Smoke and Mirrors

Why I know LeBron is staying put
by Conor Levis
LeBron James is not going to Miami. I'm not buying it. I know this, because I have a theory. Whats the worst possible scenario for the LeBron TV special? Answer- ESPN wastes an entire hour on a special, after all the hype this summer, just to have LeBron stay with the Cavs. Solution? Create a rumor going into tonight that Lebron is going to join Wade and Bosh in Miami, convince everybody its true, that way the Cleveland announcement (the most boring scenario) has a new excitement and shock to it. That way, the summer long hype and 1 hour special werent seemingly for nothing. Otherwise, why would ESPN leak the information that LeBron is leaning towards Heat and spoil the announcement when they have a freaking 1 hour special on the way? It doesn't make sense.

I do know one thing that makes sense though, LeBron can't leave Cleveland. Even if he wanted to, he can't. LeBron grew up there. He's lived there his whole life. He even lives there in the offseason. He knows the city's history and all of the failure that comes with it. He's lived through it. If he leaves, he doesn't just devastate an entire city's fan base, he devastates an entire state. The people of Ohio will turn on him faster than NBC turned on Conan. The person that once adored him will loathe him. He will replace Art Modell as public enemy number one. He would effectively murder professional sports in Cleveland. He knows this, and that's why he won't do it. He would never be able to show his face in Ohio again. He loves his home too much to put himself in that situation.

If Cleveland is the decision, it won't just be Cavs fans that are winners, but all of us. Because 'The Chosen One' as so many like to call him was meant to stay there. He was meant to lead his hometown team to a title, not jump ship and take the easy route. He's one of the greatest players we've ever seen, and as a basketball fan, I don't want to see his legacy tarnished. He means to much to the game of basketball. That's why tonight is going to be so special. Tonight, the landscape of the NBA is about to change. I can't wait.

Game 5

The Dwight Debacle
by Rick

its evident this blog is dead, and this post isnt going to change that. what id like to address is a couple issues with game 5 of the eastern conference finals. issue 1 is not discussed, but is blatantly obvious. issue 2 may be a bit of conspiracy theorizing, but i hate david stern and think its not as far fetched as it appears on the surface.

issue 1: dwight howard's "unintentional" elbowing. how many times a game is he allowed to unintentionally elbow someone before a pattern is formed. the announcing team (who are barely capable let alone informed) noticed that and kept repeating how the elbows were not intentional. at the end of the game i believe it was mike breen who stated that the celtics were going back to boston a bit "frightened". after what dwight did to davis and peirce in the first half how could they not be frightened? all im saying is take notice of how howard comes down after every attempted block shot. he comes down and uses the other player to break his fall. he is one of the few players in the nba i see do this consistently. most other players try to avoid doing this, it seems this is howards main line of defense when taking a tumble is on the docket. there is an easy way to do this, play a bit of a drinking game. everytime howard uses another player to break his fall and throws an "unintentional" elbow or forearm or anything take a shot. see how drunk u are at the end of the game. ill give u a hint, this game is potentially deadly.

issue 2: the officiating in the nba needs to be addressed. the perk ts were retarded. now i know i wont be the first to mention this, and yes bill simons is a boston guy, but its starting to look like david stern is fixing the league to "do whats best for basketball". simmons mentioned it in this article written after the donaghy scandal. donaghy claimed that betting was rampant amongst nba officials and that referees were told to help effect the outcome of certain games. the entire report can be read here. the bottom of page 3 of the pdf sounds extremely similar to the events that occurred in tonight's game, with elbows being ignored by dwight resulting in an injury to glen davis. the second paragraph on page two of the pdf file talks about how a gm influenced a ref to call a series one way. it talks about the ref talking to donaghy by phone and explaining what was about to happen. this is where id like to point out that joe crawford, an official assigned to game 5 of our series, is a fellow alum of a cardinal ohara high school. sure crawford is 15 years older than donaghy, but a friendship could have blossomed once entering the referee circuit. if u look at crawford's history ull see a history of bad calls and false tax filing. his most recent bad call came during the first round of this years playoffs. why a referee is allowed to continue calling games this year after that call is mind blowing. what im saying is this series is a bit fishy, and i think its to allow the series to continue to 6 or 7 games to make the nba the most money. this is why i believe we will see the lakers and celtics in the finals, not beacause they are the 2 best teams, but because its best for the league... fuck you david stern.

hot bitch
Mandy Moore
just thought about her today with some friends. never turned out uber slutty, but still was very hot. the world definately needs more mandy moores.

NFL Playoff Picks

Ok, I know this is a little out of the blue since we've only made three of four posts in the last ohhh... three or four months, but my friend Stan and I wanted to share our Round 1 playoff picks for this weekend's set of NFL games.

Game 1:
New York Jets @ Cincinnati Bengals -2.5

Stan says: "The Jets simply lucked their way into the playoffs. They finished the season by winning 5 of their last 6, but their wins were against the pre-Matt Moore Panthers, the Bills, the Bucaneers, the Colts second string, and the Bengals. They lost against the Falcons because Atlanta shut down the run and made Sanchez throw to beat them. He couldn’t. I see the Bengals crowding the line and making Sanchez air it out, which will likely not end well. Sanchez’s poor game last Sunday was overshadowed by the success in the running game. So, look for a low scoring Bengals win. 17-10 Bengals."

Conor says: "I'm not even going to break this game down. I will sum this game up in 5 words...Mark Sanchez on the road. Bengals win! Bengals win! 22-15!"

Conor's pick: Cincinnati
Stan's pick: Cincinnati


Game 2:
Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys -4

Conor says: "The Eagles are banged up and the Cowboys have been playing very well as of late. Key wins in the last few weeks include knocking off the then undefeated New Orleans Saints on the road. We can't dismiss the fact that this matchup features two notoriously incompetent coaches though, Andy Reid and Wade Phillips. And on a short week, anything can happen. If I were betting on this game I'd stay away...but if someone put a gun to my head, I'd have to take the Cowboys. They seem to have hit their stride. Cowboys win 24-17."

Stan says: "I think you can throw that week 17 game out. The Eagles are not as bad as they played, and the Cowboys are not as good as they played. This is a much more evenly matched game. Both teams should move the ball, but I see the Eagles defense stepping up and forcing a big turnover or two. Add that with a couple big plays in the Eagles passing game and I think the Eagles can pull it off. 27-24 Eagles."

Stan's pick: Philly
Conor's Pick: Dallas


Game 3
Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots -4

Stan says: "The Patriots are playing this without Welker, but they still have the advantage with their passing game. The Ravens are weak at the CB position. Look for them to provide some over the top help on Moss with the safeties. This should open up the short passing game, and the middle of the field. The Ravens have a very good running game, and Flacco has a strong arm. Look for them to keep the ball on the ground for most of the game and go deep a few times with play-action. I think this game depends on if the Patriots can get some pressure on Flacco. On the whole, they don’t have very good receivers, but Flacco will find the open man if he’s given all day back there. I think each team will make 1 or 2 big plays on offense, but most of the scoring should come from driving the ball down the field. Patriots 24-20."

Conor says: "Wes Welker is a devastating injury to the Patriots. Having said that (Curb Your Enthusiasm, anyone?), Julian Edelman represents a very formidable backup, almost a Welker clone when he's out there. The Patriots still have an advantage in the passing game against Baltimore's secondary despite a banged up Tom Brady, and though the Ravens have a strong running attack against a weak Patriots rush defense...Joe Flacco is a big question mark. The Patriots were 8-0 at home this year and they will continue to roll with a 20-13 victory."

Conor's pick: New England
Stan's pick: New England


Game 4
Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals -2.5

Conor says: "Arizona has been very inconsistent all season long and that scares me...because the same could be said about the Cardinals team that ran through the NFC playoffs one year ago. But this isn't the same Arizona team. Kurt Warner has not been as effective and two key guys, Anquan Boldin and Antrelle Roll, are hurt. The Packers have been very impressive late in the season and could be the most dangerous team in the NFC. I think the Packers roll in this one behind a big game game from Aaron Rodgers. Green Bay 33, Arizona 13."

Stan says: "There are too many what-ifs (Boldin, Rogers-Cromartie) with this game to get a good read on it, but I like Green Bay even against a healthy Cardinals team. The Packers hit their stride at the perfect time, and are heading into the playoffs on a roll. To win this game, they need to give Rodgers time to find his receivers. The Cardinals are a high-octane offense and, although their running game has improved, they are still a one dimensional team. Having said that, they are going to be facing one of the better corners in the league in Woodson and they may have to do it without Boldin. Still, expect this to be the high scoring game of the weekend. Packers 31-24."

Stan's pick: Green Bay
Conor's pick: Green Bay