Sports Quick Hits

We apologize for the brief hiatus, but we're back in full action this week. Make sure you check in as I'll be handing out my way to early NFL Draft Grades in addition to my Top 10 College Football Players - to be posted later today - and my Top 10 College Football Games of 2011, coming later this week.

First and foremost, let's get this out of the way quickly. Jud, yes, you're Indians are better. If you can't tell, I lost a bet to an Indians fan this weekend as they swept my Reds...who are in a pseudo freefall because Dusty Baker loves him some Jonny Gomes and Edinson Volquez.

NFL

Not much news to report here, but Ravens ILB and league terror Ray Lewis said that if games are missed due to the lockout, "crime will rise". Go to the 1:15 mark in the video when Ray starts talking about the lockout. Say what you want, but Ray Lewis is a bad man, and a sure-fire Hall of Famer. He's also the most intimidating player in the league and one of my all-time favorite non-Dolphins.

To further update the lockout scenario, ESPN's Adam Schefter said that the next step is to really just wait and see what happens on June 3rd in the 8th District Court of Appeals. The players will present their case that day and Schefter says that we can expect the court to make an official ruling sometime in mid-July. Per Schefter, he said a source who told him before the lockout went into effect that there would only be a 5% chance that regular season games would be missed. He updated his report last Friday telling him that the same source, who is close to the litigation process, said that percentage is now between 30-40%. Yikes. In my personal opinion, the blame lays primarily at two circumstances.

1) The owners intially low-balling the players in their first CBA proposal so badly and NOT revealing their financial needs. If they had shown the players side the full set of financial records and not just the Green Bay Packers, along with a set of doctered numbers in the owners favor, there could still be mediation.

2) DeMaurice Smith stabbing the owners in the eyes by not even reviewing the owners' second proposal. Smith new he would win in the courts in Minnesota with Judge Nelson, and he was banking on winning in the 8th District. Well, he lost, and while some will say it's due to partisan politics which I'll not delve into here, Smith's been reduced to playing Gary Glitter music at the University of Maryland's graduation ceremony.

I think if this is to end favorably for all parties, more mediation need to happen and the players need to bag DeMaurice Smith as their leader.

NBA

What got into Chris Bosh last night? The Heat big man dumped in 34 points on 13 of 18 shooting in Miami's 95-86 win to take the lead in the series 2-1. Bosh, who at times this season has been downright terrible, played the best game of his life last night, adding 5 boards and 2 assists.

The win puts the Heat in the driver's seat as the team who has won game 3 in the Eastern Conference Finals has gone onto win the series. Could we see a rematch of Dallas vs. Miami in the Finals?

Speaking of the Mavericks, they're up 2-1, and no one can seem to stop Dirk Nowitzki. My roommate and I were watching the game Saturday night, and just looking at the Mavs' roster...well, they better hope they win now because they're going to get really old, really soon.

The jilted ex-girlfriend of the NBA (Cleveland Cavaliers) couldn't have picked a worse year to land 2 top-five draft picks. Enis Kanter says hello. Cleveland, I hope you're all ready to "witness" the Kanter Show.

MLB

Felix Hernandez is really good. King Felix, who rarely gets the run support a Cy Young winner should get 6 runs from his Mariners in a 6-1 win over San Diego yesterday. His line for the game: 8.0 IP, 1ER on 6 hits, 0 walks, and he struckout 13.

I'm told there was some significance between the Cubs vs. Red Sox series. Whoops, I missed the whole darn thing. If there's two teams I hate hearing about almost as much as the Yankees, it's these two. They've won what, a combined 2 World Series in the last 100-some odd years?

My Reds were swept by a Cleveland Indian team that fielded a roster of players I'd never heard of besides Shin-Soo Choo. Granted, Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner or on the DL, but still, Cleveland looks like they've got a really solid, young team and I don't see them going away any time soon.

Does anyone else think Jose Bautista might be on steroids? He's batting a ridiculous .353 and has blasted 18 homeruns already this year to go with 31 RBIs. He's really come out of obscurity since last year. Just take a look at his stats:

2004 - In 64 games he batted .205 with 0 home runs and 2 RBIs.
2005 - In 31 games he batted .143 with 0 home runs and 1 RBI.
2006 - In 110 games he batted .210 with 16 home runs and 51 RBIs.
2007 - In 142 games he batted .254 with 15 home runs and 63 RBIs.
2008 - In 128 games he batted .238 with 15 home runs and 54 RBIs.
2009 - In 113 games he batted .235 with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs.
2010 - In 161 games he batted .260 with 54 home runs and 124 RBIs.

I'm sorry, but I just find in strikingly odd that a player whose batting average was hovering between .235 and .254 and averaging about 15 home runs just suddenly has started to figure it out the past two year. Call me cynical, but c'mon, look at the numbers.

Other Sports News

With apologies to Schwendy, I haven't watched any hockey since the Sharks eliminated the Red Wings in the second round. To be honest, I don't know much about any of the teams left other than the Sharks having Joe Thornton. However, they trail Vancouver 3-1 and Tampa Bay and Boston are tied at 2-2 with game 5 tonight.

Tennis stud Novak Djokovic is now 38-0 in 2011 as he advanced past Thiemo de Bakker in the French Open over the weekend. Djokovic is the second seed in the tournament.

Tiger Woods dropped to #12 in the world, the first time since 1997 he hasn't been ranked in the top 10 golfers. This was a week before then 21 year-old Tiger Woods won the Masters for the first of his 14 major titles.

Giovanni Ramirez, the top suspect in the Bryan Stow case, is being held on $1 million bail. Ramirez was apprehended Sunday morning during a Police S.W.A.T. team drug raid in the Rampar area of Los Angeles, 5 miles from Dodger Stadium. 20 detectives working the case are still looking for the second assailant and a woman who is rumored to have driven Ramirez and his accomplice away from Dodger Stadium.

University of Oklahoma linebacker Austin Box was found dead last week. He was unresponsive when police officers found him. Box was 22.

Chizzy's Second Round NBA Preview - Part 1

Whew. Did you all catch these first round series? This has been one of the most exciting playoffs since I can ever remember. And we're just getting started.

My Western Conference Finals pick, the Thunder, destroy the Nuggets. The Celtics sweep a depleted Knicks squad after injuries ruin the Knicks' chances. DRose leads the Bulls on a hobbled ankle while Dirk pushes the Mavs past the upstart Blazers. The Sixers gave the Heat all they could handle in five games, and the Lakers were pushed singlehandedly by next-year Knick Chris Paul. Then the Magic are shocked by the Hawks, and the GRIZZ!?!?!?! Taking down the four-time champion Spurs? You've gotta be kidding me. And that was just round one.

We're just getting started here, so let's get a move on. Let's start with the two games starting today. Back with Part 2 tomorrow.

Record: 4-4 (Right: Heat, Bulls, Lakers, Thunder; Wrong: Grizz, Mavs, Celtics - injuries, Hawks). But I still have both Finals teams right.

(3) Boston Celtics v. (2) Miami Heat - The Big Three v. The Big Four

In the words of the Joker: "And Here... We... Go..." I'm jacked up for this series. It's going to get ugly. These teams hate each other. The Celtics - Pierce, Garnett, Allen, and Rondo. The Heat - James, Wade, Bosh. Seven all-stars on one court. This is going to be awesome.

I mentioned this in the first round, but when I think of the Celtics, I think of Viagra. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett need a little blue pill. When men are young and get lucky with a lady on a fateful night in the bar scene, they go home and can pull out all the stops. They have the moves that the ladies like, and it’s not a one track album, if you catch my drift.

But as we age, something happens. When we men get older, something happens. We still have all the right moves. But our back creaks, our stamina decreases, and it takes a hell of a lot longer to start the engine on the automobile. And once it does start, it’s probably not catching again until morning. That’s where the little blue pill comes in. But ladies and gentlemen, I don’t think the doctor wrote the Celtics a prescription this year.

The Celtics got lucky in the first round as the Knicks suffered some debilitating injuries to Chauncey Billups and Amar'e Stoudemire that crippled their chances. The Celtics smelled blood and swept.

Meanwhile, the Heat drew a 76ers team that played its little butts off throughout the entire series. The 76ers gave El Heat all they could handle, and I think that challenge was a nice "breakfast" that helped focus the team coming into this series. As LeBron said, now the Heat are "ready for some lunch."

SERIES STUD: Dwayne Wade. Not LBJ, I know. LeBron and DWade are going to get their points; LeBron may even average a triple-double. But I'm not talking about the best player overall, I'm talking about the player that is going to be the stud for this particular series.

And in this matchup of two top-five defensive units, the key is about shutting down the other team's catalyst. For the Celtics, that's Rajon Rondo. DWade better stick on him like white on rice or else the Celtics are going to be able to challenge the heat to the brink in this series.

My guess? Wade does everything he can to keep his man in front of him. He had 2 SPG and 1.4 BPG in the first round series while averaging 22.2 PPG and 8.4 RPG. If he can put up similar numbers while shutting down Boston's biggest creator, Wade's going to win his team this series.

THE HEAT: The Heat are going to wear down the Celtics on defense, and the Celtics hope to wear down the Heat on their D. So basically, this series could be a pick 'em.

But I just don't know how you stop the Heat on offense. When you have three of the game's best offensive players, the possibilities are endless. Chris Bosh is a maestro in the mid-range game, and Dwayne Wade and LeBron James are ... Dwayne Wade and LeBron James.

LBJ and DWade play similar slash and create games, so if the Celtics stop one, they can't stop the other. If they start running a pick-and-roll all series, it's going to create some matchup problems for the Celtics.

Additionally, I've been very impressed with the PG duo of Mike Bibby and Mario Chalmers. While Bibby is a defensive liability, it seems that Chalmers has become a more effective game manager since Bibby joined the team. Maybe the vet is showing the youngster a few tricks of the trade.

Throw in the three-point shooting of James Jones and C Joel Anthony's defensive presence, and it becomes evident that this team really only has one weakness. Inside offense. If Zydrunas Ilgauskas can throw in 8-10 points in 15 minutes, it would be a huge boost to the team's chances. If not, the Heat are playing 4 on 5 on offense.

THE CELTICS: As I alluded to earlier, Rondo is the key to this series. Allen, Garnett, and Pierce are getting up there in age. Sure, the team is on nine days rest, but it's not like the Heat played a seven-game slugfest either.

Pierce is going to be primarily guarded by LeBron James, which will neutralize him to some extent. Mario Chalmers and James Jones are quick enough to keep up with Ray Allen as he rolls off screens, which is essential. Joel Anthony can matchup with Kevin Garnett and isolate the aging superstar in the post.

But Rondo is the Celtics catalyst. His ability to penetrate opens up perimeter threes for Allen and Pierce, and helps draw attention for back side passes to Garnett in the post. The Heat - primarily Dwayne Wade - HAVE to shut down Rondo's ability to create or else it may be a long series.

This team has not looked the same or played with the same intensity since the Perkins trade to OKC. If the O'Neals (Jermaine and Shaq - who may not play in Game 1) can make an impact and destroy Big Z and Chris Bosh on the inside, they may actually be the key to the series.

In my mind, the Celtics' offensive deficiencies toward the end of the season, their luck in the first round against the Knicks, and the Heat's defensive tenacity are telling signs that this may be the end of the road for Boston.

PREDICTION: This series is going to be a slobberknocker. There may be a melee or two throughout. But I just feel like the Celtics are a tad too old. They caught a break against the beat-up Knicks in the first round, and I think they get exposed here. The Heat's Big Three takes over, and the Celtics last great shot at another title is over. Heat in 6.

(8) Memphis Grizzlies v. (4) Oklahoma City Thunder - The Young Guns v. WHO?!?!?!

I'm pretty sure that I read this matchup correctly, but could someone PLEASE make sure for me? That is the Memphis Grizzlies that are actually in the second round of the playoffs right?

All kidding aside, the Grizzlies absolutely manhandled the #1 seed Spurs. I'm happy to see the city of Memphis have something to cheer about other than their world class rib and music scene, as the team has been the joke of the league for some time.

Memphis took care of business by providing stout perimeter defense and letting big men Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol wear down an overmatched Spurs front line. The Spurs looked old and tired, the Grizzlies brought the thunder (no pun intended), and impressively held off the four-time champions without blinking an eye.

Meanwhile, the OKC Thunder took the Denver Nuggets to school in the first round with a very balanced attack. With many scoring options and a defensive presence on the block and perimeter, the Thunder shut down an overmatched Denver team playing with heart for coach George Karl.

With both teams boasting some bangers down low, this series is going to be physical. They key will come down to perimeter play. We all know who wins that battle.

SERIES STUD: Russell Westbrook. For those who aren't familiar, I pick a Series Stud for this particular series, not who's the best player overall.

And for this series, I think Russell Westbrook gets the job done. He averaged 23.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 6.2 APG being guarded primarily by the Ty Lawson/Ray Felton combo in the first round. I look for him to expose Mike Conley's defensive weaknesses by penetrating hard to the basket. From there, he'll either score or dish to his big men down low.

Kevin Durant will get his points, but I think that guard Tony Allen and forward Shane Battier will neutralize him as much as humanly possible. When Durant is somewhat contained, it's Westbrook's time to shine.

THE THUNDER: With the way OKC electrified throughout their dominant five-game performance over the inspired Denver Nuggets, this team could be called the Lightning. In my first round preview (check it out on my blog), I picked the Thunder to be my Western Conference Finals representative. I'm feeling even better about that pick now.

Why you ask? Because since the addition of Kendrick Perkins the Thunder has been one of the best defensive teams in the game.

Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins destroyed Denver's big men (or lack thereof), and the Thunder was the best rebounding team in the first round. That's pretty good considering Denver was one of the league's top offensive teams in the regular season.

Ibaka averaged a RIDICULOUS 4.8 BPG in the series. What's going to be interesting is watching how he and Perkins handle an inside tandem in Gasol and Randolph that is about 10 steps up from what the Spurs had to offer.

I just don't see anyone stopping on the Grizz stopping a team that can hit you from a thousand different angles on offense. Westbook and backup Eric Maynor drive and create. Durant and James Harden shoot lights out. Ibaka and Perkins take you on the low blocks. This team scores at will, and I don't think that's going to change in this series.

THE GRIZZ: Memphis is into the second round for the first time in team history. The question for me is whether they can keep up the intensity after the biggest milestone in franchise history.

It's improbable me that the team takes another series, but it's not impossible. Memphis' strength comes on the inside, which is a problem as OKC has the ability to neutralize it.

Zach Randolph has taken the next step, becoming a player that can carry this team on his back. After the way he acted in his early career, particularly in Portland, I can't believe I just wrote that. Marc Gasol - not Pau - averaged a double-double against the Spurs.

Ibaka and Perkins will be all over Randolph and Gasol, and Rudy Gay is out for the post-season. But who is going to step up and score for Memphis here? Is it going to be Conley? Battier? O.J. Mayo off the bench?

Mike Conley is playing like he should have before his contract extension, and Tony Allen and Shane Battier bring a defensive intensity to this team that it never had before. But I don't think it's going to be enough.

It's not like OKC doesn't have perimeter defenders either. Durant, James Harden, and Thabo Sefolosha all can swipe the ball away from Memphis' guards and start the transition offense. Someone needs to step up the perimeter scoring for Memphis or this series is already over.

PREDICTION: This is going to be a great series. Ibaka/Perkins will be throwing 'bows with Gasol/Randolph for the length of the ride, and I think that's an even matchup. Ultimately though, Memphis doesn't have an offensive answer to the Westbrook/Durant one-two punch. It's been real Memphis, but better luck next year. The young guns roll on. Thunder in 6.

NBA First Round Preview - Part 1A

Chizzy’s First Round NBA Preview

This has been a pretty exciting season. For the first time in a long time, the regular season actually had some relevance. Derrick Rose’s emergence as a superstar. Kevin Love piling on double-double after double-double. Kobe’s discriminatory remarks. The Big 3, and their tears in the clubhouse. Cleveland’s record breaking losing streak, and questioning whether they would ever win again. This means it should make for an even better playoff season. I can’t wait. Let’s dive in. The series that start this afternoon are included here, and I'll post the rest of the series that start today this afternoon. I’ll include the rest tomorrow with my playoff picks.

Eastern Conference

Chicago Bulls v. (8) Indiana Pacers: On I-65 between these two cities, there’s about a billion wind turbines, and every time I drive that strip of land I find myself not paying attention to the road. I’m mesmerized by the turbines, and I know the road’s going to keep going straight. I think that’s going to happen in this series. I’m going to be paying attention to other series, because I know what’s going to happen. The Pacers give up more points than they score. If they couldn’t score against the rest of the league, how are they going to score against the NBA’s second ranked defense? That’s all I need to see. This is a lopsided matchup that I probably won’t pay attention to. I’ll watch more of the Bulls in the next round.

Series Stud: Derrick Rose. The best player in the NBA this year, Derrick Rose has come into his own. The 23 year old is making Chicago his team, but he has to win a title to step out of MJ’s shadow. I’ve talked with a few of my Chicago friends, and they all feel like he’s the “savior” to bring the franchise back to where it was in the 90’s. His 25 PPG and 7.7 APG tend to make me agree with this statement. His 3-point shooting has drastically improved this year, and since players have to respect his shot, it’s opened up his ability to drive to the hoop and create. But folks, MJ didn’t win his first title until he was 30. While I truly believe DRose may be the game’s next great, he needs a little more time. I’m excited for what’s to come.

Da Bulls: It’s good to see the Bulls on top again. I grew up an MJ fan, and loved those 90’s Bulls teams. This team has been almost as fun to watch, and they’re finally healthy. At the beginning of the season, they were without banger Carlos Boozer for 20 games. In the middle of the season, they lost banger Joakim Noah for a month. DRose distributes the ball like a champion. Boozer gets his points, Luol Deng gets his 15-18 foot jumpers, and Kyle Korver gets his 3’s. But Rose knows when to take over. And his supporting cast knows that it’s his team, so when he takes charge, there’s no questions asked. This is a hard nosed team that prides itself on defense. Noah and Boozer crash the boards, Luol Deng, Rose and Ronnie Brewer hawk the perimeter, and they grit out wins when their offense lets them down. This team is built for playoff basketball, and they will have no problems with the Pacers.

The Pacers: Nice. It’s the word I use describe the entire state of Indiana, and the word that can be used to describe this team. And I’ve always said that if all you have to say about a person, place of thing is that they’re “nice,” then there’s not really anything special at all about it. Unlike Reggie Miller’s chirpy mid-90’s Pacers, there’s no one thing that’s this team can call a defining characteristic. Chicago is DRose’s team. Whose team is this? Danny Granger? Darren Collison? Roy Hibbert? Mike Dunleavy? Tyler Hansbrough? I don’t know. Every team needs a star to have playoff success, and the Pacers don’t have it. All they have are a bunch of college stars. That doesn’t work in the playoffs. Not against the Bulls.

Prediction: Bulls in 5. Only because I hate picking sweeps. I think maybe Indiana steals Game 3 at home. But Chicago steamrolls through the overmatched in every way Pacers.

(2) Miami Heat v. (7) Philadelphia 76ers: A matchup of two very similar teams. The superstars versus the up and comers. Much fanfare has been made of Miami all season, ever since LeBron's decision to take his talents to South Beach. Little fanfare has been made of the Sixers all season. In fact, I'm betting many people can't name more than three people on their team. So what do we take away from all this? That El Heat is going to destroy the 76ers, and Elton Brand and Co. can take solace in some delicious Pat's cheesesteaks (That's right, I said Pat's. Not Geno's).

Series Stud: Dwayne Wade. I’m going to get a lot of crap for this, but the stud of this series is going to be DWade. LBJ is fantastic, and will probably have a few triple-doubles, but this is Wade’s team. It’s his city. LeBron came to Wade's team, not vice versa. I understand Cleveland is not Miami, but it tells me something that LeBron felt he needed to go somewhere to pair up with Wade to win. Plus, LeBron is notorious for his atrocious clutch play (see the playoffs the last few years), but DWade gets better as the pressure starts mounting is a killer in the final moments of a game. Anyone remember his play in the 2006 Playoffs? Let me remind you. 28.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 5.7 APG. 2.2 SPG. What was the end result? Championship. Until LeBron proves otherwise, this is Wade's team.

The Heat: We all know what the Heat can do. LeBron, DWade, and Bosh are going to carry this team. They’re going to run you all over the floor, push the pace, and shut down the other team with their perimeter defense. Without an inside presence for much of the season, the addition of Erick Dampier has shored up the post defense. They’ve fought through the early season struggles, the tears in the clubhouse, and the horrible coaching of Erik Spoelstra. But the question is this: When it comes to crunch time, can the Heat play nice with each other? I think so. When Mike Bibby came to the team in early March, the Heat lost their first four games with him in the lineup. But since that time, the Heat have won 15 of their last 18 games. Bibby has had experience handling stars on early 2000’s Kings (Chris Webber) and the late 2000’s Hawks (Josh Smith and Joe Johnson). He knows how to keep everyone happy, and the Big 3 need that.

The 76ers: Another nice team. Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala are going to have to make their presence known on the inside in order to make this team go anywhere. Brand is going to get his points, and he’s going to get his rebounds against the Heat’s biggest weakness, the inside post. But they’re going to need perfect performances from Jrue Holiday and sixth man Thaddeus Young, and if you’re relying on perfect performances from Jrue Holiday and Thaddeus Young you know you’re in trouble. But if the Sixers take this series deep, you have to give props to coach Doug Collins. In my mind, he’s the Coach of the Year. When you take a roster of rag tag players picked to finish at the bottom of the conference and get them into the playoffs, you deserve some credit.

Prediction: Heat in 5. The Heat shut down the 76ers in this series as Philly just doesn’t have the talent to contend. They had a great season, but the Heat is going overwhelm Philly by running on offense, shutting them down on defense, and coasting on to the next round.