Neal's Got No Deal

College Basketball Review

2010-04-06T11:25:00.000-04:00

In my preview I listed a few teams this season that I thought would make noise in the tournament and have good seasons. I chose Duke, Michigan State, and Villanova.

We saw Villanova get knocked out early in the tournament and really never had a chance of getting to the final four with their sub-par play after more than 20 straight wins to start the season. They had a number of close games to average opponents paired with no size and streaky role playing resulted in an early exit for the Wildcats in the tournament.

Now I know that Michigan State was a little overrated at the start of the season, but a Big Ten title and a little tournament help and Tom Izzo was back in the Final Four for the 6th time in 12 years. That is unbelievable when you think about how difficult it is to get to Final Four's today. They had some luck when Kansas lost to Northern Iowa, but they took care of business beating Maryland, Northern Iowa and Tennessee on their road. Their schedule was not as tough as some, but they beat who they played and thats all you can do.

Duke. National Champs. Good pick I'd say...

Canucks vs. Canadiens

2010-02-02T14:08:00.000-05:00

Kings 4 Jackets 1

Record: 5-2

I love betting against the Jackets because they never fail to really let their fans down. Wait what fans? Speaking of teams letting their fans down, the Canadiens have loved doing that the past few seasons ehh? The Canadiens have been pretty brutal and their ace signing Michael Cammalleri is the only one who can score for them. The have lost their last three games to the Panthers, Lightning and Senators and averaged 1 goal per game.

Things don't get easier for the Habs as one of the best first lines in hockey comes to town. The Canucks are rolling on their first line with Henik Sedin, twin brother Daniel and Alex Burrows. This game marks the start of the winter olymipcs road trip that lasts until March, and the Canucks are coming into it with a lot of confidence.

I am loving the Canucks in a parlay tonight with the Avalanche at home against the Jackets. Sup kiiid.

Kings vs. Jackets

2010-01-28T16:54:00.000-05:00

Flames 3 Stars 4

Record: 4-2

The Flames suck. But that's okay because I am feeling like the Kings are going to butter the Jackets on the road.

I love saying butter, it just rolls off the tounge with enough authority to keep it as a solid word describing the ability to dominate. The Kings are stacked with young talent and they have been maturing before our eyes. The Pacific Division is one of the most competitive in the league and the Kings have had to work hard to get to the 6th seed in the west overall. They are two points behind division foe Phoenix by 2 points and could tie them with a Coyotes loss.

Meanwhile, the Jackets are brutal. Second to last in the west infront of the burtal Oilers and three points behind the Blues. The just beat the Predators at home but that game was a struggle. The Kings are playing good hockey right now and the Jackets are doing absolutely nothing. You know what this means. Kings all day. Now that's a lot of butter.

Flames vs. Stars

2010-01-27T17:44:00.001-05:00

Canucks 3 Sabres 2

Record: 4-1

Jarome Iginla and the Calgary Flames have been going down in those flames over the past ten games going 1-8-1 over that span and losing 7 in a row.

Iginla has set a career high scorless streak at 11 games after their 2-0 loss to the Blues on Monday. There has been very little contribution for the Flames over this stretch and poor defense. Let me be honest in saying that the Flames have really spiraled out of control over the last ten games and they do not look like a confident team at all. With all of this said, I really think that the Flames have the talent to turn this thing around, and there is no better way to do that except on the road against another struggling team in the Stars.

The Stars are expecting captain Brenden Morrow to be back from injury, which is a big boost for the Stars offense. The Stars have been awful lately on team defense, and that has been a problem for struggling goaltender Marty Turco. While Turco believes it is an attitude problem, I believe it stems from lack of depth on the defensive side of the puck for Dallas.

I think the Stars will not play good enough defense behind Turco or Alex Alud, and it will take a great effort from either goalie to keep the Flames out of the net. I will believe the Flames finally break out of this slup and Iginla will end his scoring drought to help ignite the nearly burned out Flames. Take the Flames straight up.

Sabres vs Canucks

2010-01-25T13:45:00.001-05:00

Duke 60 Clemson 47
Record: 3-1

The Canucks are hot and they don't seem like they will be cooling off tonight against the Sabres.
The Canucks have won their last four and took care of two potential Stanley Cup teams in the Penguins and Blackhawks. The Canucks have been playing their best lately when the stakes are higher and the competition is better.
Meanwhile, the Sabres are going the opposite direction than the Canucks. Buffalo is currently the 3rd seed out east with 67 points, but are 1-2-2 over their last five and have given up more than 3 goals in all but one of those games (a win against the struggling Coyotes). Ryan Miller started in the last two losses and has given up four goals to the Kings and five to the Sharks on the road. Buffalo's defense, normally very good, has been very shaky lately and Miller has bailed the team out with some brilliant saves that could have made these games much worse.
I think that the Canucks are hitting on offense right now and Buffalo is starting to show some weakness and fatigue. Ryan Miller has been good, but he will need to be excellent tonight against the Canucks if they want a win. Take the Canucks moneyline.

Duke -1 at Clemson

2010-01-23T15:20:00.000-05:00

Mavericks 94 Wizards 93

Record 2-1

Last season was a complete meltdown on the part of the Blue Devils last time they came to Littlejohn Coliseum. A poor defensive effort and bad shooting led to a 74-47 loss to the Tigers last season. This season a different Duke team is coming to town, seeking revenge.

The Blue Devils are led by Jon Scheyer, a considerable choice for player of the year, and his experience. He has shot just over 35% from the field this year on the road, and that number needs to be better tonight against the Tigers. Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler are going to need to step up big tonight in order to silence a very energetic crowd.

Duke is coming off a loss against North Carolina State and they need a win tonight. The offense has relied on Scheyer too much and it is time for Singler to step up and knock down some shots. The key for the Blue Devils tonight is locking down on defense and not giving up second chance points for Trevor Booker. Booker has averaged 19.8 points per game since only scoring 10 at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Jan. 3 in a 74-53 loss to the Blue Devils.

Here is the skinny. Coack K's squad is 0-3 in true road games this season and they cannot afford to lose this game, or else they will have a real slim chance of winning the ACC. I do not see Duke letting Clemson beat them like they did a season ago. The Plumlee brothers need to slow down the Clemson frontcourt and try to get Booker in foul trouble. I like Duke in this one, lets just hope they win by more than one.

Mavericks -5 vs. Wizards

2010-01-20T11:53:00.003-05:00

Thrashers 4 Maple Leafs 3

Record: 2-0

The Dallas Mavericks will need to play some defense if they want to cover against the Washington Wizards.

The Mavs have not been defending well, as they have given up 106.6 points per game since Jan. 3. This is a huge number that the Mavs know must go down if they want success tonight. The play the Wizards who are looking for a 3 game win streak for the first time in two years. The Mavs have a good road record at 14-7 while the Wizards struggle everywhere, and at home they are 8-11.

I think the key to this game for the Mavs is to play smart and not give up on defense. They limited the Boston Celtics to 90 points in their 9 point win on Martin Luther King Day, and they will have to duplicate that defensive effort for success and a cover tonight.

Jason Kidd has looked pretty good the last few games on offense knocking down open shots and not turning the ball over in the open court. Dirk Nowitzki is a machine, and arguably has the greatest jumper by a big man ever to play the game. I thought this line would be higher but since the Mavs have been struggling on defense and the Wizards are as hot as they ever will be, take the Mavs as a gift.

Maple Leafs vs. Thrashers

2010-01-19T17:24:00.005-05:00

Sabres 7 Coyotes 2

Record: 1-0

Toronto will carry some momentum going into Atlanta tonight as they knocked off the Nashville Predators 4-3 last night in late fashion by a goal from Phil Kessel in the 3rd period.
Kessel and the Maple Leafs are rolling their momentum further south to Atlanta, going up against a very eager and angry opponent in the Thrashers, who lost last night to the Florida Panthers 1-0. Ilya Kovalchuk was very upset after the game as they peppered goalie Tomas Vokoun for 14 shots in the final period and came up empty.

The Thrashers will need to channel that anger on the ice and on the offensive end if they want to be successful. Both teams are playing on back-to-back nights, and I like the Thrashers odds at home. If the Thrashers want to rake some Leafs tonight, they will have to get on the power play. They have a very focused and cohesive first power play unit in Kovalchuk, Maxim Afinogenov and Nik Antropov. I think this unit will get some action tonight as the Leafs average about 13 penalty minutes per game on the season.

I am picking the Thrashers tonight to bounce back from a disappointing loss last night, and they will do it on the power play.

Sabres at Coyotes

2010-01-18T17:38:00.001-05:00

This is a matchup of surprises this season. The Buffalo Sabres will bring the best goaltender this season to the desert to take on a very good home team in the Phoenix Coyotes. This is an interesting matchup with a great road team in the Sabres with a 13-6-1 road record facing off against the Coyotes who are 18-7-2 at home this season, despite the leagues worst attendance.

Obviously the goaltenders are the story in this game. The probable starters are Ryan Miller and Illya Bryzgalov and both are having career years. The Sabres have been paying great team defense only allowing 102 goals and Miller posting a 2.01 GAA. These numbers combined with a good road team can be very disruptive for the Coyotes tonight. The thing that concerns me with the Sabres is that they give up a lot of shots on goal and they really make Miller work for his wins, but if he gets into a rythym, he cannot be scored on by anybody, including a weak offensive team like the Coyotes.

For the Coyotes, they need to go back to what has made them successful this season, and that is good defense. The Coyotes have been struggling with getting the puck out from deep in the defensive zone and they will have to be smart with the puck deep in the defensive zone or else the Sabres balanced lines will tear up the Coyotes around the net. If Bryzgalov is not sharp tonight and the Coyotes let up on defense, he will have a long night infront of him.

I am picking the Sabres tonight and for Miller to stay hot as he continues to make his case as the starting Olympic goalie for team USA come February in Vancouver.

110th Army-Navy Game Has Huge Implications

2009-12-12T14:43:00.000-05:00

The 110th annual Army-Navy game is as big as it has been in the last five years. With a win, Army (5-6) can clinch a trip to the EagleBank Bowl at RFK Stadium in Washington on Dec. 29.
Army has dreaded playing Navy at the end of the season, since they have not won since 2001. Army needs a win today to prove that they are improving from their 0-13 season in 2003.
Navy has been dominating the Black Knights and the rivalry over the past ten seasons. Navy already knows they will be playing in the Texas Bowl in Houston on New Years Eve where they will play Missouri. What game do you think is bigger? Beating Army or beating Missouri?
Navy wants to stick it to Army by denying them of their first bowl game since 1996, and Army has had enough of Navy pushing them around for the past decade. This game is going to be fought like a national championship game, because it is to these players and their families.
On the football side, Army needs to stop the relentless running attack from Navy, which features the triple option. Navy is 3rd in the country in rushing yards per game with 279.7 yards per game, and if Army is going to win, they need to force Ricky Dobbs to throw the ball downfield and keep Navy out of the endzone.
This game is more than just the last game of the season, this game is for a year of bragging rights and national pride.

NFL Pick of the Week

2009-11-22T11:41:00.000-05:00

Jacksonville -8.5 vs. Buffalo

This game is a tap in. The Bills recently fired their coach Dick Jauron and Ryan Fitzpatrick will be the starting quarterback. The Jaguars are looking to extend their current win streak to three, and Maurice Jones-Drew leads a rushing attack that ranks 6th in the NFL at 140 yards per game. Jones-Drew is averaging 5.1 yards per carry and will feast off of the Bills rush defense, that ranks dead last in the NFL giving up 173 yards per game.

The Bills have basically no chance of winning this game and being on the road makes it that much worse, watch for a big ground game for Jones-Drew and a big win for the Jaguars.

College Football Pick of the Day

2009-11-21T14:40:00.000-05:00

Texas A&M -5.5 vs. Baylor

The Aggies are looking to bounce back from a beating Oklahoma put on them last week. The Aggies (5-5, 2-4 Big 12) look to become bowl eligible after losing to Colorado and Oklahoma on the road. The Aggies need this win today to become bowl eligible, because Texas comes to town next weekend.

I like the pressure that A&M puts on the ball and it starts with DE Von Miller. The Aggies like to put a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks and today against Baylor will be no exception. Miller has 15.5 sacks this season and he needs to get pressure in the backfield or else Baylor will easly be able to pick apart a very sub-par Aggies secondary.

A&M needs better special teams play, due to three muffed kicks last Saturday that resulted in scores for Oklahoma, the special teams cannot afford to make mistakes if they want a chance to win (and cover).

On the offensive side, QB Jerrod Johnson has played well this season. He has thrown for 272 ypg, 22 TD's 5 INT's. 5 receivers have more than 25 catches for the Aggies, so obviously Johnson likes to spread the ball around. Johnson also likes to use his feet to gain yards. He is 3rd on the team in rushing, and leads the team in rushing touchdowns with 7.

Look for Johnson to make plays on offense and Miller to get great penetration on this Baylor offensive line which will lead to a A&M cover.

Pick of the Night

2009-11-19T17:49:00.001-05:00

There are some great games tonight all over the world of sports. In college basketball there is Syracuse vs. Cal., UNC vs. Ohio State, as wellas UK and Kansas each playing at home tonight. The Thursday night NFL game features the Ronnie Brown-less (I like to make up words) Miami Dolphins visiting a Carolina Panthers team looking for some easy prey (god i'm good). Oh and let's not forget some good puck on tonight also. A huge game between the Chicago Balckhawks and Calgary Flames goes down tonight, awhere the Flames look to erase the memory of a 5 goal Hawks comeback last time they played. But these games are not my pick tonight.

Rider +4.5 @ Virginia

The Broncs (thats right not Broncos) have some offensive firepower in their guards. Novar Gadson, a 6-7 guard leads the team in points (20.5) and rebounds (9.0) per game. Ryan Thompson and Justin Robinson are second and third respectively on the team in points per game and they really power an explosive backcourt. Rider has already beaten Mississippi State this season by 14 and Lehigh by 15.

Virginia is 1-1 this season and their loss came to South Florida by 17 points. Ouch. Sylven Landesberg leads the team with 18.5 points per game and big man Mike Scott is leading the team in rebounds with 9.0 per game. This team is not that good and besides Landesberg, and the Cavaliers do not have any other scoring threats. Virginia shot an awful 2-12 (16.7%) from three against South Florida last game and they are 10 of 34 this season (29.4%).

These numbers do not sit well with me and Rider is looking for a big win tonight against Virginia before they head to Rupp Arena to play the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday afternoon. Take the Broncs, and I would buy the extra half point if you can (road game--I like to be safe).

Capitals Showing Who's Boss in the East

2009-11-18T22:51:00.001-05:00

The Washington Capitals are the best team in the Eastern Conference. This is not just an opinion, this is fact. Without Alex Ovechkin, the Capitals were still able to stay in the hunt for the top spot in the conference. When he came back, he scored and the Caps picked up two points beating the New York Rangers 4-2 Tuesday night. The Capitals are playing some of the best blue line hockey in the league and Mike Green is a assist machine, picking up assists number 16 and 17 last night on the power play.

There is little weakness on this team but they have to stay healthy and they must be better in net. Mike Knuble and Alexander Semin need to get back on the ice to help aid the power play and add consistent chemistry with Ovechkin, and the Caps need consistent goaltending from either Semeyon Varlamov or Jose Theodore. The Caps rank 20th in the NHL in save percentage at 90.1, 24th in GAA with 2.95, and have not recorded a shutout all season.

If the Caps can stay healthy and play better in net, this team will have home ice throughout the playoffs come April.

Week 11 Fantasy Plays

2009-11-18T14:11:00.002-05:00

Week 11 gives us many options on the waiver wire in most 12-14 team leagues. If these players are still available, they could help you win your week 11.

Jason Snelling, Atl RB
Snelling has been running hard this season when he has had the chance to. Last week, with the departure of Michael Turner, Snelling stepped in and carried the ball 16 times for 61 yards and one touchdown. This week he faces a challenge in the top ranked New York Giants defense who are fresh off a bye, but they rank 13th against the run, giving up 106 rushing ypg and 12 TD's. Matt Ryan has struggled for the Falcons, throwing 8 INT's the last 4 games. He needs to pick up first downs and limit interceptions so that can increase the carries for Snelling. Although reports say Jerrious Norwood will be starting, his role may be limited fresh off an injury and Snelling has proven he has been a tough runner to bring down. Projection: 19 rushes, 89 yards, 2 TD's

Matthew Stafford, Det QB
The Lions play the Browns this weekend. That should be reason enough to play Stafford. For teams that don't have a quality QB, Stafford is a great play this week. He finally gets a healthy Calvin Johnson and Brandon Pettigrew. Staffiord has settled down a little since his 5 INT game against Seattle week 9, and Stafford played very well against the Vikings last week, throwing for 224 yards and 1 TD. Detroit has a lot of weapons that can be exploited against a horrible Browns squad. Look for solid fantasy numbers from Stafford this Sunday. Projection: 260 pass yards, 2 TD passes, 1 INT

Robert Meachem, NO WR
This may seem like a stretch, but if you don't have a favorable matchup for your flex player, I like Meachem. He has been inconsistent this season, but recently he seems to have one bad game followed by a good game, good news is, last week he had a bad game. He only has 14 catches this season, but 11 of them have been for first downs. As the #4 receiver on the team, he has 4 TD's which is pretty impressive. Brees likes to spread the ball around, and if Meachem can continue to pick up first downs, he and Brees can gain some confidence and make some plays. Projection: 5 catches, 65 yards, 1 TD

Are the Hurricanes Really Back?

2009-11-16T22:02:00.000-05:00

The Carolina Hurricanes started the year as bad as one could dream of. Carolina's third win of the season came Sunday beating a challenging Minnesota Wild team. The Canes' third win puts them one point behind second to last place Toronto Maple Leafs. I see good things coming from Carolina, Eric Staal has started off slow and he has as much offensive talent as anybody, and Cam Ward is on injured reserve due to a freak leg injury involving Blue Jackets LW Rick Nash, where Ward's leg was cut with his skate.
Although they have some problems in net, look at the Eastern Conference standings, the top six teams are not going anywhere, but Atlanta, NY Islanders, Tampa Bay, Boston, Ottawa, Montreal, Florida and Toronto stand in front of Carolina. These teams are not showing any signs of generating a push right now, except for the Islanders. Look for Carolina to start to string some wins together and gain some ground on the east standings.

Week 10 Picks

2009-11-15T12:10:00.001-05:00

After a long night of drinking and a couple cups of coffee, I am ready to take on week 10. There are a few games that light up, obviously starting with the Patriots at Colts, Bengals at Steelers, and the Eagles at Chargers.

Patriots 34 Colts 24
This is going to be a shootout. The Colts will be putting rookie corner Jacob Lacey on Randy Moss. The Colts will obviously be helping him out on defense, so that should open up some options. Look for big days from Wes Welker and Lawrence Maroney. Watch for the Patriots to be running the ball on 3rd downs and short, which will keep the young Colts defense honest, but Tom Brady will open it up and win this game on the road.
Bengals 13 Steelers 20
This is going to be a good game to watch. Both teams hate each other and the Bengals have looked as good as they ever have. The Steelers stout run defense is going to stop Cedric Benson which opens up only a few quality options for Carson Palmer. If the Bengals are throwing the ball and Benson is ineffective, Troy Polamalu will have a great day for the Steelers.
Eagles 31 Chargers 34
Look for both defenses to let up today. These teams don't play great defense against good offensive teams. The key to this one is special teams. Both teams have dynamic special teams that can turn into instant offense. Watch for good special teams to set up good field position for both offenses to be able to put up points.

Change Needed in Chicago

2009-11-13T00:34:00.000-05:00

The Chicago Bears look pathetic. The Thursday night game against the 49ers was very sloppy and uneventful. The Bears received Jay Cutler at the start of the season and he has not been living up to his expectations at all this season. But that is not the problem. Any good business needs to set their employees up for success, and the Bears are not setting up their quarterback up for success. The offensive line is light and getting pushed around, the wide receivers are not fighting for balls, and the run game is extinct. There are a few things the Bears need to do by next season.

1) Fire Offensive Coordinator Ron Turner
His play calling is awful. The Bears came out throwing the first three possessions of the game and they never gave Matt Forte the ball on the edges. Jay Cutler is a west-coast style thrower. What this means is a lot of no huddle, short passes moving the chains and keeping the offense in rythym. Forte is a great pass receiver and he would fit into a great west-coast style system, and Turner is not allowing Cutler and the Bears to accomplish that. Again, we need to set up the team for success, and Turner is not doing that.

2) Fire Lovie Smith
He shows no expression on the sidelines. If we fuck up, he just stares, if we do well, he just stares. He is calling the plays on defense and they actually worked, but for how long? We played a shitty 49ers team that has Alex Smith at QB, I mean come on, we should have had more turnovers and taken control of that game with consistent offense. He led us to a Super Bowl with Rex Grossman, I don't know how he did, but it happened, and it is not going to happen again unless he gets changes in personnel on the offensive side of the ball.

3) Get Forte on the Outside
The Bears never pitch the ball. When is the last time you have seen Forte on a sweep? He needs to showcase some of the speed the Bears coaches talk about, and the Bears need to string it out to keep defenses from clogging the middle all the time. If I was playing against them, I would stuff the box with 8 all day. This stems from playcalling (see #1).

4) Cutler Needs to Make Better Decisions
Regardless of bad playcalling, lack of offensive line, and no run support, Cutler needs to learn to just relax and throw the ball away or take sacks. A sack and a third down is better than a pick and return in our zone. He has been forcing balls into receivers and tight ends and it is not helping the team succeed. Again, we need to set up our players to succeed, and Cutler is not helping the receivers out, and the receivers are not helping Cutler out either. Listen, Cutler has a great arm and with the right system he will be successful, but not right now under this system with these receivers.

Here's the bottom line. The Bears can't trade anybody or any draft picks for a receiver or offensive lineman, so Chicago is stuck trying to suck it up and try to win games for the next couple seasons. For initial improvement, the Bears need to look for new coaching staff. I love Mike Shanahan. He is a Chicago native (Oak Park) who knows how to run the football. With Forte under Shanahan's system and a coach who knows how to win, this seems like a perfect fit. Oh and Cutler had career highs in passing yards (4,526) and touchdown throws (25) under Shanahan in 2008.

College Basketball Preview

2009-11-09T23:44:00.002-05:00

Over the years, I get less and less interested in college hoops. It is right in the thick of football season, and there is great hockey being played in case some of you don't know. But this season, I want to get back to spitting college ball like Bill Cowher on the sidelines (or on CBS). So I have been doing my research, and I may have a couple teams to get high on (literally).
Villanova
I like the Wildcats this season. Jay Wright has a lot of guard options this year which plays best into his coaching style. With Scottie Reynolds coming back for his senior season for not making it in the League, (great fucking show on FX by the way), he will bring valuable experience and knowledge of the offense. Reggie Redding will be coming back from injury in December and the incoming class looks tough, as well as adding Duke transfer Taylor King. The only thing that concerns me about Nova is their size. If Antonio Pena can improve from last season and setp up as the primary big man for Wright, then the Wildcats will be tough to beat.
Duke
Duke impresses me this season. Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas bring a lot of experience for the Blue Devils frontcourt and Mason Plumlee is going to be a upcoming star for Coach K. A lot of talk is about the Duke point guard position. There are a lot of shooters and not a lot of ball handlers. Jon Scheyer will step up and probably play the point sometime along the way and his ball handling skills are one of the stronger aspects of his game, but what makes his game a little weaker is his defense. Kyle Singler will be carrying the load this season and Duke needs frontcourt production for them to actually make a run come tournament time.
Michigan State
This is one of the most focused teams in the country this year, and they haven't even tipped off. Tom Izzo is coaching a loaded Spartans squad with Big Ten player of the year Kalen Lucas who is salivating at the mouth to lead this team. Raymar Morgan and Durrell Summers will improve their numbers this season and Delvin Roe may have a big season as well. The Spartans run into size trouble, but i'll leave it up to Izzo to coach 'em up.

Lock of the Night

2009-11-08T20:43:00.000-05:00

Over: 49.5

The Sunday night game is a battle for NFC East position. The Eagles are led by Donovan McNabb and explosive WR and kick returner DeSean Jackson. But the story so far for the Eagles is their defense ranking 9th in the NFL and 12th in rush yards allowed per game. On the other side The Dallas Cowboys are explosive through the air ranking 2nd in pass yards per game. Their defense has struggled so far ranking 22nd in the league. The Eagles have the ability to score on big plays and they certainly have enough firepower to score a lot of points. If the Cowboys can run the ball effectively and keep airing it out, they will score plenty. The over looks good tonight with two very explosive offenses aquaring off on primetime.

Is Tonight A "Must Win" for the Cavs?

2009-11-06T17:11:00.000-05:00

I know it is early in the season, but the Cavs cannot afford to go 3-4. Cleveland plays at Madison Square Garden tonight looking to avoid back-to-back losses. The Cavaliers have lost as many home games so far this year as they did all of last season. With a lot of offseason rumors that LeBron James may go to the Knicks next season, it is important for the Cavaliers to make a statement against the Knicks tonight. If the Knicks show promise, LeBron may be further tempted to sign with them next season. Also, If LeBron pours it on in the Big Apple, he may start to develop some comfort with the New York crowd. The Cavs want to win this game and keep LeBron past the season, the role players need to prove that they are better than New York, and head coach Mike Brown needs to prove that his system sets up better for LeBron than Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni. This is a must win game for the Cavs tonight not just for the season, but for the future of the organization.

Kings Dominate Champs

2009-11-06T14:00:00.000-05:00

The Los Angeles Kings absolutely dominated the Pittsburgh Penguins last night at Staples Center. The Kings trailed after two periods and came alive in the third with four consecutive goals. Anze Kopitar led the way with two goals, which gives him 13 so far to go along with 13 assists. This team is moving the puck as good as any team I have seen this year and they are relentless in the offensive zone. Their young guns, Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Drew Doughty have been playing exceptionally well and Ryan Smyth is clogging the crease making life very difficult on opposing goaltenders. The Kings are playing outstanding puck and they look like they are not going anywhere for awhile. Move over Lakers, the Kings are the hottest ticket in town.

Sharks See Blood, Continue Win Streak

2009-11-05T13:17:00.000-05:00

The San Jose Sharks extended their win streak to six Wednesday night with a shootout win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Sharks have now won four consecutive road games and look to make it five against the Detroit Red Wings tonight at Joe Louis Arena. If the Sharks can extend the winning streak to seven, they will go home for a three game homestand against Pittsburgh, Nashville, and Dallas. The Sharks have nine road games this month and have already won two of them. This team has a lot of momentum and confedence going into the Joe, and if the Wings aren't careful, the Sharks could start to separate themselves as the best in the West once again.

NHL Surprises, Who's for Real?

2009-11-04T20:14:00.002-05:00

The first month if the 2009-10 NHL regular season has brought upon many surprises, which teams are for real and which are a fluke? Let’s take a look.

FLUKES

COLORADO AVALANCHE: 22 Points, 1^st in Northwest

The Avs are led in net by their workhorse Craig Anderson. Anderson, with a league leading 10 wins, a 2.11 GAA, two shutouts, and a career high .936 save percentage, is the hottest goalie in the NHL. The acquisition of Kyle Quincey from Los Angeles and the improved defensive play from Adam Foote and John-Michael Liles has made the opposition a lot tougher to get to Anderson. While the defense has been playing well, the offense has been struggling lately while Milan Hejduk hasn’t lit the lamp in his last three games, and starting
center Paul Stastny has not scored a goal in his last five. With the lack of offense and over-achieving defense, I do not see the Avs holding on to their Western Conference lead.

PHOENIX COYOTES: 18 Points, 2^nd in Pacific

Like the Avalanche, the Coyotes are led in net by Ilya Bryzgalov, who is first in the NHL in shutouts (3) and second in GAA (1.79). The Coyotes are led by defenseman Ed Jovanovski (4G, 6A) and RW Shane Doan (3G, 7A) each with 10 points. The Coyotes, currently in second place of the very under-rated
and powerful Pacific Conference, are trailing the San Jose Sharks, and are competing with an improved Los Angeles Kings squad, and under-achieving Anaheim Ducks team. Bryzgalov will not keep this pace up and there is not a lot of firepower on this team, another last place finish is in their future.

BUFFALO SABRES: 17 Points, 1^st in Northeast

Ryan Miller is posting an 8-1 record, a .940 save percentage and 1.86 GAA. These are great numbers for a bad team. The Sabres are lacking offense and Ryan Miller has no defensive help. Tomas Vanek, the team’s best sniper, has only 4 goals and 25 shots on goal. Who leads the Sabres in goals this season? Clarke MacArthur. Exactly.

FOR REAL

LOS ANGELES KINGS: 20 Points, 2nd in Pacific

I understand the Kings are in 3^rdin the Pacific, but there is a lot of promise here. Ryan Smyth has exploded for the Kings since he was acquired from Colorado, posting six goals and nine assists through 14 games. But the real story here is Anze Kopitar, who currently leads the NHL in points (24) and has a +7. The previous three seasons, Kopitar has ended with -12, -15, and -17 for his annual +/-. For the Kings, it starts with Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Smyth on the offensive end. If Jonathan Quick can lower his GAA and keep his save percentage above .900, the Kings will compete this season.

OTTAWA SENATORS: 14 Points, 2^nd in Northeast

The Senators have found quality replacements for former LW Dany Heatley in Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo. Both have struggled a little at the start of the season, but Michalek still leads the team in goals
(6, including a hat-trick against Tampa Bay Oct. 15). With center Jason Spezza without a goal so far and right wing Daniel Alfredsson carrying the load, these two additions need to find some consistency if the Sens want to take this division.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS: 17 Points, 1^st in Central

This may not seem like a surprise to anybody, but the big surprise is they have jumped out to an early Central lead, and it doesn’t look like anybody is going to catch them. With Captain Jonathan Toews still out with
concussion like symptoms, the team still has not surrendered their lead. The Hawks defensemen have been a big part of the success this season. Duncan Keith and Cam Barker lead defensemen with eight points with Brent Seabrook and Brian Campbell second with seven. Once Toews gets back and the forwards start
producing more, this team will be scary to play come April.

Look For Yanks to End it Wednesday Night

2009-11-04T19:54:00.001-05:00

The Philadelphia Phillies have hit twice as many homers as the New York Yankees and they are still trailing 3-2. The with the help of Chase Utley, the Phillies have had a power surge hitting 10 homeruns, but only scoring 4.8 runs per game. The Yankees, who have hit five homeruns, are averaging 5.0 runs per game and hitting 14 points higher than the Phillies at .246. Both teams have identical team ERA's at 4.91 and similar K/BB. The Phillies could be without the Flyin' Hawaiian Shane Victorino, who has struggled at the plate this World Series, but led the team in hits against the Yankees during the regular season. The injury report has not listed him as out yet, but coming back from a throwing hand injury like his is difficult. It will be tough to grip a ball or bat, let alone try to throw or hit.

Let's look that the picthing matchup: Pedro Martinez v. Andy Pettitte. Pedro had some success against the Yankees in Game 2, striking out 8 and giving up 3 earned. Pettitte, who got the win in Game 3, has clinched a World Series game once before, sweeping the Padres at San Diego in the 1998 World Series. If Pettitte can't find the strike zone, the Yankees will most likely pull him and go to the pen which means we may see Mariano Rivera in the 8th inning if the Yankees are leading. For Pedro, I feel he needs to command his pitches like he did in Game 2 if he wants to win this game. With a revived A-Rod (not to be confused with my boy A-Rob, check out his blog at notyouraveragearob.blogspot.com) and a past-due Mark Teixeira, I feel the Yankees bats will get at it early and often. Look for scoring in the first 4 innings to be plentiful and set the pace for the rest of the game.

If the Yankees can throw more breaking balls to Utley, dodge Shane Victorino and hit in the early innings, this series will be over Wednesday night.