NBA Playoffs…Fantastic!

It’s playoff time folks! I love this time of year. I especially enjoy seeing how the last few games of the regular season play out and how it affects the playoff seeding. Should teams play/sit their starters (do you think Greg Popovich wants a do over)? Should they go for the win or tank a game in order to get the most favorable seed/matchup? Sounds like a good WWYD topic, doesn’t it?

But as much as I enjoy basketball and the NBA playoffs, I don’t like dynasties. Seriously, I don’t like seeing the same teams win over and over again. Well, that’s not true. I don’t like to see teams other than the Detroit Pistons win over and over again. So I’d be happy with seeing anyone but the Lakers (sorry DB) and Celtics play in the NBA finals this year. And it looks like we may have some formidable contenders.

The Chicago Bulls had the best regular season record in the NBA. Presumptive MVP Derrick Rose and his cast of supporting characters have more experience under their belt and are poised to make a run in the playoffs. Now, I already mentioned the Detroit Pistons. You see, I’m a fan from the Bad Boy era. So for me to be high on the Bulls is huge. I wouldn’t be rooting for them if I didn’t think they were talented.

In the West, I like Oklahoma City. I spent 2 weeks out of every summer for the first half of my life in OKC and I have a lot of love for the city. Add to that the fact that former VCU (my alma mater) star Eric Maynor plays for them and we have the makings of a hometown pick. Despite my sentimental feelings, I do see them as a real threat to knock off the reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers.

So with that, I’m going on record with my official NBA finals prediction – Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls with Oklahoma City winning it all. Maybe this isn’t the most popular pick and it may not pull in the ratings like a Lakers/Celtics series, but I think it would be competitive. Besides, it’s about time we got to see some other teams in the spotlight.

Finally, I thought it would be fun to leave you with my top 5 observations from the playoffs (so far) in no particular order:

1.   Jalen Rose’s return to ESPN. I thought ESPN did the right thing by suspending Rose after he failed to report his DUI to the network. I don’t know all the ins and outs of the situation, but lifting the suspension just in time for the NBA playoffs seems disingenuous to me and perhaps wasn’t the best PR move.

2.   As someone who thinks college basketball games are a bit more interesting and competitive than NBA games, I’ve been impressed with the level of play, particularly by some of the lower seeded teams. The Memphis Grizzlies upset the San Antonio Spurs (what?!), the New Orleans Hornets upset the Los Angeles Lakers (clutch the pearls!), and the New York Knicks narrowly lost to the Boston Celtics (I can’t imagine the trash talking that would have ensued on Facebook had the Knicks won). These teams really flexed their muscles and showed they came not only to play but to win. The upsets and close games from this past weekend were just enough to keep me excited and interested in what can sometime be a boring first round full of sweeps.

3.   Is it just me or is the next generation of stars missing a little personality? Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose are no Kobe Bryant or LeBron James. Maybe you’re old school and enjoy the quiet confidence Durant and Rose exude. But I want to see a little flash, a little personality. Watching Durant and Rose in interviews this weekend nearly put me to sleep. I’m just not wowed. Even though Blake Griffin isn’t in the playoffs, I include him in this bunch too. And don’t get me started on Griffin’s AT&T commercial where he downloads the kiss. So corny! Do teams still employ media coaches? #imjustsayin

4.   This may be a late observation, but it really bothers me to see fans sitting court side right alongside the player’s bench. It just looks awkward. And I hate to see the players all scrunched up on the end, oftentimes having to sit on the floor. It’s just ridiculous. I know it’s all about the money, but really - keep the court side seats on the other side of the court. (Unless someone has a court side seat ticket they want to give me J)

5.   Dick Vitale may have to share his crow with Dan Gilbert. Although the Heat are not facing a very tough opponent in the first round, we’re seeing signs that they could go deep into the playoffs. And while it may not be this year, it’s likely Dan that they will win a championship before the Cleveland Cavaliers. Dwyane Wade remains the clutch player we’ve known him to be and Chris Bosh is proving that he’s just as valuable to the team as Wade and LeBron James.

So tell me, who do you want to see in the Finals this year? Who’s going to win the NBA Championship?

Whatever happened to…?

Stephen A. Smith. I heard his name today on Mike and Mike in the Morning and thought – I haven’t heard that name in a long time. He was announced as an upcoming guest on the popular morning show, but for whatever reason, never came on. Then he was a guest on Outside the Lines this afternoon giving his opinion on the Kobe Bryant controversy. Hearing his name twice in one day got me thinking - whatever happened to him and why has he now suddenly reappeared?

A couple of years ago, the former Philadelphia Inquirer columnist was all over ESPN. He was a regular NBA contributor and studio analyst and I recall several passionate debates between him and Skip Bayless on 1^st and 10. He even had his own show on ESPN2 called Quite Frankly.

Stephen A. was someone I loved to hate. He was everywhere and to be honest he got on my nerves. His loud, brash, overly-opinionated tone turned me off. But he also wasn’t afraid to tackle the tough, controversial topics and told the truth as he saw it – qualities I greatly respected. I often agreed with what he said, just not how he said it.

Then, all of a sudden, he disappeared. And over time I kind of forgot about him. So today, when I heard his name and saw he was back in typical Stephen A. form on Outside the Lines, I decided to do a little investigative reporting (i.e. Google him) to find out why he suddenly disappeared from ESPN and what he’s been up to the past couple of years.

I found out that his relationship with ESPN ended in May 2009, when apparently they couldn’t agree on contract terms. In his official statement posted on his blog, Stephen A. said his “desire to venture beyond sports into the world of news, politics and entertainment has grown.” So what happened next?

According to Wikipedia (as reliable a source as that is), after leaving ESPN, Stephen A. moved on to Fox Sports Radio and most recently was a morning show host there. He also had guest appearances on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, The Dylan Ratigan Show and The Ed Show.

But it seems the grass wasn’t greener on the other side. In February, Stephen A. Smith returned to ESPN as a columnist for ESPN.com and host of a weekday radio show airing on ESPN 1050 in New York and ESPN 710 in Los Angeles.

So that explains it. Now that it seems he’s back in the sports commentating limelight, we can resume our love/hate relationship.

Did you miss Stephen A. Smith? Are glad to see him back with ESPN?

WWYD – Stealing Home

Hey good people! Did you miss me? I sure missed you. I’m still finding my way in this blogging world and trying to find a schedule that makes sense. Hang in there with me! I promise it’ll be worth your while. I have a couple of interesting pieces coming up that I think you’ll enjoy. Today, I have another WWYD (What Would You Do) scenario taken straight from the headlines.

The Texas Rangers received a huge blow on Tuesday when outfielder Josh Hamilton broke his arm sliding into home plate in the first inning of their game against the Detroit Tigers. During a foul pop up play, the 2010 AL MVP said his third base coach, Dave Anderson, sent him home since the plate wasn’t covered. Hamilton said he had a bad feeling about the play, yet he ignored his gut and took off toward home. After sliding into the plate, he said he felt two pops in his shoulder. Yeah, that’s never a good sign.



Source

All day I listened as sports analysts dissected and criticized Hamilton’s decision to steal home. Should he have listened to his gut or his third base coach? Should he have slid head first or feet first?

Since I’ve never played baseball, I thought I’d consult the one person in my life that has – my husband. Like many boys, he played baseball growing up and even had a legendary (so he says) high school baseball career. (His claim to fame is that he played against Dre’ Bly.) He said he was always taught to slide feet first because it takes less time than if you were to slide head first. Hmmm…makes sense to me. Maybe I can get John Brenkus from ESPN’s Sports Science to do a piece on this.

Regardless, the one thing that struck me was Hamilton’s lack of accountability. He was quick to blame his third base coach, and while he’s since apologized, wasn’t he just as much at fault?

And to literally add insult to injury, Hamilton was tagged out, the Rangers lost the game by 1 run (the final score was 5-4), and he’s expected to spend six to eight weeks on the DL. Was it worth it?

So what would you do? It’s early in the baseball season (this was game 11 out of a 162-game season) and the first inning of the game. Would you trust your gut or listen to your coach and go for it?

A Confession

As much as I profess to love sports, I don't watch women's basketball. You all heard about my NCAA men's bracket, but I didn't fill out a women's bracket, nor was I particularly interested in watching the women's games. At one point in time, women’s basketball was a huge part of my life, having served as manager for James Madison University’s women's basketball team my sophomore year in college. So I'm not quite sure when this shift occurred.

I was challendged last week when I had the pleasure of attending a webinar commemorating women in sports hosted by The Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM). The webinar panel consisted of giants in women's sports, media and education: Russlyn Ali, Assistant Secretary for Human Rights for the U.S. Department of Education; Christine Brennan, USA Today Columnist and ABC Commentator; Jackie Joyner Kersee, U.S. Track & Field Olympic Gold Medalist; Nancy Lieberman, former WNBA player & coach and current coach of the Texas Legends; and Muriel Zagunis, U.S. Fencing Olympic Gold Medalist.

Listening to these amazing women talk about how their lives were affected by Title IX, the inequality that still exists today, and the lack of media coverage for women's sports, I was ashamed. As a woman and a sports fan, I realized I'm doing nothing to support women’s sports. And so, that makes me part of the problem.

I'm also acutely aware of the fact that my lack of support is not just my own. I’m the mother of two young daughters and I want my girls to feel like they can do anything and have positive female athletes to look up to. The youngest panel member on the AWSM webinar, Muriel Zagunis, said it never occurred to her that she couldn't play sports. And I hope my girls grow up feeling the same way. But what have I done to further the cause?

After attending the webinar, I realized that it’s not too late. I am now determined to do all I can to ensure that Title IX remains a reality and that my girls and all young women have equality in sports. I even watched both NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four games last night. Hey - it's a start.

Nancy Lieberman said we as women have to take ownership. "Why should men care if women don't care?" She went on to say that "we can direct change by what we [as women] do together."

I’m going to do my part. How about you?