A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
After an off-season full of suits, ties, and confusion, the NBA season has finally arrived and will show itself off in full force this Christmas!
Not only will we get to see the many stars the league has to feature, but it’s going to be the first time in a long while. You can bet that the players are just as excited as the fans, and it’s time to get back to the sport we all know and love.
Three games into the conference finals, the Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder both find themselves staring at 2-1 series deficits.
While the two teams may be in similar holes, there is nothing similar when comparing the two situations.
I have been in the middle of a recurring argument with one of my friends over the past week or so: Rondo or Westbrook?
My friend is a HUGE Oklahoma City fan, while I am a huge basketball fan in general. I love the Pacers, but when they aren’t playing I enjoy good basketball, especially if it’s being played at the point guard position.
With the Celtics now out of the playoffs and the Thunder moving on to the Western Conference Finals, our argument has centered on Russell Westbrook. And after watching Game 7, it is clear how Westbrook needs to play to be the right fit at the point on this young, talented, up-and-coming Thunder team.
Oklahoma City versus Memphis. It’s a battle of relocated franchises. Ten years ago writers covering this series would have spent two weeks in the Pacific northwest; now they’re driving back-and-forth on Interstate 40 through Arkansas.
Both the Grizz and the Thunder made north-south migrations last decade; both moved into small markets; both have a wealth of young talent; and both are giving the Western Conference establishment fits.
But there is one key difference between these two not-so-storied franchises: When the Grizzlies moved from Vancouver to Memphis, they kept their ursine nickname; when Clay Bennett moved his team to Oklahoma, he left “SuperSonics” behind in Seattle.
Luckily this proposed OKC Sonics logo proved unnecessary.
The Thunder have proven now that they can run with the big dogs.
They showed us that they had a chance at upsetting any big team last season, when they gave the Lakers a run for their money in the West’s first round. The athleticism, the desire to prove, and the hunger for a chance at an NBA Finals berth — it was all there. You saw it in the eyes of Durant, Westbrook, Harden, head coach Scott Brooks, and former Thunder Jeff Green. It was there.
This season, the Thunder had a slow start and didn’t seem to have shown too much improvement from the former season. That is, until February 22nd came along, and the Thunder front-office pulled a shocker by acquiring longtime Celtics center Kendrick Perkins.
The Morning After is a look at the night that was in the NBA along with other NBA-related fodder.
The Miami Heat. Holy shit. Road game in hostile environment? Yup. Opposing team strong in the front-court and point guard positions, Miami’s two biggest weaknesses? Yup. A focused, unrelenting, fast-paced, ice-cold statement win? Yes, yes, yes and yes.
For the first time this season, the Heat played The Game We Were All Waiting For, when everything looked beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Have we finally seen the Dark Passenger?
The Morning After is a look at the night that was in the NBA along with other NBA-related fodder.
– Things got out of hand rather quickly in Indiana as the Pacers dropped an asteroid on the Raptors, 124-100. There should be a way to work an “extinction of the dinosaurs” comment into every Raptor loss.
– NBA to New Orleans: “All your Hornets are belong to us.”
The Morning After is a look at the night that was in the NBA along with other NBA-related fodder
– You hate to draw conclusions from one picture, but maybe Brendan Haywood needs to work on his personal hygiene. That, or maybe he just used too much Axe for Chris Paul’s liking. That stuff can be pungent.
The Morning After is a look at the night that was in the NBA along with other NBA-related fodder
– These are the nights you forget how dumb of a name the Oklahoma City Thunder is. This is also a night to think about how good this team is right now, and how much more room they have to grow. Which is a lot.
Growing up, I was always loved college basketball and merely just liked the NBA; I did, however, grow to become a pretty big Bulls fan.
I lived in Bloomington, the Pacers weren’t all that great until I got to high school, and Michael Jordan was the most exciting single phenomenon I’d ever seen. Plus, being a Bulls fan was awesome because they were, of course, the best.
Once MJ retired and the Bulls dynasty ended though, my NBA cheering preferences rotated. I cheered pretty hard for the Bullets (then the Wizards) for a while because IU legend Calbert Cheaney played there, and obviously MJ eventually did too.
Then when I lived in Miami I got into the Heat because Dwyane Wade was exciting, I got to go to some games, and they won a title. Then when I moved from Miami and the Heat started to suck I got more into the Cavs because of LeBron. But after LeBron quit on the Cavs during and after the playoffs, I was once again left with an NBA void.
Well, that voids needs to be filled and I’m here to announce my decision for who my new NBA rooting interest will be, and why.
Hey folks! I know most of you are psyched for this year’s NBA playoffs just like I am and are dying to see an upset, dying to see the superstar showdowns, and can’t wait to see who represents in the Finals.
But before all that, we have to see who can make it out of their conference alive.
I’ll be previewing my own “highlighted” matchups for each round, as well as game follow-ups, highlights, and everything else NBA Playoffs over the next couple of months.
In the first round there is one mano-a-mano matchup between two names we recognize that stands out above the others. One name we’ve heard for years, another we will hear for years to come. One has a slate of four NBA rings in his collection, and the other is salivating to get his first.
I present to you the great matchup of newb vs veteran, all-star vs hall of famer, present vs future…
Kobe Bryant jumps in the air, giving a sweet vision back in time to Jordan’s celebration after knocking down the buzzer-beater that put a dagger in the heart of Karl Malone and Jazz fans alike. Watching was a sea of blue and white disappointed fans.
Yes, the Lakers were 2009 NBA Champions as they finished off the Orlando Magic in 5 games. What an incredible season.
A season that included LeBron finally being able to crown himself the best in the 08-09 season with a much deserved MVP award. A season where Dwight Howard showed us REALLY how to play defense, as he stole the 08-09 season’s Defensive Player of the Year. A season where Dwyane Wade put on a show nearly every night in Miami.
Yes, the season was great even for Knicks, Jazz, Hornets and all NBA fans alike…because regardless of how your teams performed, the individual performances were spectacular.
But that season is over.
With 16 teams in action, Tuesday night’s NBA card might look like March Madness odds. The Sweet Sixteen will include four of the top five teams in the NBA as the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs all suit up. Let’s take a look at the matchups for those top teams:
Memphis Grizzlies @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Sportsbook odds: Cavaliers -14
The Memphis Grizzlies have only three road wins in 24 tries this season while the Cleveland Cavaliers have just one home loss in 26 games. Sound like a mismatch? It is.
While the Grizzlies have lost their last four games, the Cavs have been at the other end of the spectrum, winning four straight and 17 of their last 23.
The Cavs are facing a big number on the spread but they have been a home favorite of 12.5 to 15 points in five games this season and have covered four of them.
NBA betting pick: Cleveland Cavaliers -14
Los Angeles Lakers @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Sportsbook odds: Lakers -7.5
The Los Angeles Lakers are again a big road favorite as they head to Oklahoma City on Tuesday night. The Thunder have really struggled in the month of February after producing their most productive month of the season in January.
The Thunder were 4-29 entering January but posted an impressive record (by their standards) of 7-7 in the first month of 2009. But they’ve reverted to their previous ways with just two wins and seven losses in February.
Furthermore, the Thunder have lost five straight, including a 105-98 loss in Los Angeles to these very same Lakers. However, if they covered 7.5 points at Staples Center, they should be able to do so at home as well.
NBA betting pick: Oklahoma City Thunder +7.5
Orlando Magic @ Chicago Bulls
Sportsbook odds: Magic -3
The Orlando Magic had only lost 10 games this season heading into February but have already lost four times this month. Part of the problem has been the loss of their All-Star point guard, Jameer Nelson, who is out for the season.
At the trade deadline, the Magic acquired a potential replacement in Rafer Alston, who has adjusted well in his first two games in Orlando. Alston has totaled 17 assists in his first two games in a Magic uniform, alleviating most of the team’s concerns early on.
This will be the third meeting between the Magic and the Bulls; the Magic won the first two by an average margin of 11 points per game.
The Bulls are widely inconsistent but have won seven of their last 11 games. Look for them to protect their home court tonight.
NBA betting pick: Chicago Bulls +3
Dallas Mavericks @ San Antonio Spurs
Sportsbook odds: Spurs -4.5
The Dallas Mavericks are 33-22 on the season, which is a respectable record, but a deeper examination into their numbers shows they are better against weak foes than they are against decent opponents.
The Mavericks are 22-9 against teams below .500 and just 11-13 against teams with winning records. On Tuesday, they will face a team above .500 as they travel to their Texas neighbor, San Antonio, for the second time this season.
The previous two meetings have been tight as both outcomes were decided within seven points. The bad news for Dallas is that the first two meetings came earlier in the season when the Spurs were barely a .500 team.
When the Spurs won at home against the Mavericks in their last meeting on Dec. 9, the Spurs were 12-8. Since then, the Spurs are 25-9. Overall, the Spurs have won eight of their last 11 games.
Surprisingly, this will be the Spurs first home game in February as they return home after an eight-game road trip. The Spurs are 6-1 in their last seven home games.
NBA betting pick: Spurs -4.5
Today’s Link of the Day comes to us from Dashiell Bennett at Deadspin, who has been instrumental in the growth of MSF with his many blogdome links to our posts. About an hour ago, Dash posted a pretty fascinating video and description of a legitimate near-drowning at a recent Oklahoma City Thunder halftime show.
The incident in question featured Kristen Johnson, a professional escape artist, attempting to perform a pretty intense underwater escape. Click on over to Deadspin to read more and get the background on the incident. The video is embedded below:
LOTD: On-Court Drowning Nearly The Most Exciting Highlight Of OKC Thunder Season — (Deadspin)
And now some more great links from around the sports blogosphere:
A Must Read Statistical Analysis: Do Recruting Rankings Mean Anything? — (Mr. SEC)
Detroit Lions love showing their continued hatred for Matt Millen, even during the Super Bowl pregame — (Sports by Brooks)
Brenda Warner 2.0 — (Sparty and Friends)
Kobelieve! — (Josh Q. Public)
Michael Phelps to join cast in Pineapple Express 2 — (Cuzoogle)
All 61 of Kobe’s points at Madison Square Garden — (Ball Don’t Lie)
Alex Boone: Tasered and Arrested, Definitely Not a Ninja. — (Waiting For Next Year)
Would Knight Make a Good Fit at Georgia? — (Rush the Court)
Remember when Jason White won the Heisman over Larry Fitzgerald? — (Rumors and Rants)
