Thursday, June 10, 2010

NCAA College Football Shakeup

So, here is one speculative concept of what the conferences could look like after everything shakes up.

Bleacher/Report says here that Big 12 would need to grab 6 teams from another conference to meet NCAA terms of a legit conference otherwise it could be forced to dissolve. This is what the conferences look like now.

A Stanley Cup: Congratulations to Chicago Blackhawks

For a city that knows how to throw a party (see a list of all Stanley Cup winners here since the trophy was first donated by Lord Stanley in 1892):

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Lakers-Celtics 2010 NBA Finals

The chants of "Beat L.A." will begin next Tuesday in Boston. In the meantime, Game 1 in Los Angeles is Thursday at 9pm ET. It is the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. It is, basically, the 2 highest paid teams in the NBA. And it is the NBA's top 2 franchises by championship titles (17 for Boston vs 15 for the Lakers). Breaking down the series matchups are SI and ESPN. Below shows this year's starting 5 matchup compared to the 2 previous meetings in 2008 and 1987.

Kobe is ready and his game is "fluid". The matchup here. All games on ABC. NBA.com official coverage.
Our View: No one will want this title more than Kobe. And, as we saw in his final 2 jumpers against the Suns, Kobe is capable of just about anything. And he has a better team compared to the 2008 series vs Boston. Artest is a big improvement, as is Bynum. The problem, as we see it, is PG. The Lakers had trouble with Westbrook. And they will face a LOT of pressure from Rajon. Rondo is improving every single day. He's quick, he can score, penetrate, and pass well. L.A. got past Nash mostly cause he doesn't play so many minutes. Also, Steve Nash doesn't have Garnett, Perkins, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Rasheed Wallace to pass to. Sure the Suns have J.Rich and Amare, but it is definitely not the same. How will Fisher and the Lakers contain Rondo? That is where the series will be decided.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Celtics 9-2 vs Lakers in NBA Finals

The NBA championship series has been played every year since 1950 (for 3 years before that it was the BAA title). Until 1986 it was deemed the World Championship. It still is, but "The Finals" is the now more politically correct term. Kobe Bryant is looking for "one for the thumb". For the 2nd team in 3 years L.A. is playing Boston. Game 1 tonight at 9 ET. The series schedule/matchup is here.
Celtics-Lakers is an epic rivalry, sewn in the 1960's, and solidified in the 1980's when Bird battled Magic. To date, after 11 meetings in the Finals, the Celtics are 9-2 vs the Lakers in the Finals. And while L.A. has won 2 of the last 3 (see history of Celtics-Lakers here, Boston beat Kobe in 2008. This year's Lakers team is quite different though.