2009 NBA Playoffs - The West
by The Stinger on Apr.19, 2009, under American, Basketball
Out west there are still some good teams that are hanging around not wanting to go away and let the East dominate. Here are the matchups.
1-LA Lakers v 8-Utah Jazz
It is always easy to say how Kobe goes so go the Lakers. But with Gasol and Bynum and Fisher as his running mates the Lakers are a definite contender and do not always have to rely on Kobe to save them in every game. However it is comforting to know that if your team gets in trouble you can always keep giving the ball to one of the best players ever to play this game.
Utah are an interesting team. They have the talent in Williams, Boozer, Okur and Brewer but they seem to lack some heart and an ability to perform when the game is on the line. They have the troops to trouble LA, it just comes down to whether they believe they can do it.
2-Denver Nuggets v 7-New Orleans Hornets
Denver has something in guard Chauncey Billups that is invaluable to them, Championship experience. He has been there, done that, got given a t-shirt. Carmello Anthony, Martin, Hilario and co just need to follow Billups into battle and let him lead them to where they want to go.
New Orleans has their own great leader but one that does not have a championship ring, Chris Paul. David West, Stoyakovich and Butler are all good players and if they get a sniff they might just surprise Denver and steal the series.
3-San Antonio Spurs v 6-Dallas Mavericks
The perennial finals contenders versus the perennial finals disappointments. The Spurs are always around the mark and with guys like Duncan, Parker and Ginobli will always give themselves a good chance at a title. Are they too old now though and will it catch up with them at crucial periods?
Dirk Nowitski and the Mavericks have had a really crazy season. They have struggled at times but are just starting to get to their best. They have an excellent point guard in Kidd and with Howard and sixth man of the year elect, Jason Terry they have a team that will cause a lot of problems for the Spurs and maybe others down the line if they get through.
4-Portland Trailblazers v 5-Houston Rockets
Brandon Roy. Portland have this guy to thank for where they are. He makes his team mates better just by being on the court. Aldridge and Blake provide good foils for Roy and Pryzbila is good on the glass. But they really need Roy to fire.
Houston has some great experience in Ming and Artest and good athletes in Scola and Brooks. They will need everyone to be on the same page and work hard as a team but they might do enough to take this off of Portland.
-
Today In Sport
If it happened in sport today, we're probably making fun of it.
Today In Sport- Holger Osieck - The Socceroos New Boss August 14, 2010This past week the Football Federation of Australia announced the successor to Pim Verbeek for the head coach position with the Socceroos, Holger Osieck. Who? No, seriously. Who the hell is that? Well apparently after a mediocre playing career, he worked his way up to being Franz Beckenbauer’s assistant/clipboard monkey at Italia 90. Oh by […]The Stinger
- Barclays Premier League 2010/2011 - A Quick Preview August 14, 2010The new English Premier League season is upon us and here is my picks for where everyone will finish plus a few extra special predictions. 1. Chelski 2. ManCiti 3. Arselol 4. ManUre 5. Liverwurstpool 6. Rottenham 7. Villa 8. EverTimmeh 9. Fulham 10. Small Heath Alliance 11. Wigan 12. Stoke 13. Sunderland 14. Newcastle 15. West Ham 16. Bolton 17. Blackburn 1 […]The Stinger
- Shaquille Becomes A Jolly Green Giant August 7, 2010Shaquille O’neal was this week announced as the newest addition to the Boston Celtic’s All-Star Cavalcade Of Future Hall Of Famers Retirement Tour. That’s not to say that this team won’t be competitive, far from it. They have over 50 combined All-Star appearances on their roster and they can all still play. But they are not [...]The Stinger
- Ilya Kovalchuk - The Saga Continues August 3, 2010For those who came in late, Ilya Kovalchuk was traded during the middle of last season from Atlanta to the New Jersey Devils. He became a much sought after commodity during the off-season and was actively pursued by many a NHL club, most notably Los Angeles. But the New Jersey management came up with a brilliant plan. Offer [...]The Stinger
- 2010/2011 Hyundai A-League Season Preview August 1, 2010A brand new Hyundai A-League season begins on Thursday complete with a brand new team, the Melbourne Heart. There have been changes a plenty over the off-season, new managers have entered, goalkeepers have been moving around left, right and center and Australian players have returned from their time with overseas clubs. So, who will win this [...]The Stinger
- The Top Ten Newspaper Headlines During The World Cup* July 18, 2010*Newspapers may or may not be real. 10. The Kim Jong Il Times, North Korea - 23 People Shot And Killed During Welcome Home Ceremony For North Korean Football Team. 9. The Montevideo Sun, Uruguay - New Goalkeeper Suarez Keeps Uruguay In World Cup 8. The Springbok Sentinel, South Africa - The Johannesberg Symphony Orchestra To Add Vuvuzela To [...]The Stinger
- Happy Birthday Dad. July 13, 2010Today is my father’s birthday, so Happy Birthday dad. My love of sport comes from him. He introduced me to so many different sports and helped give me a overall enjoyment of all sports. He came from a big family and all of them loved their footy, especially growing up not far from the Footscray football [...]The Stinger
- The Weirdest Olympic Sports In History June 22, 2010Throughout the history of the modern Olympic Games many sports have come and gone. Some events were merged or incorporated with others, but other sports were banished altogether. There are many sports that were given a go and either through lack of participating countries or just flat out strangeness, they had to be let go. Here [...]The Stinger
- FIFA World Cup - Refereeing At Its Worst? June 21, 2010The 2010 FIFA World Cup has been hit by a spate of at the very least, questionable decisions being made by the match referees. Sure, the actual football has at times been on the wrong side of good but the officials are making it hard for teams to play. The World Cup is supposed to be [...]The Stinger
- 2010 FIFA World Cup - Round 1 Review June 17, 2010Well, the first round of matches in this years World Cup are done and dusted and there were a few thrills and some bigger spills, especially from big guns Spain and England. Best Performance - Argentina’s defeat of Nigeria - It would be easy to say Germany’s demolition of Australia but two of their goals came [...]The Stinger
- Holger Osieck - The Socceroos New Boss August 14, 2010
