Stanley Cup Finals Preview

     Oh, am I looking forward to this! My Boston Bruins are appearing in their first cup in a generation against the high flying Vancouver Canucks. What a fantastic matchup this is for the NHL. You have two great cities with different styles that will attract east coast and west coast fans, including Canada. Although I am thrilled that the Bruins have made it this far, I won't be satisfied until they win the Cup. Here are some breakdowns for the 2011 Stanley Cup finals and my final prediction.

Offense


     The Canucks have the best attacking team in the NHL, but that doesn't mean the Bruins can't hold their own with them. Led by David Krejci, Nathan Horton and Patrice Bergeron, the Bruins are capable of scoring goals. That being said, the Canucks have the Sedins, Ryan Kesler and role players like Maxim Lapierre and there isn't a better unit in the NHL.
Edge: Canucks 
Prediction: The Bruins have success when staying out of the penalty box and Tim Thomas proves to be the toughest goaltender the Canucks have had to get by this postseason (and they went up against Pekka Rinne)

Defense 


     The Bruins defense has been inconsistent, but they are capable of shutting down any offensive unit, as we saw last round. Vancouver has been more consistent, but they still are driven by their goal scoring.
Edge: Push 
Prediction: Boston has up and down defensive efforts as does Vancouver. The series will come down to goaltending.

Goaltending 


     Tim Thomas is more consistent than Roberto Luongo, but they still might be the two best goaltenders in the world when they're on. Both are battle tested, but I would say that Thomas has clamped down and shut down teams better than any goaltender in the playoffs.
Edge: Bruins 
Prediction: Tim Thomas is slightly better than Luongo during this series.

3 Keys for Vancouver 
1) Roberto Luongo must be at the top of his game 
2) The Canucks must continue to capitalize on power plays 
3) The Canucks need their Sedin magic 


3 Keys for Boston
1) Stay out of the god damn penalty box 
2) Tim Thomas must stand on his head like he has done in big spots
3) Score a couple power play goals 


Prediction: This will be a tightly contested series. Every puck will be battled for. But I think because of Tim Thomas and their ability to overcome even the worst circumstances, the Boston Bruins will win the Stanley Cup. They have endured so much that I think their will to win will lead them to the Stanley Cup title.
Bruins in Six 
Series Complexion (Home win in CAPS, road win not in caps)
1 bos 2 VAN 3 BOS 4 BOS 5 VAN 6 BOS

NBA Finals Preview- Miami Heat v.s. Dallas Mavericks

     It comes down to this. The Miami Heat, who many people expected to get here before the season and the Dallas Mavericks, a team that many thought to be washed up but has clearly become the best team in the West this season. Miami looks unstoppable and it seems that they are hitting their stride at just the right time. Dallas also looks better than they ever have and it's all about Dirk Nowitzki playing his best basketball of his career. Here is a look at the match-ups in this series and my prediction. 

Point Guard

Mike Bibby v.s. Jason Kidd

     Two veteran and playoff tested point guards. Both will be selfless and both will play a role in this series. But Jason Kidd means much more to his team than Bibby does, which is why Kidd allows the Mavericks to have the edge at point guard.

Edge: Mavericks 

Prediction: Jason Kidd will play a pretty big factor late in games and Mike Bibby will make the occasional three pointer but not much else. 

Shooting Guard

Dwyane Wade v.s. Jason Terry

     Wade is the second best player in the NBA after LeBron James in my opinion, but that doesn't mean Jason Terry can't play a bigger role than Wade in this series. Terry can go off almost as well as Wade could, not quite, but he could. 

Edge: Heat

Prediction: Jason Terry will go off in a game or two, but Wade will take over a game late in the 4th quarter and have a case to be named NBA Finals MVP. 

Small Forward 

LeBron James v.s. Shawn Marion 

     LeBron has come of age this postseason. I said in an earlier post that LeBron would decide the outcome of the playoffs and so far the Heat have not been stopped. That being said, Shawn Marion can still play defense. He will need to play even better than he did against Kevin Durant if the Mavericks want to have a serious chance in this series. 

Edge: Heat

Prediction: Marion contains LeBron, but LeBron takes over games late, which is why he will be named NBA Finals MVP. 

Power Forward 

Chris Bosh v.s. Dirk Nowitzki 

     Bosh played great during the Chicago series, but Nowitzki is simply not missing any sort of shot. I don't think Bosh can guard Nowitzki, but Bosh is certainly capable of scoring as many points as Nowitzki which could be a major factor in this series. But until Dirk misses his shots, I don't see this happening. 

Edge: Mavericks 

Prediction: The Chris Bosh that we saw in some of his poor performances this year comes out in a few games this series and Dirk Nowitzki will keep the Mavericks alive in this series. 

Center

Joel Anthony v.s. Tyson Chandler 

     Both are stout on the defensive end, but Chandler has the edge offensively. Chandler has been outstanding this season, but Anthony can match whatever Chandler does. 

Edge: Mavericks 

Prediction: Chandler plays a major factor in giving the Mavericks the edge down low in this series. 

Bench

     The Heat suddenly have more of a supporting cast now, but the Mavericks are still the better team than the Heat. 

Edge: Mavericks 

Prediction: Mike Miller plays the biggest role of any of the other role players on either team. 

In an Offensive, High Scoring Game, the edge goes to- the Heat

In a Defensive, Low Scoring Game, the edge goes to- the Heat

For the Mavericks to win, they need.....

1) Dirk Nowitzki to be one of the best two players on the court

2) A offensive spark from Jason Terry and/or Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, J.J. Barea, etc.

3) Shawn Marion to contain LeBron 

4) All members of the big three must be held under 30 points on average in this series 

For the Heat to win, they need....

1) LeBron to continue taking over games along with Dwyane Wade

2) In each game, they need 1 of big 3 to score over 30 

3) Clamp down on Nowitzki and make another play beat them 

Prediction: This series is closer than one might expect. Dirk Nowitzki will keep the Mavericks in the series, Tyson Chandler will provide the defense underneath and Jason Kidd and other Maverick veterans will come up big when they need them too. But the fact is is that it comes down to LeBron. And LeBron will get it done. Dwyane Wade will be his usual stuff and be outstanding, but in the 4th quarter when all the chips are down, LeBron comes up big and wins his first championship, although he "shares" this one with Wade, Bosh and co. 

Miami Heat in six/seven games, but I'll say Seven 

Series Complexion (home win in CAPS)

1 MIA, 2 dal, 3 DAL, 4 mia, 5 mia, 6 dal, 7 MIA 

All I hope is that this series is exciting and is must-watch television. Since the Celtics are out, that is all  I hope for. I am rooting for the Mavericks because I want to see Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki win, but I just can't see it happening. The Mavericks have surprised us before however. No one gave them a chance to beat the Lakers (I did). So nothing in this series would surprise me. I think it is most likely that the Heat win in 5 or 6 games and it is least likely that the Mavericks sweep the Heat. I just hope that all the games are fun and well played and hopefully we'll see some overtime games, a game winning shot or two and a Game 7. Enjoy the NBA Finals

     

French Open Preview

     Who doesn't love tennis? I am excited for this years French Open. In the Men's draw we have number one seeded Rafael Nadal looking to win his 6th French Open title. But his top competitor is not Roger Federer this year, it's Novak Djokovic who is probably the hottest athlete on the planet, winning 37 consecutive matches to open up 2011. In the Women's draw, the field is wide open. Defending champion Francesca Schiavone is certainly a contender along with Kim Clijsters and Caroline Wozniaki. The Williams sisters are out of this years French Open which I'm upset about, but we certainly are set for an exciting and entertaining French Open. Here are my predictions.

Mens


Semi-Finals 


1)Rafael Nadal over 5)Robin Soderling 


3)Roger Federer over 2)Novak Djokovic 


Finals
3)Roger Federer over 1)Rafael Nadal 


Womens 


1) Caroline Wozniaki over 7)Maria Sharapova 


2)Kim Clijsters over 3)Vera Zvonareva 


Finals 
1) Caroline Wozniaki over 2) Kim Clijsters 

Eastern Conference Finals Analysis

      This series is all about LeBron, actually the entire playoffs revolve around LeBron Jame's performance. If LeBron gets it done late in games like he did in Game 2 against the Bulls, then the Heat will win the championship because the one thing the Heat lacked late in games was LeBron closing them out effectively. So far this postseason, LeBron closed the Celtics multiple times in their short five game series. Dwyane Wade will take care of his business, Chris Bosh will due his part (most of the time) and the Heat will be competitive in all games no matter what. But it comes down to LeBron. His performance determines what the Heat accomplish this season. And you know what....LeBron will get it done! I said it, LeBron gets it done for the first time since 2007 and the Miami Heat will win the championship. I would've liked to see LeBron get it done in Cleveland, but you have to admit that it is great watching the Heat and Bulls. The NBA is one sexy ass league, you got to admit it. Just wait until the Knicks get back into the picture when they lure in Chris Paul.

2011 MLB Player Rankings- First Base

15 Justin Smoak, Seattle Mariners (24) 


     Smoak, after being traded by Texas to Seattle, is beginning to blossom as one of the game's better first basemen. The power has always been there, but questions of whether he can hit for average still remains. One thing I like about Smoak is that he gets on base, 7th in the AL early into 2011.

14 Carlos Pena, Chicago Cubs (32) 


     Pena has never been a great hitter for average, but he can hit for power as well as any top 5 first basemen and his defense remains underrated.


13 Ike Davis, New York Mets (24) 


     Davis has slowly burst onto the scene for the Mets after replacing Carlos Delgado. Davis is a pure hitter, he hits for consistently with both power and average as well as being a solid defender.

12 Adam Lind, Toronto Blue Jays (27) 


     Lind is pretty young, and he has been a steady performer for the Jays over the past couple seasons. His defense remains in question, but power wise, he is above average.

11 Kendry Morales, Los Angeles Angels (27) 


     When healthy, Morales is a definite top 10, borderline top 5 first basemen. But that's the thing, it's when he is healthy.

10 Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins (30)


     Morneau is like Kendry Morales, if he wasn't plagued by injuries, Morneau is still a premier first basemen. Unfortunately, his health has forced him to take a few steps back.

9 Gaby Sanchez, Florida Marlins (27)


     I love having Gaby Sanchez on my fantasy team. The guy is a steady performer and plus he is young. Sanchez is hitting in the mid .300's while hitting for power and driving in runs. What more do you want from a first basemen?

8 Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox (35)


     Even though he is 35, it seems that Paul Konerko is playing the best ball of his career. He is coming off a monster season last year and thus far in 2011 he is producing the same results. I don't know how long he can last, but as of now Konerko is one of the game's best at first base.

7 Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers (27) 


     I understand that Fielder could easily crack the top 5, but for me, it's his defense that holds him back. He has the hitting ability to be a top 3 first basemen, but you don't get a ton of good defense from Fielder which is why he is 7.

6 Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies (31)


     Everyone has negative things to say about Ryan Howard lately, but I don't see what's wrong with Howard. Yes he strikes out a lot, but that's not a surprise. He consistently puts up huge numbers and plays adequate defense for a achieving Phillies squad.

5 Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees (31) 


     Teixeira is an outstanding defender and a great hitter. He is your do it all first basemen, which is why he is number five.

4 Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers (28) 


     Cabrera is one of the best and most underrated hitters of this generation. His personal problems diminish what this guy does on the field night in and night out.

3 Adrian Gonzalez, Boston Red Sox (29) 


     I love watching this guy play the game. He has a beautiful swing. I could easily put him number one, but I will wait a year or two and see how he handles the pressures of the postseason (if they even make it) with the Red Sox.

2 Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds (27) 


     There is a reason why Joey Votto was the NL MVP last season. He put the Reds on his back and through defense and clutch hitting he led them to the postseason. Joey Votto and the Reds have a bright future over the next few years.

1 Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals (31) 


     Even though he is off to surprisingly slow start this season, Pujols remains the game's best player. He will go down in history as the best player in this generation and one of the greatest to ever play the game. At 31, he only has so many great years left, so we should all enjoy them while they last.


Future All-Star First Basemen


Brandon Belt, San Francisco Giants 



Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves 



Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals 



Dayan Viciedo, Chicago White Sox 



Yonder Alonso, Cincinnati Reds