Sports Blog

On Wednesday, November 14th, the Golden State Warriors were 0-6. Where was I? Under my covers, crying myself to sleep. I dreamt of last season’s playoff run and the way the Warriors implemented “Nellie Ball” to such perfection that they were all but impossilble to beat. Alas, this year has not gone to plan, leaving many Warriors faithful wondering if last season was luck. But, to my great relief, over the last couple of weeks, the Warriors have won 7 of their last 8 games, losing only to the Boston Celtics. It seems as if everything that was going wrong for the Warriors in the beginning of the season is now going right. Steven Jackson is back playing well on both sides of the ball, Baron Davis is no longer feeling the residual effects of last year’s succession of injuries and maladies, Al Harrington is finally starting to play up to his talent level, Matt Barnes is coming back from his hand injury, Andris Biedrins is having his best year to date and Monta Ellis is earning his Most Improved Player status, starting to score in the 30’s on a daily basis. What does all of this say? The Warriors are getting stronger and stronger by the day. To prove it, they just ended the Suns’ 8-game winning streak, beating a team that boasts the likes of perennial all-stars Steve Nash Amare Stoudamire and Shawn Marion. Furthermore, with the additions of Kelenna Azubuike, Brandon Wright and Marco Belinelli, the Warriors are now as deep as ever. Mark my words, the Warriors are going to the playoffs again. And not as the 8th seed.  

Nishan Wilde is VP of Sales for Robbins Sports and Athletics, an online resource for top of the line Basketball Hoops, Stopwatches and Punching Bags.

The Boston Celtics are simply the hottest team in the NBA right now. Granted, they have Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to lead the enslaught. But, seriously they are playing really, really well. They are a balanced team, strong on both the offensive and defensive ends. So, I am asking myself, how long can they go without losing? The longest winning streak to start a season was recorded by the Houston Rockets and the Washington capitols in 1993 and 1948, respectively. It seams all too possible that the Celtics are within reach of that record.

Currently, the Boston Celtics are 7-0. That is obviously a perfect record, but what is more impressive is how they got to that point. On average, the Celtics have beaten their opponents by over 17 points per game.The only time this season that they have even come close to losing was their 98-95 overtime win against the Raptors. Yet, KG and company held strong, showing that not only can they blow teams out but they can also win the close ones. 

So, what is next on the horizon? In order to set a new season-opening winning streak, the Celtics would have to win their next 9 games. Is that do-able? Well, considering their competition, yes!! over the next 9 games Boston’s schedule is as follows: the Heat, the Magic, the Warriors, the Lakers, the Bobcats, the Cavs, the Knicks, the Heat again, and then the Cavs again. Of that group only the Lakers and the Magic are above .500. Furthermore, the Lakers just do not have enough talent to guard or break down Boston’s formidable line-up. So, it all rests on the shoulders of the Orlando Magic. It comes down to whether Dwight Howard can cope with Kevin Garnett, whether Rashard Lewis can best his former teammate Ray Allen, and whether the rest of the Magic lineup can handle Paul Pierce. In my opinion, the Magic do have the talent to beat the Celtics. But right now, the Celtics are so hot that they are going to be tough to beat.

My prediction: The Celtics go 11-0 from here on out, bringing their streak to 18-0. But, in their 19th game, they will lose to the Bulls.

Nishan Wilde is VP of Sales for Robbins Sports and Athletics, an online resource for top of the line sporting apparel and equipment, including Basketball Hoops, Basketball Uniforms and Punching Bags.

To say that 2007 was a crazy season for college football would likely be the understatement of the year. There have been four different No. 1 ranked teams (USC, LSU, Cal, Ohio State), one of which is no longer in the top 25 (Cal). Of the preseason top 25 only 13 are still there, with new comers Kansas, Illinois, Cincinnati and Connecticut, normally basketball powerhouses, making unusual appearances. At times, undefeated seasons seemed within grasp for the unlikeliest of teams (Boston College, Arizona State, UCF, Hawaii, Kansas). And traditional powerhouses have become bottom of the barrel teams (Notre Dame, Miami).

However, with all that behind us, the fog has cleared a bit. Now, instead of being wide open, the BCS Championship has become a 2-3, maybe even 4-horse race. Which horses are ahead of the rest of the pack, you ask? LSU, Oregon, Kansas and Hawaii. But which of the four has the best chance? Well, LSU and Oregon are the obvious choices seeing as they have a long history of football excellence. Furthermore, with LSU and Oregon having already played their toughest opponents, it should be smooth sailing from here on out. On the other hand, Kansas and Hawaii are both undefeated. And if they can win out for rest of the season, they too will have a good chance of playing in the BCS Championsip game.

So, now we will have to wait and see what the BCS gurus have to say. Will it be Oregon and LSU, teams who have won respect as a result of numerous victorious seasons? Or will it be the undefeated teams with the admittedly easier schedules? Honestly, I have no idea what will happen, but here’s what I think should happen. I think that Oregon and LSU are much better teams that Kansas and Hawaii. They are bigger, faster and stronger. But, how can you not reward teams who have gone the whole season without suffering defeat? So, if Kansas and Hawaii win the rest of their games, each procuring unlikely perfect seasons, they will be deserving candidates for the national championship this season. Not LSU. Not Oregon.

Nishan Wilde is VP of Sales for Robbins Sports and Athletics, an online resource for the best in athletic apparel and equipment, including top of the line Basketball Hoops, Punching Bags and Stopwatches.

Over the last 3 or 4 years, there have been a few huge trades that have stirred the NBA pot and made things a little more exciting. But that is just it, there were only a few. Shaq went to Heat, Iverson went to the Nuggets and Garnett went to the Celtics. Not only did these trades benefit Miami, Denver and Boston on the court, but their respective pocketbooks received a huge lift as the incoming stars have attracted more and more fans to the arenas. So, if there are so many upsides to high-profile trades, why don’t they happen more frequently? The answer? The NBA has a ridiculous trade policy.

Unlike other sports where a team can simply buy out the contract of opposing teams’ players, the NBA’s trade policy makes things a little more difficult. For instance, when Iverson went to the Nuggets, he went there along with Ivan McFarlin. In return, the 76ers got Andre Miller, Joe Smith and 2 future draft picks. Do you think that the Nuggets necessarily cared about Ivan McFarlin at the the beginning of the trade talks? No Way! So, why was he included? Because according to the NBA trade policy, the salaries of the players being traded must match. That’s why Kevin Garnett was traded to the Celtics for 6 players - Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Sebastia Telfair and a 2009 Draft Pick. That was half of Boston’s team. Now, as the LA Lakers try to trade Kobe Bryant, a player whose salary is equal to the GDP of many small countries, it is going to take a miracle to pull off. The Lakers wanted to trade him to the Bulls, but getting both teams to agree upon which players are equivalent in terms of talent and salaries is a very difficult process. I bet that if the Bulls had the option to pay straight cash for Kobe, they would do it in a heartbeat. However, they cannot. So, at least for now Kobe will remain a Laker.

In my opinion, the NBA should change its rules. Matching salaries is just ridiculous. If a team or player wants to implement a trade, there should be as few obstacles in their way as possible. However, for the time being that is not the case. Consequently,  NBA fans may see  fewer and fewer trades and more and more disgruntled superstars in the future if things do not change.

Nishan Wilde is VP of Sales for Robbins Sports and Athletics, an online resource for a wide array of sporting goods, including Punching Bags, Basketball Uniforms and Stopwatches.  

For those who know me, it goes without saying that I am a huge Warriors fan. I bleed Blue and Yellow. And after the amazing late-season playoff run and heart breaking loss to the Jazz in the second round last year, I am ecstatic that the NBA season is finally upon us. It represents not only a chance for redemption, but also a chance to prove that last year was no fluke. Does that mean I think that the Warriors are good enough to win the championship this year? No. But, I will definitely have the time of my life watching them try. Ok, having given my shameless Warriors-for-life plug, I will now turn my focus to the teams that are more likely to win the championship.  

West:

The wild, wild West is likely to live up to its name this year. There is just so much talent that any one of 6 or 7 teams could make it to NBA Finals.

1. San Antonio Spurs - This team may be a little old fashioned and boring to watch compared to some of the run and gun teams in the West, but with Parker, Duncan and Ginoblli all healthy, the Spurs are going to be tough.

2. Phoenix Suns - Coming off his second NBA MVP award in as many years, Steve Nash seems poised to orchestrate yet another deep playoff run. Maybe this year the Suns won’t get cheated out of a Western Conference championship by Robert Horry’s cheap shots.

3. Denver Nuggets - The return of Kenyon Martin will bolster this teams championship chances. With four all-star caliber players in the starting lineup, Melo and Co. are going to good. I just hope they can morph into the team they are capable of being.

4. Dallas Mavericks - The Mavs had a record year in 2006-2007, winning 67 games and losing a mere 15. So, the question is whether or not Dirk can live up to his potential, leave the kiddy pool and finally win - in the playoffs that is.

5. Houston Rockets - Two words - Yao and McGrady. If these two can stay healthy, the Rockets could potentially go all the way. They have a decent supporting cast. Now it is up to the stars to perform.

6. Utah Jazz - The Utah Jazz are a well balanced team. They play good defense and can score. With Boozer and Deron Williams becoming perennial all-star types, the Jazz may just be able to match last season’s Western Conference Finals berth.

East:

The East is a different story. There are a large number of good teams, but only a few noteworthy teams that could possibly challenge the Western powerhouses for the title.

1. Detroit Pistons - The Pistons are talent and experience personified. They have a deep lineup with all of the makings of a championship team. True, Rasheed Wallace is aging a bit and did not play his best last year, but with Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton by his side, the Pistons are as good as anyone in either conference.

2. Boston Celtics - Can the Celtics get back to their winning tradition? If you think anything else, you are a complete buffoon. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are the most skilled trio in the league. All they have to do now is create a little team chemistry and they have NBA Finals written all over them.

3. Chicago Bulls - Ben Wallace, Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, Kirk Hinrich, Andres Nocioni and Joakim Noah. Enough said. The Bulls are a deep, talented, young, dangerous team. And with rumors that Kobe Bryant may be making his way to Chicago, the Bulls have every chance in the world to win this year.

The NBA boasts a plethora of talented teams all of which could potentially win the championship. There is just so much talent in the league nowadays that the dynasties of old are all but dead and gone. My prediction is this: The NBA finals will feature two teams that are desperate to win championships; Steve Nash and the Suns against Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and the Celtics. Personally, I would love the see the Big Ticket finally get his due. But Nash with a fat championship ring on his finger wouldn’t be a bad sight either. However, if I were a betting man, I would put money on the Suns to go all the way this year.

Nishan Wilde is VP of Sales at Robbins Sports and Athletics, an online resource for top of the line Stopwatches, Punching Bags and Portable Scoreboards.