The Hail Mary - Week 1

The 2015 NFL season is upon us! After an off-season dominated by the size of balls, we can finally get back to worrying about how many times those balls cross the goal line instead of how much they weigh. It seems that most of the recent usual suspects are the main Super Bowl contenders including defending champion New England, and other recent champions Seattle, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore. My favorite team, the 49ers aren't in that conversation as they are coming off one of the most tumultuous off-seasons in sports history. The Miami Dolphins feel that Ryan Tannehill is ready to make the leap to one of the league's best quarterbacks in a make or break season for coach Joe Philbin. The Minnesota Vikings are many people's sleeper to have a strong season with the return of Adrian Peterson and the continued development of Teddy Bridegewater. The Washington Redskins are another team in constant turmoil, where whose sucking who off has gotten just as much talk as how the Redskins might do in 2015. The Philadelphia Eagles made a ton of headlines as Chip Kelly continued his team overhaul, shipping off running back LeSean McCoy and letting Jeremy Maclin go to the Chiefs in free agency. He has put his trust into oft-injured Sam Bradford, who looks to keep his career alive in Philly.


Sunday, September 13

Miami at Washington, Miami favored by 3 1/2

The Dolphins made one of the biggest splashes, pun intended, in free agency by signing Ndamukong Suh. Suh will undoubtedly help a Dolphins run defense that struggled last season but the real difference in whether Miami finally returns to the playoffs or not is how Ryan Tannehill gels with his new look receiving corps. Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline are gone, replaced by Kenny Stills and Greg Jennings. The Redskins have appeared to move on from the Robert Griffin III era with Kirk Cousins being announced as the starter for the 2015 season. Now knowing how things go for Washington, Cousins will probably get hurt this game, lost for the season and Griffin will end up starting again. The Skins added some new pieces on the defensive side include Terrence "Pot Roast" Knighton and former 49er castoffs S Dashon Goldson and CB Chris Culliver. They also finally got rid of Jim Haslett as defensive coordinator, replacing him with Joe Barry, a guy who coordinated the 0-16 Lions defense. I expect a competitive, back and forth game, but for Tannehill to lead a game winning field goal drive, giving the Dolphins the victory.

Prediction: Miami 26, Washington 23

Green Bay at Chicago, Green Bay favored by 7

The Packers are my pick to take home the Lombardi trophy this year, even after losing WR Jordy Nelson for the season. When you have the best quarterback in football, those types of losses can be overcome. The loss of Nelson did help James Jones find his way back to Green Bay. Since leaving the Packers Jones has become a nobody but if he gets some decent playing time, I wouldn't be surprised to see him putting up strong numbers again. The Bears are starting the John Fox era as the fanbase grows more and more restless with Jay Cutler. The only emotion that Cutler can seem to put forth is general disinterest, so its understandable that Bears fans aren't sold on him being the guy to lead them to glory. The Packers haven't lost in Chicago since 2010 and that streak will hold up after Sunday's game.

Prediction: Green Bay 28, Chicago 17

Kansas City at Houston, Houston favored by 1

I'm high on the Chiefs and think that year three of the Big Red era of Andy Reid will be the one to give Kansas City the AFC West title. I like the addition of Jeremy Maclin to the receiving corps and think it guarantees that at least the Chiefs will have a receiver catch a touchdown this year. Alex Smith has proven that on teams that are good enough he can effectively manage them to success. Houston is strong on defense but aside from WR DeAndre Hopkins they have a ton of questions on the offensive side. Former Browns starter Brian Hoyer is now the Texans starter and Houston will also have to do without RB Arian Foster for quite some time as he injured his groin in training camp. Houston managed to win 9 games last year playing Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mallett and Case Keenum, so J.J. Watt and that defense, especially with Jadaveon Clowney back from injury may be enough for Houston to make the playoffs this year. However, it won't be enough for them to open the season with a victory.

Prediction: Kansas City 21, Houston 20

Cleveland at New York Jets, New York Jets favored by 3

Josh McCown versus Ryan Fitzpatrick, feel the excitement! I expect this game to receive the least amount of attention on Red Zone, because very little scoring will be happening. The Jets made headlines by finally firing Rex Ryan and replacing him with Todd Bowles. They then made more headlines when their starting quarterback Geno Smith got his jaw broken by a now ex-teammate named IK. The Browns had their fans excited last season as they entered playoff contention going into December., but in typical Browns fashion they collapsed. They changed up their uniforms but they are still the same old poopy Browns.

Prediction: New York Jets 9, Cleveland 3

Indianapolis at Buffalo, Indianapolis favored by 2 1/2

Bills fans seem irrationally excited about the 2015 season. Sure they did pick up LeSean McCoy from the Eagles, but unless Richie Incognito taking a year off from football made him better, their offensive line is still not very good. They also have Tyrod Taylor as their quarterback, a guy who has never started an NFL game in his life and has zero career touchdown passes. Rex Ryan is back to his blustery ways, even though he hasn't been a winning coach since 2011. The Colts have Super Bowl aspirations and it would seem to be the natural progression for them under Andrew Luck. In his first three seasons they have gone Wild Card exit, Divisional Round exit and last season the AFC Championship. They have some new weapons on offense in RB Frank Gore and WR Andre Johnson, though both are pretty old, so it is clearly a win now scenario for Indy. Defensively, the Colts still appear to be mediocre, but if Gore can give them a more consistent running game to go with the lethalness of Luck it may not matter.

Prediction: Indianapolis 27, Buffalo 20

Carolina at Jacksonville, Carolina favored by 3

For the second straight year Bloof Borkles played pretty well in the preseason, making some people start saying how good he can be. Now those people are all on Twitter, which has the tendency to jump the gun on everything so maybe most football fans hold sane opinions on Borkles. Cam Newton lost his best offensive weapon, Kelvin Benjamin to the meaningless preseason which means more pressure on Luke Kuechly and the defense to drive any success the Panthers might have. Starting your season against Jacksonville is one way to at least ensure you start off the season on a high.

Prediction: Carolina 20, Jacksonville 14

Seattle at St. Louis, Seattle favored by 4

All offseason Seattle has felt the need to tell everyone that there will be no lingering effects from their crushing Super Bowl loss to the Patriots. Usually when someone has to keep telling everyone something over and over, they are overcompensating for the truth. I don't think the Seahawks will miss the playoffs or fall off a cliff but I do expect to see more of the turmoil that plagued them throughout parts of the 2014 season. For Jeff Fisher it has to be a make or break season as you would think the Rams are starting to get hip to the fact that mostly produces mediocrity. Fisher gave up on Sam Bradford and is now hopeful that Nick Foles can lead the team to glory, along with new running back Todd Gurley. The Rams boast one of the best defenses in football, so if they can get even the faint of a pulse from their offense they could be a team to contend with.

Prediction: Seattle 19, St. Louis 14

New Orleans at Arizona, Arizona favored by 2 1/2

The Saints used to never win on the road but dominated at home, then at the end of last season, they couldn't even win at home anymore, dropping five straight at the Superdome. Arizona saw a promising season go down the tubes when Carson Palmer was injured and they had no viable backup behind him. They better hope that Palmer, who is OLD, doesn't get hurt this year, as Drew Stanton is their backup. Arizona is hard to beat home and the Saints are easy to beat when they play on the road. Seems like a pretty clear cut pick to me.

Prediction: Arizona 31, New Orleans 21

Detroit at San Diego, San Diego favored by 3

The Chargers off-season was spent talking about a potential future move to Los Angeles and also signing Philip Rivers to an extension. Their team remains largely the same from last year as they were playing for the playoffs until the last game of the season but came up short. The Lions had a referee's decision go against them in a Wild Card game against Dallas, and then saw the departure of their best defensive player Ndamukong Suh. Suh and Nick Fairley were supposed to be the monsters of the defensive line for years to come and now neither player is on the roster. Their quarterback Matt Stafford had an underwhelming year last season, as did "Megatron" Calvin Johnson. Without Golden Tate's contributions the Lions could have been almost putrid on offense. I think their offense will more resemble the unit that we saw in 2011 and that will begin this weekend. However, I think their defense will also start to more likely resemble that 2011 unit, leading to a lot of high scoring losses.

Prediction: San Diego 35, Detroit 31

Tennessee at Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay favored by 3

An otherwise underwhelming matchup between the Titans and Bucs will be slightly more interesting as it pits number one pick of the Bucs QB Jameis Winston, against number two pick of the Titans QB Marcus Mariota. People have been down on Winston because of his uneven performances in preseason but then were high on Mariota for not throwing interceptions in practice. At least starting Sunday, we will have some real evidence to judge these guys on versus meaningless games and practices. I expect both players to show flashes but also make many, many mistakes, leading to a pretty ugly game.

Prediction: Tampa Bay 17, Tennessee 16

Cincinnati at Oakland, Cincinnati favored by 3 1/2

Another meaningless Bengals regular season begins. I say that because the last few years they will look good in the regular season and then look absolutely putrid in their Wild Card game, rendering the four months before that irrelevant. The Raiders would love to just be able to look putrid in a Wild Card game, having not made the playoffs in over a decade. Derek Carr had a pretty good rookie season and the Raiders are hopeful that Jack Del Rio is finally the coach to lead them back to the playoffs. I think the Raiders have some solid young pieces but are still a year or two away from being real contenders. I expect the Bengals to regress this season but at least start the season on the right note.

Prediction: Cincinnati 24, Oakland 20

Baltimore at Denver, Denver favored by 4 1/2

Probably my boldest prediction is the fall of the Denver Broncos. I picked them to go 6-10, mostly because I am not confident in Peyton Manning staying healthy this season. He didn't miss any games last season but he saw his performance dip considerably towards the end of the season. I expect that to happen early this season. I am not confident that the Broncos have the pieces in their run game or defense to pick up the slack for a less than optimal Manning. The Ravens have questions around their depth as a whole and also about some pieces on their offense. Can Justin Forsett recreate the magic of his 2014 season? How much will Joe Flacco miss the deep threat that Torrey Smith afforded him and does Steve Smith have one last strong season left in him? I think the answers to most of those questions will end up in a positive fashion for Baltimore which is why I picked them to win the AFC North. When they go to Denver and win on Sunday, many will point to it as an upset, but I will have told you the future.

Prediction: Baltimore 26, Denver 21

New York Giants at Dallas, Dallas favored by 6

NBC loves them some Giants at Cowboys to open up their Sunday night football slate. The Giants have been largely irrelevant the last few seasons, which is what the Cowboys mostly were until last year's run to an NFC East title. This year, we figure to find out the answer to the question of just how much that Cowboys offensive line was responsible for DeMarco Murray's career year last season. Murry went to Philadelphia and has been replaced by underwear and cologne thief Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden. If those guys end up having big years, then that Cowboys offensive line may be just as good as the ones from their Super Bowl years in the 90s. Neither of these teams is impressive defensively, so I expect a lot of fireworks in this game, and for Eli Manning to bust out Eli face a few times. I think Tony Romo will pick up from where he left off last season and get off to a strong start to this season, helping Dallas earn the win.

Prediction: Dallas 35, New York Giants 30


Monday, September 14

Philadelphia at Atlanta, Philadelphia favored by 3

No team is harder to predict this season than the Philadelphia Eagles. Chip Kelly made so many roster changes and definitely some questionable ones, that no one is quite sure how it will come together. My thought is there won't be mediocrity in Philadelphia this year. They will either be really good or really bad. If anyone can revive Sam Bradford's career it would probably be Chip Kelly. But while Kelly can give Bradford all the tools he needs to be successful on the field, he can't protect his ACLs which seem to be torn apart quite often. DeMarco Murray had a monster season last year, but the question is how much did the workload the Cowboys give him last year going to affect his durability in future seasons? The Eagles do have plenty of depth at running back with Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles backing Murray up. The Falcons have a new head coach in former Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and he will need to impart some of his wisdom to that defense quickly as they have been atrocious the last few seasons. Offense hasn't really been a problem for Atlanta and with Kyle Shanahan aboard as offensive coordinator, I think Matt Ryan and especially Julio Jones could be in for monster seasons. The Falcons running game is more of a question mark as Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman have not just been battling each other, but injuries as well. I think the Monday night performance we get from Philly will be similar to the one we saw two years ago when Kelly made his debut as coach. At least for one game, Kelly will again be lauded as a genius by all the football pundits.

Prediction: Philadelphia 35, Atlanta 21

Minnesota at San Francisco, Minnesota favored by 2 1/2

The Vikings and the 49ers couldn't be headed in any more of a different direction if they tried. Minnesota is filled with optimism. QB Teddy Bridgewater had a promising rookie season, Adrian Peterson is back and perhaps even better after having a year off and Mike Zimmer is considered an up and coming elite head coach. The 49ers on the other hand had an insanely turbulent offseason. It started the day after their disappointing 2014 season ended, when Jim Harbaugh was fired, resigned, whoever you believe. Then throughout the off-season the 49ers saw Anthony Davis, Patrick Willis,  Chris Borland and Justin Smith all retire and the departures through free agency of Frank Gore and Michael Crabtree. Jim Tomsula, a loyal, longtime defensive line coach with San Francisco is now the head coach. I still have hope that the 49ers can be respectable this season, which might be blind homer optimism. The 49ers defense looks almost completely different from the group that started the season a year ago. One positive will be the return of LB NaVarro Bowman, who sat out the 2014 season due to injury. He has looked really strong in preseason play and with Willis and Smith retiring he steps in as the veteran leader on that side of the ball. The 49ers season will mostly hinge on the development of Colin Kaepernick. Kap regressed badly last season and the 49ers offense was mediocre at best. Geep Chryst takes over for Greg Roman, and Roman had definitely worn out his welcome in San Francisco. Chryst will be judged on how much better he can have Kap play this year. While Crabtree is now a Raider, it could be argued that his replacement, Torrey Smith is a better player anyway. Another player that needs to return to from is TE Vernon Davis, who was clearly not on the same page as Kap last season. The 49ers also have high hopes for Gore's replacement, second year player Carlos Hyde, who only saw limited action last year behind Gore. I think at least for one night, in front of their home fans, the 49ers will be able to put aside their terrible off-season and give us fans hope that they could make a playoff push in 2015.

Prediction: San Francisco 24, Minnesota 20

2015 NBA Playoffs - Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

#1 Atlanta Hawks vs. #5 Washington Wizards

The Wizards had a week of rest before starting this series against while Atlanta, while the Hawks had just one day of rest. It showed late in yesterday's game when Washington pulled away from Atlanta late to take Game 1 on the road and immediately wrest homecourt advantage away from the Hawks.

Atlanta received balanced offense from their starters in Game 1, but almost nothing from their bench. Drew Gooden and Otto Porter Jr. have been magnificent for Washington coming off the bench in these playoffs and continued that yesterday. The Hawks are known for being a good defensive team but yesterday only were able to force six Wizards turnovers. The Wizards managed to win yesterday despite getting 0 points from Nene as Bradley Beal led the way with 28 points. Beal and Wall both battled through injuries yesterday and their health is obviously tantamount to the Wizards continuing their strong play. Paul Pierce continued to be brilliant for Washington, scoring 19 points even if he was jacking up a few too many threes yesterday. Marcin Gortat struggled to keep up with Al Horford on the boards and that is something to watch as the series progresses.

Washington also can't continue to count on Kyle Korver to struggle like he did in Game 1, shooting just 3 of 11 from three point range. Jeff Teague had his moments in Game 1 but will need to play much better the rest of the series for Atlanta to overcome Washington. All of the Hawks struggled with their shot yesterday, and while some of that might have been heavy legs, credit has to be given to the Wizards defense, which has been superb all year. Pierce had no answer defensively for the Hawks DeMarre Carroll yesterday and Carroll has been Atlanta's best player in these playoffs. Randy Wittman will try to find more ways to put Porter on Carroll, as he has a much better chance of keeping up with him than Pierce.

The Wizards are about equal to Atlanta when it comes to starting five talent. Atlanta's regular season record was much better, and a lot of that has to do with the edge in coaching the Hawks have with Mike Budenholzer over Wittman. However, to Wittman's credit, he is on a pretty hot streak right now when it comes to coaching decisions and he has Washington playing their best basketball at the right time. With Pierce in tow and with how shaky Atlanta has looked in the playoffs, I think the Wizards take a leap from next year and reach the Eastern Conference Finals.

Prediction: Wizards over Hawks, 4-3


#2 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #3 Chicago Bulls

Cleveland got past the upstart Boston Celtics in four games in Round 1 but it came with a heavy price. They lost Kevin Love for the rest of the season with a separated shoulder and JR Smith is suspended for the first two games of this series after a dirty play he committed in the Game 4 clincher. Chicago beat Milwaukee in six games, and you never knew which Bulls team would show up from game to game. They laid a huge stinker at home in Game 5, then came back and obliterated Milwaukee on the road in Game 6 to close out the series.

This is easily the best series of the Conference Semi-Finals, mostly due to the insane amount of talent that each team has. The Cavs Kyrie Irving will do battle with Derrick Rose at point guard. For the first two games it will likely be Iman Shumpert starting in place of Smith, going against the incredibly improved Jimmy Butler. LeBron James and Mike Dunleavy will theoretically match up, but I expect Tom Thibodeau to throw many different players on LeBron throughout the series. Tristan Thompson will see his minutes jump with the absence of Love and hell, maybe even Kendrick Perkins' corpse will be exhumed for this series as the Cavs try to fight the size of Chicago's bigs Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah. Cavs center Timofy Mozgov will likely rotate defensively against Noah and Gasol.

You can't tell me that not having Love for this series or Smith the first two games won't have an affect on Cleveland. James is easily the best player in the league and obviously his presence is most important, but Love and Smith aren't chopped liver. Chicago shows signs of easily being the best team in basketball and then other times looks completely average. A main reason for that inconsistency is Rose's inconsistency. Rose has struggled when he gets a lack of rest between games, and his will is going to be tested in this series that is mostly one night on, one night off. But what has changed about Chicago is that it isn't just Rose anymore. Butler can score and Gasol can score, not to mention their bench options like Kirk Hinrich, Aaron Brooks, Taj Gibson, and Nikola Mirotic.

With Love and Smith available for all potential seven games, I would probably pick the Cavs. But I think the Bulls will steal a game in Cleveland to start the series and then make Cleveland play catch up the rest of the way, before ultimately stealing another game in Cleveland in the deciding seventh game, and causing the city of Cleveland another torturous sports moment.

Prediction: Bulls over Cavaliers, 4-3

2015 NBA Playoffs - Eastern Conference First Round

Best Series: #4 Toronto vs. #5 Washington

The Raptors message for the playoffs will be that maybe they don't have the defense to win a championship, but they have the offense to at least win a first round series. Toronto finished fourth in the NBA in scoring, averaging 104 points per game. However, they also gave up triple digits in points per game, and that has been creeping up as an issue as Toronto limped to the finish line.

The Wizards jumped out to a fast start this season but they also played a lot of medicore to bad teams during that time. Once the schedule got harder the Wizards struggled and things got so bad at times that there was talk that Washington should fire coach Randy Wittman. They have battled various injuries throughout the season, especially SG Bradley Beal, but they enter the playoffs as healthy as they have been. 

The Raptors leading scorer is SG DeMar DeRozan. He will be matched up with the Wizards Bradley Beal. I will detail it more later on in this post but Kyle Lowry versus John Wall will the ultimate matchup to watch. Both teams have equally skilled big men, with Marcin Gortat of the Wizards and Jonas Valanciunas. SF Terrence Ross and PF Amir Johnson round out the Raptors starting five and will face off with SF Paul Pierce and PF Nene. Kris Humphries, Otto Porter Jr., Drew Gooden and Ramon Sessions figure to be part of Wittman's playoff rotation. Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquez are the Raptors strongest bench contributors.

The Wizards have a far different identity from the Raptors. They are an average offensive team but very strong defensively. Normally, defense wins out, but I think homecourt advantage will make the difference in this series, as Toronto edges Washington in a thrilling series.


Lowest Seed to Advance: #4 Toronto

I don't foresee any upsets in the First Round. The most competitive series will be Toronto versus Washington, with Milwaukee versus Chicago as the next most competitive series. I think the youth and lack of playoff experience for Boston will make them fall short in stealing a game from LeBron James and Cleveland, while Brooklyn will be lucky to win one game against the Atlanta Hawks.


Best One on One Matchup: Raptors PG Kyle Lowry vs. Wizards PG John Wall

I know this has been a Raptors/Wizards heavy post but it is the only truly intriguing series in the East. Sure seeing Celtics vs. Cavs will be fun for nostalgic reasons but the Celtics are no match for Cleveland. Kyle Lowry missed a few weeks recently with a back injury but returned to the lineup April 10th and appears to have shaken off any rust he had. Lowry averaged 18 points, 7 assists and 5 boards this year. He played well against Wall and the Wizards in the regular season and made some crucial plays down the wire in tight games. Wall rested for most of the last week of the regular season, so he should be raring to go when the series tips off Saturday. Wall also played well against Lowry this season and you can expect both players to come out firing in this series. Wall averaged 18 points as well this season but also had 10 assists per game, giving him the slight advantage over Lowry. Neither player can single-handedly lead their team to victory but whoever wins this one-on-one battle will go a long way to helping their team win.


Predictions:

#1 Atlanta Hawks over #8 Brooklyn Nets, 4-1


#4 Toronto Raptors over #5 Washington Wizards, 4-3

#2 Cleveland Cavaliers over #7 Boston Celtics, 4-0

#3 Chicago Bulls over #6 Milwaukee Bucks, 4-2

2014 NBA Playoffs - Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

#1 Indiana Pacers vs. #5 Washington Wizards

The Pacers inexplicable free-fall at the end of the regular season carried over to what many thought would be an easy First Round series against the Atlanta Hawks. After being embarrassed at home in Game 5, the Pacers had to go to Atlanta to save their season. They were trailing late in Game 6, when David West put the team on his back, leading them to victory. Then at home in Game 7, the Pacers controlled the game and looked more like the dominant team they had been for the first half of the season. Now the question is, did that come from behind series win over Atlanta reignite the Pacers, or did they just luck out against an overmatched opponent? They will find out quickly when they take on the Wizards, the newest "it" team in the NBA. The Wizards took out the Chicago Bulls in five games and have many calling them a bigger threat to the Miami Heat than even the Pacers are.

The Wizards will have the edge for sure at point guard with John Wall going against Indiana's George Hill. Hill is serviceable, but the question is will he be able to keep up with the speed of Wall? The Pacers shooting guard Lance Stephenson is in a contract year and sometimes that shows as he attempts to play hero ball. Bradley Beal is mature beyond his years on the basketball court and quickly becoming one of the better shooters in the NBA. The Pacers will have the best player on the court, Paul George but George will be facing off with an excellent defender in the Wizards Trevor Ariza. The big man battle should be fascinating to watch as David West goes up against Nene and Roy Hibbert and Marcin Gortat face off. Nene has been key for the Wizards all season and he proved to be a matchup nightmare for Joakim Noah in the First Round. As mentioned above, West came up huge for the Pacers in their series with the Hawks. A lot was asked of West because of how miserable Hibbert was for most of that series. Hibbert did have his best game in Game 7 and Indiana has to hope that he has snapped out of whatever funk he has been in. If he isn't, Gortat could have a huge series. Gortat should be able to get Hibbert in foul trouble as Gortat is much more of a threat offensively than any big man Atlanta could throw against Hibbert.

The Wizards mostly employ Andre Miller, Trevor Booker, and Martell Webster off the bench, while veterans like Al Harrington and Drew Gooden could see spot duty. Ian Mahimi and C.J. Watson are employed by Pacers coach Frank Vogel, and Mahinmi outshone Hibbert in most of the First Round. Luis Scola fell out of the rotation the last two games of the series against the Hawks, but with the Wizards throwing a lot of players out there, I expect him to see some more time. Evan Turner has seen his minutes reduced drastically as that trade the Pacers made earlier in the season looks worse and worse.

I certainly underestimated the Wizards in the First Round but don't plan on making that mistake this time around. I still think the Pacers are a mess and got lucky that they played such an atrocious team in the Hawks. The Wizards have much more talent than Atlanta, and unless Indiana gets back to early season form, they are going to have their hands full with Washington. I believe the Wizards will make the Conference Finals for the first time in 36 years. I believe the edge they have at point guard with Wall and what Gortat should be able to do to Hibbert will carry Washington past Indiana.

Prediction: Wizards over Pacers, 4-2


#2 Miami Heat vs. #6 Brooklyn Nets

The Heat wrapped up their series against Charlotte in four games, which feels like weeks ago. The Nets grinded out a seven game series victory over the Toronto Raptors. Once again, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce will get a chance to try to take out LeBron and the Heat. The Nets beat the Heat in all four regular season meetings this year, so that does give them some added confidence coming into this series.

The Nets have the advantage at point guard with Deron Williams being superior to the Heat's whipping boy Mario Chalmers. Even at 60% or whatever he is these days, Dwyane Wade is superior to the much traveled Shaun Livingston. Joe Johnson played excellently for the Nets in their Game 7 win over Toronto, and is becoming the Nets go to scorer and ball handler late in games. But the focus for him will have to be on the defensive side of the ball as he attempts to not let LeBron James go crazy. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are far removed from their prime and play far less minutes than they used to, but their playoff experience has proven invaluable so far. Shane Battier is out there for the Heat to play solid defense and hit the occasional three pointer. Chris Bosh should be able to outmuscle and outhustle Garnett but might have some problems facing Andray Blatche when he comes off the bench,

Jason Kidd likes to employ his bench as much as possible, meaning you should expect to see guys like Mason Plumlee, Alan Anderson, Mirza Teletovic, Marcus Thornton, and even Andrei Kirilenko could see some time. For Miami, regulars off the bench include the ageless Ray Allen, the high energy Chris Andersen, Norris Cole and James Jones has somehow found his way back in the rotation.

I wouldn't read too much into Brooklyn sweeping Miami during the regular season, that will be thrown out the window once these two tip off tomorrow night. The Heat become a different, more focused team on the playoffs and if anything, those regular season losses will ensure that the Heat are ready to play the Nets. I think the Nets can defeat the Heat once or twice, but overall, don't have the skill to beat the Heat 4 times in a series.

Prediction: Heat over Nets, 4-2

2014 NBA Playoffs - Eastern Conference, First Round

#1 Indiana Pacers (56-26) vs. #8 Atlanta Hawks (38-44)

The Pacers started off the year hot, and then fizzled down the stretch, but still managed to hold off the Miami Heat for the number one seed in the East. Their leader is Paul George, and the team's dip in play has coincided with George's own struggles. The Pacers aren't an exceptional offensive team, but they make up for it with their defensive toughness led by David West and Roy Hibbert. Hibbert has come under some fire recently as his offensive performances have been dreadful and his toughness has been questioned. Somehow Lance Stephenson is the team's leading rebounder over the monstrous Hibbert. George Hill is solid but not spectacular at point guard, and off the bench the Pacers have Luis Scola, Evan Turner, C.J. Watson and Ian Mahinmi to spell their starters.

The Hawks squeak into the playoffs with a horrible record, and have changed from the perfectly average team to the just slightly above bad team. The Hawks are the only team in the Eastern Conference to allow over 100 points per game and make the playoffs. It is slightly commendable that they still managed to make the playoffs despite being without their best play Al Horford for the majority of the season. Also, when you look at a starting lineup that consists of Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, Paul Milsap, Cartier Martine, and Pero Antic you realize just how terrible the New York Knicks were that they couldn't make the playoffs over this team. Shelvin Mack, formerly of Butler, and Elton Brand, formerly a player of consequence in the NBA are the Hawks main bench contributors.

The Pacers should use this series as a chance to gain back some of the confidence they may have lost over the past month. The Hawks might be able to steal a game in Atlanta, but otherwise this series should be smooth sailing for the Pacers.

Prediction: Pacers over Hawks, 4-1


#4 Chicago Bulls (48-34) vs. #5 Washington Wizards (44-38)

This is a matchup I would prefer was not happening as I like both teams. The Bulls once again overcame an injury to Derrick Rose, traded away Luol Deng and still managed to win 48 games. Tom Thibodeau is clearly one of the best coaches in the league. The Bulls have a ton of trouble scoring, but win games because they never take plays off and play suffocating defense. Their leading scorer si a guy that doesn't even start for them, D.J. Augustin. However, the biggest reason for the Bulls success this season has been the play of Joakim Noah. Noah led the team in rebounds, assists, and blocks, and averaged a double-double this year. The Bulls are likely parting ways with Carlos Boozer and his massive contract this off-season but for now they will hope that he can string together some good offensive showings to make up for his lack of defense. Jimmy Butler epitomizes the Bulls will as a team and their toughness on defense. Kirk Hinrich provides veteran leadership and steady play at the point guard position. Mike Dunleavy can be dangerous when his shot is hitting, especially from three point land. Taj Gibson isn't always consistent but he is another large component of the Bulls toughness on the defensive end.

The Wizards are back in the playoffs for the first time in six seasons, and their faith in John Wall is starting to be rewarded. Wall led the Wizards in scoring, steals and assists. He continues to improve his outside shooting, and he was reliable, playing in all 82 games this season. Another reason for Washington's return to the playoffs is the play of big men Marcin Gortat and Nene. Gortat played in 81 games this year, and almost averaged a double-double. Nene is injury prone as always but with him healthy going into the playoffs he will provide Washington a huge lift both offensively and defensively. Bradley Beal continues to look like a future franchise player, and Trevor Ariza looks a lot like the Ariza that helped the Los Angeles Lakers to a title in 2009. The Wizards also have a lot of veterans at their disposal off the bench, including Andre Miller, Al Harrington, and Drew Gooden.

I don't like this matchup for the Wizards. While the Bulls can be beat because of their trouble scoring, I believe their defense is going to frustrate some of the Wizards younger players and give someone like Wall fits. I also think that Thibodeau will outcoach Randy Wittman and that edge will be the difference in the close games that I expect to see in this series.

Prediction: Bulls over Wizards, 4-2


#2 Miami Heat (54-28) vs. #7 Charlotte Bobcats (43-39)

The Heat have struggled down the stretch but haven't exactly been trying to win. They decided to rest LeBron James and Chris Bosh for the last few games and basically conceded the one seed to the Pacers. Dwyane Wade did play in the last few games but has been dealing with injuries all season long and is definitely on the tail end of his career. The Heat are looking for the three-peat and whether they get it or not chances are this is the last season of the Big Three of James, Bosh, and Wade. The story is the same for the Heat as it has always been, teams kill them on the glass but they win with their defensive intensity and the fact that they have the best player on the planet in James. Ray Allen continues to defy aging and can still hit a clutch three when you need it. The Birdman, Chris Andersen provides a ton of energy off the bench, and other big men that might see some time are Greg Oden's corpse and the formerly highly touted Michael Beasley.

Michael Jordan was crushed by the media when the Bobcats were the laughing stock of the league, but strangely hasn't received much credit for the Bobcats resurgence this season. Charlotte is one of the better defensive teams in the league and has a nice nucleus of young talent. The addition of Al Jefferson has made a huge difference, and Jefferson is having one of the best seasons of his career. Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson give the Bobcats a nice scoring punch in the backcourt, while forward Josh McRoberts and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are solid. Off the bench, Cody Zeller has had a promising rookie year and Bismack Biyombo led the Bobcats in blocks this season. Gary Neal is another strong player off the bench and he had a good series against Miami last year in the Finals as a member of the Spurs.

Charlotte comes into the playoffs playing their best basketball of the year but I expect the Heat to quickly regain their dominant form. I think Charlotte has the players to be competitive with Miami, but not the experience to ever make the Heat feel any real danger. I think Charlotte can steal a game at home but otherwise, it will be smooth sailing for Miami.

Prediction: Heat over Bobcats, 4-1


#3 Toronto Raptors (48-34) vs. #6 Brooklyn Nets (44-38)

The Raptors are one of the bigger surprise stories of the season. Not that anyone really gives a crap about divisions in the NBA but the Raptors did win the Atlantic division. Despite this achievement, the rumor is that the Nets basically tanked their final two games so they would face the Raptors in the First Round. The Raptors don't have a ton of sizzle or household players but they play very well together as a team. DeMar DeRozan is Toronto's leading scorer, and Kyle Lowry is one of the bestter point guards in the league that you probably haven't heard of. Center Jonas Valanciunas is a force on the defensive end and glass and also scored in double figures this season. PF Amir Johnson was the team leader in blocks. Depth is not Toronto's strong suit but Grievis Vasquez brings a ton of energy and can light up the scoreboard when he comes off the bench. The Raptors pulled off a lot of trades this year and after a slow start and specifically when they shipped off Rudy Gay they seemed to find themselves as a team.

Brooklyn came into the season with a ton of expectations after trading for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, but then got off to a dreadful start. Seems seemed even bleaker when they lost Brooke Lopez for the season, but after the All-Star break the Nets righted the ship. The Nets are a team with balanced scoring as Joe Johnson led the team with just 15 points per game. Garnett is no longer the scorer he once was but he can still grab rebounds with the best of them. Pierce picks and chooses his spots but is a far cry from the electrifying player he once was. PG Deron Williams has taken a ton of criticism in recent years and injuries have curtailed his game but he can still find the open man as good as anyone in the game. Mason Plumlee has been a real bright spot for Brooklyn this year and played very well coming off the bench. Andray Blatche has also seemed to find a home in Brooklyn, providing the Nets with reliable scoring off the bench.

I don't think the Raptors are going to take too kindly to the Nets basically tanking to set up a matchup with them. While Brooklyn did play much better basketball in the second half of the season, I still am not sold that they have the cohesiveness as a team to make a run in the playoffs. Just because the Raptors don't have a lot of big name players doesn't mean they aren't a strong team. I expect DeRozan to have a huge series and the Raptors to come out on top in a hard fought seven game series.

Prediction: Raptors over Nets, 4-3

The Week That Was

Another pretty crappy sports weekend for me. The Nebraska Cornuskers found a new, embarrassing way to lose at home, this time to Iowa State. Nebraska had 8 (!?!?!?!) turnovers to the Cyclones 0 turnovers, and still somehow only lost 9-7. Incredibly, 4 of the turnovers occurred inside the Cyclone's 4-yard line. It was the ugliest offensive performance I have ever seen. What once seemed like such a promising season after a win at Missouri two weeks ago has turned into a nightmare. Nebraska plays at Baylor this weekend and while that may have seemed like a guaranteed win before, is completely up in the air now, due to the ineptness of the Nebraska offense.

For the first time since 2000 Notre Dame defeated Boston College, improving their record to 5-2. The defense played better than it has in recent weeks, and finally made a freshman QB make some mistakes. Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate came up big when they had to for the Irish. Next for Notre Dame is a "home" game in San Antonio, TX against hapless Washington State. The schedule picks up considerably after that as the combined record of their final four opponents is 22-9. I am still wondering where this easy schedule is that everyone talked about in the preseason?

In the NFL, the 49ers dropped their second straight and with the Arizona Cardinals upset of the New York Giants, have dropped out of first in the NFC West. It looks like after a 1 1/2 year layoff it might be the return of the Alex Smith era. Smith replaced Shaun Hill at halftime and sparked the 49ers to 3 second half touchdowns, all to TE Vernon Davis. Hill has really struggled in recent games and I wouldn't be against a full time switch to Smith. I am not expecting greatness over the Niners former #1 pick but maybe the passing game can open up a little. WR Michael Crabtree had an encouraging debut, 5 catches for 56 yards.

The Miami Dolphins looked like they were going to affirm my faith in them, as they raced out to a 24-3 lead over the undefeated New Orleans Saints. However, no lead is safe against a team that scores 40 points or more like its nothing. With some help from their defense, the Saints came roaring back to win 46-34. The Dolphins are now 2-4 for the second straight season and have a must-win game Sunday at home against the Jets. I am really growing tired of watching Ted Ginn Jr. drop balls.

The Minnesota Vikings suffered their first loss of the year, 27-17 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Vikings moved the ball well on offense but turnovers and penalties in the red zone did them in. Next week is the emotional return of Brett Favre to Lambeau, and behind that story is a crucial game in the NFC North against the hot, 4-2 Packers.

In baseball, it will be the New York Yankees against the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2009 World Series. As I predicted almost three weeks ago the Yankees won in 6 in the ALCS and the Phillies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in 5. I am going to stick with what I predicted and say Yankees over the Phillies in 5. Ugh.

The NBA season tips off tomorrow night. I did a guest post on spartyandfriends.com with a mini preview for the upcoming season, including my predictions on the Eastern and Western Conference, and NBA champions. You can check it out here:

http://www.spartyandfriends.com/?p=21217

The Week That Was

The second seasons for both the NBA and NHL began this past week, and each had their fair share of surprises. In the NBA, four of the eight road teams won Game 1 of their series. The Chicago Bulls put in an inspired effort, led by stud Derrick Rose's 36 points and knocked off the Celtics in overtime, 105-103. Hopefully, the Bulls can take another game in Boston but even if they don't they at least assured themselves a split. It will be imperative for them to sweep at home if they want to pull off the upset, because the chances of them winning another game in Boston are slim. The biggest upset of the weekend was the Philadelphia 76ers defeating the Orlando Magic. The Sixers were down by as many as 18 in the third quarter but staged a furious rally in the fourth. Andre Iguodala hit a shot at the buzzer to give the Sixers the win, and atone for missing two free throws a minute earlier that could have put the Sixers ahead. Other road teams that won were the Houston Rockets over the Portland Trail Blazers in a rout, and the Dallas Mavericks storming from behind to beat the San Antonio Spurts. The heavy favorites to reach the NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers had no trouble in their Game 1's.

The Washington Capitals had one of their best seasons in franchise history but it appears one thing hasn't changed, they still choke in the playoffs. The Caps dropped the first two games at home against the New York Rangers and now face a must win at Madison Square Garden tonight. The Capitals switched goalies after starting goalie Jose Theodore performed poorly in a 4-3, Game 1 loss. They inserted rookie goaltender, Simeon Varlamov, for Game 2. Varlamov only gave up a goal, but was outplayed by Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. Caps star Alexander Ovechkin hasn't scored a goal yet and it is imperative for the Caps that he get off the schneid tonight.

News broke last week that the Washington Wizards are poised to name Flip Saunders their new head coach. Saunders has previously been the head coach of the Minnesota Timeberwolves and Detroit Pistons. Saunders teams have consistently done well in the regular season but faltered and fell short of expectations in the playoffs. Saunders is known as an offensive mastermind, and it is believed he can make the Wizards even more potent on offense than they already are. I think Avery Johnson would have been the better hire. The Wizards haven't lacked scoring punch all of these years, they have lacked defense. I think Johnson could have instilled that toughness. I don't think Saunders is a bad hire, and I think he can get the Wizards into the playoffs, but if the goal is to win championships I think Johnson would have been the better choice.

My flag football team, Ron Burgundy, dropped their first game of the season yesterday, 24-2. The game was closer than the score indicates as we had many scoring opportunities but couldn't punch the ball into the end zone. The team we played, The Show, were very good, especially this one girl they had who burned us for multiple touchdowns. We play again on Sunday, thankfully at 3 PM, as yesterday's 9 AM start time was not fun.