2011 NBA FINALS

With seven months of basketball in the books, the finals are finally upon us. Two teams remain standing, the veteran savvy Dallas Mavericks are paired with the villains from South Beach. The Miami Heat are here, despite all the controversy, ups, downs, and a little bit of crying to top it all off. Now they'll play a best of seven series to determine the champion of basketball.

Conference Finals Predictions

Predictions/Actual Results

Heat 4-2/Heat 4-1

Mavericks 4-2/Mavericks 4-1


Dallas Mavericks vs Miami Heat

Both teams enter this final series with a 12-3 playoff record. Miami beat each of their opponents in 5 games, Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago. The Mavericks were given their hardest test in the first round against the Trail Blazers winning in 6, before sweeping the Lakers and cruising past the Thunder in 5.  Now both sides find themselves atop the mountain with each team respectively in ones way. The Miami Heat have had a simple formula  for dismantling each opponent they've played, tough hardnose defense and contesting shots. Enough so to make reigning MVP Derek Rose look like bench scrub at a division 3 school.

However, I'm not sure anyone in the league can guard Dirk Nowitzki , he's just simply too tall and is near impossible to stop once his fade away jumper is finding the hoop, which feels like 95% of the time. Kid yourself not,  the Heat have the overall talent edge in this matchup. The Mavericks are the deeper team though and seem more of a close knit group with more determination. Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion and Dirk have the veteran prowess for clutch series like this, throw in the youth and energy of J.J. Barea and Tyson Chandler and you have a team on the cusp of getting a ring.

All in all, this series will go 7 games. Both sides are hungry, talented, and experienced. The 2-3-2 format for the NBA finals will be the deciding factor. Those 3 middle games in Dallas will give the Mavericks the edge they need to go back to South Beach up 3-2  and knock off Miami and push Lebron towards another year without a ring. PREDICTION DALLAS MAVERICKS IN 7

"Real" Yankee fans absent since 2009

Here we are, May 2011, the old Yankee Stadium remains just a forgotten footprint as the hallowed ground is now covered with recreational little league baseball fields. A far cry from when Gherig and Dimmagio were in Pinstripes.

The "New" Yankee Stadium is.....stuffy... to say the least. The replacement home for arguably the greatest ball park in history is nothing but a corporate business meeting filled with suit and tie stiffs who'd rather text on their blackberries instead of watch the game. A complete and utter disgrace, the fact is, Real, loud, raucous, Yankee fans have been priced out of the stadium by absolutely rediculous seat prices.

That means no more die hard Yankee fans in the seats, no more noise, no more homefield advantage, instead its a saturday lunch for a CEO and his clients.

I've been a season ticket holder since 2006, not once...have I heard the new stadium get HALF as loud as the old one. The Steinbrenners should be ashamed of how they single handidly removed all proud fans from attendance and instead invited Mr. Millionaire who knows squat about baseball.

When the old Stadium was demolished...the hearts of Yankee fans were demolished as well.

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Western Conference Finals/ Yankees Ailing

2nd Round Results

My Prediction/ Actual Results

Heat in 7/Heat in 5

Thunder in 7/ Thunder in 7

Bulls in 4/ Bulls in 6

Lakers in 6/ Mavericks in 4




The Lakers really threw us a curve ball last round, no one in the world expected the back to back champs to be swept in such swift fashion, but hey, they did. Kudos to the Mavericks.

3. Dallas Mavericks vs 4. Oklahoma City Thunder

A Very, Very, intriguing matchup we have in the West finals, the upstart Thunder against the Mav's who've been struggling to get back to the finals since their loss to the Heat in 2006. To say what Dallas did last round was impressive is the biggest understatement of the year, taking down the defending champs in the minimal four games sent shock waves throughout the league. Questions is, can they keep it rolling. Dirk is finally starting to show up in big games in which he's historically famous for choking, the complimentary roles of Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, and Jason Kidd are fitting in extremely nice for this team, Mark Cuban may finally get his long awaited ring, Unless the Thunder can recover from their emotionally draining 7 game series with the Grizzlies. Kevin Durant will have to play the best series of his life, if an NBA finals we played in Oklahoma City. Some think the long layoff will hurt the Mavericks, but I think it will give them the much needed rest that is required to win this series. Oklahoma City had a nice run but they'll run out of gas. Mavericks in 6

Pitiful Pinstripes

Right now the Yankees are absolutely failing on all cylinders right now. Timely hitting has been the Bombers enemy all season long, it seems every game their leaving large amounts of runners on base, blowing leads, and playing with no fire. It's easy to point the finger at anybody this point. The fact is, the Yankees need a major shake up, and quick. The Red Sox who started out 0-6 are now tied with the Yankees for 2nd place, while the Rays continue to increase their lead over both teams. It's now clear that the Yankees need to make some changes at the trade deadline, preferably a top end starter as well as a utility player. Whatever it is, the Yankees need it fast.

Eastern Conference Preview

1. Chicago Bulls vs 2. Miami Heat

It's come down to the top seeded teams in the East, the one with homecourt advantage may be the underdog though. The Miami Heat come into this series with an 8-2 playoff record winning both their previous series in 5 games convincingly, Chicago comes in at 8-3, though saying they won convincingly would be a false statement, The Bulls struggled against arguably the two worst teams left in their respective rounds, until the final game against the Hawks, the Bulls had not won a game in convincing fashion. You can attribute that to the obvious lack of playoff experience the Bulls have, that won't stack up too well in my eyes to the Miami Heat's hungry playoff hardened roster. Derek Rose will have to be 100% healthy, and Carlos Boozer will have to give the Bulls more than he's been exerting in the previous 11 games if Chicago is to win the series. Right now though, the Heat look like the best team in the NBA alongside the Dallas Mavericks, Lebron and company should roll to another series win en route to the Heat's second NBA finals in 5 years. Prediction - Miami Heat in 6

If You Cant Take The Heat, Get the Hell Outta Miami -- Mlb/AL East First Impressions

King James felt the enormous weight of previous playoff exits lifted from his shoulders last night, As he and Dwayne Wade combined for a 67 point outburst in South Beach.

Not only did they send the defending Eastern Conference Champions home for a summer vacation, they beat the Celtics at their own game, executing in the final minutes of high profile games, Something Miami was criticized for all season long. Particularly Lebron James, he erased all doubt though with a couple of icy veined three pointers as well as his signature emphatic dunk to toss the proverbial dirt on the Celtics coffin. It was he, not Kevin Garnett pounding his chest at midcourt signaling victory, the power has surely shifted in the East for now.

For Lebron and the Heat, they now sit one series away from the Nba finals, and just 4 wins from coming full circle since the much publicized 2010 offseason, on the cusp of completing and also starting what he came here to do, win a championship and start a dynasty. Aspiring to join the legendary rank of Michael Jordan's 6 rings, but for now he's still 8 wins from gold item number 1.

Roughly over 30 games into the Mlb season, team identities and standings are starting to take shape.

One thing that stands out so far is the surprise Cleveland Indians, best record in the AL at 23-12, taking early advantage of the weak AL Central.

One thing that was expected however was the Phillies and Yankees being right their with them to fill out the top 3.

So far the AL East has been competitive, the Yankees and Rays sit tied atop the division while the Jays, Sox, and O's all remain tied for 3rd at 4.5 games back.

Tampa has persevered without their best player Evan Longoria, and has relied on the solid pitching of David Price and others to keep the Rays dangerous despite starting 0-6. The Redsox has been climbing uphill but still play inconsistent baseball, 3 games under 500. In Mid May wasn't what Theo Epstein expected when he reeled in Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez this winter.

Now the Yankees are a different story, at 20-14 the Bombers have had their ups and downs. Names like Swisher, A-Rod, and Teixeira continue to slump, while a question filled Yankee rotation has carried the team so far. If the Yankees are to pull away from the pack they must get a bonafied starter at the deadline to avoid the inevitable drop off in pitching that will come. As the summer heats up the bats will come alive in the Bronx, that's a given.

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2nd Round Nba Playoffs

Some major surprises in the first round, including the Grizzlies knocking off the Spurs and becoming the 2nd 8th seed of All-time to advance out of the first round. Also the Knicks became the only team in this year's playoffs to not win a game, turning this season from satisfying to bitter-sweet for New York fans.

First Round Predictions/Actual results

Bulls 4-0 --- Bulls 4-1

Heat 4-1 --- Heat 4-1

Celtics 4-2 --- Celtics 4-0

Magic 4-1 --- Hawks 4-2

Spurs 4-1 --- Grizzlies 4-2

Lakers 4-0 --- Lakers 4-2

Mavericks 4-2 --- Mavericks 4-2

Thunder 4-3 --- Thunder 4-1

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Eastern Conference

1. Chicago Bulls vs. 5. Atlanta Hawks

With Kirk Hinrich out for the entire series, the Hawks are at an even bigger disadvantage then they already were. I was wrong when I expected them to be drubbed by Orlando last series, but this time is different. The Bulls have the MVP of the league Derrick Rose, and supporting cast of All-Stars that make the Magic look like toddlers. Now with the blow of losing Hinrich, this series could get ugly fast. -- Bulls in 4

2. Miami Heat vs 3. Boston Celtics

This will easily be the most exciting series of the Conference Semi's. Miami's big 3 vs. Boston's big 3. Lebron I would imagine is taking this series extra personal as the Celtics usually send him home packing and start his offseason earlier than planned. In their most recent affair which was exactly 3 weeks ago, the Heat demolished Boston by 23, with Lebron leading the way with 27 points. That's the most recent image of how these teams match up. Miami's role players, Mario Chalmers, Mike Bibby, etc. have stepped up since enduring midseason struggles, and that is the most prominent key in why Miami holds the edge in this series. Couple that with King James holding homecourt and we have an epic 7 game series. -- Heat in 7

Western Conference

8. Memphis Grizzlies vs 4. Oklahoma City Thunder

Perhaps the most intriguing matchup of them all. Zach Randolph and the upstart Grizzlies are coming off an historic upset, however it was against the most overrated team in the Playoffs. The question is, how will Memphis keep the explosive scoring of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant in check? Zach Randolph is one man and can only do so much, their head Coach Lionel Hollins is quite the warrior though, which gives this 8th seed the belief it needs. He's instilled great confidence in this once lowly franchise, giving them a punchers chance in this round. -- Thunder in 7

2. Los Angeles Lakers vs 3. Dallas Mavericks

Both the Lakers and Mavericks both won their respective series in 6 games, granted Dallas played a tougher team. Which brings us the interesting question of why the Lakers were tested so hard by the mediocre Hornets? Could Kobe and the Lakers be on the downswing? Probably not, I expect the Lakers to step up their game now that they're facing one of the West's elite teams, rather than the one man army of Chris Paul. The Mav's are formidable, but have never came across as having that killer/winning mentality instinct. Once they're placed against a team that has that instinct, things don't go so well. -- Lakers in 6