Elena Delle Donne's amazing game against the WNBA leading Minnesota Lynx

When I woke up this morning, I was saying to myself as the Chicago ‪#‎Sky were hosting the Minnesota ‪#Lynx in a battle of best of the east in the #Sky against the best the of west in the #Lynx, "We going to be in for a treat in this game." The 2 teams had a combined 7 ‪#‎WNBA All Stars, 4 for the #Lynx and 3 for the #Sky.

The #Sky at one point in the 3rd quarter were down 12 to the #Lynx, but they never gave up. Elena Delle Donne scored a career high 32 points including a game tying 3 point shot with 4.5 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 79.   Hey SportsCenter, that should be in your top 10 plays for either Sunday or from the weekend because it was an amazing shot by Delle Donne. I was like wow. They went on to win the game 94-86.

Give credit to Courtney Vandersloot who not only scored 13 points to along with 9 assists, but she stands in on defense to take 4 charges, now that's amazing. Sylvia Fowles also had a huge game with 31 points and 9 rebounds. What stood out to me, between Fowles and Delle Donne they were a perfect 21-21 from the foul line. Huge win for the Chicago Sky, #SkyHigh. 

Spurs vs Heat NBA Finals Preview

What an NBA Finals matchup we have, the San Antonio Spurs vs the Miami Heat.  Well in both of the teams regular season matchups,  one of the teams rested there starters, but since this is the NBA Finals that wont be happening so David Stern don't say a word.  The Spurs have never lost a series in the NBA Finals, there 4-0, while the Heat are 2-1 in the finals,  Lebron has lost twice in the NBA Finals, once to the Spurs in 2007 with the Cleveland Cavaliers and 2011 to the Mavericks with the Heat. 

What I love about these Spurs is they can score well with Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Danny Green and some of there key guys on the bench like Manu Ginobili, Matt Bonner and Gary Neal, plus they play solid defense as well.  I think Kawhi Leonard will also be a key in this series on both offense and guarding Lebron on defense.  I think he is up to the task because he has big hands which I think is a key to defend Lebron.  I love there coach Greg Popovich, he always has a good strategy in big games.   Dwayne Wade is not 100% because he has been battling knee injuries all season and Chris Bosh struggled in the last series against the Pacers, that could hurt the Heat.  

Yes I know the Spurs had 9 days off since there last game in sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals, but I do think this will help them because there an older team and more time to prepare.  I am going with the Spurs in 7.  I say that because they always find a way to win in the NBA Finals and because they have the experience. They have won it in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007.  Tim Duncan is a three time Finals MVP (1999, 2003 and 2005) Tony Parker won it in 2007 in there sweep against the Cleveland Cavaliers.  If the Spurs get this, this will be ring #5 for both Tim Duncan and Greg Popovich, that ties Kobe Bryant who also has 5 with the Lakers and 1 less than Michael Jordan who has 6.  Now that's elite company right there. 

Chicago Bulls's Game 1 Victory over the Miami Heat in the 2013 Eastern Conference Semifinals

What a win by the Chicago Bulls in game 1 against the Miami Heat. No Derrick Rose, no Luol Deng and no Kirk Hinrich. The Bulls just came off a hard thought 7 games series against the Brooklyn Nets, while the Miami Heat swept the Milwaukee Bucks in 4 games and the Heat were well rested. What impressed me about the Bulls victory over the Heat was, holding the Heat to 15 points in the first quarter, scoring 35 points in the 4th quarter, the defense holding the Heat to 40% shooting from the field and 30% from 3 point range, plus the duo of Jimmy Butler and Nate Robinson. Jimmy Butler had 21 points while grabbing 14 rebounds and he frustrated Lebron James on defense. Nate Robinson got off to a slow start but finished the game strong including some big buckets down the stretch in the 4th quarter, he finished with 27 points and 9 assists. I think this win will give them a huge boast going forward in this series and i think this can be a long series. Good start Chicago Bulls!!!!

So CSN Chicago (Comcast SportsNet) and Susannah Collins Part Ways

So CSN Chicago (Comcast SportsNet) have decided to part ways with reporter Susannah Collins on Thursday night. She was reporting during Blackhawks pre game live and said "tremendous amount of sex" instead of success (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AlU2RpM1TI). She did correct herself which I give her credit for, but she and CSN Chicago didn't part ways for that though. The reason was for her past work with Sports Nutz which featured a lot of bad language and inappropriate content. I wouldn't fire Collins for what she did on Tuesday night in the pre-game show, but for those Youtube videos called Sports Nutz, yes. They were disturbing and disgusting.

Marcus Lattimore gets drafted by the 49ers and my favorite picks of the 49ers 2013 draft.

I really think Marcus Lattimore is a good pick for the 49ers.  He was drafted in the 4th round and many thought he would be for sure a first round pick, but then for 2 straight seasons at South Carolina in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, he suffered 2 devastating knee injuries.  A lot of scouts thought he wouldn't play again.  I think with the 49ers drafting Lattimore in the 4th round is not only value but good trust that he will play again sometime.  I think he will red-shirt this season and wait to play in the 2014-15 NFL season.  49ers Coach Jim Harbaugh wants him to come back when he is fully healthy and ready to go.   He was a really good running back at South Carolina under coach Steve Spurrier.  I think he, Frank Gore and LaMichael James will be a good trio in the 49ers backfield to go along with 49ers QB Colin Kapernick.  The 49ers sure love to run the football especially QB Colin Kaepernick.  This team is built for the future and I think they had a really good draft.  My other favorite picks the 49ers selected were Defensive End Tank Carradine out of Florida State, who is a really explosive pass rusher..  He did tear his ACL late in the season against Florida, but he believes he is ready to go.  I think he will be ready to go for the season.  My next favorite pick for the 49ers is wide receiver Quinton Patton of Louisiana Tech.  What I love about Patton is he is very productive, he finished his career at Louisiana Tech with 2,594 yards and 24 touchdowns on an average of 14.2 yards a catch not bad.  My final favorite pick the 49ers took in the 2013 NFL Draft is safety Eric Reid of LSU.  He is the perfect guy to replace Dashon Goldson who signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during free agency.  What I love about Eric Reid is, he is tall for a safety and a physical hitter.  I remember Stanford coach at the time Jim Harbaugh tried to recruit him to play at Stanford, but he went to LSU, now the two are together and I think he will do well for the 49ers.           

My Favorite Picks of the Bears 2013 NFL Draft

I would say one of my favorite picks of the Bears 2013 draft is LB Khaseem Green out of Rutgers.  Here is a guy that forced a NCAA Record 15 fumbles.  I really like Greene after I saw highlights of this very good outside LB.  He can make plays all over the field, great in coverage, and loves the way he forces fumbles.  I really think Lance Briggs will teach him a lot and I think some day when Briggs is ready to retire he pass the torch over to Khseem Green.

My 2nd favorite pick of this 2013 Bears draft is DE Cornelius Washington of Georgia.  I really like his quick burst off the edge on the D Line, he is also tall at 6'4" and get create havoc in the backfield.  He did play some outside LB at Georgia, so I think the Bears will have him either on the D Line or at LB, but he said "I prefer to play DE".  I think he and Julius Peppers will be a scary duo.

My 3rd and final pick I like is OT Jordan Mills from Louisana Tech.  This guy use to be a guard in college then switched to tackle, he was mostly on the right side of the O Line.  What I love about Jordan Mills is he has tremendous size for a offensive tackle, loves to play till the end of whistle and is always hustling during the play.  I think with the Bears drafting OT Jordan Mills, I think Offensive Tackles J'Marcus Webb and Gabe Carimi have been put on notice.  They haven't done as well as Bears fans can hope for.  

     
   

Louisville vs Michigan for the College Basketball Championship

So now we got our match up setup for Monday night, Louisville vs Michigan.  We got an exciting match up of 2 exciting backcourts.  Louisville has an outstanding backcourt duo of Russ Smith and Peyton Siva while Michigan has a good trio backcourt led by Trey Burke who won the national player of the year award is teamed with Tim Hardaway Jr and Nick Stauskas in the backcourt.  I think this game will come down to which backcourt plays well, and Michigan's offense vs Louisville's defense.  Louisville loves to pressure the opposing offense and force a lot of turnovers.  I think a key match up to watch in frontcourt is Mitch McGary of Michigan against Gorgui Dieng of Louisville.  I like Louisville to win this game because of there outstanding defense and there experience of being in the final four last season, they lost to eventual champion Kentucky.  I will call it Louisville 68 Michigan 65.   

Kevin Ware's Sad Injury

         

Kevin Ware is a backup guard on the Louisville mens basketball team.  On Sunday in a regional final game in the NCAA Tournament against Duke, he suffered a really devastating leg injury as his leg broke awkwardly.  There was about a nine minute about delay during the game.  Louisville did win the basketball game on Sunday to advance to the final 4.  It was on of the saddest injuries I have ever seen watching sports.  He was taken on a stretcher to a near by hospital in downtown Indianapolis.  These last couple of days have been positive for him because he got the bones correctly put back into the leg and is now on crutches.  He is back at the campus of Louisville and everyone there including me is proud he will be okay and will have a good rehab.  He will get to travel with the team this weekend in Atlanta which is by the way his hometown where this years final four will be.  Louisville will play Wichita State in the first game, followed by Michigan Syracuse.  I will preview these game in another post on this blog.  I am so glad he will get to travel with the team and he will be able to see the game with his team.  Best wishes to a successful recovery Kevin Ware!!!

2013 Final Four Preview

 

Well, here we are, the Final Four is almost here.  I am so excited not only because I get to see two exciting match ups in Louisville-Wichita State and Michigan-Syracuse but I am so proud that Kevin Ware one of the backup guards on Louisville will get to see the game with his team after suffering a devastating leg injury in Sundays regional final against Duke on Sunday.  I bet him being there will give Louisville a big lift because they want to win it all for him. So I will preview each match up and give my predictions.

I will start with the first game Louisville Wichita State.  I think this will be a defensive battle, both teams right now are excelling on defense.  Louisville loves to pressure the offense both in the full court and the half court game while Wichita State is an excellent rebounding team which averages about 43 rebounds a game during this tournament.  There is no hotter player in this match up than Guard Russ Smith of Louisville who is averaging 26 points a game during this NCAA Tournament. For Wichita State to have a chance to upset Louisville is Malcolm Armstead of the shockers must contiune to rebound the basketball well, take good quality shots against an excellent Louisville defense and they must play good defense on the good duo of Russ Smith and Peyton Siva.  I think it will be a close game but in the end I like Louisville. I will call it Louisville 70 Wichita State 59.

Now lets go to the second match up, Michigan-Syracuse.  I think this game will come down to the match up of Syracuse's 2-3 zone defense against Michigan's potent offense.  Michigan loves to shoot from the perimeter, while Syracuse in this tournament is forcing a lot of turnovers.  I really like the Michigan back court of  Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr and Glenn Robinson III.  Syracuse has a good trio of defenders in C.J. Fair, Michael Carter-Williams and James Southerland.  Syracuse in this NCAA Tournament has allowed opponents to shoot only 17.2% from three point range. I really like this Michigan team right now and forward Mitch McGary in this is averaging 17.5 points and 11.5 rebounds a game in this tournament and I think he is the x factor.  I will say Michigan 69 Syracuse 63.  I will give my predictions for Mondays game sometime on Sunday, enjoy the Final Four on Sunday.

2013 NCAA Tournament Preview and Predictions

 

                                                   

            Who is ready for some March Madness?  I am, it is one of my favorite sporting events of the year.  So I will tell you who I think will win each region and who win win it all in the 2013 Men's Basketball Championship. Our #1 seeds in order are the Louisville Cardinals, the Kansas Jayhawks, the Indiana Hoosiers and for the first time ever, the Gonzaga Bulldogs are rewarded a top seed in the tournament.

I will start with the Midwest Region, with the top overall seed the Louisville Cardinals,  I can see either Louisville, Duke, or Michigan St come out of that bracket, for a Cinderella, I like St Louis because they have an outstanding defense. For my prediction to come out of this region, I think it will be the Louisville Cardinals beating the Michigan St Spartans in the elite 8 in Indianapolis because of there defense and there on a hot streak right now after winning the Big East Tournament in New York City.

For the West Region, I really like of course Gonzaga, there forward Kelly Olynyk who is really good in the paintm Ohio State led by Aaron  Craft who has been really good for them lately and I really like New Mexico led by center Alex Kirk.  I think Wisconsin does have a chance to come out of this region becuase of the way they play defense and slow the pace of the game down.  I think Ohio St. will beat Gonzaga in LA, because Ohio St. right now is playing well on both sides of the court which included there Big 10 Tournament win in Chicago at the United Center against Wisconsin.

In the East Region, I really like the Indiana Hooisers led of course by Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo, the Miami Hurricanes, first time I have ever seen them this good, are led by Shane Larkin.  I do think the this region in Washington DC will come down between Indiana and Miami, I am going with Indiana because of there experience, but I do think it will be a close game between these two teams.

The final region is the South Region which will end in Dallas.  I think this region will come down to Kansas, Georgetowm, Florida and Michigan.  VCU I think can go far in this region as well, there really talented.  I have Kansas taking on Florida in Dallas in the elite 8.  I am going with Kansas because of there outstanding defense.

So my Final 4 in Atlanta is Louisville, Ohio St. Indiana and Kansas.  Louisville will face Ohio St and Indiana will face Kansas.  Between Louisville and Ohio St. I really think Louisville because of the backcourt duo of Peyton Siva and Russ Smith will be the difference.  In the other game I got Indiana over Kansas because the duo of Cody Zeller and Victor Oladpio will be the differnce in the ball game.

Now on to the big game, Louisville vs Indiana.  I really think this will be a classic match up.  I think this game will come down to Louisville's stingy defense vs Indiana's potent offense.  I really think Louisville will win this game because they are so stingy on defense as well as forcing turnovers. So I am going with Rick Pitino and Louisville Cardinals 70-65.

Joakim Noah's amazing triple double vs the 76ers

What a night by Joakim Noah, as the Bulls got a much needed win against the Philadelphia 76ers last night 93-82 at the United Center.  Noah had an amazing night as he posted 23 points, 21 rebounds and a career high 11 blocks for his third career triple double.   His first career triple double was on February 22^nd 2012 against the Bucks as he posted 13 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in the game, becoming the first Bulls center to post a triple double in since Artis Gilmore in 1977.  Noah’s 2nd career triple double on December 18^th against the Boston Celtics.  His stat line was 11 points, 13 rebounds and a career tying high 10 assists. 

Let go to back to last night’s game, against the 76ers who are still without there best center Andrew Bynum who is still recovering from a knee injury.  If Bynum did play last night against Noah, I don’t think Noah would have posted this triple double.  What was amazing about Noah’s triple double who shot 8-12 from the field at 67%.  According to the Elias Sports Bureau Noah became the first player in NBA history to record at least 20 points (23 points last night), 20 rebounds (21 rebounds last night), 10 blocks (11 blocks last night) and shoot at least 65% from the field (he shot 67% last night).              

 

     
            

Minnesota Beats #1 Indiana and the Hoosiers as a #1 Ranked team

I want to congratulate Tubby Smith and Minnesota for knocking off #1 Indiana last night.  That was a huge win for them.  Now they are 19-9 overall with a conference record of 7-8.  This win in my mind should make them a tournament team come March Madness.  When you look at some of the teams they have beaten, like then ranked #19 Memphis, then ranked #12 Illinois in Champaign, then ranked #20 Wisconsin in Minnesota and last night #1 Indiana.  According to their schedule, they have the toughest schedule in the nation. Their opponent's strength of schedule is right around 0.623 based on team win-loss records.  Lets go to last night's game.  

What impressed me about the Golden Gopher's victory last night was Minnesota Forward Trevor Mbakwe  played very well especially against perhaps the best player in the nation in Cody Zeller.  Cody Zeller was only 2-9 from the field with 9 points, he was 5-5 from the foul line with 7 rebounds and fouled out as well.  I felt the play of the game was when Mbakwe blocked Cody Zeller's dunk attempt right near the basket. He played very well against the #1 ranked team, his stat line: 21 points, on 8-10 shooting from the field to go along with 12 rebounds.  Minnesota out rebounded Indiana 38-25 to go along with 17 offensive rebounds. 

This is the 3rd time Indiana lost as the #1 ranked team in the nation. The first time Indiana lost was against Butler on Dec 15 at Conseco Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers.  Guard Alex Barlow hit the game winning shot with 2.3 seconds left in overtime, as Butler dealt Indiana their first loss of the season.  Then, of course the Fighting Illini of Illinois giving Indiana as a #1 ranked team their 3rd loss of the season on February 7.  On an in bounds pass from Brandon Paul, Forward Tyler Griffey cuts to the basket wide open and scored the game winning layup. As the ball went through the basket along with buzzer sounding, the fans stormed the court and celebrated with the Illini players.  The Hoosiers led by as many as 14, the Illini only 3.  The Illini outscored the Hooisers 45-31 in the 2nd half, after being outscored 41-29 in the first half.  ESPN broadcaster Joe Tessitore, one of my favorite announcers, often calls upset games.  He made a great call when the Illini made the game winning shot against the Hoosiers with ESPN College Basketball Analyst Sean Farnham his partner.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGbgkeMIfNM.  Indiana is the 10th team to lose 3 times in the regular season as the #1 team in the country. 

The other 9 teams did not win the NCAA Tournament, but maybe Indiana can change that.  The other 9 teams on the list are 64-65 Michigan, 73-74 UCLA, 85-86 North Carolina, 89-90 Kansas, 93-94 North Carolina, 97-98 Duke, 1999-2000 Cincinnati, 02-03 Arizona and 05-06 Duke.  That is interesting right there.  Minnesota Golden Gopher fans sure had a blast when they got to storm the court as the #1 Hoosiers went down.        

         

Michigan State vs Indiana

What a game between Michigan State and Indiana!  The game did live up to the hype.  It was so cool that Michigan State Alum Magic Johnson got to sit court side and call the game with Dick Vitale and Mike Tirco.  Victor Oladipo made a lot of clutch plays down the stretch.  I bet ESPN got a high TV rating from last night.  I do think Indiana will win the Big 10 Regular Season Championship.  I really think these 2 teams, along with Michigan, will battle it out for the Big 10 Championship in the Big 10 Tournament coming up at the United Center in Chicago