, 1-4 Lions, 3-2 49ers, 2-2 Packers, and 0-5 Rams. This will be their toughest matchup yet, and with Percy Harvin banged up, how many legitimate threats will Brett Favre have at his disposal? I expect the Ravens to stack the box heavily to stop Adrian Peterson.
<br />And one more thing… yeah, Ray “Killa” Lewis was penalized 15 yards (which helped give Cincinatti a win over the Ravens last week) and fined $25,000 for it, but don’t you think the Vikings’ receivers will have this on their mind on any crossing routes over the middle?<style>e-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"></p><div align="center"><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/zls1tOMEsKk&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/zls1tOMEsKk&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></div><p></p>N.Y. Giants at New Orleans: N.Y. GIANTS
<br />Easily the game of the week. I know it’s only week 6 of the season, but both of these teams have looked good enough to be legitimate Super Bowl Champions… this could very well be the NFC championship game. I’m giving the edge to the Giants this week because of their experience, and like New Orleans, they are coming off a bye week. (Unless you want to count the Raiders as a real game)
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<br />Carolina at Tampa Bay: TAMPA BAY
<br />I mean, who really cares?
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<br />Kansas City at Washington: WASHINGTON
<br />Kansas City was able to take Dallas into overtime last week, but they should really struggle to put points on the board against Washington. (That is, unless Jason Campbell repeatedly turns the ball over and gives Kansas City a short field to work with.)
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<br />St. Louis at Jacksonville: JACKSONVILLE
<br />Can you believe what Donnie Avery did when he scored that meaningless touchdown last week? Instead of the “Stanky Leg,” he should’ve been doing “The Jerk.” What an idiot! And I feel sorry for Steven Jackson. He would be a superstar in this league if he was on another team. Unfortunately for him, they will be down early again, and Marc Bulger will be forced to throw early and often.
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<br />Cleveland at Pittsburgh: PITTSBURGH
<br />Rashard Mendenhall is healthy enough to play despite battling the flu earlier this week. Willie Parker will be ready to go. And most importantly, Troy Polamalu will be back to anchor Pittsburgh’s defense. The Steelers win in a blowout.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/StqVW9ylI8I/AAAAAAAAAJM/yAUUVvGOA84/s1600-h/Polamalu.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/StqVW9ylI8I/AAAAAAAAAJM/yAUUVvGOA84/s320/Polamalu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393787725505962946" border="0" /></a>Arizona at Seattle: SEATTLE
<br />Matt Hasselbeck is back. And he and T.J. Houshmandzadeh seem to be clicking now. Arizona’s pass defense ranks last in the league. If Seattle can get some early sacks or knockdowns on Kurt Warner (you know how he gets all woozy when he’s hit), they should win pretty easily.
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<br />Philadelphia at Oakland: PHILADELPHIA
<br />It was getting so ugly at the Meadowlands last week, Eli Manning didn’t have to play through the 2nd quarter against Oakland. Since this game is in Oakland, Donovan McNabb may play 3 quarters.
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<br />Buffalo at N.Y. Jets: N.Y. JETS
<br />Braylon Edwards has to feel good about having a legitimate QB to throw him the ball. But if you don’t think he was purposely playing like a buster just so that he could be traded (a la Randy “I look like I should retire with the Raiders to I’m still the most dangerous WR in the league with the Patriots” Moss), then you probably think Terrell Owens is still relevant.
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value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/Y1XCVo_vlYs&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hd=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/Y1XCVo_vlYs&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></div><p></p>Tennessee at New England: NEW ENGLAND
<br />People are beginning to see that Albert Haynesworth was literally, and figuratively, a HUGE reason why the Tennessee Titans were so successful last year. Tom Brady and the Patriots will actually look like a dangerous team again this week.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/StqUxVVHVoI/AAAAAAAAAJE/HkG4v6nmT5o/s1600-h/Brady_Moss.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 311px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/StqUxVVHVoI/AAAAAAAAAJE/HkG4v6nmT5o/s320/Brady_Moss.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393787078989796994" border="0" /></a>Chicago at Atlanta: ATLANTA
<br />This should be a great game. I expect a high-scoring game, and because the game is being played in the Georgia Dome, the Falcons will come out on top.
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<br />Denver at San Diego: SAN DIEGO
<br />Denver is for real. They proved that last week. But if San Diego finds a way to get the ball in Darren Sproles’s hands at least 15 times, the Chargers will end the Broncos’ undefeated streak, in this divisional matchup.
<br />Billy Summershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02166663260019880298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205564334891765775.post-14555909585513906462009-10-11T01:04:00.000-04:002009-10-18T01:03:10.001-04:00Week 5 NFL picksCleveland at Buffalo: BUFFALO
<br />Terrell Owens will definitely catch more than his current season-high 3 receptions against this Browns defense, and Trent Edwards HAS to be motivated to have a big game after what <a href="http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2009/10/browns_defensive_coordinator_r_1.html">Rob Ryan</a> had to say, right? (By the way Rob, I couldn't stick with that p90x either. Did the yoga throw you off, too?)
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/StFxBPlxWLI/AAAAAAAAAIs/YhJ821LVlXQ/s1600-h/rob-ryan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 290px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/StFxBPlxWLI/AAAAAAAAAIs/YhJ821LVlXQ/s320/rob-ryan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391214495117957298" border="0" /></a>Pittsburgh at Detroit: PITTSBURGH
<br />Daunte Culpepper is starting at quarterback and Calvin Johnson is a little banged up… (Not like Matthew Stafford would have necessarily been a better option against Dick Lebeau’s defense.)
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<br />Dallas at Kansas City: DALLAS
<br />If the Cowboys lose this game, Wade Phillips needs to be fired. Hold up... That should already be the plan!
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<br />Minnesota at St. Louis: MINNESOTA
<br />150 rushing yards against this defense may be a disappointment for Adrian Peterson. What is A.P.’s career high? He might surpass that. Seriously. And, check out this clip from the Viking's opening game of the 2009 season. How many of the running backs in the NFL have the talent to do this? In the 4th quarter. Exactly. 1.
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<br />
<br />Oakland at N.Y. Giants: N.Y. GIANTS
<br />With or without Eli Manning, this will probably get ugly.
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<br />Tampa Bay at Philadelphia: PHILADELPHIA
<br /><a href="http://www.gantdaily.com/news/17/ARTICLE/62890/2009-10-10.html">Andy Reid’s agent</a> picked a great week to publicize his client’s contract extension negotiations. The Eagles will win BIG with the return of Donovan McNabb and Bryant Westbrook. I look forward to seeing Michael Vick get some playing time, too.
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<br />Washington at Carolina: WASHINGTON
<br />As bitch-made as Jason Campbell has been playing (Yes, "bitch-made" - I can say that since I don’t work for ESPN), he’s still been out-playing Jake Delhomme. As long as Jim Zorn doesn’t have DeAngelo “most overrated, over-paid cornerback ever” Hall covering Steve Smith, the Redskins should be fine - even with this dude as their quarterback.
<br />
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/StFwwv9xevI/AAAAAAAAAIk/B8ytHGZU5lo/s1600-h/jasoncampbell.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 221px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/StFwwv9xevI/AAAAAAAAAIk/B8ytHGZU5lo/s320/jasoncampbell.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391214211750787826" border="0" /></a>Cincinatti at Baltimore: BALTIMORE
<br />If this game was in Cincinatti this week, I’d probably pick the Bengals. The Ravens are just too good at home, and Cincinatti needs to show me more. Ed Reed has been relatively quiet up to this point so far this season… I expect him to make a couple of BIG plays. (Plays that will be way more relevant to the game's outcome than any clever TD celebrations Chad Ochocinco can come up with.)
<br />
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/StFwYT6FB6I/AAAAAAAAAIc/pI91-JeBysc/s1600-h/chad-johnson-hof-td-celebration.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/StFwYT6FB6I/AAAAAAAAAIc/pI91-JeBysc/s320/chad-johnson-hof-td-celebration.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391213791902238626" border="0" /></a>Atlanta at San Francisco: ATLANTA
<br />A lot of people aren’t talking about this game… but this is a big matchup between two former division rivals, that could also be a preview to a possible playoff matchup. This was the toughest game for me to pick this week. Glen Coffee has talent, but he’s no Frank Gore. And without the 49ers having a legitimate downfield receiving threat (Michael Crabtree <span style="font-style: italic;">will</span> change that... just not this week), the Falcons should be able to stack the box with defenders and stifle Coffee and put a lot of pressure on Shaun Hill. Still, the 49ers defense is SOLID, so it won't be easy for Matt Ryan and company, either. If Michael Turner gets 20+ carries, the Falcons will pull out this tough game on the road.
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<br />Jacksonville at Seattle: SEATTLE
<br />David Garrard had a big game last week. Mike Sims-Walker is emerging as a big-time receiver. But Julius Jones normally plays well at home and the Seattle fans are some of the loudest in the league. (I'm so glad I don't live in either of these markets... otherwise I'd be subjected to watching this crappy matchup, pitting Seneca Wallace vs. David Garrard... and there are people who actually question whether Tim Tebow can be a quarterback in the NFL?)
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<br />Houston at Arizona: ARIZONA
<br />Ah, yes... the Fantasy Super Bowl! There will be more eyes on this game’s boxscore than any other game on the schedule. Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Tim Hightower, Steve Breaston, Matt Schaub, Steve Slaton, Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, and Owen Daniels… I can almost guarantee that you either have a player in this game in one of your starting lineups, or you’ll be facing a team, in one of your leagues, that has one of these players in their starting lineup. (Quick question... if you're a football fan and don't play fantasy football, what the hell is wrong with you? You're seriously missing out.)
<br />
<br />New England at Denver: DENVER
<br />I think Josh McDaniels is ready for this matchup against his former boss and mentor. The question is… is Kyle Orton? Orton is in pretty much the same position he was in for so long with the Chicago Bears. His defense is stingy. All he needs to do is manage the game and not turn the ball over. One thing he has now that he didn’t have before, however, is a receiver with the talent of Brandon Marshall.
<br />
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/StFynrrzEdI/AAAAAAAAAI0/v4mZp2RUF98/s1600-h/mcdaniels_belichick2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 235px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/StFynrrzEdI/AAAAAAAAAI0/v4mZp2RUF98/s320/mcdaniels_belichick2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391216255006085586" border="0" /></a>Indianapolis at Tennessee: TENNESSEE
<br />I don’t remember ever seeing the Titans host a Sunday night game. It should be an electric environment. I refuse to believe that a team that had 13 wins last year will start off 0-5. They’ll feed Chris Johnson. And then feed him some more. As good as Peyton Manning is, his streak of 300-yard passing games will come to an end on Sunday night.
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<br />(MONDAY NIGHT) N.Y. Jets at Miami: MIAMI
<br />Unlike most players these days that pop off at the mouth, Joey Porter tends to not only back up his words with actions, but he seems to motivate and inspire his teammates, too. This week will be the 2nd consecutive mediocre performance for Mark Sanchez.
<br />Billy Summershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02166663260019880298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205564334891765775.post-17017473989970923582009-10-08T10:37:00.000-04:002009-10-18T01:09:53.078-04:00Memo To Laker-Haters:<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CBilly%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CBilly%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CBilly%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> 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mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} ol {margin-bottom:0in;} ul {margin-bottom:0in;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m writing this to all of the Laker haters. Some friends, some family, many strangers… all motivators.
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Of course it’s a long season. Of course there will be trades, injuries, internal team drama, etc that can and <i style="">will</i> happen, but…</p> <p class="MsoNormal">It’s time for you haters to unite. It’s time to pool your efforts. It’s been said that there is power in prayer. That’s very true. Honestly, that would probably be your best option. Pray for a trade by the <a href="http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/">Cavaliers</a> to get another key player (<a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/stephen_jackson/index.html">Stephen Jackson</a> would be a pretty good fit – but not necessarily enough). Pray for an energized and healthy <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/kevin_garnett/index.html">Kevin Garnett</a> to return (and a trade by the <a href="http://www.nba.com/celtics/">Celtics</a> to get another key player – or two). Pray for dissension and/or injuries to affect the <a href="http://www.nba.com/lakers/">Lakers</a>. Otherwise, based <i style="">solely</i> on talent… there is NO WAY this Laker team that Mitch Kupchak has assembled loses 4 out of 7 games to ANY current NBA team in the playoffs.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/Ss37hXIyAPI/AAAAAAAAAH8/kpwPLU86JCo/s1600-h/Artest_Kobe_Odom.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 174px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/Ss37hXIyAPI/AAAAAAAAAH8/kpwPLU86JCo/s320/Artest_Kobe_Odom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390240879597453554" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In their first game together since acquiring <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/ron_artest/index.html">Ron Artest</a> in the offseason and losing one of their 2009 playoff heroes <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/trevor_ariza/index.html">Trevor Ariza</a> (albeit a meaningless preseason game against the mediocre <a href="http://www.nba.com/warriors/index_main.html">Golden State Warriors</a>, where they won 118-101), the <a href="http://www.nba.com/lakers/">Los Angeles Lakers</a> looked like every bit of a 70+ game winner. They were leading by 16 points at halftime (65-49). <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/kobe_bryant/index.html">Kobe Bryant</a> had the Warriors players cursing out the referees in frustration in the 2<sup>nd</sup> quarter. He only scored 22 of the 118. This team, which was stacked last year, has only gotten better. Ron Artest, in his Laker debut, had 12 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals (in only 23 minutes). Andrew Bynum had 24 points in 30 minutes, and shot 8-9 on free throw attempts. However, I have to ask, “Why only 5 rebounds, Drew?” That’s an area of major concern for me… that shows he doesn’t yet have that fire in him. (Maybe it will be there next year when they go for the three-peat).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The potential lineup combinations for the Lakers are scary, though. Just look at some of the players the Lakers have on their roster: </p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/pau_gasol/index.html">Pau Gasol</a>, who is the most <i style="">skilled</i> big man in the game.</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/lamar_odom/index.html">Lamar Odom</a>, one of the most versatile players in the NBA, is a matchup nightmare for opposing coaches. </p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/ron_artest/index.html">Artest</a>, who can score 20+ points on any given night and provide lockdown defense on the opposing team’s best perimeter player/scorer.</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/andrew_bynum/index.html">Andrew Bynum</a>, who still has a long way to go to reach his potential, would be the best player and #1 option on more than half of the teams in the league.</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/derek_fisher/index.html">Derek Fisher</a>, whose age is much less of a factor considering the depth the team has at the point guard position… he won’t have to play as many minutes during the regular season. </p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/luke_walton/index.html">Luke Walton</a> and <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/jordan_farmar/index.html">Jordan Farmar</a> would both be starters on most teams</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/shannon_brown/index.html">Shannon Brown</a>, who plays with as much energy and hustle as anyone in the league when he comes in off the bench. 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src="http://www.youtube.com/v/K2QpIfgUtcg&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></div><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->While tweets from some fellow <a href="http://twitter.com/lakersnation">@lakersnation</a> fans declaring <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/sasha_vujacic/index.html">Sasha Vujacic</a> was “back” after he made 3 field goals last night were laughable, he, along with <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/adam_morrison/index.html">Adam Morrison</a>, should both provide timely offense off the bench.</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->And, of course, the best player in the NBA, <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/kobe_bryant/index.html">Kobe Bryant</a>, is still the leader of this team.</p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
<br /></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/Ss36PuhSm4I/AAAAAAAAAH0/Cpo7bjRRWfI/s1600-h/Kobe-4-Championships.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 284px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/Ss36PuhSm4I/AAAAAAAAAH0/Cpo7bjRRWfI/s320/Kobe-4-Championships.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390239477124995970" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">Bottom line: this shirt bearing the number of rings (ie, championships) Bryant has won will be obsolete in about 9 months, when the Black Mamba adds his 5th "chip."</p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">Between all of the haters, and my first full NBA season on <a href="http://twitter.com/billysummers">Twitter</a>, this championship run will be a lot of fun!</p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">**To all the Lakers fans on <a href="http://twitter.com/billysummers">Twitter</a>, let’s make “#16” a trending topic on every game day this season, as we enjoy the Lakers’ run to a 16<sup>th</sup> NBA championship!</p> Billy Summershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02166663260019880298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205564334891765775.post-47920740485912056092009-06-04T04:29:00.000-04:002009-06-04T05:54:11.646-04:002/1/08... The Day A Dynasty Was (Re)-BornYou may have heard… the Los Angeles Lakers host the Orlando Magic in game 1 of the 2009 NBA Finals tonight at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. After more than 40 consecutive days of NBA playoff coverage, the last 4 days have seemed just as uneventful as the two week break during the NFL season between the conference championships and the Super Bowl. I blame the absence of action <span style="font-style: italic;">less</span> than I blame the over-analysis of the finals that we’ve all been subjected to…<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/SieJllnlwVI/AAAAAAAAAHs/Fq4InvA5tnw/s1600-h/howard_bynum.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/SieJllnlwVI/AAAAAAAAAHs/Fq4InvA5tnw/s320/howard_bynum.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343390761744712018" border="0" /></a><br /><ul><li>"Can the Laker big men contain <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/dwight_howard/index.html">Dwight Howard</a>?” (They don’t <span style="font-style: italic;">have</span> to… the Cavs just demonstrated what can happen when you don’t play a TEAM game)</li></ul><ul><li>“Will <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/jameer_nelson/index.html">Jameer Nelson</a> return and play?” (Please do, sir… you’re not in top game shape, buddy)</li></ul><ul><li>“Who has the coaching edge?” (I literally laughed out loud when I heard this one)</li></ul><ul><li>A Doctor wrote an essay that concludes that Lamar Odom’s sweet tooth apparently has an effect on his playmaking abilities. Dr. Daniel Amen writes, "I've been telling my patients for years that sugar acts like a drug in the brain. It causes blood sugar levels to spike and then crash, leaving you feeling tired, irritable, foggy and stupid. Eating too much sugar impairs cognitive function, which may explain why Odom doesn't always make the smartest decisions on the court." Uhhhh…. Okay.</li></ul><ul><li>“How bad does Kobe want to win a ring without Shaq?”</li></ul><ul><li>And we can’t forget about the COUNTLESS position by position player matchups on all of the different media outlets. <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/kobe_bryant/index.html">Kobe Bryant</a> vs. <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/mickael_pietrus/index.html">Mickael Pietrus</a>? Seriously? People actually took the time to <span style="font-style: italic;">compare</span> these two?</li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/SieGhDaAHaI/AAAAAAAAAHU/tVoIamPXJKw/s1600-h/kobe_pietrus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 243px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/SieGhDaAHaI/AAAAAAAAAHU/tVoIamPXJKw/s320/kobe_pietrus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343387385306553762" border="0" /></a>Yes. All of these topics have been covered and debated extensively within the last 4 days.<br />Well, this blog is not going to provide an analysis/preview of this series. This blog is not going to cover the obvious fact that the <a href="http://lakers.com/">Lakers</a> are going to secure their 15th championship in franchise history. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty disappointed that I’m one of only 5 <a href="http://mylakersnation.com/">My Lakers Nation</a> members who picked the Lakers to sweep the Magic. And, trust me, that is not based solely on what some may call a clearly-defined bias, it’s just that the Lakers are a much better team. But this blog isn’t about that…<br />This blog is about the current Lakers squad taking their first concrete steps into that coveted “D-word” territory. That’s right… DYNASTY, baby! It’s hard to believe that two years ago at this time, some Lakers fans were wondering how much time they had left to see “<a href="http://vodpod.com/watch/1632175-kobe-doing-work">Kobe Doin’ Work</a>” in the purple and gold. Seems like forever, doesn’t it Laker fans? There were actually serious discussions about him going to the Bulls… or maybe even the Clippers (ooh... perish the thought)<shivering>. Check out this <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/2007-05-31-kobe-ten-questions_N.htm">article</a> from May 31, 2007. It’s truly scary that Shawn Marion, Jason Kidd, and Vince Carter were some of the “alternatives” to the Black Mamba. This was all just 2 years ago, people!</shivering><br /><shivering>And then, in the middle of last season, a trade occurred on February 1, 2008 that brought <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/pau_gasol/index.html">Pau Gasol</a> to the Lakers from the Grizzlies, and in the blink of an eye, th</shivering><shivering>e Lakers were once again an elite team in the NBA. It would be impossible to overstate just how important this trade was. Not only did they acquire a very skilled big man, whose style of play fit in perfectly with the vaunted triangle offense used by the Lakers, but the team was able to unload the contracts of 3 mediocre players: Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, and Mar</shivering><shivering>c Gasol (Pau’s brother). Gasol (Pau) helped the Lakers finish the regular season with the best record in the Western Conference (57-25), and the Lakers had a record of 22-5 with him in the starting lineup. Not too long before the Boston Celtics eliminated the Lakers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals, I commented to one of my really good friends and fellow Laker fan that <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> team could eventually be better than the Lakers squad that three-peated between 2000-2002. He thought I was crazy.</shivering><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/SieG7I79G0I/AAAAAAAAAHc/VAbJd_z-1Cg/s1600-h/kobe_pau_odom.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 207px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/SieG7I79G0I/AAAAAAAAAHc/VAbJd_z-1Cg/s320/kobe_pau_odom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343387833467738946" border="0" /></a><shivering>But this team is deep. Their <a href="http://www.nba.com/lakers/roster/index.html">roster</a> is full of players that could easily be starting on a lot of <span style="font-style: italic;">playoff</span> teams, and they have solid role players that truly understand… well, their <span style="font-style: italic;">role</span>. They’re young, too. Except for Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant is the oldest player on the team at 30 years of age. Most importantly, this team plays and acts like a team on <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span> off the court. When was the last time you heard about any non-game related disputes coming from this team?<br />After the Lakers lost by 39 points in game 6 of last year's finals and we witnessed Doc Rivers taking an on-court Gatorade bath, I uttered these words, “Revenge is sweet.” And while I am disappointed that it couldn’t happen this year, I strongly believe </shivering><shivering>it will happen next year, meaning the Lakers will repeat, beating a Celtics team that still has Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and an ever-improving Rajon Rondo . The fact that Prince James and his Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t make it to the NBA Finals to play Kobe Bryant and the Lakers <span style="font-style: italic;">again</span> will cause the prince to take his one man show to Broadway… and he’ll sign with the New York Knicks in the summer of 2010. The Knicks will make another <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=freeagents-09-10">major acquisition</a> that summer (I’m predicting Dirk Nowitzki, Amare Stoudemire, or Chris Bosh). Needless to say, the Knicks will get a lot better… so much so, that they’ll return to the finals to face… the Lakers.<br />(Somewhere, David Stern just “<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pXfHLUlZf4&feature=channel_page">Ji##ed In His Pants</a>”)<br /><br /></shivering><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/SieHfupKjnI/AAAAAAAAAHk/s5T4uaeYJ34/s1600-h/kobelebron_faded.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 166px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/SieHfupKjnI/AAAAAAAAAHk/s5T4uaeYJ34/s320/kobelebron_faded.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343388462064766578" border="0" /></a><shivering>It’s an advertising executive's dream come true. <span style="font-style: italic;">Kobe vs. Lebron</span>. <span style="font-style: italic;">LA vs. NY</span>. The decorated, 5-time champion Kobe Bryant seeking his 6th title to tie him with his idol vs. the best 26 year old player to never have won a title. You think <span style="font-style: italic;">puppets</span> were over the top? There would be a Kobe-Lebron musical on broadway… A reality TV show... Their own nightly talk show on ESPN. It would easily be the most hyped, most-televised sporting event EVER. David Stern will have a “happy ending” smile on his face for weeks as the series will undoubtedly go 7 games. And the champion would be… well, just a “repeat” isn’t considered a dynasty, is it?<br /></shivering>Just remember you heard it here first.<br /><shivering>And no wonder so many people hate the Lakers. Most teams would love it if they won a championship every other decade. The Lakers average a DYNASTY every other decade.<br /></shivering>Billy Summershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02166663260019880298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205564334891765775.post-38836841879019278252009-05-20T18:20:00.000-04:002009-10-18T01:14:11.143-04:00Don't Sleep On Disneyland<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CBilly%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CBilly%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CBilly%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> 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Kobe Bryant? Lebron James?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jerry West’s <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4178437">comments yesterday</a> anointing Lebron James as the best player in the NBA, along with Kobe Bryant’s iconic 40 point performance (18 in the 4th quarter) last night in game 1 of the Western Conference Finals have taken the debate to a fevered pitch… and everybody is anticipating the ultimate showdown in the NBA Finals, where the debate could be settled on the hardwood, and not just in the new Nike Most Valuable Puppets commercials.</p> <div align="center"><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YjhHOjY2Ydw&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YjhHOjY2Ydw&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></div>
<br /><p class="MsoNormal">There’s just one problem with this scenario… a team called the <a href="http://www.nba.com/magic/index_main.html">Orlando Magic</a>.<span style=""> </span>They aren’t getting any respect, yet I think they give the <a href="http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/index_main.html">Cleveland Cavaliers</a> a lot of matchup problems.<span style=""> </span>Orlando will beat Cleveland if they can somehow steal one of the first 2 games in Cleveland.<span style=""> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">YEAH, I SAID IT!!!</span> Cleveland needs to give Orlando more credit than the analysts and sportswriters are.<span style=""> </span>Many of them are actually picking Cleveland to SWEEP!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We all know that Cleveland has Lebron “King” James.<span style=""> </span>Orlando, however, has a much more balanced attack. Orlando has 5 players in the playoffs averaging at least double figures (with a sixth player averaging 8.9 points). Cleveland has 4 players averaging double digits with Lebron averaging <span style="font-style: italic;">more than twice as many</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">points</span> as anyone else on his team.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Orlando presents potential matchup nightmares for Cleveland.<span style=""> </span>As long as Orlando and Stan Van Gundy have learned from the game 5 gaffe where Dwight Howard only touched the ball twice in the 4th quarter (sparking the reserved, soft-spoken Howard to call out his coach), the Cavaliers are in serious trouble. With Howard in the middle, he will command double-teams (unless you think <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/zydrunas_ilgauskas/index.html">Zydrunas Ilgauskas</a> can actually cover him one on one - LOL).<span style=""> </span></p> <div align="center"><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gqBu57JpibI&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gqBu57JpibI&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></div> <p class="MsoNormal">Howard’s surrounded on the floor at any given time by 4 sharp shooters, who all shoot a decent percentage from the 3-point line. Orlando, in these playoffs, have FIVE players who have made at least 15 3-pointers in these playoffs (by comparison, Cleveland has <span style="font-style: italic;">two</span> at this point). Orlando’s perimeter players are shooting with confidence and are patiently waiting for their opportunities to arise.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Their offensive strategy, and their team as a whole, reminds me a lot of when another dominant big man in the middle was surrounded on the perimeter by lethal 3-point shooting threats. </p><p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal">PICTURED BELOW: 1994 NBA CHAMPIONS - HOUSTON ROCKETS</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/ShSG2XPnmLI/AAAAAAAAAHE/AWoW9sa3vSg/s1600-h/rockets_team.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/ShSG2XPnmLI/AAAAAAAAAHE/AWoW9sa3vSg/s400/rockets_team.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338039726851463346" border="0" /></a>All of you faithful Lebronians, rest assured, he will have a great series… he will have his share of mutant-like highlights… and, he’ll probably average more than 30 points… but everyone needs to remember that the Magic have a pretty good defensive presence in the middle in Dwight Howard (<a href="http://www.nba.com/2009/news/04/21/dpoy.20090421/">2009 NBA Defensive Player of the Year</a>). So, in other words, don’t expect the unadulterated trips to the basket for his holiness that became commonplace against the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks.</p><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ></span> <p class="MsoNormal">Hmmm… speaking of defensive player of the year, care to take a guess at who won the defensive player of the year when the team pictured above won their championship? You guessed it, their dominant man in the middle, Hakeem Olajuwon.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Orlando in 6 games, to advance to the NBA Finals against the Lakers.</p>Billy Summershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02166663260019880298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205564334891765775.post-68777205601309950852009-05-19T17:16:00.000-04:002009-05-20T14:59:57.581-04:00The Biggest Dime of the PostseasonAnd no, I'm not referring to any part of <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4163416">Corie Blount</a>'s stash. I'm referring to the assists the Lakers have received from 3 of the Western Conference's most mediocre teams: The New Orleans Hornets, The Dallas Mavericks, and The Houston Rockets.<br /><br />These 3 teams have helped fan the fires of doubt the media has created about the <a href="http://nba.com/lakers">Los Angeles Lakers</a>, and their chances to win a championship this year. This "doubt" helps the Lakers, because it causes them to focus even more on the task at hand -- winning playoff games.<br />I'm sure you know that people have actually been asking analysts how the Lakers matchup to the Nuggets... and what the Lakers need to do to defeat the Nuggets... Huh?? COMO SE DICE??? Aren't the Lakers still the #1 seed? Where's the respect? Don't we have the best player ev...... <span style="font-style: italic;">(Ok, I won't go there yet... but WHEN the Lakers win the CHIP this year, I'M GOING THERE... stay tuned for THAT BLOG POST!!)<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/ShMn0oPJD6I/AAAAAAAAAGs/QXbRkDFlS4E/s1600-h/kobeandmichael.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 147px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/ShMn0oPJD6I/AAAAAAAAAGs/QXbRkDFlS4E/s320/kobeandmichael.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337653768471777186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>Of course, before the playoffs started two trimesters ago (maybe it just SEEMS that long ago), an analyst predicting that any team in the West would even seriously challenge the Lakers would've been deemed clinically insane. Now, in addition to the 42% of <a href="http://sportscenter.com/">Sportscenter</a> viewers who selected Denver to be victorious in either 6 or 7 games (compared to about 40% who picked L.A. to win in the same amount of games), many sports pundits are now picking the thuggeriffic team from the rockies to advance to the NBA Finals. This is actually a huge benefit for the Lakers. They have been humbled by the Rockets and the media is now on the Nuggets' bandwagon... let them be the favorites... the Lakers will just be focused.<br /><br />Exactly how did all of this happen?<br /><br />New Orleans Hornets? More like Mudbugs...<br />Q: How do you lose by <a href="http://www.nba.com/video/games/hornets/2009/04/27/nba_den_noh_0040800154_recap.nba/index.html">58 points</a>? What kind of team allows that to happen to themselves? At home??<br />A: The same team that has a banged-up center (<a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/tyson_chandler/index.html?nav=page">Tyson Chandler</a>) and that starts <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/rasual_butler/career_stats.html">Rasual Butler</a> at one of the premier "scoring" positions in the league (shooting guard). Yes, Rasual Butler is a starter.<br />Hmmm... not exactly a stellar competitor. No wonder Denver looked so potent. I call this false advertising.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/ShMnFWbczDI/AAAAAAAAAGk/Zo3BrHehopg/s1600-h/markcuban.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/ShMnFWbczDI/AAAAAAAAAGk/Zo3BrHehopg/s320/markcuban.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337652956237712434" border="0" /></a>Dallas (our <a href="http://blogmaverick.com/">owner</a> garners more media attention than us) Mavericks?<br />Please. Better than the Hornets, yes. Good team? Eh, not really. Seriously, NOBODY expected the Mavericks to do anything in these playoffs. And yet, somehow, Denver's reputation has been bolstered by their performance in this series. Everyone is praising how well the Nuggets are playing defense in the postseason... and I can see why... They actually held Dallas to a scoring average of 106.8 points per game in this series. Dallas averaged a whopping <a href="http://www.nba.com/statistics/sortable_team_statistics/sortable1.html">100.7</a> points per game during the regular season. Wait, so that means they scored more points in this series! (Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, and Jason Terry helped their team INCREASE their production against Denver -- and they're not quite Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom)<br />I'm not sold on Denver's defense.<br /><br />Houston, we have a problem.<br />The Houston Rockets are not a good team. Houston is so bad, that people questioned everything from the Lakers' arrogance, to Pau Gasol's toughness, to Andrew Bynum's manhood, because they won 3 games in the western conference semifinals. While I'm not impressed by the Lakers' nonchalant approach to their games, I am impressed by the way they played in games they HAD to win (Game 5 after the Mother's Day Massacre and, of course, game 7).<br />What I was reminded of more than anything else from this series, is the fact that the Lakers are the only team that can beat the Lakers. When they're focused and locked-in, no current team can beat them in a best of 7 series.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">SUPER-QUICK NUGGETS vs. LAKERS PREVIEW</span><br /><br />I've been tough on Bynum. I'll be the first to admit it... especially during my <a href="http://twitter.com/billysummers">real-time game tweets</a>. I expect him to play strong in this series, though and his defensive rebounding (if he <span style="font-style: italic;">jumps</span> for them) will be critical. Bynum generally plays at the energy level of his teammates, and I don't expect to see the lulls in the Lakers' energy, courtesy of all of the criticism they have been receiving.<br /><br />Who's going to guard Kobe Bryant? <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/dahntay_jones/index.html">Dahntay Jones</a>? <span style="font-style: italic;">(ex-dukie... shout out to Coach K)</span> But, are you serious? Really, give me a break.... and if Denver does bring him in to cover Kobe... who do you take out? J.R. Smith? One of their most potent offensive threats. Be our guest.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/ShMmVvFvb0I/AAAAAAAAAGc/J5oB487OLZw/s1600-h/shannon_chauncey.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/ShMmVvFvb0I/AAAAAAAAAGc/J5oB487OLZw/s320/shannon_chauncey.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337652138223824706" border="0" /></a>I hope Phil Jackson gives <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/shannon_brown/index.html">Shannon Brown</a> a lot of playing time to matchup against Chauncey Billups. Of all the Laker point guards, he gives us the best shot to contain Billups due to his size, speed, and defensive energy. Phil will use Kobe on Billups during crunch time for sure. But if Kobe is matched up on Billups for the most part, that would fatigue him unnecessarily. Brown can slow Billups down <span style="font-style: italic;">just enough</span> (I'm not saying he'll shut him down) to throw the Nuggets off of their offensive rhythm.<br /><br />Bottom line, when it's all said and done and the series is over... they are who we thought they were. Lakers in 5 games. 6 tops.Billy Summershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02166663260019880298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7205564334891765775.post-89424593861865520772009-05-13T03:34:00.000-04:002009-05-13T13:08:23.424-04:00They Play To Win The Game... 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mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Typical basketball game highlights on SportsCenter:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Your favorite basketball player had 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in tonight’s game. It was a tremendous showcase of his all-around skills.<span style=""> </span>He demonstrated again why he’s considered by many to be the best in the game.<span style=""> </span>He shot well from the perimeter, converting on 4 of 6 3-pointers. It was a great game. Oh yeah, his team lost 97-92…”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Now, it might not go exactly like that… but I’m convinced that we’ve become too stat-driven in sports… especially when it comes to individual accolades. I put this blame on the media coverage and attention given to individual performances.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/danny_granger/career_stats.html">Danny Granger</a> was just named the NBA’s <a href="http://www.nba.com/2009/news/05/12/most.improved/">Most Improved Player of the Year</a>.<span style=""> </span>Granger had a great season (statistically). This was also his first all-star season.<span style=""> </span>NBA.com reported, “In his fourth year, Granger was the league's fifth leading scorer, averaging a career-high 25.8 points -- 6.2 points higher than 2007-08 (19.6 ppg).” Well done, Danny. Well done. What the article excluded however, was the fact that his team, the Indiana Pacers, finished with a record of 36-46, 10 games below .500. (This was the exact same record they had the previous year – NO IMPROVEMENT)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/danny_granger/career_stats.html"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 253px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/Sgp79g8UqtI/AAAAAAAAAFs/z1o_ye2R264/s320/dannygrangerfistpump.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335213005318957778" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What’s even more troubling about the voting was the trend of non-playoff team players receiving votes extended to the 2nd place finisher (<a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/devin_harris/career_stats.html">Devin Harris</a>) <b style="">and</b> the 3nd place finisher (<a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/kevin_durant/career_stats.html">Kevin Durant</a>). Their teams finished 14 games and 36 games below .500, respectively.<span style=""> </span>And in a day and age where there is exhaustive, over-the-top coverage and analysis of the smallest topics in sports (i.e. <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/glen_davis/career_stats.html">Glen “Big Baby” Davis</a> nudging a kid after his game-winning shot in game 4, to the kid’s father making an idiot of himself for calling Davis a “raging animal”, to Davis eventually apologizing for the incident, to a breakdown on whether the apology was necessary), I haven’t seen ANY debates on “PTI” or “Around The Horn” in regards to the following question… How does an individual award go to a player on a non-playoff team?<span style=""> </span>Have we forgotten that they “<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNooFZPfmgE">play to win the game?</a>”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Other than <a href="http://www.nba.com/2009/news/04/22/rose.roy.release/index.html">Rookie of the Year</a> (which went to a playoff participant), there should be NO individual awards given to members of non-playoff teams.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The person who deserves this award is <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/rajon_rondo/career_stats.html">Rajon Rondo</a> (and those who know me personally KNOW that me giving this guy ANY credit is a HUGE change from what I’ve been saying his entire career - which, in one way, strongly <span style="font-style: italic;">validates</span> the moniker “most improved”). He still needs to shoot 500 jump shots/day this offseason (as Reggie Miller suggested during game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals), but he has drastically improved his game. This improved performance has been magnified with the absence of the <a href="http://www.nba.com/celtics/">Celtics</a>’ unanimous leader, <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/kevin_garnett/career_stats.html">Kevin Garnett</a>, during this postseason.<span style=""> </span>While nobody gave the <a href="http://www.nba.com/celtics/">Celtics</a> a shot this postseason because of KG’s injury, they are currently one win away from a showdown with the Cleveland <a href="http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/">Cavaliers</a> in the Eastern Conference Finals.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" <a href="http://www.celticsblog.com/photos/a-subtle-shift"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/Sgp9di64tAI/AAAAAAAAAF0/tvMByy_b63g/s320/rondo_kg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335214655117243394" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">You may be thinking, “The award is based on what’s done in the regular season.” I could use statistical data from the regular season to validate this selection as well, but instead, I’ll share with you a visual reminder of why they play.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" <a href="http://twitter.com/billysummers"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_s48uefa0DJs/Sgp-lgb7L0I/AAAAAAAAAF8/5LpcLxYhtBo/s320/celticsringside.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335215891401092930" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And even though the <a href="http://www.nba.com/lakers/">Lakers</a> will more than likely reclaim the NBA title and another ring this year, Boston and Rondo are still alive.<span style=""> </span>Granger? Well, as the <a href="http://www.nba.com/tntovertime/">TNT guys</a> would say… He had “gone fishing” on the last day of the regular season.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;">LIVE TO WIN!!!</span>
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">(If you would like statistical evidence as to why Rondo is a better choice for Most Improved Player than Granger, be sure to leave a comment and I’ll post that as well)</p> Billy Summershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02166663260019880298noreply@blogger.com7