Week 20 NBA Power Rankings: Mavericks on Top, Lakers Falling
March 10th, 2010 by Taylor Smith No comments »
Apparently, nobody really wants that eighth seed in the Western Conference.
Every team currently ninth or lower in the West has dropped their most recent game, and no team has gone better than 5-5 in their last 10.
The eighth place Blazers are just 6-4 in that stretch, but appear to have a stranglehold on that playoff spot, currently holding a four-game lead.
Things are just as hectic at the top of the Western Conference, as the Lakers aren't clear-cut favorites anymore.
1. Dallas Mavericks (44-21, Last Week: 2)
The Mavs have now won 12 in a row, and have emerged as a very legitimate championship contender since the deadline trade.
The No. 1 overall seed in the West is within their sights as well, as they sit just three games behind the slumping Lakers as of Wednesday.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers (50-15, Last Week 1)
Cleveland was able to make the most of their weak schedule last week, ...
Alexei Ponikarovsky Inspiring Penguins: The Pony Has Left The Stable
March 10th, 2010 by Corry Fatigante No comments »
The magic man Ray Shero amazed us all once again by scouting and acquiring a player the Penguins were in desperate need of: a scoring, top-six forward. This deal came in the form of Luca Caputi and Martin Skoula for Alexei Ponikarovsky.
Pony made his Pens debut on Saturday in an energetic win over the Dallas Stars. The raw stats don't speak to the impact of the power forward. It was truly inspiring watching a new player being welcomed at the Igloo as Pony was.
The fans did not have to wait long for his first goal as it came on a power play in the third period. After his name was announced on the intercom, the people began to chant "Pony" as loud as they typically cheer for Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. He also received a standing ovation at the end of the game as he was named the third star ...
Montreal-Tampa Bay: Scott Gomez Leads Streaking Habs Over Lightning, 5-3
March 10th, 2010 by Kamal Panesar No comments »
Don't look now, but your Montreal Canadiens are on a mighty three-game winning streak! Not that a three-game streak is the end of the world or anything. What is more important than the wins is the manner in which they were won.Don't be fooled by the 5-3 final score or the 31-28 shot advantage that Tampa enjoyed, because the game wasn't that close.In fact, the game wasn't close at all, as the Canadiens simply dismantled the usually tough-for-the-Habs -to-play-against Lightning. With homeboys Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Alex Tanguay in town, things are usually difficult for the Habs as those guys tend to play the role of giant-killer against the Habs . Not last night, however, as Montreal dominated Tampa in every aspect of the game from the opening faceoff . The Habs got on the board early as Glen Metropolit fired in a brilliant Scott Gomez pass on ...
Is Rajon Rondo the NBA’s Best Point Guard and Other Boston Celtics Questions
March 10th, 2010 by Stew Winkel No comments »
I have come up with five questions for this year’s Celtics team while still waiting for Doc Rivers to decide to send a double-team at Andrew Bogut:
Is Rajon Rondo the best point-guard in the NBA?
I ask this question not to set up an argument with myself, but because there are definitely points during games when I watch Rondo play and I think he is as good a point guard as there is in the NBA right now. So, is he the best point guard in the NBA? Sometimes.
When Rondo is playing well, he dominates the game all over the court in a way I don’t think any other guard can or does. As for statistics, Rondo is first in the NBA in steals at 2.47 per game (second place is Monta Ellis at 2.17). He is third in assists, 9.8, behind only Steve Nash and Chris Paul.
Rondo leads all ...
NBA Free Agency 2010: New York Knicks Should Pursue Marcus Camby
March 10th, 2010 by Keith Schlosser No comments »
People always say defense wins championships. The Knicks, however, are further proving that playing no defense will result in no wins at all.
After suffering a blowout 113-93 loss to the league-worst Nets Saturday night, in which the Knicks gave up a 16 point lead, it is unfortunately becoming more and more apparent that David Lee cannot hold his own defensively against the other centers of the league.
Brook Lopez, who arguably would have been an all-star had the Nets been having a better season, scored 18 points and pulled down 11 rebounds against Lee.
Lee, who has thrived under offensive guru Mike D’Antoni as the team’s offensive focal point, only grabbed six rebounds against Lopez and has recently expressed displeasure in playing out of position.
The Knicks need a defensive presence down low. Although not an overall defensively strong squad to begin with, having a big man that blocks shots and takes some ...
The NHL’s Top Five Best Contracts
March 10th, 2010 by Matthew Hogan No comments »
The other day I wrote a little article about the NHL’s five worst contracts. Here, have a read:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/358852-the-top-five-worst-contracts-in-the-nhl
And while there are so many contracts in the NHL that make me cringe in pain when I think about them, there are contracts that also make me believe that there is still some logic left in the NHL.
So here are some of the best contracts in the league.
For those of you who look at these contracts and think these guys are overpaid, take a look at some of contracts in the MLB, NBA, and NFL first.
Begin Slideshow
Supply and Demand: A Reminder To Sports Fans
March 10th, 2010 by Timothy N No comments »
*Credit must go to Ryan Schwan for this article .
It seems that the New Orleans Hornets finally have a problem worth having these days, even though our star player went down, our wings can't play, and we will be on the outside looking in during the playoffs.
It is, of course, the play of our rookies that is setting the league on fire, with Darren Collison and Marcus Thorton ranked amongst the top five rookies in the entire class (and in the latest ESPN rankings they are three and four respectively).
This, of course, has only added fuel to the Hornets' trade fire. Scouring multiple NBA forums over the past few days (I'm moving back to the States soon, so I'll have even more free time here), New Orleans Hornets trade threads compose a good 15 percent of all trade threads spanning four major sites like ESPN and RealGM forums. However, almost ...
NHL Playoffs: Five Teams We Want To See in the Postseason
March 10th, 2010 by TAB BAMFORD No comments »
As the number of games remaining on the schedule continues to shrink, teams will emerge with a great chance to raise their own banner. Other teams will sneak in the back door and steal a playoff spot at the expense of another team.
Not every team has a shot at the Cup, and not every team will even sniff the postseason. But there are some teams we would love to see make it into late April.
Here are the top five teams we would love to see get a shot at playoff glory this year.
(*teams on this list were, as of the end of action on March 9, not in the top eight teams in either conference)Begin Slideshow
Looking Ahead: Five Probable NHL Playoff Matchups
March 10th, 2010 by Eric Warren No comments »
Every year around the middle of April, millions of NHL hockey fans sit transfixed before the television cheering their favorite teams towards the ultimate goal of every NHL hockey player and fan alike, the Stanley Cup.
For the fan who cheers on a playoff contender, it is often a period of time filled with emotions like joy and sorrow, love and hate, and sometimes just plain old anger.
The fan of non playoff teams however, only experience one emotion, and it's usually not what you might think.
One would think that a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs for example would be full of sorrow and frustration, but that generally isn't the case. No, we're a hearty bunch us Leaf's fans.
We cheer for someone else.
Every year boasts it's share of surprises, there's almost always a Cinderella story, a team that just makes it in, and makes it past the first round ...
Stat Trick: Flyers 3-2 Win Over Isles is Team’s 15th Straight Win vs. New York
March 9th, 2010 by Eric Hornick No comments »
The Islanders are a .500 hockey team since the Olympic break. Unfortunately, it is their penalty kill that is batting .500, as the Isles have allowed six goals in 12 times short. They allowed two in the third period as the Isles blew a 2-0 second period lead and lost their 15th straight game to the Flyers, 3-2 in Philadelphia on Tuesday night. On to the trick:
1. The Islanders grabbed a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes on a John Tavares goal. It was only the third goal in the last 35 games for Tavares since he scored five consecutive Islander goals in early December.
2. Kyle Okposo gave the Isles a 2-0 lead with his first goal in 12 career games against the Flyers just past the midway point of the second, but Jeff Carter brought the Flyers within one goal 96 seconds later. It was the fourth time this season, but the first time ...