Wow what a 1st round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Can’t say the same for the boring NBA. Although the Bull/Celts series may have been the best I have ever seen (next to my Warriors defeating the Mavs in the 1st round as an 8 seed), the NHL has just been better. I was 4 for 4 in both the Eastern conferences picking the Cavs, Hawks, Celtics, Magic, Penguins, Bruins, Capitals, and Hurricanes to advance. The Western conference was a bit dicier for me, as I selected the Lakers, Blazers, Spurs, and Nuggets, as well as the Sharks, Red Wings, Flames, and Canucks. 8 for 8 in the East, only 4 for 8 in the West, what can I say, i’m an East Coast boy.

Here are my 2nd round picks for the NBA:

Cavaliers over Hawks in 6 (previous pick was Cavs over Hawks)

I think the Hawks have matured and play great at home. They should be able to steal a game or 2, but thats about it against the leagues new MVP.

Magic over Celtics in 7 (previous pick was Magic over Celtics)

If KG comes back I can see this going the other way for sure. In fact, i’d pick the Celtics to play the Lakers in the finals again. But without KG I just don’t see that next generation all pro on the Celtics. We can make a case for Rondo, but he’s no Superman. Howard leads his team past the defending champs.

Lakers over Rockets in 6 (previous pick was Lakers over Blazers)

Too much fire power on the Lakers. No experience past the 1st round on the Rockets. This will lead to another early exit for Yao Ming and the Rockets. Down 1-0, Kobe will step his game up, he isn’t a top 2 player in the NBA for no reason.

Nuggets over Mavericks in 5 (previous pick was Nuggets over Spurs)

The Mavs should be able to steal a game at home, but the Nuggets are clicking on all cylinders. No one is going to stand in their way if they keep playing like the way they are. Question is, can they keep it up?

Here are my picks for the later rounds:

Lakers over Nuggets (same pick as before)

Cavaliers over Magic (same pick as before)

Lakers over Cavaliers (same pick as before)

Now onto the NHL:

Once again called all 4 teams right in the East, and only half in the West. My Stanley Cup champion Sharks are out of the race early again. Sharks fans must be getting tired of this. My Penguins are still in the race, but are now in a 2-0 hole. Here are my picks.

Hurricanes over Bruins in 6 (previous pick was Canes over Bruins)

Cam Ward versus Tim Thomas. What a show Ward has put on so far, while Thomas hasn’t really been tested but was the best goalie during the regular season. I think the Canes have the experience, especially at goalie, to sneak past the Bruins.

Penguins over Capitals in 7 (previous pick was Pens over Caps)

Man oh man, i’m so dissapointed with the way the series is going only as a Penguins fan. As a hockey fan, I haven’t seen many better offensive games than the 1st two of this series. Hat tricks for Crosby and Ovechkin in the same game. They’re putting on a show. The only difference has been that Malkin hasn’t showed up, and that Varlamov has been slightly better than Fleury. I don’t want to change my pick, but i’ll admit, i’m scared out of my pants right now.

Due to reseeding, my West picks are all messed up. I had the Sharks over the Flames and the Wings over the Canucks. here are my new picks.

Wings over the Ducks in 7

I want to pick the Ducks but I just can’t pick against the defending champs. They have a big name at every position, from Hossa to Osgood, to Zetterberg, to Datsyuk who is in the running for MVP. Hiller has been great, can he pull a JS Giguere? I don’t think he’ll be able to.

Canucks over Blackhawks in 5

Sedin brothers are proving to be too much. Khabibulin is not the same goalie he once was and Luongo is proving to be a bit better right now. Blackhawks may steal another game, but I think the Nucks take the series.

Later round picks:

Canucks over Wings (i’m changing my picks, i’ve become a Canucks believer)

Pens over Canes (same pick as before)

Canucks over Pens in the finals (poor Sharks’ fans).

Till the next round, let me know what you guys think.

Just like the NHL, I wasn’t around for the first few games to be able to talk about my picks. I’m going to have to make this short and sweet as i’m at work, just like the NHL one.

Just like the NHL picks, I will redo these every round.

Cavs over Pistons in 4

Pistons have shown nothing. They could have avoided this matchup with a late season win, but faltered and now they’ll pay the price. The years of the Spurs and Pistons are done.

Celts over Bulls in 7

The way the Bulls have been playing they remind me of the Hawks in the first round last year. Gordon and Rose should be able to carry them to 1 or 2 more victories each, but in the end the Celtics are just better, with or without Kevin Garnett.

Magic over 76ers in 7

Magic are hurting and have high expectations in the playoffs for the first time since Shaq left for the Lakers in the 90s. They will win the series, but the other AI (Andre Igoudala) and company will make it tougher than everyone thinks.

Hawks over Heat in 7

Dwayne Wade has a lot of youngsters around him. I know i’m picking 3 serieses to go 7, but I feel like the East is up and coming and the teams are a lot closer than people think. Wade will carry his team for 3 wins, but the Hawks were growing last year and have only gotten better. They’re good enough to push into the 2nd round, and this should be the best series to watch come games 5, 6, and 7.

Lakers over Jazz in 5

The Jazz can’t play on the road. They got their 1 win at home. They may keep game 4 close, but will probably lose in the same fashion they lost game 2. Game 5 is going to be all LA.

Nuggets over Hornets in 6

Chris Paul is too good to get swept. The Billups trade has obviously made the Nuggets contenders. Billups should get the job done 4 out of 6 times against Paul as he has the better team around him right now. West and Chandeler need to show up.

Spurs over Mavs in 7

I would have said 6, so i’m cheating a bit as the Mavs have already won 2 games. Tim Duncan is a champion, Dirk Nowitzki is not. That should be the difference. Not to mention Jason Kidd has slowed down and Tony Parker is on a tear. With or without Manu Ginobili, the Spurs are a better team. Roger Mason (the new Robert Horry) with a game 7 game winning 3 pointer.

Blazers over Rockets in 7

This should be just as good as the Hawks and Heat series. The young Blazers have the 2nd best shooting gaurd in the game in Brandon Roy and a bunch of young talent that I think can get the job done against Yao. This series could go either way, but the Blazers have the better star and are just a bit more exciting to watch. They’ll also pose great problems for the Lakers in round 2, I think they pull it off.

Eastern Conference Semis:

Magic over Celtics in 7 (Magic get a bit healthier and without KG no one is going to stop Dwight Superman Howard. We’d all love to see the Celtics and Cavs go at it, but without KG its just not the same, and the Celts may just not get there.)

Cavs over Hawks in 5 (I feel like the Cavs will dominate the young Hawks and the Hawks are a year away. Moving up 1 round every year!)

Western Conference Semis:

Lakers over Blazers in 6 (Blazers will pose problems. The best 2 sg’s in the league will go at it in Kobe and Roy. Kobe is just too good, especially on defense. Blazers should be able to sneak a win or 2, maybe even 3, but they’re not winning this series.)

Nuggets over Spurs in 6 (this should look much like the Nuggets/Hornets 1st round series, Billups should get the job done 4 out of 6 times against Parker as well, especially with the team clicking at the right time.)

Eastern Conference Finals:

Cavs over Magic in 6 (2 superstars go at it. Reminds me of Shaq and Kobe. 2 future hall of famers. The Cavs are just too good though, they’ll probably take 1 road game and they’re not going to lose at home.)

Western Conference Finals:

Lakers over Nuggets in 5 (Nugs might steal a game, but they got dominated by the Lakers recently.)

Finals:

This is a toughy. Cavs vs. Lakers is everyones consensus picks. I will have to go with the Lakers though in 7. This may be tough as the Cavs don’t lose at home, but Lebron doesn’t face Kobe everyday. Kobe has the championship experience and two 7 footers that can dominate. No Z can’t dominate and I don’t care who thinks otherwise, he will get beat in this series. And it may just be the difference as long as the Lakers point gaurds don’t get beat by Mo Williams.

So…Jermaine O’Neal to the Heat, Marion to the Raptors, Brad Miller and John Salmons to the Bulls, Larry Hughes to the Knicks….ok then; everything that was supposed to happen (Vince Carter getting traded, Cavs trading for another veteran, Spurs making a move) didn’t happen…so I guess these will have to do. 

So which team made the best deal? I am going to have to go with the Bulls, they brought in a big man (finally), yes its only Brad Miller but he will be a major improvement on Gooden and the other guy.  Salmons will be able to give solid minutes at the 2 and 3 spots as well.  Hopefully this summer will make things a lot more interesting.

Victoria’s Secret model Adriana Lima has confirmed that she secretly got married to

NBA star Marko Jaric. I know all of us are asking, why him, why not me?! I know I am!

They will be having a larger wedding during the summer.  We’ll see if we can break it up by then…

On another note, Brian Austin-Green and Meghan Fox are splitting, calling off the engagement. Can we say unluckiest man ever?

Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, John Stockton, Charles Barkley. 4 future hall of famers were drafted in the 1984 draft 1st round.  1996 brought you the likes of Allen Iverson, Marcus Camby, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Antoine Walker, Kerry Kittles, Eric Dampier, Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojakovic, Steve Nash, Jermaine O’Neal, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Derek Fisher, and undrafted Chucky Atkins and Ben Wallace. 1998 brought us Mike Bibby, Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Al Harrington, Rashard Lewis, and undrafted Brad Miller.

What is the defining class of this decade. Lets take a look at the best player from each position, and i’ve added 3 bench players in case you have guys like Caron Butler that were drafted the same year as Tayshaun Prince, but your best PG drafted that year is Dan Dickau.

Year - PG, SG, SF, PF, C, Bench 1, Bench 2, Bench 3

2000 - Jamal Crawford, Michael Redd, Mike Miller, Kenyon Martin, Jamaal Magloire

Hedo Turkgolu, Deshawn Stevenson, Desmond Mason

Decent role playing starters at every position, no champions, and Redd is the only real all star.

2001 - Tony Parker, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, Pau Gasol, Tyson Chandler

Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson, Richard Jefferson

A formidable starting 5, all 8 players are all stars or have all star potential.

2002 - Dan Dickau, Fred Jones, Tayshaun Prince, Amare Stoudemire, Yao Ming

Caron Butler, Carlos Boozer, Mike Dunleavy Jr.

Weak at pg, sg, 2 good small forwards, Amare and Yao are franchise players.

2003 - Mo Williams, Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, David West, Chris Bosh

Carmelo Anthony, Chris Kaman, Josh Howard

8 standouts, King James, 4 franchise players, all 8 are all stars or have all star potential.

2004 - Devin Harris, Andre Iguodala, Josh Smith, Emeka Okafor, Dwight Howard

Andris Biedrins, Al Jefferson, Jameer Nelson

8 starters, everyone is an all star or has all star potential, nelson is the weakest of the class and he’s good, #1 center in the game in Howard.

2005 - Chris Paul, Monta Ellis, Danny Granger, David Lee, Andrew Bynum

Deron Williams, Andrew Bogut, Nate Robinson

#1 pg in the nba, a possible future kobe in ellis, all stars in granger, lee, and williams, bynum has potential to be the best center behind Howard of this era.

2006 - Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay, Tyrus Thomas, Paul Millsap, Lamarcus Aldridge

Rajon Rondo, Rodney Carney, Andrea Bargnani

Roy and Rondo the only standouts, Roy the only franchise player, Gay, Thomas and Aldridge have potential, weak class. 

2007 - Ramon Sessions, Rudy Fernandez, Kevin Durant, Al Thornton, Al Horford

Rodney Stuckey, Mike Conley Jr., Daequan Cook

Everyone is ok, but unproven except Durant.

2008 - Derrick Rose, O.J. Mayo, Luc Richard Mbah A Moute, Michael Beasley, Kevin Love

DJ Augustin, Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon

Already looking better than last years class.

While there are standouts each year such as Paul and Howard who may be the best at their position, the strength of a draft class has to come from depth. Of course you have to have 5 quality starters as well, which is why it was easy to dub 2002 as the weakest class of this decade. While Boozer and Butler are all stars on the bench, Dickau and Fred Jones are no where near as good as any of the other pgs or sgs mentioned. As for the best class, another easy answer. Every year has great players, even on the bench, but when you have King James, who many consider to be the best player in the NBA, and 3 other top 20 NBA players in Wade, Bosh, and Anthony, you have the best class of this decade. Not to mention that Josh Howard and David West have been to the all star game, and Kaman and Williams are also possible all stars and are coming into their own.

This is how it should have been from the beginning….yet when the NBA released information in early January he was around a million votes behind McGrady for the second guard spot.  I haven’t checked the NBA records but it is amazing how a player can make up THAT much ground in a matter of weeks….which brings me to the point of whether there was any “playing with the numbers” from the NBA standpoint… on one end, Chris Paul absolutely deserves that spot, but I cannot help but feel that there has been some tampering…this is an open topic and I would like to know what our readers think?

As us true basketball fans know the all star game is coming up in a few weeks…and while the starters have already been chosen (EAST: Iverson, Wade, Lebron, Garnett, Howard and WEST: Paul, Kobe, Stoudemire, Duncan, Yao) the reserves have yet to be selected.  This year the process will be no different from the rest, the coaches will select who gets in…two guards, two forwards, one center, and two at any position. 

While other nba analysts on other sports sites vary how they select their choices (some say just pick best seven, some base it on past merit, players from winning teams only)…I choose to choose the ones that the team would be lost or a lot worse without right now because no one else on their team could fill his position.

So here are my picks for this year:

EAST

Devin Harris: Seriously…22 and 6 a game while shooting a fairly high FG%….a shoo-in

Joe Johnson: The Hawks leader is scoring and assists, it would be difficult to exclude him

Vince Carter: I am putting him at forward since he actually spend a lot of time here when Harris plays with Dooling or Jarvis n the backcourt, and he held down the fort while Harris was out, and he doesn’t whine anymore

Danny Granger: Another easy pick…keeping the Pacers in the mix for the last playoff spot and now that Dunleavy is back the will have a much better shot

Chris Bosh: Since O’Neal has been out Bosh has played a LOT of Center while Bargani plays the PF slot…so another easy choice

Wildcard 1 (David Lee): the KNICKS at 19-25? Really? Lee is averaging 16 and 12 while shooting a bizarre 57% from the field…the Knicks would be at least seven games worse without him, but I would be ok if Okafor made it instead as well

Wildcard 2 (Andre Iguodala): Most people would select Pierce, Rondo, or Jameer Nelson here…but I went with the new A.I. simply because of the run is he since Dec. 1..he has brought the Sixers back to playing .500 ball which is an amazing feat considering Brand hasn’t played up to potential and Dalambert…well…is Dalambert

WEST

Tony Parker: The second best PG in the West right now besides Paul, has been playing out of his mind this year…averaging career highs in pts (20.3) and assists (6.6) its an easy call

Brandon Roy: Blazers are here because of him, enough said

Dirk Nowitzki: Should have been a starter, but being unanimously selected as a reserve is ok too

Gasol: How good have the Lakers been since he arrived mid-last year?? Easy choice

Nene Hilario: No, not Shaq…everyone has been giving the credit for the Nuggets success to Billups, and Carmelo…but Nene is leading the league at 61% shooting and is still averaging 15 pts and 8 rebs

Wildcard 1 (Paul Millsap): Help down the PF position in Utah while Boozer has been out and should reap the rewards in the off-season as well

Wildcard 2 (Carmelo Anthony): Yes, I know he hasn’t played enough games yet but he is still one of the best SFs in the game and deserves a spot