Joint Weekend Super 6

I'M BACK!!!

After a wonderful vacation with my wife, I am back and ready to blog. I actually tried to blog Wednesday about the ongoing baseball season but the Internet malfunctioned at my resort and it didn't work. What was I paying for exactly?

Anyways, Greg and I have combined our talents are taking them to this site today for a joint blog. We're making our predictions on some great things this weekend.

1. NBA Playoffs

Are you kidding me Lebron James? After losing three straight, the Heat responded last night with a butt whipping of the C's. Lebron was the guy we remembered from Cleveland as he poured in 40+ in the first three quarters basically wrapping it up. If only he played that focused and mad all the time... As we head into this weekend, all eyes are on Game 7 Saturday:

Greg - As I predicted prior to Game 6, Miami won on the road. Miami will win Game 7 at home. Boston has played great to this point but this is where their run ends. Miami (namely the real Big 1 in LeBron) are too talented and will pull it out just like last year in the Eastern Conference Finals. I say this with great pain, as I would love to see the Celtics pull this out, but you have to admit, an OKC/Miami Finals is much more compelling than an OKC/Boston series.

Teaser Alert - OKC will win the finals in five games!

Andrew - While I agree that Miami will win Game 7, I want to point out that it won't be easy. The Heat rolled last night, even on the road, but Saturday will be different. Boston has too much experience and talent themselves to just lay down. I expect Pierce, Garnett, and Rondo to bounce back. Will Ray Allen show up cause he hasn't all series... Probably not. But when it's all said and done, the Heat will move on to play the Thunder is a series the whole world wants to see.

Teaser Alert - OKC will win the finals in seven games!

2. French Open - Men's Singles

The semifinals are today and the final is on Sunday. It should be exciting tennis. We're left with the clear top three players in the world (and maybe of all time?) and a fighter in Ferrer.

Djokovic is trying to win to complete the "Joker Slam" and would hold all the major trophies at the same time. Nadal is trying to continue his dominance here and pass Borg and win more French Open's than any player in history. Federer is trying to win his second title here, getting ready for the Olympics (which he wants to win badly), and is wanting to get back to number one in the world. Ferrer is the unspoken player but is trying to win his first grand slam title. Here's how we see it:

Greg - Djokovic and Federer could be the match of the tournament. They are fairly evenly matched. Fed ended Djokovic's 41 match winstreak last year in this round of this tournament. Novak returned the favor by coming back on Fed at the US Open to knock him out. I think Djokovic will take the match in five sets. Ferrer will give Nadal a fight but ultimately lose in four sets.

In the final it will set up the dream final of 1 vs. 2. Djokovic owned Nadal last year but this year is different. Nadal just topped him a few weeks ago in a final on clay. It will be the same here. Nadal in straight sets.

Andrew - I can't wait for the Roger and Novak match. It should be great tennis and has the chance to go the distance. I am torn. I am rooting for Roger and think that he is playing well enough to win. They both had scares in the quarters so they are on equal footing. In my French Open preview I said Novak would win. In order to keep my integrity, I'll stick with the Joker winning in four (but Go Team Fed). The other match is interesting because Ferrer has the skill and fight to make it interesting. But Nadal seems to get better as the tourney goes on. I'll take Nadal is straight sets.

I agree with Greg that Nadal has figured some things out against Djokovic. That's what great players do. I also think Djokovic will have had the tougher semifinal. In order to be different than Greg though I'll take Nadal in four sets as opposed to three.

3. French Open - Women's Singles

Was this the matchup you thought pre-tourney... Sharapova vs. Errani? Nonetheless, it should be a good one. Maria is the newly minted top player in the world, an amazing feet for coming off shoulder surgery. In fact, if she wins she will become the first player ever to win a grand slam after such surgery. Also, she would complete the career grand slam by winning her first French Open. Errani on the other hand is the first player outside the top 20 to get here in quite sometime. She is talented on clay, winning three titles on this surface already. But this is her first slam final so can she deal with the pressure?

Andrew and Greg - Errani won't hang with the bigger hitter in Sharapova. Maria wants this more, will work harder, handle the pressure better, and dictate all the points. Maria wins in straight sets.

4. Golf

Before we discuss this week, can you believe the pairings they announced for the US Open next week? Unbelievable! Tiger, Phil, and Bubba makes me want to quit my job, buy tickets, and go out to watch every second. Not to mention Rory, Donald, and Westwood; the top three players in the world. Kuchar is in a great group too, and US sensation Rickie Fowler is playing with Ryo who is a sensation on the other side of the globe. We'll break down this tourney next week but I can't wait!!!

Greg-I really can't believe the pairing for the first two rounds, its going to be great. I watched the ESPN sneak peak of Olympic club yesterday and I believe it will be a relatively close to par tournament. The only two par 5 holes are back to back on the back 9 (15 &16 I believe) and 15 is a monster 670 yard par 5 that almost no one will birdie.  With really only one legitimate chance in 18 holes to get to the green in 2 on a par 5, I see the scores sticking close to par, which will favor fairway hitters, GIR guys, and solid 10-15 foot putters. Who's going to have the hottest putter? We shall see.

As for this week, the Fedex St. Jude Classic began yesterday. Greg likes David Toms, the cagey veteran. I'm taking a flyer and going with Jeff Overton. He's from Indiana and I want to give him some love. He exploded onto the scene a couple years ago making the US Ryder Cup team, and playing well there. Maybe he'll do it again this year.

5-6. Soccer

Euro 2012 Pool Play and Elimination Rounds

On the other side of the world, football is king...not that football but (futbol)soccer! As we kick off the Euro 2012, we'll pick both pool play survivors and then the Elimination Rounds.

Group A: Greece, Russia, Czech Republic, Poland
Greg: Greece and Poland
Andrew: Poland and Czech Republic

Group B: Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Denmark
Greg: Germany, Netherlands
Andrew: Sorry Ronaldo...Germany, Netherlands

Group C: Spain, Italy, Ireland, Croatia
Greg: Spain, Croatia
Andrew: Spain, Ireland

Group D: England, France, Sweden, Ukraine
Greg: England, France
Andrew: France, England

Quarters:

Greg: Netherlands over Poland, Spain over England, Germany over Greece, Croatia over France
Andrew: Poland over Netherlands, Spain over England, Germany over Czech Republic, France over Ireland

Semis:
Greg: Germany over Croatia, Netherlands over Spain
Andrew: Spain over Poland, Germany over France

Finals:
Greg: Netherlands over Germany
Andrew: Germany over Spain (wanted to pick Spain but they can't win everything can they?)

So there you have it. Lots of stuff upcoming. Not to mention baseball season is ongoing which is always fun during the summer. Glad to back and talking sports again. Enjoy the weekend!

Andrew