Must See Sports - Fourth Weekend of January, 2011

It is that time of the week, again. Time to gather 'round the fire, roast a few marshmallows on a stick, and let your old Uncle Eric guide you through the never ending menu of sports coming up this week. Or you can just read the following.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Dallas Mavericks at Chicago Bulls

This just in: DIRK IS BACK! And not a moment too soon for Mavericks fans.... The Mavs finally, and convincingly, ended an uncharacteristically horrendous skid, having lost 9 of their past 11 (please keep the 9/11 conspiracy theories to yourselves, guys) including six straight heading into last night's game, a win at home against the Los Angeles Lakers. Forward Dirk Nowitzki had 14 points and 8 rebounds and Jason Kidd, apparently after drinking from the fountain of youth, had 21 points, including 5 of 8 from downtown, and 10 assists to take down the Lake Show.

I'm ba-ack! 1

The Bulls, while comfortably in first place in the Central Division, are in a dogfight for seeding in the Eastern Conference playoffs with the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, and Orlando Magic. Every game counts for the Bulls as they trail the first place Celtics by 4.5 games and lead the fifth place Magic by a single game.

Coming off of an upset loss at home to the Charlotte Bobcats, the Bulls can ill-afford to help their Eastern Conference competitors gain any ground. Derrick Rose continues to play consistent, high octane offensive basketball and the Bulls will need it against a Mavericks team with renewed confidence. Good teams tend to be more sharply focused after an upset loss. The opposite is often true for teams coming off of a big win. The Bulls are also at home.

Advantage: Bulls

Friday, January 21, 2011

Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets

I typically try to avoid mentioning a team more than once in this segment, but the Lakers are the Lakers and the "Melo-drama" unfolding in Denver is too interesting to ignore. New Jersey Nets Owner Mikhail Prokhorov recently announced that the Nets would discontinue its efforts to acquire Nuggets superstar forward Carmelo Anthony in a trade. As Nets minority owner Jay-Z might say, "On to the Next One".

Last night, Melo responded to the speculation that he was "distracted" by dropping 35 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and stealing the ball 3 times from the Northwest Division leading Oklahoma City Thunder, saying it was "personal" (gotta love the Rex Ryan influence on all sports). I do not think Melo will need much outside motivation to prepare for The Black Mamba (Kobe Bryant) , The Candyman (Lamar Odom), and "Boom Boom" Pau Gasol (yes, I made that up).

Both teams have been less consistent in execution than they have been in recent years. However, the Lakers "inconsistency" has them still in first place in the Pacific Division while the Nuggets are in seventh place in the Western Conference playoff race. Still, the Pepsi Center in Denver is a very difficult place to win on the road and, trade rumors, "distractions" or otherwise, Carmelo appears to be sharply focused.

Advantage: Nuggets

Prokhorov sounds like Ernst Stavro Blofeld from the James Bond movies saying, "Goodbye, Mr. Bond!"

Video Source: YouTube

Saturday, January 22, 2011

NCAA Men's College Basketball

Villanova Wildcats (7) at Syracuse Orange (3)

If you are a college basketball fanatic, this Saturday will be like Christmas for you. There are several great matchups on the schedule, however, this Big East battle stands out. Syracuse had its first loss of the season handed to them by the (increasingly) hot and convincing #4 University of Pittsburgh Panthers.

Villanova is coming off of its first Big East loss, a nailbiter, to Connecticut. Led by versatile senior point guard Corey Fisher and coach Jim Wright, Nova is in the Big East mix, as usual, and has a golden opportunity to establish a foothold in the conference race.

This game is a toss up. I would not bet money on this one. Hmm.... Syracuse is at home. Their point guard is named "Scoop".

Advantage: Syracuse

Scoooooo-oop! 2

Kansas State Wildcats (24) at Texas A&M Aggies (10)

The Aggies basketball program is as strong as it has ever been at this point in the season, winning 16 of its first 17 games, including its first three in the Big XII. A&M suffered its first conference loss yesterday, a whipping at the hands of the Texas Longhorns. In contrast, Kansas State appears to have lost some of its (head coach) Frank Martin inspired mojo, with a 1-3 start in Big XII play. Questionable shot selection, shoddy defensive play, and foolish turnovers appear to be plaguing the Wildcats.

ANY game with K-State coach Frank Martin is worth watching! 3 

I believe in Martin and I think they have an on court leader in senior guard Jacob Pullen. I also think K-State will snap out of this self-inflicted funk. The Aggies are ripe for the picking, as the loss to Texas may have put a dent in their confidence. However, the Aggies are at home and K-State simply appears off of its game as a team.

Advantage: Texas A&M

Other noteworthy NCAA Men's Basketball games on Saturday:

Ohio State Buckeyes (1) at Illinois Illini (22) Advantage: Ohio State

Texas Longhorns (11) at Kansas Jayhawks (2) Advantage: Kansas

Michigan State Spartans (18) at Purdue Boilermakers (13) Advantage: Michigan State

Sunday, January 23, 2011

I am sure that many of you scrolled down to this date and I cannot blame you. The NFC and AFC Championship games both have the makings of classics that could live in NFL lore for years to come.

2010 NFC Championship Game

Green Bay Packers (12-6) at Chicago Bears (12-5)

Aaron Rodgers and the hopes of Cheeseheads everywhere travel to Soldier Field to take on the Monsters of the Midway. While the Packers and Bears are the NFL's oldest rivalry, with both teams having participated in a combined six Super Bowls and several NFL Championship games (prior to the Super Bowl era), this is the first time the two rivals have met in the postseason since the 1941 Western Division championship playoff, en route to the Bears' league championship that season.

Aaron Rodgers is playing the quarterback position better than any other QB in the NFL at this moment. Better than Tom Brady...better than Peyton Manning...better than Drew Brees...better than Ben Roethlisberger. A-Rodg is executing as crisply as I have seen a signal caller do so in the postseason. The Packers are playing smart, deceptive, but disciplined defense and, the most surprising element to me, they are running the football with authority in the postseason.

The Bears, in my opinion, have faced very few tough tests this season. The Seattle Seahawks were not a tough test, regardless of any media spin. Quarterback Jay Cutler looks razor sharp at times and, at other times (often the most inopportune times), makes decisions that could make a pee wee league coach smack his forehead. I am not suggesting that Cutler cannot win this big game. I am saying that I have yet to see it, nor concrete evidence of the probability of it, on any comparable stage. The Bears' defense will be a problem for Rodgers. Bears defensive end Julius Peppers allows the Bears front four to dictate the direction of the line play and frees up the linebackers to focus on its primary responsibilities.

If Matt Forte can be effective running the football early in the game, this could shape up into low scoring dogfight for every single yard of field position. My confidence in the Bears offensive line and Jay Cutler's decisions, under pressure, are not as great as my confidence in Rodgers, and a focused Packers defense led by rookie cornerback Tramon Williams and linebackers Clay Matthews III and A.J. Hawk. Home field is not everything (clearly, in this postseason), and it could shape up to be nothing if the Packers get out of the gates early.

Advantage: Packers

2010 AFC Championship Game

New York Jets (13-5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (13-4)

Let me be very clear on one point. The natural, unscripted drama, hype, theater, heated personal dialog, and raw emotion demonstrated by the players, coaches, and fans for the divisional playoff game between the Jets and New England Patriots last week cannot possibly be exceeded by any other game in this post season, including the upcoming Super Bowl. That matchup was as titanic a fight for manhood, pride, respect, and survival as there could have possibly been, given the opponents, their histories, and the personalities involved.

I have made no secret that, among teams that are not my Saints, New York Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan is my favorite coach because of how he motivates his players and speaks his mind, making the Jets the most fun team, not my own, for me to follow. I expect a great game between two teams with very tough, physical defenses.

HOWEVER, when I compare the soundbites in this week's press conferences to those of last week, I am waiting for "Kumbayah" to start playing in the background! I understand that Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin  and Ryan are friends, with a great degree of respect and admiration for one another, but COME ON! You are the "(expletive) New York Jets" and not some "slap(stick)" team and this is FOOTBALL! Give us some red meat, Rex. Give us a "Goddamn snack"! You are starving us here!!!

CAN'T WAIT? Coulda fooled me! 5

I mean...Big Ben Roethlisberger crediting the Jets for having a good, confusing defense and saying, "I don't know how I'm going to do it,"? Jets WR Santonio Holmes calling Steelers safety Troy Polamalu the greatest player he has ever seen in person?? Ryan saying that Tomlin is one of his favorite coaches and Tomlin replying, "I love Rex,"??? I got a little excited when Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor said he would "lay out" Holmes, only to follow it up by saying he loved the man like a brother. These are the Steelers and Jets???? Yes, that is Jim Mora-esqe "playoffs" incredulity you would hear in my voice if I were speaking. COME ON MAN!!!

Who are you and what have you done with Rex Ryan? 4

Alright, I tried my best to hype up the disappointing lack of hype. The Steelers are at home and while Mark Sanchez appears to rise to a new level and be in a zone of superlative focus during the playoffs, I think quarterback play will tip the scales in this matchup between two lockdown defenses and strong running games. Roethlisberger has two Super Bowl rings and, as if it were possible, appears to be getting BETTER in big games and in high pressure situations. I think think Sanchez needs to grow some more and demonstrate more consistency throughout the entire season before he marches his team into the Big Ketchup Bottle and knocks off the Steelers on his way to the Super Bowl.

Advantage: Steelers



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1) Image from dailytitan.com
2) Image from orangehoops.org
3) Image from ballinisahbit.net
4) Image from daylife.com
5) Image from ESPN via YouTube