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What’s Wrong with the Celtics?

editor — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:30:49 +0000

After losing on Tuesday night against the Charlotte Bobcats by a final score of 114-106, the Boston Celtics fell to second place in the Eastern Conference. In the contest, the Bobcats exploded in overtime to hand the defending NBA champions their second consecutive defeat. Overall, the Celtics have lost five of their last seven games.

Prior to this losing stretch, the Boston Celtics were on fire. They were 27-2 on the season and they had won 19 straight games. That all changed on Christmas when the Celtics lost 92-83 at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Some of Boston’s struggles could be attributed to fallout from the Lakers loss. That game was a highly emotional contest between the two teams that met in last season’s NBA Finals. Losing that game and then playing five of their next six games on the road had to be difficult on Boston’s emotional state.

However, there’s a chance that not all of the Celtics’ problems are due to a simple emotional issue. Boston’s Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are each getting up there in age. A chance exists that the trio is slowing down.

Another cause of their recent struggles could be the relatively thin bench. Last year, the Celtics had veterans such as James Posey, PJ Brown and Sam Cassell on their bench. But in the offseason, Posey signed with the New Orleans Hornets, Brown retired and Cassell assumed more of a coaching role.

Now, the Celtics rely on a group of young players around their Big Three. While youth an athleticism make for an exciting NBA contest, typically experience wins out when it comes to winning games. With that in mind, Boston has to hope that their young players grow up quickly.

Chances are that the Celtics will be fine and will once again be favored to win the NBA championship this season. But there are some cracks in the armor that are beginning to show themselves after Boston’s astonishingly fast start to the 2008-09 season.

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UFC 93 - Fight Matchups

editor — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 04:27:38 +0000

UFC 93 will take place in Dublin, Ireland on Jan. 17. It will be the first UFC event of 2009 and has five fights on the main card and five fights on the preliminary card. Here’s a look at the main card fight matchups for UFC 93:

Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin
This is a matchup between two veteran mixed martial arts fighters. Henderson has a lifetime record of 23-7, while Franklin is 24-3. Franklin recently was the UFC’s middleweight champion but he lost against Anderson Silva to lose his crown. Nevertheless, this fight will definitely be entertaining and features two quality competitors.

Mauricio Rua vs. Mark Coleman
UFC fans will be looking forward to Rua vs. Coleman because these two fighters haven’t been seen in recent years. Rua hasn’t fought since 2007, while Coleman hasn’t fought since 2006. Rua, who is from Brazil, has a record of 16-3. The 44-year-old Coleman is already a legend and is currently in the UFC Hall of Fame.

Chris Lytle vs. Marcus Davis
In the battle of two Americans, both Lytle and Davis will be looking to continue their momentum and establish a reputation as a quality UFC fighter. This welterweight bout could go down as the most exciting fight of UFC 93 because both fighters don’t give up easily and pack a mean punch.

Jeremy Horn vs. Rousimar Palhares
This matchup very interesting because it features a veteran versus a relatively new fighter. Horn has been around forever and currently has a record of 80-18, while Palhares has a record of 8-2. Although Horn has the experience advantage, Palhares is more than talented enough to make this a fun fight to watch.

Denis Kang vs. Alan Belcher
Kang, a Canadian with a record of 31-10, will take on Belcher, an American with a 13-5 record, in a middleweight mixed martial arts bout. Both of these fighters exude confidence and neither one will back down. This fight very well could come down to which fighter can land the first big blow.

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2008 NFL Playoffs - First Round Predictions

editor — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:29:28 +0000

The 2008 NFL playoffs begin this weekend, with two games set for Saturday and the other two games to be played on Sunday. Besides the eight teams in action, the teams with the bye weeks are the Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants and Carolina Panthers. Here are the predictions for the first round of the postseason:

Arizona Cardinals versus Atlanta Falcons
About a month ago, the Cardinals were playing good football. Kurt Warner was at the top of his game and the defense was surprisingly effective. Now, heading into the playoffs, Warner is struggling and so is the defense. On the other hand, the Falcons are entering the playoffs playing very well. Expect Atlanta to win this game.

San Diego Chargers versus Indianapolis Colts
The Chargers won their final four games to make it into the playoffs. But at 8-8, it’s arguably whether or not they deserved to make it to the postseason. As for the Colts, they are playing very good football after a slow start to the season. Expect Peyton Manning to lead Indianapolis to victory.

Miami Dolphins versus Baltimore Ravens
Last season, the Dolphins were the worst team in football. This season, they are hosting an NFL playoff game. While this was definitely a Cinderella season for Miami, this is where the ride will end. The Ravens have a dominating defense and an underrated offensive unit. Expect Baltimore to win a low scoring affair.

Minnesota Vikings versus Philadelphia Eagles
The Vikings have a solid team lead by running back Adrian Peterson, who lead the NFL in rushing yards for the 2008 season. That said, the Vikings don’t have a good enough quarterback or good enough receivers to compete in the NFL playoffs. The Eagles have the experience and the personnel to get the job done. Expect the Eagles to win going away.

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UFC 92 - Fight Results

editor — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:11:45 +0000

Rashad Evans vs. Forrest Griffin
In the main event of UFC 92 in Las Vegas, Rashad Evans dominated the third round to defeat Forrest Griffin. Griffin, who came into the fight as the light heavyweight champion of UFC, tapped out at 2:46 in the final round. After the fight, Griffin denied tapping but it was obvious to fight observers that Evans was the better mixed martials arts fighter on this night.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir
Coming into this matchup, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was the heavy favorite. That didn’t matter much to Frank Mir. Coming out extremely aggressive, Mir had a near flawless performance as he beat Nogueira in the first round. Mir will now go on to face Brock Lesnar in a unification fight for the UFC heavyweight championship.

Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
In their previous two fights, Wanderlei Silva defeated Quinton Jackson both times. In the third matchup, Jackson got his revenge. To win the fight, Jackson blocked a few strikes from Silva and then landed a devastating hook. Silva was done 3:21 after the fight had started.

Cheick Kongo vs. Mustapha al Turk
In the opening fight of the main card, the bout between Cheick Kongo and Mustapha al Turk started off slowly. However, Kongo landed a few punches to send al Turk to the ground. At that point, Kongo ended the fight by delivering a multitude of strikes that forced the referee to stop the fight.

CB Dollaway vs. Mike Massenzio
Early in the fight, it appeared as if Mike Massenzio was going to be able to get the best of CB Dollaway. But after getting out of a choke hold, Dollaway dominated the rest of the bout. After getting Massenzio on the ground, Dollaway clobbered him until the fight was called at 3:01 in the first round.

The first UFC event of 2009 (UFC 93) will take place on January 17th in Dublin, Ireland. The main event has Rich Franklin (24-3) taking on Dan Henderson (23-7) in a light heavyweight fight.

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NBA Power Rankings - Best of the Best

editor — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 11:05:01 +0000

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (26-4)
Although the Celtics have a better record, the Cavaliers are playing better than any team right now. They have a 12.5 average margin of victory — which is easily the best mark in the league. LeBron James is the best player in the league and the most dangerous in crunch time.

2. Boston Celtics (28-4)
After a two-game slide, Boston comes in at number two in the power rankings. They’re still the team to beat but questions about the age of their Big Three and about the depth of their bench have started to arise. That said, they are the best defensive team in the league and will be very tough to eliminate in the playoffs.

3. Los Angeles Lakers (25-5)
Although the Lakers went through a tough stretch recently, they’ve rebounded with four straight wins. While their defense still has a lot of room to improve, their offense is by far the best in the league. When it comes to hitting a big shot, there’s still no one you’d rather have on your side than Kobe Bryant.

4. Orlando Magic (24-6)
The Magic aren’t getting much attention this NBA season but they are legitimately a very good team. With Dwight Howard in the middle leading the league in rebounds and blocked shots, the game is made easier for the multitude of three-point shooters on the roster. It’ll be tough to get past Cleveland or Boston but Orlando has a bright future and has to be considered a championship contender right now.

5. San Antonio Spurs (20-10)
With championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007, it’d be foolish to count the Spurs out in 2009. Currently, San Antonio has won five straight games and has moved into second place in the Western Conference. If Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili can stay healthy, they will once again be a contender to win it all.

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The Best Running Backs in 2008

editor — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:42:51 +0000

1. DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers
Coming into the 2008 NFL season, many league experts thought that DeAngelo Williams would be phased out in Carolina. The Panthers had drafted Jonathan Stewart and Williams hadn’t been two impressive to date in his career. However, Williams has exploded in 2008 — leading running backs with 18 touchdowns to go along with 1337 rushing yards.

2. Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons
In the offseason, the Falcons paid big money to sign Michael Turner away from the San Diego Chargers. The move wasn’t popular with all Falcons fans because they thought the team had overpaid. As it turns out, Atlanta is getting more than their money’s worth. Turner has 16 touchdowns to go along with 1491 rushing yards and has the Falcons thinking about the upcoming playoffs.

3. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
After an amazing rookie season, expectations were high for Adrian Peterson coming into the 2008 NFL season. Although he hasn’t been quite as amazing as his rookie season, he’s played quite well. He’s leading the NFL with 1657 rushing yards and also has nine touchdowns on the year.

4. Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins
For much of the first half of the season, Clinton Portis was the best running back in the NFL. As of late, he’s been struggling with injuries and has seen his stats level off. That said, he’s still fourth in the league in rushing yards at 1407 and has eight touchdowns on the season.

5. Thomas Jones, New York Jets
The big news in the offseason for the Jets was the acquisition of Brett Favre. Though Favre has had a solid season, the best player on the offense has arguably been Thomas Jones. Coming off of a mediocre season in 2007, Jones has rebounded nicely in 2008. He has 13 touchdowns to go along with 1289 rushing yards.

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Justin Levens Found Dead Alongside His Wife

editor — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 04:43:33 +0000

On Wednesday, December 17th, police found the dead body of mixed martial arts fighter Justin Levens and his wife Sarah McLean-Levens. They were found in the home in California and the initial findings point to a murder-suicide.

The 28-year-old Levens grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before moving to Newport Beach, California. In Newport Beach, Levens learned how to fight — gaining a black belt in Vale Tudo. When he began his mixed martial arts career, he quickly became a rising star in the sport.

His first MMA fight was in May of 2004 and he defeated Hector Carrilo by TKO. He followed up that fight with a knockout of Jeff Dowman in June of 2004. In his next five fights, he posts victories over Mitch Nester, Eber Saulido, Tosh Cook, Tony Lopez and Jorge Oliveira. Seven fights into his career, Levens was 7-0 and was considered a possible MMA superstar.

In his next three fights, he wasn’t as lucky. He posted three straight losses. He first lost to Scott Smith in a WEC fight. He then lost to Evan Tanner in UFC 59. Levens’ third straight defeat was in a UFC fight against Jorge Santiago.

With his career seemingly in trouble, Levens won two straight fights — against Justin Hawes and Brian Warren. But then his career officially started a downward spiral. With a record of 9-3, Levens lost his next five fights. The slide started with a loss against Reese Andy in January of 2007. The four other losses came against Vladimir Matyushenko, Brian Foster, Nathan James and Kenny Ento.

While police are continuing their investigation, it appears as if the murder-suicide angle will be ultimate determination. The gun was found next to Levens, which suggests he was the perpetrator.

Although no suicide note was found, some of his friends suggest that Levens was depressed about his failing career and that money troubles may have been an issue.

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NBA Defensive Player of the Year Candidates

editor — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:06:50 +0000

Everyone always pays attention to the players that can score, but let’s take a look at some of the Defensive Player of the Year candidates in the NBA.

1. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
Based on statistics alone, it’d be hard to give the 2008-09 NBA Defense Player of the Year trophy to anyone other than Howard. He’s not only leading the league in rebounding at over 14 boards per game, he’s far and away leading the NBA in blocked shots. Although not a great one-on-one defender, his stats don’t lie.

2. Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
Those who vote for the DPOY award often look at stelas as an indicator of defensive play. Paul is leading the league in steals at 2.82 steals per game. He also got some extra attention lately for breaking the all-time record for consecutive games with at least one steal.

3. Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
Last season, Garnett took home the Defensive Player of the Year honors. This season, his Celtics are once again the best defensive team in the NBA. If they continue to win at their current pace, Garnett has a very real chance of repeating his award win in this category.

4. Marcus Camby, Los Angeles Clippers
Right now, Camby’s stats would look very good if not for Howard. Camby is second to Howard in both rebounding and shot blocking. But if Howard slumps and the Clippers start to win more games, Camby could enter the conversation. He won this award two years ago so he has precedence on his side, at least.

5. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
While this is definitely a surprise name to be up for the Defensive Player of the Year award, James deserves the consideration. Behind the Celtics, the Cavs are the second best defensive team in the league. Despite playing fewer minutes than usual, he is averaging career-highs in both steals and block. If the media hops on the bandwagon, James could be taking home the Defensive Player of the Year award.

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Hottest Teams in the NFL

editor — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 03:20:18 +0000

When the NFL playoffs begin, it’s not the best team that always comes away victorious – it’s usually the hottest team. In 2008, there are a number of teams that are playing well with the postseason right around the corner. Here’s a look at the five hottest teams in the NFL.

1. Indianapolis Colts
Although they aren’t dominating, the Colts are certainly rolling. They’ve won seven straight games to raise their record to 10-4. Indianapolis has gone from a team that looked to be circling the drain to a team that looks like a legit Super Bowl contender.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers
Despite a number of injuries, the Pittsburgh Steelers now are tied for the second best record in the NFL and have won five consecutive contests. Using the league’s best defense, the Steelers have mastered the art of grinding out low scoring affairs.

3. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings stumbled in the middle of the season but thanks to their four straight wins, they are now right back in the thick of things. Starting quarterback Gus Frerotte went down injured but backup Tarvaris Jackson has picked up the slack.

4. Houston Texans
The 2008 NFL season has been a season of streaks for the Texans. They started off the year by losing their first four games. Then the Texans won three in a row and then lost three in a row. Currently, Houston is riding a four-game winning streak that has them back at .500.

5. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have looked especially dominant as of late. With a record of 11-3, they are tied with the Steelers and the reigning Super Bowl champion New York Giants for the second best record in the league. Riding their explosive running back combination of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, the Panthers are going to be tough to beat in the playoffs.

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UFC 92 - Fight Predictions

editor — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 03:36:33 +0000

Although UFC 92 is still approximately two weeks away, it’s never too early to predict the winners. This Ultimate Fighting Championship event has one of the deepest and most exciting main cards in recent memory. Those mixed martial arts fans who show up at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on December 27th will most likely see a great series of fights.

In the headlining matchup between Rashad Evans and Forrest Griffin, expect Evans to get the win. Evans is currently undefeated, while Griffin has four losses in his career. There’s a reason why Evans is undefeated and it’s because he’s one of the best mixed martial arts fighters on the planet.

In the other big fight on the main card, expect Quinton Jackson to beat Wanderlei Silva. Jackson has had some legal problems recently but he’s said to have gotten his life back in order and is in top condition. Silva is a very good fighter but he has struggled lately. This fight could very well go the distance but give the edge to Jackson.

In one of the two heavyweight bouts, expect to see Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defeat Frank Mir. The Brazilian is at the top of his game and should be able to handle the American. Mir is a gritty fighter so he won’t go down easily but Nogueira is just too talented.

The other heavyweight bout features Cheick Kongo of France against Mustafa Al Turk of the United Kingdom. Although both fighters weigh about 240 pounds, Kongo has a size advantage that should allow him to win the fight. That said, expect this to be a vicious fight that will result in two bloody combatants.

The final fight on the UFC 92 main card has CB Dollaway going up against Mike Massenzio. This is an interesting fight because Dollaway is 7-1 while Massenzio is 11-2. When all is said and done, expect Dollaway to pick up his second loss. Massenzio is in great condition and should be able to defeat Dollaway in a close bout.

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