basketball Tag

Whoa!  The sports world is going crazy right now!  So much going on and it is all too exciting to miss.  To catch up with the sports world I have harnessed all the major news/results from the recent events.  I am going to briefly hit on each sport and give a few predictions for the Masters, MLB, NBA, and NHL.  Ready?  Lets go!

NHL

Seems like the season just started but it will shortly be coming to an end.  But I guess that's what happens when you are in a shortened and compressed 46 game season.  Thanks lockout.  The story early on in the season was the winning streak by the Chicago Blackhawks and then both the Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins went on their own winning streaks.  Although no one has matched a start like the Blackhawks, it seemed for a while like the Penguins might be the best team.  Now that Crosby is out the battle for best appears to be between the Ducks and Blackhawks.

This current century is still relatively young but I think it is time to look back on the NCAA Tournament since the millennium changed over.  It was hard to narrow the list down to 10 so the Top 10 essentially becomes the most memorable for me.  A lot happens from year to year and sometimes it can be hard to remember a buzzer-beater or crazy comeback.  But then again, if it is hard to remember then perhaps it wasn't that great.

*I apologize in advance if I have done a disservice to an outstanding NCAA Tournament moment by leaving it off of this list.

The Tournament is my favorite postseason for any sport at any level.  It just does not get any better.  So many games.... So much on the line....  This is what sports fans live for.

The NBA season is beginning to heat up as the temperatures outside begin cool off considerably.  The 2012-13 season is the first full length season after a strike shortened 2011-12 regular season.  It feels good to get back to a full 82 game season.  Last year just felt weird.  Especially the All-Star game.  In a condensed season the All-Star game almost seemed irrelevant when so few games had been played.  This year we can get back to status quo.  Although things are a little different this year when it comes to the All-Star voting.

2013 NBA All-Star Game -February 24, 2013

The NBA All-Star game will be played in Houston, TX this year.  The All-Star game will make its second appearance at the Toyota Center.  The last All-Star game in Houston was in 2006 and the host city featured 2 Rockets in the starting lineup for the West All-Stars.  Forward Tracy McGrady and center Yao Ming starting on an All-Star roster seems like an ancient memory.  Makes me think of the Little Texas song "What Might Have Been".  Sad memories for Rockets fans.  Sorry Houston.  LeBron James was the MVP of that All-Star game with 29 points and T-Mac lead all scorers with 36.

This week the NBA regular season began with several early season marquis match-ups.  It is a little too early for much meaning to come from these games but the bottom line is the NBA has returned.  It is becoming increasingly more obvious that there will be no NHL season so the NBA will have the undivided attention of most sports fans.  Of course the NFL is only half done but NBA doesn't really interfere with football.  Which is perfect for a sports nut like myself.

So let me welcome back the NBA with brief guide to the 2013 regular season.  There is a lot oh hype going around several teams this year and I'm here to clear up a few things and let you know the real story when it comes to NBA basketball in 2012-13.  Follow the bullet points to all the answers for your upcoming NBA season.

• The OKC Thunder trade was necessary and will help them in the long run
• James Harden will produce but the Rockets will not
• The Lakers will not win the West or make it to the Finals
• Steve Nash will average less then 9 assists per game
• At least 1 Star will be traded this season (LaMarcus Aldridge?)
• Derrick Rose should not play this year
• The new All-Star Game voting is unfair
• San Antonio will defy age yet again with another #1 seed
• Kevin Durant will win 4th straight scoring title
• Miami Heat will go back-to-back
• Knicks will fire their head coach again
• Anthony Davis will win ROY
• Tom Thibodeau will scream a lot
• LeBron James wins MVP #4

This season is sure to be full of excitement and drama.  The good news is we won't have to listen to Dwight Howard drama all season long.  Or will we??  I sure hope not.  He did already mention that he wishes the trade to the Nets would have worked out.  Really Dwight?  Just be quiet.  In the end I think he will happily stay in Los Angeles.  Big market, big money, and lots of history.  Lets just hope the Lakers don't tank and bring up Howard drama 2.0.

With the first pick in the NBA Draft the New Orleans Hornets select.....  Well I think we all know that Anthony Davis is going number 1 overall.  However, the rest of the first round is really up in the air.  The draft is pretty deep this year and there are a lot guys with the same talent level.  This makes it difficult to predict how the first round will turn out after Davis is drafted by the Hornets.  Another factor that makes this draft hard to predict is the vast trade possibilities.

Heat vs. Thunder......  LeBron vs. Durant......  Wade vs. Harden......  Folks we got ourselves one heck of a talent filled Finals this year.  Game 1 of the 2012 NBA Finals kicks off tonight in Oklahoma City at 9:00 P.M. (ET) on ESPN ABC.  Before I get into some numbers and what I think they mean, here is a quick look at the schedule for the NBA Finals.

Game 2 - June 14:  Heat @ Thunder - 9:00 P.M. (ET),  ABC
Game 3 - June 17:  Thunder @ Heat - 8:00 P.M. (ET),  ABC
Game 4 - June 19:  Thunder @ Heat - 9:00 P.M. (ET),  ABC
Game 5 - June 21:  Thunder @ Heat - 9:00 P.M. (ET),  ABC  *
Game 6 - June 24:  Heat @ Thunder - 8:00 P.M. (ET),  ABC  *
Game 7 - June 26:  Heat @ Thunder - 9:00 P.M. (ET),  ABC  *

* if necessary

The 2010-2011 Bulls will be an exciting team to watch this season. With Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and the addition of Carlos Boozer, the Bulls have a shot on winning the division for the first time since 1998.

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