On this last day of March the playoff picture is becoming clearer and clearer in the NBA, and that number one seed is becoming closer and closer to belonging to the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference. Last night the Bulls were able to knock of Minnesota in Minnesota, and through 74 games they now have 54 wins and a two and a half game lead on both Miami and Boston. They are in line for that top spot, and a road to the conference finals that would not include either the Heat or Celtics.
So they now have their full team back and playing and they are finding themselves on the up and up, as they have passed both those teams ahead of them since Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer have returned from seperate injury spells. They also have the expected league MVP in Derrick Rose, who is playing at an elite level. The thing about Rose is that he has that jump shot now that is not only good enough to keep the defense honest, but at this point it has become pretty much automatic from 19 feet and in. To go along with his ability to almost never be stopped when trying to get to the rim, and to find the open teammate, he has become almost unstoppable.
Noah and Boozer are able to go up against any front line in the league, but they also have Taj Gibson and Omar Asik coming off the bench who can out-rebound many starting lineups. The Bulls key is their bench's ability to come in and outscore a lot of other team's benches, as well as their starters at times if necessary.
The team defense is the reason that they are winning all these games though, because while the offense that Rose and Luol Deng provide, they are winning on the defensive end. Look no further than Tom Thibodeau, the defensive mind behind the previous Celtics teams, and you see why the Bulls are able to play defense so well. Their defense and home record are what should scare the other teams, especially with that top spot and home court throughout the east. Their record at home is a staggering at 32-5 with winnable home games to come that will improve that record.
At this point the Bulls have to be the favorite to win the east when they receive the number one seed. They are incredibly tough at home, they have the MVP of the league in Rose, and second and third scorer in Deng and Boozer, they play great team defense, maybe the best in the league, have a coach that knows how to win, and a bench that is among the most productive in the league. This team is for real, and if they do not blow the final eight games they will have to be the favorites.
Opening Day is tomorrow, getting kicked off by the New York Yankees heading home to play the Detroit Tigers, the two played their final spring training games yesterday with the Yankees winning 2-1 with an home run to break the tie in the bottom of the eighth inning. So with Opening Day comes the idea of this is where it all begins, the jumping off point to the playoff races, then the playoffs themselves, and eventually the World Series. The jumping off point is great, and it comes with everyone making their predictions that are sure to not be right at all for many, but that being said here come the predictions.
East Winners:
In the National League this is the biggest layup of them all, despite injury concerns leaving spring training the Philadelphia Phillies are clear and away the favorite in the NL East. The thing about them is that their pitchers are going to have their off days, but they could still win those off days because of their lineup. They have a lineup that can play with almost any team in the majors, especially when healthy, and to have maybe the two best pitchers in the league in Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee going one, two they are the easy pick here. The only thing that could get them is of course the injury bug, but also losing a guy like Jayson Werth, as well as the fact that both Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels have proven to be inconsistent at times in their careers. The inclusion of Hamels as an ace at this point tends to be odd at this point, but he has shown flashes.
The American League will again come down to the two powers in Boston and New York. Boston made themselves much better than last year's team in the offseason, but that does not always mean they will gel together and become this force that can not be stopped. The Yankees are still the team to beat here however because they have that bonafide ace in C.C. Sabathia that they can count on game in and game out. Their pitching has the same question marks as the Red Sox, and though they added guys like Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, the Yankees lineup as a whole is still better. The bullpens are not even close, as New York dominates in that department, and more and more games tend to be won there lately. New York will outlast the Red Sox during the regular season for the east crown.
Central Winners:
The AL Central division is always one that is fun to watch, their seems to be a dark horse each year, and there are sometimes not two horses in the race, but three that really push each other. The team who took the central last year is just too murky right now in the Minnesota Twins. Francisco Liriano was a stud last year, and he had shown signs of greatness years back, but his injury concerns are something that cannot be overlooked, and injuries are really what concern the Twins as a whole. The M&M boys in Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau seem to be getting banged up more frequently, Morneau really still shook up from the concussion he suffered, just too iffy to choose. Same goes for Detroit because the player they depend on the most is coming into the season with this huge issue of probably being an alcoholic hovering over his head. Miguel Cabrera had his issues with the law in the offseason and now has that much more pressure to push aside to produce. The team that is going to come away with this division is led by Ozzie Guillen and has done the most to make themselves better. The Chicago White Sox made a huge jump in getting that one guy, Adam Dunn, a player that is going to do wonders to their lineup and in the clubhouse. With his bat being added to the team already there, and a rotation led by Mark Buerhle, the White Sox are the team to beat.
The NL Central is a tough call with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers, made tough mostly because of a single injury that demoted the Cardinals to an extent. If Adam Wainwright was healthy there would be no debate here, because his presence on that rotation would be invaluable for this season. Injury however closes the gap between the two, but not enough, as the Cardinals will be able to outlast the Brewers thanks to Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday in the middle of their lineup. Expect both of those players to have great seasons and hit the Cardinals to the division title. I will say though, the Cubs could make things interesting if Carlos Zambrano can make a comeback this year.
West Winners: The NL West is another slam dunk because though the Dodgers have the players to make a push towards the top of the division, the pitching that the San Francisco Giants have is too tough to match. It took them to the World Series where they won it all, and it will be enough for them to take the division again this year. They were also able to add some depth in the offseason Miquel Tejada, who has a bat that can help them win those games the pitching does not come through. The Rockies could be a dark horse if their young talent matures quickly.
In the AL West it is hard to call because while Texas could be really good again despite losing Cliff Lee and Vladimir Guerrero, it is hard to tell what their team will be without those two. They have talent, but some of those guys that they will be depending on have a history of being injured, and it is hard to know what their young guys who stepped up last year will be able to do. The thing is, there are too many questions surrounding all of the teams out west, and it is as if the Rangers might just win by default. They do have the best talent, and Ron Washington is a manager that cannot be overlooked, he led them to the World Series last year, and I think he will lead them to the west title.
The New York Knicks went into last night's game with the Orlando Magic and were reeling, there is no denying that fact. They had lost six straight games, nine out of 10, and were in danger of falling below that seventh spot in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. The blame was being tossed around everywhere, it was Carmelo Anthony's fault because he was supposed to make the difference in New York. It was coach Mike D'Antoni's fault because he was not doing his job to make this click, make this team perform like their talent is capable. Chauncey Billups is at fault because while he was injured the team was 4-2, but with Billups on the court they were 3-10 going into last night. The blame deserves to be thrown onto Donnie Walsh for making the deal, and so late in the season, because the chemistry and timing is just off. The blame has seemingly been taken by a person, who is spinning with their eyes closed, then throwing it, only to have it splatter everywhere and have a little over there, a bit over here.
So in come the Orlando Magic, fourth in the Eastern Conference standings, and suddenly the Knicks have to win this game, it has become that important that they must win. Carmelo said so himself when asked about the game by the media, he was not afraid to convey the importance he believed the game had. So in this must win game for the Knicks how did they come out, how did Carmelo come out and perform to show everyone that with the pressure on, pressure perhaps a little self inflicted, how would they perform at Madison Square Garden?
They came out a little flat really, only scoring 18 points in the first quarter, but they were able to hold Orlando to the same total so being tied after the first was a good start. They were able to pull away a little bit in the second quarter taking a four point lead into halftime. As the second half wore on, and Carmelo was able to dominate the game, finishing with a game high 39 points, and the game actually became a must win situation in terms of where the game was at the end.
The Knicks were up three points with 10 seconds left at home. Given that situation you assume as a Knicks fan that you are going to, and should win. Well Jason Richardson hit a three pointer, and Carmelo was able to beat the double team and get a shot off, only to miss that and the follow up attempt to force overtime. In overtime Dwight Howard got his 18th technical, fouled him out, adding to the list of Magic not playing. Coming into the game Jameer Nelson and Quentin Richardson did not play due to injury, so adding Howard to the list the game becomes that much more of a must win.
Then on top of that Hedo Turkoglu fouled out and the Knicks needed to win this game. Behind Carmelo's double double, and some late free throws, they were able to pull away for the 113-106 victory. The game was never a must-win, more of win that was needed for morale. The Knicks are going to be fine, they are still a team you would rather not have to see in the playoffs. You have guys in Carmelo, Billups and Amare Stoudemire that could each take over a one game in a series and get their team a win. That is not something you want to mess with, and teams would prefer to see in a different match up than their own.
It would seem that after everyday of basketball in this tournament the prevailing thought is that the next day's action will not be able to compare, it will be less entertaining. Wrong again. Following the thrilling Butler comeback overtime win, and the exciting game of runs that found Connecticut holding off a similar Arizona comeback attempt you had to think that Sunday's games could not live up to it. In steps VCU and their unbelievable run again.
The prevailing thought going through my head yesterday when VCU was winning, building an 17 point first half lead, was that this was not supposed to happen to just VCU, we were not supposed to see any team do this, power conference or not. The talking heads are always saying we are talking about bubble teams, the last four teams in, the teams that are "not going to win the tournament." Kind of makes you laugh that these things are being said, and yet VCU now finds itself in the Final Four with wins over the Pac 10, Big East, Big 10, ACC, and now Big 12. It really is amazing.
Yesterday's game was all about the fight that VCU had, coming from the top with coach Shaka Smart, all the way down to the graduate assistants. You could tell from the tip that they were not intimidated, they believed in each other and their coach, and expected to be going to the Final Four. The difference in this game, the three point shooting, VCU had it and Kansas did not. While VCU went 12-25 from three, Kansas went an embarrassing, and Final Four berth costing, 2-21. A total of 36 points from beyond the arc to six, though as Kenny Smith said at halftime when the lead was 14 and VCU had nine threes, if those are twos they are still up five. Without that three disparity the Rams would still have had a tie game. Kansas was outhustled, outshot, and outcoached with the mix up of defenses and strategies that Smart used throughout the game.
In the match up of college bluebloods Kentucky was able to control the game from start to finish. Whenever North Carolina would make a three, convert on a dunk, go on a mini run of their own, Kentucky would make a three, it was almost a given. That could be seen with 37 seconds left when DeAndre Liggins made yet another dream killing three pointer from the corner to put Kentucky up four. They went 12-22 from behind the line for the game, while North Carolina was an awful 3-16.
It was seen when Harrison Barnes went on an 8-0 run of this own, seemingly seizing the moment and ready to step up to be that guy and erase this 11 point deficit and get North Carolina back to the Final Four. Then Kentucky dug in, and squashed the Tar Heels hopes. All five starters were able to score in double digits for the Wildcats, but they were led again by Brandon Knight. Knight has taken this team over in the tournament, showing his growth and maturity he gained throughout the season. He is really on an incredible run, and yesterday he had a game high 22 points, keeping his push for tournament most outstanding player alive.
The balance that Kentucky had, was not seen by the Tar Heels as Tyler Zeller was able to continue his great play, having a team high 21 points and nine rebounds, but aside from Barnes trying to take over in the second half it seemed to be a one man army. While Kentucky had all five starters in double figures, North Carolina saw 39 of the 69 come from those two players. John Henson got into foul trouble, much like Derrick Williams in the Arizona and Connecticut game, and was totally taken out of the game. Playing only 23 minutes, many of those worried about the next foul, he was only able to score four points before fouling out. The Tar Heels needed his size and athleticism and were hurting without it.
At the buzzer Kentucky had seized the opportunity in front of them and have set up a date with Connecticut on Saturday in Houston, another game between teams that have a history of winning. The winner will be expected to be a heavy favorite come Monday night's match up.
Through all the bashing and all the mocking the Big East was able to beat out the Big 10, Pac 10, either the ACC or SEC based on today's outcome, and maybe even the Big 12 in terms of Final Four teams. Connecticut was able to raise the Big East flag and are on their way to the Houston. They did so in a game of runs, that saw Connecticut pull away enough towards the end to hold on for the victory, and continue their incredible run. A testament to the Big East is that Connecticut went 9-9 during regular season play, while going undefeated against out of conference opponents, and that continued again last night. They have also not lost in a tournament setting, as they improved that record to 12-0.
Kemba Walker continued his superb play, hitting big shot after big shot down the stretch for the Huskies, and Jeremy Lamb is establishing himself as a preseason first time pick in next year's Big East. Derrick Williams got into foul trouble early and this put the Wildcats in a hole, trailing by seven at the half. In the second half Williams flexed his muscles, drawing a number of fouls that got players like Alex Oriakhi in foul trouble of his own and Arizona pulled back into it, taking a lead at one point. Connecticut and Kemba were too much though. and once again Jim Calhoun finds himself in the Final Four out of the west region.
What would you have called me if in November of 2009 I said that Butler would be in two straight Final Fours? You would have called me nuts, but here we go again, Butler is going to Houston, and Brad Stevens could almost name the college that he wants to coach at and the school would consider making a coaching change on a whim. They have been able to avoid the potential 9-8 upset special in the first round (or round two if you will), then continue to defeat regular season Big East champions Pittsburgh, Big 10 juggernaut Wisconsin, and regular season SEC champions Florida. No big deal right?
They did it as they always do, great defense and getting the other team to play their style of basketball. They really were able to shut Florida down, with the exception of Vernon Macklin who was kind enough to get into foul trouble for the Bulldogs. Shelvin Mack hit big shot here, big shot there. Matt Howard got a huge rebound on this play, loose ball or charge call the next play. They had role players step up in Shawn Vanzant. Now they even have freshman coming in and getting three pointers like Chrishawn Hopkins, and huge three point plays and 10 points like Khyle Marshall. Butler is the epitome of a team, and a team that will not give up, as they found themselves down 51-40, and then what do ya know Brad Stevens pushes all the right buttons and they find themselves back on their way to the Final Four. Chrishawn Hopkins? Really? That was the card he played, seemingly out of nowhere, and IT WORKED.
Connecticut is heading to Houston because of Kemba Walker being the best player in college basketball, Jeremy Lamb growing and emerging, and Jim Calhoun being a great coach who knows how to win tournaments. Butler is on their way because Brad Stevens is a great coach and certainly knows how to win tournament games, they have college stars in Mack and Howard, and they are getting supporting cast members to play their roles, and exceed them at times. Two similar strategies, a different hierarchy at this point, but both going to Houston for the Final Four.
The king has been slain. That might be more conducive to last night's game simply because you are never going to put Kentucky into the role of David. The number one team has gone down though, and it was in dramatic, thrilling action, to cap off a close and really great game. Throughout the second half, most of it really, the game was played within five to six points, with a long stretch where the lead was just changing from possession to possession. This was a game that people wanted to see, were waiting to see, and they got what they came for.
With all the talk of the Kentucky freshman, it was the upperclassmen who got them this win. Josh Harrellson came up bigger than many expected, again. DeAndre Liggins was the one to take the ball in much of the late stages and make plays. The freshman made their plays mind you, including a huge three from Doron Lamb in the corner to give them back the lead 44-42, as well as Terrence Jones hitting a big three with about seven minutes left to give the Wildcats a 50-49 lead. Then there was that whole Brandon Knight, with ice water in his veins again, hitting the game winner on the pull up with five seconds left after Ohio State senior Jon Diebler hit a dagger to tie the game at 60. Remember when people were down on him because he was not what John Wall was? Yeah, a little too quick to judge.
This game was about a team effort from the Wildcats, with Harrellson doing a lot of damage in the first half, Liggins in the second half, with freshman contributions sprinkled in between, before Knight does what he has done all tournament, what Kentucky has needed to win.
Ohio St. had some problems as well. William Buford picked a bad time to have his worst game of the season, going just 2-16 and failing to reach double figures. Diebler finished well overall, but was almost nonexistent for much of the first half and early second half. David Lighty had spurts, but missed some shots he usually makes, and Sullinger found himself with more opposition than was expected. Sullinger ended up with a great stat line, and was able to get big put backs and dunks in the second half, but was not able to take over, especially down 58-57 at the end of the game, when they needed him to.
This was a game where Ohio St. did not play particularly well, but a lot of that credit has to go to Kentucky. They played as a team, and had numerous players step up when it was necessary. That team won the game, and that team is now one game away from a trip to the Final Four. Something that those freshman last year were unable to do.
The talk going into last night's games was all about the stars. The Jimmers, the Kembas, the Smiths, Irvings, and Taylors. Some of them stepped up big, tried to put their teams on their backs. Last night proved however, that this tournament is all about the team game. The victorious teams, all got big games from a number two, they were not all about that one guy winning them the game.
The first game of the night was a good one, with the Huskies of Connecticut taking out the Mountain West tournament champion, and number two seed, San Diego State Aztecs. While the game was absolutely taken over by Kemba Walker in the second half, this game was not won by just Kemba alone. Freshman Jeremy Lamb, who has grown by leaps and bounds throughout the entire season, went a cool 9-11 from the field, hit all three of his three point attempts, and chipped in 24 of his own. Lamb also had a huge steal as San Diego St. was trying to make a final spurt, when he showed his quickness and athleticism to leap in the air and snatch the ball, ending the spectacular play with a dunk to seal the win.
In the other early game it was all about the Jimmer, and that was what was the end for BYU. Jimmer got his points, 32 of them, but only shot 11 of 32 from the floor to do it. His outside shot was not falling, and he just could not seem to get a rhythm. Problem was the rest of his team played okay, not great, not necessarily bad, just okay. Florida on the other hand had a number of players step up, their star player Chandler Parsons played well and ended up with 16 points for the Gators. It was the emergence of a guy form the supporting cast though that stole the show, and eventually won them the game though. Alex Tyus used Thursday night to step up and shine, more than doubling his season averages, scoring a team high 19 points, and ripping down a game high 17 rebounds. Where Florida had help from everyone on the team, BYU proved to me, at least for one night, what the naysayers thought, a one man show for the most part.
In Anaheim Arizona found itself down six points at the half, and treading water early in the second. Then all of a sudden an explosion, a 19-2 run that was the ultimate early kill shot, as Duke never got back to within single digits. Derrick Williams gave Kemba a run for his money for player of the night, and in my mind won that battle, as he did absolutely everything for the Wildcats. He had 32 points, 25 in the first half, 13 rebounds, a number of absolutely incredible dunks, and oh yeah he went five of six from behind the arc in the first half to keep the game close at half. Look no further than his teammates for the reason for the win though, because once they all got going in the second half, that is when the wheels fell off for Duke, they could not handle it. Lamont "Mo Mo" Jones was the difference maker though, scoring 16 points on six of 10 shooting, and dishing out a game high six assists. The balance of the Wildcats, compared to Kyrie Irving having 28 points and Nolan Smith having only eight as the ACC player of the year, is what won out in the end.
The final game of the night was the Butler Bulldogs being the Butler Bulldogs, playing a team game. They played the Brad Stevens lock down defense, and then got the scoring from here, there, and everywhere. The argument for Butler is who is the team leader, Shelvin Mack or Matt Howard. Well Howard was able to step up last night and score 20 points while bringing in 12 rebounds against a big and physical Wisconsin front line. Wisconsin was plagued by the fact that their number two, Jon Leuer only managed to score three points, missing 11 of his 12 shots. The lack of balance, versus the epitome of a team, was the difference in the slowed down battle.
There were magical games last night, Jimmer still was a great watch to get his 32. Kemba continued his amazing run and scored 36 points in a flash it seemed. Derrick Williams had some of the best plays of the tournament in just last night's game. Tyus exceeded his season averages by double in both points and rebounds, and Howard dominated a Big 10 front line. In the end though, it was the team game that punched four tickets into the Elite Eight on Saturday.
So they now have their full team back and playing and they are finding themselves on the up and up, as they have passed both those teams ahead of them since Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer have returned from seperate injury spells. They also have the expected league MVP in Derrick Rose, who is playing at an elite level. The thing about Rose is that he has that jump shot now that is not only good enough to keep the defense honest, but at this point it has become pretty much automatic from 19 feet and in. To go along with his ability to almost never be stopped when trying to get to the rim, and to find the open teammate, he has become almost unstoppable.
he offense that Rose and Luol Deng provide, they are winning on the defensive end. Look no further than Tom Thibodeau, the defensive mind behind the previous Celtics teams, and you see why the Bulls are able to play defense so well. Their defense and home record are what should scare the other teams, especially with that top spot and home court throughout the east. Their record at home is a staggering at 32-5 with winnable home games to come that will improve that record.
