This summer, I am working an 8:30-5:00 unpaid internship, and needless to say I am extremely bored, so today I will begin my complete (and 100% opinionated and biased) analysis of the 2012 Gamecock football squad.
Quarterback
This position a year ago was one of much uncertainty, and not because of a lack of talent. Last summer (and spring, and winter, and fall, and for three years before that) the extremely talented, and highly unmotivated and undisciplined Stephen Garcia's status with the USC football program was in limbo, which meant who the opening day starter would be was as well. A year later, that is certainly not the case.
Connor Shaw
The rising junior from Flowery Branch, Georgia was named the starting quarterback for the opening game last year against ECU, but after a rocky first quarter (and rocky is being nice), Shaw was replaced by Garcia. Garcia started the next four games, and compiled a 4-1 record (including the comeback he orchestrated against the Pirates). In his final start in the garnet and black, Garcia and the Cocks lost a heartbreaker (Heartbreaker: adjective; poorly played and poorly coached game in which the team you are cheering for loses on a "bad call"), and shortly there after, he was booted from the team.
In steps Shaw, who mere weeks earlier had been booed off of the field in Bank of America Stadium. What does he do? Shaw leads the Cocks to a 7-1 record in their final eight games including a third straight win over Clemson and Dabo, and the best bowl win in school history against Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl. For the 2011-2012 campaign, Shaw finished with a stat line of 1448 yards passing with 14 TD's in addition to 705 yards rushing (okay, so he actually only rushed for 525 yards net) and 8 trips to the endzone. But the most impressive stat for Shaw, and the one that I think shows the most about how much his improving as a quarterback is that he only turned the ball over 8 times and had a completion percentage of 65.4%.
Coming into 2012, Shaw is clearly the starting quarterback for the Gamecocks, and his improvements in 2011 coupled with the work he has put in this offseason, I believe he can be one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC. Sure, some people will say his stats last year were because he was running a very simple offense, (Yes, I was one of these people last year. I mean how many times can you really run the read option in a game?) or that he was surrounded by weapons, but the fact is that Shaw came in when his team needed him and guided them to the best record in school history.
This year, I fully expect Shaw to exceed what he did last year and could see him throwing for close to 2000 yards depending on how many times a game SOS lets him drop back and throw it (which could be few and far between considering the stable of running backs that the Head Ball Coach has in Columbia, but I'll save that for another day). And with his versatility as a runner and his ability to keep the ball in the hands of the Gamecocks by limiting turnovers, the 2012 campaign could be one that leaves Shaw with a chance to graduate in 2014 and see his name painted up on Williams-Brice Stadium with the likes of Todd Ellis.
Andrew Clifford
I know that Dylan Thompson is listed at number two on the depth chart, but honestly I don't ever think he he will start a game in the garnet and black and personally he looks like a douche (and please, if you ever do have to start a game, prove me completely wrong). That said, Clifford gets the bump up to two on my depth chart mainly because we chilled with him in Key West on Spring Break and he hooked us up with some booze (but did steal our football). Also, from the practices I have seen, and the long bombs he was throwing under the influence on the beach, I think that Clifford is a capable number two. By capable I meant that I hope Clifford can perform in mop up situations that could arise and that he could manage the offense somewhat competently in a situation that Shaw went down (knock on wood).
Dylan Thompson
I believe that my thoughts on DT were expressed thoroughly in my analysis of Clifford, so I won't go into too much more detail about a third stringer. However, since he is only a sophomore, I do hope that he does continue to improve if some of the younger guys and incoming recruits do not pan out the way they are predicted to.
That's all for the QB's (don't be confused with the nickname of Claude Close), and I'll be back soon for my preview of what I think is one of the best groups of running backs in the SEC.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Movin' On & An Entirely Too Long Preview of the Bobcats Draft
Wednesday May 30th, 2012 will be known as the day the Charlotte Bobcats could have turned their franchise around. Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins said, during a press conference which I attended, that when he talked to GM Rich Cho after the lottery he could tell that the "air" was let out of him. When Higgins was asked if he felt the same way, he simply replied, "yes".
I admire Higgins and Cho's responses to questions Wednesday night and today. They keep stating that it's not the end of the world, and that things are going to move on. While many fans in Charlotte are overreacting to the loss of the number 1, especially to the Hornets, I believe the number 2 pick still has a great amount of value to it. Higgins was just on WFNZ in Charlotte and said that the Bobcats received phone calls about trading the number 2 pick almost immediately. Whether we trade the pick or not, I still think this draft can brighten up the Bobcats future. Columnists in Charlotte are putting a lot of players as possibilities for number 2 but I believe there is only 4 possible candidates.
Let's look at the possible picks for the Bobcats at number 2:
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky, SF:
Kidd-Gilchrist is a very nice athlete; At 6-7 & 1/2 and 232 pounds with a 6-10 wingspan, MKG fills all the measurables up nicely with his size. I love the fact that his Kentucky teammates said that MKG has the "leader" and "heart &soul" of that National Championship team. His winning mentality and work ethic will just add to the great amount character the Bobcats already have. His strengths is using that blend of athleticism, power, speed to punish people in transition, driving to the rim, and on the defensive end. Kidd-Gilchrist is about as good as it gets coming out of college when it comes to transition and defense. Having the speedy and crafty Kemba Walker, the athletic MKG and the high-flying current guard Gerald Henderson out on the break could lead to some easy buckets the Bobcats desperately need. I like MKG because he can create his own shot, something you have to do in the NBA, and he can drive to the bucket, finish and get the foul possibly. On defense I love the fact he can guard positions 2-4 because versatility is becoming more and more important in the NBA today. MKG, however, needs work on his ball-handling and his jump shot. Current Bobcats G Gerald Henderson improved his jump shot greatly this season if MKG can do the same over his first few years in the league he could be a superstar.
Thomas Robinson, Kansas, PF:
Robinson is a player that I can't quite figure out. I like his intensity, his power, his work ethic and his attitude. I am a guy that is usually high on production, which Robinson surely has plenty of. I seem to find a few things I like about him then find a few things that I don't like about him. Robinson had great numbers in college at close to averaging a 20-12 which is very impressive. To go along with that he simply put Kansas on his back and led them to the National Championship game where they lost to a simply better Kentucky team. Now, I think Robinson has hit his talent ceiling. I don't think he's getting any better, I think he may be one of those double-double guys, that could end up just being a bad team-good stats guy. Those kind of guys don't get you a championship. I think his work ethic and attitude will make him have a good NBA career but not a winning career. Yes he had 18, 19, and 18 the last 3 NCAA Tournament games, but he had those numbers with terrible shooting percentages. That makes me thing he struggled against the length of UNC, Ohio State, and Kentucky, and their is all kinds of length in the NBA. I'm not very high on him and I don't think the Bobcats should draft him, I think he is Emeka Okafor. Maybe he'll prove me wrong, maybe he won't.
Andre Drummond, UCONN, PF/C:
Another enigma is Andre Drummond, who at 6-11 270 lbs. has the exact size you want in your NBA big man. I am always very hesitant to take a player who doesn't have a great motor, or plays hard and even worse admits to not playing hard and giving it his all, which Drummond did. I love his size and his insane ability to move laterally with all that size. When I went back and looked at Drummond's complete game log, I saw that he brought it when UCONN played the nations top teams, excluding their lone NCAA Tournament game against Iowa State (2 pts, 3 rbs in 26 min), which I guess erases his whole regular season because he didn't bring it for UCONN when it mattered most. There were only tiny flashes this season that said he was ready for the NBA. Drummond is without a doubt a project, while the Bobcats aren't going to find any immediate stars at number 2, they certainly don't need to add another project to the team.
Bradley Beal, Florida, SG:
Florida SG Bradley Beal is a player I am very high on. Beal is a better athlete than I think he gets credit for, if you watched any of UF's NCAA Tournament games you saw that. Beal was regarded as by far the best jump shooter in the Class of 2011 coming out of high school. Scouts love his shooting ability and his shooting range. He's a good athlete as I said before but is not a great defender, he is serviceable which I would usually be fine with but we have point guards who can't play defense to save their lives which worries me if we draft Beal. I think Beal is a much better passer than he gets credit for and taking a look at his performances, the most impressive one to me was a 20-8-5 against Kentucky in the SEC Tournament Semi-Finals in a 3 point loss where all of his other teammates clearly didn't show up. Although my favorite thing about Beal is not that he's a sharp-shooter but his ability to do it with very high percentages (45 FG% & 36% 3pt). ESPN's Chard Ford described Beal as a "possible mix between Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade". Well I'm pretty sure Charlotte will take that, I at least would.
At this moment I'd take Michael Kidd-Gilchrist then Beal but as the summer goes, my choice was change. The Charlotte Observer put Jeremy Lamb, who I like, and Harrison Barnes as possible number 2 picks. If we pick Harrison Barnes at number 2......I just am not going to say anything because it wouldn't be very nice. The Bobcats need someone between a project with potential and someone that can contribute right away which is what I think Beal and Kidd-Gilchrist are. However, I am very intrigued about the possibility of trading the pick, but that's for another post.
I admire Higgins and Cho's responses to questions Wednesday night and today. They keep stating that it's not the end of the world, and that things are going to move on. While many fans in Charlotte are overreacting to the loss of the number 1, especially to the Hornets, I believe the number 2 pick still has a great amount of value to it. Higgins was just on WFNZ in Charlotte and said that the Bobcats received phone calls about trading the number 2 pick almost immediately. Whether we trade the pick or not, I still think this draft can brighten up the Bobcats future. Columnists in Charlotte are putting a lot of players as possibilities for number 2 but I believe there is only 4 possible candidates.
Let's look at the possible picks for the Bobcats at number 2:
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky, SF:
Kidd-Gilchrist is a very nice athlete; At 6-7 & 1/2 and 232 pounds with a 6-10 wingspan, MKG fills all the measurables up nicely with his size. I love the fact that his Kentucky teammates said that MKG has the "leader" and "heart &soul" of that National Championship team. His winning mentality and work ethic will just add to the great amount character the Bobcats already have. His strengths is using that blend of athleticism, power, speed to punish people in transition, driving to the rim, and on the defensive end. Kidd-Gilchrist is about as good as it gets coming out of college when it comes to transition and defense. Having the speedy and crafty Kemba Walker, the athletic MKG and the high-flying current guard Gerald Henderson out on the break could lead to some easy buckets the Bobcats desperately need. I like MKG because he can create his own shot, something you have to do in the NBA, and he can drive to the bucket, finish and get the foul possibly. On defense I love the fact he can guard positions 2-4 because versatility is becoming more and more important in the NBA today. MKG, however, needs work on his ball-handling and his jump shot. Current Bobcats G Gerald Henderson improved his jump shot greatly this season if MKG can do the same over his first few years in the league he could be a superstar.
Thomas Robinson, Kansas, PF:
Robinson is a player that I can't quite figure out. I like his intensity, his power, his work ethic and his attitude. I am a guy that is usually high on production, which Robinson surely has plenty of. I seem to find a few things I like about him then find a few things that I don't like about him. Robinson had great numbers in college at close to averaging a 20-12 which is very impressive. To go along with that he simply put Kansas on his back and led them to the National Championship game where they lost to a simply better Kentucky team. Now, I think Robinson has hit his talent ceiling. I don't think he's getting any better, I think he may be one of those double-double guys, that could end up just being a bad team-good stats guy. Those kind of guys don't get you a championship. I think his work ethic and attitude will make him have a good NBA career but not a winning career. Yes he had 18, 19, and 18 the last 3 NCAA Tournament games, but he had those numbers with terrible shooting percentages. That makes me thing he struggled against the length of UNC, Ohio State, and Kentucky, and their is all kinds of length in the NBA. I'm not very high on him and I don't think the Bobcats should draft him, I think he is Emeka Okafor. Maybe he'll prove me wrong, maybe he won't.
Andre Drummond, UCONN, PF/C:
Another enigma is Andre Drummond, who at 6-11 270 lbs. has the exact size you want in your NBA big man. I am always very hesitant to take a player who doesn't have a great motor, or plays hard and even worse admits to not playing hard and giving it his all, which Drummond did. I love his size and his insane ability to move laterally with all that size. When I went back and looked at Drummond's complete game log, I saw that he brought it when UCONN played the nations top teams, excluding their lone NCAA Tournament game against Iowa State (2 pts, 3 rbs in 26 min), which I guess erases his whole regular season because he didn't bring it for UCONN when it mattered most. There were only tiny flashes this season that said he was ready for the NBA. Drummond is without a doubt a project, while the Bobcats aren't going to find any immediate stars at number 2, they certainly don't need to add another project to the team.
Bradley Beal, Florida, SG:
Florida SG Bradley Beal is a player I am very high on. Beal is a better athlete than I think he gets credit for, if you watched any of UF's NCAA Tournament games you saw that. Beal was regarded as by far the best jump shooter in the Class of 2011 coming out of high school. Scouts love his shooting ability and his shooting range. He's a good athlete as I said before but is not a great defender, he is serviceable which I would usually be fine with but we have point guards who can't play defense to save their lives which worries me if we draft Beal. I think Beal is a much better passer than he gets credit for and taking a look at his performances, the most impressive one to me was a 20-8-5 against Kentucky in the SEC Tournament Semi-Finals in a 3 point loss where all of his other teammates clearly didn't show up. Although my favorite thing about Beal is not that he's a sharp-shooter but his ability to do it with very high percentages (45 FG% & 36% 3pt). ESPN's Chard Ford described Beal as a "possible mix between Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade". Well I'm pretty sure Charlotte will take that, I at least would.
At this moment I'd take Michael Kidd-Gilchrist then Beal but as the summer goes, my choice was change. The Charlotte Observer put Jeremy Lamb, who I like, and Harrison Barnes as possible number 2 picks. If we pick Harrison Barnes at number 2......I just am not going to say anything because it wouldn't be very nice. The Bobcats need someone between a project with potential and someone that can contribute right away which is what I think Beal and Kidd-Gilchrist are. However, I am very intrigued about the possibility of trading the pick, but that's for another post.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Moving Past History
South Carolina Gamecocks 2012 Season (11-2) (6-2 SEC) Won the Capital One Bowl against Nebraska
South Carolina has arguably had their best two seasons in history come in the last two years, with an SEC east title in 2010 and the most wins in school history in 2011 under Coach Steve Spurrier.
The 2012 season hinges on one thing. Marcus Lattimore and his repaired ACL. IF Lattimore is healthy and continues to be the impressive beast that he is, South Carolina will look very good indeed. Even though studs Melvin Ingram and Stephon Gilmore were both lost to top 20 picks in the NFL draft, South Carolina is bringing in some good recruits, highlighted by Connor Mitch (4 star QB), Jordan Diggs (4 star DB), Mike Davis (4 star RB), and Shaq Roland (4 star WR). Also, DE's Jadeveon Clowney(soph) and Devin Taylor(senior) will be a force on the d line.
ESPN has the cocks ranked at preseason number 10, which is pretty good. Obviously, the Gamecocks think they will do better then that.
Connor Shaw
Booed out of his first game against ECU, Shaw had a terrific rest of the season, finishing the year throwing for 1448 yds on 65.4% completion with 14 tds and 6 INTs. He also rushed for 525 yds with 8 touchdowns on the year. Now a junior, Shaw looks to continue the hot streak he had going in the last 4 games.(70% completion 8 TD's, 2 picks, all wins). With his gym-rat mentality and skill set, combined with South Carolina's running game, he looks like he will be more then competant.
Losing Keith Ellis hurts the Gamecocks D, but he also did not coach in the bowl game against Nebraska when they were held to 13 points and 253 total yards.
The big thing for South Carolina is their schedule. Nevermind that playing in the SEC is tough enough, they will go through the gauntlet in 5 straight games in the heart of their schedule. They play, in order: Georgia, @LSU, @Florida, Tennessee, and Arkansas. At least 3 of those teams will be ranked, and it would not suprise me if Florida was ranked this year as well. Also, having beat Clemson 3 years in a row, the Gamecocks travel to Death valley two weekends after the Arkansas game to face a Clemson team that will undoubtedly want revenge for getting embarrassed in Columbia last year.
Forever to Thee
GO COCKS
South Carolina has arguably had their best two seasons in history come in the last two years, with an SEC east title in 2010 and the most wins in school history in 2011 under Coach Steve Spurrier.
The 2012 season hinges on one thing. Marcus Lattimore and his repaired ACL. IF Lattimore is healthy and continues to be the impressive beast that he is, South Carolina will look very good indeed. Even though studs Melvin Ingram and Stephon Gilmore were both lost to top 20 picks in the NFL draft, South Carolina is bringing in some good recruits, highlighted by Connor Mitch (4 star QB), Jordan Diggs (4 star DB), Mike Davis (4 star RB), and Shaq Roland (4 star WR). Also, DE's Jadeveon Clowney(soph) and Devin Taylor(senior) will be a force on the d line.
ESPN has the cocks ranked at preseason number 10, which is pretty good. Obviously, the Gamecocks think they will do better then that.
Connor Shaw
Booed out of his first game against ECU, Shaw had a terrific rest of the season, finishing the year throwing for 1448 yds on 65.4% completion with 14 tds and 6 INTs. He also rushed for 525 yds with 8 touchdowns on the year. Now a junior, Shaw looks to continue the hot streak he had going in the last 4 games.(70% completion 8 TD's, 2 picks, all wins). With his gym-rat mentality and skill set, combined with South Carolina's running game, he looks like he will be more then competant.
Losing Keith Ellis hurts the Gamecocks D, but he also did not coach in the bowl game against Nebraska when they were held to 13 points and 253 total yards.
The big thing for South Carolina is their schedule. Nevermind that playing in the SEC is tough enough, they will go through the gauntlet in 5 straight games in the heart of their schedule. They play, in order: Georgia, @LSU, @Florida, Tennessee, and Arkansas. At least 3 of those teams will be ranked, and it would not suprise me if Florida was ranked this year as well. Also, having beat Clemson 3 years in a row, the Gamecocks travel to Death valley two weekends after the Arkansas game to face a Clemson team that will undoubtedly want revenge for getting embarrassed in Columbia last year.
Forever to Thee
GO COCKS
The Most Important Night In Charlotte Sports History
Tonight is the infamous NBA Draft Lottery (broadcaster at 8 p.m. on ESPN), an event that hinges on the luck of teams, their destiny, and odds. The Charlotte Bobcats have the the highest odds at get the number 1 pick (25%), the number 2 pick (21.47%), the number 3 pick (17.72%), and the number 4 pick (17.72%). The Bobcats are guaranteed a top 4 pick, and have a 64.19% of getting a top 3 pick.
The odds may be on the side of my beloved Bobcats but history is not. The Bobcats are trying to luck their way into becoming only the 3rd team in 18 years that has turned the worst record into the number 1 overall pick. The only other 2 times, Cleveland (LeBron James) in 2003 and Orlando (Dwight Howard) in 2004.
Their has always been a lot of controversy surrounding the NBA Draft Lottery. Following the 1984 season, a lot of NBA owners and David Stern were upset with the fact that they believed teams were trying to tank so they could have a shot of drafting Hakeem Olajuwon, who ended up being worth the hype. The lottery was implanted for the 1st time in 1986 when a young phenom by the name of Patrick Ewing was coming out of Georgetown. Their is all kinds of conspiracy theories that David Stern wanted to save basketball in New York so he "gave" the Knicks the number 1 pick that year. Whether I believe it or not (which I do), it's not important for tonight.
Former NBA coach and current ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy thinks the Bobcats shouldn't be "rewarded" for having the worst record. Van Gundy said:
"I don’t think the players and the coaching staff (tanked). I think the organization did by not getting the best roster available. You could make the case at any position that they did not have a top-15 player’ at that position in the league."
The odds may be on the side of my beloved Bobcats but history is not. The Bobcats are trying to luck their way into becoming only the 3rd team in 18 years that has turned the worst record into the number 1 overall pick. The only other 2 times, Cleveland (LeBron James) in 2003 and Orlando (Dwight Howard) in 2004.
Their has always been a lot of controversy surrounding the NBA Draft Lottery. Following the 1984 season, a lot of NBA owners and David Stern were upset with the fact that they believed teams were trying to tank so they could have a shot of drafting Hakeem Olajuwon, who ended up being worth the hype. The lottery was implanted for the 1st time in 1986 when a young phenom by the name of Patrick Ewing was coming out of Georgetown. Their is all kinds of conspiracy theories that David Stern wanted to save basketball in New York so he "gave" the Knicks the number 1 pick that year. Whether I believe it or not (which I do), it's not important for tonight.
Former NBA coach and current ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy thinks the Bobcats shouldn't be "rewarded" for having the worst record. Van Gundy said:
"I don’t think the players and the coaching staff (tanked). I think the organization did by not getting the best roster available. You could make the case at any position that they did not have a top-15 player’ at that position in the league."
Well Jeff Van Gundy, certainly may get his wish based upon how history has turned out for the NBA's worst teams.
I would write more but I have to go to work.
Go Bobcats
Unbeatable
Like I predicted in game 7 against the sixers, Rondo went off. He had 18 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds making him the only other Celtic besides Larry Bird to have a triple double in game 7. Not bad company for the oft-criticized point guard.
Game 1 against the Heat
Kevin Garnett continues to evade father time, posting a 23 point 10 rebound game. The good news stops there for the Celts. They shot 39 percent from the field and were blocked 11 times by the smaller Heat squad. Pierce, Allen, and Rondo combined to shoot 14-45 from the field. Terrible. Even though LeBron and Wade dominated again, the real story is that this Celtics team looks overmatched completely. Pierce and especially Allen do not look healthy and when you combine that with the loss of Avery Bradley to season ending shoulder surgery, things look grim indeed if you are a Boston fan. The Heat shot a miserable 5-25 from beyond the arc with Shane Battier shooting 1-5 and Mario Chalmers 0-6. Don't expect them to shoot so poorly next game. And finally, the most telling stat is that Boston scored 35 points in the second quarter, and 44 in the other 3 quarters combined. Doc Rivers is even openly talking about sitting Ray Allen for every other game. Sorry Celtics fans, this looks like the end of an era. Bring out the brooms.
Not-so-bold prediction: HEAT in 4 games. (5 if the veterans get tired of losing and feed off the energy at home in Boston).
Now lets talk about the future 2011-2012 NBA Champions, the San Antonio Spurs
Winners of 20 straight....out of the last 3 teams to do that, 2 have gone on to win the championship.
As much as I would love to see the Heat winning, I just don't see it happening unless they sweep Boston, Chris Bosh comes back, and the Spurs series goes to 7 games. 2/3 of that seem possible, and until I watched game 2 of the Western Conference finals, I thought all 3 were possible.
Game 1
Manu Ginobili was the star, going for 26 points on 9-14 shooting, 3-5 from the 3 point line. He outplayed James Harden, perhaps trying to show him up for stealing his 6th man of the year award.
This game looked to be in control for the Thunder as they were up 9 going into the 4th quarter before Pop's now famous "I need to see some nasty" speech. If I was the Thunder, I'm disappointed but ready for the next game because they could have won this game. But especially in the playoffs, stealing a game on the road is crucial to the outcome of the series. Just ask Memphis or Indiana.
Game 2
Tony Parker. 34 points, 16-21 from the field, 7 assists. That is all you have to say. K. Leonard (who might be my new favorite player, I really want his t-shirt jersey) also had 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The big three of the Thunder combined for 88 points, 17 assists while shooting 56% from the field. The rest of the team scored 23 points on 21% shooting. Since December 2010, the Thunder were 39-1 when scoring 110 or more. chalk up another loss.
The spurs are simply unbeatable. They could easily be the first team in history to go undefeated in the playoffs, that would not suprise me at all.
The only way the Spurs do not win the Championship is if they get bit by the injury bug. Or Dwade, and LeBron keep playing at this level, with a healthy Chris Bosh. And at this point, that doens't even seem like it will be enough. They have no weak point. End of story.
Game 1 against the Heat
Kevin Garnett continues to evade father time, posting a 23 point 10 rebound game. The good news stops there for the Celts. They shot 39 percent from the field and were blocked 11 times by the smaller Heat squad. Pierce, Allen, and Rondo combined to shoot 14-45 from the field. Terrible. Even though LeBron and Wade dominated again, the real story is that this Celtics team looks overmatched completely. Pierce and especially Allen do not look healthy and when you combine that with the loss of Avery Bradley to season ending shoulder surgery, things look grim indeed if you are a Boston fan. The Heat shot a miserable 5-25 from beyond the arc with Shane Battier shooting 1-5 and Mario Chalmers 0-6. Don't expect them to shoot so poorly next game. And finally, the most telling stat is that Boston scored 35 points in the second quarter, and 44 in the other 3 quarters combined. Doc Rivers is even openly talking about sitting Ray Allen for every other game. Sorry Celtics fans, this looks like the end of an era. Bring out the brooms.
Not-so-bold prediction: HEAT in 4 games. (5 if the veterans get tired of losing and feed off the energy at home in Boston).
SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Now lets talk about the future 2011-2012 NBA Champions, the San Antonio Spurs
Winners of 20 straight....out of the last 3 teams to do that, 2 have gone on to win the championship.
As much as I would love to see the Heat winning, I just don't see it happening unless they sweep Boston, Chris Bosh comes back, and the Spurs series goes to 7 games. 2/3 of that seem possible, and until I watched game 2 of the Western Conference finals, I thought all 3 were possible.
Game 1
Manu Ginobili was the star, going for 26 points on 9-14 shooting, 3-5 from the 3 point line. He outplayed James Harden, perhaps trying to show him up for stealing his 6th man of the year award.
This game looked to be in control for the Thunder as they were up 9 going into the 4th quarter before Pop's now famous "I need to see some nasty" speech. If I was the Thunder, I'm disappointed but ready for the next game because they could have won this game. But especially in the playoffs, stealing a game on the road is crucial to the outcome of the series. Just ask Memphis or Indiana.
Game 2
Tony Parker. 34 points, 16-21 from the field, 7 assists. That is all you have to say. K. Leonard (who might be my new favorite player, I really want his t-shirt jersey) also had 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The big three of the Thunder combined for 88 points, 17 assists while shooting 56% from the field. The rest of the team scored 23 points on 21% shooting. Since December 2010, the Thunder were 39-1 when scoring 110 or more. chalk up another loss.
The spurs are simply unbeatable. They could easily be the first team in history to go undefeated in the playoffs, that would not suprise me at all.
The only way the Spurs do not win the Championship is if they get bit by the injury bug. Or Dwade, and LeBron keep playing at this level, with a healthy Chris Bosh. And at this point, that doens't even seem like it will be enough. They have no weak point. End of story.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Can the Cocks Three Peat?
As Memorial Day passes and May turns to June, the regular season of college baseball has ended, along with conference tournaments and it becomes time for the NCAA baseball tournament. The two time defending national champion South Carolina Gameocks again find themselves in a good position as the 8th overall seed. The Gamecocks join SEC counterparts Florida (the number one overall seed) and LSU (number 7 overall) as national seeds. In addition to having three national seeds, the SEC also led all other conferences receiving eight bids to the tournament (USC, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Florida in the East, and LSU, Arkansas, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss in the West), and ten if you count members to be Texas A&M and Missouri.
After winning two national titles in a row, expectations are high in Columbia, but getting back to Omaha will be even harder this year than the past two years and the chances that the Cocks win a third title in 2012 is slim for a few reasons. The first reason is that the Gamecocks have what many analysts believe to be the hardest regional. They face off in their first matchup against the Manhattan Jaspers out of the MAAC. Though most people predict that the Cocks will win this matchup, do not be surprised if it is a close game. The Jaspers have a solid pitching staff led by senior right-hander and recent National Player of the Week recipient Taylor Sewitt. In addition to Manhattan's pitching staff causing issues, as a team they hit a respectable .273 which could spell trouble for Ray Tanner and his pitchers.
If the Cocks can manage to get by the Jaspers, they could possibly face arch rival Clemson. The Tigers, who made they tournament as an at large team face off in the opening game against another South Carolina school in Coastal. The Chanticleers won the Big South to make the tournament. Both of these teams could cause problems for Tanner's team, Clemson having already won against USC once this year and Coastal winning 41 games.
Even though the Cocks have a tough regional, I do see them advancing to the Super Regionals unscaved, beating Manhattan Friday, and Clemson Saturday and Sunday. The Gamecocks dynamic pitching duo of the starter Michael Roth and closer Matt Price will once again save the day and lead the Yard Cocks to hosting a Super Regional for back to back years. In this second weekend series, I predict that the Cavaliers of Virginia will come to town looking for revenge from last years college world series.
In this series, I expect the Gamecocks to take game one behind the are of Roth again, but fall in game two. The Wahoos are too experienced and talented to be swept, and I think the youth of the Cocks will show without their fearless leader on the bump. In game three, I expect Tanner to make the gutsy call and start Price, which will ultimately pay off and lead Carolina back to Omaha.
I think the talent is their in the right spots, and with a leader like Ray Tanner the Gamecocks are in every game. Will the Yard Cocks get to Omaha? Yes, I think they will. Will they become the first team since Southern Cal (1970-1974) to win three in a row? I'll check back in a few weeks to answer that.
After winning two national titles in a row, expectations are high in Columbia, but getting back to Omaha will be even harder this year than the past two years and the chances that the Cocks win a third title in 2012 is slim for a few reasons. The first reason is that the Gamecocks have what many analysts believe to be the hardest regional. They face off in their first matchup against the Manhattan Jaspers out of the MAAC. Though most people predict that the Cocks will win this matchup, do not be surprised if it is a close game. The Jaspers have a solid pitching staff led by senior right-hander and recent National Player of the Week recipient Taylor Sewitt. In addition to Manhattan's pitching staff causing issues, as a team they hit a respectable .273 which could spell trouble for Ray Tanner and his pitchers.
If the Cocks can manage to get by the Jaspers, they could possibly face arch rival Clemson. The Tigers, who made they tournament as an at large team face off in the opening game against another South Carolina school in Coastal. The Chanticleers won the Big South to make the tournament. Both of these teams could cause problems for Tanner's team, Clemson having already won against USC once this year and Coastal winning 41 games.
Even though the Cocks have a tough regional, I do see them advancing to the Super Regionals unscaved, beating Manhattan Friday, and Clemson Saturday and Sunday. The Gamecocks dynamic pitching duo of the starter Michael Roth and closer Matt Price will once again save the day and lead the Yard Cocks to hosting a Super Regional for back to back years. In this second weekend series, I predict that the Cavaliers of Virginia will come to town looking for revenge from last years college world series.
In this series, I expect the Gamecocks to take game one behind the are of Roth again, but fall in game two. The Wahoos are too experienced and talented to be swept, and I think the youth of the Cocks will show without their fearless leader on the bump. In game three, I expect Tanner to make the gutsy call and start Price, which will ultimately pay off and lead Carolina back to Omaha.
I think the talent is their in the right spots, and with a leader like Ray Tanner the Gamecocks are in every game. Will the Yard Cocks get to Omaha? Yes, I think they will. Will they become the first team since Southern Cal (1970-1974) to win three in a row? I'll check back in a few weeks to answer that.
Friday, May 25, 2012
3-1=Eastern Conference Finals?
We all know Chris Bosh is an all-star. I even have one friend that says Bosh is a top 15 player in the league. And even though I don't believe that, I can see his point because as a perennial all-star, Bosh is the third option on the Heat and still averaged 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. Spoelstra has repeatedly called Bosh the Heat's most important player as well, saying that Bosh is critical to the team's success. This is due to Bosh's ability to play off the high pick and roll and consistently knock down a mid-range jumper. He also happens to be one of the tallest players on the Heat. Needless to say, when he went out with his monthly cycle, er I mean abdominal strain it was a big blow to the Heat because of the Pacers great frontcourt. The weight was placed into the hands of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James and they responded.
James and Wade have been trying to figure out a good combination together since they joined forces, and it appears they now have a formula for success. The Heat won the series clinching game 6 in Indiana, with Flash being magnificent and efficient. Wade shot a ridiculous 17-25 in the last game, finishing with 41 points and 10 rebounds. James had himself a quiet 28 points as he went into sidekick mode to allow Wade to dominate. The Pacers are a good team but when you have 2 future hall of famers playing together like Wade and James were, there aren't many teams that can beat the Heat. Also, the Pacers had 22 turnovers, which makes it difficult to beat any team.
Some stats from the last 3 games (all three won by the Heat):
Dwyane Wade averaged: 33 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. These are great numbers, but even more spectacular when you realize that he shot 62 percent from the field.
LeBron James averaged: 32.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8 assists on 55 percent shooting.
(Wade scored 99 points and James put in 98 total in the last 3 games)
These are just video game stats and you have to give these guys credit. Who knows what the stats would have looked like had they made their free throws at their usual rate.
Of course its easy to look good as a coach when you have guys like Wade and James playing well on your team. However, Spoelstra did a great job at figuring out a rotation to beat the Pacers. By making Shane Battier guard David West, LeBron had more energy and could perform better offensively.
But coaches don't make shots, the players do so lets talk about them a little.
James and Wade are always going to play well, so its up to the role players to perform, and they did in the last three games. Shane Battier finally found his 3 pt shot, as did Mike Miller. In the series clinching game 6, Miller had four 3's and he and Chalmers combined for 27 points.
The Heat are good enough to beat the aging Celtics and the over-achieving Sixers, but unless Chris Bosh returns, they are doomed to repeat last year and lose in the Championship.
The Celtics will win game 7 at home, and Rondo will have a monster game, getting close to a triple double.
Happy Memorial Day Weekend
James and Wade have been trying to figure out a good combination together since they joined forces, and it appears they now have a formula for success. The Heat won the series clinching game 6 in Indiana, with Flash being magnificent and efficient. Wade shot a ridiculous 17-25 in the last game, finishing with 41 points and 10 rebounds. James had himself a quiet 28 points as he went into sidekick mode to allow Wade to dominate. The Pacers are a good team but when you have 2 future hall of famers playing together like Wade and James were, there aren't many teams that can beat the Heat. Also, the Pacers had 22 turnovers, which makes it difficult to beat any team.
Some stats from the last 3 games (all three won by the Heat):
Dwyane Wade averaged: 33 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. These are great numbers, but even more spectacular when you realize that he shot 62 percent from the field.
LeBron James averaged: 32.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8 assists on 55 percent shooting.
(Wade scored 99 points and James put in 98 total in the last 3 games)
These are just video game stats and you have to give these guys credit. Who knows what the stats would have looked like had they made their free throws at their usual rate.
Erik Spoelstra
Of course its easy to look good as a coach when you have guys like Wade and James playing well on your team. However, Spoelstra did a great job at figuring out a rotation to beat the Pacers. By making Shane Battier guard David West, LeBron had more energy and could perform better offensively.
But coaches don't make shots, the players do so lets talk about them a little.
James and Wade are always going to play well, so its up to the role players to perform, and they did in the last three games. Shane Battier finally found his 3 pt shot, as did Mike Miller. In the series clinching game 6, Miller had four 3's and he and Chalmers combined for 27 points.
The Heat are good enough to beat the aging Celtics and the over-achieving Sixers, but unless Chris Bosh returns, they are doomed to repeat last year and lose in the Championship.
The Celtics will win game 7 at home, and Rondo will have a monster game, getting close to a triple double.
Happy Memorial Day Weekend
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Heat-Pacers Get Ugly...er
As the NBA on TNT crew was winding things down after Oklahoma City eliminated the Lakers, Charles Barkley said something very interesting. As a promo aired about the next night's Game 5 showdown between the Heat & Pacers, Barkley talked over the audio and said "Oh I'm watching that, that's a big boy game right there. Kobe says wear your big boy pants, well the Heat and Pacers better wear there big boy pants."
Now as we all woke up Wednesday morning, Miami wore there big boy pants, Indiana wore there undies. Pacers President Larry Bird said his Pacers went "soft, s-o-f-t, soft", which is exactly what happened. Now you could say "HEY, did you not see Hansborough's foul on Wade?!", well yea, that's one play and there is a difference between fouling hard and playing hard. The Pacers look defeated, deflated, and out of it, especially when Danny Granger sprained his ankle in the 3rd and was out the rest of the game. Who knew that Danny Granger was such an important part of the Pacers offense? I mean yes, Danny Granger is probably Indiana's best player but he's been shooting 36% from the field, your not an elite team if your "best" offensive player is shooting that from the field, I don't even want to know what he's shooting from beyond the arc. The Pacers looked bad on offense, especially in the half-court, in the 1st half and then just looked absolutely lost in the 2nd half once Granger went down.
Defensively in Games 1-3, the Pacers looked as good as the Heat on the defensive end of the floor. The Miami Heat were making Roy Hibbert, who is an average player, look like a superstar. Thanks to the Miami Heat Roy Hibbert will absolutely get overly paid one day soon. Offensively, I'm not really sure what Frank Vogel is doing, he's channeling his inner-Vinny Del Negro. It's not that hard, give it to 6-10 David West and 7-2 Roy Hibbert and pound it down low against 6-9 Joel Anthony and whatever other Miami Heat minions happen to be in the post. The Pacers are making the entry pass look like the hardest pass in basketball to make and it upsets me to watch them. Hopefully for all of our eyes sake, Danny Granger and David West are at full strength for Game 6 or we will be watching some ugly basketball again from the Pacers.
I said right when Chris Bosh went down that I thought LeBron and Dwyane Wade were good enough to beat the Pacers by themselves (now down the road in later rounds? we'll get to that some other time). I look right so far and I think the Heat will end it in Indianapolis in Game 6 but soak this in: Shane Battier outscored the WHOLE Indiana Pacers team last night. THE WHOLE TEAM!!!! Yes that Shane Battier, the Shane Battier that averaged 4 points this season. Yes the Shane Battier that had more points in the 1st quarter last night than he had in the whole series combined. Yes the Shane Battier that is shooting 28% from the field this postseason. That Shane Battier outscored every player on the Indiana Pacers, a team that we, myself included, thought could beat the Miami Heat. As Barney Stinson would say, HaYeaRight.
Now as we all woke up Wednesday morning, Miami wore there big boy pants, Indiana wore there undies. Pacers President Larry Bird said his Pacers went "soft, s-o-f-t, soft", which is exactly what happened. Now you could say "HEY, did you not see Hansborough's foul on Wade?!", well yea, that's one play and there is a difference between fouling hard and playing hard. The Pacers look defeated, deflated, and out of it, especially when Danny Granger sprained his ankle in the 3rd and was out the rest of the game. Who knew that Danny Granger was such an important part of the Pacers offense? I mean yes, Danny Granger is probably Indiana's best player but he's been shooting 36% from the field, your not an elite team if your "best" offensive player is shooting that from the field, I don't even want to know what he's shooting from beyond the arc. The Pacers looked bad on offense, especially in the half-court, in the 1st half and then just looked absolutely lost in the 2nd half once Granger went down.
Defensively in Games 1-3, the Pacers looked as good as the Heat on the defensive end of the floor. The Miami Heat were making Roy Hibbert, who is an average player, look like a superstar. Thanks to the Miami Heat Roy Hibbert will absolutely get overly paid one day soon. Offensively, I'm not really sure what Frank Vogel is doing, he's channeling his inner-Vinny Del Negro. It's not that hard, give it to 6-10 David West and 7-2 Roy Hibbert and pound it down low against 6-9 Joel Anthony and whatever other Miami Heat minions happen to be in the post. The Pacers are making the entry pass look like the hardest pass in basketball to make and it upsets me to watch them. Hopefully for all of our eyes sake, Danny Granger and David West are at full strength for Game 6 or we will be watching some ugly basketball again from the Pacers.
I said right when Chris Bosh went down that I thought LeBron and Dwyane Wade were good enough to beat the Pacers by themselves (now down the road in later rounds? we'll get to that some other time). I look right so far and I think the Heat will end it in Indianapolis in Game 6 but soak this in: Shane Battier outscored the WHOLE Indiana Pacers team last night. THE WHOLE TEAM!!!! Yes that Shane Battier, the Shane Battier that averaged 4 points this season. Yes the Shane Battier that had more points in the 1st quarter last night than he had in the whole series combined. Yes the Shane Battier that is shooting 28% from the field this postseason. That Shane Battier outscored every player on the Indiana Pacers, a team that we, myself included, thought could beat the Miami Heat. As Barney Stinson would say, HaYeaRight.
Alright. Time to talk Heat-Pacers game 5.
I'm gonna start by stating the obvious; this was a beatdown, both score wise and physically. As much as I want to hate on the Pacers, the fact is they are a good basketball team, something I refused to believe before watching them this series. They had the 5th best record in the NBA this year, yet most people don't really know about them because they played ONE game in prime time television this year. Thats what comes when you play in a small market city. But to continue with the Pacers. They have depth, a solid frontcourt, and a couple of good young players. I think Hibbert and Collison will only get better as well in the coming years. This is going to be a team that competes in the eastern conference for awhile. The only complaint I have against them is Paul George and George Hill look alike and have a name in common; thats too confusing for a team that isn't in the spotlight as it is.
Everyone expected the Heat to win this series, possibly in 4 games. Even when Bosh went out with an abdominal strain (are you serious Bosh? do some crunches, you are a professional athlete) most experts picked the Heat to win in 5 games. However, the Pacers could have won game 1 if not for some biased officiating, stole game 2 on the road, and blew the heat out in game 3, due to D-Wade having one of his worst playoff games ever. They looked to be in total control of the series.
Fast forward to late Tuesday night, and you have the Heat up 3 games to 2, heading back to Indiana for game 6. How did this happen you may ask? There are a couple of reasons.
1. "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." This is a quote from Japanese admiral Yamamoto about the United States after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This equally applies to the Heat. The Pacers saw the Heat as bullies, and came into the series with the mindset as such; if you stand up to a bully and push back, they will stop being bullies. Ranging from Frank Vogel's comments on flopping, to Danny Granger's attempts to get under Bron and D wades skin, the Pacers attitude was that they were a tough team that didn't take any crap. This came to a tipping point in the game 3 blowout when super-scrub Lance Stephenson (1 minute of playing time in the Heat series) made a choking sign when LeBron couldn't knock down free throws. This definitely pissed LeBron off, and the rest of the team and they finally decided they didn't want to put up with any more shit from the Pacers.
2. LeBron/Dwade
For all of LeBron's late game choking, there is no denying the fact that he has been magnificent during these playoffs averaging 29 points, 6 assists, and 9 rebounds per game. This is expected of a 3 time MVP. If only he could shoot 3's and maybe get some clutch genes from Robert Horry, who knows how good he could be.
Dwade: This is night and day. Wade was flat out terrible in the first 3 games, there is no other way to put it. I think he realized how badly he was playing and it really pissed him off, because he started to play like the Flash of old in games 4 and 5.
Here are some of their combined stats: 70 points combined in game 4, 58 in game 5. That is 128 points in two games. They scored their 58 points at an astonishing 61% shooting from the field (22/36), and the Heat as a team copied them, shooting 61% from the field as a whole.
3. The Heat Bench
They are finally stepping up, with Shane Battier, Mario Chalmers, and Udonis Haslem filling some of the scoring void now that Bosh is out. Haslem is most likely out for game 6 due to his flagrant foul on pyscho T.
4. Bad Luck/Foul Trouble
The Pacers are a complete team, which is a great recipe for success, but only when the team members function as they should. With Granger and West leaving the game early due to injury, the Pacers just got an ass-kicking. Also, with Roy Hibbert in foul trouble, it was much easier for the Heat to score. The combination of the Pacers being physical and being in the top 10 in the league in fouls committed, is bad enough, but when you mix that with LeBron's and Wade's ability to get to the line, it becomes even harder for an outmatched team to compete.
Now lets talk about what went on in the game. There has been much ado about the physical play of game 5, and rightly so. Haslem, Pittman, and Hasbrough all got flagrant 1 foul calls. Hansbrough should not have gotten a flagrant, and Haslem and Pittman should have gotten a flagrant 2 each and been ejected immediately. I understand the need to protect your superstars, but come on. The Wade situation is different because Haslem went after Hansbrough less then 2 minutes after Wade got clobbered; however his foul could end up costing him a game and perhaps even the Heat a game as he has been crucial to their recent success.
The Pittman foul is a whole different story. When it was scrub time in the 4th quarter, Pittman delivered a vicious elbow to the neck of Stephenson, which potentially could have been really bad. There is no need for that. Especially when you account for the fact that the Heat were up by 30 and that two super-scrubs were playing. I did think it was hilarious that Pittman winked though, he is going to have a hard time making up an excuse for that.
SIR CHUCK!
Charles Barkley is a riot. He overstates the obvious and is retarded yet hilarious. And give the man some credit, he is entertaining, and won an emmy this year. However, seconds after bashing repeatedly on the Heat for their dirty play, Chuck went on to say that he "kicked players in the balls if they tried to draw a charge on him". Even Kenny the Jet told him that was ridiculous, but Charles was unapologetic. Sorry Chuck, but kicking someone in the balls for trying to take a charge is worse to me then Haslem trying to protect one of his superstars with a hard foul. Anyways, watch this knucklehead every time you get the chance, he is television gold.
Game 6 prediction:
Heat89-Pacers80
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
First post: What we are aboutA little something to waste time, and maybe educate a few sports fans that don't know what they are talking about. Here at Creed's Thoughts, we like to provide flawless and perfect insights on the sports world. We also try (wrongly) to predict games, trades, and the like. If you dont agree with what we have to say, you are probably wrong. Or just one of our good friends. Either way, hope you enjoy this project.
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