Hanley

Why does ESPN have Herm Edwards talking about the Hanley Ramirez situation?  I don't want to hear Herm talk about anything, but much less baseball.  Why?

NBA Playoffs: Take 2

I tried my hand at picking the first-round winners: how did I do?

Eastern Conference:

Cavs over Bulls in 5
- Bulls can take a game while LeBron shakes off the rust and they reintegrate Shaq into the offense, but that's it.

Hawks over Bucks in 5
- Losing Bogut means no chance for the Bucks.

Celtics over Heat in 5
- DWade is terrifying (as a Celtics fan), but his complete lack of a supporting cast dooms the Heat.

*Upset Special* Bobcats over Magic in 6
- Slightly crazy, I know, but I just can't buy into this Magic team.  Howard is still limited offensively, and I have a hard time seeing any of their other guys creating for themselves offensively.  Larry Brown has a crew of long, athletic defenders who can disrupt the Magic 3-point attack, and I think they can put together enough offense to steal the series.

Actually, I'd have to say I did fairly well.  The Bulls stole a game from the Cavs but the series was never in doubt, and DWade was undermined by his lack of a supporting cast.  The Bucks put up more of a fight than I anticipated (Fear the Deer!), but Atlanta was ultimately superior.  My big mistake in the East: picking the Bobcats over the Magic.  However, in my defense, my analysis was actually pretty good.  I predicted that the Bobcats would give Dwight Howards fits, and they did.  My mistake was in assuming that the rest of the Magic would crumble without Howard.  I underestimated their abilities, particularly Jameer Nelson, who had a stellar series and made up for Howard's struggles.

Western Conference:

Lakers over Thunder in 7
- The Lakers are reeling and Durant can score on anyone anytime he wants, but they're still too young and green (not Jeff Green) and small in the middle to take down the champs.

Mavs over Spurs in 7
- This one will be a war.  It all comes down to Manu, and I don't think he can take 4 games for the Spurs.

Suns over Blazers in 6
- No Brandon Roy means no second round for Portland.

Nuggets over Jazz in 6
- I know the Jazz are playing well and the Nuggets are struggled, but who is going to guard Carmelo?  And never bet against Billups in the postseason.

Well not quite so well in the West.  The Spurs had more in the tank than I realized, though I'm still surprised that Dirk and the Mavs went home so soon.  I also whiffed in calling the Nuggets over the Jazz.  Deron Williams stepped up his game, and Carmelo was unable to make the most of his opportunities.  I successfully predicted that the Thunder would test the Lakers and the Suns would prevail over the Blazers.

All told, out of 8 series, the only one I really missed was Nuggets-Jazz.  Predicting the Magic would be upset looks rather foolish now that they've swept the Hawks, but I don't think I'm the only one surprised by how well Nelson, Pietrus, Carter, and Lewis played without Howard being a force in the post.

A few thoughts on the only remaining competitive series this round, Cavs-Celtics.

1. The officiating has been atrocious, and biased in favor of the Cavs.  I hope the NBA cleans it up for the rest of the series.
2. Rondo has emerged as the dominant player this series, just as he did last year against the Bulls.  The kid has arrived, and he is a star.
3. LeBron hinted today that he may cover Rondo in Game 5, since Mo Williams, Delonte West, and the rest of the Cavs have been helpless.  James is obviously a great defender, and his length will be problematic for Rondo.  Presumably he will play off Rondo a bit and take away his ability to penetrate, which has been the catalyst for the Boston offense, and then sag and help when Rondo gives up the ball.  Boston can take advantage of this strategy if...
4. Paul Pierce steps up his game.  The Truth has been fibbing this post-season.  Age and injuries have taken their toll, but Pierce is still a proud player and will no doubt take it personally that LeBron is leaving him to cover Rondo.  Fortunately, the Cavs don't have another defender who matches up well with Pierce - Jamario Moon is the only one with the requisite size and speed, but he's only averaging 10 minutes/game this postseason.  If James takes Rondo, Pierce needs to find the elite scorer he used to be.
5. Additionally, when James sags off Rondo to help on Pierce, the Celtics need to make him pay.  Rondo needs to knock down some jumpers, and he needs to cut to the rim and finish when LeBron is elsewhere.  

If they allow James to stop Rondo's penetration with the ball and play a rover/help role when Rondo gives it up (as Kobe has done in the past), the Celtics offense will struggle.  If they make James pay, they can win Game 5 and take the series.

Celtics vs. Refs, err, umm, I mean, Cavs

This Celtics-Cavs series is the worst collective officiating I have ever seen.  There are blown calls galore, and interestingly most of them in Games 3 and 4 seem to go against the C's.  I know I'm a homer, but I'm usually fairly unbiased in my assessment of referees.  Earlier in Game 4, Shaq benefited from a touch foul: surely a first in his long (and large) career.

And one more Celtics gripe - good lord what is wrong with Rasheed Wallace?  I've never seen anyone try less on defense and whine more after getting whistled for a blatant foul.  What makes his pungent play exceptionally galling is his universal reputation as a smart player.  If the man has such a high basketball IQ, why does he continue to make miserable decisions at both ends of the court?



On a side note, doesn't he look a bit like Tracy Morgan in his craziest Tracy Jordan moments?