NBA Preview

Basketball season is here! For people like me, we’ve been waiting for it to start, suffering through the week trying to make it to the football games on the weekends. But now there is something worthwhile to watch throughout the week, plus more to watch on the weekends too.

Last season was the season of Lebron. He dominated the league from start to finish and finally got his first ring. The scary thing is that they may be even better this season after adding plenty of veteran help to the bench, including Ray Allen.

But they weren’t the only team making moves in the offseason. Out west, the Lakers added Dwight Howard and Steve Nash making them a favorite as well. In the Howard deal the Nuggets picked up A.I. (the good one, not the shot chucking retired one). The Clippers didn’t add any big names, but they added some bench help and role players, plus get Billups back, and they will be a threat now as well. Oklahoma City shocked everyone by trading James Harden to the Rockets. Long term it was probably a good move but I think it will hurt them significantly this year.

In the East, Brooklyn made the biggest moves by trading for Joe Johnson, acquiring Gerald Wallace, and resigning their big men. The Knicks parted with Jeremy Lin but did pick up veteran Jason Kidd. The Celtics lost Ray Allen but acquired Jason Terry to fill in. And Philly could become a real player now that they got Bynum in that Howard deal.

It should be a fantastic season of hoops, but also a tough one to predict. I think there is so much depth across the league that any team on a given night can beat any other. Even the teams we think will be in last place have the talent to make a playoff push if things go right this year. Nonetheless were here to analyze and give projections, and Greg and I give it a go below:

Projected Eastern Conference Standings

Andrew:

1. Miami Heat

2. Indiana Pacers

3. Boston Celtics

4. New York Knicks

5. Brooklyn Nets

6. Atlanta Hawks

7. Philadelphia 76ers

8. Chicago Bulls

9. Cleveland Cavaliers

10. Milwaukee Bucks

11. Washington Wizards

12. Detroit Pistons

13. Toronto Raptors

14. Charlotte Bobcats

15. Orlando Magic

Greg:

1. Miami Heat

2. Boston Celtics

3. Chicago Bulls

4. Brooklyn Nets

5. Indiana Pacers

6. Washington Wizards

7. Philadelphia 76ers

8. Atlanta Hawks

9. New York Knicks

10. Toronto Raptors

11. Detroit Pistons

12. Milwaukee Bucks

13. Cleveland Cavaliers

14. Charlotte Bobcats

15. Orlando Magic

Projected Western Conference Standings

Andrew:

1. San Antonio Spurs

2. Oklahoma City Thunder

3. Los Angeles Lakers

4. Los Angeles Clippers

5. Dallas Mavericks

6. Denver Nuggets

7. Memphis Grizzlies

8. Minnesota Timberwolves

9. Utah Jazz

10. Golden State Warriors

11. Portland Trailblazers

12. Sacramento Kings

13. Houston Rockets

14. Phoenix Suns

15. New Orleans Hornets

Greg:

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

2. Los Angeles Lakers

3. San Antonio Spurs

4. Los Angeles Clippers

5. Minnesota Timberwolves

6. Memphis Grizzlies

7. Denver Nuggets

8. Dallas Mavericks

9. Golden State Warriors

10. Utah Jazz

11. Houston Rockets

12. Portland Trailblazers

13. Sacramento Kings

14. New Orleans Hornets

15. Phoenix Suns

And the Champions Will Be…

Andrew:         Lakers over Heat in 6

Greg:               Heat over Lakers in 6

By: The Sports Guys

NFL Power Rankings - Week 8

Week 8 assured us who some of the best teams were (here's to you Atlanta) and it revealed how weak others really are (cough, Minnesota, cough, Arizona, cough).

The biggest move up the board was made by Detroit and Tampa Bay who both moved up 8 spots. Indianapolis and Cleveland were close by moving up 7 spots each. On the flip side, the Chargers fell eight spots after falling to the Browns. Here are the standings:

NFL Power Rankings

Week 8

Andrew – 605 Points (70-48) – Winner of Week 8

Greg – 581 Points (68-50)

NOTE: Last week’s rank is noted in the first parenthesis. Current team record noted in the second parenthesis.

1. (1) Atlanta Falcons (7-0) – If you weren’t a believer before this week, join the bandwagon. They are a legit championship favorite. Matt Ryan is the MVP of the season so far as well. – Andrew

2. (2) Houston Texans (6-1) – Bye week slot remains intact. It came at a good time for them. – Greg

3. (3) Chicago Bears (6-1) – Squeaked out a win against Carolina at home this week. Their offense needs to perform at a higher level. Even though the Bears have scored 185 points this year (26.4 PPG), their offense has only scored 144 of those points (20.6 PPG). That's a TD per game by either the Defense or the Special teams. – Greg

4. (4) New York Giants (6-2) – Romo and Dez’s right hand helped the Giants remain perfect at the new Cowboys stadium. They didn’t play their best but it was a big win for them. They have all but locked up the NFC East. – Andrew

5. (6) San Francisco 49ers (6-2) – The defense played to their potential last night. The offense looked good as well. Crabtree is becoming a great wide receiver. – Andrew

6. (5) Green Bay Packers (5-3) – Beat Jacksonville at home 24-15.  Comparatively, the Bears beat Jacksonville on the road 41-3.  That's for you Packers fans that think they are so much better than the Bears. – Greg

7. (7) New England Patriots (5-3) – Last week I said, “The 2012 offense has been all about running. But vs. the Jets it was a flashback to 2011 where Gronk was getting the Td’s!” This week: Same thing accept vs. the Jags. – Andrew

8. (8) Denver Broncos (4-3) – This team is much better than the team that started the season. The improvement on offense is noticeable. They're developing into a great team. – Greg

9. (10) Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) – Made the Redskins offense look as ugly as their uniforms this week, forcing 10 dropped passes by Redskins receivers. – Greg

10. (12) Baltimore Ravens (5-2) – The defense and the offense needed adjustment through their bye week. We’ll see if it pays off. – Andrew

11. (15) Miami Dolphins (4-3) – I did not think at the beginning of the season that after 8 weeks the Miami Dolphins would be sitting at 4-3 with Ryan Tannehill as their starting QB. He has played well. – Greg

12. (19) Indianapolis Colts (4-3) – Andrew Luck gets his first road win in his young career. It was also another example of his excellence down the stretch in games. The team has already doubled their win total from last year. – Andrew

13. (9) Minnesota Vikings (5-3) – Adrian Peterson seems to have that burst back. Ponder though is playing worse as the season progresses. They need both of those guys to be successful for the entire year. – Andrew

14. (22) Detroit Lions (3-4) – Played great down the stretch and Matthew Stafford made the NFL's best pass defense look suspect in their thrilling comeback win. – Greg

15. (11) Seattle Seahawks (4-4) – Lost a thriller in Detroit. They have played a tough schedule so I give them credit for playing as well as they have. They need a little more from the offense though in order to keep the 49ers within range. – Andrew

16. (13) Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) – Nick Foles may be a better option than Michael Vick at this point. At least Andy Reid would be forced into giving LeSean McCoy some more touches. – Greg

17. (16) Dallas Cowboys (3-4) – Dallas got off to a terrible start on Sunday. But then they came back and nearly pulled off an upset win. If Dez keeps his arm tucked in, they would be right there in the division. But now they have work to do and they make too many turnovers to pull off a playoff run. – Andrew

18. (14) Washington Redskins (3-5) – RGIII is making a difference, but with how many draft picks they have given up, will the first five years of his career be mired in losing seasons? – Greg

19. (27) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4) – Crushed the Vikings this week. Played a complete game and really looked solid. Will it jumpstart the second half of their season? – Greg

20. (20) New Orleans Saints (2-5) – Seemed overwhelmed by Denver’s offense and defense on Sunday night. That statement though has pretty much summed up their whole season. – Andrew

21. (17) Arizona Cardinals (4-4) – There are some serious issues on offense. They actually looked like a college or high school team trying to score against the 49ers’ defense. – Andrew

22. (29) Cleveland Browns (2-6) – Arguably could have won at least 2 more games to be at 4-4. They're better than their record. – Greg

23. (21) New York Jets (3-5) – ............................................................ I really hope the Tebow talk doesn't start again. – Greg

24. (28) Oakland Raiders (3-4) – Unlike the other teams around them in the Power Rankings, this team is on the upswing. It helps though when you play the worst teams in the league… like Kansas City on Sunday. – Andrew

25. (24) Buffalo Bills (3-4) – They have some problems defensively. If they can straighten up some of those issues, they could have a good second half. – Andrew

26. (18) San Diego Chargers (3-4) – Mustered up 265 yards of offense on 12 drives against Cleveland (22 yards/drive) and scored six points. They are really trending downward. – Greg

27. (23) Tennessee Titans (3-5) – After the Colts ended their hot streak, they must respond at home against the Bears. – Greg

28. (26) Cincinnati Bengals (3-4) – Fell another half game behind the Steelers in the bye week, and are only 1 game ahead of the Browns, who beat them earlier this year. – Greg

29. (25) St. Louis Rams (3-5) – As feisty as they have played all season, it was like I was watching a different team on Sunday. They need to show more fight than that cause they are low on talent. – Andrew

30. (30) Carolina Panthers (1-6) – Cam threw a late pick that cost them the game again this week. That's 3 games that have been decided by a late Cam Newton turnover. Their record without those turnovers: (4-3). – Greg

31. (32) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-6) – They finally showed me something by at least giving the Packers a game. But they still can’t win. – Andrew

32. (31) Kansas City Chiefs (1-6) – When you get smacked by the Raiders at home, you know things aren’t going well. – Andrew

By: The Sports Guys

NBA Top 125

And finally, here are out top ten NBA players heading into the season:

NBA Player Rank - Top 10

10. Russell Westbrook – Oklahoma City Thunder

Most believe he should defer to Durant on a more regular basis. I don’t. Yes, KD needs to ball a lot, but Westbrook is one of the best guards in the world. He is a great scorer and also plays tremendous defense. To get better, I think he needs to settle for less jumpers and get to the rim as much as possible.

9. Dwyane Wade – Miami Heat

While Lebron keeps getting all the media attention, Wade continues to do his thing and quietly help lead this team. He, not Lebron, just won his SECOND ring. Wade could lead the league in scoring if he wanted, but his role will remain playing opposite King James and then score big in the fourth quarter. Wade’s defense and passing has improved a lot though ever since James joined him in Miami.

8. Kevin Love – Minnesota Timberwolves

Love is a big man that can do it all. He is the best rebounder in the NBA, which is amazing considering his size. He can score inside and out (great 3-point shooter). Plus, he can pass the ball better than a lot of guards. His defense could get better, but that’s getting picky.

7. Carmelo Anthony – New York Knicks

Anthony has always been a tremendous talent and a great scorer. His move to New York hasn’t been as great as they have hoped, but this year will be better. Adjusting to the fact he isn’t the only star is something he needs to do. Using his teammates more and trusting them is a large key. But with better team health, more consistency in an offense, and Jason Kidd’s arrival, things are looking up again for Anthony.

6. Derrick Rose – Chicago Bulls

The key for Rose will be bouncing back from his injury without any setbacks. But that worries me a little considering his game was predicated solely on athleticism. But when healthy, that allows him to run, jump, and finish better than any guard.

5. Dwight Howard – Los Angeles Lakers

The best big man in the league is now on the most famous team in the league. Dwight’s big personality will glow great in the LA spotlight. His big game will go even better with the Laker personnel. His rebounding and defense will be and has been monumental to his success. And I expect him to recover from his injury without any setbacks.

4. Chris Paul – Los Angeles Clippers

Paul dominates the game in a lot of ways that sometimes doesn’t involve his direct scoring. He is the best passer in the league, and has tremendous quickness that can break down any defense. That same quickness makes him a great defender as well.

3. Kobe Bryant – Los Angles Lakers

The Black Mamba finally got a co-star in Laker land again. Actually two. Dwight’s presence will allow him to rest up a bit more and not have to do as much throughout the regular season. Nash will allow him to play off the ball a bit more and will give him some easier looks. I believe he will have a rejuvenated year and prove to everyone that he is still one of the best players in the game, and maybe one of the best players ever. Especially come playoffs…

2. Kevin Durant – Oklahoma City Thunder

He is the best all around scorer in the league due to his height, athleticism, intelligence, and shooting ability. To catch Lebron as the league’s best, he needs to improve in the other areas… rebounding, defense, and passing.

1. Lebron James – Miami Heat

He is the best basketball player on the planet and has been for a few years now. He finally has the ring to prove it for those who doubted him in the playoffs. But to live up to his own legacy, he needs to keep winning more of them. There are a few reasons he is great. First, he has the best mix of size and athleticism in the league. Second, he is versatile and can play and guard multiple positions. Third, he can score and will and set up his teammates whenever he wants. Fourth, he is possible the best defender in the league and he rebounds to boot. And fifth, he actually may have the best basketball intelligence in the game today.

College Football Saturday

Overall standings:
Andrew: 20-8
Greg: 19-9

(11) Mississippi State at (1)Alabama

Andrew-Kudos to Mississippi State for surprising many in reaching 11 in the national rankings.  That of course is due to their 7-0 record including 3 SEC wins so far. None of those wins though were against ranked teams. Their best win was against Tennessee at home. So I can’t imagine them defeating the best team in the nation on the road. Russell and Perkins have been great for the Bulldogs, but Alabama will shut them down. Roll Tide! 

Greg-Dan Mullen has really turned the Mississippi State program much quicker than I thought he would.  This team is solid running the ball, which unfortunately plays into the strength of Alabama's defense. A.J. McCarron leads the nation in passing efficiency, and is quietly sneaking into the Heisman race. I think Alabama wins this game on talent, and the fact that it's being played in Tuscaloosa only increases their chances.

Greg- Alabama 24 Mississippi State-14

Andrew-  Alabama 38, Mississippi State 10

(2) Florida vs (10) Georgia (in Jacksonville)

Andrew-Although I was critical of the BCS last week for putting Florida at two over Oregon (and now KSU is above them too), they are earning it through this brutal stretch of games. Yet again this week they play a formidable foe, this time on the road. Georgia has actually had a great offense scoring nearly 40 a game. The Florida defense however is now their identity and they only allow 12 points per. So something has to give right? I say the score is somewhere in the middle of those numbers, but the Gators keep winning. 

Greg-Florida has beaten LSU and South Carolina in consecutive weeks in the Swamp. This game is not being played in Gainesville, but in Jacksonville. Georgia was embarrassed in Columbia against the Gamecocks and will be wanting to get back in the thick of the SEC East Race. I like the Bulldogs in this game to take down FLA even though I think the Gators are very good.

Greg- Georgia 28 Florida 24

Andrew- Florida 28, Georgia 27

(14) Texas Tech at (3) Kansas State

Andrew- I have continued to pick against Kansas State in every big game. But I’m a believer now. Klein is now my choice for the Heisman, even though others (including Seth Doege) are putting up better numbers. The Wildcats will control the tempo and Klein will continue to do his thing. Although if this game was at Texas Tech I’d be tempted to go the other way… 

Greg- Bill Snyder's team is exceptionally good this season. Colin Klein is a legitimate Heisman trophy favorite and their defense held West Virginia's offense to 7 points in Morgantown. If there is a team that can slow down Seth Doege and Texas Tech it is Kansas State, and I think they do it this week.

Greg- K-State 35  Texas Tech 20

Andrew- Kansas State 30  Texas Tech 21

(5) Notre Dame at (8) Oklahoma

Andrew-In the comment sections and in conversation I’ve been very critical of Notre Dame. While I admit they have a good defense, I don’t like anything else about them. They have two quarterbacks, which really means they don’t have any; therefore, they have no offensive identity. Their rigid schedule has turned out to be soft. Plus, because of a bogus call (not the goaline call but a PI call they kept last minute drive alive) they beat Stanford. They arguably should have lost another time or two as well. All this leads up to an overhyped team that isn’t as good as their record indicates. I know Greg and I disagree about this but I speak the truth! As I said in the last comment section, Oklahoma wins big.

Greg-This is probably the biggest game of the week, and the most divisive.  Most people don't appreciate how good the the Irish defense has been this season,only giving up 5 TDs. For a point of reference, Alabama's defense (which most consider to be the benchmark for defensive excellence) has given up 6.  With this game being played in Norman, and the Sooners being 10.5 point favorites going into today, all the pressure is on Oklahoma to win this game against an offensively challenged Notre Dame team. Couple that with the fact that Oklahoma is 1-7 all time against ND (their worst record against any opponent) and the Irish are motivated to prove everyone in the country wrong I see the Irish winning this game.

Greg- Irish-24 Oklahoma-17 

Andrew-  Oklahoma 24, Notre Dame 10

Andrew’s Upset- (22) Michigan at Nebraska

Both of these teams have disappointed Big Ten fans this season (myself included). I expected Taylor Martinez and Denard Robinson to have big years, but they have just been okay. But I think both teams are starting to play better football. I pick Nebraska in this game because I like how they play at home (4-0). I think it’s a low scoring game that Nebraska wins in the fourth quarter.

Nebraska 20, Michigan 17

Greg's Upset- (7) Oregon State at Washington

I love the Oregon State story here. They're pumped up in Corvallis- and rightly so because they have a good team for the first time in a decade there.  However, the Beavers will trip up at some point this year, and Washington is a tough place to play. Steve Sarkisian will have the Huskies ready to play and in a thrilling OT game they take down Oregon State.

Washington 42 OSU 39 (OT)