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"NBA playoffs day 5 summary"

2007-04-26T12:29:00.000-04:00

After being shocked by Denver in Game 1 of their first round series, one might have thought the San Antonio Spurs would change their game plan heading into Game 2.

After all, another home loss to the Nuggets, and the Spurs would be in deep dodo.

But, no, there was nothing different about the Spurs who lost Sunday night and the Spurs who won Wednesday night, 97-88, to even the series at 1-1. Except that they were better. Except that their Big Three - Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli - came to play. Except that their defense held Denver's dangerous duo - Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony - to a miserable 17-for-46 shooting performance.

Sorry, folks, these were the same old Spurs.

When Denver made a valiant run in the fourth quarter, Ginobli embarked on one of his characteristic drives to the basket - between at least three defenders - to extend San Antonio's lead to six. When Iverson responded with a 3-pointer to make it a one-possession game, the Spurs didn't panic (despite Robert Horry's wild arm gestures toward coach Gregg Popovich). Instead they simply threw the ball into Duncan, who backed down Nene and hit one of his very characteristic bank shots.

Game over. Series tied 1-1.

Don't get me wrong. This is going to be a great series that lasts at least six games, and I’m guessing seven. But Wednesday night had to be refreshing to San Antonio fans, because the team they saw in front of them was basically the same team that won an NBA championship about 23 months ago.

After being outplayed by Nene in Game 1, Duncan responded (like he usually does), scoring an efficient 22 points on 9-for-17 shooting. Parker still struggled a bit from the field, hitting six of 15 shots, but an 8-for-8 performance from the free throw line gave him 20 points, and he dished out six assists. Ginobli, coming off the bench, contributed 17 points, including eight in the fourth quarter.

San Antonio's chances of getting back to the Finals rest on Ginobli's shoulders. He's always the X-factor. When he's on his game, he can get to the rim - or free throw line - on any possession. It's just a question of how aggressive and hungry he is. As he said after Wednesday's game, he was playing with a sense of urgency.

And that's the other thing about the Spurs. That's what made Sunday night's loss so confounding. No matter who they're playing in the playoffs, the Spurs always play with energy and passion. There are no letdowns, no letting up on the gas. They methodically beat one team, then the next, then another... and they're in the NBA Finals (where they're 3-0).

If Wednesday was any indication, the Spurs are back. After a one-game reprieve, they're ready to show why they've been the best team in the NBA over the past half-decade.

Duncan's steadiness. Ginobli's slashing drives. Parker's mid-range jumpers and teardrops in the lane. Bruce Bowen's virulent defense.

We saw it all Wednesday night.

Which has to have the Nuggets a bit concerned heading into Saturday's Game 3 in Denver.

Other insights
LeBron James looking (for the most part) like himself isn't the only big positive Cleveland can take out of its 109-102 Game 2 win over Washington Wednesday night.

How about the play of Drew Gooden? The power forward scored 24 points - three less than James' 27 - on nine fewer field goal attempts and also grabbed 14 rebounds.

The first two games of the series have been very encouraging for Cleveland not just because they've beaten the atrophied Wizards, but because of the contributions of their non-LeBrons. In Game 1 Larry Hughes broke out for 27 points, and on Wednesday it was Gooden's turn to share center stage with James, scoring 19 of his 24 in the first half to help Cleveland grab a double-digit lead that would just barely hold up at the end.

Hughes didn't have a bad Game 2 either, scoring 19 points in 44 minutes of action, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas also was solid, contributing 16 points and nine rebounds.

If James can get this kind of help on the offensive end on a consistent basis, Cleveland shouldn't have a problem making it through the first two rounds of the playoffs.

We'll see how the non-LeBrons fare on the road, however. That's where true playoff warriors earn their stripes.

...

What was Baron Davis thinking?

With Golden State trailing Dallas by a manageable 11 points with 0.2 seconds remaining in the third quarter Wednesday night, Davis picked up his second technical foul for arguing - and laughing, and clapping his hands about - a call against him. He was ejected and Dallas went on to win 112-99 to even the series at a game apiece.

Sure, it would have been difficult for Golden State to come back in the fourth quarter of a game Dallas needed. But Davis, the Warriors' audacious leader, should have checked himself. He knows his team has the firepower to make up 11 or 13 points in a matter of minutes. He shouldn't have lost his cool.

With that said, the Warriors have to feel good about themselves heading back to the Bay Area for Game 3 Friday night. With the exception of a 15-2 third quarter run by Dallas, Golden State played the Mavericks evenly. It's pretty obvious, now, that this series will be no cakewalk for Dallas.

As long as the Warriors' stars are able to stay in the games.

Thursday's must-see game
Houston at Utah, 9 p.m., NBA-TV
I am real interested to see how this one goes. Before the series, my thinking was that the home team would win every game, and so far that's held true. But Utah has looked really bad. Can the Jazz turn it around?

It will have to start with Mehmet Okur and Deron Williams, whose play was mediocre in Houston. Utah needs this game to stay alive. Expect a dogfight.

I'm out. Enjoy staying up late to watch Kobe vs. Raja.

"NBA playoffs day 4 summary"

2007-04-25T14:57:00.000-04:00

If you look at the majority of teams in these NBA playoffs, they have the following.

A solid starting lineup, usually featuring a star player.

And a couple role players off the bench who can provide 10 to 20 serviceable minutes.

And then there's Leandro Barbosa. It would have been a crime for the Phoenix Suns' guard not to have won the Sixth Man of the Year award (thankfully, Barbosa received the honor, and decorum remained intact).

Barbosa actually isn't a backup. He's a starting point guard. The only problem is, he's on the same team as Steve Nash, so he's relegated to the bench (at least at the start of games). But when he gets into the game, he's a force - much more than a "role player."

Just look at Barbosa's numbers in the first two games of Phoenix's series against Los Angeles. In the Suns' Game 1 win, Barbosa scored a team-high 26 points in 35 minutes of action (not exactly normal minutes for a bench guy). Then, Tuesday night, Barbosa led Phoenix's 126-98 demolition of LA with another 26 points, this time a game-high.

While Nash runs the show for the Suns, Barbosa provides quite an encore when it's time for the star to rest his back. And it is obvious that Nash is very comfortable with Barbosa in the game. Tuesday night he lied on the sideline, about as sanguine as a yoga instructor, while Barbosa dropped shots from all over the court (he finished 11-for-18 from the field).

Barbosa's play may turn out to be the key to Phoenix finally getting over the hump and making the NBA Finals, because with the way he's playing, the Suns don't miss a beat at the point guard position. Every other team in the playoffs has a drop-off from their starting PG to their backup. It is very minimal with Phoenix.

Yes, Nash dishes the ball better (he settled for 14 assists Tuesday), but Barbosa is a more explosive scorer and he can also find his teammates - just not as frequently as Nash or with as much grace and ease. Because they're different players, it's not uncommon to see them on the floor at the same time - and a lineup featuring Nash, Barbosa, Raja Bell, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire is downright scary.

Despite Barbosa's play, I still think the Suns don't play enough defense to get by San Antonio in a seven-game series, but if Denver can find a way to defeat the Spurs, the Suns would be able to outrun the Nuggets.

The Spurs are the main hurdle between Phoenix and the NBA Finals. They won two of the teams' three regular-season meetings, including a 92-85 win in April during which Phoenix's usually smooth offense looked confused. If the Suns can avoid San Antonio, however, they will have a decent shot at making the finals. They're more experienced and have better depth than the Nuggets, and they split the season series with Dallas.

Of course I'm looking way ahead. Phoenix still has to win two games against the Lakers. But if Barbosa keeps playing the way he did the first two games, Phoenix will invariably make the second round and possibly keep running from there.

Other insights
The Chicago Bulls are quickly ruining my prediction of a Detroit-Miami rematch in the second round. The Bulls dominated the Heat Tuesday night, 107-89, to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

Miami's players say they're not concerned, and they have a right to this outlook considering they're the NBA champs and they came back from an 0-2 deficit in the Finals last year.

But don't forget what happened to Detroit a year ago. After a phenomenal regular season, the Pistons became overly cocky in the playoffs, pushing aside losses like they were nothing... until they were eliminated. The Heat better start guarding Luol Deng and Ben Gordon better, otherwise its players could be sitting on the beach wondering what went wrong.

And one other thing: This is Miami's final run with its current nucleus. Next year – with the exception of D-Wade and Shaq - we will see a different Miami team.

...

I didn't see any of Toronto's 89-83 win over New Jersey Tuesday (the NBA TV factor), but I'm not worried about missing the early games in this series, because it's going at least six or seven games. These teams are very evenly matched - the first two games were decided by a combined 11 points - and will battle each other down to the wire of each contest.

One positive for New Jersey. It got the split despite two poor-shooting games from Vince Carter against his former team. In the two games he combined to shoot 13-for-43 from the field for a combined 35 points. Expect him to heat up back in New Jersey.

Wednesday's must-see game
Warriors at Mavericks, 9:30 p.m. EST, TNT
This is the second game of what should be an interesting doubleheader. Denver tries to take a 2-0 series lead in the opener against the Spurs. Obviously the Mavericks will come out with a lot of energy after losing Game 1 at home, but don't expect the high-flying Warriors to stand down against the No. 1 seed.

The closer this game is, the more pressure there will be on Dallas. Golden State simply needs to stay in the contest until the fourth quarter and then make its push.

I'm out. Enjoy LeBron owning Washington.

"NBA playoffs day 3 summary"

2007-04-24T12:21:00.000-04:00

Chauncey Billups is the most clutch outside shooter in the NBA.

There, I said it. After watching Billups stop cold another late-game surge by Orlando Monday to seal a 98-90 victory for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, I am convinced.

No player in the NBA makes more big 3-pointers than Billups. His ability to drill contested triples when his team needs points is reminiscent of Reggie Miller. The only difference, of course, is in the position the two play. Miller ran off screens, caught the ball in rhythm and went straight into his shooting motion. For the most part, Billups has to create his 3-point attempts, which isn't easy considering he stands a modest 6 feet, 3 inches.

Billups is able to create space from his defender despite everyone in the building knowing he's going to shoot from behind the arc. That is one reason he's so special. The other, obviously, is that he sinks the difficult shots, which have a tendency to rip out the opponent's heart.

Monday was just another day at The Palace for Mr. Big Shot, as he's appropriately called. After Orlando cut a 15-point deficit to seven in just over two minutes midway through the final quarter, Billups hit a 28-foot triple over the arm of an outstretched defender to extend Detroit's lead back to 10 points. Later, following an Orlando basket that narrowed the margin to six with just over a minute to play, Billups showed off his versatility, driving to the basket, drawing a foul and making a twisting left-handed layup.

After the free throw, the game was as good as over.

Billups had done it again.

Everybody knows about Gilbert "Hibachi" Arenas and Kobe Bryant. Their heroics are shown on sports highlight shows - and even non-sports news shows - over and over. Billups, on the other hand, doesn't get the exposure simply because often times his shots aren't as dramatic as Arenas' 30-footers at the buzzer or Bryant's made shots while falling out of bounds.

But Billups is the most consistently clutch of the three - and of anyone else in the NBA. Dwyane Wade may be the best at getting to the free throw line. Tim Duncan may be the most clutch post threat late in a game. When it comes to hitting a big shot for three points, however, Billups is the man.

I'm sure we'll see a lot more "clutchness" from him as the playoffs continue.

Other insights
Don't count Utah out in its series against the Houston Rockets.

Yes, the Jazz trail 2-0 now after falling 98-90 in Houston Monday night. But now they're headed home. And almost nobody is better at home than the Jazz. Utah finished the regular season an impressive 31-10 at home. It will be very difficult to beat there.

Expect the home fans to spark Mehmet Okur and Deron Williams, who have struggled the first two games. Utah will win at least one of the next two games, but if Houston is able to steal a game, it should close out this series on its home floor in Game 5.

...

An interesting side note. We've had three days of the playoffs, and on two of the days there have been identical scores in games. On Saturday, the first two games - New Jersey over Toronto and Chicago over Miami - were 96-91. On Sunday, three of the scores were nearly identical: 95-87, 95-89 and 97-85. Finally, on Monday both games were decided by a 98-90 score.

One other thing to notice about those scores: Teams are scoring under 100 points. Seven of the nine highest scoring teams this season are in the playoffs - and they all averaged 100-plus points during the regular season. The decreased point totals in the playoffs is just another pieces of evidence that teams simply exert more energy on defense in the postseason.

Tuesday's must-see game
Miami at Chicago, 8 p.m. EST, TNT
This will be a battle. The teams fought back and forth in the opener before Chicago pulled it out in the final minutes. I expect the opposite in this one. It will be close all the way, but Shaquille O'Neal will stay on the floor for the Heat, creating more space for Dwyane Wade, who will be the hero for Miami.

I'm out. Enjoy Chris Bosh’s dominance and Vince Carter getting booed.

"NBA playoffs day 2 summary"

2007-04-23T11:54:00.000-04:00

It was fun Sunday night watching the Red Sox sweep the Yankees at Fenway Park for the first time in 17 years (they even won a World Series during that span!), but that momentous event couldn't compare to the upsets that broke up the decorum of the NBA playoffs.

After watching just one home team lose in the first six playoff games (Toronto to New Jersey), Denver and Golden State shocked what I consider the two best teams in the NBA, San Antonio and Dallas, respectively, last night.

First, Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson combined for 61 points as the Nuggets upended the Spurs 95-89, then the Warriors refused to be intimidated by the mighty Mavs (or Mark Cuban), winning convincingly 97-85 in Dallas to improve to 4-0 on the season against the Mavericks.

What a night!

Let's start with Denver.

Entering the playoffs, we knew this. We knew that Denver could score droves of points. We knew Anthony and Iverson could create shots for themselves at anytime. We knew that Steve Blake is one of the most underrated point guards in the league (the fact that he can keep the aforementioned pair happy consistently is very impressive).

But here's what we also (thought we) knew. Denver - outside of Marcus Camby - doesn't play defense.

Until Sunday night. The Nuggets played alike a completely different team. I'm sure if George Karl had been asked how many points he thought his team needed to win, he'd have said at least 100. Granted, San Antonio isn't a high-scoring team. But in the Spurs' two regular-season wins over Denver, they scored 90-plus points. If not for a last-minute flurry of points, they would have ended up in the low 80s Sunday night.

And the game was in San Antonio.

Nene was the key for the Nuggets. He outplayed Tim Duncan. Will this happen again in the series? I highly doubt it. But if he can come close to performing like he did in Game 1, the Nuggets might be able to steal the series. Duncan scored 14 points. Nene had 13. Duncan grabbed 10 rebounds. Nene had 12. Duncan played 40 minutes. Nene played 38.

Overall, it was a superb effort by the often criticized big man who up to this point hasn't lived up to his contract.

Of course the Nuggets are run by Anthony and Iverson, and on Sunday they looked like Jordan and Pippen, Frazier and Monroe, Havlicek and Sam Jones. Both players shot better than 50 percent from the field and they were each 8-for-8 from the free throw line. They were unselfish but assertive. They took several shots, but mostly good shots. And they made the big shots down the stretch to help Denver pull away.

Speaking of hitting big shots, how about Golden State's Baron Davis? The point guard was close to unstoppable in Game 1, lighting up the Mavericks for a game-high 33 points, not to mention 14 rebounds, eight assists and three steals.

Maybe more importantly, Davis is the leader of an absolutely fearless bunch of Warriors whose confidence is sky-high right now. They haven't lost to Dallas yet this season, and until that happens, no one on that team is going to believe it's possible. Their body language is almost cocky, but at the same time, they're a No. 8 seed, so there's no looking ahead.

They have the perfect mindset. They're loose. They have nothing to lose. But they also are hungry, as Davis said after the win, and they're not content to simply be in the playoffs for the first time since 1994.

And their coach, Don Nelson, knows their opponent and most of their opponent's personnel. The Warriors did an excellent job on MVP candidate Dirk Nowitzki, holding him to 14 points on a horrible 4-for-16 from the field. Whenever he tried to spin off his defender, another Warrior was there to either knock the ball from his grasp or oppose Nowitzki's shot.

Golden State's defense of Nowitzki exemplified their overall game plan. They wanted to be the aggressors. They didn't sit back and let Dallas run its offense unperturbed. They got in passing lanes - forcing 13 turnovers - and they pushed the tempo. Despite being undersized, their leapers battled Dallas' stalwarts, and they were only outrebounded 50-45. The fact that Davis - at 6-foot-3 - was able to grab 14 rebounds speaks to the kind of intensity the Warriors played with.

And if their play on Sunday night was any indication, they're not going to settle for one win in Dallas. They're going to fight just as hard to win Game 2.

Other insights...

Expect a much larger column on this after the Lakers are eliminated from the playoffs, but Kobe Bryant is becoming the next Wilt Chamberlain. The Michael Jordan comparisons are dead. So it's time to start the Kobe-Wilt comparisons. Yes, they're a guard and a center, but their inability to win and mold well with their teammates is where they're similar

Bryant was explosive for three quarters Sunday in the Lakers' 95-87 loss to Phoenix, but he was a pitiful 1-for-10 in the all-important fourth quarter, which allowed the Suns to come back and steal the victory in a game they didn't deserve.

...

Much of Cleveland's success in these playoffs will ride on the shoulders of... Larry Hughes. That's right. We all know LeBron James will do his thing, but Hughes needs to be effective in order for Cleveland to advance to the NBA Finals (they could feasibly get to the Eastern Conference finals on LeBron's shoulders because of an easy draw).

Hughes was very effective Sunday in Cleveland's 97-82 pasting of Washington. He scored a team-high 27 points on 9-for-17 shooting from the field and 8-for-8 shooting from the free throw line. He took smart shots instead of ill-advised shots - a vice of his - and let the game come to him.

It was a positive sign for the Cavs.

Monday's game to watch
Utah at Houston, 9:30 p.m., TNT. Expect another hard-fought close game in the 80s. This series personifies what these playoffs will likely be - low-scoring defensive battles. I expect a similar result to Game 1, with Yao Ming asserting himself and Tracy McGrady taking over down the stretch.

"NBA playoffs day 1 summary"

2007-04-22T12:01:00.000-04:00

The matchup of Texas might actually occur in the second round before a possible Dallas-San Antonio showdown.

Because on Saturday night, the No. 5 seeded Houston Rockets showed why they're a championship contender. Up by just two points in the fourth quarter, the Rockets went into lockdown mode, giving Utah no easy shots and blowing the game wide open.

They went on to win 84-75.

Tracy McGrady showed that he's capable of being a lockdown defender, blocking Utah's Matt Harpring twice in a span of a couple minutes. Chuck Hayes and Juwan Howard banged down low against the bigger and supposedly stronger Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur.

Houston was dominating the game. And Yao Ming wasn't even on the floor.

Of course when Yao was present, he was the force I expect him to be throughout these playoffs. He scored a game-high 28 points to go along with 13 rebounds. He gives Houston a post presence who can be thrown the ball at any time and create a pretty decent shot opportunity for himself.

And then there was McGrady, who scored 22 of his 23 points in the second half. It was mentioned during the telecast that McGrady has never been more focused on basketball. He turned off all his cell phones and pagers (and whatever else NBA players carry these days to communicate) and is not helping out friends and family members with ticket requests. He has one focus, and that was clear in the second half Saturday.

The Rockets are going to need McGrady to make big shots for them when they're struggling offensively. McGrady showed that he can do just that, sinking a huge 3-pointer and then getting fouled on a 3-point attempt in the fourth quarter. He was, on both ends of the floor, the catalyst for Houston's huge run to put the game out of reach.

And he could be the catalyst in the Rockets not only getting past Utah, but giving Dallas a run for its money in a possible second-round series.

Other insights...
Once again the Pistons showed their inability to put away a team when it's down Saturday night. They led by double figures for almost the entire game against Orlando, but they let the Magic get within three points in the final minute before a Tayshaun Prince dunk helped seal a 100-92 victory.

Detroit has to develop a killer instinct. It can afford to mess around with the Magic. But not against the Heat or Bulls, its second round opponent.

...

Speaking of the Heat and Bulls, I must say I was surprised by the outcome of Game 1. When I saw that the game was very close in the final minutes - Chicago led 78-76 with just over five minutes remaining - I thought for sure the Heat would pull out the contest because they have Dwyane Wade, one of the game's most clutch players.

But Chicago proved me wrong, making all the key plays down the stretch to hold on for a 96-91 win. This is a great sign for Bulls fans. We all know they're a tough, physical team that isn't going to get blown out of a lot of games. If it can also become a team that finishes games strongly, watch out.

Sunday's game to watch
I know it's nice outside (at least here in Michigan) and you probably won't get to watch all four games today. But at least catch the Lakers-Suns game (3:30 p.m. EST; ABC). It will be very interesting to see how Kobe Bryant comes out in this series. Will he be too selfish? Will he be too unselfish? Or will he find the perfect medium and be able to lead the Lakers to an upset win? We'll see. I'm out.

"As A-Rod relaxes, Sheffield tenses up"

2007-04-21T00:02:00.000-04:00

A lot of the time, movies are simply what they are... fictional stories that rarely bare much truth in everyday life.

But not always (and I'm not talking about flicks based on true stories). Remember the film, "The Fan"? It is about a great baseball player whom a fan is so obsessed with that he will do anything to see the player succeed. When the player starts doing well, the fan finds him and asks about the reason for his newfound success.

The player replies, nonchalantly, that he simply stopped trying so hard, ceased putting so much pressure on himself. That's when the movie takes its Hollywood route, with the fan kidnapping the player's kid, and yada, yada, yada.

But from watching Alex Rodriguez and Gary Sheffield the first few weeks of the season, I think there is some truth to what Wesley Snipes' character says in "The Fan." I don't think Rodriguez necessarily stopped trying so hard – there aren’t many harder workers in the game. I do think he relaxed. He stopped trying to be someone he wasn't (hence his comments about not being best buds with Derek Jeter); he stopped worrying about the boo birds in Yankee Stadium (which explains how twice this week he struck out his first two times up before homering later in the game).

He's not killing himself out there. He's having a lot of fun, and after jacking two more home runs Friday night against Boston, he's got 12 - two shy of Albert Pujols' April record of 14.

Even after lining out in the ninth inning against the Red Sox, who held on for a 7-6 comeback victory, there was no helmet-hitting or cussing. Rodriguez simply shook his head, as if to say, "Bummer. He jammed me. I'll get him next time."

He moved on. He's probably already forgotten about the at-bat and the game, getting ready for a Saturday afternoon game at Fenway.

Also on Friday night, Sheffield looked the exact opposite of Rodriguez. Sheffield always loved playing in Yankee Stadium, in front of the tough-love fans. He never minded getting booed. But now he can't seem to find himself in Detroit.

With the tying run on third in the bottom of the ninth, Sheffield gripped the bat as tight as Tiger Woods grips his driver. And then he watched strike three settle in the lowest part of the strike zone. He gave the home plate umpire a "What the??" look and shook his head on the way back to the dugout.

It seems quite apparent that Sheffield is trying just a bit too hard to please the Detroit fans, who are much more loving than New York fans. He's hitting a paltry .125 and has just one home run and five RBIs. He needs to call his old teammate. A-Rod could probably help him out (“just relax, just breathe”).

Granted, it's April, which means that in two months Yankees fans will probably be mercilessly booing A-Rod and Sheffield will be batting .290. But for now, A-Rod is as cool as the other side of the pillow, and his hits are finding the other side of the fence. Meanwhile, Sheffield is overly psyched up - as if he's on the Yankees, playing the Red Sox in front of a sellout crowd at Fenway - and he's putting too much pressure on each swing he takes (or doesn't take).

Who knew a movie about a crazed fan could hold some water in real major league ballparks?

"NBA playoffs first-round preview"

2007-04-20T16:57:00.000-04:00

I have to say this.

I'm feeling good about my chances at picking the NBA playoffs' winners. On a whim, I looked back at my regular season predictions today and was surprised to find that I correctly picked 14 of the 16 playoff teams - I was wrong about the Clippers and Pacers, leaving the Warriors and Raptors out of the mix. But I did pretty well, picking the top two teams in the East (Pistons and Cavaliers) and getting the West's top three, although I had Phoenix No. 1 and Dallas No. 2.

So it's nice outside, I’ve got a new haircut, and I'm feeling good. And with that said, here are my first-round playoff picks.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

No. 1 Detroit vs. No. 8 Orlando
The most interesting thing about this series will be the return of both Grant Hill and Darko Milicic to Detroit. Other than that, it won't be very competitive. The Pistons always seem to drop Game 3 in their opening series, so I'll stick with the trend, but they'll take the series in five games. Detroit's wealth of big bodies will wear down Dwight Howard, and Chauncey Billups will post up Jameer Neslson all day long.
- Prediction: Detroit in 5 games

No. 2 Cleveland vs. No. 7 Washington
It's a shame Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler are out, otherwise this would be one heck of a series (remember last year?). Instead, it will only be mildly competitive because the Cavs suffer from "off-game" syndrome, meaning they don't always show up to play. LeBron James will dominate a couple games. Washington's Antawn Jamison will have his way in one game. But in the end - and I can't believe I'm saying this - James' supporting cast will lead the Cavaliers to an easy series win.
- Prediction: Cleveland in 5 games

No. 3 Toronto vs. No. 6 New Jersey
This is a very intriguing matchup, as Vince Carter returns to the city he left (expect boos). New Jersey obviously has much, much more playoff experience than the Raptors, but I don't put too much stock into that. Chris Bosh will have a huge series against the Nets' inferior post players, but New Jersey will dominate the perimeter. Carter, playing the final games before his contract is up, will have a huge series, and Jason Kidd will outplay up-and-coming point guard T.J. Ford. It will be a competitive series, but the Nets survive.
- Prediction: New Jersey in 6 games

No. 4 Miami vs. No. 5 Chicago
It is important to note that Chicago has homecourt advantage, and that last year the Bulls won two of three home games as a No. 7 seed against the Heat. Still, the result will be the same this year. How can you possible go against Dwyane Wade (regardless of his shoulder problems) and Shaquille O'Neal in the playoffs? You can't. The Bulls will play hard-nosed basketball, throwing bodies at both of Miami's stars, but it won't be enough. The Heat is rested and ready for the only part of the season it cares about. O'Neal showed when Wade went out what he can do when he's motivated. He'll dominate Ben Wallace. The Bulls' outside shooters will win a couple games for them. But just a couple.
- Prediction: Miami in 6 games

WESTERN CONFERENCE

No. 1 Dallas vs. No. 8 Golden State
This is the most intriguing 1-8 matchup in quite sometime. The Warriors owned Dallas during the regular season, winning all three games, including two when Dallas played its big guns. So there will be no lack of confidence on the Warriors' bench. Plus, they have Don Nelson, the former Dallas coach, who knows everything about his former team. But Dallas has worked way too hard after last year's heartbreaker in the Finals to lose this early in the playoffs. The first few games, the offenses will rule as the teams run up and down the court, but then the Mavericks will lock up on defense, winning the final two games to take the series.
- Prediction: Dallas in 6 games

No. 2 Phoenix vs. No. 7 Los Angeles
Another rematch from last year's first round (there are a total of three rematches). This one probably won't have the drama of last year's, when Phoenix rebounded from a 3-1 deficit to take the series in seven games. Phoenix should overwhelm Los Angeles, especially with Amare Stoudemire playing well down low. The key for the Lakers will be how well Andrew Bynum can stand his ground against Stoudemire. And then, of course, there's the Kobe Factor. If Kobe Bryant goes off, scoring 50 points a game and making all the right decisions, anything is possible. But I just don't see it. Phoenix has much more talent all around.
- Prediction: Phoenix in 5 games

No. 3 San Antonio vs. No. 6 Denver
This one's just as intriguing as the first two Western Conference matchups. On paper, Denver is as talented as San Antonio. It can score tons of points with Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony running the show, and Marcus Camby has had a great comeback year after all the injury-plagued seasons. But the Spurs are a great playoff team, and they have all the key pieces back from their championship team of 2005 and their squad last year that lost in the seventh game of the conference semifinals to Dallas. As long as the Spurs make the series into a slowdown, half-court matchup, they'll have no problems. Denver needs to run as much as possible.
- Prediction: San Antonio in 6 games

No. 4 Utah vs. No. 5 Houston
Houston, with the better record, has homecourt advantage in this one, and that could turn out to be the difference, because this is going to be a back-and-fourth, bruising series. It's also going to mark the emergence of Yao Ming as a strong playoff player. Yao, while healthy, has had a very auspicious year, and it's going to carry over into this series. Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer will have problems with Yao, Tracy McGrady will draw the key fouls, and Shane Battier and Luther Head will combine to hit the huge 3s. The home team will win every game in this series.
- Prediction: Houston in 7 games

And there you have it. The first round of the NBA playoffs. It's going to be hard to match last year's first round, which featured Phoenix's great comeback and the LeBron-Gilbert showdown. But who really knows what will happen?

I'm just hoping my success from my preseason picks carries over.

"No Legion for Beilein"

2007-04-17T17:20:00.000-04:00

The first major blip in John Beilein's coaching tenure as Michigan basketball coach occurred Monday when star recruit Alex Legion decided to back out of his commitment to become a Wolverine.

Except this one can't be blamed on Beilein. In fact, the only person it can be put on is Tommy Amaker, who is now teaching Harvard students how to play basketball (I think).

Not even Legion can be blamed. Sources say he's now looking at Connecticut, UCLA, Kentucky and Kansas. In the past nine years those schools have won two national titles and made the Final Four six times - and if you go back three additional years, you can add two national titles (won by Kentucky in 1996 and '98). Michigan hasn't made the NCAA tournament since 1998.

What's confusing is why Legion committed to Michigan in the first place. He actually committed, decommitted, recommitted last summer... and now has decommitted again. I know - a lot of M's and T's. Did Amaker tell him Michigan would be his team? Did Amaker promise him 20 shots a game?

Who knows what Amaker told him?

What can be taken from this is that Beilein isn't going to change his system for anybody. And possibly as a result, big-name, only-stay-a-year recruits will stay away from Ann Arbor.

If you look at all of Beilein's "star" players from his tenure at West Virginia - especially from 2005 when he took the Mountaineers to the Elite Eight - none of them were future NBA studs. None of them were picked in the NBA Draft.

Kevin Pittsnogle, West Virginia's most crowned player, wasn't even selected in last year's draft after four impressive years in Morgantown, and played this past year in the CBA.

Despite the wealth of talent in Michigan, don't be surprised if many of Michigan's recruits are low-profile guys. Players who might not be going to the NBA after college. But players who can shoot the 3-pointer, are unselfish, and will stay four years.

If Beilein puts together enough of those players, he won't have to worry about losing studs like Legion.

A team of good players with impressive chemistry will almost always run over a team with a couple big names trying to do their own thing.

"No longer can we stand in the dark"

2007-04-16T16:47:00.000-04:00

As I'm sure most of you have heard, a man on the campus of Virginia Tech University went on a killing rampage Monday morning, killing 33 V-Tech students and injuring several more.

It was the worst school shooting in U.S. history - even worse than Columbine, Colo., in 1999.

And, in a way, it was probably tied to sports. Believe it or not, a lot of national issues can be connected to the sports world.

In most cases, the individuals who commit heinous crimes like these are people who have been shut out or have locked themselves away from mainstream America. They don't read the news; they don't have conversations with friends about various issues facing our country; they don't have many friends, period.

In one word, they are lonely.

We need open dialogue
The last two and a half months have been both groundbreaking and depressing when it comes to race relations in the sports world.

On the first Sunday of February, Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith became the first black men to face off in a Super Bowl. That was a huge milestone, and as much as people said it shouldn't have been made a big deal, it was. It couldn’t be ignored (and shouldn’t have been).

More recently, as in the past two weeks, things have not been so felicitous. Don Imus spoke out on his CBS Radio show, calling the Rutgers University women's basketball players' "nappy-headed hos" after the Scarlet Knights lost to Tennessee in the women's basketball national title game.

Then, just this past week, all the charges were finally dropped in the sexual assault case against three Duke University lacrosse players - all white - who were accused last spring by a black woman from North Carolina Central University of sexual assault. The case caused an uproar in Durham, a city with much racial tension, motivated Jesse Jackson to make an appearance, and many of us in the media were quick to jump on the alleged victim's side. After all, who could possibly like three privileged white men over a young black woman working as a stripper to pay for college.

Mike Nifong, the former Durham County District Attorney, certainly felt that way, going to ridiculous lengths to try to prove a case that held no water. He withdrew from the case in January following a charge by the North Carolina bar of making misleading and inflammatory comments to the media about the three athletes. Later, he was charged with withholding evidence from defense attorneys and lying to the court.

Obviously, he had an agenda, which he relentlessly followed despite no evidence that the three young men were guilty.

While the situation in Durham is resolved, the three indicted men will always have a shadow hanging over them. They won't be able to forget about the past year.

The Rutgers' players, on the other hand, have an enhanced image because of Imus' comments. Last week they, along with their coach C. Vivian Stringer, held an hour-long press conference to denounce Imus' comment and present themselves as anything but "nappy-headed hos."

Sure, it would be nice to think that everyone in this country knew Imus was full of crap. But let's be honest: There were probably people who tuned into the press conference thinking that they'd see a bunch of young women talking like the uneducated rappers that pollute BET and MTV on a daily basis. Those people were probably shocked by what they saw. But more importantly, maybe they were educated. Maybe they realized that 1) Imus often says things that are baseless and 2) The majority of college athletes, both black and white, are educated young adults who represent their universities to the best of their ability (no, not all college athletes leave early for the various pro sports drafts).

And they have humility. This was evidenced by the coach and players accepting Imus' apology, even though I doubt it was sincere. This was also shown by them saying they didn’t want Imus to lose his job. Unlike Nifong, Stringer and her players had no agenda other than to show the nation who they are: Dignified, multi-talented young women with good hearts.

While Imus' comments initially sparked a controversy, now the only remnant of the case is that he no longer holds his job. And he's expected to meet with the team on Tuesday to discuss what he said.

Hopefully his views will be changed by what Stringer and her players have to say to him.

Positive dialogue. Needed dialogue.

Lying begets negativity

Thank goodness the San Francisco Giants' doubleheader against Pittsburgh was rained out on Sunday. If not, Barry Bonds would have taken the field wearing No. 42 to "honor" Jackie Robinson, the man who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball 60 years ago from Sunday.

The day was a marvelous one around the country, as several players and even a couple entire teams honored Robinson by wearing his No. 42, which was retired from the league in 1997.

But Bonds' wearing No. 42 would have almost single-handedly ruined the day because Bonds represents absolutely nothing that Robinson did. While Robinson always did what was best for his race, Bonds has lied countless times about taking steroids. While Robinson never put himself above his teammates and opponents, despite the magnitude of his accomplishment, Bonds has always put himself on the ultimate pedestal, bringing his own brigade of trainers into the locker room and isolating himself from teammates.

Most importantly, Robinson put himself out there, didn't hide anything. Bonds only cares about himself and breaking Hank Aaron's home run record. After that he'll probably retire to a life of solidarity.

Aaron has repeatedly said recently that he would not be on hand to see Bonds break his record of 755. He's made excuses about travel, but it is obvious that he doesn't want to be there because he believes Bonds' numbers are tainted. He was on hand in Los Angeles Sunday night to honor Robinson, so it is obvious he can hop on a plane. But only when it's to honor one of the game's true heroes.

Bonds, as Jeff Pearlman's book cover reads, is the "Antihero." If he had come out five years ago and admitted his steroid use, he probably would have been forgiven by now. Many of us would be cheering his race at history this season.

But, no. Bonds is not a fan of open dialogue, except to say that he'll only talk about baseball. And that's a shame. He could have been a "Hero."

So what now?
So here we stand, as a nation, mourning the deaths of 33 young, bright individuals at Virginia Tech. It is still unknown what the motive(s) of the shooter was. I'm not going to make any conjectures.

But one of this country's main issues causes much of this unnecessary violence.

Ignorance.

People make assumptions about other groups of people. Maybe they see an isolated case that portrays a black athlete as a thug (say Pacman Jones), and from that one, single, isolated incident, they come to the conclusion that black football players are criminals.

In Durham, it worked the other way. The three white lacrosse players were condemned and repeatedly bashed because of their race and background. They were portrayed as spoiled, racist young men who thought they could take advantage of a poor black stripper.

Ignorance.

As a college student, I know for a fact that nothing can resolve these kinds of situations better than open dialogue. People with differences can either ignore each other and continue to hold onto their deluded perception of their counterparts. Or they can get together with those in the other room and discuss their beliefs.

That's what Stringer and her players are giving Imus the chance to do on Tuesday. It might actually bring about some positives.

Now - more than ever - we need to be open with each other. It's unrealistic to believe that was can simply ignore race, and sexual orientation, and all the other touchy subjects in this country. Maybe in the future, but for now we need to talk with each other about what angers us, about what forms our views of one another.

And about what drives a man on a college campus to go on a killing rampage.

"East Coast sorryness"

2007-04-14T04:57:00.000-04:00

Quick question.

How the Knicks been doing lately?

Not bad, my man. Not bad at all. They been tanking. That's right, tanking. Just like the Celtics.

Unfortunately, the Sixers didn't show up for the party, ginknat (the opposite of tanking) instead. Not cool at all. But then again, Philly's never been considered "East Coast" anyway.

And the city hasn't seen a sports team win a title since 1983. So obviously its franchises are clueless on how to be successful.

New York and Boston on the other hand? They know exactly what they’re up to. They're both tanking, both of their sorry coaches are returning next year (for inexplicable reasons) and both of them (mostly just Boston, but don't count out New York) have a shot at landing one of the first two picks in the NBA draft (which would mean - almost positively at this point - Greg Oden or Kevin Durant; Oden's father said Friday that Oden will join Durant in the draft).

On a side note, you have to love parents stepping up and helping their adolescent kids make decisions (because despite Oden's beard and all the "he's gotta be 44!" commentary out there, the truth is he's still a kid; ditto with Durant). Both of these players had to go, and their parents showed them the way.

But back to the ugly side of things. About a month ago, with the Knicks in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race, owner James Dolan gave coach and team president Isiah Thomas a new contract. There are only two possible explanations. Either Dolan is the stupidest man alive outside of Matt Millen and Danny Ainge (more on that in a minute). Or he is close to the smartest man alive.

Yeah, I know, sounds confusing. But don't shut down the computer yet. When Dolan made the move, the date was March 12. March Madness was two days away. As busy as Dolan is with his aspiring guitar career, he must have at least filled out a bracket or watched a little commentary on the NCAA tournament. After all, everyone except for my mom, sister, half of my fraternity brothers and every other country in the world cares about the Big Dance.

Most importantly, I'm sure that as Dolan browsed his bracket over a hot cup of New York coffee, his pencil stopped on the words "Texas" and "Ohio State," aka "Durant" and "Oden." Dolan probably strummed his goatee and thought, OK, my team is going nowhere this year. The best we could do is make the playoffs as a No. 8 seed and get spanked by Isiah's old team, which would only create bad publicity going into the postseason. After all, everyone knows that the Pistons have refused to hire Zeke in any capacity, instead opting for the more capable Joe D - a heavy punch to Thomas' ego.

If the Knicks had done that, they like would have ended up with a mid first-round pick, resulting in the drafting of another Renaldo Balkman (who, by the way, hasn't been bad; but comparing him to Oden is like comparing a mouse to an elephant).

So - and remember, we're following the second theory about Thomas’ extension here - Dolan considered the best way to tank. He could have fired Thomas. But that wouldn't have worked, because young players always initially rally around new coaches, sensing that there's a renewed hope when in reality the coach will be out of a job within weeks. He could have sent a subtle message to Thomas that losing games would be just dandy. But the problem there would have been that Thomas, without any sort of job security, would have been hesitant to go along with the plan. So Dolan came up with the best idea: give Thomas a contract extension.

That way Thomas would relax. He'd stop working so hard with his players. Basically, his competitive juices would calm down. And the players, who enjoy Thomas as coach, would have relaxed as well, not fearing for their coach's job.

So that's one of the explanations for the contract extension. The other one isn't so complicated. Dolan might have actually thought that Thomas is the answer for the Knicks and will lead them to the promised land. He might have gotten so excited watching Eddie Curry turn into a 20-point scorer that he just couldn't wait until the end of the season. He didn't want Zeke to get a bunch of new offers and roll outta town on him. So he hooked his man up.

And now Thomas is executing a perfect tanking job. The Knicks are tied for eighth right now in the Oden/Durant Sweepstakes. Not exactly an auspicious spot, but crazier things have happened (just look at the 2000, 2001 and 2005 drafts listed), and they could move up to as high as fifth by the end of the season (three games to go) if they continue to tank and Portland, Seattle and Charlotte don't.

Good thinking, James. Yeah, I'm not calling you stupid quite yet. Just dumb, sick and diluted.

A little north of the Big Apple, in the city that used to have the most celebrated franchise in sports, the situation is even worse. While the Knicks have only been tanking for a month, the Celtics have been going strong for most of 2007. Paul Pierce has missed a great deal of the season. Players have been put in games at the wrong times (and some, particularly talented point guard Rajon Rondo, not at all). And coach Doc Rivers got a contract extension.

WOW. Red Auerbach must be turning over in his grave right now. Or maybe he's the smartest man on the earth, having known how ugly things were going to get. Maybe he just needed to get out before these Celtics gave him a heart attack. You know those snowouts the Cleveland Indians hosted last weekend? There's no way they would have been tolerated at Fenway Park this week. Baseball couldn't have come soon enough for Boston sports fans. It's been that bad.

Then again, you could also say it's been that good. A superb tanking job. I've got a couple numbers for you. First of all, there was the franchise-record 18-game losing streak in January and February. That got things rolling. And now, with just three games remaining on the schedule, the Celtics have lost six consecutive games and have clinched the No. 2 spot in the lottery (which means they'll try to win the final three games to make this look like a young team plagued by injuries; not a team whose coach and general manager gave up on).

It should be said that when I mention "tanking," in no way am I referring to the players. As polluted as professional sports are, generally athletes who compete in them play hard and play to win. Especially young players like the Celtics' core group who are trying to earn minutes and the trust of Rivers (not that'd he play them anyway during a tanking mission).

But if a coach and GM put their minds to it, they can run a team into the ground, which has certainly been the case in Boston. Watching the Georgetown-North Carolina regional final last month, the TV cameras found Rivers in the crowd watching his son, Jeremiah Rivers, play for the Hoyas. As I watched the epic UNC collapse, I couldn't help thinking what was going through Rivers' mind (besides, of course, thoughts about his son's team's amazing accomplishment). It must have hit him, as the Tar Heels bricked their way back to Chapel Hill, that his Hoyas would be playing Greg Oden’s team in the Final Four. That Oden could play against his son in one game and for him in the next (if OSU had lost to Georgetown).

And I'm sure Rivers wasn't worrying about his Celtics at that moment (or even that night). He hasn't had to do much fretting lately. He's set for a while in Boston. All his team needs from him is some poor coaching (even David Hasselhoff could coach the Celtics better than Rivers, unless, of course, he had to take on the Mavericks and his beloved Dirk Nowitzki).

As it stands, two East Coast coaches are sitting pretty right now. One has a good chance of landing an amazing talent come May 22. The other has an outside shot. Both will be back on the bench come November (although there are no guarantees in today's coaching business, where contracts are disrespected more often than Snoop Dogg smokes weed). And both are making plenty of money.

The coach who could be out by season's end? Definitely Indiana's Rick Carlisle. He had a chance a couple weeks back to sink his Pacers. Instead they've clawed and fought for that final playoff spot in the East, are now on the brink of being eliminated and will have a dismal chance at lottery success.

Now that’s stupid for you.

"2007 Detroit Lions prediction"

2007-04-12T12:30:00.000-04:00

Hey, good news if you're a Lions fan.

The Detroit Lions will start the season 2-0. Yeah, that's right, you heard it here first. They'll be on top of the NFC North. They might even get an article in a prominent magazine after defeating Oakland and Minnesota. Fans will stop yelling for Matt Millen's head, instead praising him for drafting all those wide receivers and putting together such a "complete" team. The team will be the toast of the town (Tigers??? Puh-lease. They'll be in last place by then) for those two weeks.

Then everything will return to normal.

With that said, here is my always fun Lions prediction (which, as you may notice, is made before the NFL draft/free agent acquisitions because not even LaDanian Tomlinson could save this franchise).

Week 1: Detroit at Oakland
Randy Moss left Oakland for Green Bay. The Raiders have no quarterback. Warren Sapp has food poisoning.
- Lions 13, Raiders 6

Week 2: Minnesota at Detroit
Who's Minnesota's quarterback? Tarvaris Jackson? And do the Vikings even have a running back? Jason Hanson - who should have left town 12 years ago - kicks four field goals.
- Lions 19, Vikings 10

Week 3: Detroit at Philadelphia
The losing begins, and this will be ugly.
- Eagles 35, Lions 6

Week 4: Chicago at Detroit
No Roy Williams prediction before this one. But does it really matter?? Nope. Not unless Grossman throws six INTs (which, I guess, is possible).
- Bears 20, Lions 10

Week 5: Detroit at Washington
Yes, Washington will be bad. But not as bad as Detroit. Get outside instead of watching this barnburner.
- Redskins 17, Lions 9

Week 6: Bye week
Huge off week for the Lions. Plenty of quotes about regrouping and refocusing. Maybe a prediction from Williams.
- No wins, no losses

Week 7: Tampa Bay at Detroit
Yay!! Back on the winning side of things. Lions do a great job of preparing two weeks for the Bucs' vaunted offensive attack led by the aging Jeff Garcia. They even knock him out of the game, riling up the city's stupid fans.
- Lions 24, Bucs 13

Week 8: Detroit at Chicago
Lions start their annual streak of losing close games and blaming each one on something different. This one's on the wind that forked a Hanson field goal wide left.
- Bears 16, Lions 13

Week 9: Denver at Detroit
This time second-year man Jay Cutler engineers a last-minute drive for the Broncos.
- Broncos 21, Lions 17

Week 10: Detroit at Arizona
The backbreaker of the season. Lions lead 21-3 in the third quarter, but Matt Leinart leads a feisty comeback, bringing the Cardinals all the way back. Then Kitna throws an INT in OT, and the season is as good as done.
- Cardinals 30, Lions 24

Week 11: NY Giants at Detroit
Hah, hah. Lions get burned by Eli. On the bright side, there's something positive for Detroit's columnists to write about as former Michigan State player Plaxico Burress has 10 catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns.
- Giants 24, Lions 13

Week 12: Green Bay at Detroit (Thanksgiving)
Relish it while you can, Lions fans. It'll be your last positive moment of the season (besides realizing in late December that you've got the No. 2 pick again). Lions rough up Favre in his final game in Detroit.
- Lions 31, Packers 21

Week 13: Detroit at Minnesota
Are you kidding me? When was the last time Lions won in the dome? 1979? I'm not even looking it up.
- Vikings 20, Lions 16

Week 14: Dallas at Detroit
Another close one. This time Romo (check that, it's some obscure backup quarterback now) handles the snap and the winning field goals is GOOD!
- Cowboys 20, Lions 17

Week 15: Detroit at San Diego
Oh, boy. This one ain't close to close. The Chargers lock up homefield advantage in the AFC.
- Chargers 42, Lions 10

Week 16: Kansas City at Detroit
Big game for Chiefs, who are fighting for that final wild card. Big game for Detroit's fans, who finally stage a "Fire Millen" walkout, not that it's gonna work.
- Chiefs 16, Lions 13

Week 17: Detroit at Green Bay
Man, this is cruel. It's hard enough for the Lions to play the Pack in early December. Now late December? And Favre's last game as a Packer?? WOW.
- Packers 34, Lions 17

So there you have it. A 4-12 season. A one-win improvement over last season. And another No. 2 draft pick. And remember, I'm not changing this even if they get Tomlinson, or Tom Brady, or Peyton Manning or...

It doesn’t matter. These are the Lions, the worst franchise in professional sports, and this is a tradition.

No one loses like the Lions.

"Appreciating the games' pioneers"

2007-04-09T11:27:00.000-04:00

I’m not sure how long ago it was. But there was a day way earlier in his career – when he was hitting home runs effortlessly – when Ken Griffey Jr. was asked about the impact of Jackie Robinson on the game of baseball.

The youngster replied that he’d never heard of Robinson, who was major league baseball’s first black player. I remember thinking, are you kidding me? You don’t remember the man who made what you’re doing for a living today possible?

I added Griffey to the list of modern-day athletes who have no appreciation for those who set the foundation for their success and wealth (a fairly big list, by the way).

That was then, this is now.

On Sunday Griffey will be the Cincinnati Reds’ representative to wear No. 42 as MLB celebrates the 60th anniversary of Robinson’s breakthrough by having one player from every team wear No. 42 and the entire Los Angeles Dodgers roster sport the historic number.

Griffey also wore No. 42 on the 50th anniversary 10 years ago, so it is clear that he didn’t just learn about the American hero recently. He most likely educated himself soon after his ignorant comment.

Kudos to Griffey.

There are way too many athletes at all levels of sports today who have no knowledge of the history of their sport. This is a disservice to those who made possible their amazing opportunity.

Also, how can someone be great – or even the greatest ever – if they haven’t watched or read about the greats from the past, the men or women who took their sport to new heights?

Athletes today are so talented, they don’t think they need to know their sport’s history to be successful. For the most part, they are right. A lot of the time they can get by on their phenomenal ability. But at the same time, they can learn from those who had the experience of playing for a long time. Whether it’s in person (such as Patrick Ewing working with Yao Ming) or through another source, such as a book or a video.

It’s not uncommon to hear today’s superstars, the players who transcend the game, talk about watching their heroes growing up and mimicking what they did on TV.

One reason I’ll always respect Shaquille O’Neal is because when George Mikan, the NBA’s first great big man from the 1950s, died, O’Neal not only paid his respects to Mikan. He also paid for the funeral, which Mikan’s family couldn’t afford.

O’Neal knew that if not for Mikan and the game’s other pioneers, there might not be a thriving NBA today.

Just like Griffey now fully understands the impact Robinson had on professional baseball.

"Race in sports can't be ignored"

2007-04-09T10:22:00.000-04:00

In the last 54 days, thanks to the genius invention of the radio some 100 to 200 years ago, I've learned a couple things.

I've learned that Tim Hardaway hates gay people (even on Valentines Day, which is when those words escaped his mouth).

And now I've learned that Don Imus, a nationally syndicated radio personality, thinks Rutgers' women's basketball players, most of whom are black, are "nappy-headed hoes."

NICE.

Both men, of course, gave heartfelt apologies. Both are full of crap.

The similarities end there. Hardaway has been rightfully banned from NBA events and will have a difficult time finding decent work to supplant the decent income he earned while crossing over point guards in the NBA. Imus, on the other hand, won't even lose his radio show. And even if he did, he'd have no problems getting a new gig on satellite radio or whatever the new brand of radio is these days.

Heck, Imus might even be celebrated by some for finally speaking out about those "napppy-headed hos." No wonder no one watched the women's Final Four. Who wants to see some NHs running up and down the court?

So here we stand, in 2007, and race is as big an issue as it was 10 years ago. People say that the only way to eliminate racism and prejudice is to ignore it, to ignore the differences in one another. I used to follow this altruistic method, but that truth is, it's as unrealistic as the Lions winning the Super Bowl.

Race is here. And will always be here. And there's no ignoring it.

It's especially on the forefront of the sports world. As I clicked between the Masters and the Lakers-Suns game Sunday afternoon, I couldn't help but wonder about the ethnic breakdown of each viewing audience. I doubted there were many people like me switching between the white golfers (minus a guy named Tiger) and the black basketball players (minus a guy named Nash).

David Stern has made several efforts to separate the NBA from its hip-hop image. He should stop. You can't stop people from being themselves. Yes, of course punish players for going outside the law or running into the stands or getting technical fouls, but how they dress and what's on their iPod is their choice. Period.

And people who watch the NBA don't do so because there's a dress code now, I can guarantee you that.

People have questioned whether Tiger has had a big enough impact on minorities in terms of getting them interested in the game of golf. The answer? He's done what he can. The academies, the clinics, the inner-city programs. That's all Tiger can do, unless he wants to drop millions of dollars to buy every kid in every poor neighborhood in every city a set of golf clubs.

But then the question would be, where would they play?

Kids are going to do what they want to do. Yes, they can be influenced. But if their friends are playing hoops at the park, they're more likely to follow suit than try to find their way to the nearest (which may be far) golf course.

As far as another black golfer making the PGA Tour, I'm sure it'll happen someday. But people need to stop sweating it. You can't push people to be who they're not.

Racism, as much as I hate to say this, is rampant in this country, even if people don't think they're acting racist. Just the other day I was watching Cold Pizza with a fraternity brother of mine when Monta Ellis of the Golden State Warriors was being interviewed. Ellis was far from voluble or outspoken. He talked slow and deliberately. Immediately my brother said Ellis, who is black, wasn't "well-spoken."

Would he have said that about a white athlete? I highly doubt it. At that time, I'm sure, he didn't think he was being racist. But he was.

People need to be corrected on things like this. This afternoon Imus will go on the Rev. Al Sharpton's radio show, and I'm sure he'll be lit into. People all over the country will listen. Some good will come out of the interview. Maybe people will realize that whether you're on the radio or not, calling a group of accomplished black women "nappy-headed hos" is about as acceptable as blowing up a building.

But millions of people won't be listening, and they'll continue to live their private lives, talking about the NBA as a league of thugs (when, in truth, it's far from that) and celebrating the PGA Tour like it's a league of saints just because players' transgressions off the course (especially DUIs) don't get close to the attention mistakes made by professional basketball players do.

And everything will seem blissful until the next radio racist can't hold his tongue, makes a discriminatory mark, apologizes, goes on a black man's radio show, then continues to run his show (albeit sans racist remarks).

With the support of his quiet followers.

"Now this is golf"

2007-04-07T17:21:00.000-04:00

As great as the Masters and its tradition is, it's never been on the same plateau to me as the U.S. Open and British Open.

It's always been the third best major.

The reason? Quite simply, the course at Augusta National has never been as difficult as the majority of courses the best two majors are played on. While players at the U.S. and British opens - especially the US Open - often struggle to stay in the red, traditionally at the Masters there are several players below par.

And that's not as exciting as seeing players have to battle to stay under par. Additionally, in those tournaments the best players – the champion players - find a way to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in amazing displays of guts and near-perfect play (Tiger Woods’ performance in last year’s British Open was a perfect example).

There have been a few cases where courses wavered on the edge of unfair. Where greens weren't sufficiently watered or holes were made too long for even today's prototype pro.
But those were isolated cases. For the most part, the U.S. Open and British Open courses players struggled to navigate have just been very, very difficult.

Well, now I am watching the third round of the Masters and see just one player at the moment - Stuart Appleby - under par, and it's a beautiful sight. Almost as picturesque as the course at Augusta.

It's not that the players are performing poorly. It's not that they didn't show up ready to conquer the course this week. It's a combination of a more difficult course - each year over the past handful of years, holes have been lengthened and obstacles added - and the kind of conditions that we're used to seeing at the British Open. Chilly temperatures (the wind chill, according to CBS, is in the 40s on a sunny afternoon) and plenty of wind.

It's great golf. It's what separates the majors from the other tournaments during the year. It's like a defensive battle in football, like a pitchers' dual in baseball. If you're a true fan of the game, you're loving this.

Nobody's out of it. Phil Mickelson just completed his round. He's six over, but he's not out of it, because when conditions like these hit, anything can happen. Anything.

That's not something we'd normally say about the Masters.

Even Woods, arguably the world's greatest athlete, is suffering his bumps and bruises. He just had to hit a hook shot around a grove of trees on the 17th hole, suffering a bogey.

Yet Woods, at the moment, is just three shots back. And no one will deny that a tournament has all the more drama when he's in the mix.

Regardless of what happens in the next two hours, as the players finish off their third rounds, we'll know this much when we wake up tomorrow morning.

We'll know that the fourth round at Augusta might be the craziest, most dramatic final round in quite sometime (think Norman's collapse; Faldo's theft).

We'll know that 20 or 30 players will still have a chance at winning the thing (just post a low number and watch the poor beings left on the course suffer their fate).

We'll know that Tiger, and Phil, and Vijay will all be in the running (which, I'm sure, is much to the liking of CBS).

And we'll know nothing - absolutely nothing - about what is about to transpire.

Except that the scores will likely be high. The temperature will be much lower than normal. The winds will likely be gusting.

And we’ll know that whoever gets fitted with the Green Jacket Sunday evening will have earned it like never before.

"U-M hires Beilein, Martin learns his lesson"

2007-04-03T11:26:00.000-04:00

Well, you can't say Bill Martin is cheap anymore. You can't say the University of Michigan athletic director isn't willing to spend money on the basketball program. And, most importantly, you can't say he wasn’t able to lure one of the nation's best available coaches to Ann Arbor.

On Monday it was reported that John Beilein had accepted Martin's offer to become Michigan's new head coach. In order to sign Beilein, Martin had to either pay off a $2.5 million buyout on Beilein's West Virginia contract or reach "some type of agreement" on the buyout, the “Detroit Free Press” reported.

Either way, it's pretty clear that Martin spent a boatload of money to bring the 54-year-old to campus.

If only he had been willing to put forth this kind of dough six years ago.

In March of 2001, Rick Pitino came thisclose to signing on to become Michigan's head coach. If that had happened, undoubtedly, we wouldn't be talking about a nine-year NCAA tournament drought. Heck, the Wolverines might have already had a Sweet 16 appearance.

But, according to a "Michigan Daily" article from March 2001, Martin only offered Pitino a base salary of $900,000, and the great - but very arrogant - coach fled for Louisville, in the state he loved, for a contract worth $1 million a year.

According to reports, Pitino said money wasn't a factor in his decision and that his wife, Joanne, changed his mind. But don't tell me if Michigan had upped its offer to, say, $1.5 million annually, he would have let some Bluegrass Lovin' keep him from Ann Arbor. Granted, in 2001 $1.5 million would have been a LOT of money (no one was talking about contracts worth $3 million a year, like they are today at with the Billy Donovan situation). But, it also would have turned the program around. Pitino is one of the top 10 coaches in America.

Tommy Amaker isn't one of the top 100 coaches in the country. For six years under Amaker, the Michigan program wallowed in mediocrity while Pitino took Louisville to the Final Four in 2005. Just think about what coulda been.

Yes, it's time to move on. Yes, Beilein is a good hire. He's had winning records in 26 of 29 seasons as a head coach (he never was an assistant); he's taken LeMoyne, Canisius, Richmond and West Virginia to the NCAA tournament, including the Mountaineers to the Elite Eight in 2005.

Where they lost to... Louisville, coached by Rick Pitino.

It is clear Martin learned his lesson. He learned that it's worth a few extra hundred thousand dollars - from Michigan's fat athletic budget - to bring in a quality coach who won't just run a clean program (about the only thing Amaker was successful at doing), but also win a lot of games.

That's what Beilein will do.

That's what Pitino would have done. And still be doing.

And if Michigan and Louisville meet up in the Big Dance in the next few years?

Well, that 2005 game went to overtime.

"2006-07 Gators: One of the best teams ever"

2007-04-03T09:55:00.000-04:00

One more year?

Why not? A year ago Florida juniors Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer shocked the basketball establishment by returning for their junior year - along with junior Taurean Green and senior Lee Humphrey.

Now they have two national championships in a row and plenty of love from Gator Nation.

So why not come back for a senior year? They've already stunned us once. Another shock wouldn't hurt. They could become the only team besides John Wooden's dominant Bruins to win three consecutive titles. And surely if the players returned, there'd be no way Billy Donovan could bolt for Kentucky.

It's fun to think about, even though it's very unrealistic.

On Monday night the Gators showed exactly why they've been the best college basketball team each of the past two years. They played as one. They didn't play like a group of future first-round draft picks (that was Greg Oden's job); they played like a scrappy group of college kids just having a blast in the gym.

Horford exemplified this best. He was literally all over the 94-foot hardwood, getting every single loose ball, especially on the offensive end. If the Gators took a bad shot, there would be Horford to collect the rebound. And almost every time this occurred, Florida hit a 3-pointer, whether it was Humphrey (four 3s), or Brewer or Green (three 3s apiece), which absolutely broke Ohio State’s back.

Florida outrebounded Ohio State 38-27, a similar margin to when the Gators trounced the Buckeyes 86-60 in December.

Throughout the game, Ohio State hung around, and you had to think the Buckeyes had a run in them. After all, they came back from a 20-point deficit against Tennessee in the regional semifinals. But every time they got within six or seven points - the closest they got in the second half - Florida responded with a big shot. It wasn't one particular player (even freshman Marreese Speights, who didn't play the last three games, hit a key second-half jumper). Just a player in a white uniform giving Buckeyes’ fans another national championship game headache.

And that was the thing about these Gators. If the opponent focused on one, or even two guys, someone else was going to burn it. Noah had his worst game of the NCAA tournament, scoring just eight points - including one field goal - and grabbing three rebounds in 21 minutes. But did he care that his teammate Brewer got he MOP award for the Final Four or that his teammate Horford will be remembered as the big man who had the splendid game?

Of course not. After the game, Noah was his jubilant self, forecasting a crazy, long-lasting party down in Gainesville in the coming weeks.

Should be wild.

Following the game, Donovan said these Gators should go down as one of the greatest college teams of all time. These were strong words, considering the teams at the top of this list: The 1945-46 Oklahoma A&M Cowboys; the 1955-56 San Francisco Dons led by Bill Russell and K.C. Jones; the 1961-62 Cincinnati Bearcats; obviously Wooden's Bruins, who won 10 titles in 12 years; and Christian Laettner's Blue Devils in the early 1990s.

But Donovan is right. As far as being a championship team, no one did it better than the Gators. With the exception of the Bearcats, who featured a balanced attack, all of the other repeat champions had a star player. Oklahoma A&M had Bob Kurland, basketball's first 7-footer. The Dons, of course, had Russell. The Bruins had a wealth of talent, but it was highlighted by Lew Alcindor in the later 1960s and Bill Walton in the early '70s. And Laettner is considered one of the best college players of all time.

None of these Gators will go down as one of college basketball's greatest players. Heck, a couple decades from now we may not even recall their names. But as a group, as a unit, they will never be forgotten.

Sure, the thought of one more year must be enticing. A third national title, and they could really throw a party in Gainesville, a Mardi Gras of sorts.

But don't expect this crew to return. After all, Humphrey is graduating, and you know what they say about puzzles.

If you lose one piece, they just aren't the same.

"Title game preview: OSU's other guys"

2007-04-02T13:28:00.000-04:00

The best thing that happened to the Ohio State basketball team this season actually happened last season – on Feb. 28 - when Greg Oden, then a precocious high school senior, tore a ligament in his wrist, which kept him on the Buckeyes' bench for the season's first seven games and limited his playing time and versatility until late in the season.

At the time, of course, Buckeyes' fans lamented the bad break, thinking, "Man, we only get this guy for a year to begin with (assuming he turns pro after the season), and now we don't even get to see him?"

But the truth is Ohio State would not be where it is today - preparing for the national title game against defending champion Florida - had Oden been healthy from the start of the season, playing big minutes every game.

Oden's injury allowed Ohio State's reserve forwards - Othello Hunter, Matt Terwilliger and David Lighty - to get much-needed experience, and it has paid big dividends in this NCAA tournament.

Oden, for all the hype surrounding him, hasn't had the best Big Dance. He's constantly been in foul trouble and on the bench - a similar situation to when he was hurt. This has opened the door for those same three guys - who all come off the bench - to make their presence felt.

And they've done this in a big way.

Whenever Oden has gone out of a game for a long stretch of time, such as the first half Saturday against Georgetown when he picked up two fouls in the first three minutes and didn't score a point until the second half, the three reserves have done an admirable job of filling his shoes. While they didn't exactly light it up in the scoring column against the Hoyas (nine combined points), they did a tremendous job of rebounding (10 combined boards) and playing defense, holding Hoyas' stud Jeff Green in check. Green, who played all 40 minutes, finished with just nine points.

Oden came back in the second half to score 13 points on 6-for-11 shooting, but his effort would have been a waste had his backups not helped Ohio State to a 27-23 halftime advantage.

After the win, Oden, as diplomatic as ever, said, "I just sat back and watched my teammates take over."

Trudat.

It's perfect that Lighty, Terwilliger and Hunter will play against Florida tonight, because they resemble, on a smaller level, the makeup of the Gators. They are role players who do what they're asked to do. No questions asked. Hunter and Terwilliger are bangers down low, who aren't asked to score - the Buckeyes have a wealth of guys who can do that - but simply play solid defense and rebound. At the same time, however, if they receive a pass and see an opening to the basket, they're reactive enough to make the play for the score. Lighty is one of the most versatile players on a team that could be renamed the Versatile Buckeyes. Not only can he make the tough shots down low - such as his converted layup plus a foul in the final minutes Saturday - but he can also shoot the 3-pointer, giving Ohio State yet another deadly long-range bomber (they've got about 57 of them).

Much like UCLA's big men needed to play well against Florida on Saturday to win (they did for a half, then got dominated in the second half), Ohio State's big men will have to continue their stellar play against Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Chris Richard, who has been Florida's key guy off the bench, not to mention 6-foot-9 swingman Corey Brewer.

It's a huge challenge. The toughest three inside players the Buckeyes have faced all season. And while Oden's good, he's not going to be able to contain them by himself. Just look at Florida's 86-60 pasting of Ohio State in December, when Oden struggled mightily, scoring seven points and grabbing six rebounds, and the three forwards off the bench weren't much better with a combined four and seven. Meanwhile, Horford, who didn't even start because of an injury, scored 11 points and had 11 boards and Noah added seven and eight.

It wasn't the most dominating performance by Florida's bigs, but it was more than enough, considering Taurean Green scored 24 points and Brewer added 18. Most importantly, Florida outrebounded Ohio State 37-23. That cannot happen tonight if the Buckeyes want a chance to win.

It's a big test for some big men, and, ultimately, it will be a big factor in whether the Buckeyes can win their 23rd consecutive game.

I personally like Florida to win. I think Florida's bigs will wear down their counterparts in red and white. But, then again, all tournament long - when Oden's gone down to foul trouble - these guys have proven the masses wrong, not missing a step and keeping the Buckeyes in games.

No, they don't block potential game-winning shots and nearly complete dunks from just inside the free throw line (see: Oden, against Tennessee and Georgetown), but they make quieter contributions that affect the game almost as much.

And that's really all that matters.

"My alternative baseball preview"

2007-04-01T16:36:00.000-04:00

Three hours and 24 minutes...

That's how long until the baseball season officially begins as defending World Series champion St. Louis takes on the Mets. And I have no idea what to expect this year.

Predicting the baseball season is like trying to figure out Michigan weather patterns. For three days it's sunny and in the 60s and you think you've got it figured out. It's spring time. Then, six hours later, you come out of a building and there's snow on the ground.

That's the baseball season. In May we might be lauding the Cardinals. By August they could be out of the playoff race.

Who really knows?

So, no, I'm not going to try to predict the champion, or even the division winners, or even the wild cards. I'm not going to try to analyze who will finish where in each division. I don't feel like looking at my picks come October and shaking my head in disgust.

Instead I'll give you the certainties. All these things will happen. I'll bet you a ballpark frank and an $8 beer on it.

The Kansas City Royals will finish in last place regardless of how many Minnesota pitchers get injured.

Daisuke will win 15 games.

A-Rod will get booed.

Kenny Rogers won't win 10 games.

The D-Rays will be in first place... in April (and probably just for a day).

A manager will be fired by the end of June.

Jim Leyland will smoke a lot of cigarettes.

And he'll remain the most loved manager in the game.

Ryan Howard will hit 50 homers again.

Big Papi will not.

Speaking of the Red Sox, Manny Ramirez will sit out a few games for an "undisclosed injury."

And there will be the usual talk of trading Manny.

And he'll remain in a Red Sox uniform.

The Blue Jays will battle the Sox and Yankees into September for the East Division title.

And fall short.

And with a new contract in his back pocket, Vernon Wells will have a bit of a down year, only hitting 27 homers and only driving in 95 runs.

Speaking of new contracts, Garry Matthews Jr. has one in Los Angeles. And with the steroid investigation ongoing, he'll struggle in his new home.

His team, however, will still play well enough to make a push for the division in September.

And Jered Weaver will pick up where he left off a year ago, winning 15 games this year.

Other pitchers who will win 15: Jeremy Bonderman (Detroit), Brandon Webb (Arizona), Carlos Zambrano (Chicago Cubs), Andy Pettite (New York Yankees), Johan Santana (Minnesota), Roy Halladay (Toronto), Chris Carpenter (St. Louis), Scott Kazmir (Tampa Bay), Jake Westbrook (Cleveland), Jason Schmidt (LA Dodgers)...

And a few others.

Pitcher most people think will win 15, but won't: Barry Zito (Oakland), Freddy Garcia (Philadelphia), Jason Verlander (Detroit)...

And a few others.

Moving to the batter’s box, Barry Bonds will not break Hank Aaron's record until September.

And when he does, Bud Selig will not be there.

But Bonds will still get plenty of love.

And then we'll all talk about it for 739 straight days.

Speaking of records, A-Rod will hit his 500th homer, becoming the youngest player to reach the milestone.

And then he'll get booed some more.

He'll also be in consideration for the AL MVP.

And then he'll get booed some more.

Some other players will get booed. But I'm really not sure who.

Gary Sheffield will have a monster season with the Tigers, hitting 30-plus home runs. And his book will sell well. I, for one, can't wait to pick it up.

Players who will hit 40-plus home runs: Howard, Albert Pujols, Vladimir Guerrero, Big Papi, Troy Glaus, Alfonso Soriano, Lance Berkman, Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, Travis Hafner.

And maybe a few others...

Players who will fall short of 40 jacks: Adam Dunn, Frank Thomas, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, A-Rod, Aramis Ramirez, Jim Thome, Andruw Jones, Derrek Lee.

And a lot of others.

A player will garner great attention by taking a hit streak into the 30s.

But we all know he won't get close to Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hit streak, one record that will never fall.

Joe Mauer will have a solid season, but his average will linger around .300 instead of .350.

And no player will come close to hitting .400, although Ichiro will get 200 hits again.

And the Twins will surprise everyone again by challenging Detroit, Cleveland and the Chicago White Sox for the Central Division.

Which will go down to the wire, with no team winning more than 95 games.

The Yankees will be good (no surprise).

The Red Sox will be good (no surprise).

And every game they play against each other will be played in a postseason atmosphere.

This just in: My friend, Tyler, says A-Rod will hit 37 home runs. So I'm going with that.

And finally...

A-Rod will get booed.

Two hours and 39 minutes...

"Final Four preview: This could be memorable"

2007-03-29T19:29:00.000-04:00

I woke up this Thursday morning excited, ready for some basketball, itching for some more NCAA tournament action. All day I couldn't stop thinking about it. Florida, UCLA, Georgetown, Ohio State. I had goose bumps by lunchtime and major goose bumps by lunchtime on the West Coast.

And then I turned on CBS at 7 p.m. and "Entertainment Tonight" was on? Quickly it hit me, like dodgeball right in the gut. The games aren't until Saturday, unless the NIT championship is considered a game (not quite).

The news depressed me, but at the same time it makes the upcoming games all the more juicy. As if they could get any juicier than they already are. Let's face it, folks. While the first eight days of the tournament may not have been as chaotic as last year, these last three games have the potential to go down in history (unlike last year's final weekend, which was anti-climatic at best).

There is no reason not to watch every second of the two games on Saturday and whatever matchup they beget for Monday. There are thousands of reasons why you should be watching. I'll throw out a few.

Greg Oden vs. Roy Hibbert. We haven't seen a matchup of true big men like this since Olajuwon vs. Ewing in the 1984 finals. This could only be better if G-Town was playing Houston instead of Ohio State. The Hoyas' attack even features Patrick Ewing Jr., with John Thompson III manning the sidelines. Meanwhile, John Thompson Jr. should be doing radio (although we all know he shouldn't be) and the elder Ewing will more than likely be in the stands. Hibbert and Oden should be extremely fun to watch. All season long these guys - especially Oden - have had to ease their way against smaller players trying to pick up cheap fouls. Now they can go at each other, one blow after another. The more physical the better.

Jeff Green, the best player nobody outside of the Big East knew about until last weekend. If you've noticed, this kid can flat-out play, and he'll do plenty of playing at the next level as well. Too many forwards in today's college game are content to settle for outside jumpers and playing the finesse game. Not Green. He's an attacker, an assailer, a slasher, a banger. And to cap it all off, he's one of the smartest players in the Final Four. His calmness during G-Town's comeback against North Carolina on Sunday was admirable. It'll be a pleasure to watch him shred Ohio State's zone.

Ron Lewis, Mr. Clutch. He saved the Buckeyes against Xavier. He saved 'em against Tennessee. What's next for Lewis? All I know is the senior will not shy away from the big shots come Saturday. How can you not love a player who wants the ball at the end of a game, who wants the last shot, and who knows he's going to make it. Lewis has been the Buckeyes' unheralded MVP so far this tournament. Look for him to continue his impressive play.

Mike Conley Jr., the unfazed freshman. Save the talk about Oden. We'll be mentioning his name for years to come. What about his freshman counterpart? While Oden has had a relatively subpar tournament, Conley has been the Buckeyes' second-best player behind Lewis. He runs the offense like a senior (yes, they still exist - Lewis is one of them). He's as unselfish as Steve Nash. Yet he also knows when he needs to be aggressive (like during overtime against Xavier with Oden out). As good as Georgetown's Jessie Sapp is at running the Hoyas, the reason I'm taking OSU is Conley. Buckeyes' fans need not worry when the ball's in his hands.

On the other side of the bracket, how about the matchup? A rematch of last year's national title game, which really wasn't a game (let's be honest). Florida absolutely dominated UCLA's big men a year ago, scoring at will and making shot-blocking into an art form. I can't wait to see the response by the Bruins' bigs.

Sure, they lost Ryan Hollins, but every other big man is back. Lorenzo Mata and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute - these two players have more to prove than anyone left in this tournament. Can they stand up to Joakim Noah and Al Horford? They don’t' need to score a lot. They just need to rebound and stop those two guys from scoring. They have something to prove, and you have to expect they'll come ready to play and fired up for the Gators. An added plus: I bet you no one named Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has ever played in back-to-back Final Fours before. Lemme know if you want the bet (I promise, I haven't researched it).

And then there are the Gators, the group of underclassmen no one knew about a year ago who surprised just about everyone (although everyone was also disappointed when they eliminated George Mason). Now everyone is familiar with Noah, and Horford, and Humphrey, and Brewer, and Green, and their young, genius coach, Billy Donovan. No one outside of Gainesville particularly likes them either. No one wants to see them become the first team since Duke in 1991-92 to win back-to-back national titles.

But here's the bottom line: When the Gators are playing their best - which they haven't done yet this tournament, a scary thought - they are a beautiful team to watch. None of their five starters are liabilities on either end of the court (OK, Humphrey isn't a great defender, but he has plenty of help behind him). And all of their five starters fill their roles perfectly. Horford's your typical big man who can post up with his back to the hoop and power his way to the basket. Noah's your atypical post player. He'd rather get the ball facing the hoop and make a move off the dribble. Brewer's the slasher/jump shooter. Basically, he can do a lot of things efficiently. He's not great, but very solid. Humphrey's the classic outside shooter. That's all he does, and all he needs to do. His 23 points against Oregon led the Gators. Finally, Green is the x-factor. When his boys aren't playing like they should, he huddles them in and starts the engine again. And he's also the shot-maker. He'll pull up on the break and nail the 23-footer when it’s needed most.

Watching Florida's five starters play as a unit is almost as beautiful as Noah's ponytail (Sorry, bad joke). But seriously - any true basketball fan has to be pleased the Gators are still playing.

So who's it gonna be? Who will survive Saturday to play Monday? Who will get to be interviewed by Billy Packer Monday night (not that this is the reason players try to reach championship Monday). It's about as difficult to predict as the weather here in Michigan. Which is great. Because uncertainty is what drives this madness, especially when the best of the best are facing off. So below you'll see some picks, some guesses from a small section of my brain, but don't count on them happening, because this Final Four weekend may be the most wild, thrilling and memorable in quite some time.

Saturday's picks
- Ohio State 78, Georgetown 74
- Florida 63, UCLA 57

Monday's pick
- Florida 70, Ohio State 66

"That's why they're 'student-athletes' "

2007-03-25T21:04:00.000-04:00

For about 33 minutes of its Elite Eight showdown with Georgetown Sunday evening, North Carolina's play belied its fundamental flaws.

The Tar Heels were a great team all season, but the two things you had to question about them were their toughness and their smarts. Both were on display during those 33 minutes, and as a result North Carolina led 75-65 after two Marcus Ginyard free throws with 7:19 to play.

The North Carolina faithful could feel the Heels' second Final Four appearance in three years on their fingertips.

But then those vices came back to sting North Carolina at the most inopportune time. The Heels rushed shots and - with the exception of four points from Tyler Hansbrough and a tip-in by Brandan Wright - were dominated down low. The large rebounding margin they had held for much of the game slowly dwindled until it was unrecognizable (North Carolina had a double-digit advantage in boards most of the second half, but ended up with just a 41-37 edge). There were no more second-chance opportunities despite the Hoyas playing a healthy dose of zone defense.

And with North Carolina taking quick shots and being limited to a single shot each possession, Georgetown had plenty of time to get back into the game. Unlike the Heels, there were no hurried shots by the Hoyas. Instead, they went to their bread and butter every time down the floor: Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, who scored five out of seven Georgetown points to get within 75-72 with 4:22 remaining on a thunderous dunk by Hibbert.

Then, with North Carolina's defense focused on Georgetown's Big Two, the other guys took advantage. Jessie Sapp, one of college basketball's most underrated players, scored a difficult layup to cut UNC's lead to one. Then, trailing by three with less than a minute remaining, Jonathan Wallace calmly stepped up and nailed a game-tying 3-pointer.

And the game was as good as over.

The overtime was more of the same. UNC impatiently settled for way too many 3-pointers and didn't score until a Ty Lawson 3-pointer with 8 seconds remaining. By that time, CBS had already inked the Hoyas for Atlanta and the final spot in the Final Four.

After the game, UNC coach Roy Williams didn't attribute his team's meltdown to youth - he simply said they missed shots. He's definitely got a point. They missed a lot of shots, making just three field goals in the final 12 minutes of regulation plus overtime. But a lot of those shots were from 3-point range, and the Tar Heels (outside of Wes Miller) aren't a very consistent outside shooting team. They were on the bad side of "streaky" Sunday afternoon.

Georgetown worked the ball offensively, making sure Green and Hibbert at least touched the ball on every possession.

It was very smart basketball, the kind of basketball that wins teams games this time of year.

And it was just barely enough against a more talented UNC squad.

It wasn't surprising, however. In fact, it was the theme of this past weekend. Of the teams still standing, all four have very astute players who don't get flustered in pressure situations. They may not be the most talented teams out of their regions (at least UNC in the East and Kansas in the West would claim that title), but talent doesn't reign supreme in March.

Experience, smarts and, of course, a little luck is what championship teams possess.

Florida and UCLA have plenty of experience. They, um, played in the national title game a year ago. 'Nuff said. Four of Georgetown's most key players - Green, Hibbert, Wallace and Patrick Ewing Jr. - are juniors, which, in this day and age, is considered very experienced. Ohio State is definitely the least experienced of the Final Four teams - with freshmen Mike Conley Jr. and Greg Oden its best players - but it wouldn't be here if not for the heroics of senior Ron Lewis, who has led the Buckeyes the last three games.

When the game is on the line, none of the four teams panic. They know what they want to do, and they do an excellent of job of executing this. For UCLA, it's getting the ball to Aaron Afflalo, the Bruins' junior shooting guard. When Kansas threatened UCLA's lead midway through the second half Saturday, Afflalo kept the Jayhawks at bay with seven consecutive points. He finished with 24 on 10-for-15 shooting from the field. Florida is smart enough to work off its big men - Al Horford and Joakim Noah - down low, knowing that this will open up the perimeter for sharp shooter Lee Humphrey. Against Oregon Humphrey was the key, making seven 3-pointers en route to a team-high 23 points.

But don't think that each of these teams didn't receive a little good fortune on their way to Atlanta. Ohio State's the most obvious case. If Xavier hadn't missed a free throw in the final seconds, Ron Lewis' game-tying 3-pointer wouldn't have been game-tying. As great as Georgetown was in the final minutes Sunday, North Carolina's Wayne Ellington had a wide-open 3-point attempt right before regulation expired. If that had fallen, we'd all be praising the Heels right now. While UCLA and Florida haven't needed last-second 3-pointers to get this far, they haven't exactly waltzed to the ATL either. In the second round, UCLA survived a last-minute comeback when Indiana threw away a chance to tie the game in the final seconds. Florida and Butler were tied 54-54 with 3 minutes left Friday before the Bulldogs missed three out of four free throws and three out of four layups as the Gators pulled away.

So don't say that luck doesn't play a role in March. It certainly does.

But it's not the difference. That would be smart play in the waning moments of tense games. Next year, North Carolina could have it. The Heels should return most of their nucleus - depending on draft departures - for another run at the title.
But for now they must sit at home and watch as four of college basketball's smartest teams - with textbooks in hand - clash for the ultimate prize.

"The best time of year"

2007-03-23T10:20:00.000-04:00

You can argue with me all you want. In fact, I'd love to hear some counter points of view. But nothing will change my stance that this is the best time of the year for sports.

Period.

Why? Well, mostly because of 10 days filled with 63 men's college basketball games. The fifth day was Thursday. And if you missed it, you better have TiVo. If you weren’t in a chair, on a couch, standing up, lying down or in some other posture watching the four games Thursday, you're not a sports fan. Three of them were decided by a combined five points. The two games in San Antonio were decided by a point.

Both games came down to a player taking a shot at the last possible second. The only thing missing was the player making the shot. But, no worries. I have a feeling we'll see a buzzer-beater before the weekend is through.

While people all over the country love the first weekend of the NCAA tournament - and I'm no exception - the second weekend is the best. That's because almost every single game is made up of two quality teams. And both teams are good enough that if one of them falls way behind, it has the guns to get back into the game.

Yes, I'm talking about Ohio State.

It's funny how fans love to rule their team out way, way before the game is over (not sure if it’s some superstitious thing, but, hey, if it works, go for it). After speeding back from work Thursday night, I entered the front door of my fraternity house only to hear our lone Ohio State fan lamenting that the Buckeyes were done. And it was the first half! Sure, they had a lot of work to do, considering they were behind by 17 points, but as far as I saw it, the game wasn't close to over.

Sure enough, the Buckeyes cut a 17-point halftime deficit down to one in the first nine minutes of the second half, and from there it was on. To its credit, Tennessee never folded, getting big shots from its go-to guy, Chris Lofton, but Ohio State's versatility on offense was too much.

One of the great things about this greatest time of year is that players who received relatively little recognition during the regular season make a name for themselves. It always happens, and this year has been no exception. Ohio State senior Ron Lewis has come to play. He saved the Buckeyes against Xavier with a last-second bomb to send the second-round game to overtime. And he was a big part of the comeback Thursday night, scoring 25 points - including 18 in the second half - on 9-for-17 shooting.

What's amazing about Ohio State's run to the Elite Eight is that it's accomplished this, basically, without the services of Greg Oden. The big man was ineffective against the Vols, hampered by foul trouble all night that limited him to 18 minutes. He scored nine points and had more fouls (4) than rebounds (3). But he also had four blocks, and his final one on Tennessee's Ramar Smith sealed the Buckeyes' victory.

Ask just about anyone before the tournament if OSU could reach the Elite Eight without getting much from Oden, and the typical response would have been, "Nope. No way." Another great thing about this time of year: it's unpredictable.

For instance, there was no way Acie Law IV was going to miss that layup in the final minute against Memphis, which would have given the Aggies a three-point lead. He did. And there was no way Memphis would get four shots to win the game in the final seconds when it had gotten only seven offensive rebounds all night and was being outrebounded 30-24. It did, and Antonio Anderson hit two big free throws with 3.1 seconds remaining to give Memphis the win.

All season long, Law was the most clutch player in the nation. Late in close games he was cash money. But on Thursday Law scored just five of his 13 points in the second half, and his last two shots - a 3-point attempt and that layup - didn't fall. Another thing about March. A team can't always rely on one player to make all the plays. These are, after all, just college kids. No older than 22. They’re gonna have bad nights.

But, man, did the Salukis from Southern Illinois play like pros Thursday night. Just like any smart betting man, they played the odds. They knew they wouldn't stand a chance against mighty No. 1 seed Kansas if they tried to run with the Jayhawks. Kansas was way too athletic for them. It wouldn't have been a contest. So they slowed the game down, played great defense - forcing Kansas into an uncharacteristic 19 turnovers - executed their halfcourt offense and got a big game from senior guard Jamal Tatum, who led them with 19 points.

It nearly worked. If games were 35 minutes long, the Salukis might still be dancing. And copy editors across the country could rejoice at the thought of using the word "Salukis" in headlines for a couple more days. But, alas, the Jayhawks decided they were done with underachieving in the tournament (they were knocked out as a No. 3 and No. 4 seed in the first round the past two years).

One of the knocks against Kansas all year has been that it lacks a go-to player, someone who wants the ball in the final seconds. Well, nothing has been inked, but Brandon Rush had a fine, fine audition Thursday. The sophomore made all six of his field goal attempts for 12 points, and none was more important than his runner in the lane to give Kansas a three-point lead in the final minute.

If Kansas goes on to make the Final Four (which should be a very difficult task, considering UCLA awaits) and win the national title, Rush will likely never forget that shot. Even if he ends up a star in the NBA, it is something that will stay with him forever. Just as Buckeyes fans - if OSU continues its run - will point to the Xavier and Tennessee games 20 years from now and say, "We had to do a little surviving."

It's a time of year that breeds many great memories, plays that will be shown in highlight packages for years to come. It's the only single-elimination tournament among the major sports (college or pro), and that's the main reason it's the best.

Yes, October is great. Watching two college football games and a World Series game on Saturday and two NFL games and another World Series game on Sunday doesn’t make for a bad weekend. But this takes the cake.

Ten days.

Sixty-three games.

Unrelenting madness.

"Who's MVP?"

2007-03-21T13:01:00.000-04:00

Steve Nash? Dirk Nowitzki? Kobe Bryant?

It’s a three-man race for NBA MVP this season, and everyone seems to have a viewpoint on the issue. Yesterday on sports talk radio, the host said there’s no way Bryant shouldn’t win it because he does more (such as rebound and defend) than Nash. Plenty of pundits have vouched for Nowitzki because his team has the best record in the NBA.

But what about Nash? The lack of support for him goes back to the whole “let another guy win” thing. Remember in December when college football coaches wanted to give Florida a shot at Ohio State since Michigan had already had its chance?

This is kind of like that.

Bryant may be leading the NBA in points per game, but look at his team. It’s barely hanging on to a playoff spot. Meanwhile, Nash’s Suns are firmly seated in the second spot.

To me, it’s toss-up between these two guys. Nowitzki is just behind them simply because the Mavericks would still be a good team – a playoff team – without him. LA and Phoenix would likely be lottery teams without their stars.

So as we come down the stretch here, let’s not forget that this is a new year. Who won the MVP the past two seasons has nothing to do with the voting for this year. The fact that Bryant has never won an MVP has nothing to do with it either.

The MVP will be this year’s best player. And right now it’s tough to choose between Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant.

"A call from coach Dungy"

2007-03-20T01:28:00.000-04:00

Some moments you simply do not forget in life. Whether it's your prom night, your college graduation, the first time your kid walked or the day the towers fell, these instants of time are stuck in your mind for eternity.

I experienced one of these moments, I'm pretty sure, Monday night. I was sitting at the sports desk in Jackson, passing the time on a very slow-moving night in the world of sports, when the phone rang.

I picked it up, "Sports desk, this is Jake."

"Um, yeah, is Chip Mundy there," the familiar voice on the other end replied.

It took me a second to register the voice, but then - as I was in the midst of meekly replying, "Yeah, just one minute" - it hit me: I was talking to Tony Dungy, as in the Super Bowl-winning coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

Our "conversation" lasted a mere 10 seconds before I transferred him to Chip - who grew up with Dungy in Jackson - but, still, I had talked to Tony Dungy. As I aimlessly went about my duties the rest of the night, I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Hopefully in the future I'll talk to and interview high-profile figures like Dungy on a daily basis. But right now, as a young sports journalist who hasn't covered anything bigger than D-3 basketball, it was one of those moments that I'll never forget no matter where the rest of my life takes me.

"NCAA tournament Day 4 diary"

2007-03-19T00:29:00.000-04:00

Almost two weeks ago during Championship Week, CBS color analyst Billy Packer was paraphrased in a "USA Today" article as saying that the NCAA tournament had been infected by And1, the shoe sponsor that holds tournaments in which "wannabes" dunk with their toenails, juke dudes out of their sneakers, and perform just about every other trick in the bag.

Packer complained that the tournament was becoming too "And1" and that the new rule forcing high school stars to attend college for a year was only feeding the problem.

If Packer watched either of the games in front of him Sunday, however, he would know that the college game is far from being contaminated by players just looking to get on SportsCenter. The two games in Chicago were UNLV vs. Wisconsin in the Midwest region and Kansas vs. Kentucky in the West region.

Both games, Packer must admit, were won by teams, not individuals. Sure, individual players stepped up, making big shots when their teams needed them, but everyone contributed for UNLV in its upset of the Badgers, and Kansas' great depth overwhelmed Kentucky in the nightcap.

It is absolutely ridiculous to think that what Packer saw in Chicago was anything but solid team basketball. Consider the scoring balance for the two winning teams. Four players scored at least nine points in UNLV's 74-68 win as well as in Kansas' 88-76 victory, in which three of those players scored between 16 and 21 points. Consider the passing displays by both teams. The Runnin' Rebels assisted on 12 of 24 field goals while the Jayhawks assisted on 19 of 30 field goals. Not exactly 1-on-1 basketball.

And Packer's two games weren't the only ones in which teamwork was essential Sunday. What's great about college basketball, especially during March, is that guys we've never heard of come out of the shadows to make huge shots or huge defensive plays to help their team move on to the next round. In the NBA, we know all the players. We know Miami will post up Shaq. We know Steve Nash will dish out 15 assists. But the college game is more unpredictable. It's hardly ever 1-on-1 isolation. It's about ball movement, screening, and fast-breaking. That's what makes it great. It's not nearly as stagnant as the NBA game is.

And Sunday was a perfect example of what makes the game fun to watch. During any possession, Kansas would have five scorers on the floor, and the ball would be passed 10 to 15 times before an open shot was attempted.

It wasn't the stars who won on Sunday. In fact, the two Naismith Award finalists who played (Kevin Durant of Texas and Alando Tucker of Wisconsin) lost. Tucker scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Durant scored 30 points and snared nine boards. Not a bad afternoon for either player. But neither effort was enough. Their teammates didn't do enough. Both are great players, but the results of their games reinforced the point that this time of the year only the complete teams are victorious.

You want a complete team? How about Memphis? Entering the tournament, I wasn't familiar at all with the Conference USA squad and I knew it had played a super-weak schedule, so I picked the Tigers to lose to Nevada - and possible lottery pick Nick Fazekas - in the second round.

The Tigers threw a 'lil - no, a lot - BALANCE in my face. Six players scored between eight and 16 points to lead them to a 78-62 victory over Nevada. Even when their leading scorer, Chris Douglas-Roberts, left the game more than midway through the second half with an injury - and Nevada cut Memphis' lead to two -the Tigers responded, getting baskets and free throws from five different players during a 14-0 run to finish off the game.

And did I mention defense? The Tigers played stellar man-to-man defense to hold Nevada scoreless the final 6:17 of regulation.

As we approach Memphis' game against Texas A&M Thursday in the South regional semifinals, the big question will be whether Douglas-Roberts can play. That's a legitimate question, of course. He is, after all, the Tigers' leading scorer. But if he doesn't play, I wouldn't relax if I was Texas A&M.

What Sunday proved is that a group of good individuals working together will almost always beat one great individual.

Especially this time of year in college hoops.

"NCAA tournament Day 3 diary"

2007-03-18T00:15:00.000-04:00

Amidst all the attention super freshmen such as Kevin Durant, Greg Oden and Brandan Wright have gotten this season, I nearly forgot that teams still have seniors. And that these seniors, despite the amazing talents of their younger teammates, are still, generally, the players with the ball in their hands in the final moments. And, finally, that these seniors usually are the ones to save their teams when all seems lost.

Enter Ron Lewis, senior, The Ohio State University.

His Buckeyes appeared dead meat late in the second half Saturday, trailing No. 9 seed Xavier by nine points. The team with so much talent, with very likely this year's No. 1 draft pick, was getting schooled by its Ohio rivals, by the team its coach, Thad Matta, abandoned three years ago.

That's when Lewis took over. People throughout the state of Ohio will undoubtedly remember the 3-pointer he jacked from somewhere in Tennessee to tie the game with two seconds remaining. They may not recall, however, Lewis scoring five of Ohio State's nine points before The Shot (he finished with a game-high 27). Fellow senior Jamar Butler scored three of the other four points, with Oden adding a free throw.

Oden fouled out in the final minute. Lewis stayed in the game and kept his team in the game. As good as Oden is and as great as he will be, in the final moments he was helpless on the bench, watching his teammates fight for survival. It was the seniors' time to shine.

Lewis' heroics weren't the only ones to come from upperclassmen on a day when seven of eight games came down to the final moments and the other - North Carolina's 81-67 win over Michigan State - wasn't decided until the last few minutes.

On the same court Lewis saved the Buckeyes, Texas A&M senior point guard Acie Law IV, rightfully nicknamed "Captain Clutch," blocked out a blood-seeking Louisville crowd and scored 26 points to send Texas A&M to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 27 years. For several fleeting moments during the second half, it looked like the Cardinals, in front of their partisan crowd, were ready to run away with the game thanks to their fullcourt trap. But Law wouldn't let it happen, making big play after big play to silence the crowd.

Law was especially clutch at the free throw line, where he made 13 of 15, including two in the final minute. Louisville freshman point guard Edgar Sosa was even better at the line, making his first 15 attempts to score 31 points. However, he missed his last two free throws, in the final minute, helping A&M escape with the victory. Don't tell me the frosh didn't feel the pressure.

Skipping ahead to the night games, Aaron Afflalo, UCLA's junior shooting guard, saved the day for the Bruins. UCLA led by nine points with under 4 minutes to go, a huge lead considering the game was in the 40s - not exactly a West Coast shootout. But behind their vaunted 3-point attack, the Hoosiers fought all the way back to tie the game 49-49 on an Earl Calloway layup with 1:01 remaining. With all the momentum on Indiana's side, Afflalo didn't settle for an outside jumper. Instead, with several defenders around him, he took the ball strong to the basket, giving the refs no choice but to call the obvious foul against Indiana. Afflalo calmly sank two free throws - nothing but net on both of them - and after an Indiana miscue and two Darren Collison free throws, UCLA's heartbeat could return to normal.

Overall, it was an awful shooting day by Afflalo. He made just two of 11 field goals and scored 10 points. But, at the same time, the fact that he was struggling makes his assertiveness in the final seconds more impressive. He knew he wasn't having a good shooting night from outside - he finished 0-3 from 3-point range - so he got to the free throw line.

He did what it took to win. Like Lewis. Like Law.

Three upperclassmen carrying their teams when they needed them most.

That was the theme of Saturday, the theme on easily the most exciting day so far of the tournament, the theme on a day when several high-seeded teams could have easily gone down, but the only "upset" ended up being Vanderbilt's double OT win over Washington State (which really wasn't much of an upset).

Before I call it a night, two other players need to be recognized for stepping up on Saturday. Roy Hibbert of Georgetown and Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina were absolute beasts Saturday night. Both were playing against very physical teams, but both were up to the challenge as Hibbert's Hoyas slipped by Boston College 62-55 and Hansbrough's Tar Heels pulled away from Michigan State 81-67.

Throughout the season Hibbert has been inconsistent, showing up on some nights but not on others. On Saturday, he came to play when his team needed him most. The 7-foot-2 junior scored 17 points, grabbed 12 boards and blocked two shots in 34 minutes of action. He even showed some moves on the offensive end (not just brute strength), spinning around a BC defender for a layup. He was the difference against a very good Boston College team.

Michigan State should have known it was in trouble when Hansbrough came out without the mask he had worn the previous few games to protect his nose. The sophomore - who plays a lot more like a senior - refused to be stopped. Michigan State threw throngs of defenders at him, but he was simply too strong. He motored to 33 points on 10-for-17 shooting from the field and 13-for-17 shooting from the free throw line. And, believe me, he earned every one of the free throws he attempted. He was beat up all night.

So with Saturday in the books, the only question is whether today can match up. While I doubt there will be as many tight finishes, this time of year you have to expect the unexpected. With that said, here are my picks for today's games. Notice how close I believe they’ll all be.

- Tennessee over Virginia, 87-81
- Nevada over Memphis, 71-68
- Texas over USC, 80-74
- Florida over Purdue, 70-62
- Winthrop over Oregon, 78-74
- Wisconsin over UNLV, 65-60
- Kansas over Kentucky, 81-68
- Virginia Tech over Southern Illinois, 64-56

"NCAA tournament Day 2 diary"

2007-03-17T01:14:00.000-04:00

Big 10 haters may want to back down a bit. At least for now.

On Friday the Big 10 won two of three games to finish the first round a scintillating 5-1. If not for Illinois blowing a double-digit lead against Virginia Tech, the league would have gone a perfect 6-0. The Illini didn't score in the final 4:20 of the game, allowing the seemingly dead Hokies to finally overtake them in the final minute. It was a pretty good choke job, no doubt about it.

But it certainly doesn't taint the Big 10's performance thus far. The league's teams may be boring to watch. Seriously boring. Even Ohio State and Wisconsin fans must have been switching channels to the Big 12 title game a week ago. Texas-Kansas was that much more exciting.

HOWEVA, as Stephen A. Smith would say, when it comes to playing hard-nosed, physical, smash-the-glass, no-easy-buckets basketball, no one is better than the Big 10. We saw this the past couple days. It took Marquette nearly 10 minutes to score a single point against Michigan State on Thursday. And Friday, Purdue dominated Arizona on the glass, 37-29, sending a message to the Pac 10 that you can't finesse your way to victories. Especially in March. Illinois did the same to Virginia Tech, until that collapse (which, honestly, I still can't believe happened).

The only Big 10 team that didn't look impressive in the first round was Wisconsin, which received a serious scare from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Badgers trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half, but were saved in the second half by seniors Alando Tucker and Kammron Taylor, who scored 47 of Wisconsin's 76 points.

Wisconsin will definitely be challenged by UNLV in the second round, but I think it will move on. The close call will be beneficial, as there's no way Bo Ryan will allow his team to come out asleep on Sunday as it did on Friday.

The Big 10 should get at least two teams to the Sweet 16. I don't foresee Ohio State having much of a problem today against Xavier, and watch out tonight for Indiana against UCLA. If the Hoosiers can hit their 3's, they're a dangerous bunch.

Unfortunately for Michigan State and Purdue, they face No. 1 seeds in North Carolina and Florida, respectively. It would take supreme defensive efforts for them to corral their more talented opponents. Still, I foresee that by Sunday night critics will no longer be ripping the Big 10 and the committee's decision to select six teams from the league.

Speaking of the committee, it was pretty obvious from watching the first two days which two at-large teams didn't belong in the field of 65. Stanford and Arkansas. The Cardinal got absolutely rocked by Louisville on Thursday, and the Razorbacks didn't have much fight against USC on Friday. I'm sure - check that, positive - Drexel and Syracuse could have given better efforts. They belonged in the field.

Well, my upset picks backfired again on Friday. For some reason - maybe the fact that I just don't like the state of Virginia (bad family reunion; it's a long story) - I thought Virginia would fall to Albany. Boy, was I far off. It became clear, watching the Cavaliers, that at least in the first round, all a team needs are a couple of great guards. Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds were sensational for Virginia on Friday. They combined for 51 points on just 28 field goal attempts and also grabbed a combined 13 rebounds.

While inside-outside balance is necessary in order to win a championship, it isn't imperative in order to survive the first weekend. Virginia and Tennessee will be a great matchup of guards on Sunday. The Volunteers absolutely torched Long Beach State on Friday 121-86 – the 121 points the most scored in a tournament game in over 15 years - with three guards scoring 20-plus points led by Chris Lofton's 25. We should see a barrage of 3-pointers from these guard-dominated teams on Sunday.

Finally, the game to watch today (if you can only peep one - something I don't recommend). It's gotta be Texas A&M against Louisville in Lexington. There should be a raucous crowd for the Cardinals, but can anyone shake Acie Law? I don't think so. He's the most clutch player in the country. Still, this should be a heckuva game. Louisville will try to play at a frenetic pace while A&M will attempt to slow it down. Whoever wins the tempo battle should have the early edge, but I expect the game to go down to the end. And that's when Law will win it for the Aggies, 75-71.

My other picks for today:
- Ohio State over Xavier, 77-61
- North Carolina over Michigan State, 72-65
- Vanderbilt over Washington State, 75-69 (yeah, I know, I'm jumping on Vandy's bandwagon; just trying to be honest here)
- Georgetown over Boston College, 62-50
- UCLA over Indiana, 68-60
- Pitt over VCU, 66-58
- Maryland over Butler, 73-68

There should be several close games, if not upsets. Which will be in contrast to the first two days, which produced 23 games (out of 32) decided by 10 or more points.

It’s time for some drama.

"NCAA tournament Day 1 diary"

2007-03-16T00:05:00.000-04:00

What a... non-exciting day in the Big Dance???

Did I just say that? Wow. Unbelievable. Shocking.

The men's NCAA tournament had its most uneventful, non-"upsetting" first day in at least half a decade Thursday (and I don't even have to look that one up; it's the truth). Only three lower seeds won, and two of those were No. 9 seeds (Michigan State and Xavier). The other "upset" - VCU over Duke - was a No. 11 over a 6, which isn't a huge shocker. And, honestly, Duke didn't deserve a No. 6 seed anyway. It was more of a 7-10 matchup.

So, basically, things played out like they were supposed to. Which is cool, except that it isn't, because this never happens. And it's much more exciting to see the little guys rule, until you look down at your busted bracket. (On a side note, my bracket is relatively unscathed - like, probably, the majority of people's - after a 13-for-16 opening day).

But I'm not going to stop beating myself over the head - for at least a week and a half - for picking Stanford and George Washington, two teams that got absolutely obliterated by Louisville and Vanderbilt, respectively. I apologize to anyone who listened to my picks on those two. I don't know what I was thinking taking a young Stanford team playing on the road in Lexington (I regretted the pick as soon as the Cardinal were down five), and George Washington was simply a brain fart. If not for those lousy picks and my choice of the 'Zags over Indiana, I would have been perfect on the day.

Which really isn't saying much, considering how normal the games were. A common theme: The smaller underdog would stay with the bigger, stronger team for a half, or even a half and a half, but then the favorite would flex its muscle and pull away. We haven't seen that the past few years. Here is the biggest reason, I believe, for Thursday's top-heavy results.

- The smaller schools, such as Oral Roberts (which lost to Washington State) and Old Dominion (which collapsed against Butler) relied way too much on the 3-pointer when they got down. They started chucking up treys instead of taking the ball to the basket and getting to the free throw line.

- The bigger teams, on the other hand, didn't rely on the outside shot (with the exception of hot-shooting Butler and Vandy). Even Indiana, which shot lights out in the first half against Gonzaga, threw the ball down low to D.J. White in the second half, possession after possession, and had great success doing so. Not only did White score 16 points and grab 11 rebounds, but he also received great attention on the block, freeing Indiana's outside shooters, who buried nine triples.

In Maryland's win over Davidson, the Terrapins simply beat up the Wildcats, outrebounding them 49-31. While Davidson's freshman guard Stephen Curry was outstanding, connecting on five 3-pointers to score 30 points, the Terrapins did a good job of not settling for 3's on the other end. While Davidson was 10-for-37 from 3-point range, Maryland was a much more efficient 6-for-17. All of the favorites who won did an excellent job (most of the time) of working the ball on offense to find the best shot. They were very disciplined.

But is this dominance by the higher seeds going to last? Nope, very doubtful. Look for a bevy of upsets - and a return to normalcy - today. A couple of upsets I could certainly see happening are in the South Regional, where Albany takes on No. 4 seed Virginia in the earliest game and then Long Beach State battles No. 5 seed Tennessee. While Virginia gets outstanding guard play from Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds, I think it relies on that duo too much, and it's also not the most disciplined team. I think a good effort by Albany could result in the biggest upset so far of the Dance. And Tennessee-LBSU should be a shootout. Both teams like to get up and down the court. And as long as LBSU takes good care of the basketball so that it takes as many shots as the Volunteers, it has a fighting chance.

As far as the game of the day, don't miss the Creighton-Nevada matchup. I love both of these teams, which is why - for my bracket's sake - I hate the fact that they're playing in the first round. Creighton's Nate Funk is one of the most clutch players in the land, and Nevada's trio of Nick Fazekas (a likely lottery pick), Marcelus Kemp and Kyle Shiloh (if he plays) is deadly. Should be a great first-round game.

So it's time to move on to Day 2. Day 1 produced just three out of 16 games decided by less than 10 points, an absolutely amazing number for the Big Dance. Don't expect this to continue, however.

Today will be nuts, berserk, absolute chaos. Favorites will fall. Brackets will be scathed by red X's. There will be several nail-biters.

That's the beauty of this first weekend. There may be one uneventful day. But there's always the next day, and it's rarely the same.

"Momentum means nothing come March"

2007-03-13T00:32:00.000-04:00

When filling out my NCAA tournament brackets, I used to always be temped to pick teams that were on a hot streak - teams that supposedly owned that all-important "M" word (momentum) heading into the Big Dance.

That's why I stupidly chose Syracuse to advance to the Sweet 16 a year ago after the Orangemen won four games in four days to take the Big East Tournament. Then I watched on the first night of the Big Dance as the Orange completely ran out of gas against Texas A&M and lost. Gerry McNamara, who had been unstoppable during the Big East tourney, stunk up the joint against the Aggies and wasn't even in the game at crunch time.

After that game, I finally learned my bracketology lesson for the year: Momentum means nothing going into the NCAA tournament. This is different from momentum gained during the tournament. That's a good thing. That's what propelled Florida to the national title a year ago. They got hot in the Big Dance and, frankly, became invincible. But any winning streaks taken into the tournament can be thrown out the window.

The only streak that matters come Thursday is who can pile up six straight wins.

Positive momentum?
No coach will ever admit it (at least publicly), but if a team is assured of a high seed in the tournament, an early loss in its conference tournament can't be the worse thing. It gives the team an extra few days to rest and prepare. And if the coach thinks his players were maybe becoming overconfident or too relaxed on the court, it is a perfect opportunity for him to teach them a lesson about taking every game seriously - exactly what is needed during the three-week Big Dance.

This year's Maryland team is the perfect example. The Terrapins cruised into the ACC tournament having won eight consecutive games, including two over Duke and one over North Carolina, a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance. But Maryland lost in the first round of the conference tournament to Miami, a team that's not attending any postseason tournament. I know Gary Williams relished the opportunity to work with his players Friday, Saturday and Sunday while Roy Williams was coaching North Carolina to the ACC title.

And I can guarantee the Terrapins will be prepared for their first-round matchup this week with Davidson. There will be no looking ahead. They will be rested and ready to go - something that could not be said if they had gone on to play in the ACC title game. Sure, they might have gotten a No. 3 seed instead of a No. 4 (which I thought was extremely generous), but when it comes down to it, the seeding doesn't matter. Every team still has to play the games.

A team on the other end of the spectrum is Texas, which nearly delayed the selection committee’s unveiling of the brackets by playing overtime with Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament Sunday afternoon. The game ended around 5:40 p.m. EST, 20 minutes before the selection show. The Longhorns lost the game, but still got a No. 4 seed and a lot of respect from national pundits, who believe Texas has what it takes to possibly upset North Carolina in the Sweet 16.

But Texas must win two games in three days before it can think about the Tar Heels.
Luckily for the Longhorns, they play on Friday evening instead of, say, noon on Thursday. But, still, they'll only have had four days to practice and prepare for New Mexico State. As great as Kevin Durant is, Texas fans have to be just a little concerned about their team. Texas played three games in three days - including a draining comeback against Baylor and the OT loss to Kansas - and it isn't a team with a lot of depth. This was obvious on Sunday when point guard D.J. Augustin was out of the game. No player could run the offense like he did. His presence on the bench allowed Kansas to recover from a 22-point deficit.

Does this mean Texas will lose to New Mexico State? No, probably not. But the Longhorns' weekend will not be as easy as many experts predict.

As exciting as Texas' Big 12 tournament run was, maybe it would have been better off allowing Baylor to hold onto its huge lead in the quarterfinals Friday night. That would have done two things. First, it would have given the thin Texas lineup a full week to rest and get ready for the Big Dance. Second, it would have put the Longhorns below the radar. After this past weekend, everyone knows what the Longhorns can do as a team. They were a Kansas 3-pointer at the end of regulation away from winning the tournament. But if they had been beaten by lowly Baylor, maybe people would have had questions about this team. Or, maybe, people simply wouldn't have talked about it as the tournament neared.

Last year, no one was chatting up Florida as a potential Final Four candidate until the Elite Eight. The Gators used a lack-of-respect approach perfectly to cruise to the national title. They weren't quite the Cinderella George Mason was, but they certainly weren't as popular of a pick as Connecticut or Duke to make the Final Four.

This year, however, the target is on Florida's back. And they were one of four high-profile teams - along with Kansas, Ohio State and North Carolina - who won a conference tournament on Sunday. While it would take an historical event - the first 16-over-1 upset - for one of these teams to lose its first-round matchup, it will be interesting to see how this "momentum" serves them (and others, such as Texas) as March Madness roars forward.

"NCAA tournament preview part II: my picks"

2007-03-12T00:26:00.000-04:00

NOTE: Yes, I've watched probably as much college basketball this season as Digger Phelps. Yes, I think I know what I'm talking about. But, no, that doesn't mean anything. These picks could be atrocious. So if you want to roll with me, that's gravy. But don't hold me responsible for your busted bracket after two days.

With that said, here are my "official picks."

ST. LOUIS BRACKET
1ST ROUND
No. 1 Florida def. No. 16 Jackson State: A no-brainer.
No. 8 Arizona def. No. 9 Purdue: Much more talent on Arizona's side, but will the Wildcats use it?
No. 5 Butler def. No. 12 Old Dominion: More big-game experience for Butler.
No. 4 Maryland def. No. 13 Davidson: Close game, but Terps prevail.
No. 11 Winthrop def. No. 6 Notre Dame: Tough to pick against Winthrop, who took North Carolina to the brink.
No. 3 Oregon def. No. 14 Miami (Ohio): Miami's just happy (and lucky) to be here.
No. 10 Georgia Tech def. No. 7 UNLV: Yellow Jackets showed in win over UNC what they're capable of.
No. 2 Wisconsin def. No. 15 Texas A&M - CC: No problems yet for the Badgers.
2ND ROUND
No. 1 Florida def. No. 8 Arizona: More disciplined Gators pull away in second half.
No. 4 Maryland def. No. 5 Butler: Terps too athletic for Butler.
No. 3 Oregon def. No. 11 Winthrop: Ducks shoot lights-out from 3-point range.
No. 2 Wisconsin def. No. 10 Georgia Tech: Tough defense forces young Yellow Jackets into several turnovers.
3RD ROUND
No. 1 Florida def. No. 4 Maryland: Florida's big men too much for younger Maryland bigs.
No. 3 Oregon def. No. 2 Wisconsin: Ducks push the tempo, take Alando Tucker out of the game.
4TH ROUND
No. 1 Florida def. No. 3 Oregon: Huge advantage for Florida down low is the difference.

SAN JOSE BRACKET
1ST ROUND
No. 1 Kansas def. No. 16 Florida A&M/Niagra: Yeah... no first-round loss this time around.
No. 8 Kentucky def. No. 9 Villanova: With Mike Nardi still not 100 percent, Kentucky’s defense focuses on Scottie Reynolds and possibly saves Tubby Smith's job.
No. 5 Virginia Tech def. No. 12 Illinois: Zabian Dowdell dominates against weak Illinois backcourt.
No. 4 Southern Illinois def. No. 13 Holy Cross: Given nearly two weeks to rest and prepare, Salukis come out with something to prove.
No. 11 VCU def. No. 6 Duke: Weakest Duke team in years has trouble scoring.
No. 3 Pittsburgh def. No. 14 Wright State: Panthers shut down Wright State, get big outing from big man Aaron Gray.
No. 10 Gonzaga def. No. 7 Indiana: Playing in Sacramento, 'Zags again are a mid-major with something to prove.
No. 2 UCLA def. No. 15 Weber State: It won't be easy. Remember, Weber State knocked off No. 3 seed North Carolina about five years ago.
SECOND ROUND
No. 1 Kansas def. No. 8 Kentucky: Jayhawks run Wildcats tired with their large rotation of capable players.
No. 5 Virginia Tech def. No. 4 Southern Illinois: Hokies are able to play their up-and-down style, and that's the difference.
No. 3 Pittsburgh def. No. 11 VCU: Pitt is able to turn game into a grind-it-out defensive battle.
No. 2 UCLA def. No. 10 Gonzaga: Rematch of last year's Sweet 16 game, which UCLA stole at the end. No theft necessary this time. Aaron Afflalo shoots over 'Zags' smaller guards.
THIRD ROUND
No. 1 Kansas def. No. 5 Virginia Tech: Kansas' three super guards - Mario Chalmers, Russell Robinson and Sherron Collins - wear down Dowdell, and Julian Wright shreds the defense with his passing.
No. 2 UCLA def. No. 3 Pittsburgh: Another defensive battle goes to Bruins, who are able to neutralize Gray and get a big game from point guard Darren Collison.
FOURTH ROUND
No. 1 Kansas def. No. 2 UCLA: The only advantage for the Bruins is experience. Kansas has more depth and talent at every position. The Jayhawks should win, but who really knows? Will be a great game.

EAST RUTHERFORD BRACKET
FIRST ROUND
No. 1 North Carolina def. No. 16 Eastern Kentucky: Only concern for the Heels is playing just four days after three-day ACC tournament.
No. 9 Michigan State def. No. 8 Marquette: Tough call here, but with Jerel McNeal still nursing an injury and a size advantage inside for the Spartans, gotta go with MSU.
No. 5 USC def. No. 12 Arkansas: In fast-paced game, Razorbacks will wear down toward end thanks to four-game, four-day stretch during SEC tournament.
No. 4 Texas def. No. 13 New Mexico State: Beware of Reggie Theus' Lobos, but D.J. Augustin leads way for Texas in this one.
No. 11 George Washington def. No. 6 Vanderbilt: Commodores rely way too heavily on 3-pointers.
No. 3 Washington State def. No. 14 Oral Roberts: Under-the-radar Cougars play some of country's best defense.
No. 7 Boston College def. No. 10 Texas Tech: Jared Dudley is too much for the Red Raiders.
No. 2 Georgetown def. No. 15 Belmont: Hoyas continue their great play of late.
2ND ROUND
No. 1 North Carolina def. No. 9 Michigan State: Tar Heels overwhelm Spartans with their depth, and they stop Drew Neitzel with several bigger defenders.
No. 4 Texas def. No. 5 USC: Simply put, Trojans have no answer for Kevin Durant down low.
No. 3 Washington State def. No. 11 George Washington: Another smothering defensive effort.
No. 2 Georgetown def. No. 7 Boston College: Dudley won't be able to penetrate and get his shot off against big Roy Hibbert.
THIRD ROUND
No. 1 North Carolina def. No. 4 Texas: What a matchup. In the end, North Carolina's depth is too much for the Longhorns and senior Reyshawn Terry steps up down the stretch.
No. 2 Georgetown def. No. 3 Washington State: See the Hoyas' win over Pittsburgh Saturday? This will be a carbon copy. Jeff Green scores the tough points against the Cougars.
4TH ROUND
No. 2 Georgetown def. No. 1 North Carolina: What pace will be game be played at? That's the key. Hoyas want a slow game. Tar Heels want a race. Tar Heels have more talent, but something's telling me Georgetown. Don't ask me why.

SAN ANTONIO BRACKET
1ST ROUND
No. 1 Ohio State def. No. 16 Central Connecticut State: Look out for Mr. Greg Oden.
No. 9 Xavier def. No. 8 BYU: People are saying Xavier shouldn't be in. With chip on their shoulder, Musketeers prove their worth.
No. 5 Tennessee def. No. 12 Long Beach State: Tempted to pick the proverbial 12-5 upset, but Chris Lofton changes my mind.
No. 13 Albany def. No. 4 Virginia: All I can say is I feel this one happening. If you want some backup, Virginia relies way too much on Sean Singletary.
No. 11 Stanford def. No. 6 Louisville: Probably not a popular pick here, but Cardinal, like Xavier, feel they need to prove their worth. And that tough Pac 10 schedule will help them here.
No. 3 Texas A&M def. No. 14 Pennsylvania: No way Acie Law lets Aggies lose this one.
No. 7 Nevada def. No. 10 Creighton: Couldn't be angrier about this matchup because I LOVE both teams. However, forced to pick, trio of Nick Fazekas, Marcelus Kemp and Ramon Sessions leads Wolfpack to very, very close win.
No. 2 Memphis def. No. 15 North Texas: Tempted to pick upset, but North Texas doesn't sound like a Cinderella team.
2ND ROUND
No. 1 Ohio State def. No. 9 Xavier: No problems for Buckeyes as Oden-Mike Conley Jr. combo dominates.
No. 5 Tennessee def. No. 13 Albany: Volunteers' athleticism too much for America East Conference champs.
No. 3 Texas A&M def. No. 11 Stanford: Experienced Aggies are too much for talented but young Cardinal.
No. 7 Nevada def. No. 2 Memphis: Nevada's experienced playmakers trump Memphis' athletic youngsters.
3RD ROUND
No. 1 Ohio State def. No. 5 Tennessee: Volunteers have no answer for Oden inside.
No. 3 Texas A&M def. No. 7 Nevada: Aggies force Wolfpack into gritty, defensive battle. Law hits big shots over smaller Nevada guards.
4TH ROUND
No. 1 Ohio State def. No. 3 Texas A&M: Buckeyes guard Law with their bigger guards and small forwards. Conley Jr. makes Law have to work on defense, and when Aggies help on Oden, Buckeyes' 3-point shooters have a great day.

FINAL FOUR
Florida def. Kansas: Teams played epic overtime game in December, with Kansas sneaking away with the victory. This will be another great one. In the end, Florida's big-game experience will be the key, as the Gators play just a little more poised down the stretch.
Ohio State def. Georgetown: Oden vs. Hibbert will be very fun to watch, but Oden - minus his lack of experience - should have the edge. Conley Jr. is a much better point guard than anyone Georgetown has. If the Buckeyes can contain Jeff Green, this should be a hard-fought win for them.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Florida def. Ohio State: Who would have thought? A rematch of the BCS title game with the same result. Except it won't be a huge blowout. The bottom line is this: When Florida is on its game, it is the best team in college basketball and it can't be stopped. If it gets this far in the tournament, don't expect it to play a mediocre game. Noah, Al Horford and the Gators' other big men will contain Oden; Green and Corey Brewer will do a good job on Conley Jr.; and Lee Humphrey will hit some big 3's.

Final score: Florida 68, Ohio State 59

"NCAA tournament preview part I: criteria for success"

2007-03-11T20:54:00.000-04:00

Well, we have finally reached Selection Sunday, the second biggest sports Sunday of the year for most sports fans (and the biggest if you don't follow professional football). The bracket is out, and it is STACKED. There are several teams in each region capable of making the Final Four. And there is a good pool of teams capable of taking home the championship.

I am just about prepared to throw my reputation as a "knowledgeable" hoops aficionado on the line, but before I make my picks, let me give you a few characteristics that I will look for in teams to determine whether they can go far in the tournament. Of course a game's outcome will always depend on the matchups between the two teams - and a little luck - but teams with these attributes, I believe, will have the best chance of doing some damage late into March.

1. Have a go-to guy
As much as I love a balanced team (and more about that in a second), a team that wants to go deep into the tournament has to know who is going to have the ball in their hands come crunch time. That player doesn't necessarily have to take the big shot, but he has to be able to make plays when they're needed most - whether it's hitting the game-winner or penetrating and dishing off to someone else.
- To name a few: Acie Law (Texas A&M); Mike Conley Jr. (Ohio State); Chris Lofton (Tennessee).

2. Have offensive balance
This is the biggest reason Wisconsin, the No. 2 seed in the Midwest, won't make it to the Final Four. Whenever Alando Tucker, the Badgers' player of the year candidate, has a bad game, they usually lose. Teams need to have several options on offense; different guys who can step up at various times. Teams especially need an inside-outside threat. That's why Ohio State is so dangerous with Conley and Greg Oden down low. Ditto Texas with Kevin Durant and D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams.

3. Have a very solid point guard
It was obvious today, when watching the Big 12 championship game, that Texas was a completely different team without Augustin on the floor. Durant didn't get the ball. The offense had no flow. Every team will play hard-nosed defense with great effort during the NCAA tournament. A successful team will need an experienced point guard to calm down his teammates during critical situations and run the offense like it's supposed to be run. A team without an experienced or precocious point guard during the tournament isn't going past the Sweet 16.
- To name a few: Taurean Green (Florida); Aaron Brooks (Oregon); Darren Collison (UCLA).

4. Shoot free throws well
No matter how good a team is, more than likely it will find itself in a NCAA tournament game where it needs to convert free throws in the final minutes to pull out the victory. Teams don't necessarily need to be good as a whole shooting free throws, but they need to have at least three excellent free throw shooters who will be in the game at crunch time.
- To name a few teams: Gonzaga, Nevada, Oregon (I promise, there's no West Coast Bias here).

5. Have a shot-blocker
Look at each of the past five national champions. Maryland (2002) had Lonny Baxter and Chris Wilcox; Syracuse (2003) had Hakim Warrick - remember that block to seal the national title game?; Connecticut (2004) had Emeka Okafor; North Carolina (2005) had Sean May; and last year? Well, Joakim Noah set an NCAA tournament record for blocks. A shot-blocker is super important during the tournament because teams who face off normally aren't that familiar with each other, so a player can surprise the opponent with his ability to swat shots.
- To name a few: Oden (Ohio State), Durant (Texas), Steven Hill (Arkansas), Noah (Florida).

6. Finally, get on a hot streak
This, ultimately, is the most important factor in who ends up dancing on the first Monday night of April. This is what propelled Florida to its first championship a year ago. If a talented team comes together and plays their best basketball of the season over the course of three weeks, watch out. Conversely, if a talented team doesn't show up for a game, its season could be over. Just like that. The bottom line is, the teams that are able to stay focused for each game - no matter the opponent - and play the most consistently have the best chance of moving on. One lapse, and you can start talking about next year.

With that said, let's get ready for tourney time. I'll say it every year - but even more so this time around. Anything is possible come Thursday.

"Michigan's woes must fall on Amaker"

2007-03-10T13:36:00.000-05:00

Dion Harris caught the ball on the fastbreak and was going up for a relatively uncontested layup, which could have cut Michigan's deficit to eight points with still four minutes to play, when he lost it. The ball simply slipped out of his hands and out of bounds. Timeout. Ohio State ball. Game over. NCAA tournament hopes dashed.

No, Michigan's loss to the Buckeyes in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament on Friday wasn't because of this one play (think: Greg Oden's dominance, 16 turnovers, two misses of front ends of bonus opportunities, a terrible shooting afternoon by Harris, little productivity from Courtney Sims, etc.). But Harris' miscue was a perfect representation of this season for the Wolverines - and, ultimately, of the entire six-year reign of Tommy Amaker as head coach.

Missed opportunities.

That's what the Wolverines' struggles have been all about. They simply have not capitalized on their chances for success. And that falls on Amaker.

To Amaker's credit, the Wolverines played some of their best basketball the past two weeks. Their best two games of the season were their home victory over Michigan State and the first 36 minutes of their heartbreaking loss to Ohio State a week ago. The team played as a unit in these games. The offense was about as smooth as it's ever going to be without a good point guard. The effort on the defensive end was there.

It was the sign of a good coach - getting his players to play their best basketball at the end of the season. But when they've been playing mediocre - often heartless - basketball up until the season's final weeks, it's too late. And that's the sign of a poor coach - not being able to get through to his players until it's crunch time.

Michigan didn't cost itself an NCAA tournament bid a week ago or on Friday. Yes, it basically giftwrapped the game for the Buckeyes at Crisler Arena. But until the final minutes, the Wolverines played their best game of the year against a team that is clearly more talented than them (On Friday that talent showed itself very clearly in the form of Greg Oden. He was unstoppable).

Michigan's tournament hopes went down the drain for a ninth consecutive year in December, and January and even February. In its one non-conference home game against a school you can locate on a map, Georgetown, Michigan played lackadaisical and lost by a large margin. A win in that contest would at least have Michigan on the bubble right now because while the Hoyas were struggling at that point of the season - they weren't even in the top 25 - now they're arguably college hoop's hottest team and likely a No. 2 seed come 6 p.m. today.

Then, during the Big Ten season, Michigan often looked uninterested in road games. It was blown out at Purdue and Indiana. It looked awful at Michigan State and Illinois. It got crushed against Wisconsin. It only beat Northwestern and Minnesota away from home. And the only loss it looked decent in was against those same Buckeyes.

One or two quality road wins, and we'd be talking NCAA tournament.

Finally, and this is the clincher, Michigan's home collapse against Iowa was absolutely unacceptable. The Wolverines held a comfortable lead until Iowa went on a 20-1 second-half run to surge ahead. No NCAA tournament team squanders a big lead at home against a non-tournament team such as the Hawkeyes.

Blame the coach and his staff

Michigan's failures come back to Amaker and his coaching staff. He needs to be fired. It's that simple. Has he done a great job of cleaning up the program and recruiting players who stay for four years? Yes. Is he a class act? Undoubtedly. But is he - at least at Michigan - a good head coach?

No. No. No.

There are two main reasons for Michigan's failures the past six years. Since this season had been a microcosm of the Amaker Era, I'm just going to focus on it.

The players hardly get better

First off, he is not very good at developing players. Look at this year's senior class. Tell me - is Lester Abram any better than he was as a freshman? No, he's worse. Some of that has to do with the injuries he's suffered and his rehabilitation from them, but he's been healthy this season, and he's been achingly inconsistent.

What about Dion Harris? He averaged three more points this season than he did as a freshman. And his field goal percentage was worse. Amaker's inability to recruit a suitable backup point guard to Daniel Horton might have cost Harris a shot at the NBA. While his adaptation to playing the point guard role the last couple years when Horton was out is admirable, Harris never looked comfortable at the position. He is a true shooting guard - with a beautiful shot - who unfortunately had to take a lot more 3-pointers off the dribble than off the pass.

Finally, seniors Courtney Sims and Brent Petway need to be mentioned. While Sims' scoring average improved two points from his freshman year to his sophomore year, it hasn't even increased two points since then despite Sims being Michigan's lone inside offensive threat. Of more concern, his rebounding numbers have increased by just one rebound since his sophomore season. Anyone who's watched Sims for four years knows his main problem is a lack of aggressiveness and assertiveness. Yet, with a few exceptions this year, Sims still appeared too cautious and slow on the court. Has he improved from a year ago? Yes. But not as much as a player of his caliber should have.

Petway may be the most glaring example of Amaker and his coaching staff's inability to develop players over four years. Petway is arguably the greatest leaper in college basketball. Some of the ally-oops he converts are simply amazing. But the rest of his offensive repertoire hasn't come to fruition. It's easy to joke about how many of his points in a given games are going to be on ally-oops and putback dunks. If Michigan's coaches could have broadened Petway's game to include post moves and a mid-range jumper (which, obviously, would be unblockable) he could have been a dominating college player. Instead, he has just been occasionally exciting.

Stop playing cupcakes

Amaker's second big mistake has been non-conference scheduling. The Wolverines have played ridiculously weak non-conference schedules just about every season under Amaker, and it kills them come Big Ten season because they are not prepared for the tough games - especially on the road. Additionally, if they are on the bubble come tournament time, their resume is always weakened by a glaring lack of good non-conference wins (an ESPN graphic actually listed Davidson as a "key win" this year for Michigan because Davidson won its obscure conference tournament).

Who did Michigan beat this season in non-conference play (besides, Davidson, of course)? Their best win was probably over Miami of Ohio, which won the MAC tournament on a lucky 3-pointer at the buzzer Saturday night. That's sad. The only good teams Michigan played were UCLA (who's really good and obliterated Michigan) and Georgetown. The Wolverines also played North Carolina State on the road, but that was part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, in which the Wolverines are required to compete in.

So, basically, Michigan played in two tough non-conference games in late December (UCLA was Dec. 23 and Georgetown Dec. 30) and got smoked in both games because it hadn't played anyone to prepare for them. Why not play a Missouri Valley team or a middle-of-the-pack Big East team to lead up to UCLA and Georgetown (two teams who could easily end up in the Final Four)? It makes perfect sense. Yet Amaker thought playing Wofford would suffice.

What makes the weak scheduling sadder is that Michigan has a senior-laden team this year. Harris, Abram, Petway and Sims have all played four years at Michigan. Yet Amaker somehow didn't feel they were ready for tough non-conference play.

It doesn't make sense. But then again, it does - at least in a way. Jim Carty of the "Ann Arbor News" wrote in a column Saturday that Amaker doesn't follow any of the NCAA tournament talk about which teams are "in" and which teams are on "the bubble" and what criteria teams need to make the Big Dance. Amaker just coaches. And that'd be fine if he was at North Carolina, with enough talent to spread around the entire ACC. But when you're at a school that's been longing for eight years just to make it to the NCAA tournament, you need to do whatever you have to - legally, of course - to make it happen. Listen to the experts. Schedule the tough teams in December. Don't be afraid of losing to good teams. It will make you better in those close games in early March (aka the meltdown against the Buckeyes).

But, no. Amaker doesn't follow the hype. And now, when the field of 65 is announced tonight, his kids won't be a part of the hype. They'll prepare for another NIT appearance - their third in four years - and they'll be left to wonder what the thrill of playing in the NCAA tournament is like.

Mostly because their coach didn't know how to lead them there.

"Pills, 'roids, and wife-beaters"

2007-03-08T00:12:00.000-05:00

And so the whacky world of sports lives on.

We have reached the middle of another week, and guess what - hold your breath! - there are sports figures in the news for swallowing pills (Lindsey Hunter), taking human growth hormones (John Rocker) and allegedly beating their wife (good ole Ron Artest).

And, naturally, all of these stories are fairly big news. Because we just don't hear about this stuff very often... right?

Um, lemme check the archives. Oh, boy, there was this story a while ago about a couple Indiana Pacers players allegedly assaulting a bartender. And, WHAT?? Evander Holyfield buying steroids? Where have I been.

OK, I'll snap out of it. I've been here this whole time, digesting the week-to-week transgressions of the athletes we both laud and criticize. And, no, I'm not the least surprised by any of their actions, from the pill-taking to the wife-beating. Sometimes particular cases are a bit on the shocking side, such as Hunter - known as one of the NBA's better guys - being suspended 10 games for "accidentally" taking one of his wife's diet pills. But for the most part, no negative sports news is the least surprising anymore.

And here's another truth bite. It ain't going to stop. George Mitchell's senate committee has been at "work" for over a year now, trying to clean up baseball. Yet no players will talk to the committee - why would they? All they could do is alienate teammates and friends - and the most successful steroids probe has come out of upstate New York, with nine athletes, including Holyfield and the Angels' Gary Matthews Jr. being named.

It's great these investigations are taking place, and I'm sure more players will be linked to steroids, but at the same time other players will stay ahead of the game by finding new supplements to power their swing or throwing arm.

In other words, this is an "ongoing investigation" that will still be "ongoing" when we have amusement parks on Mars.

As for wife-beating athletes, they're not going anywhere. Just like any field of work has its share of domestic abusers, there are always going to be bad eggs in the NBA, NFL, AFL - you name the league - who were never told not to hit women. Now, in all fairness to Artest, this is just an allegation, but, yeah, it didn't surprise me the least.

Just listen to his rap lyrics.

And as much as I love Hunter as a player - a sparkplug off the bench who has always hustled for loose balls and not been afraid to take the big shots - he should have known better than to take a "diet pill," just like Barry Bonds shoulda known that the cream and the clear isn't some holistic olive oil, and on and on we go.

Athletes deny knowing they consumed a banned substance more often than Dickie V yells, "Baby!" I'll applaud the first athlete who stand up and says, "I knew this was illegal, but, damn, it just looked so appealing. I couldn't help myself."

That will be a great day.

But until that day, nothing changes. The world keeps spinning on its axis, squirrels keep scrambling up trees, and athletes continue to provide off-the-field news for us to endlessly dissect.

Until we feel the need for some diet pills.

"This is your time, Shaq"

2007-03-05T15:40:00.001-05:00

All right, Shaq, Diesel, Great Aristotle, this is your time, your chance to show you're still the best center in the league, your opportunity to show you're not just some washed-up, indolent, four-ring-wearing, police-badge-carrying dude.

Yeah, Dwyane Wade said he's trying to return. He must be the most courageous player in the league. Not a soul on this planet would have condemned him for taking off the rest of the season and getting surgery to repair his dislocated shoulder. But, nope, being one of the league's fiercest competitors, he's planning a no-strings-attached return, which could see him playing in the last few games of the regular season and then - if the Heat make it - the playoffs.

But, Shaq, don't take this as a sign to relax. Your team's chances of qualifying for the playoffs in the dismal, awful, embarrassing Eastern Conference are on your gigantic shoulders. Your team's offense needs to run through you, because otherwise we'll be watching Jason Williams chuck up 25-footers and Antoine Walker trying to drive the lane like he's 25, and no one wants to see that.

But you, even at 34, can still bang with the league's biggest, baddest dudes. We know this, Shaq. Just the other day Detroit's Dale Davis said in the "Detroit Free Press" that you're still the toughest big man to defend in the league. When you want the ball down low, when you want to score, you're unstoppable. We all know this. You proved against Davis and others last Friday, dominating the Pistons to the tune of 31 points, 15 rebounds and six assists. You play like that - with even a 50 percent D-Wade at your side - and the Pistons will have close to no shot against you in the playoffs.

I personally consider you an enigma, Shaq Daddy. When you play your hardest, I consider you the greatest player of all time. You are that good, and you've proved that with your playoff performances. During your three NBA championship seasons with the Lakers you averaged 30.7, 30.4 and 28.5 points per game, respectively, in the playoffs. You could be counted on when the game mattered most. Your playoff numbers are among the best of all-time, alongside Jordan's (33.4 ppg) and West's (29.1 ppg).

But, Diesel, those guys never took a third of the regular season off. They never relied on a superstar teammate to carry their team to the playoffs while they chased down criminals in Miami (although that is very altruistic of you). In five of your 14 seasons previous to this one, you failed to play 60 regular season games. This will be your sixth.

If you dedicated yourself during the season and off-season, you could have put up Wilt-like numbers your entire career. Heck, you've already played more seasons than Wilt (who dominated the league for most of 14 years). But, it should be noted, with the exception of one season, Wilt never played less than 72 games and played the entire 82 games four times, including his final three seasons. You have a chance to become universally considered the best center to ever play the game.

This is your biggest challenge. You've always had that sidekick. Penny in Orlando. Kobe in L.A. (until you two became more antagonists than sidekicks) and D-Wade in South Beach. These guys have always been healthy, keeping the motor running when you've gone down to your various injuries (the big toe was my favorite).

But now it's the sidekick who's down. And at just 29-29 your Heat are in the seventh spot in the East and up a mere 2½ games on New York and Orlando, who are tied for ninth. One bad streak, and you could be on the outside looking in. This is your time, Shaq. How will you respond? Gary Payton's not gonna save this season. Ditto J-Will, 'Toine, James Posey, Eddie Jones, Udonis Haslam, etc.,. etc. This may be your last shot at a championship – at least with the current makeup of your team. You guys (minus D-Wade) are old, and Pat Riley looks ready to retire for good.

One man will be responsible for either saving this season for the Miami Heat or making this the first year since 1999 that the defending NBA champion did not make the playoffs. And that Bulls team was sans M.J., Pippen, Phil Jackson and Dennis Rodman. Yeah, a few key pieces.

But you've got everybody back from a year ago except for now, of course, your MVP. So now you need to make up for his absence, play through any aches or pains you're feeling and be The Man. As you showed against Detroit, you're certainly capable of it. You're certainly capable of logging 36 minutes and a double-double night in and out.

So let's see it, Shaquille O'Neal. Let's witness the rebirth of arguable the game's greatest center. Hey, if Wilt played 82 games and 42.3 minutes per game during his final season, you can play 35 minutes a night for 24 games until your sidekick returns, can't you?

"The perfect choke job"

2007-03-03T20:45:00.000-05:00

You'd think the team with the freshmen and sophomores playing on the road would have choked. Not the senior-laden team with much more at stake.

Well, you thought wrong.

The University of Michigan men's basketball team was on its way to a huge upset of No. 1 Ohio State Saturday - which would have nearly sealed the team's first NCAA tournament bid since 1998 - until it pulled the perfect choke job.

The Wolverines led by six points, 61-55, after a three-point play by Courtney Sims with just under four minutes to play. Then there was a timeout. Now I'm no insider, so I don't know what went on during those couple minutes - I can't say if Tommy Amaker told his players they'd worked too hard to win, or if some drug was slipped in Dion Harris' water - but the game changed drastically after the timeout.

All game, Michigan's seniors - Harris, Sims, Lester Abram and Brent Petway - had led the way, as they should on Senior Day. Harris had hit the big 3-pointers. Petway and Sims had banged down low against Super Freshman Greg Oden. Each scored 11 points and Petway had eight rebounds.

All game long... until it counted most. With Michigan's lead cut to 65-61, Sims got a great feed down low and elevated over Oden, but missed a dunk. He threw his arms in the air, complaining about the no-call, but with less than 3 minutes to play in a close game, you can't expect to get a touch foul. The bottom line is Sims should not have blown the dunk.

Then, after the Buckeyes took a two-point lead, Harris was fouled with 48 seconds remaining and approached the free throw line for a bonus opportunity. The senior calmly (at least he appeared calm) went through his routine then released the ball.

Not even close. Clank, off the front right part of the rim. You can't say anything except Harris choked. Harris entered the game an 85.9 percent free throw shooter and had made four of four of six attempts before his choke job.

Switching gears here, Amaker has rightfully taken a lot of the heat for this team's woes. But this loss has to fall on the players' shoulders. You could tell, just watching on TV, how much Amaker wanted this win. He actually picked up a technical foul. Amaker hardly shows enough emotion during most games to make you think he's the head coach. But on Saturday he did everything possible to lead his team to the huge upset. His team just let him down at the end.

Obviously there was much more pressure on Michigan than Ohio State coming into the game. The Buckeyes had already clinched the outright Big Ten title and could still get a No. 1 seed in the approaching NCAA tournament with a loss to the Wolverines. Michigan NEEDED this win. Now it's most likely headed to yet another NIT. Unless the Wolverines win at least three games in the Big Ten tournament, I don't see them getting in the field of 65. One reason is that there are more bubble teams than ever out there. Teams who have actually beaten somebody. The Wolverines haven't beaten a team in the current Top 25 yet this season and have 0 quality road wins.

A perfect team to compare the Wolverines to is Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are just 19-10 heading into their regular-season finale against Boston College, however they got that "key" win by upsetting North Carolina at home on Thursday. That's the difference between the Yellow Jackets and the Wolverines. That wins which stands out. Michigan doesn't have one.

They were 4 minutes away on Saturday. The crowd at normally silent Crisler Arena was on its feet, anticipating the biggest win for the program in nearly a decade. Everything was looking up. Then the seniors gagged. Yes, they're just kids, really. That shouldn’t be forgotten. We're not talking about professional athletes. It was transparent after the game how hurt they were that they didn't deliver a win for the home fans on Senior Day. They should still be recognized as fine student-athletes who have served U-M well.

But, yeah, they choked. Ohio State played well in the final minutes. Greg Oden had a huge tip-in to cut Michigan's lead to two, and Jamar Butler made an acrobatic fastbreak layup - which looked like a very difficult shot - to give Ohio State a 63-61 lead and then made two clutch free throws with 12 seconds remaining to all but ice it.

In the end, Ohio State's young players did what they needed to do to win in a hostile environment (really - I'm not kidding, the fans were rowdy) and push their candidacy for a No. 1 seed. Michigan's players, on the other hand, most likely inked their bid to yet another NIT tournament.

It's sad, really. They were so close, yet now so far. The definition of a missed opportunity.

"Where'd my money go?"

2007-03-02T15:01:00.000-05:00

In this modern world of sports, where athletes make millions of dollars often before they've even proven themselves at the professional level, it's difficult to feel sorry for them or sympathize with their “difficult” situations.

But when it comes to NFL players and their non-guaranteed contracts, I feel their pain. Imagine one day being on top of the world, having been drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. You sign a multimillion dollar deal and endorsements are on the way. Then, out of the blue, you fall down the stairs, or get hit by a car, or struck by lightning. Whatever the catastrophe, it causes a career-ending injury.

Almost magically your money disappears. The companies knocking on your door to sponsor you run in the other direction. You don't have a college education. You don't have any money. You're S-C-R-E-W-E-D. Such is the life of an NFL player.

Yesterday was a perfect example of how NFL players are thrown around by their supposed "loyal" teams in order to save money. Several top-notch players - such as Pittsburgh's Joey Porter and New Orleans' Joe Horn - were released by their teams so the organizations wouldn't have to pay their bonuses. Releasing a player also ends whatever contract he had with the organization, and teams will often waive a player and then attempt to resign him for a smaller amount of money - a scheme that can certainly work if the player had a poor season.

In baseball it's very common to see a relatively unknown player put together one great season and get a huge, guaranteed contract for his good six months. In football, a big season might get a player a nice contract, but how much of that cash ends up in their bank account is a completely different bag'a beans. As long as a team either doesn't believe it needs a player or feels it can re-sign him (for less money), there's no harm in waiving him before free agency begins, especially if it means not having to dole out a bonus.

Players such as Porter and Horn shouldn't have a problem finding new homes and fat contracts. They're impact players in the NFL. Teams will do anything to win, and Porter and Horn are winners - with Porter’s Steelers winning the Super Bowl a year ago and Horn helping the Saints put together an amazing comeback season last fall. But plenty of other players whose names aren't in the headlines every day are waived by their teams and forced into signing wimpy contracts by professional sports' standards. It's either that, or call it a career at a very young age.

No, I don't feel sorry for NFL players. They still make a few bucks here and there. And they get to retire at a very young age. But when compared to new San Francisco pitcher Barry Zito, who is making hundreds of millions to pitch a game every fifth day, NFL players are getting... yeah, that "screwed" word again.

Poor guys.

"A big win, but what now?"

2007-02-28T15:33:00.000-05:00

Let's focus on the present... at least for a minute here.

The University of Michigan men's basketball team put together a very solid effort in defeating Michigan State last night 67-56 at Crisler Arena. The Wolverines (20-10) are back on the bubble, and a win Saturday against No. 1 Ohio State would likely put them one Big Ten tournament victory shy of their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1998.

Of course, talking about beating the Buckeyes isn't quite as difficult as guarding Greg Oden or closing out on their five million 3-point shooters. The Wolverines would have to play an even better game than they did Tuesday night to pull off the monumental upset.

It would be perfectly fitting, though. The last time Michigan knocked off a No. 1 team was when it beat Duke during the 1997-98 season - the last year in which it made the tournament.

So things are - kind of - looking up in Ann Arbor. There's no Fire Tommy Amaker Talk this week (but if the Wolverines miss the tournament - which is still the most likely scenario - expect a quick return of FTAT). The Wolverines sold out Crisler on Tuesday and I'd expect the same to happen for Saturday's nationally televised game.

Senior Dion Harris has stepped up of late. Against the Spartans Harris scored a game-high 24 points, including 8-for-8 from the free throw line. And whenever the Spartans threatened to take the lead in the second half, Harris responded with a big bucket.

Senior Courtney Sims also came to play, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds off the bench.

And the player whom Michigan's game-to-game success seems to depend the most on, sophomore point guard Jerret Smith, played his best floor game of the season, logging four assists and just one turnover in a game-high 36 minutes of action. Whenever Smith avoids mistakes, the Wolverines are successful. They turned the ball over a season-low eight times on Tuesday.

That's how you win games. By playing mistake-free basketball, good defense and getting big scoring contributions from your seniors.

I'd like to get caught up in the moment. After all, we can only live in the present, right? At least that's what my high school counselor said. But the question must be asked: Where has this been?

Why haven't Harris and Sims shown this kind of leadership all season? How in the world did they let Iowa go on a 20-1 run at Crisler Arena a few weeks back to deal Michigan a devastating loss - the Wolverines' only home loss of the Big Ten season? Where was this effort a mere week ago, when the Wolverines managed just 42 points in a pitiful loss in Champaign, Ill., to a dilapidated Illinois squad? A win in that game, and Saturday's gig with the Buckeyes wouldn't be so much of a must-win. Now, it's beat the Buckeyes or win at least three games in the Big Ten tournament.

Yeah, the odds are stacked against the Wolverines. It certainly didn't have to be like this. If the Wolverines had shown up to play Georgetown in front of a home sellout crowd back in December and pulled out a victory, no one would be talking about their lack of a "signature victory." The Hoyas are now a top-10 team. But Michigan completely tanked in that game, shooting horribly and allowing Georgetown to shoot 52 percent from the field. Sims put together a marvelous disappearing act, attempting just four shots and scoring four points.

Inconsistency has plagued the Wolverines all season. They're a very good representation of the stock market. One day they're looking good, people are talking about the NCAA tournament and Amaker is off the hot seat. A few days later, they're a disgrace headed to another NIT and Amaker needs to go at season's end. It's a rollercoaster ride, and they've gone down more hills than they've climbed.

By a slight margin.

The realist would say it's time for another descent. After all, Michigan hasn't won three straight games since they beat up on no-names in mid-December. A win over Ohio State would be three in a row. Only a huge optimist would give the Wolverines a chance Saturday. They'd point to Michigan's 17-3 home record this season, including 6-1 in the conference. They'd point out that it will be Senior Day, and Harris, Sims and Brent Petway will refuse defeat.

It all sounds good. It reads like a recipe for success. But the Wolverines still have to take the court. It will be the biggest game at Crisler Arena in quite sometime. And it should be a voluble atmosphere - at least at tipoff.

But will it stay that way for two hours? And even if it does - even if the Wolverines pull off the impossible - they'll still likely need that win in the Big Ten tournament.

What would keep the rollercoaster from racing downhill after Saturday?

"The Spurs just keep plugging away"

2007-02-27T03:57:00.000-05:00

In case you forgot - amidst all the behind-the-back passes by Steve Nash and 10-game winning streaks by Dallas - the San Antonio Spurs are still in the NBA.

I know. It's almost as hard to believe as the idea of Brittany Spears with hair. But it's true. I promise.

Oh, and one other thing... they're still pretty good.

At 39-18 and riding a six-game winning streak, the Spurs are nowhere near the indomitable Mavs, who have won 12 straight games - their third 12-game winning streak this season (an NBA record - how cool!!!). But the Spurs are second in the best division in basketball - the Western Conference's Southeast Division - and if the playoffs started today, they'd be the fourth seed in the West.

I wouldn't be the least surprised if they made it to the NBA Finals. This is, after all, their year. Since 2003, the Spurs have won the title every other year. And it's too bad they couldn't come through in 2001, because then the EOY streak would extend all the way back to 1999 and the playing days of Dallas coach Avery Johnson.

Since 1999, the Spurs and Lakers have the most NBA titles with three apiece. In the past four years, the Spurs, with two, have the most

But nobody - and I mean, not a soul outside San Antonio's city lines - talks about the Spurs as title contenders this season. I’ve been fed so much Phoenix talk, I'd rather eat a cactus than hear another peep about the Suns' playoff chances. Yes, the Mavericks have earned their praise, because they certainly are the best team in basketball. But let's not forget that the Spurs were a Dirk Nowitzki three-point play away from eliminating the Mavericks a year ago in the conference semifinals. We even hear more talk about the Utah Jazz than the Spurs. And nobody, until this season, even knew Utah After Stockton & Malone existed.

The reason, apparently, no one likes to mention the Spurs at the dinner table is because they're flat-out boring. Tony Parker brings the ball downcourt. They post up Duncan. Someone throws it to him. He either shoots or kicks it out to Parker, Bruce Bowen or Manu Ginobili. Bowen shoots. Parker shoots or drives, throwing up a teardrop. Ginobili drives acrobatically to the hoop...

OK, stop. What is so boring?? It's not like they give the ball to the same guy every time downcourt (see Cleveland), or post up the same 300-plus-pounder whenever he's in the game (see Miami sans Wade), or let the same dude shoot ridiculous fadeaways 75 percent of the time (see Houston; Tracy McGrady).

Yes, San Antonio's style of play isn't as exciting as Phoenix's. But what team's is?

The Spurs are ignored, disliked, thrown under the bus (if you want to go with the cliché) because they're the Spurs. Because they are consistently good. For the past 10 years, no other team has been as consistent as San Antonio. They've made it to the second round of the playoffs or farther all but one year, they’ve reached the conference finals four times and all three times they've gotten to the finals, they've won the Larry O'Brien trophy.

In a way, the Spurs have become the Yankees of the NBA. But instead of people constantly scrutinizing them publicly, people show their hatred for the franchise by blatantly ignoring it. Regardless of what San Antonio does the rest of this season - unless Ginobili scores 100 points or something - it won't get any attention. We'll talk plenty about Phoenix and its chances of winning its first ever title. Dallas will definitely be in the news. Houston. Detroit. Miami, if D-Wade comes back. Cleveland. Washington. Chicago.

They'll all get plenty of attention from the national media. But the Spurs? Nada. Not until they methodically begin to make another push toward a championship.

And to be honest, the only team I'd take over San Antonio right now is Dallas. And just by a hair. I'd pick the Spurs over the Suns, or Jazz or Lakers. I'd take them over the Pistons in the Finals.

I know we've all forgotten, but San Antonio has the same nucleus from its 2005 championship team. Duncan, Ginobili and a now-married Tony Parker. Yeah, they're all older, but so are Steve Nash, Nowitzki and Rasheed Wallace.

The Spurs are like your '67 Firebird. You forget about it and leave it in the garage. But when your son gets his hands on the keys and decides to take Dad's car for s spin, it runs as smooth as your '07 Benz.

I can't blame people for considering the Spurs old laundry. We live in a rapidly changing world. Wasn't it yesterday that Discmans (you know, those things that play CD's that used to be considered hip) were attached to every adolescent? And I'm afraid to mention the word "cassette" around my peers for fear of unrelenting "you're old" heckling.

The point is, people love what's new - which, in the NBA, is the Phoenix Suns and their style of play (although, as any NBA historian will tell you, Phoenix is far from the first NBA franchise to employ the run-'n-gun - think Showtime; 1980s). No kids wear Tim Duncan jerseys anymore. He's way too fundamentally sound to have a good-selling jersey. Cats on the And1 Mixed Tape sell more jerseys than Duncan. Heck, ask a 13-year-old basketball player who Duncan is, and he might not even know.

It's a shame that more young players and enthusiasts don't appreciate the Spurs. If someone wanted to learn how to play basketball the right way, San Antonio would be the team to watch. They're so solid in all the fundamentals, which is one of the big reasons why Duncan has three fat rings on his fingers (although, knowing Duncan, he probably never wears them in public because he hates to show off).

That's right. You'll rarely see a SportsCenter Top 10 play provided by the Spurs. Or, for that matter, even much of a highlight of any of their games. They're rarely on national TV, despite the great record and pedigree (they get awful ratings). But come April, then May, then June, there's a good chance they'll be around, winning games like usual.

And people will ask each other, where did these guys come from?

When, as hard as it is to believe, they've been here all along.

"Don't be surprised by Neitzel"

2007-02-23T13:09:00.000-05:00

He doesn't exactly look the part. Skinny. Bald white head. Short – at least for his main hobby- at just 6 feet. Not your typical star. But does it matter?

This past Tuesday basketball fans all over the country - from the Smokies in West Virginia to the canyons of Utah - who turned on ESPN around 8:40 p.m. EST probably saw some "kid" they'd never seen before drain 3-pointer after... 3-pointer against one of the best defensive teams in the country They probably asked themselves, Who is this kid? Where he'd come from.

Well, folks, let me tell you. Drew Neitzel, Michigan State's point guard/shooting guard/top scorer/second-best assist-giver, comes from Grand Rapids, where he attended Wyoming Park High School. And anyone who saw Neitzel play in the state semifinals his senior year is not at all surprised he's finally blowing up. What they're miffed by is why he's taken so long. But take it easy, guys, he was playing behind guys such as Shannon Brown and Maurice Ager - who play in a league called the NBA now. I think they were pretty good.

In that semifinal game, Neitzel led his grossly undermanned team against a stalwart Detroit Renaissance team that featured Malik Hairston and Joe Crawford - two guys people knew would be big-time players in college; that is, even the people who didn't attend that game. Neitzel played the grittiest game of his life. Ok, maybe not THE grittiest - because, I'm sure, he's had some fierce driveway games against his dad/brother/cousin/best friend etc. - but he was basically unstoppable. The problem was his teammates froze in front of the capacity crowd at the Breslin Center. They dropped his dimes as if they only accepted quarters. They suffered defensive lapses. All Neitzel needed was a little help from them. He got none. He finished with 30-something points and a couple pockets full of assists.

But lost. Hairston and Crawford went on to win the state title. Hairston's now at Oregon. Crawford's the leading scorer at Kentucky. Both - surprise, surprise - have better supporting players around them than Neitzel has this year. Yet - no surprise - Neitzel has taken over the steering wheel for the Spartans and has them headed to another NCAA tournament.

By the end of the first quarter of that semifinal, I knew that State had landed another gem. Forget the questions about his height or strength. In college basketball, at least, heart and work ethic will get you very far. Neitzel displayed both of those against Renaissance. As soon as, according to MHSAA rules, he was allowed to begin warmups, Neitzel was on the hardwood practicing his dribbling. He'd do the same move over, and over, and over again. Until you couldn't differentiate Take 1 from Take 4. Now that, A.I., is practice. Then, despite his teammates' choke job, Neitzel didn't lose his cool or bitch out his boys. Instead he stayed focused and gave the huge crowd a show.

When he walked off the court, I knew - and I'm sure MSU coach Tom Izzo knew - that Neitzel would be a great contributor for him.

But Michigan State's savior? No one would have guessed that.

Since Izzo made his first Final Four in 1999, us Michiganders have become accustomed to two things come March: Michigan not making the NCAA tournament; and Michigan State making the tournament and often going deep into the dance. The Spartans won their only championship in 2000 behind point guard Mateen Cleaves, and made Final Four trips in 2001 and 2005.

Even last season the Spartans - with Ager, Brown and big man Paul Davis - seemed a very dangerous No. 6 seed in the Big Dance. That is, until they got knocked off by some school named George Mason, which happened to also beat North Carolina and Connecticut on its way to the Final Four.

But then something as strange as a team called the Patriots making the Final Four happened to MSU. The talent well became dry. Brown left school early. Davis and Ager were seniors. The Spartans didn't have any blue-chip recruits coming in. They were left - entering this season - with Neitzel, who averaged a moderate 8.3 points per game last season, as their most experienced returnee.

Clearly it was Neitzel's time to show his true colors. To show that, sure, he can pass the ball - his primary role as a freshman and sophomore - but, man, can this kid shoot it too. So, with Travis Walton overtaking point guard duties some of the time, Neitzel has been free to do just about everything he can for an otherwise anemic Michigan State offense (besides Neitzel's 18.5 points per game, the only other Spartan averaging double figures is Raymar Morgan, averaging 11.1 a game).

Against Wisconsin on Tuesday, Neitzel took over down the stretch, scoring 11 consecutive points - including three triples - sandwiched around two Wisconsin free throws in just over 2 minutes to turn a four-point deficit into a five-point lead. Minutes later, MSU's fans stormed the court to celebrate knocking off the No. 1 or No. 2 team in the land (depending on what poll you subscribe to).

Neitzel clearly outplayed the Naismith Award candidate for Wisconsin, Alando Tucker, outscoring him 28-16 on just two more shot attempts. Both players finished with two rebounds and two assists. While all the publicity Tucker has gotten for leading the Badgers to one of the nation's best records and a shot at the Big Ten championship is deserved, Neitzel - did I mention, he's a junior? - has been nearly as impressive, especially of late. Tucker’s 20.2 points per game average is slightly higher than Neitzel's, but his 5.3 rpg average isn’t as impressive as Neitzel's 4.3 assists per game.

And, of course, Tucker has better, more experienced teammates around him who he can almost always count on to make smart plays in a close ballgame. When Michigan State finds itself in a tight one, it's on Neitzel's shoulder - as witnessed Tuesday. Besides Kevin Durant at Texas, find me a player on an NCAA tournament team who's more vital to his team's success than Neitzel. Not as easy as taking out the trash, is it?

So as we head toward Championship Week, don't forget this kid. He may not be able to leap out of the gym - I don't even know if he can dunk. He may look as if he could be Greg Oden's kid - if, in fact, Oden really is 43 like we all surmise. But you'll be seeing a lot of this kid the rest of this season and into next year.

Don't be taken aback by the things he does, either. He's been doing them for a long time.

"Now I know why there's great parity"

2007-02-20T13:16:00.000-05:00

I don't usually allow my often pathetic performance on the basketball court to affect my opinion of the "real athletes" who play the game competitively.

But last Thursday - in my basketball class (yes, I know it sounds bad, but, really, I take legitimate classes as well) - was the exception. I had been wondering for weeks about the amazing parity in college basketball this season. Whole bunches of teams in the major conferences were lumped together, with no teams, it seemed, trying to stand above the rest.

I found my answer - kind of - in this basketball class. We were playing a 3-on-3 tournament. I liked my team. We had what you need for a successful three-person team: a point guard, a shooting guard/small forward and a big man. But, somehow, we lost two of four games to undermatched opponents. The reason? We simply didn't bring it. We didn't play at 100 percent. We didn't give it our all. We must have been tired from all those mind-taxing English classes.

Granted, this was a 3-on-3 gym class tournament. But I think it relates to major college basketball. Most teams, I've noticed, fail to maintain their intensity from night to night. These are, after all, college students. We can say all we want about them not going to class or being like me and only taking gym classes, but the fact is they live tiring lives, often traveling twice a week.

It's not easy for them to bring the same focus and effort to every game, especially when they're on the road and the home team is juiced up by the crowd. That's one of the main reasons, I believe, why there is so much parity in the college game this season - more than ever, it seems.

There are a few teams coasting through their leagues. Florida in the SEC, Wisconsin and Ohio State in the Big Ten, Memphis in Conference USA. But besides them, all the major teams are clumped together, which should make life even more difficult for the selection committee come Selection Sunday in less than three weeks.

Look at the Big Ten. After Wisconsin and Ohio State (both 12-1 in the conference), there are six teams that have records between 7-5 and 6-6. How ridiculous is that? And excluding Iowa, those teams have very similar overall records as well. Additionally, with the exception of Indiana's win over Wisconsin, none of these teams have a signature victory. They've all just beat each other at home. So it's nearly impossible to differentiate between these teams. If you played the "blind resume" game with these squads - as ESPN analysts often do - it'd be a guessing game as to who is who.

The Big Ten isn't the only conference. The ACC's almost as wild. There are four teams - North Carolina, Virginia, Boston College and Virginia Tech - within a game of the conference lead, which is currently shared by the Tar Heels and Cavaliers at 9-3. Then there are five teams with records spanning 7-6 to 5-8 who all harbor hopes of getting into the NCAA tournament. And, needless to say, anything can happen on any night, as witnessed by North Carolina State (4-8) thrashing Virginia Tech (8-4) by more than 20 points the other day. The league might be a bit down overall from years past, but it's as unpredictable as ever.

And the king of parity, of course, is the 16-team Big East. While Pittsburgh and Georgetown appear the only two teams left in the race for the title with two losses apiece, there are seven teams who have between four and six conference losses and are still in the hunt for a tournament bid, and that's not even including 18-9 Villanova, which sits on the bubble. The Big East tournament should be wackier than ever this season inside Madison Square Garden.

This parity has penetrated all of college basketball, from the huge conferences, to the mid-majors, where Gonzaga isn't even in first place in the West Coast Conference. Those in television must be sucking their thumbs, because no game is a sure win. Even Florida, which had won 17 straight games, fell last Saturday at unranked Vanderbilt. Gone are the days of one team dominating the pack. Gone is the talk of a Duke or Kentucky beating opponents by an average of 20-plus points.

Every team in every conference believes it has a chance on any given night, especially when it's at home. Likely because of the travel, teams are completely different away from home. Take Michigan and Purdue as examples. The Big Ten schools faced each other twice within a week. At Purdue the Boilermakers trounced the Wolverines 67-53. But at Michigan it was a completely different story, with the Wolverines rolling to a 71-55 lopsided victory.

At first I was bemused by this. Why, I asked Albion College players I know, is it so difficult for teams these days to win on the road. They cited, of course, the opposing fans creating a difficult atmosphere. But they failed to mention what I learned from my 3-on-3 tournament: Sometimes, you just don't have it.

Remember, these are 18- and 19-year-olds we’re talking about. They're not professionals. OK, except for the Kevin Durants and Greg Odens of the world. They're just kids, really. And it must be tough to take a 5-hour plane ride, try to study and then play a fired-up team in front of a raucous crowd.

Check that. It is tough. Minus the plane ride and the crowd, I experienced this a week ago in my own tiny, dismal basketball world.

"Don't do it, Scottie"

2007-02-17T14:48:00.000-05:00

Scottie Pippen didn’t have to do this. He didn’t have to put himself out there like this, to get reamed by the always voluble Charles Barkley. If Pippen really wants a seventh NBA championship – a way to one-up Michael Jordan – he could have easily become an assistant coach with almost any team in the league.

Who’s going to turn down Pippen? Maybe the Pistons or Lakers. But that’s about it. The Spurs, the Heat, the Mavericks. I’m sure he could have gotten a gig with one of them.

But, no, Pippen would rather play. Pippen, 41, declared late this week that he’s “hoping for a late-season return to a contending team.” In other words, Pippen wants to play maybe 10 regular season games and then cruise through the playoffs to the championship.

Sounds like a good deal to me if anyone’s willing to pick up the man with the bad back. Pippen retired in 2004 after a return to the Chicago Bulls lasted just 23 games. He averaged just 17.9 minutes and 5.9 points per game that season. Between 1998 – the year of the Bulls’ last championship – and 2004, Pippen played for Portland and Houston.

Pippen is kidding himself if he actually believes he’ll be able to return and play a key role for a contending team. He’ll be no more than an assistant coach – relegated to the bench, maybe playing five to 10 minutes a night. If that satisfies his competitive juices, then “Go for it, Scottie!!” but more than likely, this story will end up like his teammate’s did in 2003.

When Jordan made his second return to the NBA in 2002 with the Washington Wizards, NBA fans – rightfully so – were ecstatic. This was, after all, MICHAEL JORDAN! To modern-day fans, the greatest player of all time. I’m sure NBA commissioner David Stern was sipping champagne, because every time Jordan played TV ratings soared.

But Jordan’s two years with Washington – he was also the general manager at the time, but was fired after he stopped playing – were riddled with injuries on the court and issues off it. He refused to listen to doctors about his bad knee, instead playing way more minutes than he should have, basically ruining the knee. He refused to work with his teammates, getting in a feud with Richard Hamilton – who was shipped to Detroit after Jordan’s first season – and demeaning Kwame Brown, whom Jordan had selected in 2001 with the No.1 pick in the draft, in front of his teammates. Jordan absolutely shattered Brown’s confidence, and I’m not sure Brown has completely recovered it.

Jordan left the game in 2003 with nothing more than when he retired for the second time in 1998 after hitting his famous final shot over Utah’s Bryon Russell in the NBA Finals. Jordan’s legacy will never, ever be tainted. He was too good for that. He could have averaged two points a game those last two seasons, and the majority of this country would still consider him the best player to ever lace up sneakers.

Pippen is another story. His legacy could definitely be tainted. During his playing days, Pippen was always characterized as Jordan’s sidekick. No one thought he’d be anything without Jordan. He almost disproved this during the 1994 playoffs, but the Bulls couldn’t get past the New York Knicks in a hotly contested seven-game series.

In 1997, however, Pippen’s legacy was validated when he was named one of the NBA’s top 50 players of all time. Then, in 2005, Pippen had his No. 33 retired by the Chicago Bulls in a tear-stained ceremony that Jordan and several other Bulls’ teammates attended. No longer were there critics jumping on Pippen for being Jordan’s piggyback. His place in basketball lore was cemented.

Now, what’s happened has happened. No one can take away what Pippen accomplished during the 1990s. But he can certainly mitigate people’s opinion of him in the coming months. If Pippen returns to play a few games for a contender, he’ll be viewed as a “ring seeker.” Yep, just another guy hungry for a championship ring, but not willing to put in the work a whole season requires.

And, did I mention, he won’t be doing much playing during his return? Mostly, he’ll be sitting on the bench.

Something he could do as an assistant coach, which wouldn’t tarnish his image one bit.

And he could still play rec ball on the side.

"The Hardaway Gang"

2007-02-14T23:48:00.000-05:00

In the next few days, Tim Hardaway will likely get reamed for his comments made on a radio show Wednesday about how he would react to having a gay teammate and what he thinks about gays in general.

Hardaway, a retired five-time All-Star guard, said on Miami sports talk radio to columnist Dan Le Betard: "You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."

Hardaway later apologized for his comments, but he's not getting away with this one. His words are out there, and columnists across the country are thanking Hardaway for giving them such an easy column to write in the next day or two.

I'd like to follow the pack and write that Hardaway was way out of line and that his viewpoint is the exception among past and present NBA players. I want to absolutely ream him and take away the "T" from TMC.

But, alas, I can't.

Because, honestly, Hardaway was just the speaker of the house. In other words, there are others out there who feel the exact same way he does. Players who are appalled at the thought of showering next to a gay man. We just don't know their thoughts. We just haven't heard them all over America's airwaves.

Why do you think John Amaechi hid in the closet for his entire career? Because, obviously, he was scared to death of what would happen to him if he came out. He wasn't a great player. He wasn't a star. He wasn't making wheelbarrows full of cash. He couldn't afford for his career to be cut short.

Amaechi played just five seasons in the NBA and averaged 6.2 points per game. If he had declared his homosexuality, say, during his second year, I bet he'd have been out of the league within a year and out a few million bucks. So he made the smart move.

It's great that LeBron James said he wouldn't mind having a gay teammate and that he'd want the player to come talk to him about his sexuality. James sounds sincere in saying this. But let's remember that James is also the man who said he wants to become the richest person in the world. He's going to need everyone's support to do that. A few critics here, a few critics there, and he'll be relegated to the Top 10 list.

As demeaning as Hardaway's comments were, they weren't that shocking. Professional sports laud being macho, testosterone-ridden, and "The Man." None of your boys are going to be calling you "The Man" if you share the ball with a gay teammate or become good friends with him.

They'll be questioning your sexuality, your manhood. It just wouldn't work.

A gay player in the NBA, or NFL, or MLB would find himself all alone in the clubhouse, isolated by his teammates. He'd be viewed as "the gay guy" and his friends would be limited. He wouldn't be as trusted on the court or field as his teammates. He might not receive as many passes in basketball. If he is a running back, his offensive linemen might intentionally miss blocks, leaving him out to dry.

It's not a pretty picture, but it's a realistic one. Tim Hardaway's not the only homophobe. How else could you explain this country's resistance to gay marriage? People may not hate gays - like Hardaway does - but they certainly don't feel comfortable around them. And in a tight locker room, feeling relaxed around your teammates is high on the priority chart.

No other athlete - past or present - will paraphrase Hardaway's comments in the coming days. They'll see how the former star, the "T" in TMC with the killer crossover, is castrated by the enormous American sports media.

But don't be ignorant on this one. They're out there. More Tim Hardaways.

Just ask Amaechi. That's why he kept his secret for so long.

"The tortoise and the slow tortoise"

2007-02-13T23:16:00.000-05:00

With about a minute left in the Michigan-Michigan State men’s basketball game last night, ESPN commentator Steve Lavin began rambling about coaching philosophy and continued with his monologue for the final 5 minutes of real time - and meaningless Michigan fouls - during the Spartans 59-44 victory.

I don't blame him. There was nothing left to say about either team. One was bad, the other was terrible. One might make the NCAA tournament. The other would need Steve Nash to make it.

For about 33 minutes Tuesday night, Michigan was able to convince Michigan State that mediocrity is OK. The Wolverines would turn the ball over one possession. And then the Spartans - perhaps tempted by peer pressure – would give it right back. The play on both ends of the court was so bad, I was tempted to check my calendar to make sure it was Tuesday, not Thursday, when ESPN2 airs a high school game of the week.

Then again, a good high school team probably could have snuffed out at least the Wolverines on this night.

Finally, leading by just two points, 38-36, with 6:40 to play - that is, in the second half - the Spartans decided to depart Michigan's party, outscoring the Wolverines 21-8 the rest of the game. They moved the ball on offense, creating several easy layups. They took advantage of Michigan's dismal ballhandling, creating several turnovers. Basically, they solidified to the casual observer that they're not in the same rat hole as the Wolverines.

After the game, it was hard to believe that the Wolverines were actually in this thing. That they actually led for all but 1:09 of the first half. The Spartans played so poorly the first 20 minutes, they gave Michigan a chance to build a lead. The Wolverines, of course, always the polite ones at the dinner table, declined, deciding instead to pass out more than 10 turnovers even though they were the guests.

For the first 13 minutes of the second half, the gracious Spartans toyed with their friends from Ann Arbor. Then they embarrassed them.

So sad. So unkind. So pitiful

I don't know if there is one word that can describe this Michigan team right now. Pitiful. Lackluster. Confused. Dazed. Out of sorts.

They have a lame duck coach - Tommy Amaker - who runs possibly the most discombobulated offense in the country. They don't have a point guard (more on that later). They have a center - Courtney Sims - who challenged Greg Oden several times last week, but on Tuesday took just six shots against a player by the name of Goran Suton. They have a talented shooting guard - Dion Harris - who doesn't even get to play his position a lot of the time, and when he does never gets the ball because (did I mention) Michigan lacks a point guard.

They have two guys - Brent Petway and Ekpe Udoh - who can jump out of the building. But just one lob was thrown last night

They have a guy - Reed Baker - who can do one thing: make 3-pointers against a zone. Yet Amaker played him against MSU's man-to-man defense, resulting in a 5-second call.

That's what they have. And if you add it all up, it equals a mess. Jerret Smith, their supposed point guard, has no idea how to run the offense. He might be the worst Division 1 point guard in the country. He can't penetrate. He can't make open shots. And he can't set up his teammates. He's a scrub, plain and simple.

If Michigan had a decent point guard, they'd have a shot at the NCAA tournament. Michigan State has an exceptional point guard - Drew Neitzel - who is the only reason why they still have a shot at the tournament. Besides him, they're no better than Michigan (the Wolverines might even have more talent). The two squads could be found at the same birthday party.

But the Spartans got sick of Michigan's gig Tuesday night. They were ready to move on. So they went ahead and graduated middle school.

Leaving the elementary Wolverines alone in the sandbox.

"Tuesday morning wake-up call"

2007-02-13T13:33:00.000-05:00

Last night I watched as Kevin Durant had a decent night in Texas' 83-54 dismantling of Oklahoma State. Durant scored 21 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, dished out three assists, made two steals and blocked a shot. Amazingly, it was a below-average night for the freshman, who's averaging 24.9 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.

On Wednesday, I'm hoping, I'll get a chance to watch the nation's other freshman phenom, Ohio State's Greg Oden, when the Buckeyes take on Penn State in a nationally televised game. Oden, busted hand and all, has averaged 15.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game, while also affecting the flight of just about every opponent's shot inside the lane.

How lucky are we to be witnessing this? Check that. How lucky is the NCAA, the Buckeyes and the Longhorns?

They should be bowing down to David Stern right now. There's no way the NBA-ready Durant and Oden would be in college right now if Stern hadn't instituted an age limit for the NBA, put into effect before last June's draft. All players have to be out of high school for a year before becoming eligible for the NBA.

So Durant and Oden chose two universities and have made them, likely, hundreds of thousands of dollars this year off ticket sales, merchandise sales and television.

And college basketball fans across the country have gotten to see two of the best freshmen of all time perform like seniors, making incredible play night after night.

In Boston, where the Celtics are riding an 18-game losing streak, there is actually hope because of Durant and Oden. I was in the city this past weekend, and all the newspapers made sure to not only mention the Celtics' struggles, but also where they sat compared to the league's other teams (dead last now) and what their chances would be in the NBA lottery this spring.

Can you imagine the drama there will be for that lottery? Teams' representatives might as well be on their knees, praying for one of the top two picks. Celtics followers will pray that they don't get screwed with the third pick - as was the case in 1997, when they had the worst record and were salivating about Tim Duncan, only to receive the third pick and end up drafting Chauncey Billups.

The whole basketball universe is benefiting from Stern's decision. College basketball analysts are never lacking in material to talk about with Oden and Durant playing twice a week. Just today I saw an article comparing LeBron James and Oden. And the NBA can't wait to steal these two players in a matter of months.

This cycle could repeat itself, too. Who knows? Maybe next season, O.J. Mayo will be tearing up the Pac 10 with USC.

It's a beautiful thing for basketball fans from East Coast to West Coast.

And this might only be the beginning.

"Dennis the Hall-of-Famer"

2007-02-12T15:29:00.000-05:00

If I had a kid, Dennis Rodman would be near the top of my list of people not to leave my kid around. He is, after all, a hard-partying, nose-earring-wearing, past-Madonna-husbanding, arresting middle-aged man.

Not exactly a trustworthy babysitter.

But is he a Hall-of-Fame basketball player? I'd bet my kid's life on it.

Rodman, retired from the NBA since the 1999-2000 season, isn't yet eligible to be nominated for a Hall-of-Fame ballot, according to a "New York Times" article, because he has played professionally in other leagues since then. A player has to have been retired five years to make the ballot.

When he becomes eligible, Rodman should be on that first ballot. He was that good - if not controversial - of a player.

I know Bostonians won't like this comparison, but Rodman was a mini Bill Russell. All he did was win. Russell won 11 championships, a record that will most likely never come down. Rodman won five championships in a much more competitive era.

First he helped the Pistons overcome their nemesis, the Lakers, in the 1989 finals and then repeat the next year. Rodman stayed on with the Pistons for two more playoff runs, which both ended in defeat, before the team missed the playoffs in his final year there. Then Rodman joined San Antonio for two years during which the Spurs averaged more than 57 wins a season. Again, they failed to make a playoff run. But Rodman's impact cannot be denied. The 62 games the Spurs won in 1995 was the most ever by the franchise until it won 63 last year.

Finally, Rodman came to Chicago and helped lift the Bulls to their second three-peat. Ask just about any player from those teams, and they'd say that without the rebounding machine, they couldn't have accomplished that feat.

When asked whether Rodman should make the Hall-of-Fame, past teammate Scottie Pippen said: "The Hall of Fame is not built on offense, it’s built on greatness, and Dennis was one of the greatest I’ve ever played with. Maybe you could have made the argument before he joined the Bulls that he didn’t have the credentials. But with our team, night in and night out, he proved his greatness, and now his credentials speak for itself. In my mind, he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer."

A few more of Rodman's numbers. The 6-foot-7 forward led the league in rebounding seven consecutive years. That is absolutely amazing, especially considering the guys he was competing against. Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Robert Parrish, Dikembe Mutumbo, Alonzo Mourning. The shorter, skinnier Rodman outworked all of these behemoths to the ball year after year. There were six seasons in which Rodman averaged more than 15 rebounds a game. That, right there, is a Hall-of-Fame-worthy statistic. Rodman recklessly threw his body all over the court to snatch rebound after rebound.

Russell finished his 13-year career with averages of 15.1 points and 22.5 rebounds per game. Rodman, in the 14 seasons he played, averaged 7.3 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. On the surface, the number don't even seem close. But you have to realize that Russell played in a very high-scoring era during which teams chucked up several more shots than during the low-scoring '90s, in which Rodman was at his prime.

Also, like Russell, Rodman was a beast of a player on the defensive end. He even managed to win two Defensive Player of the Year awards in 1990 and 1991. For a 6-7 player on the same team as "Bad Boys" Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Bill Laimbeer, that's awfully impressive.

Was Rodman even close to the player and leader Russell was? Heck, no. Russell was one of the five greatest players of all times - and if you ask Boston sports writers, such as Bob Ryan, he was the best ever. Rodman was just a role player. If he hadn’t been around leaders like Thomas and Michael Jordan, he might not have fit his role so well.

But as ABC and ESPN statistician Elliott Kalb writes in his book, "Who's Better, Who's Best in Basketball?" Rodman "should be remembered for being the player who hustled non-stop - and did all the dirty work. He would dive on the floor. He would deny the entry pass. He would pass up shots so his teammates would be happy. He gave his team more extra possessions than anyone."

Kalb rates Rodman as the 30th greatest player of all time, a huge compliment to Rodman. He even calls Rodman "the greatest defensive player in the history of the game." While that statement could surely spark a dinner-and-dessert argument, it can't be dismissed. This guy made every single team he was on - even the '98 and '99 Lakers - better. He played unselfish. He played hard.

And most of his histrionics were off the court and didn’t affect his team. By no means was he a T.O. or Barry Bonds.

You may not like Dennis Rodman. But if you appreciate the game of basketball, you have to appreciate Dennis Rodman. And you have to believe that he's a future Hall-of-Famer.

"For now, Florida is the best"

2007-02-08T13:12:00.000-05:00

Right now, Florida is the best men's college basketball team in the nation.

No question about it.

Despite defeating Duke in sports' best rivalry Wednesday night, North Carolina showed some vulnerabilities that could plague it come March. This is not to take anything away from the Tar Heels' victory. A win at Duke is a win at Duke.

Special. Especially when you do it two years in a row.

But North Carolina didn't look invincible like it did two weekends ago when it clobbered Arizona, making me stand up and declare, "That team is the best in America."

I've reconsidered.

The great thing for the Tar Heels is that they're extremely young. They're inexperienced. They're going to make mistakes that veteran teams - such as Florida - avoid. The hope down in Chapel Hill, I'm sure, is that as the season progresses into March those miscues will become part of the past and this team will start performing like the upperclassmen-dominated squad that won Roy Williams his first national title two years ago.

If not for Josh McRoberts picking up his fourth foul with just under 12 minutes remaining last night, allowing North Carolina sophomore Tyler Hansbrough to hit two shots sandwiched around a Wes Miller 3-pointer to tie the contest at 52-52, the Tar Heels might not have ended up on top. Freshman sensation Wayne Ellington, purportedly North Carolina's best outside shooter, couldn’t find his touch Wednesday, making just 2-of-8 field goals for four points.

Luckily for the Heels, senior Reyshawn Terry stepped up and hit two 3-pointers and Miller added that key triple to make up for Ellington's off-night. Against a good, but not great, Duke team, that was enough. Especially with freshman point guard Ty Lawson making two strong layups in the final 2 minutes.

But Wednesday's effort would not have been good enough to dethrone the Gators.

What makes Florida the best team in the country is that everyone has a role and knows exactly what it is. There is no confusion. Joakim Noah and Al Horford dominate down low, often catching ally-oop lobs from their teammates for easy buckets. Corey Brewer can hit 3-pointers but can also drive to the hoop. Taurean Green runs the offense - and occasionally drops a big 3 - and all Lee Humphrey does is hit 3-pointers.

It's beautiful to watch. Game after game, night after night, the Gators execute the same game plan. Sometimes they're down in the first half. Sometimes they're even down in the second half. But with their poise, they never deviate from their recipe for success, and the results are victories. If I'm a Gators fan, and they're down 10 with 15 minutes to play, I'm not worried. They'll pull it out.

If I was a North Carolina fan last night, trailing by 10 with just over 16 minutes to play, I wouldn't have been concerned. But that's only because it was Duke. When was the last time these two teams didn't play a close game? That's another story for another day.

Another concern for North Carolina has to be the fact that it doesn't show up for some games. Specifically, the Virginia Tech and North Carolina State road games - the Tar Heels' two conference losses. Williams said he was perplexed after his players didn't come prepared for NC State last Saturday, allowing the mediocre Wolfpack to upset the Tar Heels.

Isn't North Carolina State supposed to be North Carolina’s second rival? And the Tar Heels had to know that Virginia Tech is a very dangerous team. Yet they didn't seem to wake up until they made a furious second-half rally from a huge deficit that made the final score respectable.

One of these cases in the NCAA tournament, and North Carolina will be done. Again, a lot of this probably has to do with youth. But no one in Chapel Hill will be making excuses for this bunch of ultra-talented athletes in March. The expectations are set very high, and anything short of a national title will be a disappointment for these Tar Heels.

Wednesday night's win was big. Huge. But at the same time, it is clear that Florida is still the best team in the country and has to be the favorite to win the national championship.

As disgusting as a Gators’ threepeat sounds.

"A loss is a loss"

2007-02-07T15:15:00.000-05:00

Here is what two Michigan basketball players had to say last night after their 76-63 loss at Ohio State:

"Everybody's going to look at the score and think we got blown out. It was a lot closer than what it seemed. This is the best we've played on the road. We can build on this." - senior center Courtney Sims

"We took our time and didn't let anything affect us. Usually, we let other teams go on runs, and we self-destruct. We kept within our game plan and did what we wanted to do on offense and defense." - senior guard Dion Harris

Both players' statements are true. The game was fairly close until the final three minutes. This was the best game Michigan has played on the road all season - and possibly the best game it has played all season overall. Michigan did avoid the turnovers that have plagued it all season. It committed just nine of them. Michigan turned the ball over more than that in the first half of its road loss to Purdue.

Sure, this is a game the Wolverines can build on. They can feel good about themselves going into Saturday's home game against lowly Minnesota.

BUT... did I mention the Wolverines lost?

Michigan players and coach Tommy Amaker can say all the positive things they want to about the loss to the No. 3 Buckeyes, but at the end of the day it was nothing more than their fourth consecutive defeat.

Michigan is now 16-8 overall and 4-5 in the Big Ten. It has yet to pick up a quality win this season. If the NCAA tournament started today, it would be left on the outside for the ninth straight year.

That, right there, is what matters. Not the Wolverines' "execution" on Tuesday or how they didn't "self-destruct."

They lost!

Tuesday's game should not make Amaker's job any more secure. It should not keep fans and columnists from blasting the program for its ineptitude.

No, instead the game should serve as a wakeup call for the team. If Michigan played against Iowa last week like it did Tuesday, it would have blown the Hawkeyes out of Crisler Arena. If Michigan played against Indiana two weekends ago like it did Tuesday, it would have had a good chance of escaping Bloomington with a victory instead of another lopsided road loss. Ditto the loss at Purdue

Where has this play been? Especially against the Big Ten's lesser teams, which is everybody sans Wisconsin and Ohio State. Let's face it: Michigan would have to play perfect to beat either of those teams. But it could beat any of the other eight Big Ten teams the way it performed on Tuesday.

Sims actually played like a man on Tuesday. The 6-foot-11 center, who usually plays as if he’s scared to be touched, wasn't afraid to challenge behemoth Greg Oden. Despite getting blocked a handful of times by Oden, Sims finished with the same number of points - 17 - and almost as many rebounds - seven to six. Sims has now scored 46 points the last two games and grabbed 17 rebounds. Where has this been the entire Big Ten season? He's a senior, and he should have been ready from the start.

Harris' play is just as perplexing. Against Iowa last week he shot 0-for-11 from the field and scored one point. On Tuesday he was 6-for-11 for 14 points, including many difficult pull-up jumpers. Half of his performance Tuesday - if used against the Hawkeyes - likely would have produced a needed victory.

So here we stand, not knowing what to expect from Michigan's two leading scorers on a nightly basis, talking about the best game Michigan played all year - which happened to be a loss - and wondering what the heck happens next.

I, for one, have no idea. Michigan needs to win at least four of its final seven conference games to have a chance of making the NCAA tournament without having to win the Big Ten tournament. While it has two games remaining against the terrible Gophers, it also faces Ohio State again, Michigan State twice, Illinois on the road and Indiana at home.

All of those games are winnable... if Michigan plays like it did against the Buckeyes. They're also very losable... if it plays like it did against the Hawkeyes.

And, no, a 5-point, or 3-point or even 1-point loss will not count as a win. The Wolverines no longer have the luxury of accepting moral victories. A couple more L's and they'll be headed back to their regular March destination.

The NIT.

"Who's soft now?"

2007-02-05T00:17:00.000-05:00

Who's soft now?

Certainly not the Indianapolis Colts. Not a defense that was the worst in the NFL this regular season. Not four defensive linemen and five offensive linemen who completely dominated the "Physical Bears" in the trenches.

Who's a dome team now?

Certainly not those Colts. Not when Peyton Manning disregarded the Miami downpour and made a perfect pass downfield to Reggie Wayne to get Indianapolis on the board. Not running backs Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes who continued to razzle-dazzle all night long, even as the Pro Player Stadium sod became soaked and slippery. Definitely not Adam Vinatieri, who actually missed a field goal, but came back, of course, to make two in the second half to claim his fourth Super Bowl ring.

Peyton Manning may have received the MVP in South Beach Sunday night, but this was the definition of a team effort. An effort by a team completely different from anything we saw between September and January.

Seriously, who are these guys?

The Bears were supposed to be the more physical team, the smash-mouth style team. But instead it was the Colts. Sure, Manning passed for a good chunk of yardage. But the Colts won this game between the trenches.

It is about time the following nine players be mentioned. We talk about Manning 59 times a day. We love to compare Marvin Harrison to Jerry Rice. But these guys deserve a ton of the credit for the Colts second Super Bowl win - and its first since moving to Indy.

The Colts offensive line: Jeff Saturday (C), Tarik Glenn (LT), Ryan Lilja (LG), Jake Scott (RG) and Ryan Diem (RT).

Plus, of course, possibly the most underrated tight end in the NFL: Dallas Clark.

This rarely-talked-about O-line allowed Manning to be sacked just once Sunday night. At the end of the game, despite the condition of the field, Manning's jersey - one, I'm sure, he will hold onto for years to come - was barely dirty.

This O-line allowed the Colts to run for 191 yards against that vaunted Bears defense. Addai and Rhodes ran free into the Chicago secondary all night. Aside from a couple big tackles, Brian Urlacher was unheard from.

Credit the O-line.

On the other side of the ball, these guys need to be mentioned: Robert Mathis (LDE), Anthony McFarland (LT), Raheem Brock (RT) and Dwight Freeney (RDE).

The Bears scored a touchdown on the opening kickoff and one later in the first quarter, which was basically the product of one big Thomas Jones run of 52 yards. In the second half, the Bears got the ball in Colts territory thanks to a good kickoff return and an unnecessary roughness penalty, leading to their final points of the night - a field goal.

So, basically, the Colts defense gave up seven points because of one play. Besides that, they shut down the Bears all night long. That front four hassled Rex Grossman, forcing him into four turnovers (although, Grossman would admit, a couple of the turnovers were simply miscues on his part).

Anyone who picked the Bears before the game (including, I must say, myself) thought Jones and Cedric Benson would wear down the Colts defense. That was far from the story. Aside from Jones' 52-yard saunter, the Colts gave up just 59 yards on the ground. And 165 yards through the air.

It all started up front.

Manning will likely snare all the front pages of this nation's newspapers tomorrow morning. Manning's legacy will be talked about for the next week. There will be plenty of talk about how he compares to other Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks.

But this was all about the team. Two years ago, even five months ago, the Colts were a one-dimensional team. Manning and his offense were amazing. The defense was not.

Not anymore. Sunday’s Colts were a well-rounded bunch, with no player needing to stand above the rest.

There are no lingering questions now. No questions about this team's toughness, its resolve. No questions about this team being able to win an ugly, defensive battle.

No, Sunday's victory wasn't pretty. You didn't see a lot of beautiful Manning-to-Harrison hookups. The Colts weren't mistake-free - to the tune of three turnovers.

But, here's a question: Who really cares?

That team you saw dominate almost the entire game was the Indianapolis Colts.

You better believe it.

"Super Bowl preview"

2007-02-04T13:58:00.000-05:00

Since I know you haven't gotten enough analysis from Sean Salisbury n' Crew shoved down your throat the past two weeks, here is everything you need to know about today's big game.

Here are the keys to victory.

Yesterday, Florida beat Tennessee in basketball. We all know where Rex Grossman and Peyton Manning went to school.

Also, when Manning was at Tennessee, he never beat Florida. That can't bode well for him.

Also, Chicago's Alex Brown is a Florida alum.

Also, Florida was the first school to win both the college basketball and college football national titles in the same year.

Also, Udonis Haslem and Jason Williams of Florida won the NBA title with the Miami Heat last June.

Also, David Eckstein of the Florida won the World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals last October.

Also, this is the fourth time in Super Bowl history that the NFL's best defense has met the NFL's best offense. Advantage defense every time.

Also, the team with the least amount of turnovers has won 28 of 32 Super Bowls. The Bears have two turnovers the past two games. The Colts have three.

Also, Lovie Smith's alma mater, Tulsa, is 14-7 this season. Tony Dungy's alma mater, Minnesota, is 9-14 and both the football and basketball coaches were fired.

Also, everyone is picking the Colts to win. Remember, back in early January, when everybody picked the Buckeyes to win?

Hmmm....

Need I say more?

Bears 28, Colts 24

"Friday's around the nation column"

2007-02-02T14:12:00.000-05:00

OK, folks, the weekend is almost here, another big weekend in sports, so there is a lot to touch on. Let me get right to it.

Nothin’ on the Super Bowl yet. Don't worry, though. I'll have a preview for you tomorrow before you have to make your bets with Vegas.

Let's start with college basketball.

UCLA is the best team on the West Coast. No doubt about it. The Bruins proved this last night when they drilled high-scoring Oregon 69-57 in a game that wasn't even as close as the final score indicated. Look, I love the surprising Ducks as much as the next basketball aficionado, but no on should consider them a legitimate threat to make the Final Four. They lack an inside player whom they can go to when defenses are keying on guards Aaron Brooks, Bryce Taylor and Tajuan Porter. They are, basically, a replica of last year's Villanova team, which got a No. 1 seed and made it to the Elite Eight. Making it that far would be a success for these Ducks.

The Bruins, on the other hand, are very legitimate title contenders. Right now I'd say the top three teams are North Carolina, Florida and UCLA, in that order. The Bruins have all the pieces a team needs to make a run at the title. Darren Collison reminds me of Tyus Edney, and all Edney did was lead the Bruins to their last national title in 1995. Collison is not only dishing out a team-high 5.7 assists per game, he's also scoring 13 points a game. So when defenses have taken Aaron Afflalo and Josh Shipp out of a game, Collison will score four quick points and the Bruins will be on their way.

And unlike the Ducks, UCLA has plenty of capable big men. Power forward Luke Richard Mbah a Moute averages 8.9 points and eight rebounds a game and starting center Lorenzo Mata gives the Bruins 6.5 points a game. Most importantly, these guys hit the offensive glass, so if a defense overpursues an outside shot by Afflalo or Shipp, UCLA's bigs will make it pay with a second-chance bucket.

The Bruins are playing in the toughest conference in college basketball, and that's only going to prepare them for the NCAA tournament.

But how good is North Carolina? Just last Saturday the Tar Heels traveled to Tuscan, Ariz., and handed Arizona its worst home loss under the long tenure of Lute Olson. The Tar Heels' spanking of the Wildcats only further verified that when they're playing at their best, they are unbeatable.

This team reminds me of Michigan's Fab Five squad that went all the way to the championship game in 1992 and 1993. Most of the main contributors are underclassmen. Sophomore Tyler Hansbrough is dominant down low - averaging 18.4 points and 8.2 rebounds a game - and he has also showed that he can shoot the mid-range jumper.

But he is just UNC's top weapon. It also has freshmen power forward Brandan Wright (14.8 ppg) and guards Wayne Ellington (12.5 ppg) and Ty Lawson (9.6 ppg, 5.1 apg). And in case a senior needs to step up, Reyshawn Terry fits the role. Terry is averaging 9.3 points and 5.9 rebounds a game.

The Tar Heels only problem is that they might have too much talent. Almost all of the players that led UNC to a surprisingly successful season last year now find themselves on the bench, replaced by the fantastic freshmen. But so far, dissent has been nonexistent in Chapel Hill. Roy Williams is doing a great job of keeping his guys happy, and they continue to dominate each opponent they face.

North Carolina has won five consecutive games by 16 points or more since its loss at Virginia Tech. It takes on Duke in the amazing rivalry Wednesday night in Durham. Games between the rivals are ALWAYS close, but if I had to bet on a UNC-Duke game being a blowout, it would be this one. This UNC team is far superior to this season's Blue Devils.

All right, let's move on to the NFL for some non-XL talk.

Guess who's back? Yep, you guessed it, Brett Favre. The 37-year-old Green Bay quarterback announced Friday that he will return for a 17th season in the NFL. I think it's a great decision on his part. He seemed to get better as this past season went on, and if the Packers had won one more game, they would have made the playoffs.

This is a team on the upswing, and Favre believes he can take it somewhere next season. I wouldn't bet against him. As he said Friday, he's got a young nucleus of players returning, and, remember, the Packers play in the NFC North. That means two games against the Lions and two games against the Vikings. That should result in at least three wins right there.

Anyone who says Favre doesn't have it anymore didn't see his final game this season, when he lit up the Chicago Bears, who were still playing all their starters. Favre may not have the ability he had in the late 1990s, when he led the Packers to back-to-back Super Bowls - winning one - but he can still throw the ball downfield and get creative when he needs to, tossing an improvised shovel pass every now and then.

I'll tell you who's not happy about Favre's decision. Defenses around the league who'll have to play him next fall. I'm sure they'd rather be facing Aaron Rogers.

And now to the NBA.

I know that fans vote in the All-Star starters, but c'mon...

Shaq a starter? He only played in five of his team's first 40-something games. Dwight Howard is having a phenomenal season and should have been recognized. In the West, there's no way Steve Nash shouldn't have been named a starter instead of Tracy McGrady. T-Mac hasn't been bad this season, but he missed some games. Nash has led the Suns to one of the two best records in the league, and never seems to slow down. Give the two-time MVP his dues. He's just that good.

Speaking of good, how about Dwyane Wade? I know this is an unpopular argument, but I'm going to make it. Wade is better - just barely - than LeBron James.

Thursday night was a perfect example of why. Wade scored 41 points, including 23-for-24 from the free throw line, to lead the Heat to a 92-89 win over LeBron's Cavs. James managed just 17 points on 6-for-18 shooting from the field and 3-for-8 shooting from the line. James had a chance to tie the game, but his 3-pointer right before the buzzer was off the mark.

Wade - to put it simply - is more clutch than James. Both players make big shots. No one will deny that. But Wade makes them all the time. James only sometimes. And the players' ability to hit free throws is another huge difference. Wade is an 82 percent free throw shooter compared to just 68 percent for James.

Wade wills his team to victory. Eleven of Miami's 21 victories this season have come by seven or less points. Always, at the end of a tight game, Wade is the man making the big plays, hitting the big shots. James isn't quite to that level yet.

Is James a better all-around player? By a millimeter. Just look at his stats (27 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 6.1 apg) compared to Wade's (28.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 7.7 apg). Does Wade have more capable teammates? When Shaq's healthy - which hasn't been very often this year.

Advantage James.

But who's the biggest winner between the two, regardless of numbers or Shaq's health? It's got to be Wade. He's got an NBA championship. And he'll lead the Heat to the playoffs this year, despite Shaq’s absence. And when he does, I'll pick his team to go farther than James,’ leaving the door open for James to completely destroy my argument.

OK, it's time to wrap this column up.

Let me leave you with a few "must-see" games this weekend. And I'm not even talking about XL.

Tomorrow is a huge day in college basketball, with nearly every ranked team in action. The big games on TV begin in the middle of the afternoon. Games you need to watch:

- No. 9 Oregon at USC, 3:30 p.m.: Can the Ducks recover from the blowout at UCLA?
- No. 3 North Carolina at North Carolina State, 3:30 p.m.: If you haven't seen these Tar Heels yet, now is the time.
- No. 4 Ohio State at Michigan State, 4:00 p.m.: Anyone who saw these teams' thriller a week ago in Columbus won't want to miss this one.
- No. 8 Texas A&M at No. 6 Kansas, 9:00 p.m.: Huge matchup in the Big 12. Both teams have huge aspirations for the rest of the season. Plus, you get Dickey V.

Then, on Sunday, switch over to the NBA before getting the snacks ready for XL.
- Detroit at Cleveland, 2:30 p.m.: Two of the top three teams - the other is Chicago - in the fiercely competitive Eastern Conference Central Division.

Enjoy the games this weekend. And, again, my Super Bowl preview is coming soon...

"The Woods & Federer show"

2007-01-30T07:57:00.000-05:00

Let's all do this together. Every morning when we first climb grudgingly out of bed, we need to kneel down and thank two men for being the best they can possibly be at what they do for a living.

And for constantly amazing us, now, year after year.

We are all blessed to be witnessing the Woods & Federer Show.

Chew on this: We are quite possibly watching the peak performances of the greatest golfer and greatest tennis player... ever. At the same time! This past Sunday I was lucky enough to watch Federer win the Australian Open at 5 in the morning and then - after a soothing nap - wake up for Woods' inevitable comeback at the Buick Invitational.

Getting to watch two sports legends in one day? With church in between? We really are blessed, ain't we?

There's no use in comparing Federer and Woods. They are both that good.

Numbers don't even do them justice, but I'll throw some at you anyhow. Woods has now won the last seven PGA Tour tournaments he's competed in. That's just sick. We're talking about tournaments in which 150 talented golfers compete - all trying to take down Woods - and, yet, no one can break him. He's defeated 899 golfers in the seven tournaments. In the acute game of golf, all it would take on a Sunday afternoon would be a couple bad shots, maybe a loose 6-iron into the water, but Woods is unflappable. Only one other golfer, Byron Nelson, has won seven in a row – he actually took 11 straight tournaments in 1945 - and as good as Nelson was, the competition wasn't nearly as fierce 60 years ago.

Woods, however, makes the competition look tame. If not for Woods, the PGA Tour would have as much parity as the NFL.

It's only a matter of time before Woods, who has 12 majors, eclipses Jack Nicklaus' record of 18. Give him a few years and he'll be there. In the meantime, enjoy the ride.

Federer's numbers aren't bad either. He's now won 10 grand slam events, four shy of Pete Sampras' record. While I give Woods a 90 percent chance of winning each tournament he competes in, I give Federer a 98 percent chance. That's how dominant he is. Since the beginning of 2006, Federer is 99-5, winning 13 tournaments. He's now won three consecutive grand slams twice in his career, the only player in the Open era to accomplish this.

I'm not sure Federer even broke a sweat at the Australian Open. He didn't lose one set the entire tournament. That's 1, 2, 3... 21 consecutive sets. Impressive? Uh, yeah, dude.

The only obstacle Federer has yet to eclipse is winning the French Open, something Sampras never did. Since 2004, Federer has won nine of 13 grand slams, with three of those non-wins coming in Paris. Once he conquers the clay - and there is no doubt he will - he will be as indomitable as they come. A robot, almost.

And he's only 25, six years younger than Woods.

The numbers don't do this nearly impeccable pair justice, however. All you need to do is watch Woods one Sunday afternoon or Federer in one grand slam final to realize what makes them special.

They never flinch. They never show one sign that the pressure of constantly being the best and constantly being expected to be the best negatively affects them. Sure, Woods hits his poor shots. But they come on Thursday or Friday, when he can still overcome them. If Woods leads going into Sunday, the rest of the field would be better off hopping onto their private jets and flying to the next PGA Tour stop, with hopes that Woods will take the next week off. He is that deadly on Sundays.

What makes it all the more impressive is that Woods can't control his opponents. He can't wiggle Ernie's ear when he hits it, or bump Phil's back when he putts, or yell at Vijay when he chips. No, instead he shoots rounds that he knows will be good enough to salt away victories. And he beats the other top players in the world every week.

Federer is just as clutch. Early in a match he might let a couple points get away (he even had his serve broke in the first set of the Aussie Open championship match on Sunday by Fernando Gonazalez), but he always comes through when the points matter most. Later in the set he fended off two set points before breaking Gonzalez and eventually winning the set in a tiebreak.

When it matters most, there are five guys you can count on. Superman, Batman, Spiderman… and Woods & Federer.

And they do it time and time again. Consistency in sports is far from an easy task. Just look at all the golfers who won a major title never to be heard from again. All it takes is one fantastic four days. Well, Woods has FFD’s just about every time he takes the golf course. Although his driving accuracy has not always been great, there are other parts of his game you can ink in:
- He'll hit the ball very far
- He'll make incredible shots over forests, grandstands, etc...
- He'll make ridiculously difficult putts when they matter most

With Federer, there are even more consistencies in his game:
- His killer backhand
- His good (but not great) forehand
- His good (but not great) serve
- His ability to charge the net

Golf and tennis are two of the most difficult sports to maintain consistency in, day in and day out. A basketball player can shoot 1,000 shots a day, and chances are he's going to get better and his shot is going to look similar every time he releases the ball. But hitting a tiny white ball is as tough as it gets, even if you practice it every day. Woods makes it look easy. The same can be said for hitting a one-handed backhand to the far corner of the court. Federer does it countless times in each match.

I actually am surprised when Federer misses wide with a backhand. He’s trained me to expect perfect placement on each shot. But that doesn’t mean the shots he pulls of are less challenging or impressive.

Don't take Woods & Federer for granted because of how easy they make their sports look. Rather, enjoy the ride, because for all we know, we may be watching the two greatest athletes in their respective sports... ever.

"Monday morning (late) wake-up call"

2007-01-29T14:30:00.000-05:00

Only a caveman (or someone like that) would not be impressed with the Phoenix Suns right now.

After Sunday's relatively easy road win over LeBron (and the Cavs), Phoenix is now 36-8. It has won 17 consecutive games, the NBA's longest streak in seven years, and the 1972 Lakers' 33-game winning streak doesn't seem that far off in the distance.

While the Suns are extremely fun to watch right now, I must spoil the party. All of these wins... they mean nothing. Come mid April, Phoenix will begin the playoffs along with 15 other teams, all hungry to play for a full two months and come away with the Larry O'Brian trophy. No one will care in May that Phoenix won 18 straight, or 24 straight, or whatever its streak ends up being.

The playoffs are a new season, and Phoenix - like every other team - will start out at square one.

Last season the Pistons had an even better start than the Suns. They began the season 37-5, bringing up conversation about them challenging the '96 Bulls' record of 72-10, the best ever regular season by an NBA team. But, alas, the Pistons starters got so worn out by the end of the season, they didn't have anything left in the playoffs. They were able to sneak by LeBron n' crew in the second round, but didn't stand a chance against a fresh Heat team in the conference finals.

Their season was over and it was considered by every pundit who covers basketball a disappointing season. The league-leading 64 regular-season wins were forgotten. Ditto the 37-5 start. None of that mattered

The Heat went on to win the championship.

Speaking of the Heat, they're nowhere close to Phoenix right now. If the playoffs started today, Miami wouldn't even make the playoffs in the morbid East. Toronto would make the Second Season ahead of it. But would anyone say Miami's not going to be there in April, and May, and possibly June, battling for a repeat?

I didn't think so.

Shaq is just coming back now. By April, I'd assume, Pat Riley will be back pacing the coach's box. And the team will finally be hungry again to win.

As silly as it sounds now, come April I will give Miami - assuming it makes the postseason - just as good of a chance of repeating as I'll give Phoenix of winning its first NBA championship.

Even if that winning streak has reached 55 games.

"Sunday morning wake-up call"

2007-01-28T10:45:00.000-05:00

The Michigan and Michigan State men's basketball teams really aren't that different. They have similar talent and similar records.

Yet one of them will end up in the NCAA tournament and the other will be left out for the ninth consecutive year. Here's why.

The point guard position. Drew Neitzel showed last night why he's arguably the best point guard in the Big Ten. With Michigan State trailing by 20 points at halftime at No. 5 Ohio State, Neitzel almost single-handedly brought the Spartans back, as they came within four missed jumpers in the last two minutes of sneaking out of Columbus with a win. Neitzel played all 40 minutes, scoring 29 points and dishing out three assists.

While Neitzel needed to score last night to keep his team in the game, that doesn't mean he's not a true point guard. He's very efficient at running Tom Izzo's offense, making sure the floor is spaced and everyone is in position to run whatever play has been called. Without Neitzel, there's no way MSU would even be worth of NCAA tournament consideration.

Michigan, on the other hand, lacks a true point guard. Sometimes I feel bad for Dion Harris because he's playing out of position. He's a shooting guard. He's a great pure shooter, especially when he's catching and shooting, but when he's playing the point, he's always dribbling, and he's not as good of a shooter off the dribble. Yesterday, sans backup point guard Jerret Smith, Harris struggled, shooting just 3-for-9 for 12 points.

Smith isn't much better at running the point. He's extremely inconsistent, averaging just three assists per game to 1.9 turnovers, and he shoots just 36 percent from the field, so defenses don't have to worry much about leaving him open. Smith also struggles to get into the lane, where he could create for his teammates. Instead he's relegated to the perimeter.

Michigan State's offensive sets appear much more fluent and better executed than Michigan's. The point guards are a big reason for this.

The other main reason is the coaching of each team.

I don't know what Michigan coach Tommy Amaker tells his players in practice, but one thing he definitely needs to preach loudly is SPACING. The Wolverines always appear bunched up on one side of the court on offense, making things that much easier for the defense guarding them. This rests on Amaker and his point guard. He needs to let his players know how important spacing is to being successful offensively.

The Spartans usually have perfect spacing on offense, which is a direct result of Izzo's system. In the finals minutes against Ohio State last night, the Spartans could get almost any open outside shot they wanted (they just didn't make them). By spacing the floor and setting solid screens, Michigan State's offense didn't need a superstar to split two defenders and make an acrobatic shot. The average players - besides Neitzel - that Izzo had on the floor were good enough to beat a much more talented Ohio State team.

A lot of that had to do with coaching.

Finally, Izzo's Spartans expect to win every game while Amaker's Wolverines try not to lose, but appear relegated to the fact that when they play a good team on the road, they're going to fall. The Spartans could have easily called it a night at halftime Saturday, but Izzo most likely sent a message to his team at halftime that motivated them to almost pull off the improbable in the second half.

In the final minutes, with the Buckeyes' lead getting smaller and smaller, Izzo was far from satisfied. He yanked at his tie and yelled at the refs until the final whistle. I can guarantee you there was no talk of a moral victory after the game.

Meanwhile, Amaker was about as stoic as a statue as he watched his team battle back from a 20-point deficit to get within eight points in the Wolverines' 76-61 loss to Indiana. I know it's just his persona, but when Brent Petway rejected a Mike White layup attempt with just over 3 minutes left and no jump ball was called, allowing White to pick up the ball, lay it in and get fouled by Courtney Sims (his fifth foul of the game), Amaker should have been irate. It was an awful no-call. There comes a time when a coach has to let the officials know that he's not going to let them get away with miserable calls or no-calls like that.

I didn't see any reaction from Amaker. Even though that play, which gave Indiana an 11-point lead instead of Michigan getting the ball on the alternating possession down just eight, basically decided the game.

I know Amaker cared about the game, but it didn't seem like he was working as hard as Izzo to make his players believe they could win.

Which is too bad, because this may be the first year since the late 1990s that Michigan has at least as much talent as Michigan State, if not more. Too bad the results won't prove it.

"She's back... already"

2007-01-27T14:15:00.000-05:00

After Saturday, Maria Sharapova might want to take to heart her words of a couple weeks ago and retire to have a family.

Because she got whooped.

Serena Williams is back. And the rest of the women's tennis world better brace themselves, because she's not going anywhere this time.

"It's always like, tell me no and I'll show you that I can do it," Williams said in an Associated Press article. "I get the greatest satisfaction just holding up the Grand Slam trophy and proving everyone wrong."

I am one of the people Williams proved wrong. I thought it would take her a couple months to get back into playing shape. After all, it was no secret throughout the past two weeks that Williams was not in the kind of shape she's been in during the past.

Williams proved, however, that physical condition can be overcome by heart. She knew how many people were doubting her. She knew what people were saying about her body. So she refused to lose.

Williams, who was unseeded, battled her way to the final, beating five seeded players before absolutely shellacking Maria Sharapova in a mere 63 minutes. She made Sharapova appear like a high school player with her sheer power. By the time it was 4-0 in the first set, there was no doubt Williams was the better player. There was no way there'd be a comeback on this warm Aussie afternoon.

The only comeback being completed was Williams' back to the top of the women's tennis world. She is projected to leap from No. 81 to No. 14 in the Women's Tennis Association rankings next week. But, honestly, will anyone say that Sharapova, who is expected to be No. 1 in the rankings, is better than Williams?

No. As improbable as it seems, Williams, in just one tournament, became the queen of women's tennis once again. Williams' victory was her first since she won the same tournament two years earlier and also her first championship match appearance since then. She became just the second player ever - with Chris O'Neil in 1978 - to win a grand slam as an unseeded player. She now has eight grand slams, tying her for 10th all time.

Williams might not be as quick as, say, Sharapova, but she is by far the strongest, most powerful player in the WTA. Her 64 aces at the Australian Open were the most of any player. If a player doesn't make Williams move laterally, she will dominate – and completely pummel - them with both forehands and backhands.

Is she as good as she was back in her prime, when she won four consecutive grand slams? No, definitely not. But she's older, now 25, more mature and these last two weeks, I think, she realized that her ability to play tennis is not something she should take for granted.

When she puts her mind to the game, and doesn't let other ventures distract her, she can be the best. Like she was the last two weeks.

Now we get to see how she follows this up. Is another streak of grand slam victories in the cards?

It should be fun to watch, if not fun for the other players in the WTA.

"Saturday morning wake-up call"

2007-01-27T11:02:00.000-05:00

If you could start a team with Wilt Chamberlin or Bill Russell, who would you take?

I've been reading a lot about these two guys, and it is very difficult for me to determine who was the better player.

Russell won way more championships (11) than Chamberlin (2), but he also had a better supporting cast for his entire career. Bob Cousey directed the Celtics through 1963, Bill Sharman was a pinpoint shooter as was Tommy Heinsohn, Sam Jones was Mr. Clutch, K.C. Jones was a solid player and so were Satch Sanders, Jim Lustocuff and Frank Ramsey.

Yeah, Russell had plenty of help.

Chamberlin, on the other hand, never had such a complete team around him until he joined the Lakers in the later 1960s, which featured Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. He did have guys such as Guy Rodgers, but never a rotation as solid as Boston's.

Still, there are some questions as to how dedicated Chamberlin was to winning. In his first few years in the league, he seemed to only care about his individual statistics. Alex Hannum changed this when he took over the Philadelphia Warriors in the early '60s, and they came very close to beating the Celtics in the '62 Eastern Conference Finals.

But Russell simply refused to lose. He did whatever it took to win. Unlike Chamberlin, there were never any questions about Russell's intentions when he took the court. Just win, baby.

Russell refused to stand down to anybody, unlike Chamberlin - especially in Wilt's early years - who often wouldn't retaliate when being pushed around by opponents' physical centers.

Despite this, the statistics clearly favor Chamberlin. He led the league in scoring from 1960-1966, averaging a record 50.4 points in 1962. Russell never averaged more than 18.9 points per game. Chamberlin also had the edge in rebounding - believed to be Russell's biggest strength - averaging the most boards in the league 11 times compared to four times for Russell. And Chamberlin is No. 1 in all-time rebounds ahead of Russell.

But when it comes to MVP awards, Russell has a slight advantage of five to four. That right there makes my very, very tough decision. Russell was a tiny bit better than Chamberlin.

So if I had the privlege today of starting a team with either of these greats from the past while they were in their prime, I'd take Russell.

Barely.

"Friday morning wake-up call"

2007-01-26T07:36:00.000-05:00

The Chicago Bulls.

About a month ago I thought they were awful. Despite the signing of Ben Wallace during the off-season, this team couldn't score. And its defense wasn't even that good. It seemed locked into mediocrity, maybe heading for a first-round playoff exit in the anemic Eastern Conference at best.

I have changed my mind.

On Thursday night the Bulls defeated the Dallas Mavericks 96-85 to snap the Mavs' eight-game winning streak. Chicago improved to 25-19 and is just one game behind Detroit in the Central Division.

The Bulls have found their identity on the defensive end. They're giving up just 93.9 points per game, third in the East behind the Pistons and Orlando. Whenever a team plays defense that well, they're going to be in games, and that's when Chicago's streaky shooters such as Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni can be deadly - in close, defensive games.

Another huge reason for the Bulls' turnaround has been the play of Luol Deng. The forward is averaging a career-high 18 points per game (second on the team to Ben Gordon's 21.3 ppg) and he's shooting a blistering 52.8 percent from the field. On a team that in recent years has settled for way too many outsider jumpers, Deng is beginning to show off that ability to not only get to the basket, but post up as well, which will create open shots from the outside.

He'll be very key in any run the Bulls make in the playoffs.

Just the fact that I'm talking about the Bulls and the playoffs is remarkable right now. A month ago they were nothing more than a middle-of-the-pack bunch of jump-shooters in a terrible conference.

New feature

2007-01-26T07:32:00.000-05:00

Hey guys,
Thanks again for reading the blog and commenting on my writing. I really appreciate it. To try to serve you better, I am adding another daily feature to the blog. In addition to full-length columns appearing every couple days and my 100-word blog appearing every day in the right-hand column (yes, I will start getting that up every day), I am adding a "wake-up call" column, which is a mini column I'll post in the main window whenever I wake up each day. The column will be about the first sports-related thing that pops into my head when I wake up, so it should be interesting.

Enjoy,
Jake

"That ain't right"

2007-01-24T16:37:00.000-05:00

Enter my hypothetical world for a few moments.

It's June 2007 and the two-month-long NBA playoffs are finally nearing their conclusion. In a matter of days, the NBA Finals will get under way. It's a rematch of last year: Dallas vs. Miami.

Except that Miami will be without one of its key players. Udonis Haslem was arrested a month ago - during the second round of the playoffs - when police found three handguns, three rifles and ammunition in his house. This was the third time in 18 months Haslem was arrested.

Haslem was relegated to home confinement and was not permitted to play the rest of playoffs with the Heat. Commissioner David Stern, acting in order to prevent public outcry, immediately suspended Haslem for his conduct.

Skipping forward a week or so, Dallas wins its first NBA title. The Heat, with Shaq not close to 100 percent, is lacking in big men and gets dominated down low. Haslem's absence kills it.

All right. Snap back to the real world. Yesterday, Tank Johnson, a defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears, was granted permission to play in the Feb. 4 Super Bowl against the Indianapolis Colts by Cook County (Ill.) Judge John Moran. Johnson was arrested for exactly what I placed on poor Udonis Haslem, who is a good person (sorry, Udonis, I had to use somebody as an example).

Personally, I don't have a huge problem with Johnson playing in the Super Bowl. I believe in second chances (although he has been arrested three times). I think the guy should get the opportunity to right himself. But I am shocked at the lack of public displeasure about this decision. It's as if, since Johnson is a key contributor for the Bears, of course he should play.

Let the past be the past.

This decision highlights a significant difference between how malcontents in the NFL are viewed and treated and malcontents in the NBA and MLB are treated. Players in the NFL are able to get away with a lot more off-the-field issues than professional basketball or baseball players. Players will be on trial for a crime and cheered by their fans at the same time (example - Chris Henry, wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals).

When an NBA player is arrested, he is not easily forgiven by the fans and he is constantly portrayed by the media as a thug. Even Kobe Bryant, one of the league's biggest names, was booed for a full season after accused of sexual assault. I hate to say it, but there are NFL players on active rosters who have been accused of similar crimes - and they're not booed.

A big reason for this is familiarity. Basketball players are the most visible team sports figures. There are only 10 of them on a court at a time and it's easy for a casual observer to memorize the faces they see playing. The same can just about be said of baseball players. But football players? Not so fast, my friend.

Football players' faces are hidden behind facemasks. Some players, such as LaDanian Tomlinson, even wear tinted visors that completely shield their faces from everybody. Additionally, because there are 22 players on the field at a time, there aren't nearly as many close-up camera views of football players as there are of basketball or baseball players.

If a baseball fan saw a head shot of the Yankees' Bernie Williams, they would immediately recognize him. If a football fan saw a head shot of Rams' offensive tackle Orlando Pace, I'm guessing they'd struggle to identify him. While most football fans recognize quarterbacks and running backs - high-profile players - when it comes to recognizing, say, Tank Johnson, they struggle.

And how can one possibly rant negatively about a person when they are not familiar with that person's appearance?

It's not easy.

It's easy to hate Barry Bonds. Every average Joe in America who follows sports at all knows who Bonds is, has seen pictures of Bonds - has seen that HUGE head - and many of these fans (another hypothesis) would protest if Bonds was honored for breaking Hank Aaron's home run record.

It's easy to dislike Ron Artest. Anyone in America with a television likely saw the brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills more than two years ago. They saw how Artest maliciously rushed into the stands to confront a Pistons' fan. There weren't too many non-Indiana Pacers fans who didn't support Stern for suspending Artest for the rest of the season.

But Tank Johnson can have loaded guns in his house - accessible to his two infant children, no less - and he gets to go to Miami to play football.

Where’s all the criticism? Where are all the Tank Haters?

Something’s ain’t right here.

It also ain’t right that Shawne Merriman of the San Diego Chargers will be playing in the Pro Bowl on Feb. 11 despite the fact that he violated the league's steroids policy earlier this season, resulting in a four-game suspension. No one cares about that anymore though. To them, Merriman is just one heckuva linebacker.

Mark McGwire, on the other hand, will likely never make the Hall-of-Fame because he took a substance that was legal at the time and he hit 70 home runs because of it. Not talking about the past in front of Congress didn't help McGwire, either.

Still... that ain't right.

No one will argue that football is more physically demanding than basketball or baseball. To be a good football player, you've got to have that mean streak in you. You have to be aggressive all the time. Finesse doesn't work.

Some players, apparently, can't leave their violent style on the field. For this, I pity them. But this should not - by any means - give them a free pass from crimes they allegedly commit. Or make them any less guilty in the court of public opinion.

All athletes should be treated the same way. Whether their faces are visible on our televisions or not.

"Peyton's saviors"

2007-01-22T16:52:00.000-05:00

Peyton Manning sat on the sideline, head in his hands, praying. He did not look like a quarterback who had just engineered a perfect 80-yard drive in 1 minute, 17 seconds.

He looked scared. Can't-watch scared. He knew who was standing on the opposite sideline, preparing to take the field.

Tom Brady. Manning's nemesis. The quarterback whom everyone referred to as the best clutch player at his position in the NFL (and arguably, in history). Not Manning. But Brady.

And after the kickoff return, Brady had 54 seconds and two timeouts, with the Patriots trailing 38-34, to lead them down the field. For any other quarterback, this would seem very unlikely. For Brady, I was thinking there was about a 40-60 chance.

If Brady led his team to victory, Manning, despite playing a nearly perfect second half - leading the Colts to 32 points to bring them back from an 18-point deficit - would be devastated. The press would eat the "Manning can't win the big games" apple, despite his performance. The Patriots would go to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in six years. The Colts would stay home, maybe never to make the big game during Manning's career.

Brady looked good to start the drive. After an incompletion, he completed two straight passes to get the Patriots to the Colts 45-yard line with 24 seconds to play and a timeout. He was a big play from getting his team into that range where he could start taking shots into the end zone.

Manning buried his head deeper between his knees, praying for what had eluded him twice: a playoff win over the Patriots.

And then he quickly looked up and smiled. He stood up, took a long sigh of relief and walked toward the field. The offense was going back on the field. He had to take one more snap, and all he would need to do was kneel down.

The Colts had won. The defense had held.

How 'bout that defense?

During the regular season, the Colts defense looked about as special as a piece of cotton candy at a carnival. It couldn't stop the run. Teams scored against it late in close games. It was anything but clutch.

On Sunday, the Colts defense did just as much as Manning and his offense to win the game. On the surface, giving up 34 points seems like anything but an admirable performance. But if you look beneath the number, you will notice these things:

- One of the Patriots touchdowns came on an interception return by Asante Samuel in the second quarter, which made the score 21-3 New England.
- The Patriots' lone touchdown in the second half came after an 80-yard kickoff return. Furthermore, the touchdown, a completion to Jabar Gaffney, was very questionable. It was ruled that Gaffney was pushed out of bounds, but I don't think he would have gotten both feet in had he come straight down.
- Twice, in the fourth quarter, the Colts held the Patriots to field goals.

When Brady and his offense got the ball with 3:22 remaining - and the Colts in possession of just two time outs - I thought it would be over within a matter of plays. Brady and the Patriots would pick up two first downs and run out the clock, leaving Manning & Crew helpless.

But the Colts defense came up big. On 3rd-and-4, a run-pass option down, Brady dropped back to throw, had time, released the ball... and it was nearly intercepted by Bob Sanders. The safety, who had missed the previous two playoff games due to injury, had moved up from his position, read Brady's eyes, and gotten in front of Troy Brown and a potential game-ending completion.

After that, it didn’t take long for Manning to drive the Colts down the field for that game-winning touchdown.

Not much time for Sanders & Crew to rest. But again, with Manning, the rest of the offense, the coaches, an entire stadium full of rabid fans, an entire state watching from their homes, and an entire nation of "Patriots haters" counting on it, the defense stepped up.

Marlin Jackson, who, it should be noted, is a University of Michigan man - just like Brady - stepped in front of Brady’s pass, took a few steps forward, then fell flat on his back on purpose. There was no need to run. It was over. The Colts were headed to the Super Bowl. Manning's defense had come through for him.

Why was this so surprising? After all, that defense has saved Manning and his offense this entire postseason. The defense played inspired football against the Chiefs and Ravens while Manning, basically, stunk up the joint. It shut down Larry Johnson, Jamal Lewis, and, on Sunday, perhaps the best two-man combo in the league of Corey Dillon (powerful, experienced) and Laurence Maroney (more speed, more moves). At the end of the night, the Patriots finished with just 93 yards, well below the 150-plus yards Indianapolis gave up per game during the regular season.

And it slowed down Tom Brady. A controversial touchdown and two field goals in the second half. That's all Brady could muster.

During the next two weeks, Manning will likely get more attention than the Colts defense. He will be favorably compared to mercurial Bears QB Rex Grossman. He will be talked about, finally, as a quarterback who can win the big game. Analysts will mention how if he leads the Colts to victory on Feb. 4, he will already be a Hall-of-Famer, up there with Montana, Elway and company.

And he deserves all of this.

But just remember - if not for his defense answering his prayers, Manning would be at his home the next two weeks, trying to digest another playoff defeat to the Patriots, banging his head against a wall over and over again.

Thanks, guys.

"Road woes"

2007-01-21T00:28:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday I watched on TV as the University of Michigan men’s basketball team got bullied by Purdue, 67-53. This afternoon I sat in dank Crisler Arena and watched another team called “Michigan” dominate Purdue, 71-55.

After the game, I was confused. Very confused.

Isn’t there only one University of Michigan? I thought. Why would this “Michigan” team play in Crisler, which I know is the home of U-M?

I was getting very frustrated - so frustrated that I was prepared to make a hot dog stand raid - until my friend cleared things up for me. He told me that the two teams that had played Purdue twice within a week were, in actuality, the same team, the Michigan Wolverines.

Shock would best describe my reaction.

I tried to comprehend my friend’s words. So... the team that turned the ball over 10 times in the first half a week ago was the same team that turned it over a total of just 14 times on Saturday?? So... the team that allowed David Teague to make four 3-pointers - most of them open looks - a week ago played uptight defense on him Saturday, holding him to 1-for-6 shooting from downtown?? So... the team that was physically dominated in the paint a week ago, allowing Carl Landry to score 22 points without breaking a sweat, owned the paint on Saturday, blocking nine shots and outrebounding the Boilermakers??

All right. Enough. The questions circling through my head were only confusing me more.

The only conclusion I could come to is that home-court advantage is very, very, very important in college basketball. At least in the Big Ten. Purdue has now dropped an astounding 29 straight games on the road. And I though Michigan was a bad road team.

Well, it is. Just not Purdue bad. Michigan is 2-3 on the road this season, registering wins over mediocre Miami (Ohio) and Northwestern, losing to a crippled N.C. State team, getting absolutely embarrassed by UCLA and, of course, losing handily to Purdue a week ago.

If only the Wolverines could play all their games at Crisler Arena. They are 14-1 at home, with the only loss coming to Georgetown. The Wolverines haven’t beaten a quality team this season, but here’s a truth: While they have virtually no chance of winning at Ohio State or Michigan State, when those teams come to Ann Arbor in March, at least there will be hope.

It’s hard to figure out how a team can be so different away from home. Especially a team laden with upperclassmen. I get the sense that Michigan’s players simply don’t believe in themselves away from home. They’re like kids left home alone at night for the first time. If they hear one suspicious noise, they panic.

People can say all they want about how great Michigan played on Saturday. They can mention Michigan’s 4-1 Big Ten record, tied for second in the Big Ten. They can talk about the Wolverines making a push for the NCAA tournament.

None of that will matter if the Wolverines I saw on Saturday don’t show up for Michigan’s six remaining Big Ten road games. Michigan will need at least one or two more road wins this season to make the Big Dance for the first time since 1998 (and that’s assuming it continues to win at home). Lester Abram or Dion Harris will have to step up as a vocal leader on the road and say, “I will not stand for a lower standard of basketball just because we’re playing in a hostile environment.”

Midway through the second half Saturday the Wolverines were having fun. After Jerret Smith pulled up for a long jumper on a fastbreak to give Michigan a commanding lead, he was greeted in the backcourt by a smiling Harris. They were having fun. Just playing.

I haven’t seen one smile by a Wolverine during a road game this season. Instead they appear tight, nervous and devoid of any passion. They play like a high school team with freshmen starters.

The next two games - at Wisconsin and at Indiana - will tell us what this “Michigan” team is really about. Will they become that team again, reinvigorating “Fire Amaker” talk all around Washtenaw County? Or - and this is definitely the underdog pick- will they decide that having two identities really isn’t as cool as it sounds?

So confusing it hurts.

"A missed opportunity"

2007-01-18T00:50:00.000-05:00

I remember the day like it was yesterday.

April 5, 1993.

I remember the drive home from Crisler Arena, where I had watched the game with my father and 13,000-plus other basketball fans. The night's tranquility was pierced by the blaring of sirens - undoubtedly policemen responding to poor behavior on the part of depressed Michigan fans.

The Michigan men's basketball team had just lost its second consecutive national championship game to North Carolina. Chris Webber's infamous timeout call when the Wolverines lacked one had doomed Michigan in the final seconds. I remember thinking that life probably couldn't get much worse.

Obviously, at the age of 9, I lacked perspective. The Michigan basketball program would be absolutely delirious to finish No. 2 in the country now. Heck, No. 64 would even work. The program hasn't made the NCAA tournament since 1998.

Thinking back on that night, I can't help but assume that the sirens were a harbinger of things to come.

The program made a few NCAA tournament appearances in the years following The Timeout, only to bow out in the early rounds. Then the Big Dance became the Small Dance, as Michigan fell into obscurity and a yearly tradition of participating in the NIT tournament. Along with that came the Ed Martin scandal, as it was revealed that the U-M booster had indeed paid Webber, Maurice Taylor, Robert Traylor and Louis Bullock to attend Michigan.

Then came the sanctions.

The taking down of the banners. The erasing of statistics. And, most importantly, probation and banishment from the Big Dance for a year.

The program still hasn't recovered. Who knows if it ever will?

Which, I know, is why many Michigan fans are angry that Webber is back in Michigan, playing for the hometown Pistons. While Webber should only be partially blamed for the ditch the U-M men's basketball program fell into and is still trying to climb out of, he had the chance on Tuesday to address the issue possibly once and for all.

Instead, he said it would be a "waste of my time" to talk about what happened.

Webber shouldn't necessarily feel remorse for taking Martin's money. After all, while at Michigan thousands of fans purchased his No. 4 jersey while he often couldn't afford meals. It's needless to say that large universities rip off their high-profile athletes by reaping the benefits created by the athletes and not paying them zilch.

But doesn't Webber feel at all bad about all the players who have suffered through mediocre year after mediocre year while the program attempts to recover from the bomb that hit it?

Take LaVell Blanchard, for example. The local kid. Blanchard led Pioneer High School to a Class A state title. He was being suited by both Michigan State and Michigan. He chose his hometown team despite MSU clearly being the state's superior team at the time.

Blanchard fought through a 15-14 freshman season then two losing seasons. Then, finally, during his senior season he led the team to a 17-13 record and the Wolverines tied for third in the Big Ten. They had NCAA tournament aspirations.

Except they didn't. Because that was the year in which they were banned from the Big Dance. Sorry, LaVell, shoulda gone to State.

I thought Webber might throw out an apology at the press conference. Just something along the lines of: "I made some mistakes when I was younger and I apologize to those whom my miscues affected negatively."

But, instead, nothing.

He comes off as egotistical and selfish.

Yes, of course almost everyone in Michigan would rather watch Webber help lead the Pistons to the NBA title this season and just forget about the whole thing. It's been nearly 14 years since that night.

But it's not that simple. Not when Webber refuses to say anything about what happened. Not when he won't display any remorse.

Webber has had several chances to compost this rotten egg. He's missed the bin every time.

C-Webb

2007-01-17T02:19:00.000-05:00

Hey guys,
Sorry I haven't posted in a couple days. I've beeen extremely busy with trying to buy a car and start up again at my old job. Anyway, I should have a column up tomorrow about the Chris Webber signing with Detroit, and pretty soon I'll be back to my schedule of posting a column a day.

Thanks for your interest,
jake

"In unfamiliar territory"

2007-01-14T11:31:00.000-05:00

Four years ago from this very week, Serena Williams was at the top of the women's tennis world. She was in Melbourne, Australia, about to win the Australian Open, her fourth consecutive grand slam title.

She was unstoppable. Not only was she the most powerful player on the WTA - by far - but she could also move deceivingly quick from one side of the court to the other to chase down what opponents considered winners. Watching her four years ago, I thought she was becoming the Tiger Woods of tennis. I thought she would motivate thousands of inner city kids to take up tennis and try to become the next Serena.

While I didn't think she'd win every grand slam, I thought she'd consistently win at least one or two every year and be the best women's tennis player for years to come.

Oh, how things have changed.

Four years later, Williams is back in Melbourne, ready for another run at the year's first grand slam. But she is far from the No. 1 player on tour. She is ranked 81st on the tour. She played in just five tournaments last year, not winning one of them. She has won just one grand slam event since Wimbledon in 2003 - the 2005 Australian Open.

Williams has fallen off the map.

She has only herself to blame.

If Williams wanted to be the best women's tennis player of all time, I wouldn't bet against her. She was that good. The thing is, the fame got to her. Once she became the United States' most popular female athlete, she started soaking in her celebrity. There were endless parties to attend, business opportunities outside of tennis to pursue.

She lost her focus. She didn't train as much, didn't put in as much time. As a result, her fitness level deteriorated. And the last three seasons injuries have taken her under. I'm not one to say what caused the injuries, but it's well known within the sports world that it's easier to sustain injuries at the highest level of competition when an athlete isn't in top-notch shape.

Of course this doesn't take away from what Williams has accomplished, both on and off the court. She still has seven grand slam singles titles to her name, and when she won four consecutive grand slams in 2002 and 2003 it was just the sixth time it's been done. If her career ended today, she'd still be considered one of the top players of all time.

But, still, I feel she has underachieved.

She fell as low as 139th in the world last season. It takes some serious falling to go from No. 1 to No. 139.

Martina Hingis, who has never made her distaste for the Williams sisters – Serena and her older sister, Venus - private, hit it on the nail when talking about Williams' current situation.

"With the sisters, it's always been either they are or they're not. It's always if they really want it and they're hungry," Hingis said in an Associated Press article.

Williams admitted, in a New York Times article, that she hasn't always put her heart and full effort into tennis: "It's all my fault, I guess. I should have been a little more serious. But it won't happen again, at least as long as I'm playing."

Williams says she is hungry now. She's ready to get back on the tennis court and attempt to regain her spot as one of the game's elite players. But this time her ascent to the top will be far from easy. Even Williams' playing partner, Baris Ergun, is not sure whether Williams will be able to get back her magic.

"I have my doubts," Ergun said in the same NYT article.

So do I. Williams is out of shape, and it will take several tournaments before she gets back into the kind of shape she was in four years ago (and even then, will she be able to regain her form?). She still has that power, but she will struggle against players who make her move laterally.

I'm not giving up on her, though. If she puts aside all that other stuff - the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue photo shoots and the acting gigs - and completely focuses on tennis, Williams, 25, has a chance to get back to the top.

Right now there isn't a dominating player in the game. Justine Henin-Hardenne has shown glimpses of brilliance, but she is far from overpowering. Amelie Mauresmo won two majors a year ago, but then struggled the second half of the season. Perhaps Maria Sharapova is poised to become the next Serena Williams. At 19, Sharapova won her second major at the U.S. Open last September. But she still has to prove she can consistently play like she did in Flushing, N.Y.

The top spot is up for grabs.

It's not even in Williams' sight right now. She'll have to start from the bottom and work her way up.

Something that would have seemed improbable four years ago.

"The Colts play defense?"

2007-01-13T19:50:00.000-05:00

The Indianapolis Colts became the Baltimore Ravens for three hours Saturday. Now they're moving on and the Ravens are emptying their lockers.

Call it identity theft. Notify the authorities. It doesn't matter. All we know is that in the biggest game of the season, the Colts defense played like the Baltimore Ravens defense usually plays. The Baltimore defense was pretty darn good, too.

In fact, the game was very, very even.

Peyton Manning had his second consecutive poor playoff performance, throwing zero touchdowns and two interceptions. If it wasn't for an incredible diving catch by Dallas Clark on Indy's final possession, the Colts' vaunted offense would have given the ball back to Baltimore for one final chance to win the game with a touchdown.

But there would be no miracle for Steve McNair's team on this afternoon. Instead, he got a steady dose of pressure, which is defined in Webster's as: "the burden of physical or mental distress." Dwight Freeney and the rest of the Colts' defense partied in Baltimore's backfield all day, harassing McNair into two interceptions, including a very key pick by Nick Harper in Colts' territory in the final quarter.

Indianapolis' first interception was almost just as important. Baltimore's best drive of the game ended at the 1-yard line in the second quarter when Antoine Bethea got his hands on McNair's pass.

The Colts forced four Baltimore turnovers, which resulted in six points – the difference in the score until Indy’s final field goal with 23 seconds remaining iced the contest.

All season long the Colts tricked teams into thinking they had a bad run defense by giving up huge chunks of yards on the ground. I think it was a setup. Kansas City's Larry Johnson had no luck against the Colts' defense last weekend. Ditto Jamal Lewis on Saturday. He ran for a measly 53 yards on 13 carries.

It's still hard to believe, so repeat after me: "Peyton Manning had two bad games and the Indianapolis Colts won both of them by nine points or more."

Wow. Amazing stuff.

Will the Colts win next week if Manning completes the bad performance hat trick? No. Not going to happen.

But with the way this defense is playing, plus the impeccable kicking of Adam Vinateri (5-for-5 on field goals Saturday, including ones from 42, 48 and 51 yards), Manning won't have to be indomitable next Sunday.

Just good. Just turnover-free.

Wow! Never thought I'd be saying that about a Peyton Manning-led Colts team. Trent Dilfer maybe, but Peyton Manning?

He is supposed to carry this team. He is supposed to play flawlessly each week for the Colts to have a chance at tasting victory against the league’s best teams. The Colts of a year ago wouldn’t have even played Baltimore on Saturday. It would have been the Chiefs, after defeating Indianapolis in the Wild Card round.

A year ago the Colts defense showed glimpses of having potential during the regular season, only to fold in the playoffs (along with Manning and a jobless kicker named Vanderjagt).

Not this time around. The Colts have proved what last year’s Pittsburgh team made clear: once a team – any team – gets to the playoffs, everything that happened during the regular season is out the window. There’s a reason the regular season ends in one year and the playoffs commence in the next.

They are two completely different seasons.

Just ask the Indianapolis Colts defense.

"Is this the ACC?"

2007-01-10T22:52:00.000-05:00

Quick. Answer this for me: What's the only men's college basketball team in the ACC (and the nation) undefeated?

"Um… North Carolina?"

Ehhh.

"Oh, gotta be Duke"

Ehhh.

"Well, then, must be Maryland."

Ehhh.

The correct answer would be - drum roll, please - Clemson. Yes, those feisty Tigers, who haven't made the NCAA tournament since 1997, are 17-0, including 3-0 in the perennially tough ACC.

Except - and this is the first time I've ever caught myself saying this - how good, really, is the ACC this season?

Yes, North Carolina is No. 1 in the land. The Tar Heels could win their second national title in three years. But besides them, and the surprise Tigers, the league is definitely down.

I have never seen Duke struggle so much to score. For the first time in ages, the Blue Devils are averaging less than 70 points a game. For the first time since the pre-Elton Brand days, they lack a score-at-will player. For the first time since 1996, Duke has lost its first two ACC games - against Virginia Tech at home and Georgia Tech on the road.

Whatttt??

Yeah, I'm surprised as the next guy. And what's even crazier is that Georgia Tech beat Duke Wednesday night despite turning the ball over a heart-attack-inducing 28 times. Are you kidding me? Any normal Duke team would turn those miscues into easy layups on the other end.

Except this team. Coach K has done a remarkable job to go 13-3 with the team he has, preaching great defense, because clearly these Blue Devils have the makeup of a Creighton team, not a Duke team.

The talent isn't exactly spewing forth from Tobacco Road's other hotbeds, either (minus Chapel Hill). NC State, under first-year coach (and famous alumnus), Sydney Lowe, got beat at home by those Tigers the other night. They're 10-6 overall and dead last in the ACC at 0-3. Wake Forest is still reeling from the loss of Chris Paul two years ago. The Demon Deacons are just 9-6 overall and 1-2 in the conference.

There are only four ranked teams in the ACC. And one of them - Maryland - is just No. 25 in the country, and will likely fall out of the rankings after a dismal home loss Wednesday to 9-8 Miami.

What is going on here?

When was the last time you could name two conferences that are better than the ACC? Well, this year I'd say it's safe to anoint the Pac 10 and SEC as more competitive. And the Big East and Big 12 aren't too far behind.

Usually the ACC is far and away the best conference in basketball. Not this time around. To put it simply, the talent is lacking.

North Carolina is very, very talented. Georgia Tech has a slew of very talented freshmen, who also turn the ball over A LOT. Besides these teams, it's hard to think of big names in the ACC. Most of the nation's top players - Joakim Noah, Kevin Durant, Aaron Afflalo, Alando Tucker, Greg Oden, to name a handful - play in the other major conferences. That right there is why the ACC is down this year.

I could see only four or five teams from the ACC making the NCAA tournament this year. And I only see the Tar Heels competing for the national title. That is very rare. Usually, when filling out my brackets, there are three or four ACC teams I view as capable of cutting down the nets.

But this is that year. That year of oddities.

Obviously, things could change during the remainder of the conference season and the ACC tournament, but for now the forecast is this: North Carolina should win the conference crown rather easily; Clemson will falter, but still make its first NCAA tournament appearance in 10 years; and the other teams, including the Dukies, will have to scrap their way to secure a Big Dance birth.

Just like the Tigers have been unsuccessfully attempting to do for the past decade.

"Wisconsin, Ohio State? Take your pick"

2007-01-09T23:22:00.000-05:00

The Wisconsin men's basketball team spent 39 minutes and 15 seconds Tuesday night proving it was the best basketball team in the Big Ten.

In the final 45 seconds, Ohio State nearly stole that moniker.

The Badgers built a lead as big as 16 and led by 14 after two Kammron Taylor free throws with 54 seconds remaining. The 3-point shooting Buckeyes, however, mounted a furious comeback that saw them come within a missed Jamar Butler triple at the buzzer of sending the contest to overtime.

Final score: Wisconsin 72, Ohio State 69.

Best team in the Big Ten: Wisconsin... for now.

Wisconsin took the lead for good at 7-6 and seemed in control of the contest the entire second half. The more experienced Badgers were clearly more mature than the Buckeyes. They had much better patience on offense, moving the ball around to find the good shot. OSU, on the other hand, was often content to chuck contested 3-pointers from NBA range.

Granted, the Buckeyes have some great long-range shooters, but it's not easy to beat a top-notch opponent without an inside presence.

Which is not something the Buckeyes lack. Ever heard of Greg Oden? If you haven't, you don't follow basketball.

Despite not being able to shoot with his injured right hand, Oden is still one of the conference's top inside players. Besides acting as a prolific shot-blocker, Oden can finish with his left hand down low and even shoots left-handed free throws at a somewhat decent clip (57 percent).

But on Tuesday Oden didn't make his first field goal until the 7:21 mark of the second half, with the Buckeyes trailing by double digits (he added two dunks in that final minute to finish with 10 points, seven rebounds and six blocks).

Not a bad night for an injured freshman. Not to mention an injured freshman who played the final seven minutes with four fouls. But Oden - and this is not entirely his fault; he needs to get the ball more often - could do so much more for this team.

Which is why Ohio State can only get better. Scary thought for the Badgers.

Wisconsin doesn't have the talent Ohio State possesses. Alando Tucker is a candidate to win the Naismith award, but he's surrounded by good (but not great) players. However, the Badgers could indeed go on to win the conference and get a No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament because of their chemistry on the floor.

It starts at the guard position. While Tucker didn't shoot the ball great on Tuesday (8-for-17) and was atrocious from the free throw line (1-for-6), two of his boys had his back. Taylor shot 5-for-8 from the field and made 12 of 16 free throws to finish with a game-high 25 points and Michael Flowers shot 5-for-9 for 10 points and also ignited several fastbreaks with four steals.

If you look at past Big Ten champions, they haven't always had the best frontcourt, but their backcourt has always been rock solid. The same can be said of this year's Badgers.

Anyone who thinks Wisconsin will run away with this title is crazy. It's a two-man race (no other conference team is close to the caliber of these two squads) and it will come down to the end, most likely to the next time they meet in Columbus on Feb. 25.

It will be the second-to-last regular season game, and there'll be plenty at stake.

By then, considering how good of a coach OSU's Thad Matta is, the Buckeyes will be much better at getting the ball to Oden down low - instead of settling for 3's - and Oden, in turn, will be much better because he should be completely healthy and used to the rugged Big Ten style of play.

Wisconsin should be better too. Tucker will be making his final pitch for the Naismith Award and the Badgers' frontcourt players should be improved.

Tuesday night was just the beginning. This horse race is just rounding turn one.

"SEC dominance"

2007-01-09T12:26:00.000-05:00

If there was one play that epitomized Florida’s unexpected 41-14 thrashing of Ohio State Monday night in the BCS national championship game, it came late in the first quarter when the Gators’ Derrick Harvey sacked OSU quarterback Troy Smith.

It might not have been the most important play of the game. It didn’t cause a turnover. No, nothing like that. But the play exposed the main reason why Florida was able to run circles around the Buckeyes all night.

The Gators were way faster than the Buckeyes.

Florida’s defensive ends chased down Smith all night, something no lineman in the Big Ten has ever done. Whenever Smith attempted to scramble, they were right on top of him, not allowing him even a second to look upfield.

And even if he had gotten that look, the sight wouldn’t have been pretty. Florida’s quick secondary was all over the Buckeyes’ wide receivers.

Ohio State definitely missed Ted Ginn Jr., its speedster. Ginn Jr. was probably Ohio State’s lone offensive player who could outrun some of the Gator defenders, as he showed by returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown. When he injured his ankle on Ohio State’s first offensive possession, the Buckeyes were in trouble. They would mount just one scoring drive the rest of the night.

Florida’s speed was evident on the other side of the ball as well. The Gators ran several quick screens to freshman Percy Harvin, who darted between defenders for positive gain after positive gain. Harvin finished with nine receptions for 60 yards and five rushes for 22 yards.

And the Buckeyes’ defense was unable to get their hands on Florida QB Chris Leak all night. He’d either get rid of the ball right away or sidestep the rush before finding an open man downfield. Ohio State’s five tackles behind the line of scrimmage cost Florida a mere 13 yards.

What had to be blatantly frustrating to the Buckeyes and fans of the Big Ten by the middle of the third quarter was that not only were the Gators faster, they were just as strong and physical as Ohio State as well.

The Buckeyes tried to play hard-nosed football, running it up the middle. While this was more successful than throwing it, they still didn’t run for 100 yards. Antonio Pittman finished with 62. Florida, on the other hand, pounded the Buckeyes, rushing for 156 yards on 43 carries. Whenever backup quarterback Tim Tebow checked into the game, you knew what was coming: a bullying blast up the middle. Yet that didn’t stop the freshman from gaining 39 yards on 10 carries and rushing for a touchdown.

Florida’s whipping of OSU was a statement game for the SEC. It proved that right now at least the SEC’s best is much better than the Big Ten’s best. It showed just how important speed is in today’s game. Florida did a great job of spreading out the OSU defense and making use of its speedsters.

OSU couldn’t keep up.

Lack of speed is a fundamental concern the Big Ten’s top schools should start addressing in recruiting. It was just as evident in Michigan’s 32-18 loss to USC a week ago. The Trojans were quicker than the Wolverines on both sides of the ball, burning their defensive backs for long touchdowns and eating up quarterback Chad Henne to the tune of six sacks.

Maybe Bo Schembechler’s death in November was an omen: Run-first offenses are not just no longer in vogue; they also can’t win the big games. If teams want to compete for a national title, they need speed on both sides of the ball. They need to use a variety of spread formations on offense to utilize their speed and keep the defense off guard. And they need to find quick, slippery defensive linemen who can not only get to the quarterback, but also corral him once they’ve arrived.

That was Florida’s formula. And it worked flawlessly.

"Romo's other mistake"

2007-01-07T00:40:00.000-05:00

Tony Romo sat on the field, head in hands, probably near tears. It took a minute for him to finally get to his feet and return to the sideline, only to find a solitary spot on the bench to continue his mourning.

The game was over.

Or was it?

As heartbreaking as Romo's botched snap on what could have been the game-winning field goal must have been, when he was tackled just shy of the 1-yard line - giving Seattle the ball with a 21-20 lead in the NFC wild card matchup - there was still hope for Dallas.

Problem was, the Cowboys - especially Romo - didn't seem to see it that way. No one will argue that Romo's mishandle on the 19-yard field goal attempt was the key play in Seattle's 21-20 win. If he had gotten the snap down and Martin Gramatica made the rudimentary kick, the Cowboys would have had a very good chance of playing again next weekend. But what nobody - and I mean not a player, coach, or media member - mentioned during the postgame swarm was this:

After the play, Seattle had the ball just outside its 1-yard line.

There was still 1:14 left on the clock.

And, most importantly, Dallas had all three of its timeouts remaining.

Three stops, three TO's, and the Cowboys could have had the ball back - with great field position and at least 50 seconds. Romo could have retook the field and gone from goat to hero.

In a matter of minutes.

But it didn't come to that. Shaun Alexander reeled off a 20-yard run on the first play. After Dallas burned its timeouts, Seattle was able to run the clock down to eight seconds before punting. The kick sailed out of bounds near midfield, giving Romo one last chance, a Hail Mary attempt.

Thing is, neither Romo nor his teammates seemed adequately prepared for even a last-gasp heave at victory. One would think, with their season on the line, the offensive players would have been on the sideline putting together a play for their last chance. Maybe, once they realized they'd likely have just one play, they could have figured out a tip play, where one receiver jumps above the swarming cornerbacks to tap it back to another wideout. I know, sounds crazy. But as a Michigan fan, I did have to suffer through Kordell Stewart's 64-yard Hail Mary to Michael Westbrook in 1994 that helped Colorado beat Michigan.

Anything is possible.

But most of Dallas' offensive weapons had their heads between their knees during the final minute, wallowing in their sorrows, when, actually, their book of tribulations hadn't quite been finished. NBC's cameras showed the listless face of Julius Jones and the buried helmet of Romo. It was as if the game was complete.

A teammate had to alert Romo that there was still a pass to be thrown. He finally placed his helmet on and trotted onto the field for one last breath. When his desperation throw hit the end zone's turf, it was over - really, this time - and he could do all the sulking he wanted.

It should be mentioned that this is fairly common in sports - especially football, and especially with young players. Romo is not alone. Players let one play decide the outcome of a game. Yes, one play can be very crucial in deciding the victor, but often there remains football to be played. I have no idea what it's like to be inside that helmet - with the crowd buzzing, and a cacophony of noise around the player, and a million things going through his head - but so many players could raise their level of play from good to great by becoming better game managers.

There are few players like Tom Brady, who orchestrates perfect two-minute drives, always knows the situation, and never seems to give up hope or hang his head. He is a proven winner and makes sure a loss isn't a loss until there is nothing he or his teammates can do about it. Brady is a rarity, and someone whom players such as Romo could definitely learn from.

Would Brady have won the game with a Hail Mary on the final play? Almost certainly not. But would he have spent the entire 1:12 Seattle had the ball (plus the three Dallas timeouts) gathering his offense and sketching out a last-ditch plan to snare a victory from the jaws of defeat? Most certainly yes.

Romo is young. He's got a lot to learn. He'll only improve if given the chance as Dallas' starter next season. But he'll still make mistakes - maybe even some as monumental as the botched snap on Saturday.

Which is why one of the biggest lessons he - as well as his offensive teammates - needs to take from Saturday's loss is to always keep fighting until the end.

"Trust no one"

2007-01-04T17:12:00.000-05:00

These days, in the world of sports, a promise is worth about as much as a dead squirrel.

If someone promises you something, you should assume the opposite. If someone says you can "trust" then, don't. Yes, it has come to this.

Yesterday, Nick Saban "shocked the sports world" (except that it really wasn't surprising at all) when he accepted a ludicrous eight-year, $32 million contract to coach the University of Alabama football team. Saban left behind the Miami Dolphins, who he had promised he would continue to coach.

Apparently the Dolphins believed Saban (poor guys), because in the post-"shocking decision" press conference, their owner, Wayne Huizenga, stepped into uncharted territory when he asked the media brass present for any suggestions on how to run the team. Yeah, he's desperate.

Saban, meanwhile, was long gone, having caught the first available private flight to Tuscaloosa. And it's safe to say he won't be taking any vacations in Miami anytime soon unless he's there to coach in the Orange Bowl.

Saban is just the most recent liar in the sports community. It's become a yearly tradition for coaches to declare their allegiance to a team, only to leave weeks or months later for a better-paying job.

In fact, Alabama, I'm sure, doesn't feel an ounce of remorse over stealing Saban from the Dolphins because it has been on the dark side of a coach's disloyalty. In 2002 Dennis Franchione led the Crimson Tide to a 10-3 record and insinuated to his players - and recruits - that he would return for another season. Yet when Texas A&M coach, R.C. Slocum, was fired after the season, Franchione wasted no time in not only leaving for College Station, Tex., but also taking his entire coaching staff with him.

This was especially hard on the Crimson Tide because they were suffering through NCAA sanctions and a probation period for violations committed by the football team. Throughout the season Franchione had emphasized loyalty and trust to everyone associated with the program, but in the end he was the one who didn't stick by his words, leaving the program in shreds. The Crimson Tide have had just one winning season the past four years.

When it comes to lying, players are just as guilty as coaches. Players take back their word about as often as it has snowed in Denver this winter. When a junior in college says he's coming back for his senior season, it usually means there's about a 50-50 chance he'll stay. Just two years ago UNC's Sean May said he'd return for his senior season after winning the national title. That was, of course, before (and I'm hypothesizing here) 13 agents and 20 coeds told him how great he was, and just days later he declared himself eligible for the NBA draft. Teammates Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants and Marvin Williams followed suit, leaving the Tar Heels with no key contributors left from their championship team.

At the professional level, athletes love to announce their desire to stay with their team, only to be baited in free agency by another squad just months later. Detroit Pistons fans never thought Ben Wallace would leave the Motor City. He did, after all, epitomize what the city was all about with his blue-collar work ethic. But Chicago offered him a better deal last June, and he was gone. Also, it didn’t help that Wallace and head coach Flip Saunders weren’t exactly the best of friends.

Let's face it. Money is all that matters to most professional athletes. Wave more dollars at a guy, and he'll likely leave his first team even if they treated him royally for 12 years. Players like Reggie Miller and Alan Trammell, who played their entire careers for one team, are like kids who play stickball these days - aka, very rare.

The sports world is swarming with unfaithfulness. Whether it's lying coaches or cash-seeking athletes, one thing is certain: No one can be trusted - especially if they tell you otherwise.

"Are you kidding me?"

2007-01-02T19:43:00.000-05:00

As a Michigan football fan, I was frustrated several times yesterday as I watched USC trounce the Wolverines 32-18 in the Rose Bowl.

I yelled at the TV every time Michigan predictably ran the ball on first down. I threw Cheetos in the air on every third down USC converted because the Wolverines refused to blitz. I almost choked on a pretzel when Steve Breaston slipped on a crucial fourth down late in the game.

But nothing - not a single thing - drew my ire more than when head coach Lloyd Carr sent out his punt team with just over five minutes remaining and his team trailing by 21 points. He quit on his team, plain and simple. By taking his offense off the field, Carr was telling them, "You're done, I don't believe in you."

Sure, the chance of Michigan coming back was one-in-a-million, but what in the world did the Wolverines have to lose? Who cares if USC takes over at the Michigan 30-yard line and scores another TD? What is the difference between a 14-point loss and 21-point loss?

There was no way Carr should have punted in that situation (4th-and-10 at the Michigan 31). Go for it. Tell your kids there's still a chance. Crazier things have happened and will happen. Just a week ago Texas Tech pulled off the biggest comeback in a bowl, recovering from a 38-7 second-half deficit to Minnesota. Granted, Minnesota and USC aren't comparable opponents, but coaches certainly know that a game's never over.

Carr raised the white flag. But he wasn't done.

After USC recovered Michigan's onside kick with just under a minute remaining, Carr could have used the Wolverines' three timeouts to try to get the ball back and maybe score again. Instead, he was ready for the showers. Maybe he had a dinner date.

Or maybe - and hopefully, because this is a little better excuse - he wanted to get in front of a TV and watch the Boise State-Oklahoma matchup in the Fiesta Bowl, because he sure could have learned a lot from the Broncos, who were huge underdogs but won thanks to gutsy, unpredictable play-calling.

Carr giving up on his players was just a part of possibly the worst three hours of coaching in his otherwise illustrious coaching career. Games are won by the players on the field. You won't find many people who disagree with that. But coaches certainly can increase or decrease their team's chance of success.

On Monday the Michigan coaching staff killed the Wolverines.

To start with, their game plan was as predictable as the daily forecast in Seattle for rain. Michigan's plays consisted of running Mike Hart to the weak side of the field (which didn't make much sense, since the sideline limited him) or having Chad Henne drop back five or seven steps to throw either an out or a crossing pattern. There were no tosses to Hart to the strong side. There was no misdirection (which definitely could have worked, considering how USC was overpursuing). And there was no trickeration.

Again, hopefully Carr watched Boise State's offense, because the hook-and-ladder the Broncos ran and the two-point conversion to win the game 43-42 in overtime (a fake pass to the right and then a draw to the left) were incredible play calls. Risky, yes. But superb when executed flawlessly.

Men on sports talk radio today were mentioning how their non-football-fan wives could predict Michigan's plays. Not a good sign there, Lloyd.

So the original offensive game plan stunk. But there must have been adjustments made, right? Well, not really. In the third quarter, as USC began to pile up the points, the Wolverines stuck to their run-to-open-up-the-pass strategy with a stubbornness that only ill-minded politicians are supposed to possess.

It wasn't until the fourth quarter, with Michigan facing a double-digit deficit, that it finally abandoned the run (for the most part). The Wolverines then scored to cut their deficit to 19-11. And despite a USC score, Michigan was marching again, before Breaston slipped, USC scored again…

And Carr decided to call it a day.

USC coach Pete Carroll is the antithesis of Lloyd Carr. While you need to threaten Carr to make him change his game plan, Carroll simply reacts to what is happening, making the necessary adjustments to give his team the best chance to win. USC couldn't run the ball in the first half (which ended in a 3-3 tie) so Carroll ditched it in the second half. USC threw the ball on 27 of its first 29 plays, and the two runs were QB sneaks to pick up first downs. Carroll and company noticed that Morgan Trent couldn't guard Dwayne Jarrett in man coverage, so they had John David Booty - whom Michigan made look spectacular - throw to Jarrett all day to the tune of 11 receptions for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Carroll was still passing late into the fourth quarter, when only nitwits like me thought a comeback was remotely possible.

He was doing what worked. Can't blame him.

While there was no clear offensive strategy that worked for Michigan on Monday, it certainly wasn't running Hart or having Henne sit in the pocket. Hart rushed 17 times for 47 yards (a paltry 2.8 yards per carry). Henne was sacked six times (brining back ill memories of the 2004 Rose Bowl, against these same Trojans, when John Navarre was sacked nine times). Michigan should have realized that giving the ball to Hart in running situations was not working. It should have instead used quick passes on early downs to set up the run.

Never really happened.

And what about that vaunted Michigan defense? If UCLA, which finished the season 7-6, held USC to nine points, surely Michigan could provide a similar effort. Instead, the second half became the Booty-to-Jarrett show. While that combo was great, the Michigan D has to take some of the credit for making them look like Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison. The defense was as predictable as the offense. There were hardly any second-half blitzes, and even when they did blitz, they were too late. Delayed blitzes are not going to work when the quarterback is getting rid of the ball very quickly.

While Trent got exposed, he can't be blamed that much for getting manhandled by USC's receivers. He was often left on an island, and even when the safeties did come to help, they were usually too late (like on Jarrett's back-breaking 62-yard touchdown catch that made the score 25-11).

Booty finished the game with a clean jersey. Obviously this wasn't the same Michigan defense that injured two Penn State quarterbacks in one game.

But it could have been much better with better schemes. Pressure Booty. Knock him down. Get hands in his face. None of this happened, especially in the second half.

So now Michigan has not only lost three straight to Ohio State, but four straight bowl games. The "great" season Michigan had going has been spoiled by back-to-back losses. The leftovers are only "good." The "Fire Lloyd Carr" websites will definitely resurface, and I can't blame those who take that route.

Those, including myself, who spit on the BCS and the coaches poll after Florida jumped Michigan to No. 2 in early December now have nothing to say. Michigan didn't look like a top five team on Monday.

Something has to change. Carr won't be fired. He'll likely be in Ann Arbor, like Joe Paterno at Penn State, until he chooses to step down. So he needs to make changes. Michigan's current system is good enough to beat the Wisconsins and Penn States of the Big Ten. It's good enough to challenge Ohio State (but not beat it), and it's not close to good enough to win a bowl game against an elite opponent, who is much better prepared to take the field.

I know Michigan is very resistant to change. It will always be a run-to-set-up-the-pass team. And that's fine, if 11-2 seasons are what Carr & Co. are after. But judging by Carr's very, very disappointed reaction after the game, 11-2 is not acceptable at Michigan.

Carr's hands are the dirtiest. He deserves the most blame for the 0-2 finish to the season.

And if Michigan is going to contend for the national title next year - which it is expected to do - it will start with Carr always believing in his players and never giving up on them in a game until the clock reads 0:00.

In other words, doing whatever it takes to win.

"Do the right thing"

2006-12-30T16:38:00.000-05:00

Shawne Merriman’s invitation to the Pro Bowl in February should be rescinded. No ifs, ands or buts.

The San Diego Chargers linebacker might be the top defensive player in the NFL. He's recorded an incredible 16 sacks in just 11 games this season. You'd have to do some digging to find a player who has put up similar numbers.

But he cheated. No, check that. He got caught cheating. Merriman was suspended earlier this season for four games for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

Yet pundits are saying he still deserves his spot in the Pro Bowl and possibly the defensive player of the year award. On the TV show "Quite Frankly," Rob Parker of the "Detroit News" said he believes several NFL players use performance enhancing drugs, so, therefore, Merriman shouldn't be left out of the conversation about postseason awards just because he got caught.

While Parker may be right about several players using, he's wrong about Merriman. He broke a rule, was punished and should have to stay home whenever San Diego's playoff run concludes. What kind of message would the NFL be sending if it named Merriman the league's top defensive player?

That if you cheat to become a great player then you can make it to the top and soak up all the honors while clean players busting their butts only make the back page.

That ain't right.

There are so many issues in today's sports world involving athletes cheating or getting arrested or jousting with their teammates and coaches. This situation provides an opportunity for the NFL to step in and say it isn't going to reward players who haven't played and/or acted by the rules.

Strip Merriman of his Pro Bowl spot. Give the defensive player of the year to Miami's Jason Taylor, who shouldn't have been the one to speak out against Merriman, but I can't really blame him. No one else was doing it. Taylor has had a great season. His numbers don't match Merriman's, but by no means would it be wrong to give him the award.

Like it would be to hand it to Merriman.

Even if it was a simple mistake, one of those "how did that get in my morning smoothie?" occurrences, a message needs to be sent here. No, it likely won't stop others from taking whatever their taking. Yes, Rob Parker, there will still be drug use in the NFL. But the players will know that if they are caught, any chance they have of being recognized for their play on the field with a piece of hardware will be gone.

Their name will not be added to the record books. Only their numbers will be recognized. Do it before it's too late. We all know what steroids have done to baseball and how awkward it will be if and when Barry Bonds breaks Hank Aaron's hallowed home run record.

The NFL can take a baby step toward cleaning up its game in the coming month. While NFL fans will likely enjoy watching Merriman in the playoffs, the only honor he should be able to celebrate this season is being a Super Bowl champion.

"Sour optimism"

2006-12-28T23:38:00.000-05:00

You could tell Thursday night that University of Michigan men's basketball coach Tommy Amaker might be hearing some of the whispers going around about him getting fired at season's end if it concludes with another NIT appearance.

Amaker appeared desperate, as the Wolverines took on Army in their second-to-last non-conference game before Big Ten play starts next Wednesday. For the first time all year he switched up his starting lineup... completely.

Amaker benched his five starters for three freshmen and two sophomores. It turned out to be a great decision. Jerret Smith, Reed Baker, DeShawn Sims, Jevohn Shepherd and Ekpe Udoh didn't just start the game and then let the regular starters take over. They played most of the contest, and may have gotten themselves permanent starting jobs with their play.

Credit Amaker for finding five guys who were enthused about playing, played with passion and energy and were thankful for the opportunity.

It wasn't pretty at times, to the tune of 22 turnovers, but the new starters carried Michigan to a 62-50 victory. Baker, who's listed as 6-foot-1, but doesn't looking taller than 5-11 (and appears maybe 16 years old), scored a career-high 19 points, including five 3-pointers. Regular starter Dion Harris, who is supposed to be Michigan's top 3-point threat, didn't score until the final minutes and finished with three points. That gives him five for the past two games.

Udoh was all over the court on both ends. For the first time since Hakeem Olajuwon retired, I thought a player had a chance at recording a triple-double that included blocks. Udoh finished with eight points, seven rebounds and nine blocks. Yes, nine.

And, hopefully for Michigan fans, they can forget about Mr. Passive, Courtney Sims, because there's a new Sims in town, a Sims who can play. DeShawn Sims is raw. He still makes careless mistakes. But he always brings a plethora of energy to the court, something that can't be said of the elder Sims.

D. Sims also wears No. 4. Chris Webber's heroics might be erased from the history books, but no one from Ann Arbor will ever forget the impact he had on the program. Sims isn't as developed as Webber was as a freshman, but he's got the talent to be something special here.

So what did a mediocre victory over an Army team that had one scoring threat (Jarell Brown - 22 points) prove about this team?

It clearly showed that the players who want to be on the court the most are the young guns. Not the guys who have been here three-plus years and suffered through NIT appearance after NIT appearance. No, the guys who haven't had to witness Michigan's recent history.

In a month, when the Wolverines are taking on the likes of Ohio State and Wisconsin, playing hard won't be enough. They'll still get fed to the cows. But on Thursday it was a start. Michigan's second team (or first team on this night) was clearly better than its regular first team.

Maybe (but probably not) Courtney Sims and company will get the message and start playing like they care. Maybe fifth-year senior Lester Abram will step up and be a vocal leader that this team so desperately needs. Maybe Harris will finally free himself of this shooting slump.

But don't count on these things.

The only thing you can count on from the Wolverines right now is that those second five will play their hearts out every game.

And maybe (but probably not) save Amaker his job.

"Eagles flying high"

2006-12-26T11:57:00.000-05:00

"Philadelphia sans McNabb is nothing better than a middle-of-the-pack team. And no one will be scared of Philly the rest of the year." - my blog, 11/20/06

I was wrong. Completely wrong.

When Donovan McNabb went down in Week 11, with the Philadelphia Eagles 5-5, I thought the Eagles' shot at making the playoffs in the weak NFC was very slim. After all, they'd be starting a 36-year-old quarterback who had struggled the past two seasons on mediocre teams.

Without McNabb, the Eagles appeared to be just that - a mediocre team.

On Christmas Day Philly looked like a championship team. The Eagles went into Dallas with the division title on the line and whooped the Cowboys. There was no question who the better team was after Philly's 23-7 domination of Dallas. With a win at home against Atlanta next Sunday, Philly can clinch the NFC East.

Who would have thought? Not me.

The Eagles have proven what other teams would like to prove - that their season doesn't hinge on one player. San Diego would like to say they could win without L.T. Atlanta would like to say it could win without Michael Vick.

But they certainly don't want to try. The Eagles never complained after losing McNabb. Despite an extremely difficult stretch-run schedule, the Eagles have put together four straight wins after losing their first sans-McNabb game. They've defeated Carolina at home and Washington, the N.Y. Giants and Dallas on the road.

Not exactly easy pickings.

Garcia has stepped in and earned his teammates' trust. He's completed 62.2 percent of his passes and thrown 10 touchdowns to just two interceptions.

Running back Bryan Westbrook hasn't been at 100 percent all season, yet he's only missed one game and has rushed for over 1,200 yards, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. He's the most underrated running back in the NFL.

And the defense seems to be coming around too. Philly entered the Christmas Day contest giving up the second-most rushing yards in the league, but it shut down Dallas' two-pronged attack of Julius Jones and Marion Barber, holding them to just 41 yards on 16 carries.

With Garcia playing mistake-free football and the defense shutting down the run and harassing opposing quarterbacks - Philly had three sacks and two INT's Monday against Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo - the Eagles have to be considered a Super Bowl contender.

You can quote me on it. I've already been blatantly wrong about this team once. Another wayward prediction won't hurt.

"U-M lays an egg"

2006-12-24T09:16:00.000-05:00

Anytime you turn the ball over as many times as the number of field goals you make, you're probably going to lose.

You're probably going to lose by a big margin.

Such was the case for the University of Michigan basketball team Saturday afternoon, as it was drilled by No. 1 UCLA 92-55 in Los Angeles.

This game was supposed to be U-M's chance to prove to the nation that it was a legitimate team, an NCAA tournament team. The Wolverines had a full week to prepare for the Bruins compared to just three days for UCLA. The team even arrived in L.A. on Thursday. Exams were over. The players would get a couple days off upon returning home.

But, instead, the Wolverines took much of Saturday's game off.

Sloppy ballhandling. Awful passes. Poor offensive execution. They were all a part of Michigan's performance (if you can call it that) at Pauley Pavilion.

UCLA, meanwhile, converted each Michigan miscue into an easy layup on the other end. The Bruins had to work hard for maybe 12 of their 33 field goals.

Still think this Michigan team is NCAA tournament material? Well, one game definitely doesn't decide a season, but consider this: The Wolverines have played four teams with winning records, going 2-2. The rest of the teams have been walkovers. Michigan has played on the road just three times, going 1-2. Its only victory came when it eked out a six-point win over 4-7 Miami (Ohio).

It should be interesting to see how the Wolverines handle road games versus No. 3 Ohio State, No. 5 Wisconsin and No. 25 Michigan State. Add in games at upstart Purdue, and Illinois and Indiana (whom Michigan hasn't won at in what seems like an eternity) and the only roadies I'd actually pick Michigan to win are against Northwestern and Minnesota - by no means gimmes.

The only Big Ten team Michigan has routinely defeated on the road during Tommy Amaker's six-year reign as coach is Penn State. The Wolverines only face the Nittany Lions at home this year.

Yes, the forecast is not so bright anymore. An 8-8 Big Ten record would likely get Michigan into the NCAA tournament, but unless it suddenly starts winning road games, that would mean winning at least six of eight home games - a very tough task.

Maybe Saturday was nothing more than an aberration. Maybe this team will come out against Army (on Thursday) and Georgetown (on Saturday) and finish off the non-conference season on a high note. But even that wouldn't prove much.

What this team has proven over the past few years is that just when things are starting to look rosy, it can find a way to ruin the season, to banish itself to the ignored NIT tournament. It took a 2-7 finish to last season after a 16-3 start and a Top 25 ranking. What is in the cards for the 2006-07 version of the Wolverines?

We'll have to wait and see. But if Saturday was any indication, these Wolverines don't have any more bite than Amaker's past teams.

"The NBA's conundrum"

2006-12-22T02:13:00.000-05:00

The next time you run into an NBA team, try something for me, OK? Ask the players who Bob Pettit, or George Mikan, or Wes Unseld, or Earl Lloyd was.

Ask them about these former NBA icons, about what these past greats mean to the players. I bet half of the team won't even know some of these guys.

That's too bad. And it's also one of the main problems with the NBA today.

When I was so young that I couldn't even toss a ball to the rim, there was a poster on my bedroom wall of a wolf. It read: "Respect your elders."

If today's NBA players had a greater knowledge and respect of those who came before them, I believe several of the "image problems" we constantly hear associated with the league would no longer be issues.

The truth is that most players gifted enough to reach the NBA are pampered from the beginning. Scouts are drooling over them by the time they reach puberty. High school is nothing more than a prep school for the NBA, as is the one year of college ball. By the time players reach the NBA, their heads are so big that any sign of disrespect just isn't going to be tolerated.

Hence, the minor brawl at MSG the other night. J.R. Smith took exception to Mardy Collins’ hard foul. So he retaliated. Carmelo Anthony was sick of the lowly Knicks talking junk and beating up his players, so he threw a cheap punch.

These players lose their cool over the smallest things. Perspective could help them.

Consider the fact that in the 1950s and '60s, most NBA players didn't make enough money from playing to support themselves. So they worked other jobs during the off-season. I’m sorry - I just can't imagine LeBron bagging groceries.

Back in the day players didn't complain at every call. They just played hard as can be for 48 minutes. There was no need for a "no complaining" rule.

If today's young guns sat down and watched some old tapes, they would see what the NBA is all about: Playing hard every night and representing yourself well off the court.

This isn't to say that all of the past NBA greats led A+ lives. But there wasn't a general problem like there is today.

Too many kids not taught to respect authority. Too many kids taught solely to "get yours." Too many kids who don't appreciate their opportunity.

When all they need to do is take a peek into the NBA archives.

"Since when has trading been fair?"

2006-12-21T00:42:00.000-05:00

The more, and more, I look at it, I am... shocked.

An NBA trade that was actually fair. A trade from which both sides should benefit (although one much sooner than the other). It's just not common, just not... right?

Except that it is.

I am going to write Christmas cards to the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers for making a deal that didn't make one of the organizations look dumb (especially Philly, considering the last time it traded away a superstar - Charles Barkley in 1992 - it got virtually nothing in return). Neither team's fans should be shaking their heads after this one. The trade that sent Allen Iverson to Denver for Andre Miller, Joe Smith and two 2007 first-round draft picks was about as fair as you can get.

For the rest of the season, of course, it will seem like a one-sided deal. Denver, with the two top scorers in the NBA, is now a contender to win (gasp) an NBA championship. Do I see it happening this year? No, sir. But Iverson, just 31, and 'Melo should anchor this franchise for at least the next five years.

Next question: Will the Nuggets win a title in that time period? There's a decent chance. And if I'd been asked that before the trade, I'd have said, "No chance."

Anthony is a great player, but - just like Kobe - he needed a sidekick to take this franchise to the level San Antonio, Phoenix and Dallas are on. He's got him now.

Look at every NBA champion in recent memory. No team has won the title with a superstar and group of average players. Bird had at least one other All-Star on all three of his championship teams. Ditto Magic for all five of his titles in L.A. Jordan had Pippen. Duncan had Robinson. The '04 Pistons didn't need a star. Last year, Wade had Shaq.

LeBron could (maybe) be the first player to win a title without an All-Star teammate, but I'm not convinced. He'll have to be at his best.

Denver gave up a lot to get Iverson. But it will all be worth it. These two guys on the court at the same time will be something to watch.

Unlike the 2006-07 76ers.

This team will not put up many W's in the months to come. They’ll certainly play hard and grind out some victories, but even with a HUGE upgrade at the point guard position (Kevin Ollie wasn't exactly the answer at the position), this team will have a tough time scoring. This is not a good thing, considering the Sixers give up over 100 points a game.

But while Philly's tough-necked fans won't be cheering much this season, they can expect better things in the near feature (even if they won't admit it, just like after the Eagles drafted Donovan McNabb). June's NBA draft will be absolutely loaded with talent, provided most of the nation's big-time freshmen come out. With three first-round draft picks and plenty of cap room, the 76ers would have to pull a Matt Millen to not come away with some NBA-ready talent.

Add two or three capable players to Philly's young corps of Miller, Andre Iguodala (now the only A.I. in town), Samuel Dalembert and Kyle Korver, and you've got at least a foundation for future success. And possibly a future superstar (one of the draft picks).

The NBA is a "What have you done for me today?" industry, and the results this season will not be pretty in Philly. But take a look at this team in a couple years, and there's a good chance Allen Iverson won't be a part of the conversation.

No one will be saying, "How could we let him get away?" but rather, "Look what this deal's done for us."

And no one in the Rockies will be regretting the trade either. The Nuggets will be among the NBA's elite.

Making the Dec. 18 trading of A.I. to Denver one of those rare deals after which both sides are content.

I guess it really ’tis the season for giving.

Stay tuned

2006-12-14T21:27:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone,
I'm sorry for not posting much recently. I have been wrapping up my stay here in Sydney, and now I am heading to New Zealand for four days and will not have computer access. But I can assure you that once I return to Ann Arbor on Dec. 20, I will start posting again on a regular basis. Thanks again for reading.

Jake

"Size is overrated"

2006-12-11T19:53:00.000-05:00

(Note: This is probably the last time all season I'll say a good thing about the New York Knicks).

You know what my favorite moment of the still young NBA season has been? When little Nate Robinson (listed as 5-foot-9, but he looks about 5-foot-7) got up in the grill of Yao Ming and stuffed the 7-foot-5 center (who actually looks 7-5). It was the most legitimate block I've seen all season.

And by a 5-foot-7 guy.

Robinson didn't just stuff Yao, he tossed aside the perception that you have to be "tall" or "big" to be successful in the pros.

Size is one of the most overrated things in American society. It goes all the way back to the 1990s (I know, seems so long ago) and the "Super Size" phenomenon. Whenever I went to McDonalds with my friends, I wasn't manning up unless I "Super Sized" that Big Mac meal.

Hey, if you're gonna eat the junk, might as well go all out, right?

But this "bigger is better" fetish isn't just related to food and Texas culture.

It's evident in sports as well. Especially in football and basketball. Every spring before the NFL draft scouts drool over "tall quarterbacks." Every summer prior to the NBA draft, scouts question whether smaller players will be able to compete in the league. They question whether they'll be able to guard "bigger guards."

And yet, despite all the doubters, despite the lack of respect, "little guys" continue to get it done in the NFL and NBA.

Allen Iverson (ever heard of him?) is just 6-foot. Still, he's been a force in the league now for 10 seasons. He's led the league in scoring four times, won an MVP and taken an overachieving team to the NBA Finals. Despite this, people continue to question him (especially now that he's finally asked out of Philadelphia).

For five years people have said that Iverson, 31, will wear down, that his body will not be able to handle the beating he takes any longer. Uh, yeah, I'd still take a guy averaging 31 points and seven assists. Even if he was 4 feet.

I can't believe teams aren't rushing to put together packages for Iverson. Here's a team willing to ship one of the top 10 players in the league, and people aren't going crazy over him?

Ludicrous.

Troy Smith still has one very important college football game to play, but after that he'll start preparing for April's NFL draft. Only recently have people started considering him even a top 15 pick. Here we have the nation's most successful quarterback, the only OSU QB ever to take down Michigan three times. And he's not even considered a top 10 pick.

It all comes down to size. Scouts don't think the 6-foot-1 Smith will have the vision he needs to make accurate throws. They prefer Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn, who's 6-foot-4 and a possible No. 1 pick. It doesn't matter that Quinn has never won a bowl game or beaten USC, Notre Dame's prime rival. He's got the size and arm, so he'll be fine.

While size is overrated, winning, it appears, is underrated. Last season Vince Young, who quarterbacked Texas to the national title, was questioned over and over again because he scored poorly on the Wonderlic IQ test.

Who cares? He's a winner, he’s athletic and he’s a good passer - that's all that should have mattered. Right now Young is making teams that passed over him look silly, including the Texans, who he beat in overtime on Sunday.

The NFL's hottest quarterback, Drew Brees, is barely six feet - shorter than Smith. He, of course, was not considered a high draft pick coming out of Purdue, despite leading the Boilermakers to their first Rose Bowl in 34 years in 2001. He was taken in the second round by the San Diego Chargers, who got a certain L.T. in the first round.

Not a bad draft, I'd say.

You want more? How about less (size)?

Two of the NFL's best wide receivers are hard to spot - they're simply too small. Carolina's Steve Smith (who, I'm sure, the Bears are hoping doesn't make an appearance in the playoffs) is a nice 5-foot-9. Marvin Harrison, Peyton Manning's favorite target, is a short 6 feet. Both players are 185 pounds, yet they continue to lead their team in the receiving department year after year. Harrison, in his 11th season, has missed just five games in his career. While Smith missed most of the 2004 season because of an injury, in every other season he's played nearly every game.

Remember the NBA Finals last June? Remember that guy who willed Miami to victory? Yeah, that was Dwyane Wade, all 6 feet, 4 inches of him. For a shooting guard in the NBA, he's undersized. But that hasn't stopped him from becoming one of league's top five players.

Let's minimize this. Earl Boykins is 5-foot-5. Since he graduated from Eastern Michigan he's been doubted. No one thought he could possibly be successful at the professional level. Now, for four straight years, he's scored in double figures as Denver's backup point guard.

Don't get me wrong. Size is important. There are no 6-5 centers in the NBA, no 200-pound defensive linemen in the NFL. But don't underestimate the heart of the little guy. These guys play as if they have something to prove, and often they do prove something: that they belong just as much, if not more, than the taller guys on either side of them.

And yet they still don’t receive the respect they deserve.

"The Heisman jinx"

2006-12-10T22:18:00.000-05:00

I'm not one for superstitions or "jinxes." When some CBS broadcaster says that a team or player is "jinxed" I throw my hands up in the air, thinking to myself, "Don't you have anything else to talk about?"

But, unfortunately, there are some patterns in sports that simply cannot be ignored. They are too conspicuous to wave off with your right hand. The "Sports Illustrated" cover jinx is probably the most well-known jinx in sports. Each year several athletes and teams are victimized by it. Every time I see one of my teams grace the cover - such as the Detroit Tigers this past August - I wince, because I know that their fate is likely decided (and, sure enough, although the Tigers fought the jinx about as well as one can, they eventually succumbed to it in the World Series).

The only time a team is safe on the SI cover is when it is a championship cover.

A sports jinx starting to pick up momentum is the Madden Jinx. In recent years, every player featured on the front of the video game box has suffered an injury, with the most severe being Michael Vick missing most of the 2004 season after being featured. If I was LaDanian Tomlinson and I was offered a spot on the 2008 cover (as he should be), there's no way I'd accept it.

Way too big of a risk.

Those are the most renowned jinxes. But, after watching Troy Smith easily walk away with the Heisman Trophy Saturday night, I was reminded of another jinx not as popular as the others, but still out there.

The "non-USC Heisman Jinx."

The past 14 years, 11 of the Heisman Trophy winners have gone on to have subpar careers in the NFL or not even make it to the league. The only three players who seem to be doing all right are USC alums: Carson Palmer (2002); Matt Leinart (2004); and Reggie Bush (2005) - and these guys are still young. A lot can still go wrong with them.

But check out how the other 11 have fared.

1992 winner Gino Torretta (Miami): Was just a seventh-round pick in the 1993 draft; didn't play at all in '94 or '95; threw one touchdown pass for Seattle in 1996; retired in 1997.

1993 winner Charlie Ward (Florida State): Was not selected in the NFL draft, so instead played in the NBA for several seasons, even making the 1998 All-Star team.

1994 winner Rashaan Salaam (Colorado): As a rookie with the Bears rushed for over 1,000 yards, but didn't do a thing after that; played in the ill-fated XFL.

1995 winner Eddie George (Ohio State): Easily the most accomplished of these "jinxed" players, having played in four Pro Bowls, however wore down over the years and was out of football after 2004.

1996 winner Danny Wuerffel (Florida): Played seven seasons for four teams, never putting together a good season; highlight of his professional career was winning the MVP in World Bowl 2000 as a member of the Rhein Fire.

1997 winner Charles Woodson (Michigan): One of the most overrated and overpaid players in the NFL. Has also had off-the-field issues.

1998 winner Ricky Williams (Texas): We're all familiar with this guy's story. Talent has never been the issue with him; it's a motivational thing. Or maybe he's always felt the weight of the jinx bearing down on him.

1999 winner Ron Dayne (Wisconsin): Rushing numbers have decreased nearly every season, with best year coming in 2000 (770 yards); mostly just used as a short-yardage back.

2000 winner Chris Weinke (Florida State): Well, he did throw for 423 yards yesterday as Carolina's backup in a loss to the Giants, but that's probably the highlight of his career - not a good thing. Has played in 10 games since his rookie season.

2001 winner Eric Crouch (Nebraska): He is the fourth-string quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL; that's all you need to know.

2003 winner Jason White (Oklahoma): Wasn't drafted and was eventually signed by the Tennessee Titans before quitting (citing a knee injury); is already out of football.

So, there you have it. A crop of 11 highly successful college players who basically became duds in the NFL. The Heisman Trophy means about as much as a smooch on the cheek when it comes to being successful in the NFL.

Which is why, the question must be asked: Does Troy Smith have a chance at side-stepping this jinx?

First of all, it must be noted that Smith is not a normal Heisman winner. He won the trophy by the second largest margin ever, behind O.J. Simpson in 1968 (which brings about a completely different jinx - but that's for later). He received the highest percentage of first-place votes ever (86.7 percent) - and this award has been around since 1935.

Impressive.

But all of that will mean nothing come April. The herds of NFL scouts won't give a hoot what Smith accomplished in college. They'll only care about his arm strength, and his speed, and his ability to stand in the pocket and take the hit. They'll question his height (6-foot-1), they'll question other things. And the hardware he now owns will be quickly placed in the back of the china cabinet.

I personally think Smith has what it takes to be successful in the league. I think he will be doubted just like Vince Young was this year (look how nicely Young's progressing). I think he'll overcome the odds, just like he did at Ohio State.

But would I put money on it? No way, Jose. As many of us have learned, it's never a good thing to bet against these sports jinxes.

New Feature

2006-12-09T10:21:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,
Hope you're enjoying the blog. Again, please post comments about articles and send any feedback or suggestions to me at jbl10@albion.edu. I compulsively check my e-mail at least 30 times a day.

I have added a new feature to the site. Each day - unless I'm on vacation - I will post a 100-word blog in the upper right-hand corner of the page. This is a short "take" on a hot issue within sports. And it only takes around 30 seconds to read. So enjoy.

thanks,
Jake