LA vs. Denver

The #1 seed, the Los Angelos Lakers, have finally disposed of the hopeful underdog Houston Rockets. After blowing out the upstart Rockets 89-70 in Game 7 last night, the heavily favored Lakers now face a well rested Denver squad who dispatched the Dallas Mavericks in just 5 games. The Lakers have been inconsistent of late, however even the Denver Nuggets have been preparing for the duo of Gasol and Bryant with Plan B (Houston) on the backburner "just in case". Even the ever diplomatic, not to mention widely respected, Chauncey Billups mentioned,

“Of course, Houston had a chance. They played a great series. But like everybody else we kind of figured L.A. would win at home."

However, with the Lakers nearly unstoppable at home (36-5) this season, and Pau Gasol playing at an All Star level (18.5 ppg and 10.8 rpg) during these playoffs, the top seeded squad from La La Land figure to be the favorites going into the series. On top of that, Denver head coach George Karl hasn't won at the Staples Center since he was hired as Denver's coach in 2004. The Nuggets have gone 1-10 against Los Angelos in the past 2 seasons, including last season's playoffs when Denver earned the honor of becoming the first 50 win team to get swept out of the playoffs in the first round.

All that being said, Denver has been red hot since trading much maligned "point guard" Allen Iverson to Detroit for Chauncey Billups, going 8-2 thusfar in these playoffs. Also, the Nuggets feature a head coach with eons of experience, with George Karl being one of the few coaches with the pedigree to stand across the court from the Zen Master himself, Phil Jackson.

Frontcourt
Advantage: LA Lakers
Yes, Denver has two monsters in the post in Kenyon Martin and Nene Hilario. However, the Lakers do feature two 7 footers (Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum) along with occasional starter, and 6th man, 6'10 Lamar Odom. Gasol has had his way in the post for the most part during the playoffs, easily able to score at will (18.5 ppg) against Mehmet Okur and Andre Kirlenko of the Utah Jazz in the first round, and a Yao Ming less Houston squad in the second round. This Denver frontcourt is a bit different however, with former All Star Kenyon Martin and bullish center Nene able to score and play defense. This unlike a Utah team that featured two big men who could shoot but not much of anything else (Okur and Kirlenko), and a Houston frountcourt that could play defense but couldn't buy a basket (Chuck Hayes and Co.). However, the Lakers are an excellent offensive rebounding team, and their size will be a problem for the Nuggets.


Backcourt (Point Guard & Shooting Guard)
Advantage: LA Lakers
The Lakers barely edge out the Nuggets in the backcourt matchup, and this shows just how valuable Chauncey Billups has been to this Denver team. A veteran point guard who led the Pistons to 4 Eastern Conference Finals and 1 NBA championship, more than anyone else Billups was the heart and soul of those Piston teams. And during the playoffs Billups has amped his game up, already with 3 30+ point performances, shooting well over 50% from behind the arc. J.R. Smith is enjoying a career year, averaging a career high 15.2 ppg, and while a bit one dimensional, Smith can also be counted on to do one thing, score. This being said, Kobe Bryant is simply unstoppable. Very few players in the league can even attempt to guard Bryant, and more often than not he'll get his 25-30 points no matter who guards him. Derek Fisher, while clearly not on the same level as Billups, still has championship pedigree, with 3 rings of his own and plenty of veteran experience. Fisher can shoot the open 3, and Phil Jackson trusts him to run the offense even with the best player in the league (Kobe Bryant) on the court. Also, Fisher and Bryant combine to form one of the best defensive backcourts in the league, with Bryant earning First Team All Defense honors once again this season.

Small Forward
Advantage: Denver Nuggets
By a mile. Carmelo Anthony has developed into a quiet superstar alongside Billups out in Denver. Anthony can score from nearly anywhere on the court, and is a mismatch for most forwards in the way LeBron James is for the Cavs. Too quick for power forwards and too big for small forwards, Carmelo has finally cashed in on his vast potential coming out of Syracuse. He is the first scoring option on a very offensively talented team, and can be counted on to score 20+ just about every night. The Lakers do start a very talented and athletic Trevor Ariza who is capable of scoring in bunches (21 vs. Utah in Game 1) and leads the Lakers in steals as well (1.7 per game). If Ariza can match up with Carmelo, both players are listed at 6'8, then the Lakers will cruise by the Nuggets and into their second consecutive Finals berth. However, Anthony is an annual MVP candidate, and should have his way in this series.

Bench
Advantage: Denver Nuggets
Both teams are very deep, and this matchup should prove to be pivotal in this series. The Lakers should hold the bench advantage at home, Sasha Vujacic turns into Manu Ginoboli at the Staples Center, but Denver will most likely have the advantage when at home also. The Lakers' bench advantage will come from their athletic guards (Shannon Brown, Jordan Farmer, and the aforementioned Sasha Vujacic), while the Nuggets go very deep with their bigs ("The Birdman" Chris Anderson, Linas Kleiza). However, the Nuggets' second unit features a rare blend of experience (Anthony Carter), scoring ability (Linas Kleiza), and defensive prowess (Chris Anderson and Dahntay Jones) mostly unseen on the bench.

In the end, the series should be very close and while I will be far from shocked if Denver pulls a mild "upset", it remains very hard to pick against the Lakers.

Lakers in 7

422 to 1

Golf legend Arnold Palmer, standing at a lean 5'10, won 62 PGA events over the course of an illustrious Hall of Fame career, with 7 of those victories majors. Palmer was the most, and is still perhaps, beloved figure in professional golf, boasting a fanbase so rabid and vast it was dubbed "Arnie's Army".

All that being said, golf's greatest ambassador recently was awarded the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest honors given to civilians. Just to give you an idea of the magnitude of this award, Palmer now shares this honor with Jackie Robinson, the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, and Dr. Michael DeBakey. Who is Dr. Michael DeBakey? He just perfected a little procedure called the heart transplant. You may argue that Arnold Palmer may not belong in such select company, but if Ol' Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra, and Charles Shultz are eligible for the honor, then "The King" is surely worthy.

This brings us to the subject of this blog. The House of Representatives vote on the award, and the final vote ended at 422-1. My question is, who was the one? The mystery man? Republican Ron Paul from Texas. Yes, that Ron Paul. Before you label the congressman as a golf hating curmudgeon, keep in mind Paul did not vote against Arnold Palmer the man, but rather the principle of the award itself. The man voted against Rosa freakin Parks for Christ's sake.

Funny thing is, Congressman Paul has a good point too. According to his spokeswoman Rachel Mills;
"It is certainly nothing personal against Mr. Palmer. In fact, Congressman Paul admires him greatly. Dr. Paul opposes using public monies for any and all of these gold medals given to private citizens, just on principle. Not to mention, it is unconstitutional to use taxpayer dollars in this way. He even suggested on the House Floor before he voted against Rosa Parks's medal that if it meant so much to the Members of Congress, why not fund the award out of their own pockets? He pulled $100 out of his own wallet, but had no other takers. At a time like this when all budgets are stretched so thin, it seems especially inappropriate to lavish gifts like this on private citizens, as much as he may admire the individual."

In these harsh times, this type of honesty and standing by your principles is refreshing. So here's to Arnold Palmer, The King, for reserving his place in American history. And to Congressman Ron Paul, a refreshing beacon of honesty and principle in these rough times.

The Unknown National

Tucked away on a last place squad in Washington D.C., a third baseman is batting .357 with 8 HRs and 26 RBIs. More importantly, this hot hitting infielder ends his past hitting streak to 30 games. Thes streak was the longest for a third baseman since George Brett in the 1980 season, with luminaries such as Mike Schmidt, Alex Rodriguez, and Miguel Cabrera failing to match the mark. With 20 HR 100 RBI power and production, as well as the ability to hit .300 consistently and steal double digit bases (11 SB in 2006), this Nationals slugger is in elite company.

Who is this? Try an infielder whose prowess with the glove prompted former Montreal/Washington manager Frank Robinson to compare the young third baseman to Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson. A player who shares the Montreal/Washington franchise record for home runs by a rookie, 20 HRs, with former Expos outfielder Brad Wilkerson (2002). The player? 24 year old Ryan Zimmerman. Already the face of the Washington National franchise, Zimmerman is, at 24, already an elite third baseman along the lines of Florida's Miguel Cabrera and Atlanta's Chipper Jones.























However, Zimmerman rarely receives his due respect on the level of his aforementioned peers. Being tucked away on a last time team, from the beginning (Washington Senators), to the days in Montreal, till the present (Washington Nationals), has taken its toll on the attention around All Star third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. Also, this does not seem subject to change anytime soon. Washington is 11-21 so far this season, the worst mark in baseball, with Zimmerman leading the team in batting average (.357) and runs scored (28).

Even as the streak ended at 30 games, the first player to mount a challenge on Joltin Joe's hallowed hit record, Ryan Zimmerman, has now garnered attention lost through the past seasons. From lost awards (Close second to Florida SS Hanley Ramirez in 2006) to the seasons wasted languishing on a last place squad with no light visible at the end of proverbial tunnel, Zimmerman's career has undoubtedly been stunted by having the unfortunate fate of toiling away for a last place team in an apathetic home market. However, the next time you see the Nationals on TV (which shouldn't be anytime soon unless you have a satellite dish the size of a swimming pool), watch #11 show off flashes of Brooks Robinson in the field while yielding a potent bat such as the likes of any third baseman in baseball.

Rising Hawks

If there's one thing the Atlanta-Miami first round series has taught us, it is this: Watch out for these Atlanta Hawks. A young team bursting with potential for so long has finally begun to cash in on its wealth of talent with an appearance in the second round of the playoffs. To put this accomplishment in perspective this is a franchise only 4 years removed from a 13-69 debacle of a season, and now the Hawks will face the #1 seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.

After a surprisingly touch 7 game series against an overachieving Miami Heat squad, including the first ever Game 7 held in Atlanta in franchise history the young Hawks will now travel to Cleveland, where any team not named the Lakers go to die (The Cavaliers finished 39-2 at Quicken Loans Arena). Even as the daunting task approaches this up and coming Atlanta franchise, there remains a glimmer of hope for the A-Town Hawks in toppling the NBA's most winningest team this past season.

At first glance the Cavalier's front court tandem of Big Z, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Anderson Varejao. However, with Al Horford back and healthy, along with the resurgence of Zaza Pachulia in these playoffs, the Hawks more than measure up to the bigs of Cleveland. In these playoffs the seldom used Pachulia has been a rejuvanated presence in the post, doing everything from crashing the boards and diving for loose balls, averaging 9 points and 9.5 rebounds in Atlanta's 4 wins in the series.

Moreover, Miami's back court, featuring All Star Dwayne Wade, was handily shut down by the Hawks' defense, with Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby proving to be matchup nightmares throught out the series for the Heat. With all due respect to Daniel Gibson, Delonte West, and Moe Williams, all whom are fine, talented players, none of the aforementioned guards show off the scoring prowess and killer instinct of Dwayne Wade. West and Williams are no pushovers however, and the Hawks finally face a legitimate, All Star caliber point guard in the form of Moe Williams.

However the main task , and also the most impossible, facing Atlanta in their second round matchup is Lebron James. Namely, who is going to guard the 2009 NBA MVP? Arguably the most unguardable player currently in the league, James combines speed with power to create mismatches both in the post and on the perimeter. And therein lies the reason why this blogger, as well as most "experts" have been picking the Cavs to not only win, but dominate this series.

While this young Atlanta squad is very talented, and may yet reach the Finals in the near future, the Cleveland Cavaliers are far too dominant to lose in the second round. Take this into consideration: Not only did the Cavs finish with the best record in the league, but they also feature this season's MVP (Lebron James) and Coach of the Year (Mike Brown). The Hawks? They do boast a deep bench (Flip Murray, Zaza Pachulia, Maurice Evans are all valuable contributors) and an elite backcourt (Bibby and Johnson), their inexperience and lack of a "superstar" player will ultimately doom them in this unfortunate second round matchup.

But one thing no one can do is write the Hawks off as a surefire victim to the Cavs. Last season, this exact same team, a year younger in fact, took the eventual champions, the Boston Celtics, to 7 grueling, hard fought games as a #8 seed. This season Atlanta enters the playoffs as a #4 seed, and feature improvement across the board. Moreover, the Hawks, while a young squad, feature valuable veteran leadership and playoff experience in guards Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson. Coming over from the rugged Western Conference, those two have been through tough playoff series against the best teams in the league (sorry Eastern Conference). Once one puts those intangibles into perspective, the debate between Mike Bibby(58 playoff games, all starts) and Joe Johnson (22 playoff games) or Delonte West and Mo Williams (25 playoff appearances combined) begins to tilt heavily in favor of the underdog Hawks. Another reason to hope for the Hawks? While the season series between the two teams was 3-1 in favor of Cleveland, the final 3 matchups were decided by 6 points or less with the Hawks even managing to pull out a victory at Phillips Arena, accounting for their lone win against the Cavs.

Cleveland in 6

Fantasy Baseball: X Factor

In fantasy baseball, over the course of a season players will emerge from seemingly oblivion to produce. So it is essential for anyone wishing to stay competitive in their respective leagues to continuously be on the look out for players just below the radar, waiting to burst onto the scene.

Ian Stewart (2B, 3B, OF) 58% owned in Yahoo! leagues
The utility infielder opened more than a few hardcore fantasy fans' eyes nearing the end of last season, finishing with 10 HRs and 41 RBIs in only 81 games. With Stewart now entering the everyday lineup, now is the time to pick up the middle infield option. With 2B being a traditionally shallow talent pool, at least fantasy wise, Ian Stewart could potentially finish amongst the top middle infielders with his home run and RBI numbers at his current clip. The young infielder is currently on pace for about 20 HRs and 80 RBIs this season, near elite power and production numbers for a second basemen.

Freddy Sanchez (2B) 41% owned in Yahoo! leagues
Sanchez will not hit .359 for the entire season. But as evidenced by his career average of .302, the 2006 NL batting champ (.344) is sent to bounce back from his dismal 2008 season during which he batted only .271, over 30 points below his career average. While Sanchez is primarily a second basemen, giving him no roster flexibility in the fantasy world, a second basemen who'll give you a virtually guaraunteed .300 average, roughly 80 RBI and 80 RBI, is extremely valuable over the long fantasy season. Look for Sanchez to bounce back and produce 2007 esque numbers (.304, 11 HRs, 81 RBIs, 77 R). However, be warned potential buyers, as the second basemen is completely devoid of speed, 1 SB through 18 games, and is not a tremendous source of HRs.

Pedro Feliz (3B) 9% owned in Yahoo! leagues
Pedro Feliz is no Mike Schmidt, but he is hitting .322 through 18 games in a loaded Philadelphia lineup. He should continue to get good pitches to hit, and if you could use a 3rd baseman with the ability to give you 20 HRs and 80 RBIs when healthy Feliz is your man. One could do far worse at the hot corner in deep leagues, especially if you own/ or are looking to acquire Bill Hall, Joe Crede, Adrian Beltre, or Edwin Encarnacion.

Other Fantasy Tips
-Pitch Wandy Rodriguez (SP HOU) only @ home. The Sasha Vujacic of MLB, he morphs from a mediocre starting pitcher into an elite fantasy starter at Houston (2009 so far: .95 ERA @ home, 2008: 2.99 ERA @ home, 2007: 2.94 ERA @ home) .
-Don't chase saves. Saves can be found nearly anywhere. No need to overpay for an elite level closer, in fact there are always closers that seem to come out of nowhere to rack up saves, i.e. Jeremy Accardo in '07 after incumbent B.J. Ryan went out for surgery.
-Ian Kinsler will be a top 5 player this year, barring injury. I would trade just about anyone, except for Albert Pujols, to grab the 2nd basemen who gives his fantasy team owner the advantage at 2B every week.
-Trade David Ortiz, Fausto Carmona, and Francisco Liriano for anything you can get at this point. Maybe an owner will pay for their former success and big names. This season? Ortiz is an over rated, overweight Chris Davis while Carmona and Liriano are starting to look like fellow burnout victims Dontrelle Willis and Mark Prior.

April 27th Massacre

The New Orleans Hornets went trudging back into their home town, down 2-1 in their first round battle with #2 seed Denver. Facing a must win the Hornets proceeded to get completely dismantled in a historic 121-63 blowout, matching the biggest playoff loss in NBA history. To get an idea of the historic proportions behind the margin of victory, the last time a team lost by 58? How about 1956, with the Minneapolis Lakers (now based in Los Angelos) trouncing the St. Louis Hawks 133-75.

To be blunt, this was the worst systematic destruction of the city of New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina. For a team entering the playoffs with a formidable lineup led by the best point guard in the game (Chris Paul) and featuring current and former All Stars David West and Peja Stojokavic. Chris Paul, the heart and soul of these Hornets, finished with one of the worst games of his young career, putting up only 4 points and 6 assists. The leading scorer for New Orleans in this game? David West, who put up a not so mind boggling 14 points.

















With the win, the Nuggets have a chance to do something they've failed to do ever since Dikembe Mutumbo rolled out of town back in '94: Win a playoff series. Mid season acquisition Chauncey Billups has dominated in this postseason, averaging 27.7 points on 53 % shooting, and All Star Carmelo Anthony looks to make good on his massive potential and lead the Nuggets to their first second round appearance in 15 years. While the Nuggets feature a solid, physical lineup led by a point guard (Billups) who has 6 Eastern Conference Finals appearances and 1 title (2004) to lean on during these playoffs.

That being said, this was just one of many such massacres in NBA history. As much talk remains surrounding the parity of the NBA game, the fact remains that out of the thousands of games played each season, there will always remain blowouts right alongside the double overtime thrillers and nail biting buzzer beaters.

However, it was still a failure of epic proportions. Watergate, communism, and the Detroit Lions all rolled into one horrendous experience. To further the humiliation New Orleans head coach Byron Scott admitted that the Hornets basically got ran out of their home arena, and followed that realization up with this gem: “I don’t know what you can do to change that.”

Awful. Just awful.

Point Guard Revolution

These NBA playoffs have showcased the position of point guard in all its glory. The value of a talented floor general is an integral part of most levels of organized basketball, with March Madness being dominated by dynamic guard play. But one needs to only look at the top teams this past season to glean the true value of a good point guard down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Chris Paul is the heart and soul of the New Orleans Hornets, even managing to force himself into the conversation for league MVP with the likes of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. A truly great point guard allows a team to elevate itself from a middle of the pack squad to a title contender. Consider this, without Derron Williams, the Jazz would be getting blown out of the building against these ultra talented Lakers. With their physical All Star point guard, Utah, a team considered mere cannon fodder for the #1 seeded Lakers, has been playing physical and with a purpose. More importantly, the Jazz have been staying in games, down only 3 with under 3 minutes left in Game 2 at the Staples Center. Derrick Rose's record setting 36 point, 11 assist performance in his playoff debut surpassed the playoff debut of the greatest player to ever set foot on the hardwood, and in the process carried the #7 seed Bulls to a shocking upset against the Celtics at Boston.

Guards Mo Williams and Chauncey Billups have lifted their respective teams to new heights, with Williams coming over from Milwaukee to help lead Cleveland to the best record in the league, and Billups pushing the perennially underachieving Denver Nuggets to a #2 seed in the heated West. Other point guards have been key components of their team's success, with Tony Parker, Aaron Brooks, Jason Kidd, Andre Miller, and Mike Bibby. Without their respective floor generals, none of these talented playoff teams would be in the position to make a run for the title.

The numbers back up this prognosis, as Billups made his mark with 36 points and eight assists in a win over Paul's Hornets (a game in which Paul had 21 points and 11 assists). Mo Williams had a 21-point game in Cleveland's Game 2 win. Miller scored 15 points, with seven assists and seven rebounds in Philly's Game 1 upset over the Magic. And Houston second-year man Aaron Brooks has been brilliant, averaging 25.0 points and 6.0 assists in two games. Even more astonishing, if one takes all of the starting point guards in the playoffs and takes the average of their combined statistics the numbers are eye popping: 18.2 points on 48.5 percent shooting along with 7.5 assists. These statistics would place a player in the top 30 in scoring and inside the top 10 in assist as well this past regular season.

While most championship of years past have featured marginal point guards, this year's playoffs have proved to be an exception. While even the 3 peat Lakers of the early 2000s, often considered one of the best teams in NBA history, featured Derek Fisher as their primary point guard, nearly every squad in this season's postseason features an All Star caliber player at the point. While Derek Fisher is a solid role player, and has proven to be a solid NBA starter over the course of his career, the stocky guard never averaged more than 13 points or 4 assists during the Los Angelos 3 peat.



The NBA game has shifted to a guard oriented game, with the lack of emphasis on the traditional big man clearly evident. Gone are the days of great traditional giants in the post, with the Patrick Ewings, Hakeem Olajuwons, and David Robinsons of seasons past being replaced by leaner, more athletic wing players, and the likes of Samuel Dalembert, Joel Przybilla, and Jarron Collins starting at the center position in these playoffs.



So here's to the point guard and its return to glory, may the best teams win.