Monday, April 29, 2013

Coming Out

  Jason Collins, the 7' 0" Center for the Washington Wizards, came out and stated publicly that he was gay today. He is the first player in any of the four major North American sports to come out while playing. Collins finished his 12th season in the NBA. He has bounced around the league and has played for six different teams. Jason revealed the news on a story for Sports Illustrated. Collins is getting support from players around the league and Commissioner David Stern. Collins spoke with his brother [Jarron Collins] who also played in the NBA about a year ago on the matter, and Jarron Collins was supposedly "astounded." 
  Collins didn't set out to be the first openly gay player in one of the major North American sports, but he is happy to start the conversation. Jason Collins opened the door for more athletes to come out of the closet today. Hopefully it will make other people's decision to come out easier. Brittney Griner revealed she was gay just a few weeks ago. Collins is a Christian and has been living in fear for 33 years of his life. That shows how tough it is to hide who you really are. This story is more than just about sports. 
  Children and adults should look up to Jason Collins. He found the courage to reveal to the world who he really is. I fully expect a lot more people to come out and reveal their sexuality soon. Jason Collins made their jobs much easier. Jason is a hero and has already made an impact on people's lives. Today will be a day a lot of people will never forget. Jason Collins made history today. 

Monday, April 22, 2013

Monday Night Double-header

The first weekend of the NBA Playoffs are over and this weekend was full of some blowouts and a few nail biters. With the exception of the Warriors/Nuggets and the Knicks/Celtics games, the games were mostly blowouts. The home team has won every game this postseason. There are two games tonight. The Nets and Clippers both look to take leads in the series. The Bulls and Grizzlies need a win tonight. Both of these teams will be heading back home after tonight's game.
#5 Bulls vs #4 Nets
Game 2 Tonight 8:00
Chicago is looking to rebound after Saturday night's debacle. The only good thing to take away from that game was Carlos Boozer's performance. Other than that, they will hope to forget about the game. Reggie Evans played terrific for the Nets on Saturday. He went up against Luol Deng and won the battle. Deng needs to step up tonight. Brook Lopez and Gerald Wallace have been taken advantage of Joakim Noah's injury. I expect the Nets to play with the same intensity as Saturday, and I have them winning tonight. 
#5 Grizzlies vs #4 Clippers
Game 2 Tonight 10:30
The Grizzlies looked soft on Saturday. The Clippers dominated the boards and outrebounded Memphis.  The Clippers put on a great show and have been playing well at home. The bench for Los Angeles has been spectacular. Memphis's guards have not been performing up to standards. I know that Lionel Hollins said something to his team, and I think that it will help. I have Memphis sending the fans at the Staples Center home bummed. 

Sunday, April 21, 2013

NBA Playoffs Updates

It is day 2 of the NBA Playoffs, and hopefully there will be some great performances like there was yesterday. The Knicks kicked off the Playoffs with a 85-78 win over Boston. Following that, the Warriors and Nuggets came down to the buzzer. Andre Miller had the game-winning layup with about 2 seconds left. That was right after Stephen Curry hit a clutch three to tie it up. The Nets absolutely manhandled the banged up Bulls in their first ever Playoff game at the Barclays Center. The nightcap was the Clippers/Grizzlies matchup that everyone was looking forward to seeing. The Clippers dominated on the boards and won handily. 
#6 Hawks vs #3 Pacers
Game 1 Sunday 1:00
This is an interesting matchup. I do not know what to expect from the Hawks. They have struggled in the Playoffs and they are going up against a great defense. The matchup to watch is between Al Horford and Roy Hibbert. The Pacers have more scoring options. The atmosphere will be electric. In the end, I think that the Pacers will take the 1-0 lead in the series.
#7 Lakers vs #2 Spurs
Game 1 Sunday 3:30 
The Lakers have been the talk of the season. They have gained a little bit of momentum going into the Postseason. The Spurs are a little banged up, but then again so are the Lakers. This will be an absolute battle down low. I am looking forward to see which Lakers team will come out today. This is actually my upset pick in the Playoffs. I have a very good feeling about this Lakers team, and I think they get the win.
#8 Bucks vs #1 Heat
Game 1 Sunday 7:00
To be quite frankly, I do not know how you can stop this Heat team. The only way Milwaukee can win is if Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings just go off. It is very tough to do that against this Heat defense, though. I expect the Miami fans to be riled up. I got the Heat winning this one.
#8 Rockets vs #1 Thunder
Game 1 Sunday 9:30
The Rockets have to be a little bummed that they didn't get the seven-seed, but this sets up for much more drama. It is James Harden versus his old team. Houston has terrific guard play in Harden and Jeremy Lin. One guy to watch out for on the Rockets is Omer Asik. He has been playing good basketball as of late. Then there are the Thunder. They are one of the best home teams in the league and they are just electrifying to watch. I think that Houston will have a tough time guarding Durant. Both teams have no problem running up-and-down the floor. This will be a very tight game, but I think that OKC will come out with the win.

Friday, April 19, 2013

NBA Playoffs: Picks and Analysis

It is finally that time of year again; the NBA Playoffs are back! There are a lot of intriguing matchups in Round 1. The Thunder and Heat are both the two #1 seeds in their respective conferences. The Heat are definitely the overwhelming favorite to win it all. In the West, the series that catches my eye the most is the Nuggets/Warriors series. Both team are playing very good basketball at the moment. This series will go seven games. The East is full of great games. The Knicks/Celtics series has the makings to be one for the ages. I am also really looking forward to watching the Brooklyn Nets' first playoff series against the Bulls. There is news that Joakim Noah could miss the entire 1st Round due to an injury in his right foot.
#7 Celtics vs #2 Knicks 
Game 1 3:00 Saturday
MSG will be riled up for this matchup between these two foes. Boston is playing with heavy hearts after the terrible tragedy at the Boston Marathon. The Knicks are very hot as of late. Carmelo has been playing some terrific basketball. Boston has been very balanced scoring wise. Jeff Green has stepped up for the C's. I think that he will have an excellent game tomorrow. However, I do think that the Knicks will come out on top. I will be live tweeting from MSG, so make sure you follow me on Twitter @MM8sports.
#6 Warriors vs #3 Nuggets
Game 1 5:30 Saturday
I am so interested in this matchup. These two teams stack up well against each other. The Nuggets are without Danilo Gallinari and Kenneth Faried is not at full strength. This is the perfect game for the Warriors to steal. I think that Stephen Curry and David Lee will carry the Warriors on their back. This game will be extremely close, but I think the Warriors will get the win.
#5 Bulls vs #4 Nets
Game 1 8:00 Saturday
Everyone knows that the Barclays Center will be going crazy tomorrow night. This is a historic day for Brooklyn fans. Derrick Rose will not play. I expect Deron Williams to take advantage of that. The Bulls are one of the worst scoring teams in the league. This will be a close game, but I think that the Nets will pull away with some help from their sharpshooters.
#5 Grizzlies vs #4 Clippers
Game 1 10:30 Saturday
The Staples Center will be rocking on this Saturday night when these two teams take the floor. This is a rematch of last year's 1st Round Playoff Series. These two teams have put on great shows when they play against each other this year. I am very excited to see how Zach Randolph plays. He has been putting up big numbers as of late. This game will be spectacular, but I really love the way the Grizzlies play together. That is why I am picking Memphis.

Monday, April 8, 2013

The Big Peach Party

Tonight, as you well know, is the NCAA Tournament Finals. Michigan and Louisville will go at it in Atlanta. The tip-off is at 9:23. This game showcases two of the best PG in the country in Louisville's Peyton Siva and Player of the Year Trey Burke. Burke has been absolutely sensational in the tourney. However, he struggled against Syracuse. Luckily, the bench of Michigan and Mitch McGary picked the Wolverines up. With the exception of Russ Smith, Louisville's starters also had a tough day in the National Semifinals. Luke Hancock was the unsung hero. He came and provided a spark off the bench.  Hancock finished the game with 20 points and caused a jump ball in the final seconds to give Louisville the ball with the lead. Tonight's game will be very exciting. It features the best offense in the land against the best defense in the land. For the Cardinals, it is all about making shots early. If they can score quickly, it sets up their defense. Michigan is a great passing team. You could tell that from just watching their game against Wichita State. This game will be tight throughout, but there is just something about this Louisville team. I think that by the end of the night, Louisville will be crowned champs.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Saturday FOURcast

We are now down to just four teams in this college basketball season. It has been a roller coaster of a season, and only four teams have survived. The Final Four consists of a Louisville team playing in honor of teammate Kevin Ware, a Wichita State team who is looking to shock the world, a Michigan squad that has been carried by the Wooden Award winner, and a Syracuse group with a stifling defense  who will be playing their last games as a member of the Big East. There are so many story lines going into gameday. Trey Burke of Michigan won the Player of the Year Award today. He is the first ever Wolverine to win it. Kevin Ware of Louisville is in Atlanta with the team after he went down with a knee injury against Duke. 
#9 Wichita State vs #1 Louisville
This is a David vs Goliath matchup. Louisville has been playing great basketball as of late, winning three of their four tournament games by 20+ points. After Kevin Ware went out last Sunday with an awful injury, the Cardinals are playing with heavy hearts. Wichita State has been shooting the lights out lately and has had an extremely tough road getting here. This game will be close, but I think that Louisville is too explosive and will get the job done in the end. 
#4 Michigan vs #4 Syracuse
This game showcases two of the best guards in the country in Trey Burke and Michael Carter-Williams. It will be tough for Michigan to attack the 2-3 zone of the Orange. The Wolverines need to get out to a quick start. Syracuse has the ability to shoot from deep. The Orange feed off their shooting. The key for Cuse is CJ Fair. You really don't know what type of day he will be having. If the Wolverines are having an off day shooting, I think Syracuse will blow them out. However, I truly think that Michigan will win.