Bring on the Heat

Tonight is the NBA Finals. The Mavs and Heat will battle in South Beach. Dirk and LeBron are both going for their first title. There are many matchup problems for both teams. Dirk will cause a lot of trouble at the beginning if they put Bosh on him. If they decide to double team him I expect Tyson Chandler to step up. The Heat's agility will be tough for the Mavs. They cannot give Miami a lot of fast break opportunities. In the end, I think the Mavs will take Game 1. The Mavs' bench will be on fire. Terry and Barea will be hard to stop and will give the Mavs fresh legs. This is the day we have all been waiting for. From "The Decision," to training camp, to the regular season, that lead to the Playoffs. Now, it all comes down to this. Which team will rise to the occasion? We will find out in just a couple minutes.

Anybody Care to Lax?

Today is the NCAA Lacrosse Championship. Virginia, lead by Steele Stanwick will try to capture the crown over Maryland with star Attackmen Ryan Young and Grant Catalino. These two ACC teams contributed to the ACC's dominant play during the NCAA Tournament. The ACC went 7-0 versus other conferences. The Terps are motivated like no other team. Young's mother died earlier this year and the team has used that as their motivation. Virginia has had a tough road this year. They started out dominant but a lot of it fell apart when Schamell and Ramell Bratton were suspended for missing practices. Later on, Schamell got dismissed for DUI. This game is basically a home game for Maryland. In the end, I think Maryland will get the win in thrilling fashion. It will definitely be hard to top last year's Title game but I think they can do it. Everybody will be watching ESPN at 3:30 when Maryland battles Virginia.

Tressel Says Goodbye

Earlier today Jim Tressel resigned. This left the world and especially the Buckeye community in shock. He coached 10 years down in Columbus and had a record of 106-22. He also won the 2002 National Championship. Luke Fickell will be interim head coach. He was supposed to be interim head coach during the five games that Tressel got suspended for. It looks like this is the end of Jim Tressel era at Ohio State.

Messi Strikes Again

Yesterday, Barcelona took the Champions League crown. They defeated Manchester United 3-1. Leoni Messi had a goal to take the when the score was tied 1-1. After his goal, Barcelona ran away with it. More than 70% of the nation thought Manchester United would win. It was a hard fought game, but when it was all said and done, Barcelona bought the trophy back to Spain.

We're Back!

After the Mavs clinched a ticket to the NBA Finals, they will be looking to see who they play. The one thing they know for sure is that they will be on the road. It could be a matchup of 2006 Finals when Dwayne Wade lead Miami to a title. The Bulls are down to their last breath versus the Heat. The battle will be in Chicago. I believe that the only way the Bulls can win is if Luol Deng steps up. When LeBron and Bosh double Rose, Deng has to hit down those threes. In the end, I think that Chicago will get the win. The Mavs will most cerrtainly be watching tonight's game.

Best in West

With the series tied up 1-1, the Thunder and Mavs look to take the series lead in OKC. There was some controversy with Scott Brooks benching Russel Westbrook for the whole 4th quarter of Thursday's game. I think he will bounce back in front of the Thunder fans. This means more than anything to OKC. Nate Robinson took a video on his phone when they were getting off the plane at about midnight. Outside it was thundering and lightning but that did not stop the fans. The Thunder will please their fans tonight as they will get the big win. OKC will be riled up tonight when the Mavs and Thunder square off.

Weekend Encore

This weekend was exhilarating. The Yankees and Red Sox kicked off their series in the Bronx on Friday. The Sox took Game 1. The Grizzlies forced a Game 7 with the Thunder in prime time on Friday. Kevin Durant had the worst game of his playoff career with only 11 points. On Saturday, the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament started. Right out of the gate Hofstra took the lead over John's Hopkins. They only wish it was like that at the end of the game. Notre Dame moved on to face Duke who beat Delaware 15-14. That will be a rematch of last year's National Title. Cornell took care of Hartford with star Rob Panell. The Sox and Yanks battled but Boston had the upper hand. The main story was that Jorge Posada took himself out of the lineup once he knew he was batting 9th. This caused a lot of commotion. On Sunday, the Thunder claimed their spot in the Western Conference Finals to face the Mavs. The Bulls also took Game 1 in their series against the Heat. The NCAA Lacrosse Tournament continued. Maryland will move on to the next round after they beat North Carolina on the road in Billy Bitter's last game as a Tar Heel. Virginia escaped an upset at home versus Bucknell with a comeback win in OT. Denver took care of Villanova despite Nova's hard fought effort. Syracuse would not be upset at the Carrier Dome two straight seasons as they defeated Siena. To wrap up the weekend, the Red Sox got their brooms out as they swept the Yankees.

Game 7 Forecast

The Thunder and Grizzlies go at it for a trip to the Western Conference Finals in a couple of minutes. After Kevin Durant's 11 point game on Friday, he will look to redeem himself. The two men that will have to play well for the Thunder are Kendrick Perkins and Nick Collison. Perkins has not put up that big numbers throughout the Playoffs but I expect him to come out with a chip on his shoulder. Nick Collison has to come off the bench and cover Zach Randolph, which is never easy. Although he will take up a lot of energy on defense I think he will put up big numbers on the offensive side. Mike Conley Jr. will outplay Russel Westbrook at the PG position but it will not be enough. In the end, the Thunder will move on to play the Mavs. The stars are coming out today when the Thunder and Grizzlies take the floor.

Roll of Thunder

The NBA conference championships are almost set. The Bulls closed out the Hawks in Game 6. The Heat are hot going into the Eastern Conference Championship where they will face the Bulls. After the Mavs swept the Lakers, they will be watching to see who they will face. The Grizzlies are down to their last breath against the Thunder in Memphis. The Grizzlies magical run will come to an end in thrilling fashion. They really turned the NBA Playoffs upside down. Who knows? Maybe it was just a glimpse of what is yet to come. The Thunder will go at it with the Mavs for the Western Conference Championship. The Finals are in reach for five teams. But only one team will hoist the trophy when it all ends.

Abuse of the Elderly

It looks like there are new teams with new stars taking over the NBA. After the Lakers fell down 3-0 on Friday night, Kobe still thinks that they can win this. Today there are two intriguing matchups. At 5:00, the Thunder will steal Game 3 against the Grizzlies in Memphis. Serge Ibaka will play well against the big men of Memphis. To wrap the day up, the Celtics will fail to get a win over the surging Heat. Miami's Mike Bibby will come up big in the Garden. With all the veteran teams losing, it really give the younger, rising stars a chance to make a run in the Playoffs. Is this the end of the veteran teams like the Lakers and Celtics? Only time can tell.

Home Court Advantage?

After both the Lakers and Bulls lost on home court on Tuesday, it got me thinking. Home court has not mattered a single bit to some of these teams. The Lakers will redeem themselves from Tuesday's loss and come out firing. The series will be tied 1-1 going into Dallas. In the Windy City, I actually like the Hawks to take the 2-0 lead over the Bulls. Jamal Crawford will be amazing for the Hawks off the bench. The Bulls will be caught off guard. It looks like both the Lakers and Bulls are going to have to step up if they want to make it to their Conference Championship. These Playoffs have been so crazy, who knows what will happen next?

USA! USA!

As you well know, Osama Bin Laden was killed last night. At the Mets/Phillies game, fans in the middle of the game found out that the mastermind behind 9/11 had been murdered by American forces. Immediately, the Phillies' fans celebrated while chanting, "USA! USA!" After a couple of innings, the Mets' and Phillies' dugout knew what had gone on. Five days ago, the Mets checked out a hospital for hurt U.S. veterans. Actually, Chris Young, the pitcher for the Mets that started last night, went to Princeton and majored in politics. His pitching helped bring the Mets to a win. It was a pitcher's duel; but, in the 14th inning, the Mets took a 2-1 lead and held it. There were two winners last night: the Mets and America.

Crunchtime

Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs is over, and we are on to Round 2. To kick things off, the Grizzlies travel to OKC to take on the Thunder. It will be close throughout the game, but Durantula and the Thunder will pull away. Zach Randolph will continue to put up big numbers but they will not be enough. In the series that everybody is talking about, Miami and Boston will put on a show. The Celtics have to stop the Heat in transition in order to get the victory. Wade knows he has to perform. He averaged 12 points per game in the regular season against Boston. In the end, the Heat will get the win in thrilling fashion. There are lots of questions to be answered. There is one big one, though. Who will come up big in crunchtime? The Playoffs are really getting good. So kick back and relax this Sunday afternoon.