Interview With LaDainian Tomlinson

After a rough end to his season last year, LT seems pumped up and focused going into the 2008-09 NFL season.

49 Games in 18 Nights: Observations of the NBA Playoffs

Here’s what I’m thinking so far through this years playoffs:

-Why do some second round series begin before some first round series end? While Detroit vs. Orlando and New Orleans vs. San Antonio kicked off their second round series on Saturday, the Celtics and Hawks still had a game to finish in their first round series on Sunday. Confusing isn’t it? No other major professional sports does this, and for good reason. The NBA playoff format has some serious issues, including the fact that teams aren’t re-seeded in each round. It wasn’t a problem this season because all the higher seeds won, but the NBA should seriously consider making a few fan friendly changes.

-The Hornets are for real. First they made the Mavs look like an NBADL team, now they’ve got off to a 2-0 lead over the Spurs. They’ve pretty much been unstoppable, but will things be different when the series shifts to San Antonio? Probably not. The Spurs have never come back from a 0-2 deficit in the history of their franchise. The Hornets are off the charts, and with a nucleus of Chris Paul, Davis West, and Tyson Chandler, they should be a top contender for a long time.

-Is it just me, or are the Lakers kinda flying under the radar? They’re 5-0 thus far, and have been playing phenomenal. They should continue playing great, but things won’t be so easy against the Jazz. The Lakers are still the favorite to win the conference, but the road through the Western Conference is anything but easy.

-What’s up with the Celtics? There’s no way the Hawks should have taken them to the seventh game. According to the Celts, they’re not used to playing with each other in the playoffs, which I think is a pretty lousy excuse. They had the whole regular season to prepare for the playoffs, and shouldn’t make pathetic excuses when they get out played by a lesser team. The Hornets don’t have experience playing with each other in the playoffs either and look what they’re doing. Either way, it should be a great series against the Cavs.

-How can a team that has Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby, Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith, and George Karl as its coach get swept in the first round of the playoffs? Oh yeah, they completely forgot how to play defense. The Nuggets need a new system.

-Has the window officially closed on the Phoenix Suns? I’d say so. The Suns were very hard to watch in the first round, and were even annoying to watch at times. They blew countless opportunities against the Spurs and their big players didn’t step up when needed. Was Grant Hill playing during the series? He was practically invisible. The Suns are a team that basketball fans root for because of their exciting style of play, and likeable personalities. It’s simply a case of a good team that couldn’t become a great team. The front office got too fancy with roster moves over the years and it came back to haunt them. Expect some changes in Phoenix.

-If the Toronto Raptors ever hope to compete, they’re gonna have to add another scorer. Having Anthony Parker and Carlos Delfino as your primary wing men just won’t get it done. The team took a serious step back this season, and Bryan Colangelo will have to earn his money this off-season by improving their average roster. Everyone knows either T.J. Ford or Jose Calderon will be trade bait, but beyond that the Raptors don’t have much to offer. Their best bet is to throw some money at a free agent. Luring a big name to Toronto may not be easy, so Colangelo will have to work his magic.

(By the way, here’s a list of this summers big name restricted and unrestricted free agents: Josh Smith, Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, J.R. Smith, Allen Iverson, Baron Davis, Jermaine O’Neal, Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, Ricky Davis, Shawn Marion, Stephon Marbury, Andre Iguodala, Ron Artest, Jose Calderon, Gilbert Arenas, and Antawn Jamison. Obviously not all of these players will change uniforms, but if could make for a very interesting summer.)

So the second round is in full swing, and here’s what I expect to happen: Lakers in six, Hornets in six, Pistons in five, and the Celtics in seven. Hopefully round two will have a little bit more fireworks than round one.

Enjoy the rest of round two,
~Joe Osborne

The Blue Jays Need Barry Bonds

As soon as the Toronto Blue Jays released Frank Thomas rumors began to fly that they would be interested in bringing in the most controversial player in the history of the game, Barry Bonds. Talk of Bonds in a Jays uniform has silenced over the past few days, but if the Jays hope to contend this season they should seriously consider bringing in baseball’s home run king.

Here’s why they need his bat. Adam Lind was called up from the minors to get Thomas’s at-bats. Lind was a highly coveted prospect who hasn’t lived up to the hype. In 89 games last year Lind hit .238 with a measly .278 on base percentage. Since being called up he’s hitless with one walk. That’s not gonna cut it.

Yes, it’s fair to say that Bonds is old. However, while playing in 126 games last season he did manage to hit .276, with 26 homers and a very impressive on-base percentage of .444. With Bonds as their DH, he’d be able to get on base almost half the time, and give them the opportunity to score more runs, which they desperately need. The Jays rank 23rd in the league in runs scored, which is also last overall in their division. They’re also 25th overall in team RBI’s, and 22nd in home runs with only 19. Plugging Bonds into the middle of the line-up would generate automatic offense. No pitcher would want to face Alex Rios, Vernon Wells, Scott Rolen, and Barry Bonds in a row. We all know what Bonds can do offensively, so there’s no need to elaborate.

Here’s why the Jays need Barry Bonds, the person. When was the last time this team has done anything exciting, or made any type of splash? Well, besides John Gibbons getting in wrestling matches with his players. While the Yankees and Red Sox provide their fans with exciting moments and aggressive roster moves, the Jays seem to sit still and be satisfied with finishing third in the AL East year after year. Sure, they have a few good players, but Jays fans are screaming for some type of excitement to be brought to the team. The Jays have become quite boring over the last few years, and J.P. Riccardi has done a miserable job as GM, over paying for players, and not making good trades.

The Jays need Bonds to ignite their offense, and Jays fans need him as a reason to be interested again. Sure, Bonds isn’t the best teammate, but no one can question his production. Offensively, the Jays can’t get much worse. By adding Bonds the team would improve in the standings, see enhanced coverage, and increase their attendance. Signing Bonds is one risk that would surely be worth the reward.

Breaking Down The Penguins vs. Rangers Second Round Series

The most appealing series of the NHL’s second round kicks off Friday night when the fifth seeded New York Rangers take on the second seeded Pittsburgh Penguins. The series holds many storylines including: The high powered Pens offense versus one of the leagues top goalies; how will the Pens respond to Sean Avery’s antics; and how will Marc-Andre Fleury perform under the bright lights of a second round series.

The two teams met a total of eight times during the regular season with the Rangers winning five. During those eight games the Rangers outscored the Pens 19-17, and each team had one shutout, so obviously things were pretty close. But we all know that what happens in the regular season doesn’t necessarily translate to the same results during the playoffs.

During the first round against the Senators, the Pens pretty much scored at will, and manhandled the overmatched team from Ottawa. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, the Rangers are a much different team than Ottawa. They have stability in net, grit, and unquestionable leadership. The Rangers were viewed as a bit of a dark horse to make a run in this years playoffs, but it’s not gonna be easy against the well balanced Penguins.

All four lines on the Pens can score, as can several of their offensive minded defensemen. In their series against Ottawa they only allowed one power play goal, and had only 13 minor penalties. In net Fleury was about as solid as a brick wall. In the four games he allowed seven goals on 112 shots.

As for the Rangers, they had a bit of a harder time than the Pens is round one. It took them five games to send the higher seeded Devils golfing. During those five games the Rangers scored an impressive 20 goals against Martin Brodeur. The Rangers also have something no other team has: Sean Avery. The ‘Super Pest’ rattled Brodeur and the Devils, and had a huge impact on that series. People complain about Avery, but every team would want a player like him. It should be interesting to see what he has up his sleeve for the Pens. It will also be interesting to see if the Pens play into his mind games.

PREDICTION: Penguins in six. It’ll be tough for the Rangers to keep up with the Penguins high scoring attack. Pittsburgh is a very well disciplined team, and Marc Andre Fleury has never looked better. Both teams are capable of going all the way, but the Rangers will have to wait until next year to get another chance.

Other series predictions: Dallas in six, Detroit in six, and my upset special is Philly beating Montreal seven games, and we’ll have an all-Pensylvania Eastern Conference Final.

Enjoy the Second Round!
-Joe Osborne

Reebok Teams Up With Microsoft Zune To Launch New Sneaker

WHO: Legendary basketball and fashion icon, Nuggets player and Reebok athlete Allen Iverson, aka "The Answer"

WHAT: Reebok and Zune have teamed up for the first time to bring you a limited edition Allen Iverson sneaker - the Answer XI Zune.

This partnership between Reebok and Zune brings together two things important to AI in his life - basketball and music.

Reebok has produced 60 pairs of a special version of Iverson's latest Reebok signature shoe - the Answer XI. For this limited-edition collection, the Answer XI has been designed featuring the Zune logo. The sneakers will be sold with a customized Zune 8g black digital media player, featuring etched AI graphics on the back that is loaded with special AI content including his Reebok commercials, playlists and interview footage of other Reebok athletes talking about the first time they played against AI in the league. The sneakers and Zune media player will also come in special packaging.

The Answer XI Zune collection will retail for $300 and be sold only at select boutique shops in five key markets. Each store will receive only 12 collectible packages, so be sure to be the first one in line at your local store!

WHEN: Coming this June 2008

WHERE: Available only at the following 5 stores: Complex/Training Day Store (NYC), Major Commonwealth (DC), Commonwealth (VA), Wish (ATL), The 400 (Denver).

MMA Fight Weekly: UFC 83 Preview

NBA End Of Season Awards

With the NBA season wrapped up, and the playoffs on the horizon, it's time to give out the end of season awards. Let's get er going!

Most Improved Team: New Orleans Hornets- At the start of the season if you predicted the Hornets would finish second in the West you'd either have to be a delusional Hornets fan or mentally unstable (or maybe a weird combination of the two). The bottom line is that this team came out of no where and improved their tenth place finish last season by 17 wins to finish second in the highly competitive Western Conference. And it's not like they were beating up on chump change teams all year. They have wins against every other Western Conference playoff team including four wins against the Suns, and two each versus the Mavs, Lakers, and Spurs. After a season like this the Hornets are serious Finals contenders.

Honorable Mention- Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers

Most Disappointing Team: Chicago Bulls- In the preseason the Bulls were considered by many as a big time contender in the East. Well, let's just say it was a long season for the Bulls. They finished the season with a miserable 33 wins, which is 15 less than last seasons total. After starting the season 2-10, the Bulls just couldn't get it together. It looks like they're back to being the 'Baby Bulls'. If I was a Bulls fan I'd be planning some type of riot due to management not being able to pull the trigger on that Kobe deal last summer.

Honorable Mention- Miami Heat, New Jersey Nets

Most Improved Player: Jose Calderon- The Raptors point man established himself as a premier point guard this season, by averaging a little over eight assists a game and improving his career three point percentage of .368 to .429. As a pass first guard he also averaged 11.2 points while only playing 30 minutes a game due to sharing time with T.J. Ford. Calderon is a future All-Star who should see his production increase even more next season, especially if the Raps decide to dump Ford.

Honorable Mention- Hedo Turkoglu, J.R. Smith, LaMarcus Aldridge

Most Unimproved Player: Darko Milicic- This was supposed to be Darko's breakout season. Wait a minute, last year was, or was it the year before that. Darko proved this year that he will never have a breakout season, and that he's one of the biggest bust in NBA Draft history (I still can't believe that he was picked before Melo, D-Wade, and CB4). Playing for the Grizzlies was supposed to give Darko a chance to shine, but he only managed seven points and six boards a game. He and Kwame Brown sure do make a great front court duo. I hear Sam Bowie may come out of retirement to join them next season, and the Griz are also thinking of signing Michael Olowokandi.

Honorable Mention- Andrea Bargnani, anyone on the Knicks

Rookie of the Year: Kevin Durant- 20 points and 35 minutes per game. No need to elaborate.

Honorable Mention- Al Horford

Coach of the Year: Byron Scott (Hornets)- When a team improves by 17 wins the coach must be doing something right. Playing for the Hornets the last few seasons couldn't have been the most stable situation, but Scott has made things work. He's been able to blend his players into a fantastic system that has seen the overachieving team play better than most of the leagues top contenders.

Honorable Mention- Doc Rivers, Rick Adelman

MVP: Kobe Bryant- There's several players in the running for this seasons MVP, and this year could be the toughest vote ever. When determining an MVP pick, people always say "If you took this guy off the team, they'd be nothing". Well, you could probably say that about 15 different players in the NBA. Kobe is the most skilled player in the league, and plays on the team with the best record in easily the toughest conference. No one really expected the Lakers to make much noise this year, but now they're the West's best team, and that's all because of Kobe. Yes, the Celtics did finish with a better record, but they obviously had a much easier schedule. Kobe's the man. It's that simple.

Honorable Mention- Kevin Garnett, Chris Paul

Enjoy the playoffs!

-Joe Osborne